Friday, May 12, 2006

Good Morning   

 

-- See everyone on Sunday.  Remember that Sunday is Mother's Day. 

 

Today's Reading:    Revelation 11: 7:19   --  Barclay 81-83   (two sections)  

 

-- These two sections in Barclay wrap up Chapter 11.

 

-- In today's verses, we have two events -- (1) the death of the two witnesses and (2) the sounding of the seventh and final judgement.

 

-- again, the death of the two witnesses is something that we won't miss when it happens, because as John notes, everyone will be happy that they are gone, because of what they had to say.  The beast from the Abyss is the one is able to overcome them and kill them.  And while it might seem odd or unusual that their bodies would lie in the street for 3.5 days, we have some recent examples of behavior close to that -- remember in Iraq, the contractors in Fallujah who were captured and their bodies hung on the bridge in Fallujah?  And even further back, there have been outlaws in 1920's and 1930s -- such as John Dillinger --  that have been gunned down by police officers and their bodies lay in the street for a time and then later put on display before burial.  I think that during the Romanian revolution, Nicholai Ceasescu and his wife Elena were executed, and their bodies were left out for awhile and abused.

 

-- as Barclay notes, the symbolic nature of the witnesses' death and then resurrection and ascension into heaven 3.5 days later brings some of the survivors of the earthquake that befalls Jersusalem to God.  With the end of the story of the witnesses, John announces that the second woe is passed, but the third is coming soon.

 

-- the sounding of the seventh trumpet begins the third woe, though in our verses for today, nothing immediately bad happens.  In our reading, the sounding of the trumpet brings forth an initial hymn of praise and thanks to God, in celebration of the beginning of the reign of God and the kingdom of Heaven.  But more is to come.

 

Today's Scripture   

 

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

Today's prayer requests:     Our mothers 

Need to remember our mothers during this special weekend. 

Today's class member prayer:

Nicole McKinney  

Jay 

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Good Morning  

 

Today's Reading:    Revelation 11:1- 6  --  Barclay  78 - 80 (two sections) 

 

-- Barclay's sections are short, so we have two -- one that mentions the length of time of the terror to come, and the other discusses the identify of the two witnesses.

 

-- the first part is about how long the terror will last, and the time 3.5 years keeps coming up, expressed in several different ways.  We will have some additional discussion about that, because there are some other references to 7 years and 3.5 years coming up.  For now, we need to remember that the two witnesses will testify for 3.5 years, and they will be essentially unstoppable during that period of time.

 

-- the second part of Barclay's commentary for today has to do with the identify of the two witnesses.  All of the options the names of those prophets and leaders who, in the Old Testament, were taken up into heaven.  Based on the scriptures, Barclay identifies Elijah and Moses as the most likely identies for these two witnesses.  The only thing that gives me pause about that is that the witnesses are killed at the end of their testimony, and that just seems odd to me that Moses and Elijah would be killed at that point -- after having been caught up into heaven without dying originally. But just as John the Baptist came prior to the coming of Christ, so to will these two witnessess come prior to final trumpet.

 

-- going back to the section on time, and the fact that 3.5 years is the increment of time for the witnesses -- there is something meaningful in the idea that the time is half of 7, which is a number that keeps coming up in Revelation.  In addition, as Barclay mentions, there is precedent in the Old Testament for that period of time defining a difficult time -- 3.5 years refers to a very difficult time in the life of the Jewish people, during the reign of the Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria -- a time whose end is commemorated by the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. 

 

Today's Scripture 

 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Matthew 13:44

Today's prayer requests:    Christie Peebles

Need to remember her as she gets closer to her due date.

Today's class member prayer:

Matt Rocksvold 

Jay 

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Good Morning

Today's Reading: Revelation 11:1-2 -- Barclay 75-77

-- a couple of things I don't get about today's passage. I don't understand the idea about measuring advanced by Barclay -- I don't see how measuring is like the idea of sealing the faithful that is put forward earlier. First, there is the idea of trying to see how those actions are similar, and then secondly, it is John, not an angel, that is doing the measuring, and I don't see how John can confere that protection by him measuring it. Also, I don't see where John reports what he measured, or who he counted.

-- Maybe this is an idea that is just lost in translation -- I can understand the idea of sealing or being marked by God for protection, but I don't get how the idea of measuring a building communicates protection.

-- The other thing that Barclay doesn't even mention or discuss is the idea that John was also told to count the worshippers within the walls of the temple.

-- So, I'm lost with this passage, and how it fits with everything else. Note that we return to the idea of the measuring rod towards the end of Revelation, when an angel uses a rod of gold to measure the new Jersusalem. Maybe we will revist this at that time, and see what we have learned.

Today's Scripture

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8

Today's prayer requests: Corey. Megan's student

Corey has been on the prayer list for a while, and we need to continue to remember him and his family as they deal with his spells/seizures .

Today's class member prayer:

April Walker

Jay

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Good Morning  

 

Back from out of town -- hope everyone had a good weekend. 

 

Today's Reading:    Revelation 11 (all) --  Barclay 73-75 

 

-- Barclay has us read the entire 11th chapter for perspective before breaking down the individual passages.

 

-- In general, Chapter 11 is a preview/summary chapter for the rest of Revelation -- outlines what is to happen.  Note that at the end of the chapter, John writes that the second woe is over, and the third is to come, which signifies that the end of the events associated with the sixth trumpet.(The three woes were mentioned by the angel prior to the blowing of the fifth trumpet.  Trumpets 5, 6, and 7 are heralds of events that bring terror, hardship, pain, etc. to the people of the earth.  The first four trumpets primarily brought destruction to the natural elements of the earth -- the water, the trees, the grass, etc.) 

 

-- In large measure, we are beginning to get to the part of Revelation that people tend to really focus on -- the antichrist, the 3 1/2 years of rule, etc.  As we get into it, I'm sure that we'll find it really interesting as well -- but before we do, let's reflect on all that we have studied and read getting to this point -- the letters to the seven churches, the seven seals, the first six trumpets -- a lot has happened and discussed.  We need to remember all of that because many of the misconceptions about Revelation are due to focusing on just a few portions of the book, and not understanding it in the context of the whole book.

 

Today's Scripture 

 

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with the darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:14

Today's prayer requests:    Saundra Aaron

Valerie's brother's mother-in-law continues to go through treatment for cancer.  Need to remember her and her family in her struggles.

Today's class member prayer:

Brigitte Severance

Jay