December 10, 2008

Revelation 9

I wonder if God took John ahead in time physically to see the actual events, as they will unfold or if the things he saw was a supernatural vision, a dream of sorts? It seems like a fine line but it may be because what happened touched all of his senses even if his physical body was not there. It seems obvious that he saw things that have never been seen before by any human this side of heaven and therefore difficult to compare them to things we would understand. Either way like all scripture the Holy Spirit of God led him so that this message would be delivered to the church and Revelation like every other book of the Bible is filled with purpose I’m just not sure what that purpose is. I guess the most difficult thing for me about reading Revelation is this – if no one can understand it or agree on what is being said what is the main purpose? I get that God has the final word and that an account will be given of the choices that we make and that God has made a way for us to receive His mercy through His son Jesus but certainly there are other places in the Bible that tells us that. I guess I coming at it from a different angle this morning, I don’t mean to offend but it has always been difficult for me to stay connected when reading Revelation.

Love your questions Carl. I am sure most of us, if not all, have pondered those very same ideas. Why do we need this information? I feel like there is something really amazing in the midst of all the chaos and bowls and seals and destruction.
For me, it becomes a journey into the heart of God. It's the culmination that brings us to Him. It's another time of Creation. Not to sound tact-less, it's "out with the old and in with the new!" That is definitely something to celebrate! All the visual stimulation
sometimes is so much for this small mind to fathom or even comprehend and yet the images are so absolutely fantastic that I want to know more!

I had a good laugh yesterday when a young friend was asked what he thought of revelations. He replied that it sounded like someone was doing mushrooms on the Isle of Patmos. In this world, that would be a reasonable explanation would'nt it? OK, I'll try to focus here.

Your OK with me Carl, if honest puzzeling and wondering are offensive then I suppose I would be "excommunicated" for sure. Mary and I were talking along the same lines last night. Several things in earlier portions of the Bible make this Chapter even more enigmatic. After the great flood, God seemed to feel remorsefull and vowed that He would never destroy the earth again, did He mean by flood only or in any way? Since God is just, I've come to believe or been taught that God is not responsible for the pain and suffering of this life, it is the natural consequence of our own sin and the influence of evil. God simply does not interfere, but clearly suffers pain over the fact that it is. I also don't get a clear picture that God is doing any of this, or that He wills it for the purpose of "punishing" those who are still sinning, just allowing it to happen to them but the ones with the seal of God on their forheads were protected from any harm. That is reassuring to know that of my own free will, I can have that seal if I desire it. The idea causes me to want to not do anything that might make that seal disappear every day of my life. As was fortold earlier, the end, Jesus, will come un-anounced, like a thief in the night, no one will know the day or the hour. That makes it all pretty immediate for me.

I agree Jacqui, there seems like the possibility that something else of great moment is also going on. People and the earth being re-made. Bing brought into perfection where we were meant to be in the beginning. Aleluia, Aleluia. PS> please pray extgra hard today for the people in Somalia. I saw pictures last night of what is happening to people there as a result of hunger, lack of sanitation or treated water, and the outbreak of cholera. Horrible. The disease is treatable but most health care workers have left the country and the infrastructure of the country has collapsed. Please pray.

Gregg, it is hard to grasp that such incredible suffering is going on now in many parts of the world. We are so sheltered and spoiled by our wealth and security. I guess the real challenged for me in that is to let go of my own comfort, as Jim talked about last week, and be willing to make a difference in the world outside of my comfy spot. I think if I were to find a way to do that, the problems I have in life would probably fade away to nothing. Anyway, it's easy to see that the world desperately needs a new beginning with Jesus at the helm. I'm tired of the way mankind ruins everything, myself included. I just hope that I'm doing enough to pull people out of the path that leads to this fate of destruction.

So good to hear from you Nate. Praying for everyone and yes, even our brothers and sisters in our global community. There is much suffering in this world and an abundance of resources. It's disturbing. God's heart must be so grieved.

Great comments, questions and perspectives. I have been getting so much out of all of this and enjoying every minute. Thank you all for being part of this online experience and even being vulnerable at times.

Blessings to you all!

Hey Carl, you're not being weird at all. Revelation has confounded sharper minds than ours. For every preacher today with absolute clarity on the meaning of Revelation, I can point to a theologian, Christian thinker or leader from the past two thousand years who couldn't make heads or tails of it. It's a great place for us to ask God to bring us clarity, and then hold our interpretations with an open hand. God's got something to say here, for sure. But it calls us to greater seeking, rather than super-confident knowing.