tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15151284115011054832024-03-07T23:22:43.546-08:00Another End Times BlogJerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-31844011583195372532013-10-12T21:38:00.000-07:002013-10-12T21:41:08.783-07:00The Seven Spirits Who Are Before His Throne<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: super;">4</span><span style="background: white; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">John to the seven churches that are in
Asia:</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Grace to you and peace from him who is and who
was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,</span><span style="background: white; color: grey; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: grey; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: super;">5</span><span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic;">and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the
firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #363030; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his
blood </span><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt; vertical-align: super;">6</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363030; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">and made us a kingdom, priests
to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt; vertical-align: super;">7</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363030; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">Behold, he is
coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced
him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so.
Amen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt; vertical-align: super;">8</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363030; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord
God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-style: italic;">(Revelation 1:4-8)</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Not that it bares directly on our
study of the Book of Revelation but it is worth noting that the Book of
Revelation is also an epistle (or letter). Although Revelation was authored by
the Apostle John and considered by him to be an epistle to the churches, today
we never classify it among the epistles. Likewise, The Gospel of Luke and The
Acts of the Apostles, (both of which were written as letters) are never found
numbered among the New Testament epistles. Revelation </span><span style="background-color: white;">contains, in fact, seven letters or epistles (all with a common Apostolic </span><span style="background-color: white;">introduction) addressed to </span><span style="background-color: white;">"the seven churches that</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GVUM5FWceQU/UlobY4O8T-I/AAAAAAAAG-o/2tzAqxzwO_o/s1600/Asia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GVUM5FWceQU/UlobY4O8T-I/AAAAAAAAG-o/2tzAqxzwO_o/s400/Asia.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white;"> are in Asia". In John's time, Asia was a province of the
Roman Empire located on the western tip of
the modern day country of Turkey. The seven churches of the Roman
Provence of Asia to which the seven letters were addressed were Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">1. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">Grace to you
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">(Rom 1:7;</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;"> 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph
1:2: Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2;
Titus 1:4; Phil 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:2; 2 Jn 1:3; Rev 1:4-5) </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">… This phrase or a phrase very similar to it is included in the
Apostolic greeting of the writings of Paul, Peter, and John in 17 of the New Testament books. The New Testament books that do not
include this greeting are the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
Acts, Hebrews, James, 1 John, 3 John, and Jude.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">In the apostolic
greeting of Revelation, John follows the establish form but also does something
quite unusual - (1) instead of using the words "God our Father" he
inserts descriptive devices for God, i.e., "f</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">rom him who is
and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before
his throne,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">". (2) The second thing
John does in this greeting is provide adjectival descriptions of the Son even
though Jesus is also named.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">2. In this we have our first
introduction to the apocalyptic language of Revelation and it is
beneficial at this point to ask the question - 'How do we know that the
phrase "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">from him who is and who
was and who is to come,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"> …" is really saying
the same thing as "God"? The phrase is "churchy"
sounding, and perhaps most readers take it for granted that these words do
in fact refer to God. But in truth, the reason, we know these
"churchy" sounding words refer exclusively to God and never to
another is that this is exactly how God referred to Himself in Revelation
1:8: </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt;">I
am </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">the
Alpha and the Omega," </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt;">says the Lord God,
"who is and who was and who is to come</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">, the Almighty (emphasis
added)." So, rather than just accepting that this phrase is a phrase
that means the same thing as God because it sounds "churchy", we
used the analogy of faith to compare the unclear wording in verse 4 to the
clear passage found in verse 8 to arrive at its intended meaning.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">3. John also wrote "</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">Grace
and peace</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">…</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">from the seven spirits
who are before his throne,</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">…". What does this phrase mean? We know
that God is a Trinity-- Father, Son, and Spirit. Is it possible that John
is uniquely recording the only greeting to the church from the Holy Spirit
in the New Testament in this part of verse 4? The Book of Revelation is
certainly unique so a one of a kind greeting recorded in this book does
not seem to be out of bounds. The answer to the question is 'yes', this is a possibility. Many highly qualified, pious, godly, and careful commentators on this
passage have made exactly this point.
A brief (but I hope not inaccurate) description of how they arrive
at this conclusion comes by way of noting that the number seven is the number of
completion and perfection and is always associated with God or the works
of God. Thus the phrase "seven spirits" is another way of
referring to the Spirit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">I do not however agree with this conclusion for several
reasons. Note, however, that I am far less qualified to disagree with these
great men of God than most people on this planet. But I do, so first I will
provide a negative case as to why I do not agree that an interpretation which
makes the seven spirits a synonym for the Holy Spirit is the best
interpretation of this passage.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">Second,
I will build a positive case using the analogy of faith showing that the seven
spirits of Rev 1:4 can best be understood as a way of speaking of the
omniscience of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">4. The
Negative Case: As will be discussed in more detail below, the seven
spirits of God are mentioned in Revelation four times. The Spirit, as in
the Holy Spirit, is also specifically mentioned in Revelation 9 times
(2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6: 3:13; 13:22; 14:13; and 22:17). I do not see
a correspondence when comparing the 4 mentions of the seven spirits with
the (Holy) Spirit in any of the 9 passages listed above which causes me to think that John intended the seven spirits of God first mentioned in 1:4 to be a synonym for
the The Spirit. Further, when there is an unambiguous quote from the
Spirit (Rev 14:13 and 22:17) John records "<b>The</b> Spirit says…" and
"<b>The </b>Spirit and the Bride say "Come"" (emphasis added).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">5. The Positive Case: In the 66 Books
of the Bible, the seven spirits (before God's throne) are mentioned 5
times. Four of the 5 mentions are in the Book of Revelation (1:4; 3:1;
4:5; and 5:6), the 6th is found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah (4:10). The first 2 references
in Revelation (1:4 and 3:1) are the same; new information about the seven
spirits however is introduced in Rev 4:5 and Rev 5:6. We will discuss Revelation
3:1 and 4:5 a bit later, for now I would like to draw your attention to
Revelation 5:6 where John records these words "And between the
throne…I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven
horns and </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt;">with seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God sent out into all the earth</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"> (emphasis added)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24pt;">.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"> Notice the relationship
between the eyes of the lamb and the seven spirits. John says these seven
spirits are sent out into all the earth. This is very similar to the
mention in Zechariah 4:10 (b) which reads: " "These seven are
the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth." Again,
the number seven is the sign of completeness or of perfection that is
associated with God and His works. It is not unreasonable to conclude that
the "seven spirits" introduced in Rev 1:4 "are the seven
spirits of God sent out into all the earth" mentioned in Rev 5:6.
Moreover, we saw a similar prophetic usage in Zach 4:10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">The phrase "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">f</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">rom him who
is and who was and who is to come</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">" refers, as we have seen, to
God. It also is another way of referring to the fact that God is omnipresent
(meaning present in all places at all times).</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">Similarly, the phrase "t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 24pt;">he seven spirits who are before his throne," </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">which are sent out and range through the
whole earth refers to the omniscience of God being descriptive of his unlimited
understanding and knowledge.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">6. Conclusion: Using the analogy of faith,
It is as if 1:4 could be rendered in this way - John to the seven churches
that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the one and only
omnipresent and omniscient God...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 24pt;">But what was
John's purpose in writing the Apostolic greeting in this manner? The answer to this question is
going to have to wait a bit though while we continue examining Revelation when
we pick back up at verse 5 of Chapter 1 in the next post. </span></div>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-4029745017510836122013-10-10T19:05:00.001-07:002013-10-11T07:08:37.359-07:00Words Are Not Made of Silly Putty<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
OK. Show of hands -- how many people think that the first hearers of the Book of Revelation:</div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">set around scratching their head wondering what it was all about?</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Or started thinking about helicopter gunships, Mideast oil, the number of soldiers a future Chinese Army would number, or of vast sorties of Russian attack aircraft exploding harmlessly over the land of Israel while they were trying to bomb it out of existence?</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Or, if they were hearers of the Book in 100 AD, said to themselves 'thank goodness all this prophecy was fulfilled 30 years ago so I don't have to worry about it?</span></li>
</ul>
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I may have gone a bit overboard but the above illustrations are very close (if not exactly) what some people who read the Book of Revelation today assume it to mean. I'm going to get into trouble here (I do not mean to offend anyone) but most commentators hold there are basically 4 ways to interpret the Book of Revelation. I don't hold to any of them, so in a few minutes I'll be introducing you to a 5th way. Let me say at the outset that I do not think this additional way to interpret the Book of Revelation is at all new.</div>
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(Let the yelling commence)</div>
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The four ways to interpret the Book of Revelation in brief<span style="vertical-align: super;">3</span>:</div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">One way to view Revelation is the idealist view, or the spiritual view. This view uses the allegorical method to interpret the Book of Revelation.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Preterist View. Preter, which means "past," is derived from the Latin. There are two views among preterists: full preterism and partial preterism. Both views believe that the prophecies of the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24) and Revelation were fulfilled in the first century with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Full preterism tends toward heresy.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Historicist view of Revelation teaches Revelaton is a symbolic representation of the course of history from the apostle's life through the end of the age.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Futurist View holds that the events of the Olivet Discourse and chapters 4-22 of Revelation will occur in the future. Further more, Futurists argue that a consistently literal or plain interpretation is to be applied in understanding the Book of Revelation and reject (most) allegorical interpretation. The most popular and widely held Futurist view today is found in dispensational theology.</span></li>
</ol>
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I could be wrong but it seems to me that all four of these views would be a source of confusion rather than an unveiling to the first hearers of Revelation. I know they are all a source of confusion for me. The weaknesses of these views have been addressed by others so I'm going to set aside a discussion of the weakness inherent in these positions during this discussion. The remaining space in the post will be used to briefly describe the method I think best fits the contentions I have so far made in previous posts:</div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Revelation is a revealing not a concealing of events that must soon take place.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The readers and hearers of this book are expected to keep what is written in it; how could we do this unless we can understand the meaning of the book when we read or hear it? Revelation is unique in that it promises a blessing to those who read, hear, and keep it. The reading and hearing is one half of the promise of the blessing, the keeping of it is the other half. The command with the blessing implies that both can be accomplished.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Scripture, including the Book of Revelation, cannot have one meaning for the 1st century church and a whole different meaning for those of us who live in the 21st century. This principle is derived from the Analogy of Faith which has two main points:</span></li>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Scripture interprets Scripture. Because there is no contradictions in the Scriptures we must compare a proposed interpretation of a Scripture passage with what other parts of the Bible teaches.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Closely related to this concept is that the clearer passages of Scripture interpret the unclear passages of Scripture.</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
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There is one other important point to take into consideration -- What were the very first written Scriptures the early church had in its possession? The answer is, of course, the collection of books that we now refer to as the Old Testament. The early church also had the advantage of the teachings of the Apostles and, as they came into being and circulated, the Writings of the Apostles -- those books which we now refer to as the New Testament. The first members of the first New Testament churches were Jews, although it did not take long for Gentiles to begin to be added to the number of the elect. There is no doubt that the early church read extensively from the Old Testament and from the writings of the Apostles. In short, the 1st century church knew (what has become known as) their Bible and they were diligent about using it -- consider the case of the Bereans (Acts 17:10-13) as example: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
"The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds."</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
Notice that the Jews of Berea were found "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so". Note that the Scriptures that the Bereans had to have been searching was the Old Testament. But the Jews in Thessalonica didn't examine the Scriptures but instead (and perhaps because they did not turn first to Scriptures) became the source of all kinds of trouble. I think in much the same way, when we hear someone teach the Word if from Genesis or from Revelation or anything between, we should examine the Scriptures…to see if the things being taught are so. By example the Bereans have showed us the better way. It is no less important, perhaps even more important, that when we read and come to a conclusion about the meaning of a particular Bible passage, we should follow the Berean example and "examine the Scriptures" to see if our conclusion is Biblical or in error.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
Words have a meaning and the words of Revelation have a meaning. We can understand Revelation and, usually, we do not have to look any further than the other books of the Bible (and sometimes the Book of Revelation itself) to begin to comprehend the meaning of the words of this prophetic book. If you didn't catch it, let me restate this point because it is very important, the whole Bible has to be taken into account when seeking to understand Revelation…as someone (I wish I could find the citation to give them due credit) pointed out,<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> Revelation is </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">the</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> most Biblical book of the Bible.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">
And that, my friends, is how we should read it.</div>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-89141898051010894282013-10-07T21:12:00.001-07:002013-10-09T08:01:46.101-07:00The Time Is Near<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Back in 1947 the Science and Security
Board of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists</span><span style="background-color: white;"> created The Doomsday
Clock. The hands on the face of this ominous symbolic clock countdown to
the midnight of worldwide global disaster. The closer the Clock hands move to
midnight, the closer the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists </span><span style="background-color: white;">Science
Security Board believes the world to be to global disaster. Since its beginning, The Doomsday Clock hands have been moved 20 times in response to dangerous
international situations. On January 14, 2013 the hands of the Doomsday Clock were set to five minutes before midnight (11:55 PM). An announcement
about whether the hands will move again will be made January, 2014.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Originally, the Doomsday
Clock reflected the perceived eminence of the threat of global nuclear war, but
in 2007 additional criteria was added to the calculations reflecting the
presumed impact of life science developments such as climate change.</span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: super;">2 </span>Interestingly, the closest the Doomsday Clock hands
were ever been moved to the midnight of human disaster came in 1953. At that
time the clock was updated to two
minutes before midnight (11:58 PM). The greatest number of minutes ever added
to the clock came in 1991 when 17 minutes were added because the United States
and Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">If I may take the liberty, it is as if when the <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: italic;">Bulletin of the
Atomic Scientists </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Science
Security Board issues their yearly Doomsday report they are saying "these
things must soon take place, for the time is near"! Everyone pays
attention to the warning and no one demurs because the predictions of previous
years did not end with the obliteration of mankind by the blasts of an
intercontinental thermonuclear holocaust.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">No,
the warnings contained within the report of those who set the hands of this
clock are taken seriously by the world's intellectual and political elite.
Certainly no one ever questions the relevancy of the prophetic voice of the
Doomsday clock even though it has been
stuck at 17 minutes to midnight or less for the past 66 years.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Yet
the prophetic voice of the Book of Revelation speaks with an authority greater
than that of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists</span> about a coming time of great turmoil and harm for mankind and
the planet earth. Likewise we are warned again and again within the pages of
the Revelation that these things will soon take place (Rev 1:1; 2:16; 3:11;
11:14; 22:6; 22:7; 22:12; and 22:20). But let me ask, does it bother you that
"He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming
soon."" (Rev 22:20) but he hasn't come yet? What does soon mean?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">By
way of shaming us I'm going to point out that no wastes one second of worry
when the end doesn't come <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">soon</span>
because the hands of the Doomsday Clock are set at 2 minutes to midnight. And
no one doubts the seriousness of its promised catastrophes and threats. There
has been no end, on the other hand, to the weakening of our faith in the
trustworthiness of the Holy Scripture because Christ has not yet returned --
all because that word <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">soon</span>
was included in the Revelation of Jesus Christ! Why do you doubt (Matthew
14:31)? "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9)".</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">On
the other hand, we are conditioned by a relatively short life span (I suspect
that even living to the age of 100 seems all to short when you arrive at its
end), by calendars, and clocks, and seasons, and deadlines to think about the
word "soon" as being something that is near chronologically speaking.
And it is; but we should keep in mind that time can also be relative -- it can
seem to speed up or slow down depending on the nearness or importance of the
events to us personally.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">In
the previous post we briefly discussed that the revelations given in this book <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">must</span> happen, now we turn our
consideration to the fact that they are to surely happen shortly-- that is the
revelations of this book would begin to come to pass very shortly and the whole
of it will be completed in a short time.<span style="vertical-align: super;">3</span>
I am certain that the people in the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea did not doubt the meaning of the
word "soon" either in terms of the trials "soon" to befall
them or in terms of the promised rewards that awaited them. Now, I should also
note in this context that the promise of the soon return of Christ is given in
22:11 (and no, I do not doubt that the seven churches doubted the
chronological soon-ness of His return). <span style="font-style: italic;">This is why we can have confidence that not just
parts of it but the whole of it will come to pass soon.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Eschatologically
speaking, the time when the whole thing will be completed is not only soon, but
very soon. The Apostle John told us in 1 John 2:18 :</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">"Children, <span style="font-weight: bold;">it is the last hour</span>, and as you have heard
that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have
come. Therefore <span style="font-weight: bold;">we know that it is the last
hour"</span> (emphasis added).</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> And we know from Scripture that the last hour
began with the death and resurrection of Christ (Hebrews 1:2):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">"but<span style="font-weight: bold;"> in these last days</span> he has spoken to
us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom
also he created the world (emphasis added)."</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(This may be a good
time to read other related passages showing that the we live in the time of the
end: <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/1P1.20%3BHb9.26%3BAc2.17/">1 Peter 1:20;
Hebrews 9:26; and Acts 2</a> are all good places to begin. Be sure to read the
entire context of these passages to!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 17pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">This
is a topic we will continue to take up from time to time as we continue through
the Book of Revelation. And each time we do we will find that we should and can
have absolute confidence in every word of it. It is the last hour and let us
have the same great comfort in His soon coming as did those who first heard the
reading of this Revelation!</span></div>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-78771196042360138932013-10-06T16:40:00.001-07:002013-10-06T16:54:04.280-07:00The Apocalypsis Iēsou Christou<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">1. The words 'Apocalypsis Iēsou
Christou' are the Greek transliteration of the first 3 words of verse 1.
These words are usually translated as "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The
revelation of Jesus Christ,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">". Two words are inserted in English that are not
present in the Greek: 'The' and 'of'. I don't want this discussion to be
technical-- I have no qualifications to carry on a technical linguist
discussion of Greek for one thing. For another, it's not only boring but,
I think, misses the whole point about
Revelation being a book that can be understood by the reader. But here's where I am going in
bringing this up-- does the phrase 'The revelation of Jesus Christ' mean
it is a revelation </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">about</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> Jesus Christ or is it a revelation </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">from</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
Jesus Christ?</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">2. There is a lot to be said
about viewing this book as a revelation </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">about</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> Jesus Christ. More than
2,000 years separate us from the last remaining witness of the life of
Jesus. Most of us have grown up knowing the principle parts of the story--
the virgin birth, the manager scene, the Sermon on the Mount, the
crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. We also live in a time and age
when people who don't even follow religion are nonetheless familiar with
figures and images from Revelation</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: super;">1</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> even if it is through a distorted and not
particularly helpful set of lenses. In short we are accustomed to at least
part of the entire Christian narrative and take it for granted; but such
was not always the case. The early church had the Gospels and the Letters
of the Apostles but until Revelation had been penned and spread throughout
the world, they did not yet have the images of Christ portrayed within the
pages of Revelation. Just think about what it must have been like to hear
this book read for the very first time! To the images of Christ coming as
a helpless babe in a manager </span><span style="font-size: 14.399999618530273px;">depicted</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> in the Gospel narratives, Revelation
added images of the returning unconquerable, triumphant King; where the
Crucified One was once mocked by the Romans with a sign affixed above His
cross proclaiming Him King of the Jews, in Revelation He returns with the
words "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" emblazoned on His robe
and His thighs; where people once
accused Him of having a demon because of His teaching, Revelation shows
Him riding forward and slaying His enemies with the sword of His mouth.
Comparing and contrasting how Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels, in the Epistles, and in
the Book of Revelation has the potential of being a fruitful study on its
own. And I may pursue that at a later time. But for now…</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">3. Even though a study of
Revelation as being </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">about</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> Jesus Christ may be fruitful
in many ways, it is likely that the meaning of this phrase is that the
book is a revelation</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> from</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> Jesus Christ. Though Christ
is central to its message, as we shall see, revelation is foremost a
depiction of future history given by God and Jesus to the Church. The
focus of Revelation then are the events of history as decreed by the
Father and mediated by the Son.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">4. Why "must" these
things take place (verse 1)? Because nothing has been left to chance, the
outcome has already been decreed, and events are unfolding exactly as
written.</span></div>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-1559080809199583982013-10-05T20:39:00.000-07:002013-10-05T20:39:51.859-07:00Three More ThingsThere are three things that I would like to add a little more detail about in the coming days before moving on in our exploration of the Book of Revelation.<br />
<br />
These three things are:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>A few thoughts about the meaning and implications of the phrase "The revelation of Jesus Christ" (verse 1).</li>
<li>Discussing the meaning and implication of Biblical phrases such as "things that must soon take place" and "for the time is near" (verses 1 and 3).</li>
<li>And finally, giving a bit more thought to discussion point 4 of the post titled '<i>Prologue</i>'. Specifically adding a little more detail around this statement: <span style="font-family: inherit;">"...<span style="background-color: white; color: #363030; line-height: 13.333333015441895px;">whatever the Book of Revelation meant to its original audience, it has to mean the same thing to us. Scripture cannot have one meaning for the 1st century church and a whole different meaning for those of us who live in the 21st century.</span>"</span> </li>
</ol>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-32076836164575749112013-10-03T20:20:00.000-07:002013-10-04T19:37:27.696-07:00The Prologue<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic; vertical-align: super;">1</span><span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic;">The revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things
that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his
servant John,</span><span style="background: white; color: grey; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: grey; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: super;">2</span><span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic;">who bore witness to
the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all
that he saw. </span><span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic; vertical-align: super;">3</span><span style="background: white; color: #363030; font-style: italic;">Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of
this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in
it, for the time is near.</span></div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white;">(Revelation 1:1-3)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">1. Many people approach the Book of Revelation with a bit
of weariness assuming its content to be all but indecipherable. But is it
reasonable to assume that God would give us Scripture that we cannot
understand? According to the first three verses of that Book, no this is
not a reasonable assumption. In fact, these verses tell us just the
opposite - we can understand it! The word revelation, or revealing, tells
us that something is to be revealed not concealed. Moreover, it is a
revealing for '</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">his servants</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">', not just
for deep thinkers or Ph.D.'s, not for psychics or talking heads, but for
the followers of Christ. Revelation is a book that can be understood by
the followers of Jesus Christ.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">2. Special care
was also given to provide the Book's provenance</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">:</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.75in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="a">
<li style="color: #363030; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 11pt;">God gave the revelation to Jesus Christ (v.1)</span></li>
<li style="color: #363030; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 11pt;">Jesus sent
an angel to make the revelation known to John (v.1)</span></li>
<li style="color: #363030; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 11pt;">The angel
communicated it to John (vv.1 and 2)</span></li>
<li style="color: #363030; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 11pt;">John
"bore witness…to all that he saw" (v.2 and ff)</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">Just as the provenance for an
object of art can help establish that it has not been altered or forged and
therefore of its value, the provenance of the Book of Revelation helps assure
us of the authenticity and value of this revelation which God has entrusted to
His Church.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">3. Consider also how that careful attention was given to
document the Book of Revelation's provenance yet God signified the authenticity and
value of the prophecy of this book by a second sign. This is how Matthew Henry
described this second attestation:</span></div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">" It is observable that the
historical books of the Old Testament have not always the name of the historian
prefixed to them, as in the books of Judges, Kings, Chronicles; but in the
prophetical books the name is always prefixed, as in Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. So
in the New Testament, </span><span style="background: white; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">though John did not prefix his name to his first epistle, yet
he does to this prophecy, as ready to vouch and answer for the truth of it; and
he gives us not only his name, but his office.</span><span style="background: white;"> He was one who bore record of the word of God in general, and of the
testimony of Jesus in particular, and of all things that he saw; he was an
eye-witness, and he concealed nothing that he saw. Nothing recorded in this
revelation was his own invention or imagination; but all was the record of God
and the testimony of Jesus; and, as he added nothing to it, so he kept back no
part of the counsels of God." (emphasis added)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">4. In verse three a special blessing is pronounced for those who labor to
read aloud and hear and who keep what is written in this book. Here we
have I think a clue about how we can begin to understand the Book of
Revelation - simply by reading and hearing it read. Recently I watched a
30 minute TV program on which a well-known "Bible scholar" spoke
about how difficult it is for the uninitiated to understand 'Revelations'
(yes, he actually said "Revelations" with an 's' on several
times). Of course he was offering a book he authored, a work book complete
with charts and graphs, and even over 4 hours of 'crassest tapes' that
together can 'open up' the book for those that are willing to put in the
time required to do the hard work of study. As an added bonus for those
who took advantage of the offer before the program ended, he threw in a
set of 8 colored markers that can be used to color code their Bible verses
to match his study system.</span></div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #363030; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .375in; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white;">I didn't choose to take advantage
of his offer but, in comparison, I think the Bible's recommendation to read and
hear Revelation is most straight forward and, no doubt, far less complicated.
You should give it a try and do it repetitively-- you might just be surprised
about the themes and thoughts you pick up on and when you do, make a note of
it, jot it down so that you can remember to follow up on the thought or flow of
thought later.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">I am given to understand that
this is how scripture was disseminated to local congregations in the early 1st
century church (what we think of as Bibles were not in circulation although the
Scriptures were)-- those who had the necessary literacy would read the
Scripture publicly so that all members of the congregation could benefit from
the reading. Obviously, this means that those who read and those who heard the
readings would be able to understand what they herd so that they could in fact
respond by keeping what had been written. If they could understand by
hearing what was read, so can we. In fact, I think this brings up an important
concept that should be mentioned at this point. And that is, whatever the Book
of Revelation meant to its original audience, it has to mean the same thing to
us. Scripture cannot have one meaning for the 1st century church and a whole
different meaning for those of us who live in the 21st century.
Scripture means what it means. For this reason, I'm pretty sure that fanciful
notions about the Book of Revelation referencing America or Russia or
helicopters, or Atomic weapons , etc. almost certainly miss the mark. The
second thing that should be noted here is that it is necessary to "Keep
what is written in it". Inherent within this exhortation is that the
content of the book is understandable enough to be kept. The reading and hearing is one half of blessing, the keeping is the other half. It is implied that both can be accomplished.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">So. That's the challenge for you.
Take an hour or two. And read the book out loud, read it to a loved one or to a
friend. Read it from beginning to end. And then take time to listen to it being
read. If there's not another person willing to read it for you to listen to
then try out listening to it on line at esvbible.org or the Bible.IS app
available from Faith Comes by Hearing. Listen to it several times. Read it several times and keep reading it. There's a blessing
waiting for you by doing this. Nothing is more sure than a promise promised by God.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Recap</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">The Revelation of Jesus Christ can be understood by his people. He gave it to us to show the things that must soon take place and He not only gave us the instructions how to understand it (by reading it
aloud and hearing it read and keeping what it written in it ) but He promised a
special blessing for those that would do this.</span></div>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-79618972879043625262013-09-30T16:55:00.000-07:002013-09-30T19:19:06.764-07:00Assumptions<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It's probably a good
idea to start discussing the Book of Revelation by identifying the assumptions
(presuppositions) I used during the major portion of my studies. They are:</span></div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Book of Revelation is
inspired Scripture and therefor like "All Scripture" it "is
breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">may
be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17, ESV).</span></li>
</ol>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;" value="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">John the Apostle was the
author of the book.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The book was probably written
around the mid-90s AD. I'm not dogmatic on this date and there are some
people who I respect that argue that Revelation was written at a much
earlier date.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Although it is not an
assumption, at this point it's probably a good idea to indicate that
unless otherwise noted, I'll quote Scripture from the English Standard
Version (ESV) Bible.</span></li>
</ol>
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That's it. That's
all of them.</div>
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Oh, I probably should say that when I started studying Revelation
I began with a lot more presuppositions then I ended the study with. The
assumptions that didn't make the cut kept getting in the way of me being able
to understand the text. I may post more about this in the future but I think
this is sufficient for now.</div>
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Of course, you are
free to disagree with these assumptions and/or to have a point of view that
others should have been included or even that some or all of these should have
been excluded. That's fine, I'm just trying to define the view point I used to
help me during my studies.</div>
Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515128411501105483.post-71474996941532011712013-09-30T11:45:00.000-07:002013-09-30T19:17:43.227-07:00Just What Everybody Needs<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Just what everybody
needs -- Another End Times Blog.</div>
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Actually, this blog
isn't so much about the end times. My long time focus has been on the Book of
Revelation. So, think of this blog as a place holding my thoughts and notes
about John's apocalypse. Given my propensity to change note & word
processing apps, even entire operating systems at the drop of a hat, I needed a
somewhat whim-safe mental mechanization storage facility. I think a blog fits
that bill.</div>
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Of course the Book
of Revelation does deal with end time events so a little binary code will be
expended on the end times within the 1's and 0's of this blog as well. Word of caution though,
I'm 98.7% certain that the content of this blog will never have the approval of
either Tim LaHaye or Jerry Jenkins. Nothing against the Left Behind boys mind
you; I thought their books were pretty decent works of fiction. </div>
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Other people likely
to be disappointed by Another End Times Blog include Bible code aficionados,
numerologists (unless the total letters of their last name when translated from
Hebrew to Babylonian is 3 less than the cube root of pi multiplied by itself less
one), and people who think Harold Camping, Glenn Beck, John Hagee, or Jack Van Impe are pretty good
Bible expositors. </div>
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Rules of the rode:</div>
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I'm not seminary
trained, I don't speak for a denomination, I'm not a teacher, I have no
background in Biblical languages (most people agree that even my command of
English is lacking), and I have a tendency to skip a step or two when trying to
make logical connections. So, everything I post is subject to being totally and
completely wrong, inarticulate, or mostly dumb. If on rare occasions I post an
article that resonates with you though, I would very much appreciate hearing
from you. Give me the benefit of your thoughts and post your comments people.
Be interactive, respectful, and open minded.</div>
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Oh and Trolls…do us
all a favor, go away.</div>
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Jerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14704888788421487649noreply@blogger.com0