Serious Architecture!

I’m glad you were able to be with us for the adventure into the Sanctuary of Revelation, chapter 4! It seemed like we were able to tap into that sacred architecture of God’s worship space in heaven. The ripples of worship spread from the Four Creatures beside the throne to the Circle of Elders, and from the Myriads of Angles to All Creatures in Heaven and on Earth, there was a sense that all of this is so much bigger than all of us!

In chapter 5 we encountered The Lamb who was slain and the relationship between the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and this Lamb who was slain in order to redeem the faithful for God.

From there we moved into the first six of seven seals and finally onto the 144,000 who are sealed for God’s purposes in eternity. Whoa!

Okay… here’s the deal. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, don’t fret. I’ve been hearing that there are some who “still don’t get it” or are waiting “for all of this to make sense.” My encouragement to you is to be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day. In fact, it took centuries for Patmos to become an actual tourist destination. Be patient with the mysteries. As we continue to adventure we’ll see more clearly the intent of John.

Below you will find the study notes from April 24th. If you need some help or clarification, just send me a note!

Peace!
Pastor Paul


To find the notes for any of the sessions we've already covered, simply go to www.princeofpeaceonline.org and click on the Ancient Words from Revelation at the bottom of the page. Once you are there, click on the "Notes" button for the week's teaching for which you are looking. If you need some help, call or e-mail me.

Tulip Truth Revealed!

Greetings fellow travelers,

I’m thrilled that you were able to be with us for the second walk through the ancient words of the Book of Revelation! We were able to accomplish a few things in the time we had together. We took a look at the prologue and discovered that there is far more in the first 8 verses of chapter 1 than we ever expected! Phrases like “what must soon take place” and “for the time is near” offer tremendous hope and promise for Christ-Followers in every age!

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of challenging times asking the question, “How long will this go on?” That is precisely the point at which Christ meets us with the promise that he reigns and will never leave us or forsake us! We are surrounded by the one who is, who was and who is to come!

Verses 9 through 20 shows us the first cycle of visions in the Book of Revelation known as the Vision of Christ. Like a photograph of beautiful tulips, the image in the picture simply invites us to look deeper. We then ask, “What deeper meaning is contained here?” “How does this picture point me to deeper truth and hope in my life?”

Finally, we took what turned out to be a quick look at the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. There is so much here! As you consider the stories of these congregations in 1st century Asia Minor, ask yourself what is at work in them that is also at work in us in the 21st century. Have we lost our ‘first love’? Have we weakened in our resolve to make Christ central in our lives? How does the culture impact us today and what does it mean to be uniquely Christ’s church on earth?

If you are inclined toward more notes about these first three chapters, follow the link from the Prince of Peace website to those notes. There’s a lot there! For next Tuesday, read through chapters 4 through 7.

More excitement to come!

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Paul

Reveling in the Revealing!

Well, that was a load of fun; and what a great turn out! Thank you for being with part of the Tuesday study as we begin this great journey through the ancient words of Revelation!

We covered quite a lot of ground in the first study dealing with the background of the book of Revelation.

If you want the notes from April 10 (I mean the whole load of hay--all 11 pages), go to www.princeofpeaceonline.org, click on the "Ancient Words" button at the bottom and then click on the "Notes" button on the April 10 line.

Warning: this is only for the truly "Type A" personalities. :-)

Otherwise, here’s a brief, quick recap:

· Who wrote it: John.

· When was is written: Late 90’s—end of the 1st century.

· Where it was written: Island of Patmos, 37 miles off the mainland of Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea.

· What was the situation: The political/religious climate of the first century was extremely difficult for the Christian Church. Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for the fire of 64 AD that nearly wiped out Rome and in the 90’s Emperor Domitian ferociously oppressed Christians and mandated that he be hailed as “LORD and God”.

· Why was it written: Not to ‘fore-tell’ the future as if we were looking into a crystal ball, but to "forth-tell" or proclaim the hope of the future in Jesus Christ who will ultimately reign supreme!

· What kind of writing is it: “apocalyptic’—a type of Jewish literature that used symbolic imagery to communicate hope and promise and the ultimate triumph of God. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse)

Major Themes:
· God’s Sovereignty
· Christ’s Return
· God’s Faithful People
· Judgment
· Hope

We concluded by considering a general working outline of the whole book. Whew! All of that in one hour!

If you have Craig Koester’s book, Revelation and the End of All Things, chapter 1 will give you even more background and you’ll begin to feel very confident wading in the swirling waters of this amazing writing. The Genesis Bookstore will have the next shipment of Koester's book in by next Tuesday, April 17 and available for $19.17.

Next Tuesday, April 17:
We’ll be jumping into chapters 1-3 in the biblical text of the book of Revelation. It would be helpful to read those chapters in advance of the session on Tuesday. According to Koester, this would be Cycle One. As you read through the verses of chapters 2 And 3, notice the issues in each of the seven churches.

· Ephesus 2:1-7 The church that lost its first love

· Smyrna 2:8-11 The church encouraged to be faithful to death

· Pergamum 2:12-17 The church tempted to compromise in an evil community

· Thyatira 2:18-29 The active church tempted to tolerate evil in its midst

· Sardis 3:1-6 The church that was dying

· Philadelphia 3:7-13 The faithful church with the open door before it

· Laodicea 3:14-22 The lukewarm church

Ask yourself these questions:
· What new things are you learning in your reading of these chapters?
· What is going on in each of these congregations—what are their issues?
· What is going on in my own life right now that is reflected in these churches?
· What are the words of hope and promise for you in these verses and chapters?

Go to…
http://www.ancientwordsfromrevelation.blogspot.com/
Pastor Paul’s Ancient Words Blog for notes, updates, information, etc.

pgauche@princeofpeaceonline.org
Pastor Paul’s E-mail

http://www.princeofpeaceonline.org/
Click on the Ancient Words button at the bottom of the page