The "Beginning" of All Things

The Ancient Words from Revelation series has been a thrill! I’ve looked forward each week to unpacking these powerful words with all of you and have heard from so many how valuable it was pealing back layer after layer of this profound book.

Among all the things we discovered together, it seems to me that these were among the most important:

The Book of Revelation …
... is an infinitely accessible book of hope and promise
... uses finite words to describe infinite things
... reveals the depth of God’s love for Christ-Followers in every generation
... points us into the future with confidence and expection

Throughout the series we’ve talked about how the Book of Revelation reveals truths about the “end of all things.” Without a doubt, this letter to the seven churches does point to the end of all things … as we know it.

But the more I thought about that phrase, the more I realized that this is also a book which reveals the “beginning of all things!” At the end of the book, in Revelation 21:5, Jesus makes this amazing announcement:

“See, I am making all things new!”

At the end of all things, Christ makes all things new for the beginning of all things! Just when we think we’ve come to the end, Christ makes all things new! Just when we think our end has come, Christ renews, restores, re-imagines, realigns, remakes, and reestablishes his reign in the world and in our lives. For that, we give all praise and glory and honor to the one who is, who was and who is to come!

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

As always, For the notes from this week’s study, follow this link: http://www.princeofpeaceonline.org/ to the Ancient Words from Revelation button (bottom, center) and you can access the notes from any of the studies.

Peace!
Pastor Paul

A Tale of Two Cities

The contrasts between Babylon the Harlot and Jerusalem the Bride is graphic in the latter part of the Book of Revelation; I think we were clear about that in the study this week. This makes me wonder what people mean when they say that the bible is boring. It might be graphic and difficult to read at times, but one thing is for certain: there’s not much that is boring in these chapters!

The visions of Babylon and Jerusalem in Revelation 17-18 provide a tale of two cities. And as we encounter these images, they simply beg the question, “Whom will we follow?” On the one hand, this question seems, for Christ-Followers, like a rhetorical question: of course we will follow the Lamb and be the Bride of Christ. But then we realize how often we stray. “Whom will we follow?” This becomes a question we must not only ask, but answer each day. “Whom will I follow today?”

With the dawn of each new day, comes both the call to faithfulness as well as the grace of God which flows down and covers us. The great reminder of this truth comes from Lamentations 3:22-24…”The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

So friends, as we move toward the close of this great book of Revelation, have hope, be steadfast, endure in faithfulness.

For the notes from this week’s study, follow this link: www.princeofpeaceonline.org to the Ancient Words from Revelation button (bottom, center) and you can access the notes from any of the studies.

See you next Tuesday at noon or at 7 PM.

Peace, Pastor Paul

Curtains!

As the curtain rises on Act II of the Book of Revelation, perhaps some—enjoying the Intermission—are wishing they’d stayed in the Mezzanine to eat popcorn. Not to worry. Yet, Act II opens with no less fury than we saw in chapters 8 through 12. Thanks for hanging in there! The key to deeper understanding is digging deeper. If you find that your head is spinning with all of this information after our study together, that’s common. But to alleviate that “spin” take some time and read through the chapters we’ve covered once more. Then go through the notes provided on the website and you’ll find it beginning to come together.

The heart of the teaching on Tuesday centered on the beast and the Lamb and the resulting questions: “Whom will you serve? To whom will you look for peace—in whom will you place your trust?”

Let’s look at some of the similarities and differences between these two images of the beast and the Lamb.

According to Revelation 13, this beast was slain and yet lived; but as we noted earlier in chapter 5 that the Lamb was slain and yet lived.

According to Revelation 13, the beast conquers; but it conquers by war. The Lamb, according to chapter 5, conquers by faithful suffering.

The beast, according to Revelation 13, oppresses people of every tribe and tongue, folk and nation; according to chapter 5, the Lamb ransoms people of every tribe and tongue, folk and nation.

By the time we make our way to the end of Revelation 13 we find that the beast’s followers are required to be marked on the forehead and the hand with the mark of the beast; but according to chapter 7 we find that the Lamb’s followers are sealed on their foreheads with the sign of the cross.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, worship takes place in the heavenly court. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, worship takes place in the ‘wanna-be’ court of Emperor Domitian.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, there is power in the Lamb, the cross and martyrdom. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, there is power in Roman armies and the economic system.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, the Trinity is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, the trinity consists of the Dragon (Satan), the first beast (Empire), and the second beast (Emperor Cult).

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, the mark of the Lamb is baptism. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, the mark of the beast is Emperor Worship.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, there is worship of God and the Lamb. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, there is worship of the dragon and the beast.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, Christ rises to bring new life. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, the beast rises to perpetuate death and destruction.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, the New Jerusalem remains forever. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, Babylon, Rome comes to power and is destined for ruin.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, Christ-followers celebrate ultimate triumph. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, there is ultimate defeat and devastation.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, there is safety in the sealing. In the reign of the dragon and the beast, there is on-going vulnerability.

In the Reign of God and the Lamb, promises are kept; in the reign of the dragon and the beast, promises fail.

So there you go. Now head over the Prince of Peace website (www.princeofpeaceonline.org) where you will find freshly edited notes from Tuesday’s teaching. It’s all there!

Bless you all!
Pastor Paul

Grace and Peace From the One Who Is...

God's name is I AM.

When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.
God is not there.
God's name is not I WAS. God's name is I AM.

When you live in the future with its problems and fears, it is hard.
God is not there.
God's name is not I WILL BE. God's name is I AM.

When you live in this moment it is not hard.
God is here. God's name is I AM.


Adapted from Helen Mallicoat Listening for the Lord

Once In a Blue Moon

As I drove home on Tuesday night after our study of Revelation 8 through 11, I was nearly mesmerized by the ‘blue moon’ in the western sky; two full moons in one lunar cycle! It was spectacular! We so rarely get to see a ‘blue moon’ that I wanted to call several friends and family members and remind them to look at this great sight!

Generations ago, (before cell phones and e-mail) making that announcement or any other important announcement would have been heralded by trumpet blasts. That was the way things were done in many cases. On Tuesday night we discovered in the study of chapters 8 through 11 that the seven trumpets did, indeed, herald news; but the news was of coming disasters. And the disasters came as a result of the unwillingness of humankind to repent.

As we dug around, we also discovered that for those who trust in Christ, the news that seems disastrous is only disastrous for those whose hope is not in Christ. The final word for Christ-Followers is always a word of hope and promise. Challenges and disasters should drive us back into the loving arms of our faithful God! At the end of chapter 9, in spite of humankind’s unwillingness to repent (Revelation 9:21), God calls an “audible” by proclaiming a ‘time-out’. It was like God was saying, “Let’s give you another opportunity!” This time out gives humankind one more chance to repent and turn to God. And then in Revelation 11:15 the seventh trumpet finally blows and announces with the loud voices in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our LORD and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever. Heavenly worship is resumed.

I know this can seem complicated; it is very complex. You can follow the following link (http://www.princeofpeaceonline.org/ ) to get to all of the study notes. I’ve used a good deal of material from Dr. Craig Koester and his book, Revelation and the End of All things. I’d also encourage you to read Revelation, chapters 12 through 15 for next week and read chapter 5 from Koester’s book, The Beast and the Lamb.

As always, if you need to chat, just call or drop me an e-mail. See you next Tuesday at Noon or 7PM.

Pastor Paul
pgauche@princeofpeaceonline.org
952-898-9333