Wednesday, May 9, 2007

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

Posted by Paul at 11:16 AM

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Join Pastor Paul Gauche at Prince of Peace each Tuesday beginning April 10 and running through May 22 for an exploration the ancient words from the Book of Revelation! This important, yet, challenging and often misunderstood biblical text reveals timeless truths about God’s vision for the church, the people of God, and what it means to be in relationship with Jesus Christ. Often, Christians confidently construct detailed end-time scenarios from the book of Revelation. Others, bewildered by the mind-boggling imagery, believe Revelation is too obscure to understand. Between these two extremes lie truths for today and a message of tremendous hope for followers of Jesus Christ. Craig Koester, professor of New Testament at Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota writes, “The power of a book can be seen in what it does to people, and few books have affected people more dramatically than Revelation. In positive terms, Revelation has inspired countless sermons, theological treatises, artistic works, and musical compositions ranging from the triumphant ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ (Handel’s Messiah) to the gentle strains of ‘Jerusalem My Happy Home.’ “On the negative side, it has fed social upheaval and sectarian religious movements that have often foundered and misguided attempts to discern the date of Christ's return.” (from Revelation and the End of All Things, page 1). You’re invited to a lively study of these ancient words from the book of Revelation!