Wednesday, May 2, 2007

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

Posted by Paul at 1:32 PM

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am comforted by Koester's notes in chapter 4 where I read that 9/10th of the people give glory to God in Revelation(rev 11:13). This is the reverse of the days of Elijah where only 1/10th gave glory to God (1Kings 19:18). It gives me a sense that we will not be standing alone in the final days.

May 3, 2007 at 6:33 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!