Wednesday, May 16, 2007

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

Posted by Paul at 10:56 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!