Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 1-3.

It is important when we read the Book of Revelation to pay attention to the symbolism.  So, I want to note that seven churches in Asia Minor were chosen as the recipients for this letter because seven is the number of divine perfection.  Yet, these churches were not perfect.  I want to spend a little time looking at what was written to these seven churches.  John was given nothing negative to write about two of them, and nothing positive to say about two more.  Let’s look at what he wrote about the two churches about which John wrote only good things.  About one of those churches, the church in Smyrna, he writes that they are poor, but rich.  About the other, the church in Philadelphia, he writes that they are weak, but that God has opened a door for them that no one will be able to close.  In both cases, the message is that if we dedicate ourselves to serving God, we will succeed even though by the standards of this world we do not have the strength or resources to accomplish that for which we strive.  Now, let us look at the two churches about which he has nothing positive to write.  At the first of those, the church in Sardis, he writes that they have a reputation for being alive, but aren’t.  And about the church in Laodicea, he writes that they are neither hot nor cold, they are just indifferent.  Further, he says they are the opposite of the church in Smyrna…they think they are rich, when in fact they are poor.  In both cases the church had lost its first love for God and they were merely going through the motions.  John writes that it would be better to make no profession of faith than the half-hearted one they currently had, it would be better to be one of the three churches about which John writes both good and bad.  The churches about which John had nothing good to write had avoided the failings of the three churches about whom John gave mixed reviews. but they also failed to do any of those things for which he praised those churches.  We will be better off being enthusiastic disciples of Christ who fail in some areas, than lackadaisical ones who do nothing particularly wrong, but also nothing particularly right.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 20-22.

Today is perhaps the first time I realized how utterly appropriate this passage is for the last day of the year.

I do not fully understand the meaning of the first part of today’s passage.  It seems to predict that there will be a thousand year period, before Judgement Day, where there will be no sin on earth, followed by a short period where sin returns and the nations of earth unite to make war against God.  That is inconsistent with what I understand other parts of the Bible to say about sin on this earth.  However, my understanding of those other parts could be flawed (and probably is), and the wording here is ambiguous enough that its proper interpretation is probably different than that straightforward understanding.  Fortunately, the next part is unambiguous and entirely consistent with what other parts of the Bible have to say about the end of the world.  In due time, all will stand before God to be judged.  Everyone will be judged according to what they have done.  Those who have not accepted reconciliation with God will suffer for the evil they have done.  Then the original heaven and earth will pass away (or perhaps it will pass away before the judgement, the time sequence is not particularly important here) and God will create a new heaven and earth, a heaven and earth without the imprint of sin.  There will be no mourning, or crying, or pain in this new earth.  Those who are impure, deceitful, or do that which is shameful will not be able to enter there.  This day will be coming soon, so let us cleanse ourselves so that we may enter into that glorious place.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 17-19.

Today’s passage is intentionally obfuscated, not because the writer did not want people to understand, but because people would jump to the wrong conclusions if it was written clearly.  Of course, people did so anyway.  The first thing to understand is that the woman and the beast in today’s passage is not the same as the woman or the beasts mentioned previously.  Perhaps the most confusing part of today’s passage is that the woman and the beast represent both different aspects of the same thing and completely different things.  The beast and the woman ruled (will rule?) the world together, but the beast hates the woman and will bring about her destruction.  Yet, more important to the beast will be its animosity towards those who worship God.  I take a couple of messages out of this passage.  First, despite the harsh treatment the “woman” gives to God’s people they will still find it easy to get caught up in her sins and adulteries.  We must diligently work to avoid doing so.  Second, despite the “kings of the earth” working with together and with the beast to bring about the destruction of the “woman”, they will regret and mourn when she falls.  Finally, when the “beast” believes that it has won domination over the entire earth and all who live on it, it will face defeat at the hands of God.  The last message is one we are meant to apply to events in our lives, whether we live in the time of Christ’s return or not.  Throughout history powers have arisen which think they are preeminent and can force all people to worship them in place of God (I want to note that these powers are not necessarily aware that that is what they are attempting to do).  These powers have failed, and will fail, because nothing can usurp God'[s throne.  For example, today there are those in Big Tech who believe that if they just get their algorithms right they can manipulate people to believe what they want them to believe.  They believe they can establish control over what people think by controlling the information to which they have access, all for our best interests of course.  They are not wrong.  Their mistake is in thinking that they can control enough of the information to which people have access in order to maintain their control.  God has created the world in such a way that, while they may have success in the short term, ultimately they will fail.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 13-16.

I am not sure, but we have something which might be another dream-like scene shift.  At the end of yesterday’s passage, the dragon made war on “the woman” and her offspring.  Today’s passage starts with the dragon standing on the shore of the sea and a beast coming out of the sea.  Then a short bit later a second beast rose out of the earth.   We know from yesterday’s passage where John came right out and told us that the dragon is Satan.  A little thought about how the writing style of this book was influenced by Daniel and Ezekiel reveals that the two beasts represent empires/governments/nations. The first beast derives its power from the dragon and the second beast derives its power from the first beast.  While I am convinced that people will recognize the relationship between the beasts, I also believe that John implies that people will pretend to not see the relationship between the beasts and the dragon, Satan.   Actually, as I am reading this today, I wonder if the second beast, instead of being a government or nation, is actually big corporations working together to do the will of the government, which would be the first beast.  Whatever the beasts are, John tells us that people worship them in place of God.  To be precise, those who have not fully given their lives to Christ will worship the first beast.  The second beast will use its power to direct worship to the first beast.  And I think the best warning we can have is the Mark of the Beast.  The Mark of the Beast is something without which you cannot buy or sell anything.  There were those who feared that one’s Social Security number would be the Mark of the Beast.  They were wrong, but they were not being silly (and it is not impossible for it to turn out that they were right, just highly unlikely).  The Mark of the Beast is something which will allow complete strangers to know that you are appropriately subservient to the beast.  Anyone who recognizes anything as a higher authority than the beast will lose their ability to do business with others.  You can see what I believe are precursors to the Mark of the Beast in the way in which banks and credit card companies shut off certain people who express unacceptable, but legal, thoughts and ideas.  Does that mean that I think banks and/or credit card companies are one of the beasts? Not really, I am merely pointing out that their actions, and that of other large corporations, are preparing the ground for the rise of the beast(s).

This did not end up coming out the way I expected, and reads much more “conspiracy theorist” than I would like.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 9-12.

One thing I want to note about the Book of Revelation: it reads like an account of a dream.  The best way I can describe what I mean is by giving an example from dreams I have had.  I have had dreams which took place in the house I grew up in with people who would have been in that house while I was growing up, then I go through a door into a room that was never in that house and the people who were with me are now different people, and yet the same.  There appear to be scene shifts in John’s vision which involve real world events which are only connected in terms of God’s plans, not anything we can see without revelation from God (and I wonder if some of the events described in this vision take part solely in the spiritual realm with no connection to real world events we can recognize).  With that introduction I will start writing about today’s passage.  John describes smoke which rose from the earth after a star fell from the sky.  Out of the smoke came locusts which had the power to inflict pain in the manner of scorpions.  These locusts will inflict torment on those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. The star fell from the sky after the blowing of the fifth trumpet.  After the five months of torment, the sixth trumpet will sound.  When the sixth trumpet sounds four angels will lead mounted troops throughout the earth to slay a third of mankind with fire, smoke, and sulfur.  Reading that I can make no connection to what that would look like in physical world events.  I wondered if the seal of God on the forehead would have a physical manifestation which could be seen, or if it will be purely figurative?  Which leads me to ask, to what degree are the rest of the things described in this part of John'[s vision figurative and to what degree will they have physical manifestations which we can connect to what he describes?

I am going to skip to the end of today’s passage to a scene which most clearly illustrates that dream-like jump in focus I referred to at the beginning of today’s blog.  In the account of the woman and the great dragon, the dragon waits in an attempt to devour the woman’s child, but is thwarted when the child was snatched up to God.  The dragon is the devil, or Satan, while the child is Jesus.  John makes it clear that from the moment of His birth, Satan sought to destroy Jesus, but failed.  The woman is the Jewish people collectively.    The dragon pursued the woman, but she flew to a safe place which had been prepared for her.  I cannot help but think that the safe place described is the modern state of Israel (but it may be something much more figurative).  Unable to destroy the woman, the dragon turned its attention to her other offspring, those who follow Jesus.  So, Satan, the devil, has sought to destroy the Jewish people, and seeks to destroy those who follow Jesus.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 4-8.

When I read this passage, I always feel like I should write something about the opening scene of John’s vision…OK, now I have something to write.  Chapter 4 is not exactly the opening scene, but in some ways everything which comes before this is like the credits portion at the beginning of a movie, or maybe like a “short” before the movie begins.  Chapter 4 sets the mood/stage for the rest of this letter.  Then we get to the scroll being presented.  I am not quite sure of the symbolism, but it seems to me to present the idea that the scroll remained sealed throughout history until after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Then things changed and the scroll could be unsealed, by Jesus.  The change was not just that the scroll could be opened, the “ceremony” taking place in Heaven before God’s throne changed as well.  This is one of those things which I have trouble fully working my head around because I also believe that the place described here exists outside of time.

Next we come to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  I am sure I have written this before, but the Four Horsemen do not ride out together.  Instead, they ride out one at a time.  I am not sure how we are intended to understand this, but here is what I see.  First, a conqueror rides out, intent on conquest.  We are not given any idea how much of the world he conquers.  He is followed by war and violence.  A quick look at history reveals to us that war all over the world follows a conqueror, whether it results immediately after the conqueror rise up, or after the conqueror dies and war breaks out to fill the vacuum left behind.  The nest Rider is Famine, which always follows war.  Interestingly, John’s description of Famine speaks of inflation as part of it (he mentions the high price of grain).  The final Rider is Death, which comes by way of violence, starvation, and disease.  Again, those are all things which follow after what comes before.  What I am unsure of about this passage is whether the Four Riders represent a singular time above and beyond what we see repeated throughout history, or just a reflection of how these things work.

I want to highlight that the Book of Revelation emphasizes that we should recognize that when times look dark it is a sign that the Lord will return soon.  All events move things towards fulfilling God’s plan.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 1-3.

I am not sure where I am going with my blog today.  I have some not really connected thoughts.  First I want to point out how John connects Jesus as God.  John writes that God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Then a few verses later he writes that he saw someone “like a son of man” who said to him, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”  Now from the statement, “I was dead,…I am alive for ever and ever” we can only conclude that this is Jesus, because no other being fits that description.  Further, when John writes that God says, “I am the Alpha and Omega,” that is another way of saying, “I am the First and the Last.”  So, in the vision, Jesus told John that He and the Father were one being.  I want to go on to look at the power of God’s statement that He is the One “who is, who was, and who is to come.”  That means that every place and time, God is present.  When good things happen, God is there.  When bad things happen, God is there.  God knows the joys you experience, and the suffering which you experience.  He knows when you bring joy to others, and will reward you.  He knows when you bring pain to others, and will hold you accountable.  Think of the most horrible event you know happened, God was there, offering comfort to those who suffered, and preparing the fate for those responsible for that suffering.

When I started this I intended to write on the messages to the specific churches, But I think  I will stop here.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

The first thing which struck me was what the One sitting on the throne said to John after the new Jerusalem came down upon the new earth.  It was the phrase, “It is finished”.  This is the same thing which Jesus said upon the cross just before He died.  Perhaps I am mistaken, but I believe that John intended for us to make the connection of Jesus’ death bringing about the new heaven and the new earth.  I find it hard to fully express the comforting thought which this gives me.  It is finished.  Satan fights on, but he has already been defeated, and he knows it.  In the face of the trials and tribulations which we face let us remain faithful and never forget that it is finished.  For those who faithfully serve God there will be no more death, or suffering, or sorrow, or pain. It is finished and the promise is fulfilled, even if we do not yet experience the fulness of that promise.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 17-19.

I find this portion of John’s vision this morning interesting.  So, as I understand the explanation, the woman who sat on the great beast with seven heads and ten horns is the country or city which rules over the world.  Additionally, the seven heads and ten horns of the beast represent kings who ruled her.  Nevertheless, those kings hated the woman and worked together to destroy her.  Let that sink in.  Those who rule over the most mighty nation of the world when John’s vision takes place hate that nation and work to take all of its wealth, destroying that nation.  Then a little further on we discover that those rulers, and their followers, stand against the One who is Faithful and True: they stand against all that is faithful and true.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 13-16.

As with much of yesterday’s passage I am unsure of the meaning of today’s passage, but there are some things which are clear to me.   One thing I think will be useful is to follow some of the threads which weave through this account.  Yesterday’s passage ended with the dragon pursuing the woman and her children.  The dragon is Satan, the one who promotes evil in the world.  Today’s passage begins with a beast which rises out of the sea.  This beast had been fatally wounded, yet lived.   I am not quite sure of the complete meaning of that fact, but the way in which it keeps getting mentioned makes me sure John wanted us to see it as an imposter to Jesus, Who had died and then rose from the dead.  The dragon gave its power to this first beast.

Then a second beast rose out of the earth and exercised the power of the first beast.  This second beast used the power it received from the first beast (which had received its power from the dragon) in order to make everyone worship the first beast.  This second beast caused a statue to be made of the first beast and then gave the stature the power to speak.  In describing the statue of the first beast, John felt it important to reiterate that the first beast had been fatally wounded, yet lived.  Once the statue was given speech it demanded that anyone who did not worship it be killed.  Further, it (or perhaps the second beast, the wording always leaves me unsure of this) required that everyone have a mark in order to buy or sell anything.  In light of the way things work today I find it somewhat disconcerting to realize that John is telling us that in the last days people will require a permit from the government of the beasts in order to buy or sell anything.