First of all, 'things to come' in the title line does not mean events soon to come in 2011 or beyond, but rather the things that I will be sharing with you in blogs and emails.
Almost a month ago, on Feb 15 I published an extensive quotation from Barnes' "Notes on Revelation," and I will be the first to admit that it could easily have been tedious reading to many.
As it happened, seven or eight years ago, while we lived in Maine I had mentioned this whole subject, (Guinness and Barnes, etc) to some ladies our age who had Sunday gatherings in their mobile home 50 miles away, which we attended regularly for nearly a year. One of the ladies mentioned to me that a relative had connections in the book business.
The result was that either by hand or in the mails, I forget which, a free copy of the Barnes book was one day put in my hands, and after an initial burst of interest it has lain on my shelf almost ever since gathering dust.
Now, only a few weeks ago, I have reopened it, and to my enormous satisfaction it possesses what Guinness book leaves out, namely a verse by verse treatment of the entire book of Revelation.
In the very front of the book, after the table of contents, is a several page outline of the entire book in column form, with corresponding events in history that are interpreted to be the fulfillment of the particular prophecies.
I say 'interpreted' because rigidity does not lend itself to this study very well. On the other hand as I continue reading in Guinness book it is very striking that some of the authors he quotes spend several years studying and meditating on certain portions of Revelation, with a careful attention to the events of history that were unfolding in their time period, to see if 'this' matched 'that,' that is, to see if the event in history fit, without forcing, the verse or verses in Revelation that were the center of attention.
One illustration ought to whet the appetite of those who are truly on the search here.
The pages in Guinness book that have captivated my attention in the last few days deals with the French Revolution in general (some of it very, very specific) and Napoleon Bonaparte in particular.
As I have been reading these pages I find myself admitting that my knowledge of history is very, very shallow. Yes, perhaps we were given a two or three minute, or one or two day cursory treatment in our history classes, in high school or college, on the French Revolution, but nothing that indicated the epochal transformation of society all over Europe that that Revolution brought.
It might be interesting, digressing for a moment, to consider that some of the Republicans with whom I associated in the Ron Paul campaign three or four years ago were what they called Jeffersonian Republicans. Thomas Jefferson was an admirer of the French Revolution. I would suggest that the reason why he admired it was because he didn't see it up close, and whether he did or didn't is not the subject of my writing, but rather to show that the events in Europe were felt by the founders of our own country.
Historically, however, it was the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte that were instrumental in bringing down what at that time was the universal despotic power of the Roman Papacy. The only part of Europe that was not touched was England.
As I bring this post to a close I wish to emphasize an important biblical principle. "In the multitude of counselors there is safety," says Proverbs 11:14, and that which Guinness shows over and over and over again is that the interpretations held by himself and Barnes, were also held by many, many others, most of whom did not even know of each others studies. The co-incidence of this, multiple times, is very affirming.
May the Lord bless you in your studies.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Revelation: The Opening of The Seals
Dear Friends,
As I continue writing on this subject I must share with you a few things.
The first is that I am doing the same thing I have asked you to do (and which at least a few are doing), namely reading "History Unveiling Prophecy" again myself. And if I sound repetitive, so be it. It would enhance your study significantly if you would acquire the book for yourself.
It is as if I had never read it before.
The first and by far the deepest impression I get, which at times is overwhelming, is the sheer numbers of those, our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith of Jesus Christ, who have 'loved not their lives unto the death.' The immensity of the numbers is simply staggering.
It is easy to understand why the Roman Catholic Church, in the generations following Martin Luther, made every effort to suppress the study of church history. It is very, very ugly.
The second thing is that, apart from the enabling and calling of the Spirit of God, which I confess I feel deeply, not only I but also everyone in the western world, or more especially in the 20th and 21st century United States, are utterly unworthy to approach the subject.
Perhaps the best way to explain this is to look at the amazing, and apart from the Spirit of God totally inexplicable paradox in the metaphors of chapter five. It is this chapter that gives me the title of this post, "The Opening of The Seals."
I write here NOT to expound on what the seals refer to as regards history, but rather the matter, made clear in the very text itself, as to the worthiness required of the one who would open them.
I am assuming, in few words, that OPENING the seals equates to the beginning of the revelation of what is to come, and of course, what was to come (emphasis--past tense) as I have already said, was human suffering on an unimaginable scale.
The metaphors in the passage could not be more opposite. The elder tells John that THE LION OF JUDAH has prevailed, but when John looks to see this awesome Lion he does not see a lion but rather a defenseless little lamb, and if my understanding of the words employed is accurate it was a lamb with its throat cut, since that is the way every butchering process begins.
While not exactly a digression, allow me an explanation from my own early years. My teen years were spent on a small dairy farm in northern Vermont, and on at least two occasions my dad had me help him butcher one of the cows for meat for our own freezer. Once the animal is dead--either a bullet or a sledge hammer to the head--the throat is cut and then the whole animal is hoisted up by the back legs so as to allow the bleeding to be complete.
Revelation 5 says a lamb as it has been SLAIN, i.e. a live animal that had been dead, which of course Old Testament history would have made totally understandable at least to early readers of this text.
Remember that for centuries, as both Exodus and Leviticus explain as part of the law and Hebrews 9:22 mentions in one verse recounting the principle that governed that entire history, the sacrificing of a lamb as required by God, was so common an occurrence as to be as common as eating itself.
I fear we lose the sense of it in our bloodless lifestyle, and in due time, of course, they did also, becoming hardened to it all. Indeed, if there is one thing apostates of our day absolutely hate it is the thought of a blood sacrifice. They hate it and they hate those who preach it!
But to return to our subject, and in this instance my own feelings as I contemplate the task before ME, in one sense at least I feel the utter unworthiness to treat the subject.
It is as if the inspiring Spirit was saying that the only one worthy to open the subject of human suffering is One who has already suffered.
And so it is, in very truth, it is the great Sufferer Who now abides within us, as we have been baptized into His death, who qualifies us to consider these things. Amen.
As I continue writing on this subject I must share with you a few things.
The first is that I am doing the same thing I have asked you to do (and which at least a few are doing), namely reading "History Unveiling Prophecy" again myself. And if I sound repetitive, so be it. It would enhance your study significantly if you would acquire the book for yourself.
It is as if I had never read it before.
The first and by far the deepest impression I get, which at times is overwhelming, is the sheer numbers of those, our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith of Jesus Christ, who have 'loved not their lives unto the death.' The immensity of the numbers is simply staggering.
It is easy to understand why the Roman Catholic Church, in the generations following Martin Luther, made every effort to suppress the study of church history. It is very, very ugly.
The second thing is that, apart from the enabling and calling of the Spirit of God, which I confess I feel deeply, not only I but also everyone in the western world, or more especially in the 20th and 21st century United States, are utterly unworthy to approach the subject.
Perhaps the best way to explain this is to look at the amazing, and apart from the Spirit of God totally inexplicable paradox in the metaphors of chapter five. It is this chapter that gives me the title of this post, "The Opening of The Seals."
I write here NOT to expound on what the seals refer to as regards history, but rather the matter, made clear in the very text itself, as to the worthiness required of the one who would open them.
I am assuming, in few words, that OPENING the seals equates to the beginning of the revelation of what is to come, and of course, what was to come (emphasis--past tense) as I have already said, was human suffering on an unimaginable scale.
The metaphors in the passage could not be more opposite. The elder tells John that THE LION OF JUDAH has prevailed, but when John looks to see this awesome Lion he does not see a lion but rather a defenseless little lamb, and if my understanding of the words employed is accurate it was a lamb with its throat cut, since that is the way every butchering process begins.
While not exactly a digression, allow me an explanation from my own early years. My teen years were spent on a small dairy farm in northern Vermont, and on at least two occasions my dad had me help him butcher one of the cows for meat for our own freezer. Once the animal is dead--either a bullet or a sledge hammer to the head--the throat is cut and then the whole animal is hoisted up by the back legs so as to allow the bleeding to be complete.
Revelation 5 says a lamb as it has been SLAIN, i.e. a live animal that had been dead, which of course Old Testament history would have made totally understandable at least to early readers of this text.
Remember that for centuries, as both Exodus and Leviticus explain as part of the law and Hebrews 9:22 mentions in one verse recounting the principle that governed that entire history, the sacrificing of a lamb as required by God, was so common an occurrence as to be as common as eating itself.
I fear we lose the sense of it in our bloodless lifestyle, and in due time, of course, they did also, becoming hardened to it all. Indeed, if there is one thing apostates of our day absolutely hate it is the thought of a blood sacrifice. They hate it and they hate those who preach it!
But to return to our subject, and in this instance my own feelings as I contemplate the task before ME, in one sense at least I feel the utter unworthiness to treat the subject.
It is as if the inspiring Spirit was saying that the only one worthy to open the subject of human suffering is One who has already suffered.
And so it is, in very truth, it is the great Sufferer Who now abides within us, as we have been baptized into His death, who qualifies us to consider these things. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
