finding HOPE in the book of Revelation

As always, Bonnie came to visit today.  Jim sat in, which he also did last Wednesday. He promised not to rock the boat, as he is pretty skeptical of EVERYTHING religious based. 

We have been studying Chapter Five, "The Ransom - God's Greatest Gift" in the book "What Does the Bible Really Teach?"  Today there was a paragraph about hope.  The hope for an everlasting life on a paradise earth.  Scripture was given from Revelation 21:1-4:


"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.  I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say, 'Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be he peoples.  And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.  The former things have passed away.'"

Thus, this is where the Witnesses get the "new earth" with the "new system" of things.  Bonnie always makes the studies so warm and inviting.  I never feel as if I'm belittling her beliefs.  Of course, I'm not convinced the book of Revelation is nothing more than an acid trip.  However, the idea of HOPE is very important to me.  I believe that without HOPE we have nothing but sadness and FEAR.

I suppose, like many, I find many odd and disturbing images in the book of Revelation.  But I am determined to find HOPE within the scriptures.  The true meaning of the Greek word is apocalypse, but often is translated as revelation because it is "an act of revealing or unveiling".  The book of Revelation has many interpretations, and some feel it predicts the end times and what is happening right now.

I found this Internet article when searching for the book's authorship:

Understanding Revelation:

An Evangelical Christian theologian, P.N. Benware, describes three approaches that theologians have used to understand Revelation:

	Allegorical approach: The events in Revelation will not happen literally. They are to be interpreted figuratively and symbolically. This approach leads to a great variety of conflicting scenarios.
	Historical approach: Most of the events in Revelation have already happened, perhaps during the persecution of Christians during the reign of Emperors Nero or Domitian before Christianity was tolerated early in the 4th century CE.
	Futuristic approach: This is the approach taken by almost all fundamentalists and other evangelical Christians. The events in Revelation have yet to occur, but are anticipated in our very near future. The end times will unfold exactly as specified when the world as we know it comes to an end. 1

What do I believe?  I'm not completely certain...but I am still interested to learn more.  Mainly I am inspired to continue to look for HOPE in everything aspect of my life.  I would much rather have HOPE than FEAR.

I believe that many religions (yes, Christianity in particular) center their worship and growing congregations on FEAR-based interpretations of scripture.  The idea of a "rapture," to where only the righteous will go to heaven and the rest stay on Earth, bothers me on so many levels.  Why is this earth so bad?  Who destroyed it?  Man.  Why should we ALL get to go to heaven, since we continue to ruin what God created for us?...or more than that, who would worship the 666 guy?  And why do people think Obama is the anti-christ?  But there are so many out there that propagate a FEAR-based point of view with God/Jesus/scriptures/etc.  I can't live like that - in FEAR.

I choose to live in HOPE.  I want my children to grow in a HOPE-based faith...with love and warmth from good people, in a loving community (i.e. church).  I want them to be able to recognize FEAR, and that the FEAR in this world is driven by evil, not by good. I want them to befriend and surround themselves with HOPE-filled others.  And I want them to believe in HOPE, believe that people can be innately good, rather than its opposite.

what if I were Elizabeth?

I cannot begin to comprehend the joy that Elizabeth and Zechariah must have felt when Elizabeth became pregnant with their son, John.  Elizabeth was old and barren; but now God had planted a seed inside her.  So here was Elizabeth, pregnant with a miracle baby.  Jim and I were very lucky and successful in our desires to have children.  With one miscarriage exception, our attempts were divine.

The story continues, as Zechariah becomes deaf and mute.  He questions Gabriel, an angel of the Lord.  Would I have done the same?  If I had tried unsuccessfully for years upon years, and then an angel appears and says that not only would I have a baby, but he would be blessed with the Holy Spirit.  I love the following scripture in Luke 1:16-17:

^"Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Of course, Zechariah knows the baby's name will be John and not little Zech.  Waiting for a baby all these years, and then having to obey the commands of the Lord.  I'm sure neighbors thought Elizabeth and Zechariah were crazy to name the baby John, which was not an ancestor name.  But at the baby's circumcision, Zechariah states, "'His name is John.'"

But getting back to Elizabeth...she gets her prayer answered: she is to have a child.  And then Mary, her cousin, becomes pregnant.  Mary, who is a young woman (most believe around 14) and a virgin.  And to pour salt in the wound, Mary isn't just pregnant by Jehovah God; she is carrying his only-begotten son!  What must have Elizabeth thought?

And yet the scriptures do not illustrate an angry and jealous cousin.  Elizabeth was thrilled to see Mary, which is written in Luke 1:39-45:

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

At no point does Elizabeth say, "why couldn't I have born the savior?!"  She doesn't mind that she was "runner-up" in the "pageant".  Her son, John, would pave the way; but instead of getting angry Elizabeth was thrilled to play a role in the life of the Ransom Sacrifice - Jesus Christ.

None of us are as instrumental as Mary, nor as instrumental as Elizabeth.  Elizabeth gave birth to the one that would pave the way, and Mary gave birth to the savior, Christ Jesus.  But would it not benefit me if I focused on my part in the continuous narrative?  No, I am not the mother of Jesus; but I am a child of God.  I can continue to minister and witness to others.  I can teach my children the truths found in the scripture, and the incredible and almost unimaginable sacrifice Jesus performed for the people on Earth.  We were (and in my opinion continue to be) undeserving of Jesus's sacrifice, and yet he willingly died to provide the ransom that was needed for our inherited sin.

Bonnie describes sin like a dent in a bread pan.  When Adam ate of the Tree of Knowledge, the pan became dented.  No matter what ingredients go into the bread, there will always be a dent in the loaf.  Mary was a sinner, she wasn't made from an un-dented pan.  However, Jesus had to be perfect.  Therefore, Jehovah God made a miracle in Mary.  He eliminated the dent!  Jesus still came from the line of David (through his Mother, Mary - as illustrated in Matthew 1), but Jehovah God took away that inherited sin.  What a miracle indeed!

In this season of Christmas, where CHRIST should be the focus, I must be cognizant of my part in the continued narrative of our Kingdom within.  The potential is there...and I must remain focused on the REAL meaning of this season.  I like to think that we give because he gave.  And my, he gave indeed!

the persistence of prayer

Today my church Bible study spoke on Luke 11:5-13 and 18:1-8.  In both parables the characters show persistence to get what they are desiring.  However, the commentator, J. Ellsworth Kalas, missed the point of the parables in my opinion.  He focused on the laughter and humor "Back Side" elements of the parables.  No matter how the parables are read (the group read from a few different versions), we could not find humor in the scripture.

We all concluded that we believe in the power of laughter and the power of prayer, but to put the two together seemed disingenuous.

Jesus shared the model prayer, "the Lord's Prayer," prior to the first parable.  And I believe in these parables he was teaching his disciples a story of the persistence of prayer.  How should we pray?  We should pray and pray often.  Be serious, earnest and fervent when we pray.

Here is the scripture from Luke 11:5-13:


Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"


In the same parable (albeit not as long) found in Matthew 7:7 the text is as follows:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

When I was growing up, there was a song called, "Welcome To My World."  I remember it mostly because of Kindergarten.  My teacher, Miss Wetmore (an amazing woman), used to play the song and we sang it as a class.  At the time, I thought it was a romantic song about a man wanting his love to be part of his world.  However, as an adult I realize it is a love song, but one from Jesus to us.  Here are the words:

Welcome to my world
Won't you come on in
Miracles I guess
Still happen now and then
Step into my heart
Leave your cares behind
Welcome to my world
Built with you in mind
Knock and the door will open
Seek and you will find
Ask and you'll be given
The key to this world of mine
I'll be waiting here
With my arms unfurled
Waiting just for you
Welcome to my world
 
I believe the parable from Luke (and Matthew) is talking about praying to be a part of God's Kingdom.  Whether this Kingdom is on Earth or in Heaven.  It is through God that we receive our daily bread - our nourishment.

In the second parable, Luke 18:1-8, Jesus speaks of a widow that desired justice from her opponent.  Widows were second class (or possibly third class) citizens in the first century.  Yet this woman continued her persitence with the judge.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'  "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "  And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" 

Again, I don't see the humor in these scriptures.  However, I do see the beauty in the widows desire for justice.  Even when the judge's answer was no (when he was ignoring her), she continued to press forward in her quest.

In conclusion, I believe Jesus is telling us that when we feel our prayers aren't getting answered, keep knocking...keep asking.  He is waiting with open arms to his Kingdom, and because he loves us he wants each one of us to partake in the Kingdom.  God and the universe is on our side, even when it feels impossible.  I need to truly believe this if I am to have complete faith in the Lord.

what if I were Mary

This week's daily devotionals centered around Mary.  It made me wonder, what if I were Mary?

In Luke 1:36-38, Mary says, "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word."

The commentary stated that Mary didn't say, "'This is wonderful.  Of course, I'll do it."  Instead she was saying, 'This isn't what I had planned, and I'm not sure I understand, but I"ll do my best to do what the Lord wants.'"

Do I believe this?  Can I truly say I am a handmaid of the Lord?

Simply accepting that things happen and I cannot control everything is such a huge deal for me.  One of the purposes for my journey is to let God direct my life, rather than feeling responsible for everything that comes my way.

The narrative continues with the greeting of Elizabeth and Mary.  These cousins are both pregnant with the seed from God.  In this passage, Elizabeth speaks the first beatitude in Luke's Gospel "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."  

According to research, the Greek word "blessed" means "inner happiness."  Mary is happy - she said, "yes," to God and trusted that he would lead her to peace.  I am very touched by her genuine trust and love of the Lord.  Do I have that same trust?

I also was fascinated to learn that a church in the village of En Karem (Church of the Visitation) has the Magnificat written in 41 languages on ceramic plaques.  What is the Magnificat?  I also wondered.  So I looked it up.

The Magnificat is from Luke 1:46-55.  It is a beautiful song that Mary sings to Elizabeth, her cousin.  Here is the English translation of the Magnificat:

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;

for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Because he that is mighty,

hath done great things to me;

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is from generation unto generations,

to them that fear him.

He hath shewed might in his arm:

he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his servant,

being mindful of his mercy:

As he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Maybe the reason I didn't know about the Magnificat is because I'm not Catholic.  But once I read the words, I knew they would have been set to song.  And I wasn't disappointed.

As I conclude this blog entry, I will simply state that I want to believe in Jesus's other name: Emmanuel.  Emmanuel, which means God with us.  Do I feel His constant presence?  Or at this time of year am I more concerned with the presents?