Throughout the biblical story there has been a sense of an enemy. From the Garden of Eden, to the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, to the cross itself…there has always been something (someone?) lurking in the shadows, seeking to influence events in a manner contrary to God’s intent. It would be too much to...
Tag: interpreting the book of revelation
Understanding the Bible 48: The Two Witnesses – The Church’s Role in the Salvation of the World
The driving question of the book of Revelation is: Why the delay? What purposed is served by leaving time between Jesus’s resurrection and the consummation of the kingdom of God on earth? To an oppressed church – facing what seems to be imminent persecution and martyrdom – it appears that there is little to be gained and...
Understanding the Bible 47: The Beginning of the End – The Seven Seals of the Scroll
To a church facing persecution and fearing abandonment, John describes the vision granted to him of the heavenly throne room. God sits in ultimate glory – suddenly placing Roman imperial power in cosmic perspective – and holds in his right hand the plan for the consummation of the age. The scroll he holds is sealed with...