Fall of Babylon, Part 3

Outline: Fall of Babylon, Part 3
Passage: Revelation 18:20-19:5
Discussion audio (1h44m)

Babylon is no more and the saints rejoice. Do they rejoice because evil people finally receive what they deserve? No. Revelation’s concern isn’t with peoples but with systems of power and authority. The saints rejoice because God’s power is shown to be good and just and eternal, and that the power structures on which the world’s systems are based have been shown to have no foundation. The saints rejoice because the deception that maintained the world’s power structures for so long are finally destroyed, never to return again.

I personally found this study to be the most difficult thus far. It goes against so much of what I (apparently, wrongly) value, but which is the norm for life in the world I inhabit. The ways of the world are so deeply ingrained that I can’t even see how Jesus’ ways of conducting life are possible. A life of faith shouldn’t be based on presumption, yet is it possible to live a life where conventional pragmatism, particularly in the economic arena, is thrown out?

The message I’m seeing in Revelation is that the Church, and consequently her members, must get rid of the idolatries of safety, security, stability, and comfort that we so often dearly seek. That sounds completely absurd and impractical. It sounds so risky. It appears to foolish, dumb, stupid.

“I’ve got to plan for the future.”

“I’ve got to take care of my family.”

Very sensible objections. But they sound an awful lot like what some of the individuals seeking to follow Jesus said; the ones he turned away. Not that they’re not of value, but if they are merely excuses…

I don’t think there is a single, universal answer that God expects out of everyone. I do think he wants us to stretch out of our comfort zones and trust his ability to meet our needs.

Seven Angels and Plagues

Outline: Seven Angels and Plagues
Passage: Revelation 15
Discussion audio (1h36m)

Revelation 15 appears like a dramatic interlude (we’ve seen a few of these already). You might imagine a TV series where for the last few episodes the action and tension has been rising more and more. And then suddenly there is a dramatic pause: it’s not that everything stops, but the plot doesn’t really move forward. It is more a character piece than an action one. As the episode enters its final minutes, however, new elements are introduced that raise more questions and increase the tension. This kind of episode doesn’t answer any questions that the audience has, nor does it resolve any of the plot. It’s there for the audience to take a breather and to reflect on what has already transpired. I see Revelation 15 to serve a similar function.

The outline is quite short, but the discussion audio is rather long. There are two reasons for this:

1. I found the readings for the first Sunday of Advent to bear some relevance to the whole idea of “Revelation” and the anticipation of the coming of Christ to right the wrongs of the world. I read the lectionary readings, and I also read a piece I found on the web – Pregnant Waiting: Reflections on Advent.
2. I read nearly all of Isaiah 63-66. The images and languages found in Isaiah are found repeatedly in the last half of Revelation, and I thought it best for us to understand the context that John borrows to convey his message to his audience.