A good podcast in which a Baptist and a Presbyterian minister discuss the end of the world and apocalyptic thinking, influenced of course, by the Mayan 21-Dec-2012 thing.
It’s the Bourbon Talking Podcast – The End of the World
”Pull up a bar stool. And listen in. Join Zac and Mark as they take a progressive Christian look at what's happening in politics, spirituality and culture. Cheers!”
I came across the following post, “Why Are Right Wing Extremists So Anti-Islamic?” It demonstrates how something as esoteric and niche as biblical prophecy can have profound real-life implications to a broad swath of the global populace.
The post describes why so many Christians seem like they are pro-Israel (but not necessarily pro-Jew). They are pro-Israel because their particular interpretation of biblical prophecy demands it. Without the State of Israel Jesus’ return cannot happen. So all effort – political, religious, and economic – must be expended to guarantee that the State of Israel remains until Jesus returns.
One particular brand of Christian theology has infected the entire world.
For the record, anyone following this blog should know that I don’t subscribe to that particular worldview. My interpretation is that:
Outline: Seven Trumpets - Interlude, Part 2
Passage: Revelation 11:1-14
Discussion audio (1h27m)
This session discusses the second part of the interlude scene between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets of Revelation. According to a number of scholars and commentators, these are some of the most difficult texts in all of Revelation. Who are we kidding the, when we try to figure out what they mean? The key, I believe, is to stick to the big picture and the overall theme of the message rather than trying to identify what every detail supposedly could mean.
John borrows heavily from his Old Testament context when he writes the words that form today’s passage. Without properly understanding those contexts we can misinterpret and misapply what John wrote. We can end up forcing meanings and interpretations onto the text that were not intended. This is not to say that what we have is provably better than other explanations, but by taking a look at the larger context and keeping to the overall themes, I hope we come away with an interpretation that is closer to what John intended his audience to hear.
Outline: Seven Trumpets - 1-4
Passage: Revelation 8:7-12
Discussion audio (1h16m)
Our discussion enters into the Seven Trumpets proper and this session covers the first four trumpets. We have already noted that trumpets symbolize a call for God to act, to judge, and to deliver. In this session we attempt to bring more clarity into what they mean when applied to this specific sequence of events described by the sounding of the trumpets.
There is a great deal of Old Testament allusions that John assumes his audience already knows and identifies with, and we spend a great deal of time examining a number of those passages. We also spend a few minutes toward the end examining different types of prophetic genres to see where these trumpets fit.
The conclusion is that what John appears to intend for his readers is to see the Church as the new Israel who is currently going through a new Exodus.
Outline: Seven Seals - Silence and Trumpets
Passage: Revelation 8:1-6
Discussion audio (56m)
This discussion concludes the Act of the Seven Seals and the scene of the Temple in Heaven that began in Revelation chapter 4. Suspense has built up as the audience awaits the opening of the scroll. But alas, the audience must wait a little longer because the opening of the seventh seal does not immediately follow with the revelation of the scroll’s contents. Instead the Temple scene continues as trumpets are handed to seven angels and the handing down of judgment appears to begin.
One of the key points that John makes in this transition passage between the seven seals and seven trumpets is once again, the Church is Israel. John continues to transfer the typology found in the Hebrew temple rituals to what Jesus is doing in the Temple of Heaven. Implied by this transfer is all of the promises and prophecies that were given to Israel and to the Jews are now transferred to the Church.
Outline: Prologue
Passage: Revelation 1:1-8
Discussion audio (39 minutes)
In our discussions yesterday, the most surprising and difficult concept to grasp in this passage was the concept of temporal terms that John uses: soon, near. Traditionally we’ve known that at least some of the things described would indeed take place within a few years of their writing, but we assume that most of what was written was about a future taking place after an indeterminate number of years. But for John and his audience all of what was written was to take place now and in the imminent future.
Another concept that requires a change of perspective is the Second Coming. For most Christians this is something that takes place at the very end of time. John, however, frequently uses the present tense verb when he writes about Jesus’ coming. It appears then, that for John, the Second Coming is not just about something at the end of time, but something that has already taken place and continues to take place all of the time.
A few more things to note in this passage:
