Please read the first 12 chapters of Revelation for Thursday's class.Do you find Revelation a difficult book? A beautiful book? Something of both? Cite a verse or two from the first 12 chapters that particular shows either the beautiful side or Revelation or the difficulties of figuring out this book.
I think Revelations is a difficult and beautiful book. Chapter 5 shows all the hosts of heaven fretting over a scroll. What the scroll is may be unclear. I can say that I do not know what it is for sure. I think it is plausible that the scroll is the future, of the world and heaven regarding all people and things. The scroll could be the ultimate plan for the world and heaven, God's ultimate plan. Either way I tend to think of the scroll this way. Anyway, no one is able to open the scroll and dictate what it says, there is mourning but then the Lamb who was slain, the Root of Jesse is able to open the scroll and he is praised. I think that Chapter 5 of Revelations is showing that Jesus is authoritative and worthy of dictating and knowing the course of the world and heaven. He demonstrated power over everything when he set aside all his glory, died, and then conquered death and took his throne in heaven. It really is beautiful but also difficult to perceive and understand that that is what is being showed. -Zach Kuhlman
ReplyDeleteRevelation 1:20, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” Revelation is a very difficult and beautiful book. Revelation1:20 shows both. Revelation has some of the most gruesome and beautifully depicted ideas in the entire Bible. When reading the book, one is able to actually see the different things, because the book goes into so much description. It allows for us to view ideas that we never thought possible, which creates why Revelation is a difficult to understand book. It takes a lot of study and discussion to even scratch the surface of what a lot of the different descriptions even mean. It always raises the question, what is this or that representing? This is what causes Revelation to be a difficult to understand book; however it makes sense since no one really knows what the end times will hold and that is what Revelation is all about. -Kelly Longden
ReplyDeleteRevelation 1:4-5, 7: "...Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth...Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth wil mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." Verses like these demonstrate the beauty that Revelation has to offer; the beauty of Christ's coming and his everlasting rule. However, I found Revalation to be particularily difficult when John was discussing the different churches ( Church in Pergamum, Church in Thyatira etc). I thought the difficult passages were covered up by the verses that showed the awesome power of God. Chapter 4: 4-6 tells us, "surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of God on their heads. From the throne came falshes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing...Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal." Verse 8 continues to discuss four creatures that were given wings and continued to sing everlasting praises to God day and night.
ReplyDeleteEven though this book does have difficult passages, I believe it emphasizes the power and wonders of God; ones that we wil witness when we are called to heaven.
-Melinda Quade
While I read through the book of Revelations I find the book both difficult and beautiful. It is a book that shows the promises that God has in the end times. It is beautiful when John sees heaven and describes it in Chapter 4: 1-11. I find it very interesting how the numbers play such a key role in this passage. Especially the number seven, thus being God's perfect number, going back to the days of creation and the 7th day being the day of rest and the seven churches and seven spirits of God. I find the way the numbers play into the passage very interesting and key to the understanding of the message.
ReplyDeleteI think the message in Revelations is rather difficult to grasp, however the language is quite articulate and quite beautiful for the message it is trying to present. for example Revelation 2:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord, The one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." This is a great message because it shows that God is eternal and his return shall be at a time of his choosing. Another passage that I found interesting was Revelation 8:2 "And I saw that the seven angels who stood before God were given seven trumpets." I like this passage because we see the number seven that means so much to God- 7 days or creation and his rest on the 7th day. It is an interesting thought to think that the trumpets and seven go hand and hand to give praise to the Lord.
ReplyDelete-Zack Krage
Revelations is one of those books that I am having to read through the footnotes to understand most of it. However, I enjoy reading it nonetheless. The end times have become a popular topic in Hollywood lately and none maintain a biblical perspective on it. One of my favorite verses in today's reading was Revelation 5:1-5. Here John talks about a seal that no one is worthy of opening. John claimed that he was weeping when an elder told him that "the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." Awesome verses and emotion.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of the chapter I really hope that the Rapture happens before the tribulation.
I tend to think of Revelations as being beautiful before I think of it as difficult. I haven't tried to understand all the references, and I don't really think about the end of the world much, so I ignore the difficulty of the passages and focus on the beautiful prose. A passage that stuck out as being particularly beautiful to me was Rev. 6: 12-14: "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." The imagery as well as the structure make this a beautiful piece of writing.
ReplyDelete-Claire DeMilia
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Rev 7:9-10 I personally found these passages to be rather beautiful."Which no one could number" really explains the shear magnitude of what is going on, especially considering how beautiful each one is individually. it really give a sense of awe. -Sean M
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