Tag: Worship

Morning Prayer: 08 Oct – Revelation 12:1-6 ~ the radiant woman

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 12:1-6 (ESV) – to be read aloud

The Woman Clothed with the Sun Fleeth from the Persecution of the Dragon Benjamin West, c.1797
The Woman Clothed with the Sun Fleeth from the Persecution of the Dragon
Benjamin West, c.1797

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS (8:2-14:20)

Interlude (12:1-14:20)

Summary: The visions in chapter 12 form the theological heart of the entire book. In Christ God engaged Satan in the ultimate battle of the Holy War. The redemptive triumph of Christ is his death and resurrection was the crucial defeat of Satan and the forces of evil. Yet for a time the dragon vigorously pursues the people of God. Hence there is great suffering in the final days (which extend from Pentecost to the return of Christ). (Mounce, p.230)

The first vision is not meant to be a foretelling of history but a representation of the struggle in the spiritual world which lies behind history….It embodies a surrealistic word-picture which describes the spiritual struggle standing behind historical events. (Ladd, p.166-7)

The heavenly woman: The central feature of this heavenly woman is that she is the mother of the Messiah (vs 2). Some commentators think she represents Mary, the mother of the Lord; others Israel, the people who gave birth of Messiah. (Ladd, p.167)

It is out of faithful Israel that the Messiah will come. It should cause no trouble that within the same chapter the woman comes to signify the church (v 17). The people of God are one throughout all redemptive history…. The world may despise the true Israel and hold it in lowest esteem, but from God’s point of view she is a radiant bride (cf. Jer 2:2)…. In John’s vision the woman in travail is “the true Israel in her premessianic agony of expectation.” (Mounce, p.232)

But this heavenly woman is mother both of Messiah and of the actual church on earth (her “offspring’ vs.17). Therefore, it is easier to understand the woman in a somewhat broader sense as the ideal Zion, the heavenly representative of the people of God (Isa 54:1; 66:7-9)…. The woman is the ideal church in heaven; her children are the actual historical people of God on earth. (Ladd, p.167)
_________

__________

Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 07 Oct – Revelation 12:1-17 ~ warfare in the heavenlies

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 12:1-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud

"The Woman of the Apocalypse" Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, about 1623 - 1624 The J. Paul Getty Museum
“The Woman of the Apocalypse”
Peter Paul Rubens
Flemish, about 1623 – 1624
The J. Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS (8:2-14:20)

Interlude (12:1-14:20)

Introduction: (12:1-17)

Chapter 12 marks a major division in the book of Revelation. Before the seven last plagues of chapter 16, in which the wrath of God is finished (15:1), John turns aside to explain the underlying cause of the hostility about to break upon the church. During his earthly ministry Jesus had warned, “If they persecute me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). It is the age-long conflict between God and Satan that accounts for the persecution the church is to experience. Although the crucial battle was won when Christ arose victorious over death and the grave, the adversary continues his struggle. Cast down from heaven and knowing his time is short (12:12), Satan turns in rage against the faithful who “obey God’s commandments and hold on to the testimony of Jesus” (12:17). By laying bare the root cause of persecution John would encourage believers to hold fast in the coming tribulation. The death struggle of a defeated foe will bring severe tribulation, but the outcome is certain – God will come in judgement to destroy his enemies (chaps 15-19) and reward his own (chaps 20-22).  (Mounce, p.229)

__________

He who would Valiant Be – John Bunyan

Who would true valour see, Let him come hither;
One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather
There’s no discouragement / Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent / To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round / With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound; His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright, He’ll with a giant fight,
He will have a right / To be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend / Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end / Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away, He’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labor night and day / To be a pilgrim.
_____

YouTube Notes: “To be a Pilgrim” (also commonly known as “He would Valiant be” is the only hymn John Bunyan is credited with writing but is indelibly associated with him. It first appeared in Part 2 of Pilgrim’s Progress, written in 1684 while he was serving a twelve-year sentence in Bedford Gaol on a charge of preaching without a licence. The hymn recalls the words of Hebrews 11:13: “…and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

The words were modified extensively by Percy Dearmer for the 1906 The English Hymnal. At the same time it was given a new tune by British composer Vaughan Williams using the traditional Sussex melody “Monk’s Gate”. The hymn has also been sung to the melody “Moab” (John Roberts, 1870) and St. Dunstans (Charles W. Douglas, 1917).

Bunyan’s original version is not commonly sung in churches today, perhaps because of the references to “hobgoblin” and “foul fiend.” However, one commentator has said: “Bunyan’s burly song strikes a new and welcome note in our Hymnal. The quaint sincerity of the words stirs us out of our easygoing dull Christianity to the thrill of great adventure.”

The hymn’s refrain “to be a pilgrim” has entered the language and has been used in the title of a number of books dealing with pilgrimage in a literal or spiritual sense.
__________

Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 06 Oct – Revelation 11:15-19 ~ the shouting has begun

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 11:15-19 (ESV) – to be read aloud

"Worship before the Throne of God" Bamberg Apocalypse (ca. 1000) Bamberg State Library, Germany
“Worship before the Throne of God”
Bamberg Apocalypse (ca. 1000)
Bamberg State Library, Germany

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The seventh trumpet (11:15-19)

Overview: When the seventh trumpet is blown, we might expect yet another plague but instead we hear voices in heaven declaring the eternal sovereignty of God and his Christ. The twenty-four elders join the celebration falling, before God in worship and praising him for having taken his great power and begun to reign. The time for rewarding his servants and pouring out his wrath on the destroyers of the earth has come. 11:15-19 is a summary of all that is yet to take place. The declaration of triumph by the heavenly hosts (v 15) and the anthem of praise by the worshiping elders (vv 17-18) introduce the great themes of the following chapters. There is a common saying, “It’s all over, bar the shouting,” and the only difference here is that the shout of victory has already begun. (Mounce, p.225)

The Kingdom of God: The establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth is the central theme of the book of Revelation. This involves the wresting of authority from all hostile powers, including the godless nations of earth, and the exercise of all authority by the Lord and His Christ….

All authority and power belongs to God, but he in his sovereign wisdom has permitted satanic powers to exercise great authority in the world, and he has allowed godless nations to defy the divine sovereignty with apparent impunity. Now, at the consummation of his redemptive work, God, the eternal one, has wrested this authority from both demonic and human hosts and is about to enter upon his triumphant reign. (Ladd, p. 161-2)

The coming of God’s Kingdom will concern not only those living in the last day; it will concern also the entire human family when the dead will be raised and judgement held to determine who will enter God’s eternal Kingdom and who will be excluded. (Ladd, p.163)
__________


__________

Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

27th Ordinary Sunday: Isa 5:1-7; Psa 80:9, 12-16, 19; Phi 4:6-9; Mat 21:33-43 ~ think God, enjoy peace

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

Yours, O God, is the vineyard and its harvest, Yours the kingdom of justice and peace. You call Your people to tend its growth. Bless the work entrusted to our hands, that we may offer You an abundance of just works, a rich harvest of peace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
__________


__________

A Reading from the Old testament: Isaiah 5:1-7 (NLT)

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Praying man at Western Wailing Wall, Jerusalem
Praying man at Western Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it. I will make it a wild place where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it.

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.
__________

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 (NLT)

You cleared the ground for us, and we took root and filled the land.
_____

But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit? The wild boar from the forest devours it, and the wild animals feed on it. Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Take care of this grapevine that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown.
_____

Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
__________


__________

A Reading from the Letters: Philippians 4:6-9 (NLT)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me — everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
__________

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 21:33-43 (NLT)

Gathering Grapes in Vineyard, Holy Land
Gathering Grapes in Vineyard, Holy Land

“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.

“Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

“But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.

“When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”

The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”

Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.”
__________


__________

Intercessions:

Lord God of Heaven’s Armies – You promise peace to those who pray. Hear our prayers and grant us Your peace.:

+ For all Christians – that we may be thankful and content with what we have been given….
Lord, hear us.

+ For those who lead countries and governments – that they may respect human life and work to defend it….
Lord, hear us.

+ For all men and women of goodwill – that they may uphold the sacredness of human life from beginning to end….
Lord, hear us.

+ For those who make decisions over life and death – that they may opt for life, and hope, and peace….
Lord, hear us.

+ For our communities and fellowships – that we may respect and honour each other, as people created in the likeness of God….
Lord, hear us.

+ For people who worry, and for all who suffer – that the peace of God may fill them….
Lord, hear us.

+ For those who have died, especially at the hands of evil people – that eternal peace and comfort may be theirs….
Lord, hear us.

Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, You turn Your face to Your people: let Your grace fill us according to our needs, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
__________


__________

Benediction:

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 04 Oct – Revelation 11:7-14 ~ witness vindication

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 11:7-14 (ESV) – to be read aloud

The Prophets and the Beast for the abyss. The Bamberg Apocalypse (Bamberg State Library, Msc.Bibl.140) is an 11th-century richly illuminated manuscript containing the Book of Revelation and a Gospel Lectionary.
The Prophets and the Beast for the abyss.
The Bamberg Apocalypse (Bamberg State Library, Msc.Bibl.140) is an 11th-century richly illuminated manuscript containing the Book of Revelation and a Gospel Lectionary.

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The two witnesses (11:3-14)

Martyrdom at the hands of the beast: (11:7-10)

When the witnesses have finished their task, they fall prey to the wrath of the beast…. a familiar concept in Jewish-Christian thought (Daniel 7; Mark 13:14; Matt 24:15; Luke 21:20)…. Here is a fundamental clue to the understanding of biblical prophecy: eschatological events are foreshadowed in historical events.

The beast is a central figure in the Revelation…. In this passage, the beast represents both every hostile evil power that oppresses and persecutes God’s people, but primarily the eschatological figure at the end of the age. (Ladd, p.156)

Ladd: Here Jerusalem is not mentioned as an empty theoretical metaphor. In some way or another the earthly, geographical Jerusalem will have its place in the history of the last days. (Ladd, p.157)

Morris: The great city is every city and no city. It is civilized man in organized community. (Morris, p.146)

Mounce: The city illustrates the response of paganism to righteousness…. Sodom refers to the depths of moral degradation… and Egypt is a symbol of oppression and slavery. The great city in which the martyred church lies dead is the world under the wicked and oppressive sway of Antichrist. (Mounce, p.221)

The world has always shown hostility to the message of God – a truth that ought to give some concern to the contemporary church existing for the most part rather comfortably in a world of increasing wickedness. (Mounce, p.222)

Witness vindication: (11:11-12)

 Ladd: The conversion of Israel is to be accomplished by a miracle of resurrection… reminiscent of the revival of Israel in Ezek 37:10…. The resurrection of the martyrs is a public event designed to bring “great fear… on those who saw them.”  (Ladd, p.159)

Mounce: The resurrection of the church is a sure indication that God possesses the ultimate authority over life and death…. The triumph of the witnesses is no secret rapture; it is openly visible to all (Matt 24:27; 1 Thess 4:17). (Mounce, p.223)

Morris:

‘Why does the Church of Jesus Christ today sit so easy to her surroundings? Why do Christian people live such comfortable and such undisturbed lives in this evil and disturbed world? Surely it is because we are not true to the Word of God?’ (Torrence)

(Morris, p.146)

Repentance: (11:13)

Ladd: The result of the resurrection and ascension of the two martyrs and of the following earthquake was the conversion of the rest of the city. This appears to be a symbolic way of describing the final conversion of the Jewish people as a whole.

Because of these mighty acts of God in the end time, the Jewish people will repent of their sins and give glory to the true God. Previously they have not glorified God; they had crucified his Messiah and rejected his prophets. But now they repent of their disobedience and glorify God. (Ladd, p.159-60)

Morris: The survivors not only gave way to fear, they also gave glory to the God of heaven. This is a new note, for John has not hitherto spoken of sinners as being other than hardened by the judgements of God. But these happenings are so striking and so clearly from God that even sinful men could not forbear from ascribing glory to him. (Morris, p.147-8)

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Canticle

Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.