Journal Rev 11 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “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 the faces and worshipped 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.” Rev 11:15-17
Observation: Reading Revelation gets thicker and thicker and more difficult to understand. It is as if I must keep reading it to form a tableau in my imagination to make sense of it.
Where is Tim LaHaye or Hal Lindsey when you need them?
Analysis: I have often wondered the biblical basis of when I resorted to the answer understood by children around the world, “Because I said so!”
No, I haven’t wondered, and I would be lying through my teeth if I asserted that. Still, it seems an appropriate answer for most of what I am reading in Revelation now.
My wife and I are looking daily at these Chapters. The further we get into the statements, the more mysterious they become, mostly because I must resort to applying my personal Point of View (POV) and/or my Imagination—I want to understand these things and they don’t lend well to understanding.
My wife either has an answer or asks me for an answer… “I don’t know, it is a mystery” is the correct theological/biblical analysis answer, but it is so unsatisfying. I want to punch through and force an answer on the scripture, just to be able to have a framework of discussion established. She does too. Most times it doesn’t work like that.
Journaling is a practice at times of self-confession—like reminding myself of places in scripture where the obvious answer is “huh?”
I don’t know all the mysteries of the Trinity and His Creation. Shucks, the stuff I do know about can fit on a pinhead comparatively. What I do write down, though, can remind or prod me into more thorough study for the future.
I must remember, though, that “I don’t know, it is a mystery” is the correct answer and is no slight on my character or maturity.
Prayer: Father, You call me to search your Word and wrestle with it that your mysteries unfold…eventually. It is that “eventually” that tries my patience and is the stumbling block to hearing you, Spirit.
Help me savor your Word, turning it over and over in my mind and heart, until You bring clarity of your intent and purposes. Because this is your Word and not mine, and that you teach line upon line and precept upon precept, help me to hold your Word firmly where I know to hold it firmly and loosely where that is appropriate.
Bring revival…
AMEN