Suspense!

Does anyone else ever skip ahead and read the end of novels? I'm possibly the worlds worst about this. I simply can't stand the suspense. And, on occasion, I MAY have read the end of a book in the bookstore or library to try and decide if I actually want to get the book. I mean, if the ending isn't good, why bother reading the whole thing? In fact, otherwise perfectly good books and movies have been ruined for me by a bad ending. What constitutes a good ending? Well, a conclusive end for one thing. An answer for all the questions raised and all loose ends tied neatly in a bow. The hero should come out on top, justice should be served, those who are in love should be happy and together...essentially I want a "Happily Ever After." I don't appreciate tragic endings. There are too many of those in real life. Fortunately for us, God also enjoys a good ending, and has one planned for the end of His Story (or History...ha did you get that!).

After giving John the task of sending letters of warning to the Seven churches, he then goes on to show him WHY those churches needed that warning. John was given a glimpse of heaven, God's throne room. There are distinctly similar descriptions of God's throne room given elsewhere in scripture. The thunder and lightning and noise were seen by the Israelites at the base of Mount Sinai as God was meeting with Moses. Ezekiel and Daniel both also give similar accounts from their visions. As Amy mentioned yesterday, we have to keep in mind as we read the descriptions John gives of what he sees, there is nothing on earth to match what he is trying to describe. To take his descriptions literally paints a very odd, scary twisted view of God...like maybe Picasso actually got it right or something. THAT ladies and gentlemen, would be a BAD ending! If we take them figuratively, as they are meant, and trust that God's mind and creativity far surpasses our own then we can feel the power, might, and absolute glory that emanates from his thone...and get goosebumps from the worship going on there. We have to keep this lovely image in our minds to stand the tragedy that follows.

God, seated on His throne, holds out a scroll. Scholars suggest that this is the "destiny of earth," and for a minute, John is in agony that no one will be able to come and bring the ending to pass. Ladies, here we see our hero enter His glory...the glory prepared for Him at the beginning of time. Jesus Christ, our slaughtered lamb, walks in to show us what will come to pass. As He opens the seals on the scroll we see God's power unleashed on earth.

The first four scrolls set loose four horsemen who bring about the conquering of nations and peoples, removal of peace, drought and famine, and finally death. People debate over whether some of what is described here is already in motion. I don't have a good answer. We certainly see shades of it going on in our world today. The world now seems so volatile, and peace has long been gone in many areas of our world. We have not seen the death of 1/4 the worlds population however, that much is certain. What we have to remember is that the exact timing is not the thing we are meant to remember. We are meant to remember who is in control of this story...

The fifth seal shows us the martyrs, and their cries to God for justice. They are given a white robe, which earlier in Revelation we read symbolized the clothing of a victor, and told to wait a little longer. The sixth seal unleashes natural disasters the likes of which we have never seen. Between the sixth and seventh seal we have an interlude- the "eye of the hurricane" if you will. We see the sealing of the 144,000 servants of God on earth and the arrival of a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language in heaven. What a glorious sight to witness their worship! It gives me goose-bumps just reading about it.

The opening of the seventh seal causes their to be silence in heaven for about a half an hour. The solemnity of that time after all the worship must have been astounding. It calls forth the seven angels who blow the seven trumpets of God's Judgement. We read about the first four today. The first calls forth hail, fire and blood. (Which combines the fist and seventh plagues on Egypt.) The second trumpet brings about what sounds like the eruption of a great volcano that causes mass destruction. A third of the sea becoming blood and a third of it's living creatures dying is similar to what happened to the Nile river and it's fish in the first plague on Egypt. The third trumpet causes a great star to fall and contaminate a third of the fresh water on Earth. The fourth trumpet echoes the ninth plague on Egypt where there was darkness.

We stop here for today...but the story continues. Hang in there. Try to stand the suspense! The End is totally worth it! And remember Who is writing the story....