The (Lieben)GOOD LIFE

Does the Book of Revelation contradict the claim that God is love?  This is one of the questions we will be wrestling with in my course on the Book of Revelation as we patiently read through what is a complex and perplexing text. Throughout the history of its interpretation, on occasion students of the book have come to the conclusion that the notion that God is fundamentally loving is irreconcilable with message and imagery of John's Apocalypse (this is another name for the Book of Revelation), especially in Revelation 6-20.  Interestingly, their are two bookends, or framing devices (more technically known as  inclusios ) in Revelation that seem to suggest that the book is ultimately about God's love. The first inclusio can be found in Revelation 1:4-8 / 22:12-21; the second framing device is located in the message to the first of the seven churches and the last of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3.  Inclusio 1: Revelation 1:4-8 / 22:12-21 In the opening greeti...

What Do We Study the Bible for? An Introduction Why do we study the Book of Revelation (or any other biblical studies course offered in our curriculum)? What is knowledge of the book for ? What should we seek to get out of engaging with Scripture? How we respond to these questions will depend, in part, on the vantage point from which we read Revelation (or any other biblical text). If you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus, the life you have been called to is a life in which you have been invited to receive and enjoy God's love and in which you have been called upon to faithfully participate in God's life of love for the sake of the church and the world. And that reality undergirds, shapes, and animates how we read the Bible. We catch a glimpse of this life we have been invited into in what is perhaps an unexpected place, the prayer life of Jesus. Prayer is often where we find one's deepest expressions of want, longing, and desire, where we learn what matters most...