Skip to main content
Image
By




                Tidbits                                   12/6/2019
Dear Friends:
The New Testament book of Revelation gives us one of the most stunning, creative and beautiful pictures of Jesus and his kingdom in the entire Bible.
 “Revelation” is written specially for Christians living as citizens in a superpower.
The gospel of Jesus in “Revelation” is more political than anyone imagines, and in a way no one guesses.
 John of Patmos‘s Revelation is intended somewhat to comfort but  mostly to warn the Christians who were too cozy with the Roman Empire…..don’t get comfortable with Empire! Remember it’s a beast!
 “Revelation” is a prophetic interpretation of those tumultuous and significant happenings that Jesus, not Julius Cesar or any President is the world’s true emperor and Savior.
 “Revelation” is a creative picture of the clash between the beastly empire of Rome and the peaceable reign of the Lamb of God. It shows the world finally conquered by a little Lamb they killed who lives again.
“Revelation” isn’t about the violent end of the world: but about the end of the evil of violence.
 Everything is told in language of symbols. Everything! And they are not empty symbols.                      
 These are tidbits from the book Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God-- a Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News by Brian Zahnd.  It gave me a new appreciation for and understanding of the Bible. It reconciles the contradictions between the violence of the Old Testament and Jesus’ call to love our enemies.
Try to love your enemies today. 
Shalom, Jim


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

informe de salud

By
  Queridos amigos, Les escribo para informarles que hace unas semanas me diagnosticaron Parkinson vascular. Tenía problemas para mantener el equilibrio y caminar. Vi a un neurólogo y me hicieron una resonancia magnética de mi cerebro, y a partir de eso y de mi historial, me diagnosticaron Parkinson vascular. Me siento muy bien con mi doctora. Mi Parkinson Vascular es causado por mini accidentes cerebrovasculares que bloquean la sangre en la parte del cerebro que controla la marcha. El Parkinson vascular afecta principalmente a la parte inferior del cuerpo, y por lo tanto, afecta la marcha y el equilibrio y regularmente no suele provocar temblores. Es diferente del Parkinson clásico que es causado por la falta de dopamina. El tratamiento principal para el Parkinson vascular es tratar de detener los accidentes cerebrovasculares manteniendo bajo control factores como la presión arterial y el colesterol; esto puede evitar que la enfermedad progrese. Por lo tanto, no necesariamente empe...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Incredible Prime Minister

By
           An Incredible Prime Minister     Dear Friends, a hopeful happening,                  Two years ago, Ethiopia was a basket case. The government seemed to be losing control The majority Oromo people were restive under a rule that seemed to rob them of their place. The traditionally powerful Amhara rioted. A state of emergency brought silence on the surface, but underneath the nation seethed. Civil war threatened. A foreigner was killed. Tourism waned. Finally, the prime minister resigned. The church prayed earnestly. Then, unexpectedly, eight months ago, the relatively unknown Abiy Ahmad was elected prime minister. What followed was equally unanticipated. In a bold, courageous acceptance speech; Ahmad announced a policy of peace, love and unity for the nation and its relationships with the rest of the world. He made sweeping promises and, to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fear and the Corona Virus

By
Dear Friends,                                        Fear and the Corona Virus In some self-reflection I have come to see that I have been unconsciously enveloped in a fear over the coronavirus pandemic. I feel paralyzed and hopeless. I noticed I feel I just have to turn the radio on to keep up on what is happening. Each time I hear more figures on how it is getting worse everywhere in the world, it fills my mind, the focus of much of what I think about. When I came to see this was happening, I noticed I wanted to just turn on the radio, and it was and is hard to turn it off. Just about everything on the radio was related to the virus. In reflecting I realized this subconscious fear permeated me. This fear was not healthy. It was creating anxiousness and anxiety, and anything but peace and contentment. This fear was what I needed to get rid of. From a Dr. Bruce Lipton...
Post a Comment
Read more