The Challenge

You have finally reached the finished line. You've accomplished something noteworthy. You have read the entire New Testament. Perhaps for the first time.

Can't you just hear our heavenly father cheering. That's my kid. I'm so proud.

The next challenge is to use what you have read to continue to craft a Godly life of service, study and prayer. Jews believe that all of life is a conversation with God. We speak in the form of prayer. God speaks to us in the form of the Torah or the Scriptures. Then we speak together through serving our world. Helping the hurting. Feeding the hungry. Ministering to the sick. Spreading the Good News to a hurting world.

I hope you continue the conversation.

Diane Young Myers

Director of Discipleship

Asbury United Methodist Church

Revelation 21 & 22

The last chapters of Revelation describe the City of God. The New Jerusalem.

Some interesting things to note:

There are no temples. The entire city is a temple. It's built in the shape of a perfect cube, indicating that it replaces the Holy of Holies in the temple. The presence of God is continually there.

There is no night. Ancient people were afraid of the dark. The presence of God will bring eternal light.

There isn't much of a wall. The wall is described as 144 cubits high, or just 266 feet. The wall of Babylon was 300 feet high, and the walls of Solomon's porch in the temple were180 feet high. But this wall doesn't have to be very big. There is nothing hostile. All the evil things have been obliterated or cast into the lake of fire. God is much more eager to bring men in than to shut them out.

Revelation 19 & 20

John paints a picture of the conquering Christ. Jewish dreams were full of this image of the warrior Messiah, who would lead God's people to victory and smash their enemies. This image is of Jewish expectation and really has little resemblance to the Christ of the Gospels who was more meek and lowly.

Christ is seen riding a white horse, which is what Roman generals rode when the celebrated a triumph. On his head are many crowns. It was not uncommon for a monarch to wear more than one crown in order to show he was the king of more than one country. And he is wearing a robe dipped in the blood of his enemies.

Surrounding Him are the armies of heaven. Remember at His arrest Jesus says that He could have had twelve legions of angels to fight for Him. Here we see the angel army.

Revelation 16, 17 & 18

He may have called the woman Babylon but John is writing about Rome. At some point you might ask if John's indictment of Rome is really justified.

The world was pouring it's riches into Rome. Merchandise was brought from all over. Money was spent with extravagance. Nero once declared that the only use of money was to squander it. Caligula himself once spent the revenues of three providences in a single year. They drank expensive pearls dissolved in vinegar. Fished with golden nets drawn with the most expensive of fabrics. Never wore the same clothes twice. Had mules shod with silver.

It was an age of extraordinary gluttony. Amazing amounts of money were spent on food. They feasted on peacock's brains and the tongues of nightingales and flamingos. They frequently engaged in elaborate and expensive banquets. History had never seen such a period of wanton extravagance.

Revelation 13, 14 & 15

The seven headed dragon represents the seven Roman emperors. (Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian) The ten horns were Rome's ten rulers. Why ten? After the death of Nero there was a period of 18 months in which 3 different men briefly held the seat of power. (Galba, Otho and Vitellis) They were not included in John's list of the seven heads but are thought to have been included in the list of the ten horns.

The one wounded and restored to life is thought to have been Nero. Nero was a vicious dictator known for murder, immorality and crime. He killed his own mother, kicked to death his lover while she was pregnant with their child, and basically murdered anyone who stood in his way. He enjoyed burning Christians in his garden at night as a source of light. Many believed that the current evil ruler Domitian was the reincarnation of Nero.

John tells us that the number of the beast is six hundred and sixty six. Revelation is written in code. And nowhere is the code more closely guarded than in regard to this number which stands for the arch-enemy of the church. The key was evidently lost very early for even the earliest Christian scholars did not know what the number stood for. Everyone had a theory. The Pope. John Knox. Martin Luther. Napoleon. Hitler. Maybe something to do with Nero or Domitian. No one knows. But it's interesting to note that many ancient manuscripts give the number as 616 not 666.