Day 18 of our study of Revelation (with the help of King James Version Bible Commentary by Nelson Publishing) Todays reading: Revelation: 7:1-8 (Tomorrows reading: Revelation: 7: 7-17) Todays selected verse: And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (Verse 4) Commentary/Question to Ponder: I have several friends who cite disagreement over todays selected verse as a main reason they have left a church or two in their lives. These friends report that some modern churches arrogantly teach that their members -- and in some cases ONLY their members -- are guaranteed to receive a seal. And that argument simply does not sit well with these followers of Christ. The Bible Commentary also notes that there is no consensus among Christians on this matter: Strangely, at this point there is much divergence of views as to the identity of the company in verses. 4-8. So I will leave this divisive discussion for more learned souls and return my focus to something I observed in Day 2 of this study: our author Johns great journalistic skill. In todays reading, John exhibits a subtlety that is taught in modern journalism schools but often overlooked in practice. You cannot know how a person feels, so it is a mistake to insinuate you can, is how I remember one of my teachers explaining this lesson. Reporters are trained to avoid phrases such as, Bob was sad over the loss of his dog, and, instead, go with, Bob SAID he was sad over the loss of his dog. This exercise in precision comes to mind as I see John report he heard 144,000 people received the seal. It is significant that John did not see that number receiving the seal. Further, he does not tell us the source of his hearing. So I argue that any discussion over just who, in fact, will receive a seal is akin to deliberating a judicial case based on hearsay evidence. Fact is, only speculation is possible based on the facts as John reports them. For the truly faithful, the question is probably moot. Dont you agree?
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 12:20:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015