MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2014 – Revelation 6:1-8:5 https://biblegateway/passage/?search=Revelation+6%3A1-8%3A5&version=ESV Revelation 6 v.1 I distinctly remember my mother chastising me repeatedly as I was growing up saying Come when you are called. The issuance of the command to come is here given to those creatures who will effect Gods judgment upon the earth. As that judgment is carried out it will be against those who failed to heed Gods invitation earlier. Of the nearly 1500 verses that include the word come in the Bible, the first verse is in Genesis 3:18 when God declares His covenant of salvation with Noah who would come into the ark and be saved. Another occurrence of the word appears in Matthew 11:28 when Jesus says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The last appearance of this important word is in the final chapter of this book when Jesus says, Surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! He who hesitates is lost. Come when you are called. Revelation 7 This passage speaks of the perfect relationship between shepherd and sheep. The shepherd leads to water and the sheep drink. Today the cliché comes to mind “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”. Every member of each congregation has undergone some form of instruction unless they have not been brought by parents. At confirmation, each member pledges their faithful reception of Word and Sacrament. Sometimes I take credit for deficiencies that are not mine to claim. Each week the Word is publicly read and proclaimed. Every Sunday the Sacrament of the Altar is offered. Weekly Bible studies are prepared and lead. Devotions, including this one, are made available. If a call is requested I will do my best to be there in a timely manner to bring that spiritual food to you wherever you are. It is sometimes too easy to point fingers at the congregation or pastor as negligent in calling on members who have become delinquent. As one person put it, “the phone works both ways”. If you are aware of a person who is spiritually hungry, please have them call me OR better yet arrange for us to meet them together. Pray for the spiritually hungry and thirsty. Figurative numbers of chapter 7: The number 12 is significant because the number 12 designates the church (12 tribes, 12 apostles). The number 1000 is significant as 10x10x10 because it reflects wholeness or completeness. The 144,000 reflects 12x1000 or the whole church throughout the ages (innumerable – “a great multitude that no one could count” 7:9). The seal you have received, St. Paul spoke of in Ephesians 1:13. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” Make the sign of the cross on your forehead and your heart saying “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” to recall how you were sealed in Christ at your baptism.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 05:19:00 +0000
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