All posts by Mark Edwards

Revelation 20 and Revelation 21

Travelling through the book of Revelation has really brought home to me this outstanding book of the Bible. I have never tackled it before, and for good reason. It is a comprehensive, confusing and difficult book to deal with. That means that the rewards are great for unpacking it. ‘Discipleship on the Edge” by Darrell Johnson has been an invaluable reference book.

Consider just this one phrase, ‘It is Finished” seen a number of times in the book of Revelation. What does that bring to mind? Of course we think of Jesus saying this on the cross. Revelation reveals to us even more of what that phrase actually means. Jesus defeated sin, death and the enemy. This is one key to interpreting Revelation. Look at Johns context. Look at where we see Jesus in the book. Look at where we see the imagery and stories of Revelation in the rest of the Scripture.

Happy with this message, have a watch.

Not since 2013

It has been a while since I posted about my Fremantle Dockers. Not quite 2013, but that was the last time we made a GF.

Could this year be the one? Sitting in third place after professionally taking care of our delusional cross town rivals it feels like Freo is at least in the conversation. Even David King has had some nice things to say.

I was there in 2013, having pulled together an air ticket to Adelaide and then a bus to Melbourne town, staying with some friends.

Now I find myself not needing an airfare, nor accommodation. Just a priceless ticket to the game if we happen to make the dance.

The Two Witnesses

As we move through Revelation 11 we are told about two witnesses who during the tribulation period give testimony. They are killed for their trouble joining the long line of people who have been martyred for their Christian faith. John the Apostle who wrote this book is well acquainted with this scenario having pastored to people who had seen over 40,000 Christians in the early church being thrown to the lions, killed for sport.

It’s a confronting reality to us comfortable Christians in the West to understand we are part of a people who have been killed for saying Jesus is Lord. Right now people are being killed all over the world for their faith. There are dangerous political systems on earth, right now, where to admit you are a Christian is to put yourself at grave risk. I might be discriminated against, someone might write a bad google review about my church, but that is about it for me here in leafy Kew.

Revelation is a reminder that persecution to the church world wide was a truthful history, is a present reality and most certainly is a future story. It is a salient reminder that our faith is real and has real consequences. We don’t laud our righteousness, we understand our sinfulness. But none the less we call the world to repent, something which is deeply offensive.

Revelation

A few months ago my colleague and I were chatting about whether we should do a series on the book of Revelation at Kew Baps.

I sensed we should, but had a bunch of questions and queries about how and why we should do it. Many Pastors deal happily with the first three chapters but leave 4-22 in the too hard basket.

It is a complex book, and the titles of commentaries and other books on it often reflect this. “Revelation for the rest of us” by Scott McKnight is just one that hints that for many it has been put in the category of a book best left to the theologians.

The other dynamic is that Revelation, Prophecy and an understanding of the end times has an interesting place in my own history. Having come from a conservative base my understanding was that Revelation needed to be squeezed into my old mould. And if I took a different approach how would it be received by others?

Truth is, for many church people it is not a book we have looked at that much in the last couple of decades. Now it seems many are looking at it, writing books about, perhaps even doing series on it!

All that to say, I take notice of what God is saying to other churches, particularly if He is saying something to me! So here we go. About to launch into a three month series on this wonderful book.

I recorded a lecture I did on the book, prior to the series. I didn’t put much effort into the technical side of this recording. If I had know so many people would watch it, I would have put more. None the less, it may be helpful.

Prioritising your happiness

Or any other such statement which seems good on the surface. So often it flows out of a desire to remove from yourself people who take advantage of you, stop yourself from always being worried about what other people think, and allow yourself to be your own person.

There is an element of truth, but there is also a serious shadow side.

Friends have responsibility to each other. Husbands and wives have responsibilities towards each other. Human beings have responsibilities towards each other!

If we take prioritising our own happiness to its logical conclusion, we become the selfish person who we say that we set boundaries on. We become a friend who doesn’t turn up when they are needed. Who makes promises they don’t keep .

Being selfish is not the path to true joy. Finding ways to give to others, and dare I say, give to our Creator is.

None of us wants to be used, nor do we want to be people pleasers. But neither do we want to prioritise our own happiness over where true joy is found. In loving others, in giving to others. As the Great Man said, it is better to give than to receive.

Grief

It is rare that anyone gets through this life without some serious grief and pain. The longer you have the privilege of being alive, the greater the possibility for pain.

Having children opens you to the enormous possibility of joy, love and validation. It also opens you up to the possibility of immense pain in various ways.

Real serious grief can be like a constant presence in your heart and your life. So much so that while it may be compartmentalised, in those moments when you are not distracted it can actually be debilitating. It comes back to the fore and you might be surprised by its ferocity. It can also affect your behaviour in ways that surprise you. You observe yourself behaving in uncharacteristic ways. Unchecked anger, frustration, withdrawal from the normal joys of life.

Practicing silence, solitude, prayer and gratefulness helps.

Enjoying quiet moments of pleasure, reflection, song and food helps as well.