Slow Revelation

Tuesday night was the last session of Beth Moore's Fall Bible Study. I was pretty good at getting to the study every week. I think I only missed one week when I was working. The study was on Revelation. And, in a nutshell, it was awesome. If you get a chance to do it (it will be released the first of the year as "Here and Now, There and Then"), I highly recommend it.

I've listened to some sermons on end times; I've read the "Left Behind" series; I've watched "The Hal Lindsey Report"; and I've read Revelation several times. Mostly I'm a "pan"-theist; I believe it will all pan out in the end. It's fascinating how many different interpretations there are out there. But it is definitely intriguing material.

Beth decided to stick to her 11-week structure which meant we really didn't do detailed and in-depth, more of an overview. But I have to admit, this was my first time through the book where my eyes didn't roll back in my head about halfway in. And as intense as it got, Beth is great at getting in those "lighter" moments. She even worked in some good stories about her grandkids and her dogs, if you can believe it. And she was adamant about letting us know that she was sharing several views and interpretations without saying any were right or wrong (though, she does say toward which ones she leans). So I really feel much more knowledgeable about the subject without really having any clearer idea about what is coming!

One of the highlights for me was on the first day. I've always struggled with why we take the Bible completely literally (which I do), except for Revelation. So, she read from the NKJV that says in Revelation 1:1; And He [Jesus] sent and signified if by His angel to His servant John...
So apparently the actual word for "signified" in the Greek is "semaino" which "carries the idea of figurative representation. Strictly speaking, it means to make known by some kind of sign." The reason we read into Revelation all these signs and symbols is that it says from the very start that that is the intent. Neat, huh?

Anyway, I'm still digesting the whole thing. And I've about got a hold on Session 1. I'll probably write more after I let it mull around in my head for a while. We'll see. Good times.