Reading the lectionary every morning is an interesting discipline. The scholars who put these readings together are standing on the shoulders of older scholars, who put together the readings for the daily services within the church. The aim was that == from morning and evening prayers, and Sunday service, every verse in the bible would be read, some repetitively, over a two or four year cycle.
I got into the habit of doing this because my church uses the lectionary to coordinate study and preaching. This is not common among the nonconformists, but is very common, in fact mandated, for my Anglican friends.
I like the practice of the older Anglican divines. The ones with reformed theology, nicknamed the puritans. Most of them were not in cathedrals but in country parishes. They preached but breifly twice a day — but then allowed people to return to the plow.
But today we have on of those passages where we can speculate. And I am not going to do this.
6Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth — to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
9Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10they will also drink the wine of God”s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
12Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.
13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
I could speculate as to who is Bablyon the great. Is Iraq going to rise, Is America going to fall. Is America Babylon… or is the EU. What is the mark of the beast.
But there are two clear comments we can take as plain. We must endure. It will not be easy, but we must keep to the faith. Right thinking and right living. And this will become increasingly difficult… times are hard. it is interesting that the current hit TV show (game of thrones) has as a motto “Winter is coming”. There is a sense of doom in the West.
The second is that those who die in the Lord… are blessed, and are now resting from their labours. A reward awaits them. We should therefore not fear death, nor work. because our time here is limited.
Revelation reminds us that there is more to come. Much of it is figurative, obscure, and a reef of shoals for speculative scholars who try to interpret prophecy with but a third of the data (if that) but neglect the practice and structure of the Christian life.
But it is clear what our duty is. To hold on.