Where you Feast depends on Who you Know

Sunday, 22 September 2024 by

Bernard Gabbott - Sunday, 22 September 2024

Where you Feast depends on Who you Know

We come to a section of Revelation that has caused immense debate and discussion and division (Rev 20:1-6). It is a striking fact because it immediately places a huge weight on six verses that deal with something mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, as well as throw out the consistent way we have handled Revelation so far (remember apocalyptic imagery?). As people get entranced and distracted by Revelation 20:1-6 and the question of ‘chiliasm’, they forget the clarity around this section: there will be a judgement day, and how are we preparing for that day? From another perspective, there are two feasts to which all humans are invited, and the key is how they deal with Jesus – will you be at the feast as an ‘eater’ or as the ‘eaten’?

Scripture References: Revelation 19:6-21, Revelation 20:1-15, Psalms 80:1-19

From Series: "Revelation"

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I guess it is probably hard to forget an event like the Exodus, and the moments of the Passover – at least in the short term. But, God knows his mob. He knows that they forget quickly. He knows that they will be rebellious, and wander in the wilderness for forty years. He knows that he needs to command them to remember, especially when it is only Joshua and Caleb who will enter the land of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. And so, as they leave, God commands ‘statutes’, laws to enforce remembering – remembering the night of the Passover, remembering the strength of God who saved them, remembering their identity as ‘my firstborn’. The God who commands this remembering is the God who knows them, and so he orders their route as they leave. He is the God who follows through faithfully and relentlessly on his promises – just look at the bones of Joseph. And he is the God who is their constant companion, even as they wander in rebellion. He is our God!
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