September 14, 2009

Revelation 17:9 “But don’t drop your guard. Use your head. The seven heads are seven hills; they are where the woman sits.”

As we complete our reading of the New Testament at Logan we find ourselves in Revelation. This book is one wild ride and people have done many creative and powerful things in their interpretation of it through the centuries. The above passage indicates that certain things are thinly veiled references to the Roman Empire, the force threatening the original readers of this book. The woman is called “the whore of Babylon” in other places. The idea is that a spirit of domination permeates our world. It is the desire to conquer and impose one’s own will. It can be found in Babylon or Assyria or Persia or Rome or the Third Reich. It is the power that opposes God by saying we are the elite and therefore deserve our lion’s share of influence and material goods. It is seductive, luring us to believe in our own superiority. It is also the force that is overcome by Christ in the narrative of Revelation. Ultimately, each of us is called to place our allegiance either in these worldly powers or in the power of servanthood displayed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Look around you this week. What powers do you see? With whom have you allied yourself?

Don

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