rehug

If I knew Christ was to return in my life time, there is very little I would change except to try harder to get to mass more often. I await not for HIS return but as scripture reminds us, only the Father knows the day and hour. I would continue to do the ministry I do, to go to work each day and continue to be faithful in my prayer life. I would continue to reach out to others who have walked away from their church, for what ever reason, that one can only find ture happiness in Christ. I am blessed each day with what I have because I know all I have is a temporary gift from God to use in his Glory. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Amen God Bless Richard

I have spent a lot of time thinking of this question and the others and have realized that to get a good understanding of Revelations one has to have understanding of the Book of Daniel with it's Revelations (unveilings ) 13:1 the beast with seven heads and ten horns we get the sense of demonic reality with (what it claims as perfecton) it's complete and perfect rulers (Roman emperors). the marking 666 which the beast is refered (13:18) is it's total incompleteness and is also interperted as the most evil or the superlative evil. This demonic beast is the antitheses of the "one like a son of man" that symbolizes Christ (777 - most perfect) . We need to be very aware of those who try to pass themselves off as Christ but they will be identified by their actions and their twisting of the inspired words of God. Fale prophets will be inspired by the evil one who is out to destroy all those who do not believe in him (persecution of the Christions by Nero - 666 - and later by Domitian who himself proclaimed himself a god and demanded worship. God Bless Richard

"Who makes up the great multitude? All the people of the earth whick is too great a number to count and had been granted to priviledge to stand before the throne in the robes washed white by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus Christ. Their origin - they are of the twelve tribes of Israel - whose direct decendents go back to the creation of the earth and mankind - who are the children of a loving and mercyful God. The spirit within them causes them to rejoyce in shouting and the waving of Palm branches - Jesus entry into Jerusalem - Amazing Grace - the first verse as the whole song - shows that by the Grace of God, all mankind can be saved - saved a wrech like me - God Bless Richard

What do we learn about God? That He is just and mercyful to all the people and guarantees his protection to his followers. What is the seal to do to the 144,000? The seal is to protect them, and I think we all have had the seal placed on us - not something we can see, but a invisible seal that is spiritual - we have been given the Holy Spirit as God's guarantee to preserve us, that God is not finished with us yet and the seal placed on us can only be broken open by God at the day of redemption (Rev. 5:1-3) God Bless Richard

Who initates the great storm? the Lamb who is Christ who broke open the seal. Against whom? Against all mankind Is it Just? We all have been called to repent and if we do not than the judgement of God is just,it is always just. I looked at the scriputre references given and they refer to people hiding from what is to come, the mountains moved by God, I think this is also seen in 1 Kings 19:12 when Elijah went to the mountain to hear the voice of God, it was not in the destructive power of earthquake, fire, strong heavy winds.

Q5. (Revelation 5:13) What is the significance of the same quality of worship being offered to both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son? What does this tell us about their relationship to each other? Their relationship to us? In our Creed's we pray "We believe in God the Father Almighty, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit" three in one, one in three. Christ was in the beginning of creation when the Heavens and earth were formed. The Father was with His Son on the Cross as shared his Son's suffering as you would for your own son or daugher. Their relationship to us is inseperatable, the three are with us always though we address each in a different manner - Father, Son, Spirit. God Bless Richard

How are we to serve and reign in the world - after reading the posting here, I had to go back to the Catholic Rite of Baptism which states: "God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed us from sin, and has given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit. He has made you Christians now, and has welcomed you into his holy people. As Christ was anointed ""Priest, Prophet and King"", so may you live always as members of his body, sharing everlasting life." Through our common Trinitarian Baptism in our respected faith beliefs, we are called to be like Jesus, to be examples of the Good Word, to spread the Good Word and to act in humbleless to others as we strive to help them. "Welcomed you into his Holy People" takes us back to our Judio-Christian roots with the covant God gave to the people of Israel and also to us today, we are his holy people. Reign in the kingdom - a theology professor once stated that "the Kingdom of God is here and now, but not yet" It is here through the birth of Jesus, with us now through the Holy Spirit, but not yet till the second coming. This was really a very thought provoking question so that's the reason for the last posting to it. God Bless Richard

There are a lot of great songs listed so far. In one of my hymnals that lists songs by scripture passages it has: (all basec on Book of Revelations - As one unknown - 1:15; Alleluial Sing to Jesus - 5:9,10; Worthy is the Lamb - 5:9-14; Outside of verse 4 & 5 Streams of Living Water - 7:17; Alleluial Alleluial Let the Holy Anthem Rise - 21:1-4; and 22:1-5 Michael Card does one titled "The Lamb is the Lion" which by it's title one would think it relates to Revelation but doesn't after listening to it again. God Bless Richard

Q1. How can a local congregation lose its "first love" for Jesus? What are the signs of genuine love for Jesus in worship and ministry? How does the lack of love show up? How can a congregation regain this love? I think we start to lose our Love for Jesus when we do not put Him first in our lives. The lack of love shows up when we forget that the Church is not the building we gather in but is the people. When we consider the building more important than the people than we have lost sight of the meaning of Church. The first church was gatherings of the faithful followers in homes, not in magnificant buildings we see today. All this came later. The genuine love in worship and ministry is when we start to see Jesus in each person of the community (church) and treat them with love and respect as we do Jesus. God Bless Richard Obl.SB

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive? What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity? When we consider religious practices, should we not also look at organizations that require the taking of "oaths" to become members? One I think of is the ___ who require a 'blood oath' which is contrary to scripture. Christ died on the cross and shed his blood for us, we should not see having to swear to shed our blood to get into an organizatrion. In many trades, one cannot move up the ladder unless they are associated with some organizatin, whether it be the ____, or other organizations the leadership of the company are associated with. In like manner if you belong to another organization you may not move up. If the leadership is strong in the ____ and you are affiliated with the _____, you will go no where - personal experience here. The struggles are to follow ones beliefs in God and how many very fundamentalist will try to persuade you that your religious beliefs are wrong. If one has a love for God and His Son and follow to the best of their ability the 10 Commandments and the Beatutides, why is their faith belief wrong? All the Christian religions are off shoots of the original Church which has it roots buried deeply in the Jewish religion - we as Christians are Judio-Christians. The struggle today is to see the common heritage that all Christian religions have, that is the Church founded upon the "Rock." As today, there were also divisions in the early church - followers of John or Paul but they told us that they were followers of Christ, not of a certain person. God Bless Richard Obl.SB

How does a congergation lose it's "first Love?" I feel that a congregation begins to lose that love when the shepherd of the congregation no longer is being a good leader and example for them. They lose sight of what their real purpose is, to be able to take the WORD of GOD with them and not leave it in the church. Genuine love shows when even with a poor leader at the puplit, the congregation continues to follow the teachings in the Bible in relation to service to other (the Beatitudes) The lack of love shows up when they start to think of themselves first and others last if at all. the congregation can regain the love by returning to the scripture teachings. God Bless Richard