St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"The Book of Revelation: Part Five"
Sunday, November 25, 2001
This morning, Father Mike Kreutzer led us through chapters fifteen through
twenty-two of
the Book of Revelation.
CHAPTER 15: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels
with the seven last plagues--last, because with them God's wrath is completed.
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing
beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and
over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses
the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord
God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship
before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." After this I looked and
in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. Out of the
temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen
and wore golden sashes around their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave to
the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could
enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Discussion on Chapter 15: The
144,00Discussion on Chapter 15: The events now take place in heaven again.
All of the nations will come and worship before God. The seven bowls of
God’s wrath were given to the seven angels by one of the four living
creatures.
CHAPTER 16: Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven
angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."
The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful
sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his
image. The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into
blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. The
third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they
became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
"You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One,
because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and
prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."
And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are
your judgments." The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and
the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by
the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these
plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel
poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into
darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because
of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had
done. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,
and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth
of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false
prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they
go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the
great day of God Almighty. "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is
he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked
and be shamefully exposed." Then they gathered the kings together to
the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The seventh angel poured
out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the
throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake
like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the
quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the
nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled
with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the
mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a
hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague
of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Discussion on Chapter 16:
Discussion on Chapter 16: There is a parallel again with the seven plagues
in Egypt. This was the ancient way of looking at things as the bowls were
poured out on all the natural world. The fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues
were specifically against the beast (Roman Empire). Once again, the theme
was directed towards repentance, but the people still did not repent. The
Euphrates formed the eastern-most border of the Roman Empire. Drying up of
the Euphrates would allow the Parthians to invade the empire. In addition
to the beast representing the Roman Empire, the dragon represented Satan.
All of the nations are coming together for the final battle at Armageddon which
is located on the hill between the greatest empires of the day. One myth
surrounding the battle was that Nero would be reborn and take over the Parthian
troops to throw out the emperor of Rome. The seventh bowl encompasses
everything – this is really the final end! The end of Babylon is
symbolic of the end of Rome.
CHAPTER 17: One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said
to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who
sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery
and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her
adulteries." Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a
desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with
blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed
in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.
She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth
of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON
THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those
who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you
the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads
and ten horns. The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will
come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth
whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the
world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is
not, and yet will come. "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven
heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings.
Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he
must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is
an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
"The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom,
but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.
They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he
is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and
faithful followers." Then the angel said to me, "The waters you
saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring
her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to
give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The
woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
CHAPTER 18: After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great
multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power
belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the
great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on
her the blood of his servants." And again they shouted:
"Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." The
twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God,
who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his
servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what
sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud
peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has
come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the
saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who
are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These
are the true words of God." At this I fell at his feet to worship
him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and
with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." I saw heaven standing
open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and
True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing
fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one
knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his
name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding
on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his
mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will
rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury
of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this
name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing
in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair,
"Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the
flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the
flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." Then I saw the
beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war
against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured,
and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his
behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the
beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery
lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that
came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged
themselves on their flesh.
Discussion on Chapters 17 and 18:
Discussion on Chapters 17 and 18: These two chapters describe in
great detail the destruction of Rome including the references to the beast,
Babylon, and the harlot of the world. Martin Luther used many of these
verses against Rome. The beast and false profit were both thrown into the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. Rome, which was responsible for slaying of
God’s people must be destroyed.
CHAPTER 19: After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great
multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power
belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the
great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on
her the blood of his servants." And again they shouted:
"Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." The
twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God,
who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his
servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what
sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud
peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has
come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the
saints.) Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who
are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These
are the true words of God." At this I fell at his feet to worship
him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and
with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." I saw heaven standing
open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and
True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing
fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one
knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his
name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding
on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his
mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will
rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress
of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he
has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel
standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in
midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may
eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders,
and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." Then I
saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to
make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was
captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs
on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark
of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword
that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged
themselves on their flesh.
CHAPTER 20: And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key
to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon,
that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to
keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.
After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which
were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of
those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of
the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not
received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and
reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come
to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second
death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and
will reign with him for a thousand years. When the thousand years are
over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the
nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for
battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched
across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the
city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the
devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the
beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and
night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was
seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for
them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead
were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The
sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that
were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the
second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire.
CHAPTER 21: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I
saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a
loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men,
and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be
with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things
has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am
making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these
words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I
will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He
who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my
son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the
sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all
liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the
second death." One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full
of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the
bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to
a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance
was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the
gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and
three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on
them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who
talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and
its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He
measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and
as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits
thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made
of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of
the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first
foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth
emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth,
and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls,
each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold,
like transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the
sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the
Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the
earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be
shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations
will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will
anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are
written in the Lamb's book of life.
CHAPTER 22: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as
clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle
of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of
life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the
leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will
there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and
his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be
on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the
light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, "These
words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the
prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take
place." "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the
words of the prophecy in this book." I, John, am the one who heard
and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship
at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to
me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers
the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"
Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,
because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let
him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do
right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy." "Behold, I
am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to
what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes,
that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates
into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the
sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and
practices falsehood. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this
testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the
bright Morning Star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"
And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come;
and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. I
warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds
anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away
from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described
in this book. He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am
coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be
with God's people. Amen.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"The Book of Revelation: Part Four"
Sunday, November 18, 2001
This morning, Father Mike Kreutzer led us through chapters ten through
fourteen of
the Book of Revelation.
CHAPTER 10: Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He
was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun,
and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll,
which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left
foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he
shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven
thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say,
"Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it
down." Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land
raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever
and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all
that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be
no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound
his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to
his servants the prophets." Then the voice that I had heard from
heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the
hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." So I
went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me,
"Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it
will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's
hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten
it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again
about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
Discussion on Chapter 10:
John is back down on earth again and the scroll is already open (vs. the Lamb
opening the previous scroll.). This will not be revealed yet to everyone
and is taking in all of creation. The seventh and final trumpet has not
yet sounded. Regarding eating the scroll, the sweet turns sour which is
similar to the teachings in Ezekiel, chapter three. It also conveys the
idea of making the words part of yourself by the actual eating of the
scroll. Next, the temple of God is measured. The people do the
measuring which is likened to the sealing of the people. The Gentiles in
the outer courts symbolizes the tribulation. The naming of forty-two
months comes from Daniel, chapter seven. The forty-two months is the same
as three and one-half year which is the same as 1,260 days which is the same as
seven times six months. This is the length of time the tribulation will
last and is analogous to the time of persecution in Daniel and is repeated over
and over.
CHAPTER 11: After I was given a reed
like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and
the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do
not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on
the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These
are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the
earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and
devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.
These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time
they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to
strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. Now when
they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will
attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the
street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where
also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every
people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them
burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will
celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented
those who live on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath
of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck
those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to
them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while
their enemies looked on. At that very hour there was a severe earthquake
and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the
earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of
heaven. The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. The
seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which
said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of
his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." And the twenty-four
elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and
worshiped God, saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One
who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to
reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come
for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your
saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for
destroying those who destroy the earth." Then God's temple in heaven
was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there
came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a
great hailstorm.
Discussion on Chapter 11:
The idea of two witnesses is the similar to the two messiahs mentioned in
Deuteronomy where one is political and the other is religious. The two
witnesses may also be alluding to Moses and Elijah. The beast works for
the dragon (who is also called Satan). The beast symbolically refers to
the Roman Empire. The guest city is Jerusalem which by now is
corrupt. The "true" Israel is now in exile. The people are
celebrating because the prophets are now gone. The witnesses were
overcome, but God calls them to heaven. The final trumpet is coming
soon! Finally, the seventh angel blows his trumpet. Songs of praise
are now both to the one on the throne as well as to the Lamb. No more
"is to come" since they are now at the end of time.
CHAPTER 12: A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars
on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon
with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail
swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The
dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might
devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male
child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was
snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a
place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon,
and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough,
and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled
down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard
a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and
the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our
brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore
rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the
sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he
knows that his time is short." When the dragon saw that he had been
hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the
place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a
time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his
mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her
away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth
and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then
the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of
her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus.
Discussion on Chapter 12:
The imagery is similar to what Paul used in Ephesians where the church, as is
the woman, is the bride of Christ. The woman giving birth to the messiah
is personally rescued by God. The woman as representing the church will be
in battle with the dragon for 1,260 days. This also compares to the Greek
story of the birth of Apollo and was in fact, adopted by John. Here the
term "birth" does not represent an actual birth, but rather refers to
the enthronement. The Lamb is enthroned on the cross where the victory was
actually accomplished. There are often parallels of happenings in heaven
as to those happenings on earth. For example, the story of Michael and his
angels fighting the dragon. In this case, however, it was Satan's testing
of humankind. There is reference to the blood of the Lamb used to achieve
victory over death. The dragon was thrown to earth and pursued the woman
for three and one-half years, but could not obtain victory. Thus he waged
war over the rest of the faithful believers.
CHAPTER 13: And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a
beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns
on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw
resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of
a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal
wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.
Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they
also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make
war against him?" The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words
and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He
opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling
place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against
the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the
beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to
the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear,
let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will
go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed.
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb,
but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first
beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first
beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and
miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full
view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of
the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to
set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet
lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast,
so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be
killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and
slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one
could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the
number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him
calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
Discussion on Chapter 13:
The dragon becoming a serpent follows the line of ancient mythology where the
sea is actually thought of as the dangerous place. The two beasts perhaps
represented the Roman Empire and the leaders of the Roman Empire, especially
Nero. Nero was considered the ultimate evil emperor. Starting with
Augustus, the emperors took on divine names, trying to emulate the
gods. John conveys that the Roman Empire is one of the tools of
Satan. All who are not faithful to God will worship the beast (the
Empire). There is also the idea conveyed that time means nothing and that
the Lamb was eternally slain, which follows the teachings of Jeremiah. The
second beast deceived the earth's inhabitants (could be reference to
Nero). Each inhabitant had to have a mark to show the allegiance to the
Emperor. The beast's number is 666. People have tried over the years
to show the alpha-numeric relationship to other evil leaders such as Stalin or
Hitler. However, it probably referred to Caesar or Nero. The number
six was the opposite of seven and referred to evil and corruption.
CHAPTER 14: Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on
Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written
on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of
rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that
of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the
throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn
the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These
are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves
pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men
and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their
mouths; they are blameless. Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and
he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every
nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear
God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him
who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." A
second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which
made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." A
third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the
beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he,
too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength
into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their
torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who
worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his
name." This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who
obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice
from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now
on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their
labor, for their deeds will follow them." I looked, and there before
me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of
man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who
was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to
reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So he who was
seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was
harvested. Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had
a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from
the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take
your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine,
because its grapes are ripe." The angel swung his sickle on the
earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's
wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood
flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of
1,600 stadia.
Discussion on Chapter 14:
The 144,000 have the mark of the Lamb on their foreheads.
Only this group could hear the sound of the harpists or learn the song.
There is more symbolism about Rome which is often portrayed as Babylon.
The Babylonians had previously destroyed the united Israel in 587 BC. John
is now between heaven and earth where he observes an angel. The angel is
already celebrating he upcoming fall of Rome. Those who suffered and died
for faith are blessed. These passages are often used at funeral
services. The harvest refers to the final harvest at the end of
time. "Come yea thankful people come" conveys the image of the
final harvest at the end of time. The blood flowed from the wine press
referred to the blood of the martyrs with the wine and the blood being symbols
for each other. God separates the faithful from those who worshipped the
beast.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"The Book of Revelation: Part Three"
Sunday, November 11, 2001
This morning, Father Mike Kreutzer led us through chapters six through nine of
the Book of Revelation.
CHAPTER 6: I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.
Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder,
"Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its
rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror
bent on conquest. When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the
second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came
out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth
and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. When
the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say,
"Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider
was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like
a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a
day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage
the oil and the wine!" When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I
heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I
looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and
Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of
the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the
earth. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had
maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign
Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge
our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were
told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and
brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. I watched
as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned
black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and
the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when
shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and
every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of
the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave
and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They
called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the
face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For
the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
Discussion on Chapter 6:
The scroll represents
God's plan. The first four horses have a connection to the Four Horsemen
of the Apocalypse, which is also referenced in Zechariah. The first
horse was white which is the color of victory. The Romans had not
conquered the Parthians, who were great riders and bowmen. They were
fearful of being invaded by them as well. This was a signal for John of
God's judgment against the Roman Empire. The second horse was red which
represented waves of destructive power of wars. The scales of the third
horse represented weighing of food which was symbolic of famine as the food is
shown to be eight times its normal price. The fourth horse is a sickly
pale green color symbolic pestilence and sickness coming upon the Roman Empire
and its people. Mike also noted that from the phrase "It was given
him" that the meaning was that God allowed this to happen and as such
remained very much in command of things. Note here that one-fourth of
the earth is consumed which will change in later chapters. When opening
the fifth seal, he saw the souls who had been slaughtered for the Word of God.
These martyrs were given an immediate resting place beneath the great
altar in heaven and dressed in white robes. There had to be a full
number of martyrs before the end would come. (This was actually a Jewish
theme.) God will revenge the martyrs as they cannot seek revenge on an
individual basis themselves. Finally, the sixth seal is opened and the
moon turns blood red and the sky is torn apart. Everyone hid as the
great day of judgment had come. Judgment of the world would be by the
lamb who had already brought the gift of redemption.
CHAPTER 7: After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of
the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from
blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another
angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called
out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the
land and the sea: "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees
until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." Then
I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of
Israel. From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of
Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, from the
tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of
Issachar 12,000, from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph
12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000. After this I looked and there
before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation,
tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the
Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their
hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to
our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." All the angels
were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living
creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power
and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Then one of
the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did
they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he
said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his
temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never
again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat
upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God
will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Discussion on Chapter 7:
The four angels were at the
corners of the earth holding back the winds. The earth at that time was
thought to be flat and square. The winds from the north, east, south, or
west were considered to be good. However, the winds from the diagonal corners
were thought to be evil. This was the signal of a new beginning. The
number 144,000 was meant to indicate a large number of people, yet was
symbolic since it was a multiple of the number 12. The number 12 was
thought to be good since it represented the 12 tribes of Israel. The
description is very detailed, symbolic of apocalyptic literature. The
"true Israel" were those who were the followers of God. About
20% of the Roman Empire was made up of people of Jewish descent. John
doesn't portray the happenings of the "rapture" where the saved
disappear from the face of the earth. Instead, even though they are
saved, they must still remain and endure the tribulation. The Song of
Victory is similar to what we sing on Palm Sunday. There is victory at
this point for both God and the Lamb. The robes are made white from the
blood of the Lamb, much like an orphaned lamb is smeared with its dead
mother's blood so that one of the other ewe's will adopt it and ultimately
save its life. Finally, there is the description of the victory and how
the Lamb will care for its people.
CHAPTER 8: When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven
for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God,
and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden
censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with
the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The
smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before
God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it
with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of
thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Then the seven
angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first
angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and
it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third
of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The
second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all
ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third
of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were
destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star,
blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the
springs of water-- the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the
waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become
bitter. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was
struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them
turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the
night. As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out
in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because
of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
Discussion on Chapter 8:
The opening of the seventh
and last seal opened the seven trumpets. There is a one-half hour
silence period and then the seven trumpets are delivered to the seven angels
who are the chosen ones which stand face-to-face with God. After
sounding the trumpet and receiving the prayers of the first angel, coals are
thrown down upon earth to start the tribulation. One-third of the earth
was destroyed. After the second angel sounded his trumpet, a huge blaze
destroyed one-third of the sea. After the third angel sounded his
trumpet, a giant star fell and one-third of the rivers and streams were
destroyed. Finally, after the fourth angel sounded his trumpet,
one-third of the sun, moon, and stars were destroyed. An eagle (vulture)
was seen which was symbolic of destruction. The three "woes"
were analogous to the plagues in Egypt and were telling Christians of the time
not to expect a "quick fix" and that the time of tribulation may be
long lasting.
CHAPTER 9: The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that
had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft
of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the
smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from
the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and
were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not
to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who
did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given
power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony
they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will
long to die, but death will elude them. The locusts looked like horses
prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold,
and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women's hair,
and their teeth were like lions' teeth. They had breastplates like
breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of
many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings
like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five
months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in
Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. The first woe is past; two
other woes are yet to come. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I
heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.
It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four
angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four
angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year
were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted
troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and
riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red,
dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads
of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third
of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came
out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in
their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they
inflict injury. The rest of mankind that were not killed by these
plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop
worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols
that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders,
their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Discussion on Chapter 9:
The fifth trumpet sounded
and this brought about the first of the woes which was the star falling from
heaven to the earth, which was analogous to the fallen angel. These
verses should not be taken literally. Out of the abyss came locusts and
scorpions. They only attacked those people who did not have the seal of
God on their forehead. People were harmed for five months. The
locusts had human-like faces, symbolic in showing the human qualities of evil.
The angel of the Abyss was king. Then the sixth angel sounded his
trumpet and a voice spoke from the horns of the altar, which is a sacred place
of sanctuary, to release the four angels bound at the river Euphrates. They
will kill one-third of humankind. The Parthians numbered two hundred
million, a large number, like ten thousand times ten thousand. Fire,
smoke, and sulfur came from the mouths of the horses. The remainder of
mankind still did not repent of their evils and did not stop worshiping idols.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"The Book of Revelation: Part Two"
Sunday, November 4, 2001
This morning, Father Mike Kreutzer led the group through chapters four through
five of the Book of Revelation. Since the Vestry Secretary was not present
to take notes during the discussion, the chapters discussed will be merely shown
here for reference. The summary will continue again on November 11 for
Part 3.
CHAPTER 4: After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing
open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet
said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after
this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne
in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the
appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled
the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and
seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had
crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning,
rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing.
These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what
looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne,
were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in
back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an
ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of
the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around,
even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Whenever
the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne
and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who
sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their
crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your
will they were created and have their being."
CHAPTER 5: Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a
scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a
mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals
and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the
earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept
because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll
and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been
slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living
creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll
from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken
it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the
Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You
are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and
with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve
our God, and they will reign on the earth." Then I looked and heard
the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand
times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the
elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was
slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory
and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and
under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him
who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen,"
and the elders fell down and worshiped.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"The Book of Revelation: Part One"
Sunday, October 28, 2001
This morning, Father Mike
Kreutzer led us through the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation.
Mike began the discussion by
reviewing notes from Wilfrid J. Harrington, O.P. (“Sacra Pagina” Series,
1993, Collegville, MN, Michael Glazier). First, he noted that Revelation is often associated
with apocalypse.
The definition follows:
Apocalypse (J.J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination, page 4):
“A genre of
revelatory literature with a narrative framework in which a revelation is
mediated by an otherworldly being to a human recipient, disclosing a
transcendent reality which is both temporal, insofar as it envisages
eschatological salvation, and spatial insofar as it involves another,
supernatural world.” (page
1).
This deals with revelation
where a supernatural being serves as mediator. It connects this world with the next.
It is a type of imaginative poetry not to be taken literally and filled
with many symbol and images (sometimes bizarre and curious).
Next, the literary form was
described.
Literary Form: “Revelation is an inter-textual work --
a network of references to
other texts. It is a mixed genre.
It does not wholly conform to any known ancient literary convention.
It is revelatory literature; that much is clear. It has unmistakable apocalyptic characteristics.
Yet, John presents himself as a prophet. To complicate the issue, he has cast his work in letter form.
We are left with a prophetic-apocalyptic writing, in the form of a
letter to specific Christian communities.” (pages 6-7)
These Christian communities
were located in what is now modern-day Turkey.
Authorship: “The best we may claim is that the author of
Revelation is an otherwise unknown Christian prophet, likely an itinerant
prophet, and probably, a Palestinian by birth.” (page 9)
Social Setting : opposition
to the Empire and to other Christian churches;
dualism: “His
was a firmly dualistic vision: there is God, and there is evil. And Rome was wholly evil.
Not
all Christians saw it so. There
is no knowledge that John had any knowledge of, let alone any association
with, the Christian communities to whom the Pastoral Letters were addressed.
These Christians had come to terms with the world in which they lived. They were to be model
citizens of that world....
It is this sort of Church with which we are familiar because, historically, the Christian Church has
followed the
Pastoral model...
“Furthermore, because the fall of Rome
would presage the end, it
behooved Christians to play their part in the dissolution of the evil empire.
If rejection must be total, resistance must be passive. Ironically, victory is won through defeat!
The victim is the victor! Resistance,
even passive resistance, would inevitably invite the reaction of Rome: a
power-based authority can brook no dissension. John was urging his Christians to dissension.
In the assurance that he would be heeded, he warned, repeatedly and
without apology, of tribulation. After
all, Christians are disciples of the slain Lamb -- the disciple is not greater
than the Master.” (pages 12-13)
John divided the world into two groupings:
God with His faithful followers vs. the rest of the world. The authors were not the same as those
who wrote the Book of John, but
they do follow the same train of thought. Mike noted that there were four lines of interpretation:
1)
“Non-historical or idealist interpretation” – ideals and
teachings only are important
2)
“World-historical (Church-historical)
interpretation” – from a historical interpretation
3)
“End-historical (‘futurist’) interpretation” – how the end of
the world will come about
4)
The contemporary-historical (‘preterist’) interpretation – these
things have already happened
This
last view is the one shared by most scholars today.
Next,
Mike reviewed the outline “flow” which we would be covering:
I. Prologue,
Address, and Inaugural Vision (Ch.1)
II. The Messages to the Seven Churches (Chs. 2-3)
III. The
Scroll Vision (Chs. 4-5)
IV. The Seven Seals (6:1 - 8:5)
V. The
Seven Trumpets
VI. The Woman and the Dragon
VII. The Two Beasts
VIII. Salvation and Judgment (Ch.
14)
IX. The Last
Plagues (Chs. 15-16)
X. The Harlot and the
Beast (Ch. 17)
XI. The End of
Babylon (18:1 - 19:10)
XII. The End of Evil
(19:11 - 20:15)
XIII. The New Jerusalem (21:1 - 22:5)
XIV. Epilogue and Conclusion
(22:6-21)
Continuing with the notes from Harrington…
God’s
sovereignty: “John’s
view is dualistic: a universe
divided, in conflict between good and evil. But there is never any doubt of the outcome.
Evil, even in its most potent guise, is subject to the sovereign power
of good -- the One seated on the throne.” (page 25). Mike added the
view was that that God “allowed” the beast to reign for a period of time
and always maintained the upper hand.
The
Lamb: “‘Lamb’
is John’s favorite title for Christ throughout...
the decisive victory of the Lamb was won on the cross...
It is because of his faithfulness to his witness-bearing, a
faithfulness that brought him to the cross, that he shares the throne of
God... The majestic, awesome One
who sits on the throne is the same One who has revealed himself in the
Lamb.” (pages 25-26) This was John’s favorite title for Christ.
Symbols:
· Angels : “God and Lamb evoke the heavenly world.
Traditionally, angels are citizens of that world...
They are, patently, symbols of God’s variegated communication with
his creation and, more particularly, with his world of humankind.” (pages 28-29).
· The
Dragon: “John is heir to the figure of Satan that during
the intertestimental period, under the influence of Persian dualistic
religion, emerged in Jewish tradition as personification of evil and
implacable for of God... In
short, ‘Satan’ is a powerful symbol for superpersonal evil -- ‘the sin
of the world’.” (pages
29-30)
Liturgy: “Revelation
is explicitly designated for public reading in a liturgy (1:3), most likely a
Eucharistic liturgy... John is
making a thoroughly biblical point: human creatures are, as creatures, subject
to some lordship. One must serve
God or Mammon, whatever shape Mammon may assume.” (page 30) Mike noted that
people at this time were getting further and further away from Christ.
Contemporary
Significance: “Revelation
does have something to say to our Western world if, as said at the start, we
interpret its symbols in relation to our situation. One may suggest some pointers.
“A
great contrast in Revelation is between the throne of God and the throne of
the beast, ultimately the throne of the dragon (13:14).
The question is all about authority; more especially, the
exercise of authority.
“...the
Lamb is the embodiment of the rule of God.
His voice is the cry of the poor and the afflicted, for the ‘rule of
God’ is nothing other than God, a God bent on the salvation of humankind.”
(page 32)
After
review of the background information, Mike led the group through the
discussion of the first three chapters.
The following is from the Revised Standard Version of
the Bible. These passages are
estimated to be written around 90 – 100 AD.
CHAPTER 1: The
revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what
must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant
John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus
Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed
is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who
hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace
from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who
are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the
first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us
and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to
his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every
one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.
Even so. Amen. "I am the
Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty. I John, your
brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the
patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of
God and the testimony of Jesus. I
was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a
trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven
churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per'gamum and to Thyati'ra and to
Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice'a."
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me,
and on turning
I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a
son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his
breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his
eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined
as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; in his right
hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and
his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him,
I fell at his feet as though dead.
But he laid his
right hand upon me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and
the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the
keys of Death and Hades. Now
write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter.
As for the mystery of the seven stars
which you saw in my
right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Discussion on Chapter 1:
The
first three verses are the prologue. Jesus
is acting as a messenger sent by an angel to servant John.
John is addressing the seven churches of Asia
(there used to be ten).
He starts by addressing Ephesus and goes in geographical order.
God identifies Himself in one of two place
when He notes that He is the
alpha and the omega. Next the
first of the visions is covered. There
is also much imagery throughout. Mike
added that in Italy each city has a saint and perhaps there is a connection
here to each group having a special angel.
CHAPTER 2: "To
the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the
seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. "'I
know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear
evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and
found them to be false; I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for
my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you,
that you have abandoned the love you had
at first. Remember then from what
you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come
to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Yet this you have, you hate the works
of the Nicola'itans,
which I also hate. He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I
will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'
"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the
first and the last, who died and came to life.
"'I know your tribulation and your poverty
(but you are rich) and
the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a
synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil
is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten
days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you
the crown of life. He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall
not be hurt by the second death.' "And
to the angel of the church in Per'gamum write: 'The words of him who has the
sharp two-edged sword. "'I
know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast my name and you
did not deny my faith even in the days of An'tipas my witness, my faithful
one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
But I have a few things against you: you have some
there who hold the
teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons
of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice
immorality. So you also have some
who hold the teaching of the Nicola'itans. Repent then.
If not, I will come to you soon and war against
them with
the sword of my mouth. He who has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers
I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with
a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives
it.' "And to the angel of
the church in Thyati'ra write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like
a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. "'I know your works,
your love and faith and service and patient
endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you,
that you tolerate the woman Jez'ebel, who
calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to
practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent,
but she refuses to repent of her immorality.
Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit
adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of
her doings; and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall
know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you
as your works deserve. But to the
rest of you in Thyati'ra, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned
what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you
any other burden; only hold fast what you have, until I come. He who conquers
and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him
power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when
earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from
my Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
Discussion on Chapter 2:
John
speaks first to Epesus. He scolds
them for losing their brotherly love for one another and notes that they will
lose their status of being known as the first church.
To Smyna it is noted he knows of their poverty.
Some of the Jews there are persecuted and some are not. Regarding
Per'gamum, there is a great Roman presence.
Some are faithful but some listen to Balaam and Nicola'itans;
they are
warned to repent. About Thyati'ra
it is noted that they are doing better now but to tolerate Jezebel who calls
herself a prophetess is not acceptable.
CHAPTER 3: "And
to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the
seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works; you have
the name of being alive, and you are dead. Awake,
and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I
have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.
Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If
you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what
hour I will come upon you. Yet
you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I
will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before
my Father and before his angels. He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words
of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one
shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. "'I
know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is
able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my
word and have not denied my name. Behold,
I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are
not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and
learn that I have loved you. Because
you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of
trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the
earth. I am coming soon; hold
fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. He who conquers,
I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God;
never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and
the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God
out of heaven, and my own new name. He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "
And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: 'The words of
the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you
were cold or hot! So, because you
are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not
knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you
may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your
nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold,
I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I
myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.'"
Mike summed up chapter three
by noting that the church appeared on the outside to be doing well, but in
reality it was not. Next week’s
lesson will focus on the “series of the sevens”.
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Child Neglect and Abuse in Our Community"
Sunday, October 21, 2001
This morning, two of St. Mark's parishioners, Libby Nicholson and Emily
Magoteaux, lead an examination of the problem of "Child Neglect and Abuse
in our Community." This is a
painful subject, one that no one likes to think about; yet it occurs in all
neighborhoods and across economic and social lines.
Libby works for Children's Medical Center in Dayton, dealing with cases
of child abuse in our area. Emily
is a caseworker with Greene County Children's Service's.
Emily led off the discussion by describing to the group two different
family scenarios and then asking the question as to which one of the families
would more likely be the candidate to become involved with Children’s
Services. Family number one, the
Bartholomew’s, have children who are average or below in their schoolwork,
getting mostly C’s and D’s. The
parents do drugs and marijuana in the evenings, but always make sure their
kids go to bed on time every night. The
children are fed three small meals per day, wear dirty clothes, and suffer
from head lice (although the parents do try to take care of that problem).
Family number two, the Smith’s, are from a nice neighborhood and the
kids do well when they do manage to show up for school, which tends to average
one or two days per week. Sometimes
their hygiene is lacking, but other times they are quite clean.
There is usually no food around the house, so the kids have to be as
resourceful as possible in getting their next meal.
The parents also do drugs and marijuana, but usually don’t know where
their kids are at night and don’t know what time they manage to go to bed.
The first suggestion from the group was that the Bartholomew’s would
be the likely candidates for Children’s Services with the logic that they
were probably more involved with the system and knew which forms to fill out
to be able to seek assistance. However, it turned out to be the Smith family which more than
likely would become involved with Children’s Services because the school
would more than likely have reported the case due to the absenteeism, and
probably the police would have reported them because of any mischief they may
have caused by staying out late at night or from scavenging for food.
Next, the discussion turned to defining the four major types of child
abuse: a) sexual, b) emotional,
c) physical, and d) neglect. The
question was raised as to whether or not spanking could be considered physical
abuse. The answer to that
question is: sometimes yes, and sometimes no.
Many of us were spanked as children and our parents did not necessarily
use this form of correction for abusive purposes.
Regarding child neglect, it was pointed out that the number one reason
this form of abuse occurred was due to lack of education of the parents.
Emotional or psychological abuse (i.e. “put down”) can be the
hardest type to prove. It can be
very difficult to convince a judge that the child is suffering from this type
of abuse. Perhaps, the most
difficult type of abuse is sexual abuse.
In many cases a child refuses to talk about the incidents and it is
only through discussion of the subject with another child who is a close
friend that the situation is discovered.
Emily passed out copies of a paper by Dr. Toni Cavanagh Johnson
entitled “Behaviors Related to Sex and Sexuality in Preschool Children”. The paper is written for parents and counselors regarding
when to raise concern about the sexual behavior of children. Behaviors are classified as “normal range”, “of
concern”, and “seek professional help” and cover a wide range of
sexual-related topics. It is
important to recognize these differences, so that any child who is overly
obsessed with sexual behavior can be professionally treated.
Emily noted that in calendar year 2000, there were 3,017 children
treated in Greene County by Children’s Services. This included providing counseling, therapy, food, and
shelter. However, only 233
children were actually held in custody. Approximately
1,477 families were involved (which thus averages to about two children per
family). They received around
2,500 calls of which approximately 1,300 resulted in “intake” calls.
Libby compared this to about 3,800 intake calls in Montgomery County.
Libby continued to speak to the group about a more in-depth discussion
on the topic of spanking. The
laws in Ohio permit an adult to spank their child, but only without serious
harm. This in reality sets up
somewhat of a double standard about the physical interaction between parent
and child. Spanking can give a
signal to a child that it’s all right to use physical abuse against each
other. Sometimes parent have
unrealistic expectations of their children that can give them an excuse to
spank them. The children are also
relatively unprotected in this type of situation as legally it is only a minor
penalty for excessive abuse of spanking.
Excess crying by a baby can cause a parent to lose control of
themselves and result in a baby who is beaten or shaken to the point that
bodily injury occurs.
Next, Libby discussed with the group what are the options if we see
another adult abuse one of their own children.
She then handed out a document entitled “What can I do to stop child
abuse in a public place?” Suggestions
offered included: start a
conversation with the adult to direct attention away from the child, divert
the child’s attention, look for an opportunity to praise the parent or
child, offer assistance if the child is truly in danger, and finally, avoid
negative remarks or looks. It was
noted, that new parents have very few places to go to get information on how
to take care of babies. If a
parent has a tendency to be angry all of the time, it is important to seek
help in therapy sessions designed for anger management.
It was also noted that many people see a case of child abuse but
don’t want to be accused of “blowing the whistle”.
However, in most cases, if this type of behavior is not reported, the
cycle is not broken and more serious incidents are bound to happen, as the
child grows older. Nurses and
doctors are mandated by their professions to report child abuse if they
suspect its occurrence with one of their patients.
The laws are designed to protect the child.
Be a good friend or be a good neighbor.
Move forward with sincerity to try and help someone you suspect may be
abusing a child. Usually the
family is receptive for assistance. If
we don’t keep the child’s welfare in mind, then we are as guilty as anyone
else in not reporting a known incident.
Emily noted that many remedies are tried before a child is actually
removed from a family. Many times
people mistakenly think of Children’s Services as “baby snatchers”.
The floor was then opened to questions and comments.
It was noted that in “the good old days” when life was less hectic,
and more generations were living together under one roof, that there was more
adult support for each other. This
helped new parents cope with crying babies, etc.
Parents who don’t understand it is better to let their child cry than
to force them to stop (particularly fathers who tend to shake the baby in
false hopes of making them stop crying) can do very serious damage to the
child or even kill the child in severe cases.
These parents need to be educated!
Libby also distributed out two other handouts:
“I’ve called child protective services, but nothing happens.
What else can I do?” and “I want to help prevent child abuse and
neglect in my community. What can
I do?” The first of these recommends contacting the school
counselor, calling the family’s faith community, assist a child protective
service worker, be a good neighbor, or if imminent danger is truly suspected,
call the police. Related to the
second handout, recommendations include:
raise the issue, reach out to kids and parents in your own community,
remember the risk factors, recognize the warning signs, and report suspected
neglect or abuse.
Everyone in attendance thanked Emily and Libby for the informative and
enlightening discussion. Please
feel free to contact either Emily or Libby directly if you have further
questions on this very interesting and important topic.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark’s Adult Education Meeting Summary
“Domestic Violence in Our Neighborhood”
Sunday, October 14, 2001
October is
“Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” In focusing on that important
topic, Gina Stough will be with us on October 14 to share with us
information on the problem of “Domestic Violence in Our
Neighborhood.” Gina is a Client Advocate with the Artemis Center in
Dayton. She will help us to gain a better understanding of the problem
of domestic violence in Montgomery and Greene Counties. Expanding on
that information, she will provide us with ways to recognize the signs that
someone we know may be a victim of domestic violence, and with an idea of what
to do about it and whom we can contact for help.
October is “Domestic Violence Awareness Month”.
In focusing on that important topic, St. Mark’s was pleased to have
Gina Slough with us this morning, who is a Client Advocate Supervisor with the
Artemis Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence in Dayton.
Gina provided us with a better understanding of the problem of domestic
violence in Montgomery and Greene Counties.
The mission of Artemis is to provide early intervention and education to
victims of domestic violence and their children, and to provide resources to
the community to identify and remove the societal factors that promote and
allow the occurrence of domestic violence.
The Artemis Center services are all provided for free.
This includes education and support groups for adults and special
counseling programs such as art therapy or trauma counseling for children or
group counseling for teens. They
are funded by the government as well as organizations like United Way.
One of their primary missions is to help battered victims obtain civil
protection orders. There is also
a group called Casewatch, which is comprised of volunteers who go to
courtrooms and record how victims are treated and judged.
It is interesting to note that approximately 95% of the battered people
are women. Domestic violence
knows no boundaries when it comes to economic classes, race, religion, etc.
When the situation arises with upper class women, they may find it
extremely difficult to report domestic violence just for fear of what their
neighbors may think if discovered. For
women coming from backgrounds of less economic means, they are afraid to
report an incident for fear of losing their primary residence and having no
where else to go.
Next, Gina reviewed the “Power Wheel” with the group.
The outer rim is made up of various forms of physical abuse including:
pushing, shoving, hitting, slapping, choking, punching, etc. There are eight segments on the inside as divided by the
spokes. These are made up of the
following: emotional abuse –
mind games, put-downs, name calling; economic
abuse – taking her money, keep her from getting a job;
sexual abuse – do sexual things against her will, physical attacks;
using children – making her feel guilty about the children, using
visitation as a way to harass her; threats
– making threats to hurt her emotionally, threaten to take her children or
report her to welfare; using male
privilege – treating her like a servant, making all the “big” decisions,
acting like the master of the castle; intimidation
– putting her in fear by use of loud voice, improper gestures, destroying
her property; and isolation –
controlling who she sees, talks to, or where she goes.
The goal of all these methods is to obtain power and control over the
victim physically and emotionally.
Artemis does not get involved in the actual intervention of the domestic
violence incident. Its role is to
protect and advise the victim and help her to get back to a normal life.
There are other agencies in and programs in the Dayton area that
specialize in intervention. These
include the Path Program and the August Program.
Many times the batterers feel justified in using violence.
They need to be educated that it is not the normal practice to abuse
someone just because the other person may have done something they deem as
unacceptable. The perpetuators of
the violence usually feel that it’s always “somebody else’s fault”.
The signs can usually be spotted early in a relationship.
If after a couple dates only a few times the man starts to talk about
marriage or wants to know “where she was last night” it’s a sign that
his nature may lend itself to being over possessive which could eventually
manifest itself with violence. There
is also a vicious cycle that can occur: abuse,
apologies and giving to gifts, followed by the abuse cycle again.
Then Gina presented the “Equality Wheel”, which helps to define what
healthy relationships should be like. This
includes: non-threatening
behavior, respect, trust and support, honesty and accountability, responsible
parenting, shared responsibility, economic partnership, and negotiation and
fairness.
Many times there are early signs in the workplace that domestic violence
may be occurring. If someone has
poor attendance or is receiving phone calls every ten minutes these could be
signs of problems. It is not
normal, for example for someone to be phoned that often and may indicate that
someone else is trying to control that person.
If you know someone whom you think is being abused, the best plan is to
talk to that person in confidence. Let
them know that you think what is happening to them is not normal.
Let them also know that you will be there for them and that there is
outside help available such as from the Artemis Center (222-SAFE).
Also, let them know it is not their fault.
If you are a man, sometimes, a “man-to-man” talk can be very
effective to let that person know what they are doing is not an acceptable
practice.
Every nine seconds some form of battering occurs.
Artemis’s goal is to do a safety plan with the victim as long as the
victim agrees. If the victim
threatens to leave the relationship, then they may further enrage the batterer
and put themselves in the worst danger. Many
children who are in trouble with the law have come from homes where their
mother was a domestic violence victim. Many
of the juvenile boys in jail for murder were because they killed their
mother’s batterer. An abusive
relationship can happen to anyone. Usually
women who come from homes where domestic violence occurred do not wish to
leave their battering partner until there is no choice.
Women need to define boundaries with potentially abusive partners early
in their relationship. If things
begin to seem abnormal, then she should step back and re-assess the situation.
An example brought up was the nationally televised O.J. Simpson case.
Men can indeed be very charming up front!
This case study also shows how our court systems handle this type of
violence. For a first offense,
there is a punishment of a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.
A second offense may or may not be considered a felony where jail time
may be increased up to 18 months. Many
times, the batterer is pardoned. This
then may make him feel “all powerful” since in his mind he did nothing
wrong if the courts let him off without penalty.
The discussion then turned to what can volunteers do to help the Artemis
Center. There is the Casewatch
program where volunteers can attend domestic violence trials and report back
how the victim was treated and if the judge seemed to be fair.
There is also a Christmas basket which they prepare every year for the
victims of domestic violence where food and gifts are distributed.
In addition Artemis Center sponsors a food pantry volunteers may serve
on their board whose mission is to raise funds for the organization.
It should be noted that Artemis is not a shelter.
They will assist victims and where necessary advise them on how to find
an appropriate shelter. They try to distribute “shoe cards” (small business cards
that women can hide in their shoes) with all pertinent information for them to
obtain assistance. All records
are confidential except where child abuse is involved (Children’s Center
will be contacted) or if homicide or suicide is suspected (police will be
contacted).
Artemis Center has served over 30,000 victims in the past 15 years.
Teens can also phone and report domestic violence.
Police in Ohio used the “preferred arrest” rule where they may
arrest the perpetrator if they think it is justified even if the victim
refuses to press charges. Many
batterers abuse multiple partners. This
is why it is critical to break the cycle.
Everyone thanked Gina for the informative and enlightening discussion.
She left some very informative literature to distribute to anyone
interested in learning more about the Artemis Center.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Choosing a Retirement Community or Nursing
Home"
Sunday, October 7, 2001
On October 7,
Janet Ferguson will offer recommendations on “Choosing a Retirement
Community or Nursing Home.” Janet is the Executive Officer of
Marketing for Episcopal Retirement Homes. Whether we are looking at our
own needs, or those of a member of our family, we need to know what to look
for, and which questions to ask, when we are preparing to make such a major
decision.
St. Mark’s was pleased to have Janet Ferguson, Executive Officer of
Marketing for Episcopal Retirement Homes speak with us on the topic of
choosing a retirement community or nursing home.
Whether we are looking for our own needs, or those of a member of our
family, we need to know what to look for, and which questions to ask, when we
are preparing to make such a major move.
Janet has been with ERH for approximately eight years.
Janet opened the presentation by passing out souvenir bird feeders and
daily pill containers to everyone (there may still be a few available in the
Lounge or Office for anyone interested).
She also showed us the latest edition of ERH’s “Linkage” magazine
that is available for anyone who cares to subscribe.
As the elder members of our family continue to grow older, it becomes
necessary to think about things that could affect their lifestyles.
Is the house becoming too large to handle?
Is it time to downsize? Is
the house in the wrong location (i.e. too isolated)?
It can be very dramatic to move to a new place and a big change in
their lives. If the new place is easier to manage, it may give the family
member much more independence. At
Episcopal Retirement Homes, lifelong learning is the primary theme.
There are number of housing alternatives available.
One is commonly known as naturally occurring retirement communities (or
NORC for short). There are a few
of these found in the greater Cincinnati area.
These are usually apartment buildings, which are highly populated by
elderly people, usually because of their local and access to shopping areas,
etc. Some of these complexes are
assisted by HUD. One of these is
Canterbury Court in West Carrolton. They
provide services above and beyond the norm including social worker
availability, transportation, chaplain, and limited meal service.
Another way to lighten the housing burden is for the elderly to share
living quarters. This can be
especially common in colder climates where it may be beneficial for two or
more people to share a home during the winter months to not only save on
heating bills, but to help each other cope in the coldest part of the year.
Some places only offer assisted living. This may be fine for some, but if a person ultimately needs
to be in a place that offers full-time nursing care, then they may be force to
move a second time. This is
something that should be considered when selecting a retirement home.
Episcopal Retirement Homes offers three full levels of care.
1) independent living; 2) assisted living; and 3) nursing care.
In addition, they also offer memory support for those who need that
special service. There are also
“sub-acute” services offered by some establishments which is short-term
medical care which might be needed, for example, for recovery after a knee
surgery, or recovery after pneumonia while still on antibiotics, etc.
Next, Janet discussed the various terms of payment.
For independent living and assisted living, fees are usually paid
privately. For long-term nursing
care, fees are paid either privately or through an insurance company.
Medicaid will also cover long-term nursing care after all of a
person’s assets are depleted. Medicare
will only cover short-term acute care type of medical stays.
Where does one start to look for retirement communities?
The first step is to look at the big picture.
Particularly where and in what part of the country should you locate?
Once that is decided, the telephone directory can be a good source for
getting names and addresses of the nearest communities.
The next step is to call or e-mail to get printed information so that
various features may be compared. What
services and amenities are offered? Look
for: wellness centers, library
resource, walking paths, chaplain, meal plan, social workers, transportation,
and local proximity to shopping, etc. Narrow
your options down to a few places and then visit and have a full-fledged tour.
Be observant and don’t be afraid to talk to the residents.
(They will tell you how they really feel about the place!)
Do a little research and try to find out how vital the organization is.
Most of the major retirement communities in Ohio are financially
stable. There may be ones in
states such as Florida, which are more risky.
There are both “for profit” and “non-profit” types of
organizations. The “for
profit” ones are much more stable now.
Initially, they did not have such a good track record.
When it comes to evaluating fees, check to see what is and what is not
included. How many meals per week
are included? Is housekeeping and
linen service included? Make yourself a checklist.
You also need to know what the physical requirements are. The
criteria for assisted living or nurse care is typically determined by the
physical needs of the person. It’s
usually up to the health care staff to make that decision.
Sometime, a family member may wait too long to enter independent care,
especially those with the “not ready yet” mentality.
Episcopal Retirement Homes offers a multitude of activities for their
residents. This includes visiting
symphonies, book clubs, etc. One
resident was quoted as saying “we have too much to do!”.
There are many different types of contracts available.
The type and style of the contract may depend upon what area of the
country or state the retirement community is located in.
On the East Coast, a “life care” type of contract is popular.
A large, usually non-refundable amount is paid up front followed by
fixed monthly fees. There is no
additional charge should the resident need to move to nursing care from
assisted living, for example. In
Ohio, the “entrance fee” type of contract is more prevalent.
These tend to be significantly less that the “life care” up front
fee, but the monthly fee can be higher and will be dependent upon what level
of care is required. Then there
is the straight monthly fee that solely depends on the type of care needed.
Entrance fees make more sense for younger residents, while monthly fees
may be better for older residents. Entrance
fees can vary with age. A typical
fee may be $50,000. This compares
to $200,000 to $300,000 for a life care type of fee.
Janet then discussed some more typical fees.
For independent type of care, fees can range from $1,200 to $2,000 per
month. This usually includes
meals and transportation. There
may be a surcharge of $300/month for a spouse.
The typical stay is ten to eleven years. A typical fee for assisted living is $2,500 - $4,000 per
month. This would include 45
minutes per day of personal care to help get the day started, look after
personal medications, etc. The
average length of stay may be two to three years.
Finally, a typical cost for nursing care would be $3,000 to $4,000 per
month.
There was then some general group discussion. It was asked if a parent could bring a hobby such as model
trains to the retirement community. This
probably depends most upon the facility and if they would have a common room
somewhere to accommodate the resident’s wishes. Then there was some general discussion on three of the
retirement communities in the Cincinnati-Dayton greater area: Marjorie Lee, Dupree, and Canterbury. Janet noted that Marjorie Lee tend to have older, more frail
residents and offers up to three meal per day.
Dupree, which does not offer linen service, tends to have slightly
younger residents and offers one meal per day.
Canterbury offers a couple of meals per week. Since it is subsidized by the government, the fees can vary
and are based upon the resident’s income and assets.
Everyone thanked Janet for the informative and enlightening discussion.
She noted that we could phone ERH for more information or feel free to
send her an e-mail at jferguson@erhinc.com
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Parenting Your Parents"
Sunday, September 30, 2001
September 30,
Deb Neumeister will present: “Parenting Your Parents” and “Taking Care
of Your Parents When They Are Far Away.” Deb is a Licensed Social
Worker on the staff of the Marjorie P. Lee Retirement Community, an Episcopal
Retirement Home in Cincinnati. For those in the “Sandwich
Generation,” this is a topic of critical importance as we seek to be
faithful to those who have been so faithful to us.
St. Mark's was pleased to have Deb Neumeister, who is a Licensed Social Worker
on the staff of the Marjorie P. Lee Retirement Community, an Episcopal
Retirement Home in Cincinnati. The topic upon which she spoke was
"Parenting Your Parents" and "Taking Care of Your Parents When
They Are Far Away." For those in the "sandwich
generation," this is a topic of critical importance as we seek to be
faithful to those who have been so faithful to us.
At age 25, people actually start to shrink as the discs in their backbones
become compressed. At 35 the spine starts to bend and at age 75 many
women have lost up to one third of their bone mass. So as we age, at
some point it may very well be necessary for someone else to have to look
after us.
The first step when trying to help a parent is to assess their physical needs.
This can be difficult as parents can indeed become like children again
and try and fool you. They also like to play on family members' guilt or
use cover-up tactics to hide the fact that there is indeed a problem. Usually
senility is not a factor since it actually affects only a very small portion
of the entire adult population. Dressing and grooming habits can also be
used to assess fitness. In general, appetites decrease as people age.
So eating of smaller quantities can be considered normal. However,
it then becomes more necessary to supplement intake with additional vitamins.
Swallowing can become a problem for some people. If there are
swallowing problems, food particles can end up in the lungs, which can lead to
more serious problems such as pneumonia. Pneumonia is the single biggest
illness that takes the life of most seniors. Incontinence can also be a
problem, which many elderly parents will try to hide, as this may become an
issue of dignity. There is a fine line between them keeping their own
responsibilities and allowing them to "learn helplessness". If
the child does too much for the parent, it may have the negative effect of
creating excess dependency. For example, don't try and force a
wheelchair on you parent before they really need one. It is much better
to have them try and walk with a cane or even a walker so as to be able to
keep as much independence as possible. There are also those who will
refuse to use any type of assist device as a matter of pride. When it
comes to doctors and medication, it is best to seek the help of geriatric
specialists. Drugs for the elderly can be different than those
prescribed for a younger person. Sometimes it is necessary to obtain
help from a geriatric psychiatrist if behavior or mental illness problems are
involved. Once again, it is best to seek help with the specialist since
they are used to dealing with problems related specifically to the elderly on
a daily basis. If falling down and stability are issues, then there is a
gate belt available that can be used to stabilize older walkers. There
are loops on the sides of the belt, which can be held by someone else as the
person walks along. Suitable lifting devices are also available if
needed, as older bones can be very fragile. Thus, lifting by the arms
and joints should be avoided where possible.
It should also be recognized that certain behaviors may be caused by pain that
an individual is suffering. Communication is very important. Sometimes
the elderly will attempt to do things the way they would have when they were
many years younger. Their ambitions need to be re-channeled into
activities which are safe. Assessing driving capabilities, in
particular, can be a daunting task. It is better for the family member
to let a group of professionals make that assessment. There are testing
methods available through local hospitals where the parent must demonstrate
the ability to be able to drive or have their license revoked. Using
this approach takes the burden away from the family member.
It may be just as important for the person giving the care to have a support
group, as it is to provide the care itself. Sometimes there are close
friends available who can fulfill this need or there are also agencies, such
as United Way, which can help. The child or care provider needs to have
time for himself or herself. Sometimes you have to keep your sense of
humor about the whole situation, especially when dementia is involved as the
parent may say something totally off the wall or something very embarrassing.
Also remember the abilities of the parent before they became ill. Sometimes
too much is expected and sometimes they don't always understand the
terminology of new or different questions which they may be asked.
The Episcopal Retirement Homes, Inc. also puts out a paper called
"Caregiver's Guide" in which many of the things which are helpful to
know about care giving for the elderly are in one handy reference. Although
people do not like to discuss it, there is also the issue of what to do if the
parent may eventually need life support. The child or care provider must
be aware of the various options that are available. This can also vary
state by state. There are living wills in which the parent can direct
their wishes. However, it was noted that family members are still asked
if they wish to honor the living will. Now in the state of Ohio there is
also the "do not resuscitate" order that cannot be easily challenged
by family members. There is also the Power of Attorney (for finances)
and the Durable Power of Attorney (for health care) which can assign
responsibility to a younger family member. These, however, must be
arranged while the parent is still fully competent. If all the children
in a family move out of state, the issues become more complex as a separate
guardian will need to be appointed. It is also imperative to understand
what the financial impact may be on the parent and what laws may affect the
situation. If a parent's savings are being depleted, at least $1,500 may
be kept aside for purchasing essential items such as wheelchairs, lift chairs,
etc. The parent may also arrange for an irrevocable burial which sets
aside a fixed amount of money for burial irrespective of the children's
wishes.
When dealing with nursing home stays, call weekly and stay in touch with the
staff. Listen not only to what your parent says, but also to what they
don't say. Assign various family members roles to spread the burden and
rotate visits so that no one family member is there all the time. Also
when you go to visit your parent, stop and talk and really visit. Don't
just go and do a number of chores that may need to be done.
Those who attended thanked Deb for taking the time to visit St. Mark's and
enlightening us about this very important subject matter. A few
brochures were left on the usher's table for anyone interested (more are
available). These cover topics such as home safety checks, a checklist
on how to choose a nursing home, and a bibliography on giving care to the
elderly. More information may also be obtained by visiting The Episcopal
Retirement Homes' web site at www.episcopalretirement.com.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
St. Mark's Adult Education Meeting Summary
"Homelessness Near Our Homes"
Sunday, September 23, 2001
On September 23 we welcome Ann Goebel, the Director of Development and
Human Relations at the St. Vincent Hotel, who will address the problem of
“Homelessness Near Our Homes.” Ann has worked with the homeless in
our area for over 13 years. She will describe for us the changes in the
homeless situation during that time, and offer suggestions on how we can help.
St. Mark's was delighted to have Ann Goebel, the Director
of Development and Human Relations at the St. Vincent Hotel as our adult
education leader this morning. The topic upon which she spoke was
addressing the problem of "Homelessness Near Our Homes."
Ann has worked with the homeless in our area for over 13 years.
The St. Vincent Hotel located downtown on Fifth Street
was first opened on December 15, 1985. The hotel has never been empty since
its first night of operation! The goal of St. Vincent is to provide
shelter, food, and clothing to anyone who is in need with provision that they
will be helped into journey back to becoming a self-sufficient citizen
including being assigned to a case manager. The hotel makes it a policy
not to turn anyone away except in the most unusual of circumstances. However,
the stay is only for short-term (i.e. up to 14 days) crisis situations. The
residents are mostly Daytonians (93%), with an additional 4% coming from the
rest of Montgomery County, and the remainder coming from out-of-city or
out-of-state.
The routine is that those in need are checked in by 5:00
to 7:00 PM. There they receive food, a shower, clean underwear and socks
if necessary, and have a washer and drier made available to them. The
men (dorm on second floor) are separated from the women and younger children
(dorm on ground floor). If there is an overflow of people for a given
evening, they may be sent to either a motel or the Democratic Headquarters.
St. Vincent's pays for the cost of these facilities. This past
summer, over $30,000 alone was paid just for overflow residents. Contrary
to popular belief, the hotel is the most crowded during the summer months.
This is largely accounted for by the increase in children during the
summer when school is not in session. There are a number of
"campsites" in the periphery of downtown Dayton where many of the
homeless persons take refuge. Many of these people may be suffering from
mental illness, drug dependency, or a combination of both.
The Dayton area is very well equipped to help many of the
homeless persons back to self-dependency. In addition to the hotel,
there are a number of shelters which are available for longer term stays (up
to 90 or 120 days). These include the Booth House, the Salvation Army
Shelter, The YMCA, the Battered Women's Shelter, and the Red Cross Emergency
Shelter. (There are, however, waiting lists for most of these
facilities.)
Regarding the food supplied at the hotel, there are
16 local area churches which volunteer to assist with meal donation and
preparation. Some local restaurants also regularly donate food. Approximately
300 to 400 volunteers each month help to prepare and serve the meals!
Lights are turned out by 11:00 PM each evening.
No violence is permitted, smoking is not allowed, and no weapons are
permitted. Some of the guests are just passing through while others
reside longer. There are three case managers and one mental health
manager on site. Anyone who is diagnosed with a mental illness is
referred to the appropriate service or referred back to the city of Dayton
where they may obtain proper treatment. There is also a special shelter
available for children called Daybreak. The minimum age for anyone
staying at St. Vincent is 18. There is also a group of doctors who visit
one night per week to treat minor problems. In addition, there are
Wright State Medical Students who sometimes assist. Many couples who are
not married will not come since they must be separated. There is a
separate women's dining room and children's play area. Women's dorm
assistants are also available to assist with child care when needed. The
residents are woken at 6:30 AM each morning and must be out of the building by
7:00 AM. The hotel provides mail service and will pass on messages as
well.
Another service provided is to assist in obtaining jobs.
The clients are referred to the Montgomery County Job Center located in
the old Rike's Warehouse on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard. There have been a
large number of refugees who have been assisted from countries such Bosnia and
the Sudan. They are also assisted with being taught English as a second
language. The primary contact is the Catholic Social Services.
St. Vincent Supportive Housing and the DePaul Center
offer additional programs where up to homeless families may find transitional
housing. This includes 22 homes and 42 single-room occupancy units.
Case managers work with individual clients and families in areas such as
debt counseling, budgeting, parenting skills, hygiene, and obtaining a GED.
A number of participants have gone on to get associates degrees or
become skilled trade workers. Many of these "graduates" come
back to talk about their life-changing experiences. Most of the families
are single moms with children, but a small percentage are comprised of single
dads or couples. If there cases where child endangerment is suspected,
then appropriate agencies, such as Children's Services will be immediately
contacted. Volunteers are needed as children care-givers or mentors for
the adults. St. Vincent also takes old car donations where the proceeds
are designated for some of the single male programs. They will, in fact,
take donations of just about any used clothing or furniture item that can be
put to use in any of their programs. St. Vincent also operates a small
grocery store on site to serve the local needs. Food is bought at retail
to stock the store which then re-sells the items at cost or a very modest
mark-up.
Ann noted that it is estimated that there are
approximately 200 homeless persons in the Dayton area today, with the rest
being sheltered. Many in the program work for minimum wage salaries.
State-supported child care benefits and food stamps are reduced as the
person's wage increases. There are also more and more grandparents
taking care of grandchildren today. Many think that with the economic
situation as it is, the homeless situation will get worse in the future,
before it improves again.
Those who attended thanked Ann for taking the time to
visit St. Mark's and inform us about all the great things that the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul is doing in the Dayton area. They are working on
getting a website up and running, but if there are any questions, Ann's
Goebel's e-mail address is: SVDPDayton@aol.com. We will be writing
to her to get St. Mark's on their mail distribution list.
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education
September 16
we begin our examination of the needs of our time with a presentation by Joan
Johnson, the Parish Administrator at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on
“Hunger in Our Community.” Joan oversees all of the outreach
services at St. Paul’s, including several to which St. Mark’s has
contributed over the years through food contributed to our monthly “Hunger
Sunday” offering, monetary donations to the Hunger Fund, and the school
supplies recently contributed to serve children of our area.
(No
summary available)
-----------------------------------------
Return
to Christian Education