The Book of Revelation, Part 4

Todd and Tyler conclude a four-part series on the Book of Revelation. Subjects discussed include eating the scroll, the woman clothed with the sun, the child, the dragon, the beasts from the sea and the earth, Babylon and its fall, the lament of the merchants of the earth, the testimony of Jesus as the spirit of prophecy, the new heaven and new earth, and making all things new. We end with a discussion about the power of the book as a testimony of Christ and how all its imagery inspires devotion, praise, and worship.

Two Powers in Heaven

Todd and Tyler talk about the Two Powers in Heaven thesis, the idea that in Second Temple Judaism and earlier there was understood to be a secondary divine figure alongside the primary God, YHWH. We discuss the Angel of the Lord, the Word of the Lord, and the Son of Man. We go into texts from the Hebrew Bible as well as extra-Biblical texts like the Book of Enoch, Targums, and Talmudic texts. We talk about similarities between the divine beings in Israel and in Canaanite religion. One interesting implication of all this is that many features of Christianity sometimes thought to be innovations, with possible Greek influence or even corruption, were rather native to the milieu of Second Temple Judaism. These include an understanding of God as more than one person, the Messiah as a divine figure, the Logos or Word of the Lord, and the Son of Man.

The Book of Revelation, Part 2

Todd and Tyler return to the Book of Revelation, this time moving into the visions in chapters 4 and 5. The throne, the 24 elders, the 4 living creatures, the scroll with 7 seals, the Lion of Judah who is also a Lamb, and the new song. We also begin to look at the opening of the seals in chapter 6 but mostly leave the 4 horsemen waiting in the wings until next time.