Revelation 13

We spent a lot of time comparing the Roman Empire with the American Empire. The goal is not to glorify or bring down what the United States is, but to see how the text applies to our context today. And, our critique should be that of 'the lamb who was slain,' or Jesus. And, according to Revelation 13, Jesus' critique of the Roman Empire (represented by the 2 beasts in chapter 13, and the dragon in chapter12) was that it was all about power, and that power was empty. It was power for it's own sake. The Church is not to partake of or desire that sort of power. On the other hand, the power that is in God has substance for he is the author of all that is.

So, what should our response to the power of this world be? WORSHIP! When we worship God, we are glorifying Him, and honoring Him and his creation; we are glorifying He who has substance and is the author of all that is good. And it operates in contrast to the power of this world. To create 'peace,' empires must enforce their power on others. Rome had the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome) which existed from the time of Jesus until the 300s, but it required force of arms and acquiescence to the power of the Roman Empire to enforce. The peace of Christ is not based on force, but on the 'lamb who was slain'; it is based on Jesus laying down his life, and we demonstrate that we do not partake of Roman style power by worshiping the creator instead.

Another minor point made on Sunday was that in Revelation, worship is never a solitary act, but it's always a communal one. I don't think this is making the point that we cannot worship God on our own, but that there is particular value in our corporate worship as a body of believers. More than that, when we worship together, we are making a statement that we value the power that comes from 'the lamb who was slain.' It's in opposition to the sort of power that is wielded by empire, or any earthly power source for that matter.

Some Questions to Ponder:
1. What does our worship as a body of believers look like? If it's that important, how do we find opportunities to do it more?
2. Are there ways (overt and subtle) which we participate in empire-style power in our own lives? How do we respond?
3. Wouldn't some home-made ice cream taste real good right now?