Summary of New Testament From a Jewish Point of View Class - 1/9/2023

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Dan, Jo Ann, Steve, Karen, Dave, Jay, Robin, Randy, and David attended our first study together in 2023.

For those who missed our meeting today January 9, 2023, you missed Revelation chapters 13 and 14, some of the most renowned portions of the book of Revelation and of the New Testament. David aptly described the passage as written LSD. 

We had a lively discussion, wide ranging as usual. Here is a brief summary of chapters 13 and 14:

Chapter 13 and 14 cast of characters includes:
1. The Red Dragon (Satan)
2. The first beast with multiple heads, horns and blasphemous things written on its heads (?) (the Antichrist)
3. The second beast looking like a lamb but talking like the dragon who performs miracles in the presence of the first beast, like Pharaoh’s court magicians  (popularly know as the false prophet).
4. The Saints (who are about to be persecuted and killed)
5. Everyone else on earth who are headed for a much more terrible fate.
6. The Book of Life
7. The “image” of the first beast which apparently talks and kills people
8. The number 666, or 616, depending which Ancient Greek manuscript you are reading
9. Babylon the Great (Whore)

The chapter is laid out similar to parts of the book of Daniel, with weird scary “beasts” emerging from the sea.
There appears to be an open season on the Saints, who lose their lives but save their souls. Everyone else has a mark, which is the name of the first beast or the number of his name, 666 or 616. The commentary helpfully points out that both those numbers fit the titles of Caesar Nero, who apparently comes to life in an appalling manner. Wait, there’s more in chapter 14.

In chapter 14 we see the single, male, never lying, faultless Jewish 144,000, in heaven, having evidently been killed. Then three angels fly in turn between heaven and earth and give messages in a very loud voice. The first message: fear God, praise God, worship God for the time of judgement has begun. Second message: Babylon the Great (Rome) is fallen. Third message: do not take the mark of the beast  “There is no rest for those…who take the mark”.

A message follows from John talking about the endurance of the Saints “who obey God’s commandments and are faithful to Jesus.” And “blessed are the dead who from now on die in service of the Lord”. 

Last of all is a gristly passage about the “Harvest of the Earth” which means everyone dies. Interestingly, this passage is referred to in “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”: “He is tramping out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored”. 

Join us next week!

If anything is missing from this summary, please add your input by clicking on the comment box.





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