Juls

The severerity and the "allowable" consequences vary greatly from place to place, but every country is experiencing this to some degree. Revelation gives us hope and a reason to go on. We know it won't last forever. We know the "worst" this world can do to us. Best of all, we know what awaits us after the worst happens.

They are the same. The words are different only in the way that a high class persons grammar and wording are different than a commoners. This question reminds me of the first time I took my husband along Hwy. 199 to visit my family in northern California. He grew up in Colorado and had never seen a Sequoia before, he couldn't stop staring out the window of the car and twisting his head around to try and see the tops of them. Being in the middle of the forest is one thing - it's gorgeous and quite and mysterious, the trees are incredibly tall and block most of the sky - but you don't comprehend what a Sequoia Redwood is until you happen across one the truly OLD trees. When you find one that you can hide a full-size pick-up behind and you get dizzy just trying to see the top of it, then you get a much better understanding of the granduer of the forest. Most of us have heard of "not seeing the forest for the trees" at some point in our lives, and I think God is the forest and Jesus is that one, huge tree that makes us realize what is surrounding us. I think we sometimes get lost in the whole "loving savior" bit and forget that Jesus IS God, just in a form that is intended help us focus, internalize and personalize what God truly is.

In a nutshell - example, example, example. Testimony and witness are necessary for us to understand what to expect and how to deal with it and to show us that we aren't the only ones going through such experiences. Jesus is the ultimate witness because he's "been there, done that". His live shows us the extremes - both high and low - of what our lives can be like. Persecution comes in many forms, and anyone who's ever voiced an opinion or idea that didn't fit the "usual" views of their peers knows what I mean. I can think of no worse (non physical) feeling than to have that "Who the ---- are you and what planet did come from?" look directed at you, closely followed by derisive laughter and comments concerning your sanity and intellect. Julie

Hi! My name's Julie. I live in Oregon with my husband of 10 years, 2 dogs, 5 cats, and a multitude of wild birds we feed to keep the cats entertained (and occasionally irritated - the bluejays seem to like attacking screens and startling the cats into falling out of the windows). I am looking forward to gaining a better understanding of Revelation and hearing other views of this book.