The Bible Challenge: Day 293

The scriptures read are Ezekiel 45-46, Psalm 90 and Revelation 14.

Ezekiel 45-46. A buffer of sacred space is to be set up around the temple. Priests and Levites can live there. And BTW God is fed up with Israel's princes bullying his people. That has to stop!

There are lots of rules about how the prince must worship and act. For instance, he can't take land from his people and give it to his sons.

There is more temple stuff--sacrifices and holy days and procedures. Oh, and that sealed eastern gate can be opened on Sabbaths and New Moons.

Psalm 90. Wonderful harmonies from this couple in a song based on the first 2 verses of this psalm. For more of the psalm here is a choral piece by Charles Ives.

Revelation 14. Unfinished business on my part: (H) The sea beast is Rome, either undifferentiated, or pagan or papal. Usually the land beast represents the pagan and/or papal Rome if the first beast represents the other aspect. The mark of the beast is the code for Latinizing or the Pope. The Historicists are usually Protestant.

(P) The sea beast is Nero, representing the Empire. The head wound is the death of Nero while the Empire lives on. The land beast might be the cult of the divine emperor or a successor to Nero. The mark of the beast is Nero's name.

(F) The sea beast is the Gentile nations. Or the Antichrist. The land beast is a religious leader or fake messiah. Or the Antichrist. The mark of the beast might not be a literal hand stamp or tattoo, but some way of controlling people, financially at least. 666 could mean whoever the Futurist interpreter wants it to be. I remember seeing flyers that made the names of Ronald Reagan or Henry Kissinger add up to 666.

(S) The sea beast could be any governmental/social system that opposes God's Reign. The land beast is a false prophet. 666 could just mean the beast falls triply short of perfection (777.)

In chapter 14, we return to worship in heaven with music and song. But there are warnings to those who would do business with the mark of the beast.

Babylon is mentioned for the first time in Revelation. More on Babylon later.

The harvest has begun.