Baptism Follow-Up

OK, OMPC singles, I'm very curious about your reactions to the 1-2 punch of my lesson and then Bob's sermon. I was just plain amazed at the overlap between what I taught and what he focused on. Did you see the overlap? What were you thinking? Please post a comment here (or e-mail me if you'd prefer).

Also, feel free to post any questions you have about today's lesson and check back later for my reply. I'll respond as soon as I can.

A Lodge on the New Earth

I've had trouble sleeping off and on for the past year; there's been a lot going that's made me restless. Part of it was a lot of chaos in life. In the midst of that, I started thinking a whole lot about the New Earth, trying to imagine what it would be like. The more I thought about, the more comfort came into my soul and even some hope to face the chaos.

Thinking about the New Earth really all started on a trip to the Seattle area in August. I love going up there because it's beautiful, and it's a beauty unlike Alabama. The trees are what get me. They're just so huge! If you've never been there, they're not as big as redwoods, but the red cedars there can have a circumference of 30, 40, or even 50 feet. When I was around the cedars again on my trip, for some reason I got to thinking about a cedar forest on the New Earth.

I think we'll live in an actual City of God on the New Earth, but I also think that we'll go out on amazing adventures to the rest of the earth. I pictured going walking through a cedar forest like the ones in the Pacific Northwest with dear friends and seeing up ahead a lodge. It's an amazing lodge, built up in the trees with many levels and rooms. (There are shades of Swiss Family Robinson here, but better, so much better.) It's truly beautiful, but in a rustic, earthy way.

We go in and there's no one there. But, it's ready for us. There are hand-woven blankets to take the chill off, soft beds, and a den with a huge fireplace. It has this ancient feel to it, but nothing is old or dusty. It's ancient, of course, because we've been on the New Earth in the new order of things for centuries, and this was one of the first things built. So, we're not the first group there by far. It's an amazing outpost in a solitary, beautiful glade.

As we unpack and get settled in for the night, we start putting together the story of how the lodge was built. We've all heard different bits and pieces, some directly from one of the builders, but mostly through word of mouth back at home in Zion. Long ago, a group left Zion on one of the first adventures after the world was made new, and they came to this glade. There was no lodge then, but they were struck by its beauty. And they stayed. They stayed in the glade for a long time. It may have been 5 years that they stayed there. It may have been 5 months. It could have been 50 years. It's hard to remember, and it's hard to tell time in a place where no one dies. There are no clocks on the New Earth, kind of like when you're arrive on vacation and time is pointless.

And they began to dream together. They began to dream about building this lodge, a place to come back to and enjoy the glade forever, both for them and for all of their brothers and sisters back home in Zion. So, they began work. They knew it would take time, but they knew that they had eternity to finish the lodge. They also knew that the work would be hard and good. It would be work with their hands. (There's no heavy machinery on the New Earth. In a land without time, you don't need to go fast. Besides, who would really want to work in factory making Catepillar products when you could be out building lodges with your bare hands.) Some tools they would have to make, and others would need to be fetched from Zion. They had to think and plan. They made mistakes and had to tear out and rebuild. But everyday was filled with the joy of the work, the beauty of the glade, and the companionship of brothers and sisters who had know each other for centuries. Ever build a fort with a few buddies when you were a kid? It was like that, but much, much better. They were building for eternity.

And so they worked. They worked for what we now would call years. It may have been decades. It's hard to remember, especially since how long it took was irrelevant. Sometimes, they wondered what was going on back in Zion, but they weren't sad. They knew that once they got back, they would catch up on everything that had happened, and it would be like the really they had never been gone. Also, other groups of adventures came through occasionally, bringing word from Zion and staying to help for awhile.

Eventually, it was done. It was a lodge fitting the glade. The two played off of each other. They realized that the glade had needed a lodge all along and was just waiting for them to come and build it. And they worshipped. After staying for many nights, they moved on with their adventure, knowing they had an eternity of coming back to the lodge whenever they wanted to.

(Of course, by now in the new world, there are places like the lodge all over: villas at the beach, A-frames in mountain snow, pueblos in the desert, and simple bamboo huts on remote islands accessible only by ship. Have I mentioned the ships yet? They're hand-made too, but that's another adventure!)

[Picture provided by Air Ninja]

Animals One Day

Going to sleep recently, I found myself trying to picture the New Earth, and I thought of animals. I don't think that animals will die when Jesus makes all things new, and I'm not even sure that they'll reproduce. (Where would all those bunnies go if none of them ever died!) Then, the tears started coming when I realized the amazing relationships we will would have, if all that's true, with these beautiful, wonderful, wise creatures that we will share eternity with.

I started dreaming about a cat that had been in my home for 100 years. Or, let's say 1000 years. How well we would know each other. To walk in from the day to the room that Jesus has prepared for me and to see that cat whom I have shared my life with for centuries. The connection we'd feel--the love.

Then, I realized that I was thinking in old ways. I was thinking, "My cat." But, wouldn't the truth be that she would be our cat. She would belong to all of the saints, and they would all belong to her. Maybe she'd call my room home for a while, but she's a cat, right? She'd go explore your room and the other rooms around. She would weave her beauty in and out of our lives as she visited us. And, she'd never grow old. She'd never die. She'd always be quick and strong and bright. Occasionally, we'd see the kitten come out in her, but we'd also see her getting wiser and wiser.

I thought a little bit about other animals, but then I realized I was still caught in thinking the old ways. I was thinking about domestic animals like cats and dogs. It hit me, though, that when Jesus makes all things right, all animals will be our companions. All of a sudden, I realized that the kitty visiting my room could be a leopard or a bobcat. I could take a nap with one of those majestic creatures. I will really run my hands through a lion's mane, like Lucy in Narnia. Then, I started thinking about how the New Jerusalem would have to have animals adding to its beauty. I would walk out of my room, and a macaw would be in the tree outside. I guess I could really talk to the animals because of the words that he'll know and all the words he'll keep on learning. Or maybe it's a koala in the tree. Or a mongoose curled up under my bed. A monkey sitting on my shoulder as I walk to talk to a friend.

I then thought about an adventure with friends outside the Heavenly City. We walk out on the plains to the west of the city, and a herd of mustangs gallop toward us. Of course, we're not afraid because they're just coming to nuzzle. We know them each by name. We have their favorite treats in our pockets. We easily slip up on their backs, and we all travel together toward the sunset. As we reach the edge of the great forest, we dismount and start walking again. The woods are bursting with life. A falcon swoops close, you hold out your arm, and she lands. Field mice scamper up, and we scratch them behind the ears. Two bears lumber by, and we all get another true bear hug. The stream ahead is perfectly clear. Rainbow trout glint in a pool of sunlight, and crayfish peer out from under rocks. They're not hiding, though. It's just that we woke them up from a nap.


There's more, so much more that I can't imagine now. The coral reefs. The dolphins and the whales. The gazelle and the elephants. The snakes with their legs restored. I can't see it yet. But, Jesus died to release the Earth from the weight of sin. I dream of the day when i will know the animals as God intended them to be, undying and unafraid.

Edwards Class Eschatology Questions

You found the right place to post your questions about Eschatology. Click on "Links to This Post" below this text, and you'll be in the section to review and post comments. You can look through questions that have already been posted and you can post your question by clicking there on "Post a Comment".

The Gospel According to John (Mayer)

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments on today's lesson on "Waiting on the World to Change." I'm curious to know how you responded to it.

I've certainly enjoyed my time with the EPIC class. I'm afraid it may be a while before I get a chance to be with you all again. The teacher rotation probably means that I have many other classes to teach in before I get back to be with you again. Please know that you're in my heart until then, and I look forward to seeing you around OMPC.

Theology and the I35W Bridge Collapse

I've had several good comments on yesterday's lesson about the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I'm glad to hear that--I actually was feeling out of it and didn't think the lesson went well. Please post here any questions or comments you have on the lesson (or anything else you want to bring up).

The Bad Theology of Evangelism (LindsAy's Story)

Please let me know any follow-up thoughts you have on yesterday's lesson on evangelism. The lesson seemed to go well; the looks on people's faces made me think a lot of processing was going on. Click the title of this post to go to an on-line commentary on Question 67 from the Westminster Larger Chatechism; that may be helpful to some of you. Also, feel free to post a question if you have one.

Any thoughts?

Didn't have time to post a debrief of Sunday's lesson (The Bad Theology of Serendipity). Please use this thread to post any thoughts you have about that lesson, about possible topics for future lessons, or anything else you'd like to talk about.

Me & God

Great being back with the EPIC class this morning! I hope you all got something out of the lesson. I was a little pressed for time; so, we weren't able to go at the relaxed pace I had planned.

Did I come across as critical of Josh Turner? I apologize if I did. That wasn't my intention. Instead, I was hoping to get across how theology is everywhere, and we have to have insight and wisdom as we walk through this life. I'm glad several of you pointed out the good theology in portions of the song.

I think immanence and transcendence were new terms to some of you. That's probably a portion of the lesson where we could have used more time to unpack the theology there. I did find something from J. I. Packer that may help if you want to go further with those ideas. I've only quickly scanned through this document; so, let me know any feedback you have on how appropriate it is.

http://www.nbs.edu/pages/willsey/recovering_transcendence_and_immanence.pdf

Please post any comments or questions you have. I'll be checking back here throughout the week, especially to see if you have any questions that you'd like me to answer. Also, keep on the lookout for bad theology in pop culture, and let me know anything you see. I'm still looking for topics for future lessons.

Cheat Code for Tomorrow's Lesson

If you're seeing this and you're in the EPIC class, I'm impressed that you remembered about this blog, and I think you deserve a reward. Tomorrow, we're going to be looking at Josh Turner's song "Me and God." If you're not familiar with it, click the link in the title of this post and look a the lyrics. Then, click the sidebar link to the reformed confessions and find section II of the Westminster Confession of Faith (under the Westminster Standards). That should give you some help in figuring out the bad theology of the song. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Oh, and you can't tell anyone else that this post is up. This will be our secret until tomorrow.

The Sweet Things in Our Lives

Click the title to see your posts from the beginning of the last week's lesson.

Eschatology Q&A

If you have a question about eschatology, please post it here by clicking the comments counter just below on the right. (It gives the total number of comments made thus far by saying "0 comments," "1 comments," "2 comments," etc.) Then, check back in a day or so for my response.

Revelation Song

I hope you enjoyed this morning's worship service as much as I did. For me, it was really special hearing so much of eschatology at the center of the worship service, after all the time I've spent studying and teaching the topic. I was moved throughout the whole service, but it was mainly joy upon joy.

I wanted to hear any thoughts you had regarding how the worship connected with our study together.

EPIC class (Singles): I'm especially interested in how you reacted to the musical since you just completed the study with me on eschatology. Was it a richer experience because of our study together?

Tyndale class (60's +): Did it make you more intereted in our study together over the next several weeks? Did it raise questions.

When you answer, please consider identifying which class you belong to since we may have a mix of the two classes answering.

An Opening Challenge

You're on one of OMPC's ministry teams, and you've struck up a new friendship with one of the singles who attends the EPIC Sunday School class. You're having lunch together one day, and your new friend says, "I'm confused on something. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church, and I can't figure out how to make any sense of Revelation. When he taught our class, Lee said that covenantal theology gives pretty much a totally different view of Revelation because it doesn't allow a special emphasis on the nation of Israel. I don't get that. Can you explain that to me?"

How would you answer? Here's how to post a reply:

Click the blue line below on the right that says "0 Comments." (It may have a number different than 0, depending on how many people have posted before you.)
Type your comment in the box.
Click on the circle besdied "Anonymous" (unless you create a Blogger identity) underneath the comment field.
Click on Publish Your Comment.
You've just blogged!

The 7 Trumpets

I hope today was beneficial for you. (If you missed this week and last week, take a look at the link to see the cheat sheet I've developed on symbols in Revelation.) Let me know if you have any questions, especially about specifics of Revelation 8-11. I'm curious if any of you saw the connection between my lesson and Bob's sermon on evangelism. Were any of you thinking about us as the 2 Witnesses as Bob talked?

We only have one more week together. We'll go to the end of the book and look at our future in the New Heavens and Earth. I hope it's a really special way for us to wrap up our study of Hope for the Future.

Teaching this Sunday

We're going to go with the Q&A approach this Sunday. If we have more time, we'll look at Revelation 13 & 14, which we didn't have time to finish a couple of weeks ago. We'll have a smaller crowd, because of those gone to retreat, but I'll try to plan to make sure the interactions are still rich.

4 Horseman & 144,000

I hope today's lesson was meaningful for you. We were moving fast (again!), and I couldn't tell what you are were thinking. Your faces seemed to say that it was all new information. As always, I look forward to your questions or comments on the lesson.

Please help me out with next week's lesson. We can either go forward to the next section of Revelation or slow down for some Q&A. My sense is that Q&A would be good; we probably need to process through the material I've covered in the last 3-4 weeks. I need to hear from you, though, if that's the direction you want to go (by either commenting here on the blog or e-mailing me). If I don't that you want to spend some time on Q&A, then I'll move on to the 7 Trumpets section of Revelation (see link).

It's a joy being with all of you. Thanks for the many things you've said to encourage me about how you value my teaching. I appreciate that more than you'll know.

Teaching this Sunday

(Update on the question I had asked below: We'll be looking at Revelaton 6 & 7, and what better passage to use to think about missions!)

Phil Chambers caught me last night at session meeting and told me that he doesn't think that he'll have a missionary to speak in the EPIC class. So, unless you object, I'll teach on Eschatology this Sunday, rather than focusing on missions.

Reformed Herme...what?

This morning didn't really go as well as I had hoped. I think I had two lessons packed inside of one, but I didn't realize it until we were in the middle of it together. I hope you got something out of it. Tackling the reformed hermeneutic in 30 minutes is pretty tough! As always, I'm open to your questions here. I'd much rather answer your questions as you raise them than have you wait a week, especially if you're confused.

Can I give you a task for this week? We didn't get into Revelation 13 like I wanted to. Would you take a look at that chapter and see how you do with interpreting it? Here's what you need to know: the first beast, the one out of the sea, is a symbol for political and societal persecution. The second beast, the one out of the earth, is a symbol for religious and philosophical deception. Neither beast is any kind of wacky, weird, end-of-time monster yet to descend upon us. Instead, they're symbols of the persecution and deception that will be in play throughout the last days (i.e., the time between Jesus' first and second advents.) See how you do with taking that and using it to read Rev. 13 for hope for today.

Let me know your thoughts or your questions. I hope you all have a good week.

The Prophetic Perspective & Old Testament Hope

I hope today's lesson was meaningful to all of you from the EPIC crew. I didn't realize until we were in the middle of it how much technical information I needed to go over: the prophetic perspective, the now and the not yet, the 2 mountains analogy, and how to read Old Testament prophecy. Might be a good week for us to bounce some questions back and forth, especially if I didn't clear everything up for you.

If you missed, click the link or post title to go to the handout from the lesson. You can spend a little time looking at how some OT prophecy focuses on blessings we already have because of the first advent (now), blessings we will have at the second advent (the not yet), and passages that mix the two (under the And column).

I'd also be interested in your intial reactions to the thought of beginning a study of Revelation next week. Feel free to post and let me know if the thought of studying Revelation causes you to be afraid or worried. Maybe you think you're about to spend weeks in confusion. Any thoughts you share will help me get a sense of how to start of next week's lesson. Remember, you can post anonymously.