Page 6...1 he Portland Observer...February 19, 1992
•Portland Observer
RELIGION
Scripture o f the V W i
Romans 2:1-4
Insight on the Word: The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth!
BY MICHAEL LINDSEY,
Dean of North Portland Bible College
The Bible text fo r next week's Sun
day School lesson comes from two pas
sages: Revelation 15:2-4 and 19:4-8.
1 his is the last in a series on Prayers
and Songs o f the Bible, which has taken
us on a quick tour through the whole
Scripture.B eg inning next week, through
Resurrection Sunday (eight lessons),
we will review events in the life o f
Christ from the Gospel o f Mark.
Did you know that there are a host
of hymns and songs in the Book of
Revelation? We often avoid preaching
or teaching the Revelation because of
its difficult symbolic passages, and be
cause Christians seem to be so divided
on the proper framework for interpreta
tion, not to mention the meaning of
particular scripture passages. But the
Revelation is attested very early in
Church history as a divinely inspired
book. Its message was intended to teach
us and encourage us in the midst of
trials and persecution,and we shouldn’t
ignore it.
It is exciting to focus on the songs
of praise in the Revelation, and medi
tate on their truths. In fact, the songs
and hymns serve to explain some of the
difficult symbols in the rest of the book,
and give us a clear understanding of its
meaning for today. Before we look
closely at our texts for this week, let’s
review the songs in other parts of Rev
elation.
In the vision of the throne of the
Almighty (Rev. 4-5), there are five
songs recorded, each with a larger
“choir” than the one before. First, the
“four beats” or “living creatures” (NIV)
sings acontinual chorus of “Holy, holy,
holy. Lord God Almighty” (4:8). Then
the “24 elders” declare "Thou art wor
thy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour
and power...” (4:11). Both these songs
have become hymns and scripture cho
ruses for ourchurches. They declare the
greatness of our heavenly Father, the
Creator.
In the fifth chapter, the Lion/Lamb
appears to unseal the book (actually a
scroll) of human destiny (this is my
interpretation of it). Before he begins to
break the seals, John hears a series of
praises to the Lamb, the Lord Jesus
Christ. The singers of the first two
songs combine to praise the Lamb: he is
worthy, like the Father on the throne, of
praise and worship.
The Lamb’s death was the neces
sary atonement sacrifice, to purchase
people for God’s Kingdom, who would
come from every ethnic and linguistic
group on the whole planet (5:9-10). We
can trace this concept from Genesis 12
through the whole Bible; those who are
committed to bringing the blessing of
salvation to every people group around
the world are known today as “World
Christians.” Are you one of them?
These living creatures and elders
are then joined by myriads of angels in
a wondrous chorus (which modem be
lievers have also set to music): “Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain...” (5:12).
Then John “hears” every creature in all
creation praising both the Father and
the Son, lifting them in glory together
(5:13). Such praise is worthy for the
Lamb of God, because he shares the
divine essence of God.
Later we read of John’s vision o f an
innumerable multitude of people, saved
out of every people (7:9), faithful mar
tyrs of the final persecution of the people
of God (7:14). John heard them singing
(7:10), the response of the heavenly
hosts (7:12), and a hymn of one “elder”
concerning the Christian multitude at
peace in heaven (7:15-17). This last
song is not obvious to readers of the
King James Version; I would suggest
the NIV for comparison.
In Chapter 11 we hear (with John)
two more hymns of praise from heaven.
These resound from the seventh trum-
pet ( 11:15,16-18), and declare the end
of “the kingdoms of this world” and the
establishment of “the kingdom of our
Lord [the Father] and of his Christ [his
Son, the Messiah].” In phrases which
recall Psalm 2, the heavenly elders re
joice in the breaking down of the politi
cal forces of the world, the establish
ment of the Kingdom of God, and re
wards for the faithful servants of God in
all ages (11:18).
In chapter 12 another hymn cel
ebrates the victory of Christ over Satan,
a victory which includes the overcom
ing power of the saints (12:10-12). It
explains the timing and meaning of the
“war in heaven” between Satan and
Michael the archangel (12:7-9). Christ’s
death and resurrection have judged Satan
and brought an end to his ability to
accuse the saints in heaven (Job 1-2;
John 12:31). But that doesn’t mean he
is not still very active on earth (1 Pet.
5:8; Rev. 12:12).
And this brings us to our first text
on the lesson, Rev. 15:2-4. Here we
stand on the brink of the final judg
ments on the nations of the earth, the
seven vials of God’s wrath (15:1; 16:1).
But before the vials (bowls) are poured
out, we hear the victory song o f the
redeemed. Each line seems to recall a
phrase out of the Psalms and Prophets,
praising God’s works and character. It
could well be that this passage relates to
a time after the saints have been martyred
for their faith, or caught up out of the
earth by the Lord.
It is hard for us to relate to their
rejoicing, for many things in the world
seem to be morally neutral, useful or
even beautiful. We hate to think that all
nature and human cultural achievements
will be burned up and destroyed (com
pare 2 Pet. 3:7, 10-13). But that is the
whole point of the final judgments.
This whole planet is so infested with
evil that it must be finally destroyed, in
order for God’s judgments to be truly
just. This theme is reiterated in the
midst of the vial judgments (16:5-7) in
more songs of praise for the Lord’s
righteous judgments.
The final passage of hymns of praise
North Portland
Bible College
Jesus Loves You!
A l l en Tem ple C M E C h u r c h
Second Annual Musical
Saturday, February 29, 7:30 p.m.
Psalm 34:3
v i n c e u p o n <i l i m e .....
w h e n w e w e r e c o lo r e d .
4236 NE Eighth Avenue
(corner of 8th & Skidmore)
an even lin
ir g o f
Portland, Oregon 97211
“N e g r o S p ir tu a ls "
N a r r a tio n l»y B e v er ly A n d e r so n
(503) 287-0261
• •. • .
S. Hekon Pastor
S u n d a y , F eb ru ary 2 3 , 1992
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5 8 2 8 N .E . 8 th A v e n u e
P o rtla n d , O r e g o n
Mr». B etty W h ite, President
M rs. Rochelle M cElroy, D irector
Rev. D orsey M cC ullough, Pastor
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G od's Presence prom ises
Power through Jesus Christ In
G o o d Times and Bad Times
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LET THE ARMY RESERVE
PAY YOUR STUDENT LOAN.
"Come to me all you w ho ore
w eary and heavy laden and I
w ill give you resé1
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9:45am
11:00am
7:30pm
Sunday School
Morning Worship
Inter-racial Congregation
Denise B. Bell. Pastor
t Portland, OR 97211 t (503) 288-5173
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fflissianary
^ B a p t i s t ( Æ J j u r c If
8101 N. Fiske Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97203
Church Pho.ie: 2 8 9 -0 1 4 7
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Study Phone: 2 8 9 -1 9 1 1
Sunday Service
10:45
Sunday School
9 :3 0
Bible Study
6 :0 0
Evening Service
7 :0 0
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Vinyl Siding
Installed on Your Home
by Experts
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BI ALL YOU CAN BI
ARMY RESERVE
Jesus Christ Is Salvation
Union Avenue Baptist Church
5029 N. E. MLK Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97211
Telephone Number - 287-8344
allory
C hurch
3908
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Are you a friend of Jesus?
Do you want Jesus to be your friend?
We want to be your friend and would love to have you as our
Themes W h a te v e r you're g o ing to do
fo r th e Lord, do it now
To the editor:
The potential sentencing in the
Michael Tyson case surely shows the
inestimable superiority of the Biblical
laws over typical secular ones in all
such circumstances: “If a man meets a
virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes
her and lays with her, and they are
found, then the man who lay with her
shall give to the father of the young
woman fifty shekels o f silver, and she
shall be his wife, because he has vio
lated her; he may not put her away all
his days.” (Deut. 22:28-29).
This is fair; decades of imprison
ment is not. It would be hard to find a
more telling example of the urgency of
our returning to the Biblical perspec
tive.
Shalom Always!
Dr. Paterson Brown
Eugene, OR
of
C hrist
NE M A L L O R Y
AVENUE
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Bible Study
9:30 am.
Morning Worship
10:45 am.
Men’s Training Leadership
Women’s Bible Class
5:00 pm.
Evening Worship
M inister Gregory Fobbs
6:00 pm.
Attended nursery for all
services
Wednesday prayer meeting
and bible study
7:30 pm.
Radio Ministry Each Sunday, 11:00 AM - KBMS
288-1092
R E S TO R IN G
M t O livet
baptist C hurch
H a s m oved Sunday services to
friend.
Everyone is welcome to this church, (the body of Christ).
There is a place and a work here for you.
I Peter lv.11
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Biblical Laws
Superior
N E W TESTAMENT C H R IS TIA N ITY
Rev. A. G. May, Pastor
, y * .
“Keep Your Head to the Sky: From
the Beautiful Women with Love”
February 29,1992
Portland Community College,
Cascade Campus
For Project Independence
705 N. Killingsworth
Cascade Hall Auditorium
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Suggested Donation: $5.00 students:
$8.00 General Public
The HeavenBound Gospel Music
Ministry is sponsoring their first annual
“Youth On Fire Crusade” as an effort to
save the youth of our communities.
The crusade will begin Tuesday,
February 25, 1992 and conclude Sun-
day.March 1,1992 at7:00p.m.nightly.
All services will be held at the Greater
Solid Rock COGIC, 1705 N JE. Dekum.
Bishop A. R. Hopkins is the host pastor.
The closing service on Sunday will
begin at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday night is designated as the
City-Wide Musical night with guests
from all over the area. The speakers
each night are also from various con
gregations throughout the city. The
theme for the week is “Reaching Forth
For The Prize.”
If you need further information,
you may contact Min. Lonnie L. Hosley
or Bro. Fredric Warren at the church
(503) 283-1524.
Financing Available
He that is too good to realize that he need to be saved, cannot be
helped. But he that recognize he has a need, can be helped.
Pastor Rev James C E. Faulkner
‘/ • V ■-■
Revised
Announcement
Fashion Show
Tuesday Bible
Study and Prayer
126 N.€. Riberta
.
“Let us exalt His Name together.”
Psalm 34:3
at
Bethel A.M.E. Church
5828 N.E. 8th Avenue
Rev. Dorsey McCullough,
Host Pastor
with
Choirs, soloists, ensembles,
including:
Vancouver Ave. First Baptist
Children’s Choir
Immanuel Christian Fellowship
Youth Choir
Julia Black, “Lifters of His Name,”
Tamara Barnett
Rev. and Mrs. Dorsey McCullough
Bethel A.M.E. Cathedral Choir, with
Virginia Champion
Allen Temple Men’s Chorus
A freewill offering will be received
for the benefit of the college.
For further information:
Call Lillian Jenkins, 285-0089, or the
college, 288-2919,287-0885
This event is sponsored by
North Portland Bible College
Our community’s own center for
Biblical studies and practical ministry
training
Temporarily located in Berean
Baptist Church, 4822 N. Vancouver
are the real Hallelujah Choruses of chap
ter 19:1-8. First, the Lord is praised for
bringing to an ignominious end the
“great whore,” called “Babylon the
Great.” I believe this represents the
counterfeit forms of Christian faith,
both inside and outside of established
churches, which have compromised
their obedience to Christ by alliance
with the political powers of the world.
But after that judgment is all over,
the wedding feast of the Lamb can take
place. The wife of the Lamb (the saints)
stands ready to meet her Lover. She is
arrayed in “fine linen, clean and white,”
a beauty which comes from her righ
teous deeds. Unlike the false religious
system, adorned in purple and scarlet,
symbols of riches and exploitation of
the poor (18:16), the true bride of Christ
wants only to please her Lord. Indeed,
the Lamb should be glorified even in his
bride, for he purchased her with his own
precious blood, and her garments of
righteous deeds would be filthy rags (Is.
64:6) without his atonement.
All these songs of praise character
ize the glory of heaven, and give us a
sense of the excitement o f our eternal
destiny in heaven. All our praises here
on earth are only a little taste of the
glory of heaven. If you don’t enjoy
singing praises and testifying to the
goodness of our God, maybe you
wouldn’t enjoy heaven! Do you really
know who he is? He is worthy to be
praised, and praising the Lord is excit-
mg!
Greater Solid Rock
COGIC Presents Youth
Crusade
■ '
..
•-
Stone Tower Church,
N.E. Sandy Blvd. & 30th
Worship Services 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Church School 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Bible Study, Wednesdays, 116 N.E. Schuyler
10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Radio M inistry each Sunday, 8:00 a.m. on KBM S
A Teaching Church W ith A Reaching M inistry
Dr. James E. M artin, Senior Pastor
C hu rch O ffice 116 N .E . Schuyler St.
(503) 284-1954