I think I’m close to back to normal following several days of yuck. I did my little round of exercise this morning. And I was able to finish up an urgent sawmill job today—plus I delivered the completed load of 2x6s to the customer. That was preceded by attention I gave yesterday to repairing and restoring a vital function of the mill…replacing the in-and-out motor for the debarker. So she’s back to healthy too.
Have you ever wondered why world history reveals so much intense hatred for Jews? Have you ever wondered how it is that the Jewish Nation has even survived over time to remain a distinct people group in the wake of all that hatred? I am convinced that explanations for these historical phenomena cannot be done in purely objective and reasonable terms—it can only be explained spiritually. Based on the Biblical premise that there are only two spiritual powers (kingdoms) in the universe, I have to draw these two fundamental conclusions:
This chapter presents a dramatized symbolic overview of this reality. God seems to love theater and puts on a real show for John! But without attempting to unravel and interpret all the data and details, I want to focus on the bottom line that sustains God’s people as contained in verse 11. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so as to shrink back from death.”
The reason I refer to this as “the bottom line” is because I believe the same recipe for overcoming as characterized by this group of Jewish believers from the tribulation period, is the same recipe for our own victory. Let me summarize this way: