Thursday, May 17, 2007

"THE MILLENNIUM!"
= Jesus is Lord!

Considering the amount of theological
ink which has been used up over the
years to describe 'The Millennium'
of chapter 20 of the Book of
Revelation one would think that the
church would have reached some sort
of consensus about its significance.
My co-leader was preparing this study
when she phoned me to say it had her
stumped and could I help; I said to
her "I would absolutely love to lead
a study on Revelation 20!"

So before we leave our review of the
last book of the Bible, I'd like to
end with some comments on this
important topic culled from my
study prep.

The issue isn't as esoteric as it
sounds because upon this interpret-
ation turns ones understanding of
'The Kingdom of God' which Jesus
came to inaugurate: this in turn
colours what we understand to be
the future of God's people and even
determines who qualifies as "God's
people". Some camps even use one's
interpretation of the Millennium
as a test of one's orthodoxy. This
is sad because what I am about to
say will cause some of my brothers
and sisters in Christ to fall out
with me, though assuredly I have
not fallen out with them.

It seems clear to me that (as
with "The 144,000" we discussed
last month) "The Millennium"
(that is 1,000 years) is a
metaphor for The Kingdom of God
as a present reality. Now some
good hearted people will object
by replying "how can you claim
we are in The Millennium now,
the world is in such a state that
it is an insult to say that God
rules! And besides which doesn't
20 v3 state that Satan is bound
during the Millennium - how can
that be a present reality?"

The crucial thing to say in reply
is that the passage specifies
exactly in what way Satan is bound,
it does not say he cannot continue
to do evil - it does say that there
is one supreme evil he cannot do;
he cannot "deceive the nations any
longer". The Good News of Jesus
Christ is out and Satan can do
nothing to contain it!

Those who come to faith in Jesus
are described as enjoying "the first
resurrection" (that is why being
"Born Again" is such a powerful
metaphor); note that those who
merely have the second (physical)
resurrection only do not share in
the blessing of the "First
Resurrection... over such the second
death has no power" v6. Someone once
summarised this by saying, 'He who
is born twice dies once, he who is
born once dies twice!"

Isn't this exactly the same theology
Paul describes in Ephesians 2 v1-10?
For sure it is couched in different
language, in a different genre, by
a different human author - but the
divine authorship shines through both
because it is the one and the same
message! There is a wonderful
consistency about it.

Jesus is Lord!




ps Incidentally why do some
people take 'the Mark of the Beast'
to be literal, when they would
never dream of interpreting 'the
Mark of The Lamb' this way - the
lack of consistency in some so-called
"literal" readings of these Revelation
metaphors should give some pause for
thought.




Tuesday, May 15, 2007

MALHAM.

According to Bill Bryson, American travel
writer, wit and honourary Yorkshireman
"Malhamdale is the finest place there is
until I have died and seen heaven
(assuming they let me at least have a
glance), but until that day comes, it will
certainly do."

Malham is one of those haunts you find
yourself returning to time after time and
yet never tire of. I first came here nearly
thirty years ago and have visited it regularly
ever since- especially during the time I lived
in Leeds. The A65 was always the "Road to
Adventure"! And some wonderful friends
shared that route with me back then.

After an incredibly busy week away in Nairobi
I needed some time out, so Helen & I stayed
in a B&B in Malham, North Yorkshire, for a
couple of nights.

Yesterday we climbed up Gordale Scar, walked
up to Malham Tarn and returned via 'Dry
Valley' to Malham Cove. The waterfall at
Gordale was in full flood after the recent
rain and I got thoroughly drenched by the
spray as we climbed the central buttress.
Fortunately the weather was kind and I
dried out on the walk above. Each component
of this walk is so different revealing one
aspect after another to this amazing
landscape; waterfalls, canyons, open
water, limestone paving and fantastic
views. In his pictorial guide 'Walks in
Limestone Country' A. Wainwright
says, "Dry Valley leads to the
dangerous brink of the precipice
above Malham Cove. The quickest way
down (a great time saver) is to fall
over the edge but, instead of doing this,
cross the limestone pavement on the
right to a stile, whence a path winds
down to the Cove."

The scenery around Malham is hard
to describe; its Yorkshire's equivalent to
the Grand Canyon! The white limestone
seemingly stretching for miles seems
unearthly. I have often felt that I could
be on another planet in such an eerie
landscape. (Having recently re-subscribed
to 'Astronomy Now' magazine: isn't it weird
how "artists impressions" of the surface of
Mars always include a Pen-Y-Ghent
lookalike?!) Maybe that's why I love this
countryside - my grandfather loved to come
here too.

It will be a sad day when I can no longer
climb up Gordale Scar.

Monday, May 07, 2007


OUT OF AFRICA!

I arrived back in the UK from Nairobi
this morning after having had an
amazing week working on an
improvised Paediatric Intensive Care
Unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital
caring for children (and some adults)
after 'open heart surgery'!

Some of my colleagues at the 'Saline
Nerve Child Hospital' in London have
gone on previous medical missions
with a charity called 'MEAK' = Medical
& Educational Aid to Kenya to work
for a week at the KNH, but this was
my first such trip. Besides which I have
never even been to Africa before.

The advantage of taking a dinosaur
like me along is that I remember how
patients were "specialed" twenty plus
years ago and how we had to improvise.
These days everything is so hi-tech in
the West we have machines to do stuff
for us, but in Africa some procedures
require some imagination.

In all MEAK financed 22 operations for
about £20,000 - which is the cost of
one heart operation in the UK! All of
the patients were doing well when we
left with the exception of one babe
who has a chest infection... we were
worried about him and it was a wrench
to have to leave.

Top marks to David Anderson our
brilliant surgeon and Claire Barker our
intensivist.
The nurses who all gave up a weeks
annual leave to go deserve praise.
The theatre (OR) team are amazing
especially considering that some are
self-employed and had to pay other
people to stand in for them in their
abscence!

I will write more anon but right now
I'm whacked and need to rest - but
it's been a brilliant week and I
absolutely loved Africa! Whatever
failings the continent has the people
there are fun-loving and incredibly
long-suffering.

God Bless Africa!

Post Script. 12th May 07.
On the day we left Nairobi we had to
re-intubate one of the infants we had
operated on. He had developed a
bad chest infection and wasn't able to
breathe byhimself.
We had to put him back on a ventilator
(what the newspapers call "a life
support machine"!) After such a
positive week that put a dampener on
our final day.
But I am glad to report that we have
since heard that he has made a good
recovery and is doing fine.
Well done to all the team back there
at The Kenyatta National Hospital!