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Revelation 11
Today’s reading is Revelation 11.
Every hero has friends. Remember Fezzik and Inigo in “The Princess Bride”? In modern weddings, we carry on this idea with the best man and the groomsmen. These are the men who were supposed to support the groom and fight off any who would challenge the groom for his bride. Our Hero, the groom of the church is no different. He has two friends, the descriptions of whom remind us of Moses and Elijah. Then we see the same story cycle repeated over and over in Revelation. At first, these friends are unstoppable. If any would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes the enemy. However, the seemingly unstoppable get stopped; the beast makes war on them and kills them. The people celebrate the death of the Hero’s friends. It looks like the Hero is going to lose. However, then the unimaginable happens. Just when the enemy believes it has won, the Hero’s friends are resurrected (just like the Hero) and are called to the Father’s throne. Judgment rains down on the enemies. God is glorified. Praise the Lord, Jesus always wins!
A Word for Our Kids
Hey kids, I hope in the midst of all these different kinds of images, you are seeing the story. Another part of the overarching story is playing out. Just as every tv show, movie, book has a Hero who has friends who help Him, so does our Hero. And just as everyone of those stories gets to a point in which everything looks bleak (usually on tv it is just at the point of a commercial break, in a book it is at the end of a chapter), so does our story. The sidekick is killed. The friends are sidelined. It looks like the Hero can’t possibly win. That is what is happening in our story. The point? There are times when it looks like Jesus is going to lose. There are times when it looks like Jesus’s friends are conquered. The world will celebrate. You may be tempted to switch sides. Don’t! No matter what it looks like in the moment, Jesus always wins. Hang on to Him no matter what.
Edwin Crozier
