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anuary 11, 2021 Good afternoon, "And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates" . 2 Kings 24:7 "And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” … Revelation 17:5 The Bible is not a book about politics, science or accounting. It is all the authors of the 66 books trying to speak about God and their/our faith. I believe that to be the focus. On the other hand, Jesus our Lord and Saviour was killed by the reigning religious and political authorities. Jesus was a threat to the Roman Empire, and Pilate and Herod let him be crucified. Actually they had him killed. So, what does the Bible say to our political involvement in the world today ? The world power in the Old Testament was Babylon. There were other powerful nations like Egypt, Assyria and the Moabites. But, it was Babylon that exiled the Israelites to their capital city. They destroyed the holy Temple. In the book of Revelation, Babylon is referred to as the great prostitute. Babylon had lost its power, and the Romans were in charge. The Christians were being persecuted, and so John writes about the Empire in veiled ( or secret ) terms. The Empire has killed John's Saviour. What does John say about this Empire ? So, what is our role against the Empires today? What do we say to the government of Canada, when we are part of the society? And the USA, China or Russia, or even Iran ( earlier called Persia ) ? It is difficult to be the prophet to the Empires, and to live in that same society. No society is Christian, and they have never been. We must find ways to being faithful, and living within the Empire Shalom and strength for our journey of faith and life. Fred Soaring like Vultures lifted by unseen Hands Trust, silent enters my fears Monica Pieper Landoni 2021 |
Ponder Anew 