OCTOBER 10, 2017 One of the panelists in the \u201dLiving the Questions\u201d series, Barbara R. Rossing author of \u2018The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation\u2019 said that the whole book of Revelation is leading up to the idea of the new heavens and the new earth, the heavenly Jerusalem, where justice is brought about in contrast to the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blurb from library online catalog \u2013 Countering the armageddoneers who dominate the wavelengths and book racks, Rossing (New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago) says that the Bible does not provide a predictive screenplay for worldwide violence and disaster in the Middle East. Rather, Revelation’s gift is a story of God who loves us and comes to live with us; Biblical prophets are not predictors of end-time events, but inspired voices calling people to repentance and justice. She assumes no background in theology. Annotation \u00a92004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said we must get better at telling counter-stories, that is ones that show the love of God rather than the science fiction type ones like Left Behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Thus, the message of the book of Revelation becomes a reframing of the whole concept of victory, giving victory first to the Lamb and then to us. Nowhere in Revelation do God’s people \u201dwage war.\u201d What they do is \u201dconquer\u201d or \u201dbecome victors\u201d \u2014 and they do that by the Lamb’s own blood and by their courageous testimony, not through Armageddon or war. In contrast to Rome’s theology that defined Victory as military conquest, Revelation develops a counter-theology of the non-violent victory (nike) of Jesus, God’s slain Lamb, in which \u201devil is overcome by suffering love,\u201d not by superior power.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OCTOBER 10, 2017 One of the panelists in the \u201dLiving the Questions\u201d series, Barbara R. Rossing author of \u2018The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation\u2019 said that the whole book<\/p>\n