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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence Day - Revelation 5:1-14

Happy 4th of July! I was thinking about several things to write about today, but the easiest one was to share with you something I recently wrote in school where I referenced Independence Day in an assignment. Below is an excerpt from my NT exegetical paper on Revelation 5:1-14. I hope it gives you a rich insight to the context of the book of Revelation. I compare the historical victory of America through Independence Day, and the spiritual victory of Christians through the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Enjoy the read, everyone!

Independence Day
"Every year on the fourth of July, people all over the United States gather with fellow Americans to celebrate Independence Day as a national holiday. Americans celebrate this day with festive music and clothing, extravagant feasts with relatives and friends, and always end the night with a memorial firework show. The American Revolution was decidedly won by the Colonial Army led by the first president of the United States, George Washington. George Washington was considered a founding father of the United States and is honored as a hero for conquering the British forces in order to deliver the Colonies from the oppression of the British Empire. The Declaration of Independence was passed in 1776 to establish their victory of freedom from the enemy. As a result, every year Americans celebrates the defeat of the British which amended constitutional freedom for the United States as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The unique American holiday is reminiscent of the glorious victory celebration in Revelation 5. The heavenly hosts and saints gather together in the heavenly throne room of God to give praise to the Lamb for his triumphant sovereignty over Satan. The Lamb, Jesus Christ, has conquered Satan, the ultimate enemy and oppressor of the people of God. The Lamb’s sacrificial death on the cross ransomed people for God from all nations. The ransom enables liberation for believers to receive freedom from the power of Satan and judgment of sin as the redeemed people of God (v. 5:9). Through the worthy life of the slain Lamb, Jesus once and for all made a new unified kingdom of people who will reign forever with God (v. 5:10). The result of such a glorious victory evokes absolute celebration. All who are gathered in the heavenly throne room of God are showcased exalting the worship of Jesus as the conquering Lamb who has defeated the enemy and will reign forever as the sovereign Savior of all creation (v. 5:13). Just as Americans remember their Independence Day with praise and the blasts of fireworks, the heavenly throne room roars with glorious praise and worship for the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 5 displays the ultimate Independence Day for the people of God, where the Lamb victoriously died and rose again to receive the worthiness to open the seven sealed scroll to unfold the future of redemptive history for the glory of God." (This was an excerpt from R.J. McCauley's paper on Revelation 5:1-14 entitled, "The Conquering Lamb: An Exegetical Interpretation of the Exalted Worship of Jesus")

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