Sing a New Song

First of all, as always, I made a couple of mistakes, such as referring to the first century of the Christian Era as Before Christ, and I also got a couple of dates wrong: 1690 instead of 1688. And I failed to acknowledge that Queen Mary who was married to William of Orange was the daughter of King James II.

People misread the Book of Revelation and can come up with some absurd ideas. But we need to remember that Revelation was written for people living in the first century of the Christian Era, even though the prophecies recapitulate into our own time.

Also, Revelation is a book of worship, as we can see in the handout in this morning's bulletin. Consider all those words that point us back to the Tabernacle and the Temple, with their music and offerings. That's because the True Tabernacle and Temple are in heaven, as is the True Jerusalem. One day that Dwelling Place of God will come to earth (Revelation 21-22).

Who are the 144,000? What does it mean that they are virgins? Why is the Tribe of Dan missing from the list? What is the Mark of the Beast and how is it related to the Mark on Believers? How do we sing a new song?