A Portrait of Babylon

Westside Church of Christ

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A Portrait of Babylon

September 28, 2023 • Bryan Fojtasek

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The final major member of Team Dragon is a prostitute called "Babylon" in Revelation 17. Bible scholars universally agree that Babylon represented Rome in the first century, but it's also a metaphor for every future group, organization, or nation that operates in the same violent, greedy, idolatrous way. The more we understand the qualities and character traits of Babylon, the more we can be on guard against those kinds of influences in our lives and in our congregations.

Trumpets and Bowls

Bryan Fojtasek

In this class we go over a couple of tough passages: God's acts of divine discipline represented by seven bowls and seven trumpets. Our approach is to view them as God standing in solidarity with the victims of oppression by holding guilty people accountable, while emphasizing that these acts of judgment are intended to produce repentance.

The Judgment Scenes

October 26, 2023 • Bryan Fojtasek

There's a lot of judgment scenes in the book of Revelation. How should we make sense of those? Is God an angry tyrant bent on punishing people he doesn't like? Or is there a healthier view of him that makes sense in the grand scheme of Scripture? Perhaps the better reading is to view God as a loving father who is disciplining his children so that they will turn away from evil and turn to God instead.

Martyrs of the Faith

October 19, 2023 • Bryan Fojtasek

Revelation 6-7 describes a multitude of faithful Christians who remained steadfast in their commitment to Jesus even when it cost them their lives. Their example should inspire us to live bold and courageous lives of faith and to trust in God's goodness, no matter what.