DEAD, FINALLY
“I am a person who loves death. . . . I would like to be killed by the bullet.” This was the boast of Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and numerous others. His perverted wish was granted when his life recently ended with bullets to the head and chest. In 2001, then-President Bush vowed America would bring bin Laden to justice, “dead or alive.” Early in the current administration, President Obama made the killing or capture of bin Laden a top priority. The president announced on Sunday evening that that mission had been accomplished.
ALIVE, FOREVER
The braggadocio of this century’s most infamous mass murderer stands in marked contrast to Revelation’s picture of the God who loves life and lives forever. Flashes of lightning and thunder surround his throne, yet in front of God’s throne is a sea as calm and smooth as glass. Both power and tranquility are symbolized by this description. The living creatures and elders who surround God’s throne praise him. They remind us that God is the one who created all things and who gives life. What a striking difference from those who live only to kill!
1. Should a Christian’s reaction to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death be different from the reaction of a non-Christian? If so, how? If not, why not?
2. How does the imagery of God’s throne room speak to you?
3. In a world as violent as ours, what can Christians do to make it more peaceful?
4. As you read of the creatures saying, “Holy, holy, holy” in Revelation 4:8, what can you do personally to counter the unholiness that reigns in today’s world?
5. How can you make your life be a continual statement of worship before God?
—Charles R. Boatman
Copyright © 2011 by Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, OH. All rights reserved.
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