SIMON PHIPPS

We recently passed the 100 year mark since the beginning of World War 1. The media was filled with stories of lives lost and destroyed through this tragic event. In the book of revelation, the final book of the bible we see two riders riding white horses. Each of these riders are identified as conquerers. I believe that we are meant to see these riders as juxtapositions. To notice the similarities, but more so to notice the differences. The first rider is followed by three others, war, injustice, and death. I believe that this first rider stands for Rome (or any other empires / civilisations). It set about to conquer, to win, and usher in the pax romana (the peace of rome). But each of its conquests brought with it war, injustice, and death. The second rider on a white horse is given a distinctive description that marks him out as none other than Christ. He is not accompanied by other riders, he stands alone and victorious. Christ’s methodology for conquering comes in direct con...

I grew up by the seaside town of Torquay; trips to the beach are some of my fondest memories. As a tourist destination, people would come from all over the country, just to be beside the ocean. In the book of Revelation , the last book of the bible, John is describing how he sees the world when it is remade into a place of peace.  In his description he adds that the ocean will be no more . To our western minds this is a negative thing, not a positive one; but to a 1 st century Jewish mind-set, the understanding of the ocean is altogether different. We in the west have a romantic view of the ocean. We forget about the countless lives it has claimed , or what it is like to be aboard a boat and be tossed around in a storm . This idea of chaos is the metaphor that John is using, that the ocean stands for the hatred , death and pain that covers the land like a flood. Tom Wright describes Christians as ‘ people of hope ’. This is what defines us, we look forw...

*updated for 2017* We recently passed the 4 th  anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster , where over 1000 garment workers lost their lives in a tragic, yet entirely avoidable way. The Mark of the Beast In the book of Revelation , the last book of the Bible, John tells us about a mark , put on the head or hand of all people that trade in the marketplace (Revelation 13:16-17).  He called this mark ‘the mark of the beast ’ and urged believers to stop trading in the market. For those living in that time, this was a big deal. One possible interpretation ( mentioned in some documents ) is that in some localities, before trading in the market, you had to burn incense to an effigy of Caesar as an act of worship .  You then received a mark on either your hand or forehead to show that you had done this. John was writing to say that this practice was not acceptable. Essentially he was calling for one of the first recorded boycotts In history . P...

I recently read another article about our impact on the environment, another warning that so many are dismissing. In the letter ‘ Revelation ’, the final book of the bible, we see a scene in a throne room.  In the center of the room is a throne, upon which God sits, and around the throne is 4 creatures : one like a lion , one like an ox , one like a man and one like an eagle .  Day after day they sing praise to God. In a 1 st century Jewish mindset, each of these four creatures stands for the different aspects of creation:  The lion for the wild animals .  The ox for the tame animals . The man for humanity . The eagle for birds .  Each aspect of life bringing forth its hymn of praise. In this picture, we as humanity are creatures alongside all life , joining in the hymn of creation, not dominants, controlling it, bending it to our will, exploiting its resources. In this picture we are in a sy...

At the end of the recent debate between party leaders, one of them said: ‘do what is best for your family, and do what is best for your country.’ The final book of scripture is the book of revelation, written during exile it is full of political language. Part of that book says: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever”1 In this passage we see the writer proclaiming that the divides between nations mean nothing as all of creation is ultimately God’s kingdom. Paul talks about this when he proclaims that we are citizens of heaven. Not that we are citizens of a distant place, but that we are citizens of a different mind-set, a different understanding of reality, where we look to the best interests of all of creation, of all people, as beings created in God’s image. So we do not ask what is best for me or my country, but instead we ask what is best for the world. We don’t say ‘God bless my country’, bu...