come again?

Had my "Crawling Through Luke" class this morning. It's not called that, but we've spent three years meeting twice a month and have only gotten to chapter 17. We're having way too much fun.

The second half of Chapter 17 was a bit of a slog, though. Not the Ten Lepers, that was fine. But the part about "the day the Son of Man is revealed."

When you take the Bible seriously,  most of the time it's a wild adventure, life-altering, mind-expanding, challenging, humbling, courage-bringing, bracing, nourishing, healing.

But sometimes it frustrates. Like trying to build a Lego spaceship blindfolded.

I'm compelled to try to make sense of it because it's the Word of God revealed, even the parts that seem like rough edges. But sometimes I end up doing more head-scratching than sense-making.

The last part of Chapter 17 was a little like that. Lightning bolts flashing across the sky. A couple in bed, one taken, one left. Two women grinding grain together; one taken, one left. What is Jesus talking about?

I mean, I think I understand the apocalyptic genre, at least a little. Using jarring, dramatic imagery and heavy allusion to try to convey unseen spiritual realities, the "really real" behind the screen of the visible world, gripping the hearer and forcing a shift in perspective. Babylon=Rome. Beast=Imperial army. Things look bleak now, but God's justice and mercy really do win out in the end.

I get it. I love it.

So, I'm quite willing to pooh-pooh the Left Behind crowd who read Revelation like the Weekend Section and couldn't tell a metaphor from a hole in the ground.

But that's Revelation. I mean, John was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day," having the mother of all day-trips.

I get confused, however, when Jesus talks like that. He heals ten lepers and harangues us for always coming to God with "what's in it for me" attitudes and hearts filled with ingratitude. And then He turns around and talks about floods and burning sulphur and people vanishing.

I understand the words. What am I supposed to do with them?

Still, I did enjoy watching my students' heads spin when I talked about a- and post- and premillenialism, and even preterism. I can now confidently declare myself to be a partial-preteristic amillenialist, if anyone ever asks.

And I was surprised to learn the Catholic church teaches a kind of tribulation: "Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers." (CCC 675)

The Vatican and Tim La Haye on the same page?