For a number of years now, Queens University of Charlotte has hosted the Tarwater Lectures, an annual event focused on the intersection of faith and science or the social sciences. Named after RTS Charlotte alumna, Ann Tarwater, the lecture is normally delivered by a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of doing several of the lectures, and last year I did the lecture on: “The End of Days: The Book of Revelation in Early Christianity.” Since everyone is always fascinated with the book of Revelation, perhaps it is not surprising that it was one of the best attended lectures in the history of the series.
Due to the interest in Revelation we are sticking with the theme, and I will be giving the Tarwater Lectures this year on “The Mark of the Beast, 666, and Early Christian Apocalyptic Thought.” The lecture will be Monday, Sept 29th, 5:30PM in the Belk Chapel on the campus of Queens University. You can register here.
Needless to say, there is a lot of controversy over the meaning of these parts of Revelation. Thoughts about the Mark of the Beast have varied widely, including the idea that it is some sort of bar code on our hand, or a transmitter under our skin, and some even thought the COVID shot was the Mark of the Beast!
Similarly, there have been many opinions about “666,” including the idea that the number is literally stamped on the body of Satan’s minions, or that it refers to the emperor Nero, or that it is 999 upside down, or that the number should even be 616 instead of 666.
As I will argue during the lecture, I think much of this can be resolved if we read the book of Revelation not like 21st-century Westerners, but like the ancient Christians who understood the book to be Apocalyptic literature.
All in all, it should be a fun evening! I will even be taking Q&A after the lecture.
For more on the book of Revelation, you can listen to my online class at RTS entitled, “Hebrews to Revelation,” available through our RTS Global Campus here. Hope to see you on the 29th!