Again, we reach the end of time. Again, John’s attention returns to worship in heaven. A new topic is introduced with this song—the marriage of the Lamb. The church is the bride, and the members of the church are invited to attend—an interesting combination of symbols. With the mention of the wedding, we begin to see the positive results of the victory and judgment celebrated in earlier songs, we just need to get to the end.
The stage is set for the final battle. The rider on a white horse—clearly Jesus—comes with his heavenly troops, clothed in purity, but it’s not much of a battle. Note the passive voice, “the beast was captured”—God does the capturing; God’s people do not fight. But Jesus does. He slays his opponents with the sword from his mouth, a symbol for truth. The return of the Messiah as a warrior presents us with an obvious question—what happened to the victory of the Lamb? The war was won on the cross, so why the fight now?
Things don’t end yet. There is a delay before the dragon, the real power enemy, is judged. That delay of 1000 years is the subject of much theological debate and church division. Pre-, Post-, A-millennialists all have opinions, sometimes ignoring the possibility that this number, like every other number in Revelation, is likely symbolic. But what is going on in this symbolic time? Delays in Revelation emphasize the completeness of God’s plan. No matter how much Satan accuses, in the end his lies will have no power. We also know that Jesus already reigns (Rev. 5ff). John may mean that believers reign now with Christ in heaven (see Eph. 2:6), although he applies the concept only to martyrs. One final denial of the truth: Gog and Magog, symbolic persecutors of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39), attempt one last attack on God’s people, but they and Satan are destroyed without a battle.
Finally all the dead are resurrected to judgment—the martyrs skipped that stage. Only in Revelation do we find a 3-stage resurrection: first the martyrs under the altar, then the beheaded martyrs, and finally all the dead. The dead are judged by their deeds—does this contradict the usual Gospel message of grace? Note that only those whose names are in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb (3:5). Salvation is God’s choice and gift, not a reward for good behavior.
Thoughts to think:
Just as the beasts and the dragon are the parody to the reality of the Lamb and God, so the Whore parodies the Bride. Knowing the reality of the Church, how would you describe the difference between the two? How pure is the Bride? What defines her purity?
What exactly happens when you die? Many attempt to reconcile the various New Testament perspectives (in addition to Revelation, see Mark 12:26,27 John 14:2-4, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:10, Ephesians 2:6) but the picture is not clear, and even Revelation itself seems somewhat inconsistent, with its different categories of dead and the earlier visions of victory. What commonalities can we find in the accounts? What can we make of the differences?
John’s description of the Second Coming also differs from other New Testament accounts (ie. 1 Cor. 15, 1 Thess. 4:13-5:10, Mt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21). Add in some other concepts like the Rapture (1Thess 4:13-5:10, Matthew 24:40), and the Tribulation (Luke 21), and you can see why we have so much space for speculation and disagreement among Christians. What does our particular take on these issues say about our understanding of God and salvation?
The Heavenly City (Revelation 21-22)
Death and Hades (Death’s partner and storage unit) are defeated—the last enemy. The first creation, both heaven and earth, is apparently too corrupted by the evil that has been present in both of them, and so it is replaced. What is different about this new creation? As the incarnate Word, Jesus joined together things earthly and heavenly. Now that joining is complete. There is no sea because it is the place of chaos. Most importantly, God now dwells among his people. Notice how the directions are all wrong—God’s people do not go up into heaven, nor does Jesus come down to earth in the clouds. The whole heavenly city comes down (like a Bride, ie. the church). How much of this might be describing the reality of salvation as it is meant to be experienced now? We should not think of this new Creation as a repudiation of the first—God is always the Creator of that one, too—but a completion, as all that was in the Creation that was incomplete, corrupt or decaying is abolished. There is no Temple, either an earthly or heavenly one, because there is no need: God’s glory is in the midst of his people.
Now the city is described. It unites God’s people, founded on both the apostles and the tribes of Israel. John measures it—a perfect cube, 1500 miles in every direction! But the city, all filled with God’s glory is not all there is to this new creation. The nations will come and bring glory. The nations opposed God! How can they be here? John doesn’t completely answer that question, although he makes it clear that lies and idolatry will have no place in God’s plan. Perhaps the answer lies in the trees growing on either side of the river of life. This is the Tree of Life, the one denied to Adam and Eve in Eden. In an earlier vision, the prophet Ezekiel imagined these trees for healing, (Ez. 47:12), but now they are for the healing of the nations. As was sung about earlier (15:4), the nations come to acknowledge God. Despite all the destruction and wrath we have witnessed, it seems that God’s mercy for all his creation wins out in the end. John describes a new Eden, but this one is a city as well as a garden—a place for all the people.
Revelation has focused on division between believers and non, the people of the truth and those who swear allegiance to the beast. Now, as if to remind his churches of their evangelical call, he reminds them that the gift is for all who desire it, giving the invitation: Come. Again he tells his readers that the time is short—all this hidden reality will be revealed soon.
Thoughts to consider:
Who is saved in Revelation? Does God’s mercy make any difference to nonbelievers? What can we make of the place of the nations here at the end of the story?
The end of Revelation is peaceful and beautiful, with assurances of God’s presence with his creation. Compared to what came before, it’s almost a different story! Is all that violence and destruction a necessary prelude to the peace that comes afterwards? What’s the connection?
Revelation describes hidden realities (like the monsters behind the Empire). The victory of the Lamb is complete, but the implications not yet seen—might there be glimpses? Is there anything we might recognize as a sign of the hidden reality of grace and mercy? Can we see anything of Christ’s victory?
It’s been 2000 years since John wrote these words, and yet Christians still wait, seeing the things John describes in their own times, but the end does not come. Do you think we are in the end times? What hope do you find in Revelation? Is there a way for us to use this story as the reassurance and encouragement it was intended to be?