Series: New Testament Overview
Category: Core Seminars, Bible Interpretation, The Wrath of God, Glorification / Resurrection of the Body, Heaven & Hell, The End Times / Return of Christ, Satan
Detail:
Hope is an incredibly powerful thing. What we hope in demonstrates what we value; it drives our perseverance, it motivates our acts of love, and it gives meaning to our pursuit of purity and holiness.
Our attention this morning turns to the book of Revelation, a book that points ahead to the hope of God’s people: Christ’s final reign.
I wonder what images come to mind when you think of this last book of the Bible? Does the strange imagery tend to scare you off? Maybe you feel like it’s a book about gloom and doom and final judgment. Maybe you’ve spent time in the past picking through its details to discern exactly how the future will play out. Well, no matter your past impressions of this book, let me encourage you to revisit it today with a fresh look. Make no mistake, this book does tell us plenty about the future. But its primary application isn’t in the future—like a map I might give you for a place you’re not going to for another ten years. Instead, its main message is about how we can rightly order our hopes—and thus our lives—today. This marvelous book tells us that, ultimately, God wins. And those who have placed their trust in Him will live with Him forever.
And that’s important. Because if you see this book as being about determining who exactly the Antichrist is, or what exactly the mark of the beast will look like, I suspect Revelation will not change your life very much tomorrow. But as you begin to understand to true message of the book, you can’t help but be changed. How you can live a life today that only makes sense if this book is true?
Background and Authorship
Authorship
The book itself identifies the author simply as "John" (Revelation 1:1, 1:9). This means he must have been really well known if he could just say his name and expect everybody to know who he is! I think the simplest explanation is that he's the same apostle who wrote the gospel and letters of John.
According to Revelation 1:9, John received the visions while in exile on the island of Patmos, likely during the reign of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96). Multiple sources from early on in church history tell us that the apostle John exercised a long ministry in the city of Ephesus, in the province of Asia, minor modern Turkey, which is where revelation is addressed to and sent to.
Purpose
The purpose of the book is to reveal spiritual realities about God, Christ, salvation, and the final triumph of God's kingdom in order to enable believers to persevere in faith and witness by testifying to the truth about Jesus . In this sense the Book of Revelation is an intensely practical book! It’s not written to be decoded like a secret message and provide some kind of fantastical insight about the future. It was written as Revelation 14:12, says, “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." Again and again you find these words repeated of “patient endurance” (Revelation 1:9; 2:2-3, 19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). That is what the Book of Revelation is aiming for through reminding believers of the unseen realities around them and soon to come.
K. Chesterton humorously quipped regarding Revelation, “Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators.”[1]
Genre: How to profitably read, interpret, and apply the Book of Revelation
That brings us to a discussion of genre. We’ve not spent much time considering genre in this class because the books we’ve studied recently have all been letters, which is a genre we understand quite well.
The Book of Revelation is a combination of three different biblical genres. One is apocalypse , like certain portions of Daniel and Ezekiel that have these elaborate visions, just like Revelation. Another is prophecy , just like the Old Testament prophetic books. But Revelation is also a letter . It's a letter from John to the seven churches that are in Asia.
So we need to read the Book of Revelation according to each of these genres.
1. Read the Book of Revelation as Apocalyptic
The word "Revelation" (Greek: *apocalypsis*) means "unveiling" or "revealing." It's crucial to approach the text as an unveiling of truths, rather than simply predicting future events . Understanding this helps us interpret the highly symbolic nature of the text.
Apocalyptic literature is distinct from prophecy. Apocalyptic literature describes real spiritual realities in the present and the future.[2]
The events in Revelation are real—but described in apocalyptic, or symbolic terms, rather than as a realistic, linear historical narrative. Throughout the book images are layered over each other, with common themes recapitulated over and over again to give us a set of strong impressions.[3]
This means that many of the numbers, images, and visions in Revelation are frequently symbolic rather than literal. We should approach metaphors with an understanding of the spiritual realities they signify, relying heavily on the Old Testament. For instance, Revelation draws on the imagery of heavenly scrolls (Rev. 5:1-9) from Daniel 7:10 and beasts representing kingdoms (Rev. 13:1-2) from Daniel 7:3-8. Revelation also draws on the names Gog and Magog (19:19-21; 20:7-10) from the enemies depicted in Ezekiel 38-39. Revelation also draws on highly symbolic numbers such as “seven” to refer to completeness rather than a literal number. Most numbers in the Book of Revelation can be explained through combining symbolic numbers in ways that were highly familiar to John’s original Jewish audience. For instance, the 144,00 believers from Revelation 7:4 comes from multiplying the twelve tribes with the twelve apostles and multiplying them by 1,000 (12x12x1,000).
Or take the famous number of the beast as 666 (Rev. 13:8). There has been no small amount of speculation about the meaning of this number. But sorry to disappoint you, the meaning is rather plain. The number 666 is simply a symbolic way of pointing to the Roman Emperor Nero. If you put Caesar Nero's name into Hebrew letters and add up the numerical values, it comes to 666. In the same way that 777 would represent absolute perfection, this number is believed to signify a kind of absolute im perfection.
This means most fundamentally that we should not be looking to find the fulfillment of apocalyptic imagery in current events or modern technologies. And yes, I’m saying that the locusts of chapter 9 ("faces like men" and "wings like horses”) are not Chinook helicopters. Much less does the “Mark of the Beast” (Rev. 13:16-17) represent implanted chips, credit cards, or digital currencies. Such specific interpretations not only misunderstand the symbolic nature of apocalyptic literature; they occlude the theological point! The “Mark of the Beast” represents allegiance to idolatry in the face of persecution! The locusts represent agents of God's judgment, as in the Exodus.
As we read Revelation we should focus on the spiritual truths it contains. In this case, the spiritual truths revelation contains, among others, are that God is in control, that he wins in the end, and that he cares deeply for his people.
2. Read the Book of Revelation as Prophecy
Still, we should read the Book of Revelation as prophecy.
Revelation presents the climax of the biblical story of redemption and builds on and fulfills Old Testament prophecies and imagery. Revelation is highly symbolic but it isn’t merely symbolic. It promises the visible and bodily return of Christ who will come back for his bride (Rev. 19:11-16). It portrays an actual judgment that is coming (20:11-15). It describes the bodily resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, either to eternal life or eternal death (Rev. 20:4-6, 12-13). It promises the judgment of Satan (Rev. 20:7-10), the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth (21:1-5), the coming of the New Jerusalem from Heaven (21:9-27), the marriage support fo the lamb (Rev. 19:6-9), and the eternal reign of God with his people (Rev. 22:3-5). These are events that will happen! The believer’s confidence in these future prophecies is what gives the book its spiritual power.
3. Read the Book of Revelation as a Letter
And third, we need to read the Book of Revelation as a letter . John wrote the book of Revelation from exile on the isle of Patmos around the end of the first century. By this time the gospel had been preached throughout the whole province of Asia as well as much of the rest of the Roman Empire—to the point that Paul could write in Colossians 1:6 that the gospel was bearing fruit “all over the world.” But under the reign of Domitian Christians who refused to worship the emperor they found themselves objects of suspicion and persecution, sometimes even to death. In this context, the book of Revelation was written as a letter to encourage Christians toward perseverance and hope.
It was written not to confuse or to mystify, but rather to serve as a clear unveiling of God’s plan to bring judgment on the wicked and to preserve his people for eternal life in his kingdom.
Outline
Now, with genre in view, let’s move into the structure of the book. One of the most important things to recognize about the structure of Revelation is that it is divided into seven separate sections that do not follow after each other chronologically and linearly , but rather recapitulate one another and build in intensity in a sort of progressive parallelism. In terms of history, each section begins with the first coming of Christ and ends with his second coming, thus covering the entire church age. The last few sections build further, ending with the final judgment and the new heaven and earth.
The Church and the World
Chapters 1-3 The Church in the World (Seven Lampstands)
Each church is a type of response to the world. There are references to 2nd coming throughout, but no formal progression to final judgment
Chapters 4-7 The Church suffering trial and persecution (Seven Seals)
6th seal a picture of final judgment, while the 7th seal is silence, which in OT is symbolic of the shut mouths of the ungodly awaiting judgment.
Chapters 8-11 The Church protected and victorious (Seven Trumpets)
Visions of God’s judgment on the world, including unbelievers in the church. 7th trumpet a declaration of final victory! God wins!
Christ and the Dragon
Chapters 12-14 Christ opposed by the Dragon & his helpers (Seven Visions)
Begins with the birth of Christ and ends with scenes of final judgment. Rev. 14:14.
Chapters 15-16 Final judgment upon the wicked (Seven Bowls)
Again, section ends with final judgment: “It is done!” Rev. 16:17.
Chapters 17-19 The Fall of Babylon and the Beasts
This section progresses even further, past the final judgment of Babylon and the Beast, to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Rev. 19:7.
Chapters 20-22 The Dragon’s Doom and Christ’s Victory
And of course there is no debate that this last section ends with the new heavens and the new earth.[4]
With each of the seven visions, John surveys the entire history of the church, but each time from a different perspective and with different emphases. There is a progressive nature, but it is not fundamentally chronological, but rather a progression in intensity and finality. Any questions?
What we’ll do now is to walk through the book—beginning with the first few chapters , then moving through one of the cycles of seven as illustrative of the others , and finishing with the conclusion of the book .
Revelation as a Letter from the Ascended Christ (Rev. 2-3)
Look with me at Revelation chapter 1, verse 9 to chapter 2 verse 7.
This book begins as a letter to seven churches scattered throughout modern-day Turkey (Rev 2:1, 2:8, 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, 3:14; Rev 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22). Here Jesus is presented as the divine, risen, ascended, reigning, authoritative heavenly physician who diagnoses the spiritual health of each church and prescribes the necessary remedies (Rev 2:1, 2:8, 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, 3:14). Now, the number seven is probably symbolic, because we know there were other churches in that region. But these seven are singled out, probably to symbolize wholeness and to symbolize that all churches, throughout all history, are meant to hear and benefit from this message.
The general pattern John uses to address each of these churches is to include an introduction emphasizing Jesus’ divine authority commendation, a rebuke, a solution, the result of not repenting, and a promise for those who conquer (Rev 2:1-7, 2:8-11, 2:12-17, 2:18-29, 3:1-6, 3:7-13, 3:14-22).
The letters reveal that even healthy, faithful churches can struggle with issues like abandoning their first love, compromising with idolatry and immorality, and spiritual self-deception. The letters call all churches—and therefore all believers— to self-examination, repentance, and perseverance in the faith. (Rev 2:4, 2:14-15, 3:1, 3:15-17)
The ultimate purpose of the letters is to encourage and equip the churches to remain faithful to Christ amid opposition, suffering, and temptation, with the promise of eternal rewards for those who conquer.
The Throne (Rev. 4-5)
In Revelation 4, the scene dramatically shifts as John is invited into a heavenly vision, transported "in the Spirit" to behold the very throne room of God (Rev 4:1-2). This vision provides the foundational framework for understanding the rest of the book of Revelation.
At the center of this vision is the throne of God, with the one seated on it described in dazzling, precious stone-like imagery (Rev 4:2-3). This throne represents God's supreme sovereignty and authority over all creation. As the 24 elders declare, God is "worthy...for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created" (Rev 4:11).
Unlike the thrones of earthly rulers that can be toppled, the throne of God is unshakable. John wants his readers to grasp that ultimate power and control reside not with any human empire, but with the eternal, almighty God who reigns from his heavenly throne (Rev 4:2-3, 5). Listen to 4:3-8:
“And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within” (Rev 4:3-8).
This vision of God's throne challenges believers to trust in the Lord's sovereign rule, rather than placing their ultimate hope in the fleeting powers of this world. As the four living creatures ceaselessly worship the one seated on the throne, declaring "Holy, holy, holy," the message is clear - the Lord God Almighty alone is worthy of wholehearted devotion (Rev 4:8).
If this is who God is—if this is the center of everything—how should we live?
Worship God wholeheartedly . The heavenly beings never cease worshiping the one seated on the throne (Rev 4:8). So we should follow their example, giving all glory, honor and praise to the sovereign, holy God. We worship a God who is delightfully different from us: infinitely beautiful and glorious in himself.
Trust in God's supreme authority . Unlike earthly rulers, God's throne is unshakable and his control over all creation is absolute (Rev 4:2-3, 11). Do you know how many seats in Congress are permanent seats? Zero. Every single one is contested, every single one is up for reelection. Brothers and sisters, there is only one throne in heaven—and he is never up for reelection. So amidst earthly uncertainty, as rulers rise and fall, we can trust God’s sovereign plan and authority.
The Lamb on the Throne
In Revelation 5, John's vision takes an unexpected turn. After being told to behold "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" who has conquered (Rev 5:5), John instead sees "a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain" (Rev 5:6). This juxtaposition of the mighty Lion and the slain Lamb is a profound revelation.
The elder's reference to the "Lion" evokes images of power, strength and triumph. Yet when John looks, he sees not a lion, but a Lamb - one who has been sacrificed, bearing the marks of his slaughter. This Lamb, however, is standing in the very center of God's throne, receiving the worship and adoration due to the sovereign Lord (Rev 5:6-7, 13-14).
The Lamb who was slain is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin and death through his sacrificial death on the cross. Though he suffered as a Lamb led to the slaughter, he has been exalted to the highest place, worthy to open the scroll and execute God's eternal plan (Rev 5:5-7).
This vision challenges our human expectations and assumptions. The suffering servant is the Lord of Glory. The one who was crucified now reigns supreme on the throne of God. In this, we see that God's ways are not our ways - his power is manifested through weakness, his victory through apparent defeat.
The book of Revelation does not promise the absence of suffering. Rather, it points to the goodness and sovereignty of God, who works out his purposes even in the midst of judgment and tribulation. The hope of Revelation is found in the Lamb who was slain, who has secured the ultimate victory and will one day make all things new. In him, believers can find unshakable confidence, even amidst the trials of this present age.
What does this mean for us as believers? It means we should Rest in Christ's sure victory . The Lamb who was slain is worthy to open the scroll and execute God's purposes (Rev 5:5-7). As Christians we can rest in the assurance that Jesus has conquered sin and death, securing their eternal salvation.
But we do move along to judgment.
God’s Judgment
The Seven Seals
In chapter 6, verse 1, John tells us,
“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.” (6:1-2).
As I mentioned before, chapters 6-16 are not a linear, end-to-end recounting of events in history. We’d have some pretty serious problems if that were the case; after all, how could the events of chapters 7 and on even take place after the sixth seal is opened in 6:14, as we read: “The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” (6:14). If we are to take these judgments as a linear recounting of events, then several of the remaining judgments could not literally take place.
Instead, what we see, as I mentioned earlier, is several cycles of seven that each cover the full spectrum of history from Jesus’ first coming to his second—with each cycle more intense than the last. But each cycle is describing the same time period- simply from a different angle. So in chapter six, you have the opening of the six seals followed by the interlude of chapter 7.
The First Seal - Conquest (Revelation 6:1-2)
The Second Seal - Conflict (Revelation 6:3-4)
The Third Seal - Scarcity (Revelation 6:5-6)
The Fourth Seal - Death (Revelation 6:7-8)
The Fifth Seal - Martyrdom of the Saints (Revelation 6:9-11)
The Sixth Seal - Cosmic Disturbances (Revelation 6:12-17)
The Seventh Seal - Silence in Heaven (Revelation 8:1)
After the interlude of chapter 7, you have a new cycle of seven trumpets beginning in chapter 8. Together, these seven trumpets depict the progressive and intensifying judgments of God upon the earth, leading up to the final consummation of his kingdom. Judgment begins with the land being burned with fire and hail (Revelation 8:7). The judgments get progressively worse with part of the sea becoming blood (Revelation 8:8-9), rivers and springs becoming embittered by a falling star (Revelation 8:10-11), one-third of the sun, moon, and stars being darkened (Revelation 8:12), locust demons coming out of the abyss (Revelation 9:1-11), and one-third of mankind being killed (Revelation 9:13-19).
But then, just like in the Seven Seals, there is an interlude in chapter 10 before the seventh trumpet is sounded, indicating that judgment is not an end in itself, but rather a means to the end of God’s purposes.
Finally, in chapter 11:15-18 the seventh trumpet marks the climactic transition from the present age to the eternal kingdom of God, when all of history reaches its final consummation and God's righteous judgment is fully realized:
"Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.' And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, 'We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.'" (Revelation 11:15-18)
Through all these events we learn important things about God’s judgment. Let’s consider some of these lessons. We see first:
The Completeness of God’s Judgment (See 11:15-18; 22:12).
In each series – the seals, the trumpets, the bowls the judgments – like a descending spiral -- repeatedly get worse. So complete is God’s power that even his extraterrestrial creation acts in concert with his judgment on earth: the sun is blackened, the moon turns red, and the stars fall. In other words, they affect all the natural sources and supports of human life, everything that we rely on to sustain us. No created thing can shield us on that day from God’s sight. Not even death itself can hide us from the searching judgment of God (11:18).
The Finality of God’s Judgment
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (11:15b). This present world will end. There will come a day when it is all over. There is no appeal from God’s judgment. When God judges, the only response is the silence of assent and songs of worship.
The Horror of God’s Judgment.
The imagery used to describe the trumpet judgments is truly horrific, depicting plagues, destruction, and torment (Rev. 9:1-21). The severity of his judgments is clear throughout the book. It will be a horrible thing to undergo the judgment of the Lord Almighty. ***Illustration: I was sharing about the reality of hell with someone who claimed to be a Christian but didn’t believe in hell. They were saying that the descriptions of God’s judgment here in Revelation and elsewhere weren’t literal but symbolic. I said, yes, but that’s the problem. The effectiveness of a symbol depends on the correlation between the symbol and the thing signified. So if this is the symbolic language God chose to describe the horrors of judgment—what does that say about the reality of what it signifies?
If the images are true, we do not help anyone by trying to make them seem less horrible.
We must not minimize the horror of God's judgment. It will be a horrible thing to undergo the judgment of the Lord Almighty (Heb. 10:31).
The Righteousness of God’s Judgment.
At the end of the seven trumpets, 11:17-18, the two elders praise God for his righteous judgment.
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” (Rev. 11:17-18).
God's judgment is an expression of his holiness and his desire to make all things right (Ps. 98:9, Rom. 2:5-8). God’s judgments are complete, accurate, and appropriate.[5]
God will triumph
But the book does not end with judgment.
The book of Revelation does not end with judgment, but rather with the ultimate triumph of Christ. After the seals, trumpets, and bowls (Revelation 6-16), we witness the defeat of the Beast, the fall of Babylon, and the triumphant reign of Christ (Revelation 17-19). Turn ahead to chapter 20, verse 11.
Here we see the final judgment before God's great white throne. Here, Satan and the dead are judged (Revelation 20:11-15), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty over all of history.
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.”
Before this throne, Satan and the dead are judged. God is sovereign over history.
When John was writing this, the powerful Roman emperors were demanding obedience that belonged only to God. To resist could mean death. Yet, from his exile on the island of Patmos, John boldly proclaims judgment not only on the kingdom of Rome, but on all future earthly powers that oppose God (Revelation 13).
Why does John have such confidence? Because he knows that Jesus is coming back (Revelation 19:11-16). The final word does not belong to any earthly Caesar, but to Almighty God. Christ will return in power to conquer His enemies, reward His people, and destroy the devil, bringing perfect justice and lasting peace (Revelation 19-20). The vision of the final judgment assures us that God's sovereignty will prevail, no matter the earthly powers that may rise against Him.
From a Garden to a City
And that brings us to our final section in the book. With judgment past, we see a picture of our glorious future. All the events from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20 have been in preparation for a grand restoration greater than anything we have ever experienced. God is preparing a people for Himself who will live together with Him for all eternity. You’ll recall that the Bible began in a garden, the garden of Eden. But with God’s people increasing to a multitude no one can count, it ends in a city, the heavenly city of Revelation 21.
Of course, the description of this Heavenly City does not begin in Revelation, but way back in the Old Testament where God’s prophets prepared us for what John would describe here. You’ll see on your handout some of the parallels between Rev 21 and various passages in the Old Testament. Isaiah 65:17 describes the new heavens and new earth, Ez 37:27 and Lev 26:11-12 proclaim God’s dwelling will be with His people, Is 55:1 and 2 Sam 7:14 describe the provision that is made for citizens of this City, and throughout the OT we see physical descriptions of this City.
Do you think of Heaven as a City? You have may have mixed attitudes towards cities and for good reason. Even the Bible presents cities as Godforsaken places of through his judgments on Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jerusalem itself, and (in the book of Revelation) Rome… With all this in mind, it is amazing to read what John sees in this last and perhaps greatest vision in the Bible. He does not see a bunch of disembodied beings inhabiting clouds and reclining in everlasting laziness. No, he sees an entirely new creation, and primarily he sees a new city—the city of holiness, the city of God, the city of God’s people.
God has prepared something even better than a garden for His people. This City is the hope of all God’s people. John describes it like this,
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (21:1-2).
Skipping to verse 23, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day –and there will be no night there.” (21:23-25).
Furthermore, the very effects of the Fall will no longer be with us, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.” (22:1-3).
What a glorious place this will be! Death is replaced by life (21:4). Night is replaced by everlasting light (21:23-26). Corruption by purity (21:27). Divine curse by divine blessing (22:1-5). The city is one of brilliance (21:9-21). And the rebellion of mankind? Rebellion is pictured throughout the Bible as a raging sea (e.g. Is 57:20, Ps 89, 93). And so the sea we saw around the throne in 4:6 was “as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.” Without any perturbation. Rebellion quenched. And yet in this new heaven and new earth, 21:1: “and the sea was no more.” Rebellion? There is no such thing anymore.
And thus the peculiar shape of this city. 21:16, it is pictured as a perfect cube. Can anyone think of another structure in the bible of that shape? [wait for an answer]
Yes! The Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place within the temple (1 Kings 6:20). With rebellion done, the entirety of God’s people will live forever in the very presence of God, in the heavenly holy of holies. We will worship Him, and him alone, for all eternity!
Conclusion
Well, time to conclude. We will finally come face to face with God and rejoice. He designed it that way since the beginning of the beginning -- before time. He will wipe away every tear from your face. So, trust him! His Kingdom is coming!
God cares about the world He has created. He is in control. And He will finally act to restore all things to Himself.
The revelation of the New Testament is the revelation of the Kingdom of God. It began with the announcement of the Kingdom and the coming of the King in the Gospels. It progressed with the Kingdom’s expansion to the ends of the earth in Acts. It continued with various letters from the servants of the Kingdom, detailing how the Kingdom should be organized here on earth, who its members are, and what their life should look like. Those letters also warned that the Kingdom would face opposition. But the New Testament ends with the ringing declaration that the Kingdom of God, established through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, would prevail. And that this Kingdom, unlike every other kingdom this world has ever known, will never end. Which leaves each of us with the question: Are you a member of this Kingdom? Do you know the King? Are you serving the King? If so, then you will understand why John ends the New Testament on the same note that Matthew began it. Come, Lord Jesus. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Let’s pray.
[1] Orthodoxy (New York: John Lane, 1909), 29.
[2] Apocalypse: The Morphology of a Genre , Semeia 14 (Chico, CA: Scholars, 1979), 9
[3] More Than Conquerors for a careful critique of other methods of interpretation in the book of Revelation.
[4]
[5] The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners : “Every crime or fault deserves a greater or less punishment, in proportion as the crime itself is greater or less. If any fault deserves punishment, then so much the greater the fault, so much the greater is the punishment deserved. The faulty nature of any thing is the formal ground and reason of its desert of punishment; and therefore the more any thing hath of this nature, the more punishment it deserves. And therefore the terribleness of the degree of punishment, let it be never be so terrible, is no argument against the justice of it, if the proportion does but hold between the heinousness of the crime and the dreadfulness of the punishment; so that if there be any such thing as a fault infinitely heinous, it will follow that it is just to inflict a punishment for it that is infinitely dreadful.
A crime is more or less heinous, according as we are under greater or less obligations to the contrary. This is self-evident; because it is herein that the criminalness or faultiness of any thing consists, that it is contrary to what we are obliged or bound to, or what ought to be in us. So the faultiness of one being hating another, is in proportion to his obligation to love him. The crime of one being despising and casting contempt on another, is proportionably more or less heinous, as he was under greater or less obligations to honour him. The fault of disobeying another, is greater or less, as any one is under greater or less obligations to obey him. And therefore if there be any being that we are under infinite obligations to love, and honour, and obey, the contrary towards him must be infinitely faulty.
Our obligation to love, honour, and obey any being, is in proportion to his loveliness, honourableness, and authority; for that is the very meaning of the words. When we say any one is very lovely, it is the same as to say, that he is one very much to be loved. Or if we say such a one is more honourable than another, the meaning of the words is, that he is one that we are more obliged to honour. If we say any one has great authority over us, it is the same as to say, that he has great right to our subjection and obedience.
But God is a being infinitely lovely, because he hath infinite excellency and beauty. To have infinite excellency and beauty, is the same thing as to have infinite loveliness. He is a being of infinite greatness, majesty, and glory; and therefore he is infinitely honourable. He is infinitely exalted above the greatest potentates of the earth, and highest angels in heaven; and therefore he is infinitely more honourable than they. His authority over us is infinite; and the ground of his right to our obedience is infinitely strong; for he is infinitely worthy to be obeyed himself, and we have an absolute, universal, and infinite dependence upon him.
So that sin against God, being a violation of infinite obligations, must be a crime infinitely heinous, and so deserving of infinite punishment.- Nothing is more agreeable to the common sense of mankind, than that sins committed against any one, must be proportionably heinous to the dignity of the being offended and abused; as it is also agreeable to the word of God, I Samuel 2:25. "If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him;" (i.e. shall judge him, and inflict a finite punishment, such as finite judges can inflict;) "but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?" This was the aggravation of sin that made Joseph afraid of it. Genesis 39:9. "How shall I commit this great wickedness, and sin against God?" This was the aggravation of David's sin, in comparison of which he esteemed all others as nothing, because they were infinitely exceeded by it. Psalm 51:4. "Against thee, thee only have I sinned."-The eternity of the punishment of ungodly men renders it infinite: and it renders it no more than infinite; and therefore renders no more than proportionable to the heinousness of what they are guilty of.”
