Revelation 21:1-6
The Rev’d Canon Dr Marian Free
In the name of God in whose hands is our future and the future of the world. Amen.
Can you believe that nearly one quarter of the 21st. century has already passed? 24 ½ years ago the news was filled with stories of impending disasters, in particular that all the computers would crash and with them all of the infrastructure that they ran. Some people were busy building supplies of water and tinned food in preparation for the expected a destruction of the world. Others were predicting the sort of chaos depicted in The Book of Revelation – especially in relation to the release of Satan after 1,000 years of captivity. (Indeed the 1000 years has taken on a meaning of its own, despite the fact that judgement did not rain down and the world was not destroyed at the beginning of the 11th century.)
The Book of Revelation is responsible for a great deal of fearmongering, predictions of dire judgement and the end of the world. Most of us can probably remember the anxiety that many people felt when the first credit cards were released – the three nested ‘b’s’ being taken for 666 – the number of the beast in Revelation.
Revelation or the Apocalypse of John is the most controversial and confusing book of the Bible. So controversial that it was not definitively included in our scriptures until the year 367 and even now many people choose to avoid it because it is so difficult. Apart from these few weeks it has no part in our lectionary. The book is filled with fantastic images, lurid descriptions of God’s punishment and impenetrable symbolism. In other words, it seems to be completely incomprehensible and beyond rational belief.
To some extent that is true, but it is also a book that to some extent is written in code and when one understands that code it becomes much easier to understand. In simple terms the Book describes a cosmic battle between good and evil, in which good is the victor. It is not intended to be a history, but it is based in a time and place and like prophetic literature. It is not intended as a prediction of what will happen in the future but rather a commentary on the current situation. Whereas prophetic literature warned about the consequences of continuing in the current (godless) course of action, apocalyptic literature is designed to provide hope in situations in which the godly feel victimized and abandoned.
Typically, apocalyptic theology arises at times when people are feeling the weight of oppression and injustice. It addresses the apparent flourishing of evil and assures the faithful that their persecutors will get their just desserts (while they, the faithful, will be rewarded for their suffering and endurance).
The Book of Revelation was written specifically for the seven churches addressed in the first few chapters. It appears that members of these churches were experiencing some sort of persecution, even martyrdom, but also that their initial enthusiasm for the faith was diminishing. While there was no wide-scale persecution at this time, believers were often isolated – from families, prevented from earning a living, and may have suffered some attacks from their neighbours and fellow citizens. The enduring power of Rome, its decadence and corruption will have been a source of angst and confusion to believers and on top of this there may have been a very real danger of war as armies gathered in the east.
In this climate, the author of Revelation writes to encourage and reassure the faithful and to warn the backsliders. John insists that God is on the side of believers and that good will win in the end. Consistent with other apocalyptic writings, the author also describes in great detail what God will do to backsliders or to those who oppose God and who persecute or oppress the faithful. This does not mean that all who do not believe will be destroyed. Revelation is a call to repentance – the threatened destruction will not affect those who return to God.
While the book appears to be totally chaotic, various commentators have pointed out that the book is extraordinarily well-structured. Michael Fallon[1] for example demonstrates that the Book is divided into seven scenes, the first five of which are bordered by descriptions of heaven. Schüssler Fiorenza argues that the Book follows a concentric pattern around a central core. Both understand chapter 10 a fulcrum, it looks back to themes mentioned earlier in the book (things which are hidden) and forward to the end (things which are exposed).
As I have mentioned, Revelation is filled with symbolism and patterns, which make more sense if one understands the code. For example, there are seven letters, each of which follow a similar pattern and include a reference to description of the Son of Man with which the Book begins. In each there is a greeting, a reference to the description of Jesus, a commendation, a rebuke, a call to repentance or a warning, a prophetic saying, a promise of Christ’s speedy coming, an exhortation to hold fast, a call to listen and finally promise to the broader community that those who conquer will be rewarded. The letters are followed by four sets of seven plagues which again follow a pattern – persecution, judgement and victory.
That the book is not meant to be taken literally is evidenced by the seven plagues – each of which threatens to destroy the whole world. The repetition is simply for effect – it is impossible to destroy the world once it has been destroyed. Another clue that the book is not literal is the future reference to the birth of Jesus in chapter 12. Readers of the book would understand that Jesus had already been born.
Which brings me briefly to today’s reading. Revelation ends as it begins with Jesus as the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega. Before that the recipients are assured that not only will God triumph in the end, but that all things will be renewed and that those who hold firm will see an end to sorrow, pain and dying, and that God, who has never abandoned them will wipe their tears from their eyes.
The message of Revelation is that no matter how bad things are, no matter how much suffering we might endure, God will be the victor, and God will restore all things and will bring us to Godself.
Understood properly, The Book of Revelation is not an archaic, incomprehensible, irrelevant piece of scripture but a message for our own turbulent times.
Some code breakers.
The use of numbers. Seven as you know is the number for perfection (seven days of the week) and by contrast 31/2 (42 months) is the number for imperfection. There were twelve tribes of Israel and 12 Apostles. Twelve is the number for completeness. Four relates to the four. Corners of the world and the four elements, it relates to totality. There are seven churches, seven letters, seven plagues, the Lamb has 7 horns and 7 eyes and there are seven spirits. The number admitted to heaven – 144000 12x12x1000 – is symbolic not literal. The four sets of seven plagues implies total destruction. The four faced creatures – lion, ox, human and eagle -represent the noblest, the strongest, the wisest and the swiftest. 666, the number which to some holds so much weight, is the number represented by the Hebrew spelling of Nero. (There was a popular belief that Nero would be resurrected and wreak terror on the land.)
Colours are also significant – gold signifies divinity, white – purity, red-war, black- plague and pale green-death.
Structure
A 1:1-8 Prologue and Epistolary Greeting
1:1-3 Title
1:4-6 Greetings
1:7-8 Motto
B 1:9-3:22 Rhetorical Situation in the Cities of Asia Minor
1:9-10 Author and Situation
1:11-20 Prophetic Inaugural Vision
I 1:1-3:22 Prophetic message to seven communities
C 4:1-9:21, 11:15-19 Opening the Sealed Scroll
4:1-5:14 Heavenly Court and the sealed scroll
II 6:1-8:1 Cosmic Plagues – Seven Seals
III 8:2-9:21; 11:15-19 Cosmic Plagues – Seven Trumpets
D 10:1-15:4 The Bitter-sweet Scroll: “War against the community”
10:1-11:14 Prophetic commissioning
12:1-14:5 Prophetic interpretation
14:6-15:4 Eschatological liberation
C’ 15:5-19:10 Exodus from the Oppression of Babylon/Rome
IV 15:5- 16:21 Cosmic plagues – seven bowls
17:1-18 Rome and its Power
18:1-19:10 Judgement of Rome
B’ 19:11-22:9 Liberation from Evil and God’s World-City
19:11-20:15 Liberation from the powers of evil
21:1-8 The liberated world of God
21:9-22:9 The different cosmopolis of God
A’ 22:10-21 Epilogue and Epistolary Frame
22:1-7 Revelatory Sayings
22:8-21 Epistolary Conclusion[2]
a. Introduction 1:1-3
b. Opening liturgical dialogue 1:4-8
c. Prophetic commission 1:9-11
Heaven
Scene 1 Letters to the 7 churches 2:1-3:22
Heaven 4:1-5:14
Scene 2 Six seals are broken 6:1-7:9
Heaven 7:9-8:6
Scene 3 The sounding of six trumpets 8:7-11:14
Heaven 11:15-12:12
Scene 4 Forces for good and for evil 12:13-14:20
Heaven 15:1-8
Scene 5 The seven bowls 16:1-18:24
Heaven 19:1-10
Scene 6 The final struggle, victory 19:11-20:15
and judgement
Scene 7 The Church of God on earth 21:1-22:5
a. guarantee of prophecy 22:6-7
b. Concluding liturgical dialogue 22:8-17
c. Conclusion 22:18-21
[1] Fallon, Michael. The Apocalypse: A Revelation that History is Graced. Sydney:Parish Ministry Publications, 1990.
[2] Schussler-Fiorenza, Elisabeth. Revelation: Vision of a Just World. Minneapolis:Fortress Press, 1991, 35-36.