Revelation 1-3

As we approach the year 2,000 more and more people will be thinking about the future. Some will be looking for direction to the Bible's vision of the future described in Revelation. But even people in the church have trouble understanding Revelation. It is understood in many different ways by different Christians. Often times preachers use it to scare people into the kingdom. The result is that many people are afraid to even read it.

On the other hand there are some people who have read it many times and still don't profess to understand it. But I contend that the Book of Revelation is not a book of doom and gloom as many think. I admit that there are frightening visions and images in it: beasts and plagues and disasters etc. But often times these are visionary depictions of the reality of evil in our world.

Revelation pulls no punches in describing the magnitude of evil in this world, but that is not its primary purpose. I believe that the primary purpose of the book of Revelation is to offer hope to the church which has to live in this evil world. Preachers may use its images and judgment to convince people to "flee the wrath to come" and that may even be good to some extent. But the main purpose of the book of Revelation is to show the ultimate triumph of righteousness. It is from that perspective that I felt led to preach this series.

I also realize that you will be hearing a lot of quotes from Revelation in relation to the coming millennium. People will do some crazy things in the next couple of years. I know that because they did it the first time a millennium came around 1,000 years ago. Many of those quoting Revelation will be people who don't know the Christ that Revelation reveals. So Christians need to have a basic understanding that allows them to stand up to those misrepresentations of God's Word. So over the next eight or so Sunday's, with the exception of Father's Day and the 4th of July, I will be preaching through the book of Revelation.

Before we begin it is important to our attempt to understand to talk a minuet about the type of literature that Revelations is. Some of the Bible is poetry some is history some is theology. Dr. Bruce Metzger, author of Breaking the Code characterizes Revelation as a type of literature that appeals to our imagination. It is not a "freewheeling" imagination but a disciplined imagination shaped and governed by other images in the Bible. The book is a series of visions or word pictures; it's like a slide show. Each part of the description of a vision contributes to the whole and should not be taken out of context.

For example in the passage we read this morning there is a description of Jesus. It says Jesus' head and hair were white, his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. I may be wrong but I don't think Jesus literally has a sword coming out of his mouth. I believe that each aspect of this image is meant to convey an image of Jesus as having great power. Even Jesus' words are like a sharp two edged sword.

But thanks be to God when a particular detail does hold specific meaning John, the author of Revelation, tells us its meaning. For instance in the passage from this morning he tells us that the golden lampstands represent the churches and the stars in Jesus' hand represent an angel assigned to each church. If you think about it a lampstand is an appropriate symbol for a church. After all it is the job of the church to hold up the light of Christ. Where there is no explanation provided for the meaning of these images one can look to other uses of the symbols elsewhere in the Bible. In a sense Revelation uses the same symbol vocabulary as the rest of the Bible.

This symbolism is also true of numbers. Rarely do numbers represent an actual enumeration or counting of something in Revelation. They are symbolic. 3 represents God like the trinity. 7 represents God's work like 7 days of creation. 12 represents God's people like the 12 tribes of Israel or the 12 apostles. Sometimes these numbers are multiplies by 1,000 or 10,000 to represent completeness or magnitude. Sometimes they are multiplied by themselves for emphasis. In a few places they are even divided to express incompleteness. So the seven churches do not represent just the 7 specific churches named, but all churches in all times.

This brings us to the who, what, and why of Revelation. It says "I, John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." The John here may have been but probably was not the John from the Apostles. We are not sure. But we know that he was on a prison island because he was a Christian. Patmos was a mining prison where the prisoners literally broke rocks in the hot sun 365 days a year. But one Sunday morning, the Lord's day, when John was worshipping, Jesus came to him.

So "Revelation" was written by a persecuted Christian in prison. And it was written because Jesus came to that prisoner to reveal "what must soon take place." Jesus tells John to take a letter and send it to the other Christian who are being persecuted. Remember the image of Christ in great power and glory whose words are a sword. This was a great image of encouragement to Christians who were being put to the sword by the Roman empire.

And remember those golden lampstands and those stars. Jesus is standing amongst the lampstands which represent the churches. And in his right hand are the guardian angles of those churches. Jesus is standing in their midst as they are persecuted, imprisoned and killed. And Jesus says, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

Can you imagine what this image meant to the early church? The resurrected Lord was in their midst personally being with them. What follows in chapters 2 & 3 are seven letters to the churches. They include both encouragement and judgment. But even the words of judgment shows that Jesus cares for them and has not forgotten them in their hour of need.

From the opening chapters of Revelation we learn that it was written to a church in a seemingly hopeless situation to offer then hope. If you don't believe me consider the conclusion of Revelation. At the end John sees the city of God coming down from heaven. And a voice from heaven says, "See, the home of God is among mortals." In other words Revelation begins with hell of earth, the prison island Patmos, and ends with heaven on earth.

We need to be sure we don't lose sight of that fact. It is easy to get lost in the maze of images and symbols in this book. True, the book includes a description of the judgment of the world. But that is not its main emphasis. The judgment is just a necessary step in the journey from the present evil age, where Godly people are persecuted, and to the coming age when the full glory of God is realized on earth.

Revelation is a book of hope not a book of doom and gloom. I once heard a preacher say "I have read the end of the book" referring to Revelation. Then he said, "And we win!" With all the evil in our world, what an encouraging word that good will win out in the end. And when we are troubled and persecuted what a revelation to know that Jesus is standing in our midst with the guardian angel of our church in his right hand and a word of truth to help us grow. That is what the book of Revelation is all about!

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Revelation 4-5 (5:1-10)

When we left our brother John he was on the island of Patmos in the midst of a vision of the glorified Christ. Jesus came to him in prison and brought him a message to the 7 churches of Asia Minor. After John plays the eternal stenographer and takes the letters to the churches, he sees a door open in heaven. And a voice calls, �Come up here and I will show what must soon take place.

Now I have been in some lively worship services before, but the one that John sees tops them all. He sees God, like a rainbow of light, sitting on a throne. And around the throne are 24 thrones on which sit 24 elders. These 24 thrones represent the fullness of God�s people in all times and places: 12 for the tribes of Israel and 12 for the Apostles. There are also 4 beasts, which represent all the living creatures that God created.

And they are all worshipping God. The 24 elders are laying down their crowns before the throne and the 4 beasts are singing to God. This is a depiction of the constant glory given to God by all creation. Throughout time God�s people have humbled themselves before their Creator. And since God made them all creatures have sung praises to God in their beauty and majesty. The scene the John beholds is an heavenly depiction of that eternal worship and praise.

Once in heaven John sees a scroll in the right hand of God. It was sealed with 7 seals. Remember 7 represents God�s work. So this scroll must have written on it an account or a proclamation of God�s work or plan. Then the question arises: �Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll.� But no one in heaven or on earth was worthy to break the seals of this scroll. And John wept bitterly.

Sometimes it seems as if God�s plan for us will take forever. Perhaps it seems that God�s will for our lives is caught in some cosmic snafu or eternal red tape. John and the early Christians must have felt this way. After all Jesus had said he was coming back soon and yet almost 100 years had passed since his death and he had not come back yet. Some, I am sure, doubted and thought that Jesus' return was a chapter of history that would remain sealed; never to be read. In prisons and catacombs they wept with John.

(Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.)

Then one of the elders proclaimed, �Behold the Loin of Judah has conquered and is worthy to break the seals." When John looked he saw not a powerful mighty lion, but a lamb standing before the throne and it looked as if it had been slain. Of course this is, Jesus, the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world. And the lamb had 7 horns and 7 eyes. Now before you try to construct in your mind a literal picture of a seven horned seven eyed sacrificial lamb, let's think of what this represents. Horns represent authority and power, so seven of them represent the authority and power of God. Eyes represent wisdom so 7 eyes would be the fullness of God�s wisdom. So this shows that as the Lamb of God Jesus possesses the full power and wisdom of God. And all of heaven and earth worships the lamb and sing �Worthy is the Lamb.�

"Worthy is the Lamb:" this is an important point. In all of creation only Jesus is worthy to release and fulfill God�s plan. Without him the scroll of God�s would remain sealed. Jesus is the only one who can carry out God�s plan of salvation. Only Jesus can help John and his fellow Christians defeat the evil they face. And only Jesus can save us from our sins and our sinful age.

But why is Jesus worthy? According to the hymn sung by the hosts of heaven it was because he died for the sins of the world. Jesus is worthy because through his death we are saved and made children of God and heirs of eternal life. Jesus was they only one to ever lived a sinless life. He was the only one to fulfill God's will and not break God's law.

Oh there were a lot of good people: people like Moses and Abraham and Sara and Rachel. But all of them sinned at one time or another despite their "goodness" by human standards. If they had committed only one sin they would have deserved to die for offending and violating the moral order of the universe. For any act of sin is a direct rebellion against the sovereignty and Lordship of God. They all deserved to die for their own sins so how could they die for another.

But Jesus had not sinned. So he had no debt to pay with his life. Therefore he could die in the place of another. Because he was sinless he was worthy to die for the sins of the world. Therefore only Jesus the Lamb of God is worthy: Worthy is the lamb.

This vision also shows us that Jesus is worthy to carry out God's plan because he chose to die. Yes Jesus was a suitable sacrifice for the sins of the world. I have already made that point. Now I am saying something a little different. I'm saying that Jesus chose to die for the sins of the world. No one forced him to die for the sins of the world.

In the vision the elder called Jesus the Lion of Judah. And Jesus was that. A lion is a big powerful animal. Where does a 500 pound lion sit? Anywhere it wants to! The vision also tells us that the lamb had 7 horns, which we said represent the power of God. Jesus had the power of God in him. No one could make him do anything he didn't want to.

But you remember that the lamb also has 7 eyes, which we said was the wisdom of God. Out of wisdom Jesus chose to die for the sins of the world: to go silent as a lamb to the slaughter. Pillippians puts it another way. It says, "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross; therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."(Phil. 2:6-11)

"Worthy" is the lamb? It doesn't say, "powerful is the lamb" or "Mighty is the Lamb." I am sure there were many in Heaven who were powerful enough to break the seals. I am sure there were angels and seraphim and heavenly beings that could do it without breaking a sweat. Perhaps Gabriel could have even blown them away with one blast of his trumpet.

But it says "Worthy" is the lamb. Only Jesus is deserving of that honor of carrying out God's plan. Only Jesus has earned the right to break the seals and bring about the ultimate end of evil. Only Jesus and the one who sent him are worthy of our thanks and praise.

Worthy is the lamb! Many powers on earth claim to have the power to save us and deliver us. Many claim to have the answers. But only Jesus is worthy of our worship!

"Worthy" is the lamb! But John knew that! He didn't need the hosts of heaven to tell him. Caesar had tried to get Christians to worship him and say, "Caesar is Lord." The Christians knew that only Jesus is Lord and only he should be worshipped so they refused. They were being persecuted. They knew that Rome could decide not to kill them or imprison them or feed them to beasts for entertainment.

John and his fellow Christians knew that, but we need to be reminded. Like I said many powers offer to save us today. Politicians say that the right programs or lack of programs will solve our problems. Economists claim that sound financial investments or the right free market spirit will solve our problems. Scientists claim that the right research and applications will solve our problems. And they can all help.

But ultimately only Jesus can save. Therefore only Jesus is worthy of worship and praise. But we need to realize that and live accordingly. I thank God that he sent John to remind us of that fact!

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Revelation 6-7(6:1-8, 7:9-14)

When we left our hero John he was in heaven waiting for the opening of the seven sealed scroll. Jesus was the only one worthy to open the seals and reveal God�s plan. In chapters 6 and 7 we witness the opening of those seals. This begins the part of Revelation that is most revelation-like. As each of the first seven seals are broken the four horsemen of the Apocalypse appear. They represent conquest, war, famine, and pestilence.

The seven seals seem to shift gears then. The fifth seal reveals the souls of the saints. These saints are calling for the judgment so that they can be vindicated for the evils that they have experienced. Some of John�s friends were there along with the Apostles. Some were beheaded, some were fed to lions, some died in prisons, some were even crucified like Jesus. And they are praying to God for justice.

When the sixth seal is broken all of creation shakes. The description corresponds to Jesus� description of the judgment in Luke 21(9-11). It is as if God has heard the prayers of the saints and has called for the destruction of this evil age.

Then in chapter 7 the whole thing shifts into neutral. Four angels stand at the four corners of the world and hold back the winds of destruction that have already been set into motion by the prayers of the martyrs. Next 144,000 or 12,000 from each tribe are sealed. Then an unnumbered multitude is seen praising God and the Lamb. The chapter ends with one of the elders telling John that this multitude are those who have made it through the great tribulation. Then we hear a psalm of praise that tells us that those in this multitude and in God�s care.(Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.)

So, what does all this mean? What is God trying to reveal to us in this vision. Believe it or not this passage can be divided into three parts. The first is the four horsemen of the apocalypse. These are the kinds of images that embody the spirit of the book of Revelation. But John tells us that they mean. Each of these clearly represent war famine pestilence and death.

The first is a white horse and it is given permission to conquer. The second is red and it is given permission to make war. The third is black and it is permitted to bring about famine. The fourth is green and is permitted to bring death.

The key word in all this passage is the word �permitted.� God doesn�t tell them to do theses things, God permits them to do it. If you think about it these things have been happening since the fall. Since the beginning, people have conquered others and killed them, and famine and pestilence have made life awful. And God has allowed these things to happen even though God had the power to stop it. Some people find this fact hard to accept but that is the reality.

I know that when people read Revelation they expect to see a description of the end times. So many read this vision of the four horsemen and they assume that these things will happen in the future. That God will allow these things to happen as a certain point in the future. But I suggest we consider the possibility that this is a description of the state of things now. This is the world we live in: a world of war and famine and pestilence where innocent babies starve to death. A world where God, for some reason I am unable to understand, allows faithful Christians to be killed because the refuse to worship false gods like Caesar.

The next part of this passage is the 5th and 6th seals. In the fifth we are shown the souls of the martyrs under the alter in Heaven. One of the outcomes of this violent age is the murder of the faithful. Faithful people like John and his brothers and sisters are martyred for their faith. Because we live in this world this is the result. And these martyred souls call to God for justice. They cry for an end to the violence and hatred.

Then the sixth seal seems to be an answer to that prayer. The powers of this age fall from their high places. Kings are topples from their thrones. The whole landscape of the world as we know it is wiped a way. Even Caesar, the deity wannabe, cowers under the rocks and calls for them to fall in on him.

The thing to see here is that God responds to the prayers of the saints. I imagine that many of the Christians in John's day thought that God was not listening. They were calling for the end of the evil that was persecuting them and yet God permitted it to continue. But here we see God responding.

Do you believe that God really hears and responds to our prayers. Do we really mean it when we say each Sunday �Thy kingdom come thy will be done.� Do we believe that God will really bring an end to the evils of this world. Some Christians understandably pray for the end of oppression and evil and then when it doesn�t come immediately, they assume God does not hear. But here we are told that God does hear and God is answering the prayer.

The third part of this passage is the sealing of the 144,000. First of all the number. We are told that this is 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. Now there are some people who take this numbering literally. They actually believe that only 144,000 people will be saved. But remember that numbers are used symbolically in Revelation. 12 represents God�s people. So here you have 12 multiplied by 1,000 and then by 12. This is all people who have looked to God for salvation.

These are being sealed before the destruction to come. In other words the destruction that we have seen in the heavenly drama in chapter 6 is put on hold until God have marked all his followers. The destruction is not allowed to touch earth so that God can protect his own. This is not a protection from physical danger, but a sealing of the soul. In a sense God is putting his name tag on his property before cleaning house. That way he doesn't throw away the baby with the bath water.

Next an unnumbered multitude praises God. The emphasis of all this is that God will look after his own. Sometimes people get frightened by the images of judgment in Revelation. But what this is telling us that as believers in Jesus we should take comfort that the judgment is coming and praise God. God will end this evil age, but God will look out for those who have accepted Christ at the same time. That doesn�t mean that Christians will not suffer physically. Some will probably be martyred, but God will be with them.

Let's put this all together now. The four horsemen of the apocalypse show us the truth about the state of affairs in this age. We live in an age of violence and turmoil. And out of wisdom God allows this age to continue. The fifth seal reveal that the souls of those slain for the faith call for the judgment of God to end the evil is this age. The sixth seal show us that God has responding to this call for justice even though it may seem to be taking forever.

The next chapter show is why the judgment is delayed. It is delayed so that God can seal those who belong to him. And because God has wisely chosen to do this God is praised and glorified for saving the faithful. They are given white robes and they stand before God and they are no longer suffering.

In a sense we are living in that pause after the sixth seal. God�s judgment has already been pronounced on this evil age but it is withheld so that the faithful can be sealed. Every time someone comes to Christ another person is sealed and protected from the wrath to come. There is a lot of evil in this world and God will do away with that evil when the time is right.

Faithful people are still martyred for the faith just as they were back in John�s day. In part of Africa Christians are sold into slavery and in parts Asia is a capital offense to lead someone to Christ. In many countries churches are prevented from building facilities or even arrested for gathering in people's homes. And God�s judgment had been pronounced on this evil age. But as my Sunday School teacher used to say, �God�s judgment tarries that one more soul might be saved.� You see, like the martyred souls in Revelation, we may grow impatient with God and want this evil age to end now, but God is truly gracious and delays it only to save souls.

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"The Seven Trumpets"

Revelation 8-9

The number 3 has a special significance in our household. We have been studying how different numbers mean different things in the Book of Revelation. Well 3 is the number of judgment in our household. You can hear this fact repeated daily. One can hear phrases like, "If you don't start cleaning your room by the time I count to three..." And the children realizing the significance to the number 3 often move quickly to obey.

But sometimes they don't. After defining three as the number of judgment we sometimes get to two and the desired behavior is not yet in sight. So we lengthen the counting: 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 2 7/8, etc. Depending upon the level of attempt to comply this can go on or it can proceed to three and the judgment. You see, as a parent I don't want to have to punish my child but I know that if I get to three I will have to. It would be much better for the children if they comply of their own volition instead of being punished. So I give them a little extra time so they can perform and learn the right behavior.

That's what seems to be happening in the next four chapters of Revelation. In the seven seals we studied two weeks ago God our Father essentially said, "Okay, I am going to count to seven." But we get to the seventh seal and it reveals another group of 7. It's like God got to 6 and instead of saying 7 he said 6 and 1/7, 6 and 2/7... God doesn't want to judge us, but judge he will when he reaches 7. So God gives us more opportunities to repent.

One of the things we learn about God's judgment from chapters 8 and 9 is that God's judgment is merciful. If you remember the seven seals opened up with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The seven trumpets seem to parallel those with four judgments upon the earth. At the first trumpet hail and fire fall upon the earth and destroy a third of the plant life. At the second trumpet a great mountain of fire destroys a third of the sea life. At the third trumpet a great star falls and poisons a third of the fresh water. At the fourth trumpet as third of the sun and moon and stars go dark.

This judgment is in response once again to the prayers of the saints. The righteous have asked God to bring about the kingdom and a necessary step toward doing that is a judging of this evil age and a cleansing of the world. So in response to Christians who pray "thy kingdom come thy will be done" God executed judgment. God strikes the earth and sea and waters and sky.

But only a third of each is destroyed. God had every right to destroy everything. Bill Cosby once spoke about the judgment of his children in one of his comedy routines. At one point he said, �I brought you into the world, I can take you out.� In a way God is reminding the human race that he created us therefore he has the right to destroy us. But God chooses to limit the destruction in this age to a fraction of what God could rightfully do. That is why I believe it is a third. Three of course is the number of God as in the trinity. But here three is used as a fraction. The message I see here is mercy. God executed judgment in this age. This of course is not to say that every natural disaster is God's judgment. But God allows our evil to destroy a portion of his creation. And we suffer the consequences. We suffer the consequences of disease spread by prejudice and lack of care for our neighbor. We suffer the pollution of our environment by chemicals and nuclear power badly managed. If you were to take all the Chernobyls, Love Canals, Exxon Valdezes, and plagues spread by ignorance they would be the embodiment of these four trumpets. But God has limited the extent of that destruction and that is an evidence of God's mercy.

The other thing we learn is that God allows sin to be its own punishment. I have been told that Native Americans have a very wise practice when it comes to training their children. You tell the child once not to do something like putting their hand in the fire. But if the child goes ahead and tries to do it you don't stop them. You let the child burn itself. That way the pain of the burn teaches them not to put their hand in the fire again.

God's commands are given to us for our own good. God made us and he knows what will hurt us. He knows our design specifications and he knows what kinds of activities exceed those design specifications and therefore will eventually hurt us. But when we do sin, God allows us to experience the outcome of that sin. God allows us to burn our hands.

That is what the fifth trumpet is all about. When the fifth trumpet sounds an angel is allows to open the bottomless pit and locusts come forth and the locusts sting the people not sealed as God's own. This is like sin. Sin causes pain and those who have not cast their faith of Christ bear the pain of sin. But even that pain has its limits. Sometimes sin even kills people as in the sixth trumpet.

The other thing we learn is that God's will is that people repent. The conclusion of these two chapters is that the people do not repent. This seems to have been God's desire all along. God allows the destruction of a part of the world to wake people up. Perhaps they will see natural and man made disaster s and realize how helpless they are. Then they will repent of their prideful self worship and turn to God for help.

God also allows them to suffer in this age because of their sin. Maybe they will realize that their sin is self-destructive and they will turn to God. Maybe they will see how another has destroyed themselves and they will seek salvation from that self-destruction. But they do not repent.

This is just like the parent counting to three. The idea is not to punish the child but to convince the child to repent. To give them an opportunity to stop doing that is wrong and to start doing right. In the same way God allows the troubles of this age to wake us up. To help us realize our helplessness and our need for salvation from sin. A few hear the message and turn to God. Some do it on one and other wait until their heavenly father gets to 3 and 15/16ths. But most never do repent - evil still abounds.

People today sometimes have trouble with God's judgment. They know rightly that God is merciful, and gracious. I know my experience of God have been the greatness of God's mercy and grace. God has every right to squash me like an insect but God chose instead to die in my place. So how does God's judgment fit into God's mercy and grace?

These two chapters show us how. Even while pronouncing judgment God is gracious. God could just haul back and slap the human race out of existence. Instead God chooses to warn us and try to teach us.

God's judgment is merciful. God needs to judge this wicked age. Without judgment and cleansing then God cannot establish the kind of Kingdom of peace that he wants to. But God is going to give the human race every chance he can to repent. But the tragic truth is that many will not repent. They will continue to worship Caesar, the sword, and the dollar instead of worshipping the one who died for their sins so God keeps counting.

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Revelation 10-11

When I was in college there was a group of Christian students who used to preach in the streets. Actually it was on a bridge. There is a bridge at USC that crosses over Pickens Street. It was a major thoroughfare for pedestrians. It was the main means of access to the Humanities complex from the Horseshoe and some of the dorms. Well one of the members of this religious group would go out and stand on one of the benched in the middle of the bridge and start preaching at the students passing by. This �preaching� was mostly shouting at people and telling them that they were all going to ... well, not to heaven. I doubt that many of the people they were preaching to repented and turned to the Lord but many thought it was entertaining.

I was not as quick as others to judge these street preachers, because I knew that street preaching was a part of my Methodist Heritage. John Wesley used to go out and preach in the fields. Many people ridiculed him for preaching to miners during shift changes and preaching in the fields. He once even preached while standing on his father's grave because he owned the property and they couldn�t remove him. While I am sure that he didn�t shout at people and tell them they were headed to the Devil, he did warn them to flee the wrath to come and accept the forgiving grace of God.

That is where both John Wesley and those Street preachers at USC relate to the chapters from Revelation that we will be looking at. In our lesson we hear about two witnesses that testify before the world. And John himself is told to prophesy to many nations. These chapters are all about going out into the world and telling the world God's word. They are a lesson in preaching in the streets.

(Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.)

Our lesson on preaching in the streets begins with a vision of a mighty angel. John describes him as being huge with his head in the clouds, one foot on land and one on the sea. And the angel has a scroll in his hand. As soon as John sees this angel a voice from heaven tells him to take the scroll and eat it. John does what he is told and the scroll is sweet to the taste but makes his stomach ache. Then John is told to prophesy to the nations.

This eating of a scroll is something we find in the Old Testament prophets too. Ezekiel is told by God to eat a scroll and he too finds it sweet to the taste but bitter in his stomach. The symbolism has to do with digesting God's word. We are to feed on God's word by studying it. Like the prophets we should listen to God and that is a sweet thing. But then we are called to proclaim that word to others and that is often a bitter task because people don't want to hear God's word especially if it is a word of judgment.

That's what it must have been like for the Christians in John's day. It was sweet to hear that God was going to judge this evil age and bring the persecution to an end. But knowing that God's judgment was coming carried with it a huge responsibility. If you know that a natural disaster is coming shouldn't you warn your neighbors? If you know a flood is coming you warn your neighbors to go to high ground. If you know a tornado is on its way you tell them to take cover. In the same way Christians have a responsibility to go out into the streets and warn the people that they needed to repent and flee the wrath to come.

That, needless to say, was a bitter task for John and his fellow Christians. It was bad enough that they had to avoid getting arrested for believing in Jesus. They were called to plainly tell everyone, including the Roman soldiers hunting for them, that God was going to destroy them. Sure we are glad to hear that God will judge this wicked age and put an end to its evil. But if we truly digest that word, then we realize we have a duty to tell others even if they don't want to hear it.

(Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.)

Next John is told to measure the temple but not the outer courts. This is another motif taken from the Old Testament prophets. The measuring of the temple is a symbolic act referring not to the physical structure of a building but to God's people. In essence God is taking stock of what is his. Then John sees two witnesses standing before the "Lord of the Earth" which would be the Devil. And these two witnesses are said to be two olive trees or two lampstands. In the Bible the Olive tree is a symbol of Israel and the lampstand is a symbol of the church used earlier in Revelation. So these witness represent God's people bearing witness before the world outside of the temple; out in the streets.

It says that these witnesses are allowed to do this for 42 months. Numbers almost always carry a significance in the book of Revelation. It just so happens that 42 months is 3 1/2 years and 3 1/2 is 1/2 of 7. The message here is that this is not the whole of God's plan for the witnesses. This period of witnessing is only half of what God has in store for them.

In the first part of our lesson we learned that we are called to warn the world of the coming judgment of God so that they can repent and be spared. But often times this seems to be a futile effort. We stand before the people of the world and tell them that Jesus loves them and died for them and that God wants them to live rightly. And so often the just ignore us or ridicule us. But this is not the end. Just because they don't listen to us is not reason to stop telling them. This period of witnessing before the nations is only half of God's plan.

In the next part of our lesson on preaching in the streets a dragon comes up and slays the witnesses. The dragon represents the Devil and all the evil forces that try to silence God's messengers. The witnesses lay in the streets and the people of the world have a party over their unburied bodies. The place where they lay is called Sodom and Egypt and the place where Jesus was crucified. I dare anyone to find this place on a map. The designations are symbolic. Sodom was where God judged the wicked for their evil deeds. Egypt is where the children of Israel were enslaved for 400 years. Like them Cavalry is another place where the forces of evil and God faced off with God winning.

We are also told that this time of the death of the witnesses was only 3 1/2 days. Remember 3 1/2 represents an incompleteness in the carrying out of God's plan. There is still more to come. The rest of God's plan is that the witnesses are raised and taken up into heaven.

Here is the lesson. Sometimes our witness leads to persecution. People will try to silence us and they will succeed at times. The world hates what we have to say and they will try to shut us up. And when they have stopped us they will celebrate. But that is only half the story. The other half is that God will raise us up. Consider John and his brothers and sisters. Many of them were literally dying because of their witness. But the good news is that God will raise them up. Caesar tried to strike down the church, but it rose and has outlived the Roman Empire by over a millennium.

Preaching in the streets: I don't recommend that anyone particularly go and stand in the street and preach; you might get run over. Unless of course you feel that God is calling you to do that. But if we have truly heard the message of God's love and judgment proclaimed in Revelation and Jesus teachings; if we have digested it, then we realize we have a responsibility to tell others. And that means taking the message out into the world; into the streets.

It is good and fine for us to gather here as a group of believers and hear God's Word and praise God. God tells us to do that. But there are so many out there who haven't heard it. They don't know that God loves then and wants to save them. They are literally dying because they don't know about the love of God. It is our responsibility to go into the world and tell them. I certainly don't think yelling at people in the street, like the street preachers at USC, does much good. But like John Wesley we need to find creative ways to tell people in the world that God loves them and that Jesus came to save them from the wrath to come.

But be aware. They will not want to hear what you have to say. They will try to shut you up and they will sometimes succeed. But that is only half the story. The good news is that you will be raised and the message will continue to be proclaimed until the end.

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Revelation 12-14

Ladies and Gentleman, now for the main event: a classic battle of Good versus Evil, a contest of cosmic proportions and eternal consequences. In the light corner, wearing a crown of stars and holding a newborn, that veritable temple of virtue the Church of Jesus Christ the Son of God. In the dark corner, weighing as much as a dragon, as fierce as a beast but who claims to be as gentle as a lamb, that devil demon of darkness: Satan. Let the battle begin....

Excuse me for having a little fun. But that is basically what these three chapters are all about. They are a depiction of the battle between good and evil. The original meaning of the many symbols is often lost on modern readers. And so we lose sight of that basic meaning of these chapters. That meaning is to depict the battle between good and evil; order and chaos.

But to see that message we have to understand the characters that are being depicted. So we will look today at the creatures depicted in this passage. Once the symbolism in the descriptions is clear the basic message is easier to comprehend.

The first character we are introduced to is a woman. She is described as being clothed in the sun and having a crown of 12 stars. She also has the moon as a footstool. This woman is in labor and is giving birth. We are also told that she bears a son and that a dragon, that we will see later represents the Devil, wants to devour it. The child is snatched away by God and the woman flees to the wilderness for 3 1/2 times and God protects her. Then the dragon cannot get her it makes war upon her children.

The symbols all point to the church or God�s people. The presence of the sun in a description of her appearance makes us think of the description of Christ whose face is said to shine like the sun. She in a sense is clothed in the glory of God. She is so high that even the moon is beneath her feet. The 12 stars in her crown as a dead giveaway too: remember 12 is the number of God�s people as in the 12 apostles.

If the description were to leave us in doubt the story cannot. The birth and the flight into the wilderness remind us of the birth of Jesus and the holy family�s flight into Egypt. It was through God�s people that Jesus was brought into the world. And when the Devil could not get the baby he went after the woman. The Devil may go after the church but he can never destroy it. However the Devil persecutes the mother church by making was on her children.

The next three creatures we encounter are basically three manifestations of the Devil. They are in a sense an unholy trinity. The first one is the dragon that seeks to devour the woman�s child. We are told directly in vs. 9 that this is the devil or Satan who was cast out of heaven. Even though we know his identity his description is important. He has 7 heads and 10 horns and 7 crowns on its heads. Heads, horns and crowns are all symbols of authority. The devil has authority but it is limited and finite. Later in contract to the dragon�s 7 crowns, Christ is said to have many crowns. The Devil has power but it is limited power. And the only reason the Devil persecutes the church is because he is a poor loser.

The second beast in this unholy trinity looks a lot like the first. It has 7 heads and 10 horns like the first but it has 10 crowns. We are told later in the book that this beast represents Rome. Rome is known as the city of 7 hills and at the time of John there had been 10 emperors. One of its heads was mortally wounded but seemed to come back to life. This is probably an allusion to Nero one of the most infamous persecutors of Christians. He had killed himself but many rumored that he was still alive lived on in a later emperor. The beast is allowed to exercise authority for 42 months, which is 3 1/2 years.

The third part of this unholy Trinity is a beast that looks like a lamb but talks like a dragon. This beast is often called the anti-Christ. It looks like a lamb, which as we know is a symbol of Jesus, but it talks like the dragon. It is a dragon is sheep's clothing or the Devil in a Jesus costume. But historically it symbolizes the institution of Emperor worship. John says that the lamb like beast makes the people worship the first beast.

This is where the infamous number 666 comes in. All who worship the beast receive this seal on the forehead and hands. But what is it? The suggestions are legion. The best answer is that it is the number 666 is derived from adding together the numerical values of the letters in �Nero Caesar.� In Hebrew each letter is also number. Nero Caesar's name written in Hebrew adds up to 666. But there is a form of Nero�s name that adds up to 616 and guess what? There are some ancient manuscripts of Revelation that have the number as 616 instead of 666. As if that were not enough to convince you the emperors who promoted emperor worship required that people worship the Emperor to receive a certificate that allowed them to buy and sell. So here you have your seal; it is an allusion to the royal seal on the certificate.

The last set of images is a representation of the outcome of the contest between good and evil. The next image we see is Christ and the church. John sees that lamb and with him on Mount Zion are the 144,000 who had been sealed. This is in contrast to the lamb-like beast and its sealed followers.

Next we see three angels. The first calls for the repentance of the wicked before the judgment. The second announces the defeat of the kingdom of the Devil. The third announces judgment on the followers of the beast and encourages those faithful to God.

Finally we are presented with an image of the judgment of the world.

In these chapters the Bible shows us a vision of the battle between good and evil. Included in that vision is an image of the Devil. But many people don�t take evil seriously. According to a recent survey by the Bara research group half of all Christians do not believe Satan is a living being. People might believe in evil, but not as an intelligent force.

But if you think about it, evil is intelligent. How else could it so often be disguised as good. Many people think of the antichrist as a historical figure that will arise at some time later in history. 1 John 4:3 says that every spirit that denies Christ is antichrist. And throughout history many have pretended to be a servant of Christ while serving evil; being a Devil the sheep�s clothing. Racism and greed have often pretended to be righteous to serve evil ends. Some of the worst atrocities of the ages (crusades, ethnic cleansings, inquisitions) have been done "In God's Name" but in the Devil's spirit.

Don�t sell evil short. It is not just an attitude in people�s hearts. Evil is an intelligent force that is opposed to good. And as Christians we are at war with that evil. But the good news is that we will win. Good has already won and evil is just a poor loser.

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Revelation 15-18

These are some of the mottoes of our society. Many people in our world live by these credos and often they are the ones who seem to wield the most influence. But these mottoes could just as easily have applied to earlier ages as well.

The Roman empire was noted for many of its excesses. Emperors who lived in such extravagance that it would make the billionaires of today blush. People who regularly killed to gain more power. Brutus was not the first and he would not be the last to murder Caesar for political gain. Legend and many historians claim that Nero even burned Rome and then blamed the Christians and Jews for his own political gain. It is certainly true that Rome exercised its power by oppression throughout the "known" world to keep itself rich and powerful.

Desire for power and riches has led many other societies to ruin. Some would say that greed is what led to the fall of many European Monarchies. Many would even say that the worship of power and fame is leading to the ruin of American and Western society today.

Why this talk of greed for power and money? Because that is a major component of John's vision of the fall of Babylon and the judgment of this age. These 4 chapters open with another series of 7, which Revelation is famous for. It is the seven bowls of God's wrath. If you will recall way back in the opening chapters of Johns vision the 24 elders were given bowls of incense which were the prayers of the saints. You might also remember that those prayers were for justice. It was the prayers of the saints that began all of this and in a sense this is the culmination. The bowls serve as a symbolic link back to the beginning of the process.

The pouring out of the bowls themselves is pretty straightforward. The first four are poured out of the land and the sea, and the rivers, and the sun just like the first four trumpets. Then the fifth is poured out on the beast and its kingdom. The sixth bowl opens the way for an attack from the east. Incidentally, just as we American used to assume an attack from the USSR, the Romans always assumed an attack on their empire would come from the east. Finally, with the seventh trumpet all judgment breaks loose.

The message is similar to one we have heard over and over again in the book of Revelation. A day of judgment is coming for those who oppose God. In the past that judgment has always been delayed but now we have it envisioned in detail.

In the next chapter we are given a more detailed picture of the judgment. We are shown a picture of a whore who is seated on a beast. This whore is in contrast to woman clothed in the sun already shown to us in chapter 12. It is said that the kings of earth have committed fornication with this whore. In the Bible fornication is often a metaphor for idolatry; it is consorting with some idol as opposed to worshipping the one true God. So this harlot represents the worship of power and wealth.

The harlot is seated upon the same beast we saw earlier with its seven heads and ten horns. If we had any doubt last week that the beast represents Rome those questions are answered. We are told clearly that the 7 heads represent 7 hills and that they also represent 7 kings. Rome was built on 7 hills so that is obviously an allusion to Rome. There is also some business in Vs. 11 about an eighth king who is one of the 7. This is an allusion to the rumor that Nero really wasn't dead and that he would come back again.

The imagery would have been plain to the people John's day. God's judgment will be poured out on Rome because of its idolatrous worship of power and wealth and because like the harlot it is drunk with the blood of the Martyrs. But why doesn't John just say God's judgment will be poured out on Rome? Some have suggested that it was because John was in prison and if he were that plain about the message he would be beheaded or crucified for treason. I believe that John was led by God to communicate through these images so that we could see how ugly sin looks to God. We are told through images so that we understand why God's judgment will be poured out.

These chapters conclude with the angles singing a lament over fallen Babylon. Of course the name Babylon is used symbolically. The images throughout Revelation point to Rome. But as I pointed out John never directly says "Rome." The images all contain allusions that John's contemporaries would recognize as referring to Rome and emperor worship. And after all at that time Rome was persecuting John and his fellow Christians for not worshipping the Emperor.

But John doesn't just say directly that God's judgment is poured out on Rome. His symbolic language lets all know that it is poured out on not only Rome but also all that worship the beast as Rome did. Rome is simply the prime example of what God's judgment will be poured out upon. The aspects of the beast that are most apparent in these chapters are its greed for power and wealth. So the judgment described here is not just a judgment on Rome but on all that worship power and wealth instead of God Almighty.

If that is the case then God's judgment will be poured out on many in our society today. There are aspects and parts of our society that worship power and wealth. Many business people, professionals, politicians and even religious leaders seek prestige, power, and wealth over serving God. The good news is that God will bring an end to all that seek power to serve themselves. God will destroy all that worship money.

For John and the Christians of his day the message of these chapters was obvious. God's Judgment would be poured out on Rome. Like the harlot Rome had become drunk on the blood of the martyr. And because Rome had loved power and wealth more then righteousness and mercy it would be judged.

The message for us is the same. God's judgment will be poured out on all that worships the beasts of power and wealth. Those parts of our society that worship self and ignore the neighbor will be judged.

As part of the Angels' lament there is a call for the faithful to come out of Babylon. I don't think that means that we should all go to the hills to escape this evil society. I do believe it means that we must be sure we do not get caught up in the worship of power and wealth that is going on around us. We can work in this world and live in this world and not worship the beast. But that means we must constantly remind ourselves that power and wealth are not ends in themselves. Power and wealth are means to the end of serving God and loving our neighbor.

The world is wrong - Dead wrong. Greed is not good! Only God is good and only God should be worshipped!

"When Is The Millennium"

Revelation 19-20

Mark 13:32-37

(Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.)

When does the new millennium begin? There seems to be some disagreement. Most people think that the new millennium begins at one second after midnight of December 31st 1999 or when the year 2000 begins. That would seem to make sense. After all that is when all the numbers in the year change. That is also when the so-called "millennium bug" is supposed to bite.

However the experts say that the new millennium begins 12:00:01 am Jan. 1, 2001. You see technically speaking the year 2000 is part of the second millennium. It is the 1,000th year in that millennium. So the first year of the second millennium is really the year 2001.

But I say they are all wrong. I say the third millennium since our Lord's birth really began sometime back in 1997. You see in the ancient world people counted years from the beginning of the reign of the king or the founding of a city. So it might be year 25 in one kingdom and the year 2 in the next. It was very confusing. It stayed like that until the 6th century when some Christians got the great idea of counting years from the birth of the King of kings: Jesus. So they went about figuring out exactly how long ago Jesus was born and based on their calculations that was the new number for the year Anno Domini, which is Latin for "the year of our Lord," or AD for short. The problem was that they made a mistake. We now know that they were off by 4 years so if you read a Bible commentary they will tell you that Jesus was born in 4 BC. That means that 1999 is actually the 2003rd year since Jesus' birth and the new millennium really began two years ago in 1997.

The reason I went through all that is because there is a similar disagreement among Christians about the millennium in Revelation. Of course the millennium in Revelation has nothing to do with how we number our years. It is a 1,000-year period mentioned in Rev. 20 between the defeat of the devil and the final judgment. Chapter 19 tells of Jesus on a white steed and an angel chaining the devil. Then in chapter 20 we are told that the martyrs and saints rise from the dead and rule for 1,000 years or a millennium. Then after this millennium the Devil is released so that he can be thrown in the lake of fire and judgment can take place. The question is what does all this mean?

There are three basic points of view among Christians. The first is the post-millennial view. They believe that Jesus comes after the millennium of peace. The post-millennialists basically believe that the world will get better and better as the gospel spreads until an age of peace dawns and 1000 years after that Jesus will return. This is probably the most ancient belief and many of the early church fathers seemed to agree with it.

The second view is called pre-millennialism. Pre-millennialism gets its name from the belief that Jesus will come before the Millennium. This point of view contends that the world will get worse and worse and that Jesus will return to bring about the kingdom of peace and Christians will reign during this period. There were some early versions of this belief, which said that this would be a time when the saints would get to do all the stuff that the evil people were doing in this age. In its worst forms it was seen as a millennium of license and materialism. This point of view was resurrected in the 1830's by a man named Darby who constructed an intricate chronology of events that included what is commonly called "the rapture." This understanding views the Millennium as a holy time of healing for the world before the last judgment. This is the view held by most evangelicals Christians today.

The last view is a-millennialism. This is the view that there really isn't going to be a literal 1,000-year period. The millennium is symbolic. As early as the 4th century St. Augustine believe that the millennium represented the period from the death of Jesus to his Second Coming. In his view Satan is bound in this age by the preaching of the gospel. He can only do what we let him get away with. And all who refuse the mark of the beast and have been sealed by God are the real rulers because we are priests of the kingdom of God. In this view the Devil was defeated when Jesus died on the cross and he is just awaiting his final punishment. A-millennialism, in one form or another, has been the majority view of Christians throughout time.

I personally am a pre-millennial a-millennialist! Basically I believe that the Millennium is symbolic and not a literal 1000 year period but that the pre-millennialists have a few things right. Let me tell you what I mean. The pre-millennialists are right when they say there can be no peace on earth without Jesus' return. We humans are too fallen to bring about any kind of earthly peace without the direct intervention of God. A brief survey of history would be enough to prove that. I don't know if things are really getting worse like the pre-millennialists say, but they certainly aren't getting better so the pre-millennialists are on the right track there too. I also agree with the pre-millennialists that the millennium between the chaining of the devil and the judgment is a time of cosmic healing.

However the a-millennialists have a few key things right too. This 1,000-year period is symbolic. All the other numbers in Revelation are symbolic why should this be different? Also the idea that this particular chapter is identifying a specific period and time seems in contradiction to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know times and seasons but to just be ready for his return would be like a thief in the night. I hardly think Jesus would tell James and Peter and the other disciples "you don't need to know times and seasons" and then turn around and tell John what the times and seasons are.

The other problem with a literal translation of the millennium is that this is the only verse where a millennium is mentioned. The intricate and detailed chronologies of the last days including the idea of a rapture are based upon extrapolations from a handful of verses. The Bible says little that is concrete about the last days except to be ready for they are coming sooner than you think. Any detailed description gleaned from Revelation is speculation. While speculation is valuable, ideas of detailed series of events, raptures and literal 1000-year millenniums should not be treated as Biblical, but human theories based on the Bible.

So if ch. 20 does not lay out an itinerary of the last days what does it teach us. As I said the pre-millenarian idea that the millennium is a time of healing for all creation is correct. The judgment is all about justice. Justice in the Bible involves more than just punishing the lawbreaker. It also involves restitution of the victim. Here the martyrs and confessors are said to rule for a very long period of time. This tells us not so much that the martyrs will rule on earth for a long time, but it shows us that the tables will be turned on the wicked. The righteous who suffer will be repaid many times over for the years of oppression with years of being in charge.

There is also a sense of contrast. One might also say that the millennium passage shows us that the sufferings of the present will be overshadowed by the glories of heaven. To the Christians of John's day this passage would tell them that even though they suffer imprisonment, torture and death now, when Jesus returns they will know the opposite. But not just that. For each year of imprisonment there will be hundreds of peace. For each second of torture there will be centuries of glory, for each minute of humiliation there will be decades princehood.

So the message of the millennium is not that there will be a literal 1000-year period. And I could be wrong, but even if you believe in a 1,000-year period the message is still the same. God's justice is complete. It includes a paying back of those who suffered. And the reward of eternal glory far outweighs the suffering of the present age.

Don't be befuddled but those who outline detailed descriptions of the last days. If you study them carefully they usually conflict with one another and make broad statements based on a few verses. The concept of a literal 1000-year millennium is one of those broad statements. Don't misunderstand me. I deeply respect many that hold to this ideas though. The first Sunday School teacher on mine that really opened up the Bible to me held this point of view.

It may be comforting to some people to have a detailed calendar of the last days. But even if you have the order of events right that won't save you. The only thing that will save you from the wrath to come is having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Jesus never tried to explain the last days beyond saying that he would come again like a thief in the night and that there would be a judgment. Jesus' concern was that his disciples be spiritually ready for the last days not that they know the details of what would happen.

So don't worry about trying to figure out the order of events or unravel the secrets of when the millennium will be. Just put your trust in Jesus and let him handle the calendar. Then no matter what happens or when it happens, you will be ready.

Revelation 21-22

John said, "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." This is the conclusion of all the action in the book of Revelation. From its beginning this is the goal that God was moving toward: a new heaven and a new earth. Through Christ God has given us new life and through him God will also redeem all of creation. And once again God will dwell among mortals and wipe every tear from their eyes. Like the spiritual says, "There will be no more crying there ... there will be no more dying there."

And there will be no more sea. In the Bible the sea is often used as a metaphor for chaos and sin. In the beginning it says "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters."(Genesis 1:2) Then God brought order to the chaos by separating the light from the dark and the sea from that land. So the absence of the sea at the end of Revelation is a metaphor for an end to sin and the chaos it causes in people's lives.

But at the center of this description of the new Heaven and new Earth is the New Jerusalem. The Bible says that one of the 7 angels that poured out the bowls of the wrath of God shows it to John. This is a link back to the process of Judgment that we saw in the center of the book of Revelation. It is a reminder of how we got to this place and that this city is the culmination of that process of judgment.

John describes the New Jerusalem in great detail and each of the details bears meaning. The first thing we learn from John's description is that the New Jerusalem represents God's people. The angel that shows it to John calls it the bride of Christ. Israel was often spoken of in the Old Testament as God's bride. In the New Testament Jesus is spoken of as a bridegroom who was coming for his bride.

We are also told that it has 12 gates and 12 foundations. If you remember 12 is the number of God's people. To reinforce that understanding we are also told that on the gates are the names of the 12 tribes and inscribed on the foundations are the names of the 12 apostles. In addition its dimensions are 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia by 12,000 stadia and its walls are 144 cubits thick. Here we have the number 12 employed again to describe it.

And last but not least it is called the New Jerusalem. In the Bible Jerusalem is more than a city it is a metaphor for God's people. So this city is a symbol of the people of God in all times and all places. And it is at the center of God's new creation.

The other thing we learn about this city is that it is big. I mean really big! 12,000 stadia equals about 1,500 miles. That means that this city would stretch from the East Coast half way across the United Stated and from the Canadian border all the way to the southern tip of Texas. In other words it would cover half the continental Untied States. Put in John's world it would have covered all of Europe, or most of the Mediterranean, or the Middle East.

Its altitude was great too. At 1,500 miles it reaches well above the atmosphere into space. It would also be about three times the size of the moon. If it were made out of gold and the semiprecious stones mentioned, it would have its own gravity.

But the concluding statement about its size is that its 12 gates each one a huge pearl. This calls to mind Jesus parable of the pear of great price. If you recall Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant to sold all he had to buy one pearl of great price. To me this says that this place may be huge but its true value is worth everything we have. For as big and valuable as it is, it has no temple because the presence of God is everywhere inside of it.

The other thing we are told about this city is that the nations are led by its light. The kings of the nations bring their glory into it. The gates, which face all four directions, are never closed. That way its light shines always and the nations are led to it always. Nothing unclean shall come into it and all those who are unclean are left outside.

This verse which says that "But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."(Revelation 21:27) has led to some confusion. Some people have concluded that since it says that those who practice abomination will be outside of it that means that there will still be some unsaved people around after the judgment. Revelation 20:15 clearly says that those whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life were thrown in the fire at the final judgment. We have already seen that all sin is disposed of in this new heaven and new earth. So there will be no more unsaved people on earth after the judgment.

Any confusion can be cleared up by pointing to the symbolic nature of this foursquare city. It represents the church or God's people. In this age, we shine the light of Christ and the doors of the church are always open so that the nations may come to the light of Christ. But we cannot bring our uncleanness in. We have to accept the cleansing and forgiveness of Christ and be washed in the blood of the lamb to enter.

What John sees in chapter 21 is the finished product of what we are becoming. That city we see in glory in Revelation is being built now. Just as the apostles' names are on the foundations I would not be surprised if our names are on some of the jewels that adorn it. Each time someone comes to Christ there is another precious jewel or brick of gold added to the Church of God.

The last thing we are told is that this city is that it has a river in it. It is a river of the water of life. It flows out from under the throne of God and down the middle of the streets of the city. And on the sides of this river of the water of life are trees. They bear fruit year round and their leaves are for the healing of the nations.

Again this represents us as the church of Jesus Christ. The source of the water of life in us comes from the throne of God and the Lamb. That new life should flow out of our lives. We should bear fruit at all times that glorifies God. Like the trees we should bring healing to the nations.

What we see here in the conclusion of the book of Revelation tells us more about the here and now than it does about the future. It does give us a picture of what the Church will become. We will become a bride adorned for our groom. We will become a huge jeweled city that fits God's specifications for us. We will become a beacon of light filled with the glory of God. We will become the centerpiece of God's new creation.

But we are also shown what we should be now. We should be a lamp that lights the way to Christ. We should be a source of living water and spiritual fruits and healing. We should be a place where the nations bring their glory but not their sin.

The new Heaven and new Earth shows us what direction God is leading all of creation. It is why God sent Christ to make all thing new. And it is through him that the culmination of God's plan for creation will be seen.