An introduction to Revelation Sermon

Mavis Wilson 27th March 2011

Revelation is a book which evokes strong reactions – some people find it frightening and nightmarish and react by wanting to put their head under the pillow until the thunder stops. Other people find it inspiring and exciting – those are probably the same people as love Harry Potter, or even more likely, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. As a child I started in the first group but as time goes on I gradually find myself more in the second group.

What are we to make of this rather strange book for our Christian pilgrimage to-day?

It helps to understand the genre or type of book it is – apocalyptic – which means- unveiling or uncovering of things hidden or revelation of divine mysteries. The revelation (and there are several apocalyptic writings in the OT as well) is given to a prophet or seer and quite often involves a kind of mystery tour of heaven in the company of an angel. The purpose is to uncover the way things really are even if they seem to be rather different from current, usually desolate, experience.

The book of Revelation opens - The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. (1.1-2) It is about Jesus and also about things to come. Apocalyptic writing generally arises out of a time of particular stress, usually persecution, when things seems to be entirely out of God’s control, and it is powered by the conviction that the present is actually the final age of world history and the end of everything is imminent.

Prophecy and apocalyptic in the Bible have in common that they try to discern and describe the realities that lie behind the appearances of the world. and set out the consequences of not taking those realities seriously, so that people may respond accordingly.

A contemporary example of apocalyptic might be the ecological debate. As long ago as the 50s and 60s people were warning of the possible effects of our increasingly industrialised way of life. On the whole little notice was taken and certainly hardly any action resulted. Over the past 50 or 60 years much more notice has been taken of the warnings about the effects of our life style on the delicate natural balance of our eco-system. The results predicted in 1950 my not have been entirely accurate but the principles were correct and indeed the results of not changing our lifestyle may be even more serious than was predicted then and so we need to respond (as we are now trying to do). In the ecological debate we thought things were OK, life seemed to hold much promise for improvement in the 1960s, but the reality is that they were not. Revelation works the other way round – things do not seem to be ok and yet the truth is that they are. Despite appearances to the contrary - God is sovereign, holy, calls a people into relationship with him and will ultimately save all who are faithful. God’s sovereignty, holiness, love and saving power are the truth whatever appearances (in terms of what is going on in the world around) may suggest.

In one sense Revelation does not add much to the doctrine and meaning of the rest of the Bible –but it explores that meaning in a different way using poetry, drama, symbols and pictures to engage us in an imaginative response. We have to move out of rational thought into our feelings and imagination –to close our eyes as we listen and to see what it being described and listen to how it makes us feel.

One commentator calls Revelation literally the last word. It is the last book in the Bible and probably the last to be accepted into the canon of Scripture. Revelation is the the last word on Scripture (1.1-11), on Christ, (1.12-20) on the church (2 and 3) on worship (4 and 5), evil((6 and 7), prayer ((8 and 9), witness ((10 and 11), politics (12 and 14), judgement (15 to 18), salvation (19 and 20) and heaven (12.1 – 22.5). Revelation was written to be read aloud – in the churches - just as we will hear it read later in Lent.

Whoever, the writer of Revelation was – and we really do not know- he was on the prison island of Patmos incarcerated presumably because, as part of a Christian community, he was worshipping a Lord, Jesus Christ, in direct opposition to the emperor of Rome, the dominating political and pagan power. He had fallen foul of the authorities and was being punished. It was probably very close to the end of the first century after Christ. Revelation encourages these beleaguered communities of Christians to continue act according to the will of the God they could not see rather than that of the Caesar whom they could see and who, in the persecutions of the end of the first century, was punishing them for disobedience to his edicts. Whatever the cost. they were to be faithful to Christ.

Now we are not persecuted but we do live in a society which increasingly proclaims that God has no power or significance – that is not the truth. We too need the inspiration and sense of power, love and creativity which Revelation offers us.

In a few minutes now we cannot consider all the ‘last words’. So in this strange and exciting book let’s consider the last word on Christ– (1. 12-20)

· Jesus, risen and glorified is the object of worship and adoration;

the last word on evil - (6 and 7)

· Evil is a harsh reality and the whole cosmos is caught up in an ongoing battlewhich will ultimately be resolved.

the last word on heaven (12.1 – 22.5)

· The world as we know it will end but not simply in ultimate destruction but in the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

The first four chapters of Revelation are written as letters to the little communities of believers in different places in Asia minor. Jesus is pictured as walking among them affirming them for their spiritual fruits but exhorting them to overcome their faults. For all the splendour of his appearance 1.12-14 - a transcendent and also human appearance - his voice is more wonderful still like the sound of many waters and his words are the words of one who would raise up and console anyone who was frightened out of their wits at the sight of his splendour with these words Do not be afraid. That is a picture and a word to hang on to as you listen to Revelation – a picture of Jesus reaching out to touch us and speaking those reassuring words that when he is present there is no need to fear whatever chaos or trouble, temptation or persecution, arrogance or indifference may come our way. As we listen to Revelation it may be helpful to listen for the voice of Jesus and recognise that, like the Christians in Ephesus, we too are called and challenged to maintain our first love for him; and like the Christians in the other churches, to be faithful right up to the point of death; to be pure in life and doctrine; maintaining a living relationship with God and on fire for Christ rather than lukewarm in our faith and love.

The appearance of Jesus is like a Son of Man - an authority figure from Daniel in the OT coming from heaven but also representing humanity. He is clothed like a priest of the OT – one who brings together the divine and the human and makes a bridge between them; he holds seven stars in his hand – he is Lord of the cosmos - the planets do not control us, Christ controls the planets. A sword comes out of his mouth signifying that he speaks the word of God – the word which divides good from evil and establishes what is right. The power that the world respects comes from the mouth of a gun, the power that the person of faith respects comes from the mouth of Christ.

As Revelation goes on Jesus appears as a lamb – the one sacrificed for sin and through whom salvation has been obtained now enthroned in majesty and worthy of worship. There are great hymns of praise, echoed in Handel’s Messiah Worthy is the lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing. Later still in the book he is also the one given authority in the battles against evil. In all there are seven visions of Christ in Revelation: listen out for them and pause to worship him.

Then the last word on evil. Evil present in the world is raised time and again as the problem in believing in a God of love. It is not just a problem on a big scale but also on a personal scale at those times in our lives when things seem to be slipping our of control - times when serious illness threatens us or when events and powers bigger than ourselves seems to be controlling our lives. The sight of a quarter of a million people marching in London yesterday suggests to me that that sense of being out of control of our lives is shared by many even in our relatively peaceful society. Chs 6 and 7 describe in imaginative ways the realities of war, starvation, death plague, martyrdom – all these are the realities of our world this morning as we look out over it. These are the harsh realities of evil. Are these the last word? No, beyond and behind them is a picture of people saved and marked out by God, a multitude which no-one can number, who worship and pray in God’s presence even in the great silence of heaven waiting for the final deliverance of all things.

And what will that ending be like? Two rather surprising and perhaps contrasting thing – a whole new creation and a city – listen out for them both. In the struggles and challenges of life as Christian disciples heaven is meant to be now as much as in the future, breaking into our experience whenever we meet Christ. Although there is much more to come we do not have to wait to experience it and that is what helps us to keep going as Christians – the presence of Jesus among us now - we too are one of the lamp stands among which he walks.

Why do we think about heaven? No doubt for a variety of reasons. Many people want to go to heaven the way they want to go to Florida –they think the weather will be an improvement and the people decent. But the Biblical heaven is not a nice environment removed form the stress of hard city life. It is the invasion of the city (small c) y by the City (big C). We enter heaven not by escaping what we don’t like but by the sanctification of the place in which God has placed us.

We do not need to wait for the end of all things although one day we will have new spiritual bodies and inhabit a whole new heaven and earth which will be like the one we now know but also unlike it, without separation form God, without pain and suffering. In reality we can enter heaven this morning here and now by praying the prayer with which revelation ends. 'Come Lord Jesus’. Jesus will come, our church here will also be one of the golden lamp stands, and Jesus will walk among us. Even so, come lord Jesus. Amen.

Questions.

1. Read again Revelation 1.12-17. What are you responses to each of the descriptions of Jesus?

2. In what way do these verses extend your awareness of who Jesus is?

3. How do you think of heaven? How do you imagine a new heaven and a new earth?