(Sermon preached on June 4, 2017 - Week 3 of a Five Part Sermon Series on the Revelation of John)
The following is a quote on the book of Revelation by Kathleen Norris, a poet and writer.
“John’s images do seem to pulse, the work of a visionary in prison on a windswept island, who has to struggle to say in words what those incessant winds have revealed to him. This is a poet’s book, which is probably the best argument for reclaiming it from fundamentalists. It doesn’t tell, it shows, over and over again, its images unfolding, pushing hard against the limits of language and metaphor, engaging the listener in a tale that has the satisfying yet unsettling logic of a dream.”1
The Book of Revelation. The Revelation of John. Or the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Whatever we call it, it is the last book in our Christian Bible. It is called an apocalypse, a Greek word which means revelation, an unveiling. It is a book filled with symbolism, metaphor, and poetry. These kinds of writings were familiar to the Jewish people of 2000 years ago. These kinds of writings revealed the injustices of their environment and offered a glimpse of God’s new creation. Today’s sermon is part three of a five week sermon series, but it is also part one of two sermons on symbolism and on the plot in the Book of Revelation.
I am a Netflix user and I love to sit down and watch a series with a really good story. I was
told that “The Walking Dead” was such a series. I watched the first few episodes and couldn’t watch
anymore. I’ve been told how wonderful it is and how I just need to watch a few more episodes, and
I’ll be hooked, but I couldn’t. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I love suspense and mystery and
epic adventure, but graphic violence makes me squirm and cringe. I find it all so unnecessary. It’s
probably one of the reasons I’ve avoided John’s revelation for so long, or as someone called it,
John’s bad dream.
The book of Revelation is graphic. It contains images of destruction, plagues, horrific beasts, and lots of death. We hear about rivers of blood and about the suffering and deaths of thousands upon thousands of people. The words in this book express the violence of the world in which it was written, just as some of our video games and television programs express the violent world in which we live. Have you seen “Game of Thrones” yet?
The Revelation of John though also
expresses hope that this violence will someday turn to peace. Again, a quote from Kathleen Norris:
“Cruelty is not a distinguishing feature of the book itself; rather, it describes in stark terms the world we have made and boldly asserts that our cruelties and injustices will not have the last word.”2
Although this book is filled with violence, the message at its core is non-violence. It promotes justice and peace, love of enemies, and dying for the sins of others; in other words, it encourages followers to be like Jesus, to follow in The Way.
“John’s images do seem to pulse, the work of a visionary in prison on a windswept island, who has to struggle to say in words what those incessant winds have revealed to him. This is a poet’s book, which is probably the best argument for reclaiming it from fundamentalists. It doesn’t tell, it shows, over and over again, its images unfolding, pushing hard against the limits of language and metaphor, engaging the listener in a tale that has the satisfying yet unsettling logic of a dream.”1
The Book of Revelation. The Revelation of John. Or the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Whatever we call it, it is the last book in our Christian Bible. It is called an apocalypse, a Greek word which means revelation, an unveiling. It is a book filled with symbolism, metaphor, and poetry. These kinds of writings were familiar to the Jewish people of 2000 years ago. These kinds of writings revealed the injustices of their environment and offered a glimpse of God’s new creation. Today’s sermon is part three of a five week sermon series, but it is also part one of two sermons on symbolism and on the plot in the Book of Revelation.
I am a Netflix user and I love to sit down and watch a series with a really good story. I was
told that “The Walking Dead” was such a series. I watched the first few episodes and couldn’t watch
anymore. I’ve been told how wonderful it is and how I just need to watch a few more episodes, and
I’ll be hooked, but I couldn’t. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I love suspense and mystery and
epic adventure, but graphic violence makes me squirm and cringe. I find it all so unnecessary. It’s
probably one of the reasons I’ve avoided John’s revelation for so long, or as someone called it,
John’s bad dream.
The book of Revelation is graphic. It contains images of destruction, plagues, horrific beasts, and lots of death. We hear about rivers of blood and about the suffering and deaths of thousands upon thousands of people. The words in this book express the violence of the world in which it was written, just as some of our video games and television programs express the violent world in which we live. Have you seen “Game of Thrones” yet?
The Revelation of John though also
expresses hope that this violence will someday turn to peace. Again, a quote from Kathleen Norris:“Cruelty is not a distinguishing feature of the book itself; rather, it describes in stark terms the world we have made and boldly asserts that our cruelties and injustices will not have the last word.”2
Although this book is filled with violence, the message at its core is non-violence. It promotes justice and peace, love of enemies, and dying for the sins of others; in other words, it encourages followers to be like Jesus, to follow in The Way.
Today we’ll look at the first half of the story and see if we can make sense of some of the
words and images. This will only be a taste of what’s there, but I can recommend a couple of books
if you want to explore further.
Jewish apocalyptic literature is expressed through symbols and numbers. It is not a secret code that predicts the events of the end of the world. John of Patmos, the author, wrote this as a letter to communities of people for whom he cared. He expected that his readers would mostly know the meaning of his message based on their knowledge of the Hebrew bible and Jewish customs.
One number we hear numerous times is the number seven. It is a sacred number that represents wholeness or perfection. This number is woven throughout the book. We hear about seven letters to churches, seven spirits, seven lampstands, seven stars, seven seals, seven horns and eyes, seven angels with seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven plagues, seven bowls and more.
Another number we encounter is 12. Our story begins with John being invited to walk through an open door and into heaven. There he sees God upon a throne. There are 24 other thrones with 24 elders, 24 representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 disciples of Jesus.
John sees, in the right hand of God, a scroll with seven seals. Now, as was just read for us, only one who is worthy can break the seals. John is told there is only one who is worthy: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. For the Jewish people, this metaphor represented the coming Messiah, who was thought to be a King who would bring God’s kingdom about through military conquest, like King David, an epic hero from history. This is what John hears with his ears, but what he sees with his eyes is something quite different. What he sees is “a lamb standing, a lamb that had been slain.”
Who is this lamb? What does it represent? To understand it, you have to go back to the beginning, not Genesis and the creation story, but the Exodus story. This is the central story for the Jewish people. Connections with this story are made throughout the Book of Revelation. It is a story of slavery in Egypt and a story of salvation, a story of oppression and freedom. In this story, God, through Moses, uses plagues to convince Pharaoh to free the Jewish slaves but Pharaoh constantly refuses, only relenting with the last plague when the angel of death visits the oldest child in each household, one of them being Pharaoh’s son. The Hebrew slaves though were protected because they had sacrificed a lamb and put it’s blood on their doors. The angel of death passed over their homes. This lamb gave its life to save the Jewish people in Egypt.
Now, in the Revelation of John, this Passover lamb is Jesus, who gave his life to save his people. He was not the King or Messiah who would conquer through military conquest. His love for his neighbour and his enemy, and his compassion and mercy for the oppressed and excluded are what help him to achieve victory. He was the Messiah whose own death brought salvation. So he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Messiah, but, unexpectedly, he is also the sacrificed Passover Lamb. This weak and vulnerable image of a slain lamb is the strong protector and saviour that will open the scroll.
When you read the Revelation of John, you will learn what happens as each seal is opened, as each trumpet is blasted, and as each bowl is poured. You will encounter the four horsemen, earthquakes and windstorms, and plagues like those in the time of Egypt, which, like with Pharaoh, wlll not bring about a change of heart. You might wonder at the violence brought about when this slain lamb opens the seals on the scroll, but theologian Wes Howard Brooks explains it this way:
Jewish apocalyptic literature is expressed through symbols and numbers. It is not a secret code that predicts the events of the end of the world. John of Patmos, the author, wrote this as a letter to communities of people for whom he cared. He expected that his readers would mostly know the meaning of his message based on their knowledge of the Hebrew bible and Jewish customs.
One number we hear numerous times is the number seven. It is a sacred number that represents wholeness or perfection. This number is woven throughout the book. We hear about seven letters to churches, seven spirits, seven lampstands, seven stars, seven seals, seven horns and eyes, seven angels with seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven plagues, seven bowls and more.
Another number we encounter is 12. Our story begins with John being invited to walk through an open door and into heaven. There he sees God upon a throne. There are 24 other thrones with 24 elders, 24 representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 disciples of Jesus.
John sees, in the right hand of God, a scroll with seven seals. Now, as was just read for us, only one who is worthy can break the seals. John is told there is only one who is worthy: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. For the Jewish people, this metaphor represented the coming Messiah, who was thought to be a King who would bring God’s kingdom about through military conquest, like King David, an epic hero from history. This is what John hears with his ears, but what he sees with his eyes is something quite different. What he sees is “a lamb standing, a lamb that had been slain.”
Who is this lamb? What does it represent? To understand it, you have to go back to the beginning, not Genesis and the creation story, but the Exodus story. This is the central story for the Jewish people. Connections with this story are made throughout the Book of Revelation. It is a story of slavery in Egypt and a story of salvation, a story of oppression and freedom. In this story, God, through Moses, uses plagues to convince Pharaoh to free the Jewish slaves but Pharaoh constantly refuses, only relenting with the last plague when the angel of death visits the oldest child in each household, one of them being Pharaoh’s son. The Hebrew slaves though were protected because they had sacrificed a lamb and put it’s blood on their doors. The angel of death passed over their homes. This lamb gave its life to save the Jewish people in Egypt.
Now, in the Revelation of John, this Passover lamb is Jesus, who gave his life to save his people. He was not the King or Messiah who would conquer through military conquest. His love for his neighbour and his enemy, and his compassion and mercy for the oppressed and excluded are what help him to achieve victory. He was the Messiah whose own death brought salvation. So he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Messiah, but, unexpectedly, he is also the sacrificed Passover Lamb. This weak and vulnerable image of a slain lamb is the strong protector and saviour that will open the scroll.
When you read the Revelation of John, you will learn what happens as each seal is opened, as each trumpet is blasted, and as each bowl is poured. You will encounter the four horsemen, earthquakes and windstorms, and plagues like those in the time of Egypt, which, like with Pharaoh, wlll not bring about a change of heart. You might wonder at the violence brought about when this slain lamb opens the seals on the scroll, but theologian Wes Howard Brooks explains it this way:
“the seals are not the scroll. Jesus the Lamb is not ‘causing’ the violence described by the seals but
rather is unveiling it. The seals are precisely the powers of empire to keep the scroll - the word of
God - sealed up and hidden from view.”3 So again, these words of death and destruction are
describing the world in which they live, the violence that keep the current emperor in power, with
little critique or rebellion.
One more symbolic number we hear in the first part of this story is 144,000. We heard it in the second reading read for us. Just after the 6th seal on the scroll is opened, John hears that there are 144,000 people who are marked with a seal of protection. This is a symbolic number which represents 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Again, this is what John hears with his ears. What he sees is a crowd without number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language. People from all walks of life are witnessing to the gospel of Jesus Christ. People from all nations are being persecuted for their testimony so they are all marked with the seal of God and are protected. God will shelter them and guide them to the water of life and wipe away every tear from their eyes. Like the slain lamb that John sees as the fulfillment of the lion of the tribe of Judah, this crowd without number is the fulfillment of the twelve tribes of Israel.
After the seals have been broken, after the people without number are marked, and just after the trumpets are blown, lastly, we look at two witnesses. They are described in this way:
“the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.” (11:4-6)
Some have referred to these witnesses as the return of Moses and Elijah, but they are another symbol, pointing elsewhere. In the beginning of this book, lampstands is a term used for the communities of faith or churches. These two witnesses are described as lampstands, representing communities of faith, who must share the gospel, testify, and act on behalf of God.
As in my last sermon, when we talked about a two edged sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus, we have the witnesses consuming their foes with fire from their mouths. The sword for Jesus was God’ s Word. For the witnesses, this fire that consumes their foes is their witness to God’s Word. Like Moses, they have authority from God to turn water to blood, to send all kinds of plagues. These two witnesses, after they testify, are killed by “the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit (11:7). (We’ll talk more about the beast next week.) Their bodies lie in the street for three and a half days (half of seven), and then God breathes life back into them. Although “the beast” kills them, they rise again. This is a message of hope to those communities who are being persecuted for their proclamations about Jesus, the Christ.
All of this action is leading somewhere, and we’ll get more into that in the next couple of weeks but for now, I want you to go away with the following lessons for when you eventually sit down to read this remarkable story.
1) Try not to read it literally, remembering that this book is filled with metaphor and symbols that would have been easily understand by people of the time.
2) The violence of the story reflects the violence of the time.
3) Vulnerability is strength: The slain lamb is the triumphant saviour, the persecuted followers of Jesus are strong in their faith and example, the two witnesses are vanquished by the beast only to rise again.
One more symbolic number we hear in the first part of this story is 144,000. We heard it in the second reading read for us. Just after the 6th seal on the scroll is opened, John hears that there are 144,000 people who are marked with a seal of protection. This is a symbolic number which represents 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Again, this is what John hears with his ears. What he sees is a crowd without number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language. People from all walks of life are witnessing to the gospel of Jesus Christ. People from all nations are being persecuted for their testimony so they are all marked with the seal of God and are protected. God will shelter them and guide them to the water of life and wipe away every tear from their eyes. Like the slain lamb that John sees as the fulfillment of the lion of the tribe of Judah, this crowd without number is the fulfillment of the twelve tribes of Israel.
After the seals have been broken, after the people without number are marked, and just after the trumpets are blown, lastly, we look at two witnesses. They are described in this way:
“the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.” (11:4-6)
Some have referred to these witnesses as the return of Moses and Elijah, but they are another symbol, pointing elsewhere. In the beginning of this book, lampstands is a term used for the communities of faith or churches. These two witnesses are described as lampstands, representing communities of faith, who must share the gospel, testify, and act on behalf of God.
As in my last sermon, when we talked about a two edged sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus, we have the witnesses consuming their foes with fire from their mouths. The sword for Jesus was God’ s Word. For the witnesses, this fire that consumes their foes is their witness to God’s Word. Like Moses, they have authority from God to turn water to blood, to send all kinds of plagues. These two witnesses, after they testify, are killed by “the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit (11:7). (We’ll talk more about the beast next week.) Their bodies lie in the street for three and a half days (half of seven), and then God breathes life back into them. Although “the beast” kills them, they rise again. This is a message of hope to those communities who are being persecuted for their proclamations about Jesus, the Christ.
All of this action is leading somewhere, and we’ll get more into that in the next couple of weeks but for now, I want you to go away with the following lessons for when you eventually sit down to read this remarkable story.
1) Try not to read it literally, remembering that this book is filled with metaphor and symbols that would have been easily understand by people of the time.
2) The violence of the story reflects the violence of the time.
3) Vulnerability is strength: The slain lamb is the triumphant saviour, the persecuted followers of Jesus are strong in their faith and example, the two witnesses are vanquished by the beast only to rise again.
This story is telling us something, as a community and as individuals. Are we the persecuted
Christians looking for hope and salvation? Are we the Christians assimilating with empire, going
along with unjust practices, afraid to speak up and share the good news? Are we the downtrodden,
grief-stricken, despair-filled multitude who need to be protected by God and offered the waters of
life, comfort and love? Keep listening. The end is near. Or is the end only the beginning? May it
be so. Amen.
1 “Revelation: the Pocket Canon Series.” Introduction by Kathleen Norris. 1999. Grove Press, New York, NY. pg ix.
2 “Revelation: the Pocket Canon Series.” Introduction by Kathleen Norris. pg ix and x.
3 Howard-Brooks, Wes. “Revelation: Claiming the Victory Jesus Won Over Empire.” The New Testament - Introducing the Way of Discipleship, edited by Howard-Brooks, Wes and Ringe, Sharon H., Orbis Books, 2002, pg 198.
3 Howard-Brooks, Wes. “Revelation: Claiming the Victory Jesus Won Over Empire.” The New Testament - Introducing the Way of Discipleship, edited by Howard-Brooks, Wes and Ringe, Sharon H., Orbis Books, 2002, pg 198.
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