Reading Revelation ... Chapter 22 (the final chapter)

June 16-22
Revelation 22:7-21
(week 12 of 12)

 

The “Amen” of John’s Revelation
Dr. Robert Wall

Suggestions for Daily Readings

• 22:7-11
• 22:12-13   Memorize & meditate
• 22:14-17
• 22:18-21

Coming Soon to a World Near You!

Last week we read about God’s work of creating a new heaven and new earth, along with a New Jerusalem.  We were inspired by the culminating picture of life as God intended – God on the throne, His light shining perpetually, the tree of life and living water providing for all needs.  This week we finish out the book of Revelation by taking a look at its epilogue.  Is this a let-down?  Perhaps.  Definitely a slow-down.  The Revelation roller coaster is now slowing down to a full stop, and we’re waiting until the safety check is complete before we can depart and appreciate our memories of the thrill ride.  With the safety check come a few stern warnings as we move off the ride: to worship the right object…God, not angels (v. 9), to live the right way in order to enter the new city and have the right to the tree of life (v. 14-15), and to preserve the right words of this prophetic letter…neither adding to them nor taking away from (v. 18-19).

But there is an inspirational theme to these closing remarks, words we can take with us, words that will keep the thrill of Revelation alive within and among us.  In these verses, Jesus, the exalted Lord of all, says over and over again:

“I am coming soon!”  Revelation 22:7, 12, 20

And we are given our words of response, the word to express our anticipation of Jesus’ return:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17

To sum up our experience of the roller coaster, let all those of us who have read Revelation say to Jesus: Bring it on!  Or put another way in verse 20, we can say:

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  Revelation 22:20

 

Questions for Application

• What does it mean to you when you hear Jesus saying “I am coming soon?” 
• Is his return something that you are looking forward to?  Avoiding? 
• How do you experience the frustration of waiting for that great day?

• How can the patterns of your daily life be shaped by the refrain “Come, Lord Jesus?”
• How are you demonstrating to Jesus that you welcome his return? 
• How might you?

As always, here are some general questions to reflect upon or discuss:

The Scene

What does the scene look like?  What stands out to you visually?  Revelation contains a strange mix of vision elements – some readily understood and others quite mysterious.  What do you understand?  What remains mysterious?

The Characters

Who are the living characters who appear in this scene?  What does the text tell you about them?  How do they interact with one another…what is the dramatic action?  What remains mysterious about them?

The Message

What do the characters do or say or sing?  If you were to summarize this in a word or phrase, how would you put it?  What remains unclear or mysterious with regard to a message in the text?

Words of Blessing

To paraphrase the final verse of Revelation…and the final verse in the Bible:

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all of you, for you are the saints to whom Jesus will be coming soon. Amen.

 

Reading Revelation ... Chapter 21

June 9-15
Revelation 21:1-22:6
(Week 11 of 12)

 

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth”
Dr. Robert Wall

Suggestions for Daily Readings

• 21:1-8
• 21:9-14
• 21:15-21
• 21:22-27
• 22:1-6

 

A World without the Sting of Death

Last week we talked about Jesus’ arrival on the scene and the judgment of evil that followed his victory.  This week we read about God’s work of creating a new heaven and new earth. 

As I read Revelation 21 and the Lectio commentary of SPU professor Robert Wall, it wasn't lost on me that this week’s reading speaks to a community that has recently experienced the stinging reality of death.  The Seattle Pacific University community is reeling from a shooting incident in which one young man was killed and three were wounded, and an entire campus traumatized.  It’s a harsh reminder that the kingdom Jesus inaugurated has not fully come to earth.  But in Revelation 21 the SPU family hears God speak about where He’s leading things – God is creating a new world in which “death will be no more.”

There are few quotations ever recorded that stir the soul like the words spoken in a loud voice from the throne of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:3-4.  Take some time and meditate on the richness of this message; consider how it links up with your deep human longings.

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 

Taking up a theme developed in Isaiah’s prophecy, we learn that the one seated on the throne is renewing all things: “Behold, I am making all things new” (v. 5).  The words Jesus spoke on the cross he says again at the end – “It is finished” (v. 6).  Living water flows freely, and produces the fruit of healing (22:1-2).  Repeatedly, it's emphasized that there's no need for light – natural or artificial – because the light of God will shine perpetually.

In the last two chapters of Revelation, the roller coaster we've been on levels out and takes us into a world we've never seen before. Stunning and serene, it is all we've ever wanted, all we've ever needed.  And it was totally worth the wild ride. 

Questions for Application

• How have you experienced death recently?  What have you mourned about?  Cried about?  Felt the pain of?  How have others you know experienced the sting of death?

 

 

• What does it mean to you that God’s plan results in His “wiping every tear from our eyes?”  What tears have you cried that God might tenderly wipe away from your face?  What kind of spiritual practices might help us experience a foretaste of God’s compassionate healing of our wounds?

 

As always, here are some general questions to reflect upon or discuss to get a sense of the story and drama of the passage:

The Scene

What does the scene look like?  What stands out to you visually?  Revelation contains a strange mix of vision elements – some readily understood and others quite mysterious.  What do you understand?  What remains mysterious?

The Characters

Who are the living characters who appear in this scene?  What does the text tell you about them?  How do they interact with one another…what is the dramatic action?  What remains mysterious about them?

The Message

What do the characters do or say or sing?  If you were to summarize this in a word or phrase, how would you put it?  What remains unclear or mysterious with regard to a message in the text?

Reading Revelation ... Chapters 19-20

June 2 – 8
Revelation 19:11-20:15
(week 10 of 12)

The Apocalypse of God’s Salvation Come to Earth

Dr. Robert Wall

Suggestions for Daily Readings

19:11-21.  The Savior enters riding a white horse, and destroys the beast

20:1-3.      The dragon is captured and imprisoned
20:4-6.      The saints rule with Christ for a thousand years
20:7-10     Satan (the dragon) is released, makes a last stand, and then destroyed
20:11-15   The dead are judged by God

 

Enter the Savior!

Last week we followed the play-by-play as God’s wrath was poured out upon the earth in judgment.  This week, we focus on God’s victory brought about by Jesus.  Jesus makes a grand entrance, riding a white horse, to finalize the victory of God.  Dr. Wall likens Jesus’ arrival to the fanfare-filled entrance of a relief pitcher into the ninth inning of a major league baseball game.  The “closer” who comes in to nail down the victory and save the game – that’s Jesus’ role in Revelation.  Up to now Jesus has been a witness of what’s been going on, but now he’s in the game, bringing it to its victorious conclusion.

Pay special attention to what happens to the evil actors we’ve been introduced to in Revelation.  In these 25 verses we discover the fate of the beast and the false prophet – thrown into a lake of fire.  But the great dragon, Satan, isn't disposed of so simply.  First he is chained in a sealed pit for a thousand years. (Dr. Wall interprets the thousand years to be describing one great Day of Judgment in God’s time.)  After the thousand years, in which those beheaded for their testimony to Jesus reign with Christ, the dragon is set free.  After amassing a large army, the dragon meets the same fiery fate as the other two members of the unholy trinity.  Then we see God's final judgment of the dead.

 

Questions for Application

In your experience, what does it mean to you that Jesus is your Savior?  How has Jesus saved you?  What has he saved you from?  What do you need him to save you from? 

Revelation portrays Jesus the Savior as a mystical military leader riding a white horse.  Dr. Wall likened Jesus to a baseball relief pitcher who comes in at the end to save the victory.  How would you describe Jesus’ saving work in the past, present, and future?

 

As always, here are some general questions to reflect upon or discuss:

The Scene

What does the scene look like?  What stands out to you visually?
Revelation contains a strange mix of vision elements – some readily understood and others quite mysterious.  What do you understand?  What remains mysterious?

The Characters

Who are the living characters who appear in this scene?  What does the text tell you about them?  How do they interact with one another…what is the dramatic action?  What remains mysterious about them?

The Message

What do the characters do or say or sing?  If you were to summarize this in a word or phrase, how would you put it?  What remains unclear or mysterious with regard to a message in the text?


A word to the wise with this week's Revelation reading in mind:
 "Stick with Jesus.  You'll be glad you did."

Reading Revelation - Chapters 15-19

May 26 – June 1
Revelation 15:5-19:10
(Week 9 of 12)

God’s Demolition Project

Dr. Robert Wall

Suggestions for Daily Readings

• 15:5-16:21
• 17:1-8
• 17:9-18
• 18:1-8
• 18:9-20
• 18:21-24
• 19:1-10

Follow the three movements of this week’s reading…

God’s Wrath (15-16)

In this section of Revelation, God brings down the hammer: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God” (16:1).  Picture emptying a full bucket of water on a small sandcastle – utter destruction!  How do we make sense of our loving God acting so violently?  Dr. Wall puts this destruction in perspective, reminding us that destruction of the old precedes reconstruction of the new, as in a full kitchen remodel.  I remember putting a new roof on my house (with major help from my friends Eric & Grant).  Because the problem (leaks & mold) went down to the core of the plywood, just installing a surface cover of new shingles wouldn’t fix anything.  A full tear-off of the old roof was required – and that demolition project required violent force.

 

Evil Babylon’s Fall (17-18)

At the center of all evil that rejects God we find a city, Babylon, repeatedly referred to as a whore.  Most scholars agree that John’s vision is referring to the city of Rome, a city built on seven hills (17:9).  Dr. Wall points out that Rome isn’t the only city to be built on seven hills – so is Seattle!  He underscores a major aspect of Babylon’s evil that is described in the account of the fall of Babylon in chapter 18: economic exploitation and godless materialism.  Read the passages that describe the merchants, their trade, and the judgment that is poured out upon them.  What relevance does this have for life in our society today, dominated as it is by trade & materialism?  Dr. Wall doesn’t hide his answer to this question…read it and consider how it makes you feel.

 

Hallelujah Chorus (19:1-10)

No surprise here.  A victory for God brings another loud worship song, a four-verse “Hallelujah!” chorus.  Read and reflect on these words of praise to nurture your worship of the Lord…and listen to the Hallelujah chorus of Handel’s Messiah!

 

Questions for Application

• What place do trade, profits, advertising, & materialism have in the fully-realized Kingdom of God?

• Will there be a “Fortune 500” list in heaven?  If not, why do we citizens of God’s reign spend so much of our lives serving this power? 

 

• As Dr. Wall asks at the end of his commentary, “How can one be Christian within Babylon’s self-destructive system?”

• Also from Dr. Wall: Think of three concrete ways that we can unstick ourselves from the gluey materialism that adheres to all areas of our lives.

 

As always, here are some general questions to reflect upon or discuss:

The Scene

What does the scene look like?  What stands out to you visually?
Revelation contains a strange mix of vision elements – some readily understood and others quite mysterious.  What do you understand?  What remains mysterious?

The Characters

Who are the living characters who appear in this scene?  What does the text tell you about them?  How do they interact with one another…what is the dramatic action?  What remains mysterious about them?

The Message

What do the characters do or say or sing?  If you were to summarize this in a word or phrase, how would you put it?  What remains unclear or mysterious with regard to a message in the text?

 

Memorize or Meditate on the song in Revelation 19:6-8.

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!

    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad

    and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

    and his bride has made herself ready.

⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,

    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)