the Revelation to John 7: 9-17
Lauren J. McFeaters
July 16, 2023
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Let’s start at the beginning. The entire Bible is a library and its different types of literature call to our humanity.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name,”
might call to our deep feelings.
“Thou shalt!” “Thou shalt not!” “Thou shalt!”
May speak to our will and call to our distress, or even our sense of peace.
There are Paul’s Letters that send us to our mind, our brainpower, and may call to our intellect and reasoning.
“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have obtained access to this grace,
in which we stand;
and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”
And then. Then there’s the Book of Revelation or more correctly:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
to John the Theologian,
Imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos,
off the coast of Turkey.
And this scripture that takes us straight to our imagination.
The Revelation to John is one colossal extravaganza of dreams and creatures and angels. It’s an enormous and spectacular poem full of shocking visions, countless beasts, and ruinous verdicts.[i] A book innumerable people have tried to de-code.
So let’s pause and start where we really should start – with a corrective: We need to forget about trying to decode Revelation. It can’t be done. Trying to translate that this peculiar image equals a future calamity; this seal signifies the doom of a particular part of the world; this prophesy indicates a catastrophe.
All of this de-coding of beasts and disasters and seven seals is swirling around our heads, not because of translation with integrity, but because of the Doomsday Industry: Doomsday gaming, Armageddon publishers, Judgment Day Apps, big-screen end-of-the-world Hollywood productions.
It’s all marketing, playing on our fear, anxiety, and panic and using The Revelation to John as a time table for the rapture – the very end of the world. The word “rapture” never appears in the Bible. All of the drama is to make a buck on the backs of people’s upset and distress. The Doomsday Industry, although they’ve made billions, is nonsense. All of it. Every bit of it can be left behind. Wiped away. Bye. Bye.
And why should it be left behind? Because Revelation, first and foremost, is a book of comfort and hope, not desolation and despair.[ii]
Revelation is a letter written to seven churches experiencing unimaginable violence and persecution. The letter depicts a culmination toward which the whole biblical message of redemption is focused. It’s a letter of compassion and empathy. And rather than catastrophe, it encompasses what it is to be an Easter people serving a Risen Lord.
It’s written by a fellow Christian, John and what he offers is:
- Pastoral encouragement for Christians confronted with tyranny and cruelty
- A soulful guide in times of fear
- A daily devotional for the renewal of our hearts
- An inspiration for discipleship
- Sustenance for our work with the Holy Spirit.[iii]
Is his writing quite strange in parts? Yes. It is full of hope? Yes.
He says, these are the ones
who have come out of the great ordeal…
And the One who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more,
and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd,
he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
These are the ones who have come out of the great ordeal…
Over and over again; infinity times more.
Amazing.
I think we should re-title this book:
The Amazing Revelation of Jesus Christ,
to John the Theologian,
Imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos,
off the coast of Turkey.
It is a Letter of Amazement. And at its core John tells us we’re going to be surprised about our future. We’re going to be very surprised about the people God considers to be under her wing. We get a God’s-eye view of the breadth of God’s love, and that breadth, is an inclusive grace we can hardly imagine. God loves us all: all genders, all colors, all abilities, and all liabilities. No matter how much we imagine God cares for us; according to John’s vision, it will be infinity times more so.
And there’s more. We’re also going to be amazed by the scope of God’s healing. Surely the healing of bodies and minds, spirits,[iv] but also a healing of the earth itself, the nations, homelands, and nation-states. Just when we need a word promise, John scoops us up into his vision for the restoration of humanity scared by warfare and missiles; starvation and disease; assault and viciousness. We witness the healing of dreams deferred and childhoods postponed.
“Neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free” will be held hostage. Neither rich nor poor, employed nor unemployed, neither citizen, nor immigrant, nor refugee, not the incarcerated will be held in captive. There is a new homeland for the vulnerable, the meek, the righteous, the merciful, and the peacemakers.
All are embraced. All are welcome.
All are healed. All find home.
People of God, hear the Good News:
Through the Lord Jesus Christ …
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne is their shepherd,
and he is guiding us to the water of life.
And God; well God is wiping away
every tear,
every sob,
every wail.”
Let us pray: Lord God, you have given us a glimpse into the heart of love. We praise you. Your promise is full of healing and hope. Show us how to participate in this mystery and transform us to be your faithful people. We thank you for a life in the Spirit. We thank you for this vision and for your infinite peace. Amen.
ENDNOTES
[i] Bruce M. Metzger. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville, KY: Abingdon Press, 11-12, 106, 1993.
[ii] Thanks to Susan W. Thompson for this reference from a class taught at Princeton Theological Seminary by Bruce M. Metzger.
[iii] Metzger, 106.
[iv] Nora Tubbs Tisdale. “Glimpsing Heaven in Thin Places,” Revelation 7:9-17. Day 1, Alliance for Christian Media. Atlanta, GA, day1.org, November 2, 2008.