Presbyterian Women Online

For What Purpose was Revelation written?

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* To prod Christians in congregational communities to wake up, repent, and act faithfully and justly, despite the bleak situation caused by Roman rule.
* To encourage believers to have hope in God;s future, and to see that future breaking into the present.
* To offer an urgent warning that God will judge evil, injustice, inaction, and worship of Roman culture and the Roman emeror; God alone receives worship.
* To inspire and encourage Christians to become witnesses to God's way of life, through Jesus Christ.
* To answer the question, "Who is the true God?"
view the introduction and meet the author.

Lesson #1 AN APOCALYPSE, AN AUTHOR, AND A WITNESS

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In Revelation 1, the author, John of Patmos, introduces himself and explains his purpose in writing this book. He has seen a vision of the living Christ.
He has an urgent message to communicate to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). That urgent message is a call for them to be witnesses for Christ in every aspect of their lives. In order to communicate that message, he utilizes the form of an apocalypse. In this lesson we will take a closer look at what an apocalypse is and we will meet John, the author, paying special attention to how he introduces himself and his urgent vision.
Questions:
1. What impressions do you have about the book of Revelation?
2. Who is John?
3. Look at question #2 on page 9.
4. Revelation 1:1 This could mean from Christ or about Christ. But from Whom is it ultimately?
5. In Revelation 1:3, who is blessed?
6. In the midst of the terrible time, John evokes God who is and who was and who is to come. He evokes the spirits who watch over the churches. He evokes Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He evokes the great love of God and of Jesus and uses images from Daniel and Zechariah as he erupts in awe and wonder(Revelation 1:5-7)
7. What might John say to us in our church today?
8. What might John say to a Christian in Pakistan, Kenya, Haiti, in prison, or ....
9. John sees Jesus in a vision (Revelation 1:10-16)> He uses language he and those who hear this letter are familiar with from the Scriptures. You can almost imagine the listeners catching their breath. Christ is in the midst of the seven lamp stands/churches. So, if he is among us, is he not depending upon us? What is John's reaction to this vision?
10. Can you think of other instances where someone who encounters the Lord is told not to be afraid?
11. Are there elements of controlling empire in our lives today?
12. Read Revelation 1:17b,18 Think about things that bring you fear. What would it mean to live without fear and with trust in Jesus Christ..the first and last and living one.
13. Where is the hope?

Lesson #2 SEVEN LETTERS TO SEVEN CHURCHES

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John of Patmos addresses a series of letters to the early Christian communities of Asia Minor. The seven individual letters are like performance reviews, examining the strengths and weaknesses of each church.
These seven churches faced challenges unique to each local situation. They grappled with issues such as Christians’ relationship to the dominant culture, questions of wealth and poverty, and relationships with Jewish communities. John’s letters to these churches are passionate and uncompromising. His goal is to persuade them not to blend in with their culture but to remain faithful witnesses to Jesus. John also seeks to give them hope.

Presbyterian Women Horizons Bible Study

Journeys Through Revelation--Apocalyptic Hope for Today

Lesson Two: 7 letters to 7 churches

Key ideas:

1. No matter the circumstances, Jesus is in control (holds the 7 stars in his right hand) and Jesus is with us (walks among the 7 lampstands).

2. We, as well as those in the churches addressed by John, are to remain faithful to Christ, no matter the cost.

I. Briefly review the 6 principles of the study—on bookmarks and on page 4.

II. A. These aren’t exactly what we think of as letters, which may be why the NRSV calls them messages. Our study author, on p. 15, calls them “performance reviews”. Each is addressed to the “angel” of a church. What do you think that means?

Look at the map on p. 16. Were there only 7 churches in Asia Minor, (now western Turkey)? Not likely. These 7 were major cities with a diversity of issues (p. 15)—Christians’ relationship to the dominant culture, questions of wealth and poverty, relationships to Jewish communities, and some dissension within the churches, themselves. This was to be read aloud in every church. John was calling them to task but also trying to give them hope.

And, remember , 7, a number of which John is fond, is a number which signifies completeness. “Let anyone who has an ear to hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Anyone who has an ear to hear. Do we?

We also face issues, such as how we deal with our culture, wealth and poverty, relationships with other faith communities, dissension within our churches. John is telling us not to compromise but to remain faithful witnesses to Jesus.

B. The messages follow a pattern:

1. To the angel…

2. Reference to Christ, using one of the attributes from chapter 1.

3. “I know”, indicating, again, that Jesus is in their midst.

4. Commendation for faithfulness (except for the churches in Sardis and Laodicea

5. Condemnation for areas they’ve slipped in (except for Philadelphia)

6. Appeal to repent or hold fast and to listen hard.

7. Promise that all who do hold fast will conquer and be rewarded by Christ.

Why do you think John uses such a militaristic term as conquer?

III. Ephesus Read Revelation 2: 1-7

A. Big (about 250,000), wealthy harbor city with a good library, sewage system and that infamous temple for Diana. Paul had been there, and there was strong Christian tradition. Not so risky to be a Christian there anymore, and they’re commended for keeping the faith.

B. But there was problem within the community. Who were these Nicolaitians? They come up again in Pergamum, with a reference to Balaam. It’s thought that they probably said, “Since we’re no longer under the Law, it’s okay to eat meat that’s been offered to idols.” They might even have said, “The body is evil; do what you like with it.” They advocated compromise with the pagan world. And, if they had (have?) their way, the world would change Christianity, rather than Christianity changing the world.

So, the Ephesians rooted them out and were zealous for adhering to the right way. But in the process of pursuing orthodoxy, they departed from the ultimate way, which is love. For Christ and for each other. They’re told to remember and to do the works they did at first. Otherwise, in 2: 5, the lampstand will be removed. Christ will not be at the center.

C. Question 2 on page 16.

D. What is promised to the members of the church in Ephesus? (2:7) Tree of life is a Jewish concept that when the Messiah comes, the faithful will eat of it, in a garden of God’s.

IV. Smyrna and Philadelphia Read Revelation 2: 8-11 and 3: 7-13

A. John probably put the churches in the order of the “mail route”, how a messenger would travel. Barbara Rossing puts the churches with similar issues together. (page 17)

B. Smyrna was probably a city where you had to swear an oath that Caesar was divine in order to hold a job or receive any benefits. Christians who didn’t do so were in a desperate economic plight. Those whose faith was so tested knew the power possible through Christ; they were spiritually rich. John reminds them that Jesus experienced suffering and death and can walk beside them.

C. Note that John says, “those who say they are Jews and are not”. He’s not Jew-bashing; in fact, the implication is the opposite. But, in both these cities, such people are attacking the Christians, apparently with some success. John tells Smyrna that they will suffer (10 days means a short while). He tells the Philadelphians that these pseudo-Jews will recognize the Truth.

D. John warns Smyrna of persecution. *What is promised to Smyrna?(2:10***)

E. What do you think is meant in 3:8 by the open door, which no one is able to shut?

The Philadelphia Christians were said to have little power, but no mention is made of the economic deprivation that the Smyrna church suffered. Perhaps they were being told to be more vocal, the open door being an opportunity to witness.

F. *What is promised to the Philadelphians? (3:10, 12)*** (Maybe the phrase, pillar of the church comes from this. But here it’s a promise, not a description.)

V. Pergamum (p, 18) Read Revelation 2:12-17

A. Capital of the Roman province of Asia. Lots of temples to many gods, including a really immense one to Zeus . Animal sacrifices were burned 24/7. Think what that city smelled like! Smoke could always be seen rising from the hill. There was also a temple to Asclepius, with sacred snakes that were supposed to heal. Maybe such places are what’s meant by Satan’s throne in 2:13.

B. There had been persecution (Antipas martyred (2:13). Commended for holding fast. Then warned about accommodation to Roman culture (Balaam and Nicolaitians). Since the poverty of Smyrna isn’t mentioned here, perhaps they were doing what they had to, to survive. Eating with business associates, keeping silent when idols were worshipped.

In the 5^th ¶ on p. 18, she points out the contrast between John and Paul on the issue of eating meat.

John’s emphasis is on witnessing, taking a stand and explaining it.

C. What is promised? (2:17) (A white stone was prized, either as an amulet with the name of a deity on it or as a mark of membership in a special group.)

VI. Thyatira (p. 19) Read Revelation 2:18-28

A. A commercial city; archaeologists have found inscriptions for many trade guilds. And they had banquets where an animal was sacrificed to a god and then eaten. Hence this harsh reference to Jezebel. But, if you wanted to do business…Not going along could be economic suicide. John is especially harsh in condemning this “Jezebel”, leading Christians astray. Do we ever do this? (This is sort of question 6)

B. Have someone read 2:19. This commendation is warm and specific. These Christians were doing a lot of things right.

C. What is promised in 2:26, 28? (In 22:16, the Lord describes himself as the bright morning star)

VII. Sardis and Laodicea (p. 19) Read Revelation 3: 1-6 and 3: 14-22

A. These 2 churches receive no commendation. Both are examples of merely nominal Christianity, maybe what we call “Sunday only Christians”. No one would guess they’re Christians from their behavior during the week. Apathetic, lethargic, lukewarm.

B. Sardis had fallen in the past, overcome by the Persians and by Antiochus. Christ is presented as the one who has the 7 spirits of god and the 7 stars. These words indicate his sovereign control and the source of spiritual power. Since the Sardis church, while having a name of being alive, was in fact dead, it needed this reminder. Sardis gets “5 staccato imperatives”: *Wake up! *Strengthen what remains! *Remember what you received! *Obey! *Repent!!

C. Laodicea gets the toughest review. Unlike the impoverished Christians in Smyrna, they’re “rich, have prospered, and need nothing” (3:17). John says that in God’s view, they’re “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”. God calls them to invest in the treasure He provides, challenging though that may be. And in 3:19, says, “Those whom I love I reprove and chasten, so be zealous and repent.”

D. What is promised to Sardis? (3:5, 6)

E. Have someone read Rev. 3: 19-22 A picture of grace and free will. The Lord promises fellowship

VIII. We are the Philadelphians, Laodiceans, All of the Above p. 20.

The diversity of these ancient churches and the challenges they faced can give insight into our churches today.

One of the main goals of Revelation is to comfort the afflicted, but Revelation also afflicts the comfortable. John expresses some harsh criticisms but also announces God’s call to repent and return to a vital faith.

What is a strength of our church for which I offer thanksgiving?

What is a weakness of my church which needs forgiveness and transformation?

What is a need of my church for which I ask God’s provision and direction?

What is a blessing that I have received from my church, for which I am grateful?

Lesson # 3 WORSHIPING GOD AND THE LAMB: THE HEAVENLY JOURNEY

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Worship and praise are central features of Revelation, and singing is one of the best ways to enter into the imagery of the book. The singing begins in Chapters 4 and 5, when John is summoned to “come up” to heaven “in the spirit,” through an open door. There he sees four living creatures and twenty-four “elders” worshiping and singing in a circle around God’s throne. The message is that we are to give allegiance only to God, not to any earthly government or power. As we will discover in this lesson, real power comes from the Lamb, whose name is Jesus. Here are the questions.

Key Ideas:
1.John has now looked to heaven--not a literal place, but a divine perspective. We look for the deeper-than-literal message.
2.The surprise is the power found in Jesus symbolized by a Lamb, not a mighty lion. This vulnerable Lamb image is the central symbol of Christ in Revelation.
3."Lamb power" is very different from the power structures of dominant human culture.
4.We can, in prayer, participate in heavenly worship. Recognizing the power of sacrificial love and gentleness, we join with creation in singing praise to God.

I.Opening Devotion. On page 29.

II. Heaven
John has now moved his focus from earth to heaven. While John may have held the common view of heaven as a dome above the flat earth beyond the sky, this is not meant to be a geography lesson.
How would you have described heaven when you were a child?
How do you think of heaven now?
The lesson describes heaven with divine perspective. See page 24--paragraph 2.

III. John tries to describe the undescribable.
Have you ever heard or said yourself "words just cannot describe it"?
Read Rev. 4:2-6a.
What kind of picture is this?

IV. Numbers and More Numbers
Who might the 24 elders be?
Or--Is it 12 patriarchs and 12 Apostles?
Or--Is it 12 tribes and more people?
Read Rev. 4:10
Who or what are we worshiping today?

V. Visions from the Old Testament.
Read Ezekiel 1:4-10. Read Isaiah 6:1-3.
Read Rev. 4:6b-8.
What is represented by the creatures?
What did the creatures say?
These creatures will be mentioned again--and they lead the songs of praise.
Look at the list of Hymns on page 83.
Do you have a favorite hymn?
Is there special meaning in musical praise of God?

VI. Lion vs. Lamb
Read Rev. 5:5
Are you looking for something powerful—a lion?
Read Rev. 5:6-7
What is surprising and outstanding about this image?
What does the image of the Lamb suggest?
Where have you seen this “lamb power “ ?

VII. Prayer

Read Psalm 141:2

Read Rev.5:8

What does this say about the importance of prayer? What kind of prayer?

Do we, as part of the church on earth, participate in the worship of the church in heaven?

VIII. Hope and Victory

Read Rev. 5:11-14

Where do you hear the song in the world today?

IX. Prayer

Pray the prayer on page 28.

Lesson # 4 DIAGNOSING THE CRISES OF EMPIRE

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Key ideas:

1. The frightening images reveal the dangers of an unjust empire and let us know that these evils have not escaped God’s notice.

2. John did not devise the violent language and imagery himself. In both form and content, most of it was adopted and adapted by him from his Bible and his Jewish and Christian tradition.

3. Intent is to produce repentance, to make clear that God is in control, not to predict.

I. Opening Devotion on p. 37, 1st column.

II. This outburst of praise at the Lamb’s coming to open the seals is followed, when the Lamb opens the seals, by an outburst of a very different kind: the 4 riders of the apocalypse, with conquest, war, famine and death! And more frightening stuff follows.

The years preceding John’s writing of Revelation were grim—earthquakes in 60; in 62, defeat by the Parthians on the eastern border, noted for their skills with the bow; the fire in Rome blamed on the Christians in 64; persecution of Christians; the destruction of the Temple in 72; the eruption of Vesuvius in 79; and a major famine in 92. The author, Barbara Rossing, talks about her shocking experience with a vanished glacier; the people hearing Revelation had a lot of shocking experiences.

Do we have such experiences? Have you ever thought, “God, why don’t you do something?” Do you suppose Christians at the end of the 1st century sometimes asked that?”

Read Revelation, Chapter 6

On p. 32, 2nd ¶, Rossing writes, “With the opening of each seal, John of Patmos pulls back a curtain to try to wake people up to the urgency of their situation and show them what is so terribly wrong with the world, with the whole Roman Empire system within which they live.” Our world, as well.

On pp. 84 and 85 are “strategies for getting through the middle chapters of Revelation”, for dealing with the violent images. Read along with the chapters of Revelation we haven’t time to cover.

III. Entering Into the Images

Rossing says, on p. 32, 5th ¶, that “the theological meaning of the seals is not about predicting, it is about seeing. Along with the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls of woe which follow (and which we don’t have time to discuss), the visions reveal deeper aspects of the same basic evil in the world and urgency of the present moment for God’s people.

It’s like the visions that Ebenezer Scrooge had in A Christmas Carol, as she points out on p. 33. They wake Scrooge up to the peril he faces so he can change, if he so chooses.

These are frightening images, but she suggests we look for the blessing of hope, relying on

Revelation 1:3. As we try to understand this book, we are surely reading and hearing and pondering. The question may be if we’re “keeping what is written in it.”

Perhaps, if we don’t stay in our cocoons of comfort and reach out to those in need as much as we can.

IV. Opening the Seals

Here are the 4 living creatures we remember from Rev. 4, representing the whole world.

Each of them, in turn, says, “Come,” to one of the famous 4 riders. These are deeper than literal images, Rossing says on p. 33, 2nd to last ¶, pointing to different aspects of the Roman imperial system.

Read Zechariah 1: 8-11 and Zechariah 6:1-7. Here’s a clear example of John’s reliance on images from his scriptures. These references would have resonated with those for whom he is writing.

They may well have remembered that God had been with God’s people in the troubled past. They might have been led to look beyond the world’s struggles to remember God’s presence.

V. The First Four Seals:

“Come!” This is an echo of the prayer of the church for the coming of Christ and for God to end persecution and establish the final justice of the kingdom of God.

1st horse: We may think of a bow as being a symbol of hunting, but in those days it was used to great effect in war; the Parthians, Rome’s enemy to the east, were known for their skill in shooting arrows while riding hard. Most scholars think the white horse and archer who receives a crown represent conquest. Certainly, that was a characteristic of the Roman Empire. And we can think of lots of more recent examples. (The Middle East, Germany in WWII, economic control….)

2nd horse: The red horse takes peace from the earth, and people slaughter one another in wars large and small. Has there ever been a time when there wasn’t war? The word “peace” perhaps refers to the kind of fragile stability held by balances of power. Rossing, near the bottom of p. 34, says, “The rider is presented a huge sword…and rides off for a harvest of killing.”

Question 4 is a tough but important one. (John is here showing the results of human sin. No earthquakes, floods, etc. are mentioned here.)

3rd horse: The black horse whose rider holds scales is thought to symbolize economic hardship. What happens to prices during famines? They go sky high, and that’s the point of verse 6. As for the olive oil and wine—some think these were protected because of their value in trade (forget about feeding the people). Or these products may have been important in pagan rituals.

4th horse: Many scholars think of pale green as the color of sickness and death, and this rider is named Death, with Hades following. It sort of puts the cap on the other horsemen of killing in various ways.

Our author, on the other hand, thinks of green as the color of vegetation and the rider as representing ecological disaster. In these days, that makes sense. At any rate, it still caps the other horsemen, in that it represents killing “¼ of the earth itself, with a lethal mix of both natural and human-caused calamities.”

Question 6.

Read the 2nd half of the ¶ before The Fifth Seal, beginning with We can challenge ourselves…

These riders make clear that people are not in control of their own destinies.

Nor are they “raptured” out of the situation. So what are they—and we—to do? Turn to God. Ask God what I can do, in my own situation. Witness to Jesus in the midst of apparent control by Empire.

VI. The Fifth Seal

Once again, a curtain is pulled back on a scene in heaven. In Biblical imagery the life or essence of a person or sacrifice is represented by blood, which runs down to the base of the altar. So the essence or souls of those who have been martyred have been sacrificed on the heavenly altar. God knows what people have endured for their faith. “How long?”, they cry, before their sacrifice is vindicated. (Vindicate is a better translation than avenge.) On the top of p. 36, Rossing writes, “This is the cry of all who suffer injustice in our world,…who long for God to intervene. Read Psalm 13:1.

The white robe signifies the purity of the Resurrection life. (This isn’t meant to be an answer to what happens after death.) The answer to “How long?”—only a little longer--is a repudiation of Rome’s claim of an eternal empire of injustice.

Until the number is complete. What’s complete? Only God knows. Who’s in control? Is the suffering of these martyrs in vain?

Either Question 7 or, from center column on p. 37,

How does Jesus’ own experience of conflict and suffering lead to Christian hope? How can a suffering savior be a source of comfort strength, and encouragement to suffering people?

VII. The Sixth Seal

Now John moves from the clear results of human sin to the cataclysms of nature Read either Isaiah 13: 9-10 or Joel 2:30-31. Again, John references scriptures.

(For homework: Read what Jesus himself says in Mark 13.) We just don’t have time.

The creation stories in Genesis portray God’s establishing order and pushing chaos back. Here, chaos is reintroduced. God’s wrath against injustice and human sin is great and inescapable. Rossing says, in the 1st ¶ after The Sixth Seal, “This scene would have been an especially sobering reminder to Christians who might have been tempted to seek security by assimilating into the dominant culture of their day. Revelation wants us to feel the threat of judgment, and not just jump immediately to hope.” The goal of these visions is not to predict but to warn and to summon to repentance. No matter who you are.

Read Rev. 6: 16b and 17.

William Barclay, in his commentary, says, “The terrible thing about sin is that it makes a person a fugitive from God; and the supreme thing about the work of Jesus Christ is that it puts a person into a relationship with God in which he no longer need seek to hide, knowing that he can cast himself on the love and the mercy of God.”

VIII. Close with prayer on p. 36.

Lesson #5 SINGING HYMNS OF HOPE:INTERLUDES OF SALVATION FOR GOD'S PEOPLE

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Revelation, chapter 7-8:5 and chapter 12

Key ideas:

1. John presents the concept that our struggles against sin and injustice are part of a cosmic picture.

2. God gives hope even in the midst of judgment, enabling us to witness, no matter what happens.

3. Forces of evil are defeated by Christ’s victory on the cross and by our witness.

I. Opening Devotion on p. 45, 1^st column. (Rev. 7:10 and 7:12)

II. Salvation Interludes.

In our last lesson, there were cataclysms and catastrophes. And Chapter 6 ended with “who is able to stand?” It seemed as though no one would be able to stand, and there we were left hanging.

But God’s judgment is not unrelenting. Chapter 7 interrupts the opening of the 7 seals, delaying judgment so that God’s people can be protected. It reassures and strengthens God’s people, giving hope and encouragement. No matter what happens, God is with us. Look beyond the present situation. Our troubles, as real as they are, are not all there is. Life with God cannot be compared with anything that we experience now. What hope! We can stand.

III. Sealing the Saints

Read Revelation 7: 1-3 And have someone read Ezekiel 9:4

Before the awful events, God’s people are marked with a seal. They belong to God. They would not be kept from the coming ordeal, but they would be kept through it.

(p. 40, 5th¶.) For early Christians, this imagery of sealing is probably baptismal imagery And for the Jews, it would have again reminded them of the Passover story, when the Israelites sealed their doorposts with blood from the lamb so the angel of death would not claim their firstborn in the most terrible of the plagues.

John believes God is calling the Christian churches to take a new exodus journey, out of the heart of the Roman Empire into God’s New Jerusalem (p. 40, 6th¶). God’s people are being prepared and protected.

Paul talks about the Christian being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, which enables her to have a wisdom and strength to cope with life in a way that is beyond the attainment of others without that seal.

1^st¶ on p. 41. When our ministers baptize, they “seal” the baby or person with the sign of the cross on the forehead and say, “You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever.” Question 1-p. 41

IV. 144,000 Servants of God

Read Rev. 7:4 and point out that in the following verses, 12,000 were from each tribe of Israel.

This number, that John heard, has a deeper than literal meaning. To the small churches of John’s time, this would have seemed like a huge number. And it’s meant to convey completeness or wholeness; not one of the redeemed is missing.

It also indicates a continuation from God’s people of the Old Testament, the Israelites, with God’s people who are followers of Jesus. The number 1,000 is a military division’ the Church militant is prepared to face spiritual enemies.

Question 2 is a possibility.

V. From Every Nation, Tribe, People, & Language.

Read Rev 7:9-14 In this vision John sees an uncountable multitude.

Rossing says these are the same people as in verse 4, and that’s one interpretation. Another view is that the 144,000 represent the church on earth, embattled still, and the great multitude is the church in heaven, at peace. It’s an unlimited universal community of those who celebrate God’s grace.

There’s great diversity and inclusion of many cultures, a mix which would not have been strange to residents of port towns in Asia Minor. And it’s meaningful for us today.

On p. 43, Rossing writes, “As we sing songs of praise together with the angels and elders, and with people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, we share in a communion of saints that extends through time and place. Our songs are joined with the songs of all Christians who have gone before us—those who have lived and died in Christ. We all are part of the multicultural multitude.

The white robes signify purity but also victory (emperors often wore white after victories), as do the palms. These faithful appear, in heaven, not battered and worn, but victorious and filled with praise!

As for making robes white by washing in the blood of the Lamb—remember that to the Jews, blood stands for the life. The purity and victory are won in the power and at the cost of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

While the benefits of redemption are provided by Christ, the redeemed also have their part to play; “they washed their own robes.” Paul, in Philippians 2, said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

How does one wash her robe, work out her own salvation? (repent, faith, avail oneself of the means of grace—scripture, prayer, sacraments--, seek to serve…..

VI. The Shepherding Lamb, God’s Sheltering Presence

Read Rev. 7:13-17 You might also have someone read Isaiah 49:verses 8 and 10

What beautiful and comforting imagery. Whatever the great ordeal, God is not remote but cares tenderly for his people. Question 4 and/or 5 on p. 43

VII. The Seventh Seal

Read Rev. 8:1-5.

p. 43, next to last ¶: Is this the awe-inspiring silence of being in the presence of God? Or is this a foreboding stillness, like the eye of a hurricane? Question 6 on p. 43

Again, the prayers of the saints rise like the smoke from incense.

John sets the whole in the context of heavenly worship. The struggling churches may wonder what happens to their prayers (so may we); John lets them see from the heavenward side. The earthly church participates in the worship of heaven, creating one continuous community—the communion of saints.

But the immediate result of their prayers is not the glorious coming of the kingdom (although that is the ultimate result) but the precipitation of a series of woes. The path to the kingdom goes through, not around, the woes of history.

Here come more terrifying visions of judgment. But God’s people have been sealed and protected. Chapters 8 & 9 &10 portray more fearsome stuff as 6 trumpets are sounded and 2 woes revealed. Many of the disasters parallel the plagues God brought upon Egypt. Even plagues can be endured, because the exodus is about to occur. In Chapters 10 & 11 comes another interlude, and at the 7^th trumpet, voices in heaven say, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah.” Read this on your own, remembering the guiding principles on p. 4 and/or your bookmark.

Witness to Hope—lesson 6

p. 47: 1^st ¶: “At the center of the book of Revelation are 2 dramatic and symbolic stories, representing the life & death struggle that is at the heart of the book. “ These are said to represent Jesus’ victory on the cross, an event that has already happened, in which Satan and evil are defeated. And yet, evil still exists. Rossing calls these flashbacks.

VIII. Flashback One

Read Revelation, Chapter 12: verses 1-6 and 13-17.

What a puzzling story! There are parallels to it in a number of Ancient Near East mythologies. The Romans told their history in terms of mythological battles and gods. Everyone would have known these stories. On p. 48, 2nd¶, John uses a popular story of his day, the birth of the god Apollo, with whom the Roman emperors chose to identify, in order to assert lordship over the empire. The details of this story are on p. 48. John uses the story to assert the lordship of Jesus, rather than Apollo or the emperor. “John wants his Christian audience to see its own identity in light of God’s larger story. Their struggle is part of a larger conflict, a once-for-all victory that has already been won in Jesus’ death and resurrection.”

The woman may represent the community of God’s people, the agonizing birth may be a symbol of the crucifixion, the child is Jesus, snatched away and taken to God and his throne, by means of the ascension. The Dragon and the serpent are used interchangeably and personify the opposition to Jesus during his ministry and to the church then and now.

The 1,260 days (from Daniel) can be expressed as 3 and ½ years or a time, times, and half a time (a year, 2 years, and half a year). It became a traditional standard period of time just before the end. When the dragon pursues the woman (followers of Jesus), she is given eagle’s wings, symbolizing God’s care. She is taken to the wilderness. Can you think of other Biblical references to the wilderness? (The Israelites after the Exodus, Hagar, John the Baptist, Jesus) What do you think the wilderness represents?

Have you had a bleak time, a wilderness, when God nourished you? (loss of a child, husband, job, friend. Depression, illness) In hindsight, was God with you?

(Regarding the earth swallowing the river from the serpent’s mouth—Often, in that part of the world, a river might be swallowed up by sand, only to reappear downstream. The meaning here unclear. We can remember that God declared the world he created “good.” We may also think about the terrible things that have been done to the world. Certainly the earth has swallowed a lot. But ultimately “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”)

IX. Flashback 2

Read Revelation 12: 7-12 War breaks out in heaven. Between good and evil, on a cosmic scale. That Satan and his angels are defeated communicates that Jesus Christ has already won the victory and defeated evil on the cross.

p. 50, 1st¶, Thanks to this victory, Satan is no longer the ruler of this world, although it may sometimes seem so.

Question 3 on p. 50

So Satan has been defeated but still prowls the earth. Rossing calls this the “already-but-not-yet” tension of our Christian life. Consider this example from WWII. After D-Day, that fearsome battle, it became clear (especially in hindsight) that Germany would be defeated. But more battles were to come; the war went on. Evil still seeks to inflict damage even in retreat.

X. Conquering Satan Through Witness and Testimony

Verse 11 says, Our brothers and sisters have conquered the accuser by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. At top of p. 51, author says, “we actually participate in the defeat of Satan.” 3rd¶--We conquer not by attacking but by identifying with Jesus’ sacrifice, with the sacrificial love of God. And, 4th¶, we conquer by the power of our witness, not clinging to self-centeredness but yielding all to God. 5th¶--We conquer by putting injustice on trial and telling the truth about it. Remember that Jesus is with us now with amazing life-giving power, and Christ will come again to completely defeat the powers of darkness.

Question 5 on p. 51.

The ominous close of this chapter says that the dragon went off to make war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. Have you ever felt that, when you tried to do something you believed to be God’s will, obstacles appeared?

We must not take evil more seriously than we do God. Our witness in word and deed can be used by God to conquer evil. It is the glorious assertion of Revelation 12:10-12, that with the strength and power of Christ, our witness brings down the deceiver of the world.

So it is with hope that we continue to stand against what is evil. We tutor at-risk children, shelter the homeless, visit the lonely and the sick and the prisoner, speak out against prejudiced remarks, stifle gossip…..

XI. Close with prayer on p. 44.

Lesson #6 WITNESS TO HOPE: THE WOMAN, THE DRAGON, AND EARTH'S DARING RESCUE

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At the center of Revelation, we encounter two of the most dramatic and deeply symbolic stories, representing the life-and-death struggle that is at the heart of Revelation. Revelation does not proceed chronologically; it sometimes uses flashbacks. These stories are flashbacks. Even though they come in the middle of the book, they actually are telling the story of Jesus’ victory on the cross—a vital message for the isolated and powerless Christian communities of John’s day—an event that has already happened, and in which Satan and are defeated. Revelation 12 uses the symbolic picture of Satan stalking the earth, to warn Christians that things will get worse under Rome’s rule before they get better.

Lesson# 7 RAPTURE, VIOLENCE, AND EXODUS

2010-08-20T12:38:00.003-05:00

Presbyterian Women Horizons Bible Study

Journeys Through Revelation--Apocalyptic Hope for Today

Lesson 7: Rapture, violence, and Exodus

Revelation, chapters 13, 15, 16, 19

Key ideas:

1. The war in Revelation is not one of wanton cruelty, but a war in which the victor is himself the sacrifice.

2. Revelation, especially in this lesson, draws on the Exodus story. The plagues are meant for the conversion of the oppressors and the liberation of God’s people.

3. Despite the violent imagery, it is God’s self-giving love that ultimately changes the world.

I. Opening Devotion on p. 61, 1^st column. (Rev.11:17-18)

II. Summary

In this lesson, We open where we left off last time, with the dragon. Frustrated by its failure to destroy the woman, it went off to make war on the followers of Christ. This dragon is Satan, or the Adversary, or Evil: what is clear is that it is the antithesis of God, of love, of the Church.

There are 7 terrifying plagues, violence and images of war. The events described have been used as a timetable and to justify violence in the name of God. However, as with the story of the Exodus, the theme is the liberation of God’s people and God’s redress of injustice.

III. Rapture: The Violent Legacy of Revelation in Public Culture

In recent years, an enormous prophecy industry has marketed frightening images and interpretations of Revelation.

Some of the passages have been used as a drum roll for crusades and attacks by Christians on perceived enemies.

This violates the basics of Christian teaching. We hear about the “Rapture”, which is not reformed doctrine. There’s quite a bit about the Rapture on p. 81. Basically, Jesus will snatch born-again Christians from earth up to heaven for 7 years, during which God will inflict violence and destruction on the earth, according to the blueprint they claim to find in Revelation. Then Jesus and the Christians will return to earth. It’s based on selected Bible verses—“pick and choose literalism.” Revelation has also inspired all those hymns on p.83, not to mention “The Messiah”.

IV. Violence: The Two Beasts as the Violence of Empire

Okay—there’s violence. Not from the hand of an avenging God, but rather the violence of empire. Remember that those who heard Revelation read in their churches, knew first hand the consequences of being a Christian in the violent Roman Empire—death and deprivation. John portrays Rome as a tool of Satan, using violent images.

So the dragon takes a stand on the seashore to await reinforcements. And here appear 2 beasts, forming a counterfeit trinity. There was a Jewish legend that on the 5^th day of creation, God created 2 monsters: Leviathan in the sea and Behemoth on the land. Leviathan is mentioned in Job, Psalms, and Isaiah; Behemoth in Job.

Have someone read Rev. 13: 1-7.

Here the beast that rises out of the sea represents unjust empire, in their case, Rome. The governors of Asia, appointed for a 1 year term, arrived annually at Ephesus, literally coming from the sea. This analogy would have been clear.

The blasphemous names were names that belonged only to God but were used by the emperors—King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Savior, God. The background for the description of the beast in v. 2 is Daniel 7, where 4 beasts come out of the sea, representing earlier empires. John combines them into one beast, which is the worst of them all.

The 7 heads stand for 7 emperors, starting with Nero. The 10 horns (horns represent power) are for the emperors, plus 3 who briefly ruled after Nero’s suicide. The giving of power and throne by the dragon is a parody of Christ receiving power from God and sharing God’s throne.

So, the first beast is the mighty, unjust, evil Roman Empire.

The head that seemed to have received a death blow? Kind of like people thinking Elvis didn’t really die, some people thought Nero hadn’t really committed suicide. Others thought he’d been reincarnated as Domitian. Maybe John thought Domitian was “another Nero”, sort of like calling a modern dictator “another Hitler”.

No doubt some Christians thought they could go along with the emperor worship ‘cause they didn’t really mean it. “Who can fight it? I have to think of my family. What difference does it make what I do?” John wants to make clear, in v. 4, that this is worshipping the dragon. In v. 10 is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

In vv. 5-7, this beast is allowed to do its thing. We ask why was the beast allowed to make war on the saints; John is realistic; injustice does flourish; the faithful will suffer.

Have someone read Rev. 13: 8-18. John looks beyond the present suffering to “the book of life”. God will save, beyond death, as God did with Jesus.

Here comes a beast from the land with function of making everyone worship the first beast—maybe priests of the emperor cult, government functionaries, local underlings, or even Christian leaders who said it was okay to go along.

The second beast is the Organization of Emperor Worship.

The marks on hand & forehead are a grim parody of the Jewish custom of wearing phylacteries on the left arm and forehead. These marks may represent membership in the guilds which required emperor worship. The reference to buying and selling may indicate the image of Caesar on coins, along with phrases like King of Kings.

P. 56, 4th¶. Christians must not participate in the unjust Roman economy.

The troublesome 666 (or, in some old copies, 616) may symbolize falling short of the perfect 7, as if John is calling Rome “imperfect, imperfect, imperfect.” Or, since Greek and Hebrew letters were used as numbers (think Roman numerals) either number could express the total of the name Neron or Nero. 666 is a symbolic representation of imperfection, of evil, of idolatry. It calls for wisdom—not to crack a code, but to discern the nature and consequences of our commitments.

Next to last ¶ on p. 56. In Romans 13, Paul said everyone should be subject to government, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. In John’s view, Rome itself is the primary perpetrator of violence in the world and must come to an end. Maybe Rome had changed. Question 1 on p. 56

Read last ¶ on p. 56, which goes over to p. 57 1^st part of Question 2 on p. 57. Do you agree that the violent imagery of Revelation can be helpful when used to criticize violence and injustice? (like in the Battle Hymn of the Republic.)

There’s a choice between the power that operates through exploitation and inflicting suffering (the beast) and the power that operates through seeking good for others and accepting suffering (the Lamb.)

In Revelation 14, John relates visions of the ultimate victory of God: the salvation of those sealed with the mark of the Lamb and the judgment of those who bear the mark of the beast.

V. Understanding Revelation in Light of the Exodus Story

We don’t have time to read Chapters 15 and 16, which deal with the last plagues. This is the clearest use by John of the exodus motif, with Rome as Egypt and the Emperor as Pharaoh, and Christ as the Passover Lamb.

On p. 57, 1^st ¶ under Understanding…read, starting with “Remember, in that ancient story…through the next 2¶.

In Rev. 15:3, Moses is even mentioned; the martyrs sing his song and the song of the Lamb.

The heavenly sanctuary is pictured as the tabernacle accompanying Israel in the wilderness, containing the ark with God’s law. After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites celebrated. What’s the most joyful celebration you can remember? How did you feel? In Revelation, even though the final victory is not yet realized on earth, it is already accomplished and celebrated in heaven, the ultimately real world. And the martyrs sing with joy!

John points back to the past and forward to the future victory and upward to the transcendent reality of god’s world. All 3 are united.

Last¶ on p. 57: The threatened plagues are meant for the conversion of the oppressors and for the liberation of God’s people. This is the violence of release and liberation, not that of vengeance or cruelty.

Question 5 on p. 58.

VI. Exodus in Revelation: The Goal is Repentance—Urgently!

Remember how Pharaoh’s heart was hardened in Exodus, and the plagues were prolonged? John leaves such a reference out, suggesting that it is still not too late to repent. His focus is on the urgency of the present moment as a time for repentance. Question 6 on p. 58.

In this final series of woes, but the entire world, rather than a part of it, is struck, by darkness and the death of everything in the sea, as though creation itself has been infected and must be renewed. The wrath of God is against injustice. But in Rev. 16:8, and v 11, “they cursed God and did not repent.” In v. 21, they cursed God.

In Rev. 16:15, John reminds that we will not know when; his visions are not to provide a timetable or checklist but to challenge his hearers and us to repent and reorient our lives. In Matt. 25, Jesus speaks of the unprepared bridesmaids, the accounting for the talents, those who fed the hungry and visited the prisoners, not knowing they were serving him.

Read last ¶ above “Armageddon…

VII. Armageddon, and the Word as Weapon.

What have you heard about “Armageddon”?

Here in Rev. 16:16 is the only place it appears in the Bible. There is plain near an ancient town of Megiddo where many legendary battles were fought, and Jews would doubtless have heard stories. John uses military imagery, but is there a battle at this point? John has also said, repeatedly, the victory was already won at the cross and resurrection of Jesus. So while there is an assembly for battle, the scene switches to the 7^th and last bowl and the angel’s words, “It is done!” The Roman empire is split into 3 parts; destruction prevails, and people cursed God.

In chapters 17 & 18, Babylon (Roman Empire) falls, and the fall is lamented and celebrated. There is no sound.

But it’s noisy in heaven. Chapter19 opens with Rejoicing in Heaven, a transcendent scene of the glory of God and Christ. Hallelujah, meaning Praise the Lord! is used only here in all of scripture.

In Rev. 19: 2, the phrase “the great whore” is used in contrast with the “bride of the Lamb”, the Church.

In v. 6 is the rock on which John stands. The issue in John’s situation (and ours?) is, “Who reigns? Who’s in charge?” It may seem like secular culture is, but the good news is that God reigns; God is in control.

The marriage of the Lamb and the people of God is a way of expressing the covenant relationship.

The defeat of God’s adversaries begins in v. 11, with Jesus returning as a warrior on a white horse, clad in a robe dipped in blood. (p. 59, 4th¶) Read that paragraph.

The name that no one knows but himself can mean that Christ, that God, is beyond any labels that we can imagine. John reinterprets the image of the warrior in terms of Jesus, who dies for others, whose own blood is the price of their salvation and whose only sword is the judging and redeeming word that comes from his mouth.

There are armies of heaven to contend with the beast and the kings of the earth, but no battle is described. Maybe their deaths are the result of choices they’ve made—to live by the sword. A feast for birds of prey is in sharp contrast with the marriage supper of the Lamb in v. 9 to which the blessed are invited.

Finish with the middle ¶ on p. 60.

VIII. Close with prayer on p. 60.

Lesson #8 THE EMPIRE HAS FALLEN! EVACUATE NOW!

2010-08-20T12:37:00.005-05:00

Our journey through Revelation culminates in a tale of two cities: Babylon (representing the Roman Empire) and the New Jerusalem (God’s holy city), with a call to make a choice between them. This lesson will look at the vision in Revelation 17–18, where we view the judgment of the evil city, Babylon/Rome. The city is personified in a shocking way, as a whore. John wants us to be repulsed by Rome’s seductively violent ways—to be shocked at the collapse of its fabulous wealth and power. Even though Rome is still very much in power when John writes Revelation, he seeks to convince readers that the Roman Empire is doomed. His urgent message is that we must “come out” of the imperial system of Babylon before it is too late, so that we can participate as citizens in God’s New Jerusalem, the city of blessing and promise.

Revelation, chapters 17-18

Key ideas:

1. The unjust empires of oppression will come to an end—In Jesus, the new reign of God has already begun.

2. We are called to “come out” from such empires, creating a community of contrast.

I. Opening Devotion on p. 69, 1^st column. (Rev.15:3b-4a)

II. Summary

John closes his Revelation with “a tale of 2 cities”: the evil Babylon or Rome and the New Jerusalem or City of God. In today’s session, we look at the promised judgment and destruction of the first.

We encounter a powerfully repellent picture of the Roman Empire, largely based on imagery from the O.T. Apparently, in comparison with other writers of the time, John is fairly mild in his description of “the pathology of the drunken empire that has intoxicated the world.”

The Roman Empire personified itself as a woman in the form of the goddess Roma. John also personifies Rome as a woman, but as “the great whore”. Rome controlled the world through a combination of seduction, intimidation and violence--politically, economically, and through a state religion which included emperor worship.

John indicts the Roman Empire, not just because of its persecution of Christians but also because of the domination system which controls and exploits. The victims of Roman injustice finally see God’s justice.

In chap. 18, a voice from heaven says, “Come out of her, my people…” We are called to choose between the cities.

This is a difficult chapter, full of symbolism, showing that John was immersed in the Old Testament, and its images readily came to his mind, although they seem strange to us.

III. The Choice Between Two Cities

Have someone read Isaiah 1:21. (How the faithful city has become a whore!)Someone else--Isaiah 21: 9b. (Fallen, fallen is Babylon) Jeremiah 51: 12-13 (The Lord has both planned and done what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. You who live by mighty waters, rich in treasures, your end has come.)

The ancient city of Babylon had the Euphrates River running through it and lots of criss-crossing canals. The Roman Empire encompassed much water—the Tiber, the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea. But in v. 15, John says the waters are the peoples and multitudes and nations and languages permeating the empire. And in 17:18, he makes clear that the great whore is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth, i.e. Rome.

As we’ll see in this lesson and the next, John sets the 2 cities in contrasting parallelism: the great whore and a bride. In Greek the word polis, meaning city, is feminine. And it was common to personify cities as female. Sort of like we do ships. In Rev. 17:18, it’s made clear, “The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” Rome is called the great whore for 2 reasons: She turned away from her loving Creator to embrace passing pleasure and profit. And not only does she sin herself, she deliberately entices others to sin.

Puzzling images: Have someone read Jeremiah 51:7. (Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, and so the nations went mad.) Ah—there’s the golden cup image of v. 4, full of stuff—abominations and impurities of her fornication—to make people mad. The term fornication refers to idolatry—worshipping power and materialism and consumption.

Not surprisingly, she’s bedecked with jewels, and wearing royal purple and “power red,” superficial signs of supremacy. It’s a vivid image and “the whore of Babylon has become the ultimate evil woman in cultural imagination.”

The woman is said to have a name on her forehead; in Rome prostitutes in public brothels wore frontlets on their heads with their names. She was actually drunk with the blood of Christians, reveling in the slaughter.

The beast is full of blasphemous names—the misused titles for God, appropriated by emperors and the many gods in the Roman pantheon.

The phrase about the beast in v. 8—“it was and is not and is to come”—is another parody of the true God.

The 7 heads are said in verse 9 to represent 7 mountains or hills, a reference to the city of Rome. But they’re also 7 kings, 5 having fallen, one living and the other has not yet come and will stay only a little while. According to Barclay, the 5 kings are emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. Then came 3 short-lived claimants to the throne. “One is living” may refer to Vespasian who brought stability back after Nero. Then came Titus who reigned for only 2 years, maybe “the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. In verse 11, “the beast that was and is not; it is an 8^th but it belongs to the 7 and it goes to destruction.” Remember that a lot of people thought Domitian, because of his evil ways, was a veritable Nero. A historian of the time, Juvenal, referred to him as “a bald-headed Nero.” Juvenal was executed, by the way.

Seven is the number for completeness, so maybe it refers to all the Roman rulers. However, that leaves some of the details unexplained.

In v. 12, the 10 kings who are to receive power for one hour, meaning a short time, may refer to heads of state with alliances with Rome. They join the beast in the war against the Lamb, and in v. 13, we read that “the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.

And those with the Lamb are called and chosen and faithful.

IV. It’s about the Economy: In On p. 65, 2nd¶, our author says in the vision of Babylon the primary emphasis is economic and political and has nothing to do with gender. Revelation 18 makes this clear.

In the 4^th ¶ she writes, “Rome lives by its predatory trade, trafficking in resources from the farthest points of the Roman Empire, exploiting people and creation both near and far in the process. ” Question 3.

Question in middle column, p.69: How do John’s indictments of Rome compare with life in American culture? What might John have to say about the U.S. What place does power and/or possessions have in your life? What would you mourn most, if you lost it?”

V. All the King’s Horses, All the king’s Men:

In Rev. 18:7 Babylon (Rome) says “I rule as a queen. I am no widow, (dependent on others) and I will never see grief.” (eternal dominance). The original Babylon made such a claim, and look at what happened to it. In chap. 18, John describes the destruction of the Roman Empire.

Question 4 on p. 66

Bruce Metzger says, “Like the tolling of a funeral bell, we hear the repeated lamentation: ‘Alas, alas, the great city!’ What are the 3 groups who lament the fall of Rome? Why do they weep and mourn for her?

Ms Rossing, on p. 66, points out what she calls “the cargo list”. In 18:13, she calls attention to “slaves—and human lives.” Almost half the population of Rome were slaves in John’s time. Just another commodity to be traded. And John denounces it. The phrase “and human lives” could also refer to the gladiators who died for entertainment.

Rome also mistreated the earth, she says, as archaeological evidence shows. Ephesus is now about 6 miles from the sea on which it was once a port. Over-consumption, exploitation, ecological devastation. And we come to Rev. 18:21-24, the end of the empire. Have someone read.

VI. Putting the Empire on Trial:

Rossing likens chapter 18 to a trial because there’s no battle here, just judgment. The entire empire is on trial, including those who had grown powerful and rich through involvement with Rome’s economic system. The plaintiffs are the victims of injustice, especially the saints and witnesses to Jesus, on whose blood the great harlot was drunk.

Read verse 20. Question 6. Or, from p. 69, How do we interpret what appears to be Christian rejoicing at the doom of others? Do we want to cheer when evildoers “get what they deserve?” How do we deal with that?

Read Rev. 18:4. Question 7.

VII. Close with prayer on p. 68.

An alternative way to approach chapter 18 is in the 3^rd column on p. 69, by having 5 groups take the role of plaintiffs, defendants, charge, judge, and sentences, with the verses indicated.

Lesson #9 JOURNEY INTO THE NEW JERUSALEM

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Our journey through Revelation comes to completion in the vision-tour of the second city, the city of blessing, God’s New Jerusalem. John shows us each detail of the new city so we can taste and see and experience the landscape of God’s renewed world. This vision is the very opposite of Armageddon. The New Jerusalem is an earth-centered image of beauty and healing. In this lesson, we will come to the awesome recognition that God is coming to us. This vision fulfills the people’s longings for safety and peace with God. It invites us to see ourselves as citizens already of this wondrous city, and to live our lives in terms of this powerful vision of hope. This is a vision that transforms the way we live our lives each day. As our journey comes to an end, we now come to see our own cities in light of God’s wondrous vision of healing.
Presbyterian Women Horizons Bible Study

Journeys Through Revelation--Apocalyptic Hope for Today

Lesson 9: Journey Into the New Jerusalem

Revelation, chapters 21 and 22

Key ideas:

1. God comes to live with us in the New Jerusalem.

2. The heart of the message of Revelation is not that God plans to destroy our world, but that God’s desire is to heal and renew.

3. Revelation calls upon people to live as citizens of God’s New Jerusalem even in the heart of empire. As we come out of empire, God comes to us.

I. Opening Devotion on p. 77

II. Summary

At last we come to the pearly gates and the streets paved with gold—what Rossing calls a vision-tour of the city of blessing, God’s New Jerusalem.

What concepts do you have of heaven?

Read Rev. 21: 1-5a.

John’s vision encompasses hope for healing, peace, comfort and security, freedom from sorrow and death, and, most of all, the joy of abiding with God. And it happens on earth, in a renewed world. God is coming to us!

In the last ¶ on p. 71, we read that this vision invites us to see ourselves as citizens already of this wondrous city and to live our lives in terms of this powerful vision of hope. It can transform the way we live our lives each day, right now, even in the heart of empire.

III. Here Comes the Bride

The community of the redeemed is pictured as both bride and now, city. The bride image was often used in the OT to express the idea of a covenant with God. Read Isaiah 62:5 And it was adopted by the early Christians. John uses it in contrast with Babylon, the great whore of chapter 17 in Revelation. This image, which implies an intimacy and tender care, is spliced with the image of the radiant city.

IV. Everything is “New”

For only the 2nd time in the book (1:8), God speaks (21:5), “See, I am making all things new.” Notice that the words are not, “I am making all new things.” Newness is an image of resurrection and renewal, like Paul’s description of “New Creation” in Gal. 6:15 and 2 Cor 5:17.

The word new used by John means a new kind of heaven and earth, with some continuity with what we know but radically different. He emphasizes the presence of God. It does not mean a completely different earth. The cosmos will not be destroyed. The earth becomes “new” just as our bodies will be resurrected, though they still are our bodies.

Again, John makes a contrast with empire. These words, in the present tense, (I am making…) refer both to the final renewing and the here and now. Like Narnia, a “deeper country: every rock and flower and blade of grass looked like it meant more.”

Question 2 on p. 72.

V. Rapture in reverse: God Dwells with us on Earth

The restoration of Jerusalem is a Jewish dream which never died. They expressed their hopes in terms of material luxuries, but these are merely symbols of the certainty of eternal joy and security. John lovingly collected the differing visions—the precious stones, the streets and buildings of gold, the ever-open gates, the light of God, the coming of the nations—into his own.

The heavenly city doesn’t stay in heaven but comes to earth. On p. 73, 2nd ¶, “See, the home of God is among mortals,” in Rev.21:3. It calls to mind the stories of God accompanying the Israelites in the wilderness, of God in the Holy of Holies in the temple. Ezekiel 37:27. There’s no need for a tabernacle or temple in the Holy city. God and the Lamb are present. In the world, our realization of the presence of God is spasmodic, but in heaven we will be permanently aware of that presence. There’s no “rapture”, snatching the redeemed to heaven. As we come out of empire, God comes to us

Human effort does not finally bring the goal of history; the holy city is not some voluntary association of people. It is finally the gift of God rather than the achievement of human beings. The “descent” of the holy city to earth means its establishment by God, not by human effort. The biblical hope resides not in a high view of humanity’s ability to continually better itself. The biblical hope rests in God.

The New Jerusalem vision brings to fulfillment a chorus of God’s promises. Fulfills Isaiah’s promise of newness (Isa. 65:17) and all biblical promises of restoration and renewal

Question 3 on p. 73

VI. The Contrast to Rome

This city is the opposite of the toxic political economy and ecology of what was destroyed in Chapters 17-18.

The sea was no more. Ancient people feared the sea; as much as possible they coasted along the shores.

The Jews regarded the sea as a symbol of separation and turbulence, the anti-creation forces of chaos. Throughout the Bible it symbolizes restless insubordination, and in Rev 13:1 it casts up the system that embodies hostility vs. God’s people. John incorporates this and he’s also referring back to the cargo lists of chap. 18

p. 74, 2nd ¶, New Jerusalem an urban vision; it is a city, not a solitude. It’s not “all about me”. We’re invited to community, inheriting God’s blessings as part of God’s family. Though John’s vision recalls the language of paradise, it is not a vision of individuals communing with God in an idyllic garden; it’s a vision of humans living together in a city.

But it’s so easy to forget. When John includes threats such as in Rev. 21:8 and 21:27, he’s trying to say, “Wake up; pay attention! Be faithful to God’s calling!” It’s not the repentant, but the defiant sinners who are excluded.

VII. Touring the city—The Tree of Life and the River of Life

John’s vision of the New Jerusalem is highly symbolic, with virtually every one of its details based on imagery from the Hebrew Scriptures. His symbolism echoes the story of creation and paradise even as it moves beyond and speaks of the deepest yearnings of humankind.

It is welcoming, with gates that are always open. It includes the history of Israel and the church, the one people of God of the O and N Testaments, the old and new covenants. The cube that is measured by the angel is architecturally preposterous, but the cube was held to be the most perfect of all geometric forms. John wants us to understand that the heavenly Jerusalem is splendid and with a harmony and symmetry of perfect proportions, huge, with room for all.

Read Rev. 21: 22-26. The entire city can be said to be the Holy of Holies, and there’s no temple, for the Lord God and the Lamb are present. The city is radiant with the glory of God.

The nations, the kings of the earth have been presented as hostile to God throughout Rev. and have been destroyed more than once. Here, they are part of the new creation, living in God’s light and honoring God. Not the abolition but the redemption of civilization, including human efforts to construct a good society.

Read Rev. 22: 1-4. This city of vision has a sort of “Central Park”, with the river of life flowing

through its midst, flowing from the throne of God. Read Psalm 46:4:, ‘river whose streams make glad the city of God”. In John 7, 38,39, Jesus said, “He who believes in me, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. This he said about the Spirit which those who believed him were to receive. Ezek. 47:12 has the picture of the fruit trees, whose leaves were for healing. The healing is for the nations. Question 7 on p. 74

God’s servants will worship him; they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. In Matt 5:8, Jesus says the pure in heart will see God. Augustine suggested that to see God means more than to look at God; God will be seen by the eyes of the heart. To see also means to comprehend. In ancient times, to see the face of the king meant to be granted an audience and an opportunity for personal conversation. So it means to enjoy a relationship of absolute trust and openness. 1 Cor. 13:12

VIII. The New Jerusalem Vision and the Healing of Our World

In face of urgent crises that threaten the lives of so many people in our world and even the world’s future, the vision of Rev. can help us live in terms of a different future. New Jerusalem is a vision of our life with God after death, but also is intended for this world. It offers a view of what we have to do. The heart of the message of Revelation is not that God plans to destroy our world, but that God’s desire is to heal. The healing is a gift from God. There’s a river flowing from the heart of God and the Lamb even now. Question 8 on p. 75

Quote from Rosalind Banbury in Pres. Outlook: “The city contains no darkness to cloak evil, no shadow where the abuser may hide. Fear and shame will be erased in god’s cleansing light. Drug dealers and terrorists will scatter like cockroaches, and no one will raise a brutal hand against another. Empires that enjoyed luxury while others starved and kingdoms that wielded power like a sledgehammer will be shattered. All nations will walk by the life-giving light of God’s will.

The gates of the beautiful city will always be open. Within them will be no alarm systems, no gated communities. Every child will know love. No one will be homeless, because their home will be in God. The undocumented won’t need passports, and refugees and migrant workers will have a right to enjoy the fruits of the land.

There will be no dead zone in the water that kills fish, no contaminated water that sickens those who drink it. Ancient hatreds will cease. Forgiveness will flow.

God has given us a glimpse of the new creation that He has already begun and will surely finish. And we have a job to do: to stand as a beacon, a city upon a hill, and point to the ultimate hope of God, who does and will bring about this new creation.”

IX. Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End

Read Rev. 1:8 and Rev. 21:6 and 22:12. I am the Alpha and Omega.

Beginning with last line on p. 75: The invitation to everyone who thirsts to take the water of life draws the New Jerusalem vision to a sacramental close.

Who sent the angel to John with this testimony for the churches? (22: 16)

22:16: Isa. 11:1 says “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Morning star is the herald of the day that chases away darkness. Also ref to Num 24:17,A star shall come forth out of Jacob.

22:17 The Spirit and the bride say come. Remember that at the end of each message to one of the 7 churches in chapters 2 & 3, “Listen to what the Spirit is saying.” The bride is the community of faith, the Church. Both say Come. And we who hear are to say come; we’re all, in a sense, missionaries. This may be a prayer both for the final coming and for Christ’s presence in Holy Communion.

Isaiah 55:1 says “Ho, every one who thirsts come to the waters, and he who has no money; come, buy and eat!” And Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6: 35) It’s a wonderful metaphor for the longings of our souls.

3rd and 4th ¶ on p. 76. What would you say to a person who says, ‘Just give me one reason I should read the book of Revelation’?.

OR Think of something that has been a fresh insight for you, some way that the book of Revelation has deepened your faith, or brought you hope.

X. Close with prayer on p.76

The Christian Life in the Book of Revelation

Rev. 1:1 We are servants of Christ.

1:3 We are blesses as we read the prophecy and take it to heart.

1:6 We represent a kingdom and have direct access to God.

1:8 We are to have a patient endurance and to share others’ suffering.

2:2 We are to be distinguished for our good deeds, hard work and perseverance.

2:3 We are to endure hardships for the name of Jesus.

2:4 We are to have a love for Christ.

2:10 We are to be faithful the point of death.

2:13 We are not to renounce the faith.

2:18 We show forth good deed, love and faith. We also show service and perseverance.

2:20 We do not tolerate immorality.

2:26 We do our Lord’s will to the end.

3:3 We remember what we have heard. We obey and repent

3:8 We keep the word of Christ and do not deny His name.

3:10 We endure patiently.

3:16 We are not lukewarm about our faith—we offer both healing warmth and cool refreshment to those in need.

3:20 We open the door for our Lord to come in.

4:11 We offer heartfelt worship to our God.

6:9 We cling fast to the word of God and maintain our testimony.

7:9 We have confidence in the reality of our salvation.

8:4 We are intent upon our prayers.

9:20 We are to avoid worshiping demons, and false idols/gods. We are to abstain from murder, magic arts, sexual immorality and theft.

11:18 We are to have reverence for our god.

12:11 We are not to love our lives so much as to shrink from death.

12:17 We keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

13:3 We do not follow the powers of evil, or give allegiance to any earthly authority.

13:10 We are to have patient endurance and faithfulness.

14:5 We are to be completely truthful and trustworthy.

14:7 We are to fear God and give God glory.

14:12 We are to have patient endurance, to keep God’s commandments and to remain faithful to Jesus.

16:9 We are to repent and give God glory.

18:11 Our trust is not to be in luxury and material things.

19:7 We are to be pure as a bride and groom preparing for marriage.

20:12 Our lives are to be filled with good deeds.

21:6 We are to drink from the spring of the water of life.

21:8 We are not to be cowardly, immoral, idolaters or liars.

22:11 We are to be holy.

22:17 We are to say to others, “Come.” as we have been invited.

22:19 We are not to take anything from this prophecy.

Seven Beatitudes from the Book of Revelation

1) Revelation 1:3—Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written it it: for the time is near.

2) Revelation 14:13a—Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.

3) Revelation 16:15b—Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.

4) Revelation 19:9a—Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

5) Revelation 20:6a—Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. (martyrs)

6) Revelation 22:7—Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.

7) Revelation 22:14—Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

The Nature of God as Presented in Revelation

Creator and Sustainer

Revelation 1:8

Rev. 1:17-18

Rev. 4:11

Rev. 22:1-3

Rev. 22:13

God’s Majesty and Greatness

Rev 4:2--His power over every earthly power

Rev. 4:3—His radiance and splendor

Rev. 4:3—His majesty tempered by grace

Rev. 4:8—His holiness

R3v. 4:11—His worthiness to be worshipped

God’s Compassion God’s Readiness to Save

Rev. 7:17 Rev. 5:9, Rev. 7:9-17

Rev. 21:1-4 Rev. 19:1-2, Rev. 22:3-5

God’s Role as Judge God’s Willingness to Forgive

Rev. 16:1-6 Rev. 8:1

Rev. 19:1-7 Rev. 22:11

Rev. 20:11-15

Rev. 21:8

The Person of Christ as Presented in Revelation

A. The Nature of Christ

1. Ruler of kings of earth (1:5)

2. One like a Son of Man (1:14)

3. Lamb who was slain-all powerful, all seeing (5:6)

4. Ruler over all the earth (11:13, 12:10

5. The promised Messiah (12:5)

6. The One who will return (1:1, 16:15

7. The Incarnate Word of God (19:11-13)

8. Lord of lords & King of kings (19:16)

9. The One in whom the presence of God is found (21:22)

10. The Root (22:16)

11. The bright morning star (22:16)

B. The Work of Christ

1. Faithful witness (1:5)

2. Firstborn from the dead (1:5)

3. Loves us (1:5)

4. Freed us from our sins (5:9)

5. Care for church (1:12-12, 1:16)

6. Word brings judgment & salvation (1:16)

7. Takes away our fear (1:17)

8. Holds keys to Death and Hell (1:18)

9. Stands at door and knocks (3:20)

10. Reveals redemptive purpose of God in history (5:2)

11. Offers salvation (7:10)

12. Shepherd offering guidance, protection (7:17)

13. Conqueror of Satan (12:11)

14. Savior of the martyrs (14:4)

15. The One who will gather in the harvest (14:14)

16. Conqueror of the forces of evil (17:14)

17. Groom to whom the Church will be married (19:7)

18. The One who invites us to the great Messianic banquet (19:9)

19. The light, granting hope & illumination (21:23)

Presbyterian Women Online

For What Purpose was Revelation written?

Lesson #1 AN APOCALYPSE, AN AUTHOR, AND A WITNESS

Lesson #2 SEVEN LETTERS TO SEVEN CHURCHES

IV. Smyrna and Philadelphia Read Revelation 2: 8-11 and 3: 7-13

A. John probably put the churches in the order of the “mail route”, how a messenger would travel. Barbara Rossing puts the churches with similar issues together. (page 17)

D. John warns Smyrna of persecution. What is promised to Smyrna?(2:10)

E. What do you think is meant in 3:8 by the open door, which no one is able to shut?

The Philadelphia Christians were said to have little power, but no mention is made of the economic deprivation that the Smyrna church suffered. Perhaps they were being told to be more vocal, the open door being an opportunity to witness.

F. What is promised to the Philadelphians? (3:10, 12) (Maybe the phrase, pillar of the church comes from this. But here it’s a promise, not a description.)

Lesson # 3 WORSHIPING GOD AND THE LAMB: THE HEAVENLY JOURNEY

Lesson # 4 DIAGNOSING THE CRISES OF EMPIRE

Lesson #5 SINGING HYMNS OF HOPE:INTERLUDES OF SALVATION FOR GOD'S PEOPLE

Lesson #6 WITNESS TO HOPE: THE WOMAN, THE DRAGON, AND EARTH'S DARING RESCUE

Lesson# 7 RAPTURE, VIOLENCE, AND EXODUS

Lesson #8 THE EMPIRE HAS FALLEN! EVACUATE NOW!

Lesson #9 JOURNEY INTO THE NEW JERUSALEM

D. John warns Smyrna of persecution. *What is promised to Smyrna?(2:10***)

F. *What is promised to the Philadelphians? (3:10, 12)*** (Maybe the phrase, pillar of the church comes from this. But here it’s a promise, not a description.)