The book of Revelation applies numerous
labels to God’s people, including “saints,” “elect,” “churches,” “priests,” “witnesses,”
“seed of the woman,” “called,” “faithful” and “my people.”
This group is composed of men and women “purchased”
by Christ’s blood from every national and ethnic group; ethnicity, geography,
and social status have no bearing on their membership in the covenant
community.
Revelation in its entirety is addressed to
the “seven churches of Asia” (1:4). The assemblies are identified
as God’s “servants” (1:1) who have been “loosed from sin” by
Jesus’ blood (1:5). They comprise a “kingdom, priests unto God” (1:6.
Cp. Exodus 19:5-6, 1 Peter 2:5-9), and are identified by John as “brethren”
(1:9) and fellow “participants in the tribulation, kingdom, and
perseverance” in Jesus (1:9).
In the first vision, John sees the Risen
Christ walking among “seven golden lampstands,” which represent the
seven churches. The churches are front and center in Revelation’s visions.
Jesus is seen ministering as a high priest in a temple setting, as he walks
among his churches.
Chapters 2 and 3 continue the first vision
with seven messages or letters from Jesus to the “angel” of each church. The
purpose is to call saints to “overcome,” and to repent where needed. Each
letter includes promises to “the one who overcomes,” and each concludes
with an exhortation to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches,”
plural. All seven letters apply to each of the seven churches.
The church at Ephesus has patiently suffered
for “my name’s sake.” If it perseveres it will “eat of the tree of
life in the Paradise of God” (2:1-7).
The assembly in Smyrna has faithfully endured
persecution and false accusations, the latter by “them who say they are Jews
and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” The church must remain “faithful
unto death” to receive “the crown of life.” The one who “overcomes
will not taste the second death” (2:8-11).
Jesus praises saints at Pergamos for “holding
fast my name and not denying my faith” despite the martyrdom of Antipas
(cp. Matthew 24:9; Luke 21:17). The overcoming saint will receive
“the hidden manna and a white stone on which is written a new name” (2:12-17).
The church at Thyatira is known for its “works,
love, faith and endurance.” Jesus will “give to each according to his
works.” Members must “hold fast till I come.” To them Christ will
give “authority over the nations”; they will participate in the reign of
Jesus, the “ruler of the kings of the earth” (1:5-6; 2:18-28).
The Risen Christ exhorts the church at Sardis
to “be watchful and establish the things that remain.” Their deeds
remain incomplete; if they fail to be watchful Jesus will arrive unexpectedly “as
a thief” in the night (cp. Luke 12:39-40). Some in Sardis are
wearing un-defiled “garments” and therefore will “walk with me in
white.” The one who overcomes is to be “arrayed in white; Jesus will not
blot their names out of the book of life” (3:1-6).
Philadelphia has an opened door that “no
man can shut.” This assembly has “kept my word and not denied my name”;
Jesus will vindicate it. The “synagogue of Satan” will pay homage at the
feet of the members of this church. Because they “kept the word of my
endurance, I will keep them from the hour of trial about to come upon the whole
habitable earth.” The one who “holds fast” will become “a pillar
in the temple of God,” upon which is written, “the name of the city of
my God, New Jerusalem” (3:7-13).
Finally, Jesus chastises the Laodicean
congregation because its members are neither cold nor hot. They claim to be
rich but do not recognize they are miserable, poor, blind and naked. They must,
therefore, be “refined by fire”; Christ chastens those whom he loves.
All who overcome will “sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame and
sat down with my Father in his throne.” The churches are called to emulate
Christ’s example, the “faithful witness and firstborn of the dead” (3:14-22).
It is beyond dispute that the seven “letters”
are addressed to groups of Christians living in Asia. From start to finish this
vision is focused like a laser beam on the churches of Asia. The only Jews
mentioned are opponents of the Church; no interest in national Israel is
expressed or in any geographic location outside of Asia, with the exception of
the mention of the whole habitable earth.
The churches stand in good stead with Jesus
on the basis of obedience, endurance, and faithfulness in witness, “even
unto death.” Their ethnicity has no bearing, though apparently, some Jews
had falsely accused members of the churches before local magistrates.
Chapters 4 and 5 describe a Throne from which
God reigns over the Cosmos. It is not located in an otherworldly realm but at
the center of the Universe. John sees a door opened in heaven and hears a voice
vision summon him to “come up here.” He then sees a figure seated on a
throne surrounded by a glorious entourage and accompanied by impressive sights
and sounds.
In the right hand of the one on the throne is
a scroll sealed shut with seven seals (5:1-4). No one in the universe
can be found worthy to unseal and open the scroll. John weeps bitterly until he
hears a voice command him not to do so, “for the Lion the Tribe of Judah has
overcome to open the scroll and its seals.”
When John looks, he sees “a Lamb standing
as if slain” (5:6), not a royal or military figure. The Lamb is the
Lion of Judah but fulfills this role by self-sacrificial death. What John sees
interprets what he hears.
This Lamb is then declared “worthy” to unseal
the scroll because by his blood “he purchased men and women from every
tribe, tongue, people, and nation” (5:6-10). This act constituted
them a “kingdom of priests” to reign with the Lamb (cp. 1:4-6).
In this vision men and women purchased by the
Lamb’s blood are drawn from EVERY national, ethnic, social and cultural group.
As in Revelation 1:5-6, they become “priests” who reign with Christ
“on the earth.”
When the fifth seal is opened John sees “underneath
the altar the souls of them that have been slain for the word of God and the
testimony they held” (Revelation 6:9-11). “Testimony” translates marturia,
a key term already applied to Christ’s obedient death (1:2; 1:5; 3:14).
At this point, the term is somewhat
ambiguous; however, elsewhere it consistently applies to saints who have the “testimony
of Jesus” (cp. 1:9; 2:13; 11:3-7; 12:11; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4).
In Revelation 7:1-8, John
sees a company of men sealed by God and “hears their number,” 144,000
males from the twelve tribes of Israel. Only here does Revelation seem to refer
to ethnic Israel. John hears their number but sees “a great innumerable
multitude from every nation, tribe, people and tongue”; again, what he sees
interprets what he hears.
The innumerable multitude is identical with
the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel. The multitude is composed of men
from many nations who have “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb”
(7:9-14). Imagery from Israel communicates information about the
redeemed.
John sees a “beast rising from the Abyss”
to wage war against the two “witnesses” (11:4-7). The language is
from Daniel 7:21 where Daniel saw a malevolent figure called a
“little horn,” which then “waged war with the saints and to prevail against
them.”
The two “witnesses” are identified as “two
olive trees and two lamp-stands.” In John’s first vision, Jesus walked
among seven “lampstands,” which were identified as “churches” (1:20). If
Revelation is consistent with its symbolism, the two “witnesses” represent
churches.
After the Dragon is expelled from the
Heavenly Court, a voice proclaims the “salvation, the kingdom of our God and
the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brethren has been cast
out” (12:9-11).
“Brethren” subjected to Satan’s
prosecutorial zeal “overcome by the blood of the Lamb, by their word of
testimony, and because they loved not their life even unto death,” terms
and themes previously introduced and applied to the seven churches of Asia.
The Dragon fails to destroy the Woman and so
now executes war against the “rest of her seed” (12:12-17). The
“seed” is comprised of all “who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus” (12:17). As in Revelation 11:7, the
language is based on Daniel 7:21. Faithfulness not ethnicity
determines the right relationship to Jesus.
The Dragon prosecutes his war through his
earthly agent, the Beast that rises from the sea (13:1-10). It is
“given” to this Beast to “wage war with the saints and to overcome them”
(13:7), once again, borrowing language from Daniel 7:21. The
targets of this “war” are labeled “saints.”
The saints consist of men and women “whose
names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life.” John then hears the
same exhortation from each of the seven “letters” to the churches: “if any
man has an ear, let him hear.” Martyrdom for the Lamb is described; “HERE
(hōde) is the endurance and the faith of the saints.”
That “saints” refers to followers of
Jesus is evidenced by the verbal parallel in Revelation 14:12-13: “HERE
(hōde) is the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of
God and the faith of Jesus.” Those who “die in the Lord” are blessed.
The 144,000 males appear again on “Mount
Zion” (14:1-5). The “inhabitants of the earth” take the
Beast’s mark (13:14-18) but the followers of the Lamb receive the Lamb’s
name upon their foreheads. This is what Jesus promised to all who overcome (3:12).
The 144,000 “sing a new song”; they
have been “redeemed from the earth.” Likewise, the twenty-four elders
“sang a new song” to declare the Lamb “worthy.” He had “purchased men from
every tribe, tongue, people, and nation” (5:8-11). So also, John saw
an innumerable multitude from “every tribe, tongue, people, and nation,”
having “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb” (7:9-14)
The 144,000 “males” have not been defiled by
women. They “follow the Lamb wherever he goes. In their mouths is no lie;
they are spotless.” Likewise, at Sardis a “few names had not defiled
their garments; they shall walk in white” (3:14).
Just before the “seven last plagues,” John
sees victorious saints who “overcame from the Beast, from his image and from
the number of his name.” The same verb for “overcome” is used as in the letters
to the churches (Revelation 15:2. Cp. 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:26;
3:5; 2:12; 3:21). Saints “overcome” not by escape but by refusing the
Beast’s mark.
Each overcoming saint “sings the song of
Moses and the Lamb,” just as the 144,000 redeemed males “sang a new song”
before the Lamb. The parallels are deliberate; it is the same group.
In Revelation 17:1-6, John sees
Babylon, the Mother of the Harlots, “drunk with the blood of the saints and
with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” The “saints” are those who have
the “testimony of Jesus” and persevere through persecution (12:17;
13:7-10; 14:12).
“Witnesses” translates the Greek noun martus,
the same word applied to Christ’s “faithful martyr” (2:13), to
Jesus the “faithful witness” (3:14), and to the two witnesses
slain by the Beast (11:4-7). It is the cognate of marturia or
“testimony,” the term applied to the “souls under the altar” (6:9),
to the “brethren” who overcame by the “word of their testimony” (12:11),
and to the “seed of the Woman” who have the “testimony of Jesus”
(12:17).
Babylon is “drunk” with the blood of
martyrs who died on account of their identification with Jesus.
The Lamb’s final victory is anticipated
in Revelation 17:14, once more with language from Daniel
7:21; “these will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them
because he is Lord of lords and King of kings.” The Lamb is not alone; included
are “the called, elect and faithful.”
The terms “called” and “elect”
do not occur elsewhere in Revelation but “faithful” does; it is applied
to saints who endure and bear witness (e.g., 2:10; 2:13).
When Babylon’s downfall is proclaimed, God’s
“people” are exhorted to come out of her “lest they partake of her judgment”
(18:1-4). “Saints,” “apostles” and “prophets” rejoice over her demise (18:20-24),
for “in her was found the blood of prophets and saints.” “Saint”
consistently refers to followers of the Lamb (5:8; 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:7-10;
14:12; 16:6; 17:6). With her fall God “avenges the blood of His servants”
(19:1-2; 1:1; 2:20; 7:3; 10:7; 11:18).
The Lamb’s bride has made herself ready; she
is “arrayed in fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints” (19:6-9). Followers of Jesus likewise
are “arrayed in white garments” (3:5; 3:18; 7:9-13).
The angel is a “fellow-servant” of
John and his “brethren who have the testimony of Jesus” (19:9-10), terms
and descriptions already used (12:5; 12:10-11; 12:17; 13:7; 14:12).
Satan is cast “into the Abyss”;
judgment is given for “them who had been beheaded because of the testimony
of Jesus…such as gave not homage to the Beast” (20:3-4). The second
death has no authority over them, just as promised to believers in Smyrna (2:11).
They will be “priests of God and of
Christ, and reign with him a thousand years” (20:6). This promise
was previously made to the multitude purchased from every nation (Revelation
1:6; 5:6-12. cp. 1 Peter 2:5-10).
After Satan is released, he gathers “the
nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog” to a final battle.
The horde “ascends over the breadth of the earth to surround the camp of the
saints and the beloved city.” Ezekiel’s original prophecy is transformed
into a global attack on the saints by all nations; Ezekiel’s language is
universalized and applied to the Church (e.g., 1:7).
At the Great White Throne, men and women are
judged not on the basis of ethnicity or geography but “according to their
works” and their relationship to the Lamb. Those not found in the Lamb’s
Book of Life are cast into the Lake of Fire, the “Second Death” (20:11-15,
21:8).
The New Heaven and Earth replace the “first
heaven and the first earth” (21:1-2). The “holy city, New
Jerusalem,” descends from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. This description links the “city” to the saints; the company of the
redeemed.
The heavenly Jerusalem is designated “holy,”
not old Jerusalem in Palestine, which earlier was described as “spiritually
‘Sodom’ and ‘Egypt,’ where also the Lord was crucified” (11:8), a
city ritually polluted by the corpses of martyrs and Jesus Christ.
God will now “tabernacle with men and they
shall be His people.” Death with all of its impurities will be no more.
Everyone who “overcomes will inherit these things” (21:3-9).
There will be no temple in this city, for God is “its sanctuary and the Lamb”
(2:22).
In the holy city, the “nations shall walk
through her light and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.” No
unclean person or thing is present; “only they who are written in the Lamb’s
book of life.”
The closing section reiterates key themes
from the book. God sent his angel to “show his servants the things that must
soon come to pass” (cp. 1:1). The man or woman who “keeps
the words of the prophecy of the scroll” is pronounced blessed. Ethnicity
is not relevant; it plays no part, neither does geographic location.
Overawed, John begins to render homage to the
angel, who immediately stops him; he also is a “fellow-servant” of
John’s brethren, the prophets, and of them who keep the words of this scroll” (22:8-9).
The angel was sent by Jesus “to bear
witness to you of these things for the churches” (22:16-20). The
entire vision unveiled in John’s visions is for the seven churches. From start
to finish, the people of God in Revelation are identified and defined by their
relationship to Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb. Nowhere is membership in the
company of the redeemed based on ethnicity or national origin.
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