Revelation 19:11-21:8 August 2, 2009
Summer Sermon Series on
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Part 10
“Do You Want to be New?”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
When I was beginning my study of the Revelation, I was at the Resource Center of our Presbytery’s office in Camp Hill. I asked the center’s director, “What do you have on Revelation?” His answer was something like this, “Well, I have numerous books, but it depends on whether you are premillennial, amillenial, or postmillennial or pretribulation or post trib. Which are you?” I said, “Um, I just wanted some commentaries on Revelation. That’s all.”
So here’s the deal: If you believe that the rapture of the Church will occur before the time of great tribulation (which we have read about), you are pretrib. If you believe the rapture won’t occur until after the tribulation, obviously you are post trib. Today we are going to read about a 1000 year time of utopia – a time of peace from strife – before the final pitching of the devil into the lake of fire. If you believe that the return of Jesus will take place before the 1000 years of utopia, you are premillennial. If you believe he’s coming after that, you are postmillennial. If you don’t believe either - you are amillennial.
John, the writer of the Revelation seems to show a perspective that is premillennial because there is no discernible coming of Christ in chapters 20 & 21 of the Revelation. The conqueror (on the white horse) comes first (as we will read shortly), and the 1000 years follow for those who remain on the earth.
Does it matter whether I am pre or post trib? Does it matter whether you are pre-, a-, or post-millennial? Would it divide our church if some of us believe one thing and others believe the opposite? It has divided some churches, yes. Should it divide any church? No.
Some congregations split apart because a group within the church decide that Jesus wasn’t really born from a virgin. They believe he didn’t really do miracles – it was just an illusion. They believe he didn’t really die, and so he couldn’t really have been raised from the dead. It was just a marketing strategy. Now those sorts of differences in belief would split us because we believe what God teaches in his Word.
We believe that Jesus Christ came from Heaven and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.
We believe the power he showed in healing people, raising people from the dead, and multiplying lunches was supernatural power, of which he had plenty.
We believe when he said, “It is finished,” on the cross, he breathed his last breath and literally died.
And we believe that God raised him from the dead, gave him 50 days on earth to rally his followers, and then he ascended into Heaven where he prays for us, and waits to return and claim the Church as his beloved Bride.
When we finally go to Heaven, and when he ultimately comes to Earth, should have no bearing on what we believe about the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Savior of all humankind. He told us that he has gone before us to prepare a place for us, and if he goes to prepare a place for us, he told us that he will come again and take us to himself so that where he is, there we may be also. (John 14:1-3) That’s all that really matters.
Let us pray: O God, thank you for your presence with us. Thank you for sending Jesus to earth, for showing us your glory through him, for his sacrifice on the cross to break our slavery to sin, and for your display of resurrection power through raising him from the dead. Thank you that we can trust your word. Thank you that we can trust you to always tell us the truth in your word. Thank you for your grace that got us to where we are this morning, and thank you that we can trust your grace to get us home to Heaven with you. Speak now your words of life and truth as we open your holy Book. Let our hearts not be troubled, nor afraid. Help us lean onto you with all our weight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Revelation 19:11ff
11Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. 13He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and their riders—flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Revelation 20
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.
4Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him 1000 years.
7When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. 9They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. 13And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the 2nd death, the lake of fire; 15and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
5And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
I want to do some comparisons now between what we already read back in chapter 12 about Satan and what we just read in chapter 20.
In verse 2 of chapter 20, John gives Satan a very formal introduction as the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan – which echoes what we read in chapter 12 verse 9, “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” In chapter 20, the phrase ‘deceiver of the whole world’ is dropped because at the end of that verse we read that he is imprisoned to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore.
In chapter 12 the dragon was thrown down from heaven to earth; in chapter 20 he is thrown from earth into the Abyss.
In chapter 12 it was for a short time (because he knows his time is short); here: 1000 years.
There his downfall meant deception and woe for the earth (12:12); here it means freedom from deception, & peace & rest for the earth.
It’s like we have the dragon’s career framed between chapters 12 and 20. But it’s not over until it’s over. In verse 3 of chapter 20 we read that Satan will be let out of his prison for a little while after the 1000 year reign has ended. But in the meantime, there is temporary relief. The battle is over. The beast and the false prophet are gone we read in 19:20. But as we begin the 1000 year period, other than that, we know nothing about the worldwide utopia – described in the dictionary as an ideal and perfect place or state, where everyone lives in harmony and everything is for the best. (I’m confident we’re not living in that period right now.)
In chapter 4 we learned about those martyred souls who cried out, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” It seems that verse 4 of chapter 20 is the answer to their cry. Seated on thrones alongside Christ are the souls of those who had been killed for their faithfulness to the Lord. They are not given the right to judge – that is reserved for God alone – but they do get to be kings and/or queens (not for a day) but for the full 1000 years.
When these years are over, Satan (no longer disguised as a dragon) is released to do what he has always done: deceive the nations. This time, though, he has no beasts or the evil Babylon to help him. The nations he deceives are obscure places: Gog & Magog. It’s as if this final try of Satan to kill, steal, & destroy is nothing more than swatting a fly. This final battle is no battle at all, and Satan joins the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire. The evil trinity has been defeated by the holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
After this, it is Judgment Day and the book of life is opened. All John tells us is that if a name is not found written in the book of life, that person is thrown into the lake of fire. He doesn’t give us much more. We get more about salvation and judgment from the books that come before the Revelation in the Bible. What we do know from the Revelation is that those who will die forever in the lake of fire are those who worshiped the beast and the dragon (13:8 and 17:8). Once judgment is completed, it is clear, very clear, that death itself is destroyed as well. One of the things I found very interesting in my study is that many believe the references to ‘the sea’ (when we read that the sea is no more) are thought to be references to a place of death. Many people have died at sea. Think about the Titanic, and so many other sea-related disasters throughout the course of history - the tsunami I mentioned last week. What John seems to be telling us is that once all have been raised for judgment, the sea as a place of death is gone forever. For death is no more.
Way back in Genesis, we read of God’s wrath in the story of Noah and the flood. Only 8 people were saved for a fresh start for humanity. Unfortunately, with the reign of the Satan still in effect, it didn’t take long at all for sin to continue to ravage the earth. But God promised never to destroy the earth through a flood again. The rainbow in the midst of sunshine and rain is his reminder of that promise.
Here in the Revelation, John is shown a new Heaven and a new Earth. Like Genesis 1 “and God saw it was good!” new. When the voice from the throne announces, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old older of things has passed away,” it takes us back to chapter 18 when we read of other things that were no more in the judgment against Babylon. There the good things were to be ‘no more,’ things like music, trade, light, the voice of bridegroom & bride. Here what is ‘no more’ are the sad things: death, mourning, crying, pain. In chapter 18 we read that all the joys of life sank with Babylon like a millstone into the sea; now the sea itself, and with it death, mourning, crying and pain is no more. In the mind of God, as revealed to John, it is done. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus announced, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Al-mighty.” Now in Rev. 20 he announces, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”
All things are new.
We can’t imagine a world without death, mourning, crying, and pain. These experiences surround us. It will be 2 years next month since my mom died. I still have trouble staring at a picture of her; it hurts too much. I can talk about her – but something about looking at her picture still hurts too much. People are in physical pain, emotional pain, financial pain, spiritual pain. To even consider an existence without pain, is beyond us, isn’t it? But one day, whether sooner or later, that place of no more death, mourning, crying, and pain will be our home forever.
In the meantime – we hurt. It is normal to hurt in this broken world.
In the meantime – we struggle. It is normal to struggle in this broken world.
In the meantime – we battle the sin that so easily entangles us. It is normal.
In the meantime – we must cling to the truth of our salvation.
God, in Jesus Christ,
has made us new on the inside.
While our outer body is wasting away, our soul is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 & 17 proclaims, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. Our outer body is wasting away. We can’t do anything about it. No plastic surgery really stops the decay, it only masks it. But the good news is that our soul is being renewed every day IF we remain his faithful followers seeing holiness & righteousness by the power of the Spirit at work within us. But folks, if we do not continue to follow him, and go off on our own tangents of self-destruction, we will not know the blessing of his newness in our lives. And yet, when we stray we wonder why it’s not working for us. “I go to church, I pray, but my life is such a mess.” Certainly it’s true that being in a garage doesn’t make you a car, and just being in a church doesn’t make us faithful Christians. We have to receive the gift of his grace to follow him in every area of our lives – we can’t hold anything back thinking that “well, if I follow him in all these other ways, surely I can wait to follow him in this one way when I’m good and ready.” We have to submit ourselves to his complete overhaul process. Complete overhaul. Paul wrote, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) If we have given our lives to Christ, we are new creations. But just like a new car can quickly look old on both the inside and outside, so we can be brand new in Christ but neither feel like it nor look like it in any time at all.
On Thursday, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty. That hardly ever happens to me. Usually I wake up because I have to get rid of water inside of me (!) not put more in. I stayed in bed trying to go to sleep, but the thirst was stronger than my need to sleep. So, I got up and drank a tall glass of water. Then I rested well until morning.
Jesus said, “To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” Not just any water. Living Water. The kind of drink that refreshes us immediately. St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in the Lord.” We cannot be at peace in this broken world until we satisfy the thirst within us for the peace that Jesus Christ alone can give.
No matter what is going on in your life, Jesus can bring direction.
No matter how confused you may be, Jesus can bring clarity.
No matter how hurt or sad you are, Jesus can bring healing.
No matter how bleak the future may look, Jesus can and does bring hope.
One day, he will make all things new. Today, he can make you and me feel that sense of vitality and newness in our faith once again. He can refresh us. We all need it, for the devil still prowls around, looking for someone, looking for a marriage, looking for a family, for a business, for a bank account, for a church to devour. In 1 Peter we read, “Resist him (the devil), steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever.”
Much of what is written in the Revelation is symbolic. Well, I now invite you to come and take a drink as a symbol of your thirst and Jesus’ ability alone to satisfy your thirst. I invite you to come forward, take a cup of water, and tip your head back as you lift your eyes to Heaven. You don’t have to come forward. You don’t have to drink in order to receive a fresh touch from the Lord. But I invite you to do so to visibly renew your commitment before God and these witnesses to be one who will endure this time of death, mourning, crying, and pain in order to overcome it all for the sake of the glory of Jesus Christ and his coming Kingdom.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we need what you alone can give. (For those who have never trusted Jesus as Savior & Lord, I invite you to pray the following prayer silently in your hearts): O God of Power, Might, & Forgiveness, I need the gift of salvation. I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Thank you that you died on the cross to break my slavery to sin. Please come into my heart and make me new starting today. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I may continually transformed by his work within me. (For others already new in Christ): Help us O God to live as those who have been made new. Forgive our lack of attention to growing the faith within us. Forgive us for taking more seriously the world’s distractions than your instructions. O God, we pray for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit for us all. And for those who come to drink, may this water become for us a rush of your Living Water, renewing, restoring, healing, cleansing. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Summer Sermon Series on
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Part 10
“Do You Want to be New?”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
When I was beginning my study of the Revelation, I was at the Resource Center of our Presbytery’s office in Camp Hill. I asked the center’s director, “What do you have on Revelation?” His answer was something like this, “Well, I have numerous books, but it depends on whether you are premillennial, amillenial, or postmillennial or pretribulation or post trib. Which are you?” I said, “Um, I just wanted some commentaries on Revelation. That’s all.”
So here’s the deal: If you believe that the rapture of the Church will occur before the time of great tribulation (which we have read about), you are pretrib. If you believe the rapture won’t occur until after the tribulation, obviously you are post trib. Today we are going to read about a 1000 year time of utopia – a time of peace from strife – before the final pitching of the devil into the lake of fire. If you believe that the return of Jesus will take place before the 1000 years of utopia, you are premillennial. If you believe he’s coming after that, you are postmillennial. If you don’t believe either - you are amillennial.
John, the writer of the Revelation seems to show a perspective that is premillennial because there is no discernible coming of Christ in chapters 20 & 21 of the Revelation. The conqueror (on the white horse) comes first (as we will read shortly), and the 1000 years follow for those who remain on the earth.
Does it matter whether I am pre or post trib? Does it matter whether you are pre-, a-, or post-millennial? Would it divide our church if some of us believe one thing and others believe the opposite? It has divided some churches, yes. Should it divide any church? No.
Some congregations split apart because a group within the church decide that Jesus wasn’t really born from a virgin. They believe he didn’t really do miracles – it was just an illusion. They believe he didn’t really die, and so he couldn’t really have been raised from the dead. It was just a marketing strategy. Now those sorts of differences in belief would split us because we believe what God teaches in his Word.
We believe that Jesus Christ came from Heaven and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.
We believe the power he showed in healing people, raising people from the dead, and multiplying lunches was supernatural power, of which he had plenty.
We believe when he said, “It is finished,” on the cross, he breathed his last breath and literally died.
And we believe that God raised him from the dead, gave him 50 days on earth to rally his followers, and then he ascended into Heaven where he prays for us, and waits to return and claim the Church as his beloved Bride.
When we finally go to Heaven, and when he ultimately comes to Earth, should have no bearing on what we believe about the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Savior of all humankind. He told us that he has gone before us to prepare a place for us, and if he goes to prepare a place for us, he told us that he will come again and take us to himself so that where he is, there we may be also. (John 14:1-3) That’s all that really matters.
Let us pray: O God, thank you for your presence with us. Thank you for sending Jesus to earth, for showing us your glory through him, for his sacrifice on the cross to break our slavery to sin, and for your display of resurrection power through raising him from the dead. Thank you that we can trust your word. Thank you that we can trust you to always tell us the truth in your word. Thank you for your grace that got us to where we are this morning, and thank you that we can trust your grace to get us home to Heaven with you. Speak now your words of life and truth as we open your holy Book. Let our hearts not be troubled, nor afraid. Help us lean onto you with all our weight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Revelation 19:11ff
11Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. 13He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and their riders—flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Revelation 20
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.
4Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him 1000 years.
7When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. 9They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. 13And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the 2nd death, the lake of fire; 15and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
5And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
I want to do some comparisons now between what we already read back in chapter 12 about Satan and what we just read in chapter 20.
In verse 2 of chapter 20, John gives Satan a very formal introduction as the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan – which echoes what we read in chapter 12 verse 9, “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” In chapter 20, the phrase ‘deceiver of the whole world’ is dropped because at the end of that verse we read that he is imprisoned to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore.
In chapter 12 the dragon was thrown down from heaven to earth; in chapter 20 he is thrown from earth into the Abyss.
In chapter 12 it was for a short time (because he knows his time is short); here: 1000 years.
There his downfall meant deception and woe for the earth (12:12); here it means freedom from deception, & peace & rest for the earth.
It’s like we have the dragon’s career framed between chapters 12 and 20. But it’s not over until it’s over. In verse 3 of chapter 20 we read that Satan will be let out of his prison for a little while after the 1000 year reign has ended. But in the meantime, there is temporary relief. The battle is over. The beast and the false prophet are gone we read in 19:20. But as we begin the 1000 year period, other than that, we know nothing about the worldwide utopia – described in the dictionary as an ideal and perfect place or state, where everyone lives in harmony and everything is for the best. (I’m confident we’re not living in that period right now.)
In chapter 4 we learned about those martyred souls who cried out, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” It seems that verse 4 of chapter 20 is the answer to their cry. Seated on thrones alongside Christ are the souls of those who had been killed for their faithfulness to the Lord. They are not given the right to judge – that is reserved for God alone – but they do get to be kings and/or queens (not for a day) but for the full 1000 years.
When these years are over, Satan (no longer disguised as a dragon) is released to do what he has always done: deceive the nations. This time, though, he has no beasts or the evil Babylon to help him. The nations he deceives are obscure places: Gog & Magog. It’s as if this final try of Satan to kill, steal, & destroy is nothing more than swatting a fly. This final battle is no battle at all, and Satan joins the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire. The evil trinity has been defeated by the holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
After this, it is Judgment Day and the book of life is opened. All John tells us is that if a name is not found written in the book of life, that person is thrown into the lake of fire. He doesn’t give us much more. We get more about salvation and judgment from the books that come before the Revelation in the Bible. What we do know from the Revelation is that those who will die forever in the lake of fire are those who worshiped the beast and the dragon (13:8 and 17:8). Once judgment is completed, it is clear, very clear, that death itself is destroyed as well. One of the things I found very interesting in my study is that many believe the references to ‘the sea’ (when we read that the sea is no more) are thought to be references to a place of death. Many people have died at sea. Think about the Titanic, and so many other sea-related disasters throughout the course of history - the tsunami I mentioned last week. What John seems to be telling us is that once all have been raised for judgment, the sea as a place of death is gone forever. For death is no more.
Way back in Genesis, we read of God’s wrath in the story of Noah and the flood. Only 8 people were saved for a fresh start for humanity. Unfortunately, with the reign of the Satan still in effect, it didn’t take long at all for sin to continue to ravage the earth. But God promised never to destroy the earth through a flood again. The rainbow in the midst of sunshine and rain is his reminder of that promise.
Here in the Revelation, John is shown a new Heaven and a new Earth. Like Genesis 1 “and God saw it was good!” new. When the voice from the throne announces, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old older of things has passed away,” it takes us back to chapter 18 when we read of other things that were no more in the judgment against Babylon. There the good things were to be ‘no more,’ things like music, trade, light, the voice of bridegroom & bride. Here what is ‘no more’ are the sad things: death, mourning, crying, pain. In chapter 18 we read that all the joys of life sank with Babylon like a millstone into the sea; now the sea itself, and with it death, mourning, crying and pain is no more. In the mind of God, as revealed to John, it is done. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus announced, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Al-mighty.” Now in Rev. 20 he announces, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”
All things are new.
We can’t imagine a world without death, mourning, crying, and pain. These experiences surround us. It will be 2 years next month since my mom died. I still have trouble staring at a picture of her; it hurts too much. I can talk about her – but something about looking at her picture still hurts too much. People are in physical pain, emotional pain, financial pain, spiritual pain. To even consider an existence without pain, is beyond us, isn’t it? But one day, whether sooner or later, that place of no more death, mourning, crying, and pain will be our home forever.
In the meantime – we hurt. It is normal to hurt in this broken world.
In the meantime – we struggle. It is normal to struggle in this broken world.
In the meantime – we battle the sin that so easily entangles us. It is normal.
In the meantime – we must cling to the truth of our salvation.
God, in Jesus Christ,
has made us new on the inside.
While our outer body is wasting away, our soul is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 & 17 proclaims, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. Our outer body is wasting away. We can’t do anything about it. No plastic surgery really stops the decay, it only masks it. But the good news is that our soul is being renewed every day IF we remain his faithful followers seeing holiness & righteousness by the power of the Spirit at work within us. But folks, if we do not continue to follow him, and go off on our own tangents of self-destruction, we will not know the blessing of his newness in our lives. And yet, when we stray we wonder why it’s not working for us. “I go to church, I pray, but my life is such a mess.” Certainly it’s true that being in a garage doesn’t make you a car, and just being in a church doesn’t make us faithful Christians. We have to receive the gift of his grace to follow him in every area of our lives – we can’t hold anything back thinking that “well, if I follow him in all these other ways, surely I can wait to follow him in this one way when I’m good and ready.” We have to submit ourselves to his complete overhaul process. Complete overhaul. Paul wrote, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) If we have given our lives to Christ, we are new creations. But just like a new car can quickly look old on both the inside and outside, so we can be brand new in Christ but neither feel like it nor look like it in any time at all.
On Thursday, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty. That hardly ever happens to me. Usually I wake up because I have to get rid of water inside of me (!) not put more in. I stayed in bed trying to go to sleep, but the thirst was stronger than my need to sleep. So, I got up and drank a tall glass of water. Then I rested well until morning.
Jesus said, “To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” Not just any water. Living Water. The kind of drink that refreshes us immediately. St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in the Lord.” We cannot be at peace in this broken world until we satisfy the thirst within us for the peace that Jesus Christ alone can give.
No matter what is going on in your life, Jesus can bring direction.
No matter how confused you may be, Jesus can bring clarity.
No matter how hurt or sad you are, Jesus can bring healing.
No matter how bleak the future may look, Jesus can and does bring hope.
One day, he will make all things new. Today, he can make you and me feel that sense of vitality and newness in our faith once again. He can refresh us. We all need it, for the devil still prowls around, looking for someone, looking for a marriage, looking for a family, for a business, for a bank account, for a church to devour. In 1 Peter we read, “Resist him (the devil), steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever.”
Much of what is written in the Revelation is symbolic. Well, I now invite you to come and take a drink as a symbol of your thirst and Jesus’ ability alone to satisfy your thirst. I invite you to come forward, take a cup of water, and tip your head back as you lift your eyes to Heaven. You don’t have to come forward. You don’t have to drink in order to receive a fresh touch from the Lord. But I invite you to do so to visibly renew your commitment before God and these witnesses to be one who will endure this time of death, mourning, crying, and pain in order to overcome it all for the sake of the glory of Jesus Christ and his coming Kingdom.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we need what you alone can give. (For those who have never trusted Jesus as Savior & Lord, I invite you to pray the following prayer silently in your hearts): O God of Power, Might, & Forgiveness, I need the gift of salvation. I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Thank you that you died on the cross to break my slavery to sin. Please come into my heart and make me new starting today. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I may continually transformed by his work within me. (For others already new in Christ): Help us O God to live as those who have been made new. Forgive our lack of attention to growing the faith within us. Forgive us for taking more seriously the world’s distractions than your instructions. O God, we pray for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit for us all. And for those who come to drink, may this water become for us a rush of your Living Water, renewing, restoring, healing, cleansing. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
