The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (195 page)

Jesus is, therefore, the full revelation of the divine warrior from the OT who executes judgment against all the enemies of God and his people. The great and final battle constitutes a slaughter that ends just as soon as it begins (19:17—21). Despite the boasts of the beast and the false prophet, they are quickly captured and tossed immediately into the lake of fire (19:20). The rest of the combatants die instantly at the spoken word of Christ (19:21). Christ effectively conquered all other kingdoms of the earth and subsumed them under his kingdom now established on earth.

The destruction of Babylon pertained to the judgment of the nations corporately as a political entity, but God will also judge all people individually. Having established his kingdom through a military victory (19:20—21), he orders the dragon bound and imprisoned for the duration of a thousand years (20:1—3). The entire scene in 20:4—6 corresponds to Dan 7:9—10 where the Ancient of Days holds court and books are opened for judgment, and Dan 7:22—27 where he renders a favorable verdict for believers by giving them the kingdom. The judicial verdict awarded to individual believers includes the right to reign with Christ, which includes judicial authority over the earth during this thousand-year period. At the end of this period, Satan will instigate one final and futile battle where unredeemed humanity stages a coup d
état against the Lord only to fail miserably.

The second resurrection (20:11—15) pertains to the individual judgment of all humanity. It constitutes the final judicial act of God before the complete renewal of the created order (i.e., the eschatological “age to come.”). As the judge enters the courtroom, all the dead must rise to face the accounting of their deeds. Books are opened as the primary
evidence consulted during the investigative trial of every individual human being all the way back to Adam. These books are the written records of each person's conduct.

G. The Renewal of Creation and the Arrival of the New Jerusalem. (21:1—8)
Each individual is judged according to his or her works. These works include attitudes of the heart such as cowardice, unbelief, and moral corruption, as well as external actions such as murder, sexual immorality, sorcery or witchcraft, idolatry, and lying (21:8). No one will escape the consequences of their guilt, and the lost will subsequently share the same fate as the dragon (Satan), the beast, and the false prophet in the lake of fire (20:14). The only hope for salvation is whether a person's name is written in the Lamb's book of life (20:14).

V. Vision Four (on a Mountain): Believers’ Reward and the Renewal of Creation (21:9-22:4)

A. Transition: “Come, I Will Show You the Bride” (21:9-10)
The final vision commences in 21:9—10 when another angel holding one of the seven bowls invites John to see the bride of the Lamb and he is carried away “in the Spirit” to a high mountain. It constitutes an expanded presentation of the new Jerusalem introduced in 21:1—8. This vision functions as the antithesis of the prostitute city Babylon and presents the glorified church as the bride city of the new Jerusalem. The purpose is to contrast the fate of Babylon with the glory of the new Jerusalem in which believers receive their ultimate vindication and eternal reward. This vision falls into two divisions that describe the Holy City as an eternal holy of holies (21:9-27) and then as a new Eden (22:1-5).
²⁵²

B. The Description of the New Jerusalem Descendingfrom Heaven (21:11—27)
The bride city descends from heaven shining with God's glory bedecked with precious stones. It has twelve gates named after the twelve patriarchs and twelve foundation stones named after the twelve apostles (21:12—14). The measurements indicate that it is a perfect cube of immense proportions. Thus the new Jerusalem resembles the holy of holies where God dwells with his people in absolute splendor and purity.

C. The Paradise of God: The Renewal of Creation (22:1—5)
What is more, “the river of living water” flows from the throne of the Lamb and waters “the tree of life” lining the streets of the new Jerusalem. In the eternal and Eden-like paradise, God and humanity dwell together in perfect harmony, for the curse is no more.

VI. Epilogue (22:6-21)

The interpreting angel affirms the truthfulness of words of the prophecy because it has been authorized by God. John continued with a series of testimonies submitted as forensic verification for the churches. First, John testifies that he has presented an eyewitness account of what he has seen and heard (22:8—11). Second, Jesus testifies that he is coming soon to reward the righteous and punish the wicked (22:12—16). The third testimony
comes from the Spirit and the bride (22:17), which probably refers to the Holy Spirit through the church as a prophetic witness (see 19:10). John solemnly warned against any tampering of his vision by invoking the legal consequences of altering a covenant document (22:18—19; see Deut 4:2). John concluded with a final testimony by Jesus who affirms that he is coming soon (22:20). These four testimonies constitute the strongest way possible to validate the truth of his vision by using legal categories.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

The Sovereignty of God
The prominent depiction of God as the Creator of the universe sitting enthroned in heaven and reigning over all people, beings, events, and the cosmos makes his sovereignty a central theme of the book of Revelation. God's sovereignty over creation, events, and history is depicted in three distinct ways throughout the book: (1) designations of divine names, titles, and attributions; (2) depictions of the heavenly throne room and God's throne; and (3) displays of God's actions through decrees and judgments. The emphasis on God's sovereignty, a common characteristic of prophetic and apocalyptic writings, functions to remind the readers that God is in control of all their circumstances and that they may confidently trust him.

From the outset God is unambiguously identified as the ultimate sovereign ruler of the universe (1:8). This verse contains three of the four most significant designations for God in Revelation: “the Alpha and Omega”; “the One who is, who was, and who is coming”; and “the Almighty.”
²⁵³
“Alpha and Omega” stems from the first letter (alpha) and last letter (omega) of the Greek alphabet and is equivalent to “I am the A to Z” in English. The title indicates that God is the origin and goal of all history because he precedes all creation and will bring everything to its eschatological fulfillment (see Isa
44:6).
²⁵⁴
It is used interchangeably of God the Father (1:8; 21:6) and of Jesus (22:13; see 1:17), suggesting that they share in the sovereign administration over the affairs of human history.

God as “the one who is, who was, and who is coming” (1:4,8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5) constitutes an interpreted expansion of the divine name YHWH (see Exod 3:14) and stresses his eternal presence in relationship to the world.
²⁵⁵
God is now; he has always been; and he will come in the future when he dramatically brings about the consummation of the ages (11:17; 16:5). The third designation for God as “the Almighty” (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7,14; 19:6,15; 21:22) associates him with the “Lord of hosts” in the OT, emphasizing his omnipotent power and unrivaled authority.
²⁵⁶
The fourth designation asserting God's
sovereignty is that he is addressed as “the One sitting on the throne” (4:9; 5:1,7,13; 6:16; 7:15; 21:5).
²⁵⁷

The image of God seated on his throne in chaps. 4—5 introduces the second way in which God's sovereignty is depicted throughout John's visions.
²⁵⁸
In 4:1—2 the scene is radically transformed from the barren rocky isle of Patmos into the heavenly throne room. John described God as infinitely majestic and as gloriously enthroned and surrounded by his courtiers. The first thing John saw upon his entrance through the open door is a throne centrally located in heaven (4:2). God's throne occupies the central location in a series of concentric circles depicting his sovereignty over the cosmos.

In order to describe his visions, John drew from other familiar prophetic visions involving theophanies of the throne of God (e.g., Ezek 1:5,10,18,22). He briefly remarked on how the one on the throne resembles gemstones like jasper, carnelian, and a halo-like emerald rainbow encircling his throne.
²⁵⁹
Once John established the fact that God Almighty sits securely enthroned in heaven, the throne shifts into the background throughout the rest of the vision (6:16; 7:9-17; 8:3; 11:16; 14:3; 16:17; 19:4-5) until it descends from heaven when he comes in judgment to establish his dwelling on earth (20:11—12; 21:3—5).
²⁶⁰

The sovereignty of God over creation, events, and history is also displayed through his decrees and acts of judgment. God as the Creator is the one who decrees the course and timing of all events while he governs from his throne in heaven. His activity is most apparent in the six scenes revolving around the heavenly throne room followed by ensuing judgments on the earth. The judgments produced on the earth by the seals, trumpets, and bowls represent a direct outworking of the proceedings in the divine courtroom.

God is the one who judges humanity (11:18; 18:8; 19:11; 20:12,13), and his judgment is swift, severe, and just (14:7; 16:7; 18:10; 19:2). God's activity is sometimes passive (as indicated by the frequent use of the divine passive verb
edothē,
“it was given”).
²⁶¹
He commissions some agents for the purpose of rendering judgments (e.g., the four horsemen and angels) and allows forces of evil to perform certain deeds (e.g., the beast). The fact that God is in control of everything, including the woes of both believers and unbelievers, powerfully reinforces the purpose of Revelation: to encouraging believers in their faith in the midst of suffering.
²⁶²

The Second Coming of Christ
The book of Revelation climaxes in its depiction of the second coming of Christ, showing that Jesus Christ, the victorious lamb of God and lion
of Judah, will return to earth as the eschatological judge of all humanity and as the Davidic King. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the primary subject of John's revelation (1:1), and his return to earth as the victorious messianic king is the object (1:7). Revelation 1:7 represents a conflation of Dan 7:13 and Zech 12:10 and provides the thesis statement for the entire book. The conflation of these two OT passages reflects the eschatological expectation that Christ will return bringing both salvation and judgment.
²⁶³

John identified Jesus as the glorious Son of Man, who receives judicial authority over all the nations, as well as the pierced Son, whose appearance will strike terror among the enemies of God. The exalted status of Christ and his role as the eschatological judge is predicated upon the titles explicitly applied to him. For example, the title “the First and the Last” designates Christ as the beginning and the end of history (1:17). It closely parallels the title “the Alpha and Omega” used for God the Father (1:8; 21:6).

The title “First and Last,” when applied to Christ, resounds with theological significance because it is drawn from Isa
44:6
and 48:12 where Yahweh is identified as the Creator and Redeemer. Its application to Christ in this passage suggests a very high Christology. What is more, the book of Revelation prophetically portrays the glorified and exalted Christ as the eschatological judge and king by way of three Christophanies (1:12—18; 5:1—14; 19:11-21).

The Christophany of Revelation 1 presents Jesus as the faithful witness; the protomartyr; the firstborn from the dead, who is preeminent in his church; and the ruler of the kings of the earth, thus fulfilling Jewish messianic expectations (see 1:5). John's ensuing visionary description of the Son of Man in 1:12—18 highlights certain characteristics of his appearance, borrowing images from a variety of OT texts, all of which emphasize his judicial role.
²⁶⁴

The Christophany of chap. 5 presents Jesus as the lion (5:5; see Gen 49:9) turned lamb (see 1:5—7; 12:11; 13:8; etc.), an image that combines paschal imagery with the notion of the warrior-lamb prominent in apocalyptic literature.
²⁶⁵
The purpose of this scene is to depict the installment of Christ as the Davidic King and eschatological judge who is the only one worthy to unleash the judgments of God on humanity. This scene represents the inauguration of Jesus’ eternal reign at the right hand of God, also known as his enthronement.
²⁶⁶

Apart from the Christophany of Revelation 1 and the image of the lion turned lamb, perhaps the most powerful depiction of Christ in Revelation is that of the rider on a white horse, the one who is called “faithful” and “true” (chap. 19). In the Christological culmination of the book, Jesus returns as the rightful king and divine warrior.
²⁶⁷
The imagery of riding a white horse was the common Roman symbol of the emperor who triumphed over his enemies.
²⁶⁸
The diadems on his head demonstrate that his cosmic sovereignty surpasses all other pretentious earthly claims to a throne (see 12:3; 13:1).
²⁶⁹