The previous post covered the fall of Babylon as recorded in Revelation 18. In this post, we look at the end of al things. First, a quick reminder.
Revelation is “A revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 1:1) “If anyone asks, ‘Why read the Apocalypse?’ the answer must be, ‘To know Christ better.’”[1] Too much of a focus on anything less will rob us of the goodness of the message of Revelation.
I say this because today’s passages have been interpreted…a lot of different ways. We must be consistent with our interpretations when reading Revelation. We tend to play “duck, duck, goose!” with Revelation: “Figurative, figurative, LITERAL!” I am no exception. I have found myself revising numerous sermons in this series because I would think, “Anthony, that’s not how you used that image last week.” So, just some reminders on the approach I have been taking.
- Numbers are figurative. Weigh them, don't count them. That includes the 1,000 years that show up today.
- Sun, moon stars are heavenly beings
- Mountains are nations; the sea is people of all nations
- Fire/blood/winepress[2] have been icons that when you click on them lead to the grim reality of God’s judgment/justice. Sometimes more than one image is used at the same time (like today’s passage)
- The Beast, the False Prophet and Babylon have been corporate rather than individual, though individuals have embodied them throughout history. They are systems, empires, worldviews.
- The catastrophic physical calamities have been about spiritual, economic, and political realities.
- Recapitulation has been a thing; we saw the end of the world multiple times; we are about to hear about Armageddon again two more times (from two different perspectives) in Rev. 19 and 20.