As we conclude this series on the Book of Revelation, there is one thing that’s important to remember – it was written by someone in the first century whose people were oppressed by the Roman Empire. And so in the Book of Revelation, we hear the voice of the oppressed. And sometimes the voice of the oppressed can make those who are not oppressed feel uncomfortable. And as difficult as it may be, sometimes it’s important for people who aren’t oppressed to sit in that discomfort because it might lead us to solidarity with the oppressed and further action.
Subverting Empire
Here is what part of the oppression against the early Christians looked like:
The Roman Empire used violence and persecution to “keep the peace.” You may have heard of the “Pax Romana,” or in English, the “Peace of Rome.”
The Roman Empire kept the peace through military conquest. Whenever Rome conquered new lands, it sent a letter called a Euangelion. Euangelion in English means “Gospel” or “Good News.” And the Gospel according to the Roman Emperor was that your people have been conquered and you are now part of the Empire. “Congratulations!” said Rome. “You can join our military as we conquer more people. But if you resist, you will be killed by the sword or by the cross.” Caesar was seen as the Son of God, and so the way of violent conquest was stamped with divine approval.
But the early Christians wrote different Gospels about this man named Jesus.
His Gospel wasn’t about victory through war and violence. His Gospel was about victory through the cross, which meant victory through self-giving love.
That’s why the New Testament, from the very beginning, is a theological and political insurrection against the Roman Empire.
The New Testament refers to Jesus as the Son of God. This is far more than a pious religious statement. In the first century Roman Empire, this is a political statement. Caesar, the false son of God, believes the world is made better through war and conquest. But Jesus, the true son of God, reveals that the world is made better through self-giving love.
But, be warned, the Gospels say, for if you follow this Jesus, he might lead you to cause some good trouble.
Because remember this: Jesus wasn’t crucified simply because he told people that they needed to love their neighbors as themselves. The Roman Empire didn’t think this about Jesus, “We are going to kill this Jesus person because he is teaching people to love us.”
No. Jesus was crucified because he rose up against the violence and oppression of the political and religious authorities.
Nonviolent Disobedience
But Jesus rose up against Rome without using violence. Instead, he performed acts of nonviolent disobedience. By nonviolence, I mean that he didn’t physically harm or kill anyone. He went to the Temple and flipped over the tables of the money changers because the Temple had become corrupt.
On Passover, when many of the Jews at the time were expecting a king to ride a war horse and violently overthrow the Roman Empire, Jesus rode a young donkey as people hailed him the Son of David, meaning, the king of the Jews, which meant Herod and his offspring was not.
These two acts were religious and political statements. They claimed that Jesus was higher than the Temple and that Jesus was Lord, which meant that Caesar was not.
According to the Gospels, these acts of nonviolent resistance are what got Jesus killed on the cross.
It is here, on the cross and then in the resurrection, where Christian history tells us that Jesus defeated evil.
He refused to respond to evil with more evil. He refused to pick up the sword. Instead, he picked up the cross. He refused to slap back and instead insisted on turning the other cheek. He taugh us to love our neighbor, including our enemies, as we love ourselves. And he taught, whenever it is necessary, that sometimes you gotta flip over the tables of the religious and political establishment.
The Book of Revelation tries to tell the story of Jesus defeating evil in narrative form through symbolic storytelling. And as we have seen, the symbolism of Revelation can be quite disturbing.
The Symbolism in The Book of Revelation
For example, the Roman Empire is symbolized by a whore and also as a beast. Satan is symbolized as a dragon. The Roman religious system is symbolized by a false prophet. And at the beginning of Revelation, Jesus is symbolized by a Lamb who was slaughtered. This lamb who was slaughtered is consistent with nonviolent Jesus portrayed in the Gospels.
But then, near the end of Revelation, Jesus is symbolized as a warrior king. But instead of riding a humble donkey, he now rides a white war horse with a sword coming out of his mouth.
As we saw in our readings today, Jesus captures the beast and the false prophet and throws them into the lake of fire. The kings of the earth battle against Jesus. Jesus kills them with the sword of his mouth, and the kings are thrown into the lake of fire.
Now, if this image of Jesus as a divine warrior who kills his enemies instead of loving them makes you uncomfortable, you are in good company. It was imagery like this from Revelation that caused it to be one of the last books to be added to the New Testament. Many ancient theologians were worried that people would misinterpret the symbolism in Revelation. And unfortunately, they were right.
Let me ask you a question to get at the symbolism of Jesus with the sword riding the white horse. Here is the question. If you were going into battle with a sword, how would you carry your sword?
That’s right. In your hand. Or maybe in a sheath at the side of your hip. But if you were going into battle and you tried to carry your sword in your mouth, that would be laughably ridiculous.
And I think that’s the point. Jesus isn’t carrying a literal sword. This is symbolic.
The early Christians compared the Word of God to a double-edged sword. The letter to the Hebrews says that the Word of God is like a double-edged sword in that it pierces. The sword Jesus holds in his mouth in Revelation is not a literal sword. It is the Word of God. It is what he speaks.
This is how Christ conquers evil. Not with more violence, but with the words from his mouth.
In fact, Revelation says earlier that the followers of Christ also conquer evil through the blood of the Lamb and through their testimony. In other words, they don’t conquer with a sword. They conquer through nonviolence and speaking their testimony.
So I have come to believe that the sword that comes from Jesus’ mouth as he rides the white horse is not a literal sword. The sword symbolizes his testimony, which cuts like a double-edged sword. But still, apparently, the symbolic sword that comes from Jesus’ mouth kills the kings of the earth.
Here is what we need to know. When it comes to people in Revelation, it is the kings of the earth, along with the nations as a whole, who are consumed with evil. Revelation uses more symbolic imagery by stating that the kings of the earth fornicate with violent empire.
The kings of the earth collude with the dragon and with the beast. Revelation says that the kings of the earth are faithless idolaters; they are murderers and liars. They are unclean. It’s not just the kings, though. The nations as a whole are evil and enemies of Jesus.
Making All Things New
Indeed, Jesus sends the kings of the earth to the lake of fire, but that’s not the end of the story for the kings. This, I think, is possibly the most remarkable thing about the Book of Revelation.
At the end of Revelation in chapter 21, God says that God is making all things new. God then creates a new heaven and a new earth, marked by the new Jerusalem. Revelation tells us that nothing unclean is allowed in the new Jerusalem. Fornicators and murderers are excluded. Faithless idolaters are excluded. Those who tell lies are not allowed inside.
I have mixed feelings about this exclusionary part of Revelation. At my church, we say that everyone is welcome. But here’s the thing: not every behavior is welcome. We have to do things that keep us safe. And so behavior that harms others has to be excluded.
But this passage also seems to go against the inclusivity of Christ’s Gospel of love and inclusion. Instead, it looks more like another form of the Roman Empire, where those who obey are included and everyone else is excluded.
But just wait a minute.
Because God is making all things new. Revelation 21 gives us a vision of the end of time, where we find what salvation looks like. And here is the most remarkable thing: Revelation 21 tells us that the light always shines in the new heaven and new earth. And, listen to this, “The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.”
This is strange. As we have seen, throughout Revelation, the Kings of the earth are the worst kind of evil. They are liars and cheaters. They are fornicators and idolaters. They worship the beast, collude with the false prophet, and they make war against God.
The Victory over Evil
After killing the kings of the earth, Jesus throws them into the lake of fire, but did you know that Revelation claims that only the devil, the beast, and the false prophet are “tortured day and night forever and ever” in the lake of fire?
That means that humans are not tortured day and night forever and ever in the lake of fire.
In fact, throughout the Bible, fire isn’t primarily a tool for torture. Rather, fire is meant to purify. The kings of the earth, and anyone else who is sent to the lake of fire, aren’t there to be tortured. They are there to be purified.
And eventually, the Kings of the earth, the same kings of the earth who were the cause of so much evil and who weren’t written in Revelation’s Book of Life, enter into the new heaven and the new earth. And they bring their glory with them. And there, in the middle of the new heaven and new earth is the Tree of Life, whose fruit is good for everyone to eat. And the leaves of the Tree of Life are for are for the healing of the nations.
Revelation is a story about how God and Jesus are and will ultimately be victorious over evil. It’s a story about how you and I can participate in that victory by living in the new heaven and the new earth right now. It’s about inviting everyone, including the kings of the earth, to the table.
That’s the good news, the Gospel revealed to us by Jesus Christ, tells us that God’s love reaches out to all of us. It tells us that sometimes our actions cause us to get burned by a symbolic fire. The fire can hurt, but it’s not meant to torture; it’s meant to purify. It tells us that God’s Tree of Life is always nearby and its leaves are meant for the healing of the nations – that is, all of humanity. It tells us that in a world that seems to be falling apart, there is hope – because God has formed us into a people with a mission.
And so no matter what happens in this world, know this: We still have a mission. And that mission is to participate with God in making all things new. Our mission is to participate in the Gospel Jesus, the Gospel of hope, love, and justice.
