Revelation made plain - Part Two - Dr. Colin Harris

A New Heaven and A New Earth

Revelation 21: 1-6

Having the book of Revelation accompany our journey during this Easter season has reminded us of several important features of this often puzzling book:

1.   It is apocalyptic literature, which means that is message is coded in images and metaphors that have a deeper meaning than what appears on the surface.  To read it literally is to miss its point.

2.   It calls itself a prophecy, which means in the biblical sense it is quite different from a prediction.  Rather than being a foretelling of what God is going to do at the end of history, it is a proclamation of what God is always doing in the midst of history.

3.   Its sometimes bizarre symbols are vehicles for telling the Gospel story, connecting the covenant faith of Old Testament history with what God is revealing through Jesus Christ.  It is a creative re-telling of the testimony of God’s people.

4.   It is a theology of history – an affirmation of the relation of God to humanity and the historical process.

Our lesson text for this week is part of the final vision that portrays this theology of history.  A new heaven and a new earth bring renewal to all of creation.  Let’s look briefly at a few of the details:

The “holy city” – the “new Jerusalem” – appears to take the place of the first heaven and the first earth.  A new reality comes as a gift from God, “as a bride adorned for her husband.”  Note the relational emphasis: this new reality is a relationship, not a location or a political entity.

The first thing the voice from the throne (remember who this is) says is this: “Look, the dwelling place of God is among people.”  Think about what this is saying, and what its listeners would hear.

The gospels proclaim in various ways that the Kingdom of God is not only something that would be fulfilled at the end of history, but also a reality that is present in history and among those who embrace it.

As Matthew introduces Jesus’ public ministry (4:17), he says, “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.’” He instructs his disciples, “Proclaim the good news: news: the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7) In Luke’s sermon on the plain, Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20) When the Pharisees asked when the Kingdom of God was coming, he replied, “You won’t see it coming, because it is among you.”  (Luke 17:21) And, we would not forget the line in Jesus’ model prayer, “Thy Kingdom come ... on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matthew 6:10)

The clear affirmation of this text is a reminder of Jesus’ teaching that the new order of God – God’s Kingdom – was a reality already among God’s people.  The implication is that they should not wait around watching for the Kingdom to come, but to realize that it already has and live as its faithful citizens in the here and now.  The new heaven and the new earth are not things to anticipate in the future, but things to embrace and proclaim in the present.

The Enigma of John's Revelation Explained

Thoughts from Dr. Colin Harris - A friend and mentor from Atlanta... JG 

Revelation is an example of what we call apocalyptic literature.  The word itself means to “reveal” or “disclose” much in the way that a shroud is removed from a statue at its dedication, enabling those gathered to see the finer features of the sculpture, where only the bare outline of its shape was seen before.  It is often presented as a vision or dream, usually with a high level of symbolism, numerology, and metaphorical images, designed to connect the reader/listener with deeper ideas and concepts.  There is also a hidden level to the communication, as well, since the uninitiated would not “get it” when the symbols are described.  It would simply sound weird. 

We also noted last week that the book calls itself a “prophecy,” which is significant for how we read it.  The word “prophecy” usually creates a sense of prediction of something that will happen in the future; and because of this is it important to note that biblical prophecy is quite different from fortune telling.  In both the Old Testament and here and other places, prophecy is not so much a word about what God is going to do as it is a word about what God is always doing.  The future focus of a prophetic word points to the consequences of God’s work already evident in history.  It is profound theological insight rather than magical prediction.

An important principle for studying biblical literature is every kind of literature deserves to be read in terms of what it is.  That means we read a gospel as a gospel, not as a biography; we read a letter as a letter, not as a universal rule for all times and places; we read a symbolic, metaphorical message as a pointer beyond itself to a deeper meaning, not as a literal description of something that will happen just as described.  This is especially important for apocalyptic literature and for the Book of Revelation.

The coded language of chapter 5 of the book lends itself well to an examination of this principle.  Chapters 4 and 5 together present the heart of the gospel message in a way that would be clear to the “insiders” and obscure to “outsiders” such as Roman guards and others who might be seeking out the Christians for persecution.

The book is thought to have been written during the last years of the first century, when the church was suffering severe persecution under the Emperor Domitian, whom many thought to be a reincarnation of the hated emperor of a previous generation – Nero.  Open communication of Christian beliefs would be risky, so symbolic communication of basic features of the gospel message proved to be quite useful.

Let’s look briefly at some of the symbols employed in our lesson text.  If you could read the 14 verses of chapter 5 first just get a sense of the imagery, our analysis of the images will probably make more sense.

Chapter 4 has established pretty clearly that the “one seated on the throne” is God, and he has in his right hand a scroll written on the front and the back, sealed with 7 seals.  A “mighty angel” asks with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”  ( Who is able to reveal to the world what God’s agenda is?) No one is found who can do that, and the writer is grieved that no one can.

Then one of the “elders” (note the 24 elders who sit on thrones around the high throne:         2 x 12 = 24 ---- 12 patriarchs/tribes of Israel + 12 apostles) speaks: “Weep not, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered and can open the scroll.”

Who is the Lion of Judah, the Root of David?  We’re beginning to pick up clues, but the “disclosure” continues: Between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders (note the imagery of the location) the writer saw a “Lamb standing as if it had been slain” and this lamb is able to open the scroll and break its seals one at a time.

For those of us who know the imagery, the message is clear: If you want to know what God’s agenda for the world is, that agenda is being made clear by the “lamb that was slain, but yet lives.”  And, there is little doubt as to whom it is talking about.  But note that the word “Christ” has not been mentioned, nor has the idea of his sacrificial openness to God as the key to understanding spiritual truth been said explicitly.  Anyone listening in from the outside would hear about elders sitting on thrones, but wouldn’t hear the connection with the covenant faith of Israel and the first generation of Christian apostles; he would hear about weird multi faced creatures, but wouldn’t know that this was a reading from the book of Ezekiel; he would hear about a wounded lamb that can open a scroll, but wouldn’t have a clue that the suffering servant from the book of Isaiah or the risen Christ was being described.

What we have here is the Christian community gathering for worship in a hostile environment, singing hymns of praise and telling the gospel story, all in coded language of symbols and metaphors, perfectly consistent with the rest of the New Testament message.  In keeping with its nature as aprophecy, it is not so much a word about what God is going to do, but more a word about what God is already doing.

The surest way to miss that message is to literalize the symbols; and unfortunately that is what many people do, encouraged by folks who get rich writing books that tell  them that is the way to read it. 

As we have seen in many other areas of biblical study, it is easy to get sidetracked by questions like “Did this really happen?”  Or “Is this really going to happen?”  And miss the more important question: “What truth is this text calling us to see?” 

Dr. Colin Harris

2013 -Atlanta