# 10 "The Final Consummation"

final sermon in series

by Pastor David Layman

August 26, 2007

Revelation 1

Earlier this summer, I was in the church office and noticed a well groomed young man get off a motorbike carrying a case over his shoulder. Even though the church door was unlocked, he rang the doorbell. I opened the door, but he didn t come in. He opened up the case, and fortunately, there wasn t a rifle in it! But he took out a long horn, such as from a Texas longhorn, lifted it to his mouth, and blew it. Then he handed me a small piece of paper indicating he was from the Philadelphia Church of God in Edmond, Oklahoma. There were a couple of references from the book of Revelation and a web site, which I later learned was a successor church to Herbert W. Armstrong s, whose writings were disavowed by the Worldwide Church of God upon Armstrong s death about 10 years ago. I thought the young man would seek to begin a discussion about when the world would come to an end, but he silently turned and left, putting his horn back in its case. At the bottom of the paper were the words He knocked at your door!

The first thing I thought was You never know what a day will bring! And the second was I can use this as an illustration for my tenth sermon on The Message of the Bible in 10 Weeks ! We began in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, with God s creation. What better place to conclude than with Revelation, the last book in the Bible, with a look at the ultimate conclusion of God s story?

Many Christians don t spend too much time considering the end of time. But we should not leave consideration of Revelation and the end of the age to those who look at various passages in the Bible and conclude this geopolitical event and that disaster are steps in a timetable which enable them to come up with a date for the end of time. There s a reason the book of Revelation was accepted as scriptural by the early church, and there was a reason God inspired the authors of what we call apocalyptic writings. The Greek word apocalypse is translated Revelation . Though its language is highly symbolic, Revelation lifts the veil and reveals God s ultimate purpose and plan.

Writings such as Revelation are often composed in times of great persecution. It s when times are tough that we especially need an encouraging vision that can enable us to hold on and endure. The Revelation to John occurred during a time of significant persecution: either under Nero in the 60 s, or the Emperor Domitian in the 90 s. Nero had Christians dismembered by animals and publicly burned, set afire as torches. Domitian commanded people to flatter him by calling him lord and god . He had a statue of himself on a horse erected that was 6 times life size. Can you imagine the size of that? Many think it was during Domitian s rule and persecution that Revelation was written.

But the Revelation to John was not just of value to suffering believers in the first century AD. The author s purpose was to strengthen the morale of suffering and dying Christians. Believers are suffering and dying in the 21st century as well....some under religious persecution, and others under the ravages of age, disease and discouragement. So let us turn to the scriptures and find a message that speaks to us as well as those 2,000 years ago!

The Revelation begins with John writing a letter to the 7 small, struggling churches of Asia. These churches were an historical reality. But we need to also remember that numbers are often symbols in Revelation, as are colors and the creatures described. And 7 is the number of completeness. So in a sense we can consider Revelation not simply written to 7 churches in Asia Minor, but to all churches and believers.

To these struggling believers John presents a Jesus who is not absent, but is coming with the clouds. 1:7 This Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. (1:5). Evil emperors such as Nero and Domitian may for the time being seem to have the upper hand, but Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth! Furthermore, Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega , the beginning and the end. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega the last. The earthly Jesus only engaged in ministry about 3 years, but the risen Son of Man is eternal and will be around forever--to use a folksy saying, until the last dog dies. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, not a flaming star that is going to burn out after a short period of time. John reminds his readers that he s not writing from an ivory tower, but from the slave colony on the rocky and barren island of Patmos.

And John sees beyond his exile and banishment a blazing vision. He sees 7 golden lamp stands, and in the midst One like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe, and with a golden sash across his chest. At the very beginning of Revelation, John wanted tempted, suffering Christians to have a vision of the reigning, triumphant Christ. John says he saw one like the Son of Man , and Jesus described himself as the Son of Man. The long robe and golden sash across his chest symbolized he was the high priest; kings wore their sashes about their waist. As priest Jesus was the intermediary between God and humankind. The white hair symbolized great wisdom (that s right--before Lady Clairol, white hair symbolized wisdom!) Jesus eyes are like a flame of fire, making him discerning in judgment. His feet were burnished brass, tramping out all opposition From his mouth came a voice like the sound of many waters , powerful and able to be heard over a great distance. From his mouth came a sharp, two edged sword. It is Christ s Word which judges humankind and cuts through all human pretense. Revelation presents Jesus who is coming again as judge. The first time Jesus came into our world, it was as our suffering and dying savior. Jesus then spoke words of judgment, but the judgment the earthly Jesus pronounced was primarily to be carried out in the future. Jesus showed signs of power, such as in his miracles and resurrection. But Jesus first coming was primarily as a suffering servant. The ultimate judgment of God has yet to be fulfilled, but it one day will be.

We live in a day and society where by and large, people don t like the idea of God s judgment! The primary reasons for this, I believe, are twofold. First of all, we want to be our own judge. We don t like the thought there is an authority beyond us that we must be obedient to! The second reason we don t like the idea of God s judgment is that in comparison with many in our world, we have it relatively easy. We re near the top when it comes to comfort and prosperity. To hear us talk, it seems like we focus a lot on our alleged sufferings: high property taxes, arthritis, health challenges. But the truth of the matter is we suffer far less physically and materially than the great majority of people that have ever lived!

In the Bible, God s judgment is, as N.T. Wright notes, emphatically good news, not bad. It means that the creator God has promised to make the world right at last, to sort it out, to sift it and straighten it and heal its ancient wounds and wrongs. It is, in particular, good news for the poor and the oppressed. God s kingdom will come, and his will be done, on earth as in heaven; indeed, heaven and earth will at the last be united. That is the promise of the New Testament. (JUDAS AND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2006, p. 139). The early Christians suffering from Roman persecution needed to remember that, in spite of present appearances, God would not abandon his people, and God s will would triumph in the end! We need to be reminded of this as well!

As a child I used to go to western movies, before they became so bloody and crude. The good guys would have circled the wagons, and things looked hopeless. Then we d hear a trumpet, and the cavalry was coming, and a cheer would come up from the balcony! The book of Revelation and similar passages is the sound of the trumpet, announcing God s ultimate victory!

There are times we really need to hear this! Even if the church in America doesn t suffer significant persecution, the church today is suffering from neglect, distraction, and poor theology! The 7 churches spoken of in Revelation were tempted to compromise and worship the emperor. These churches were small minorities, flickering like lamps on a blustery, dark evening. I don t foresee martyrdom for many American Christians in the near future. But I do see a continuing loss of influence and social standing for those who maintain an orthodox Christian faith. When times become difficult, it s very important to realize who is going to win in the end!

It s no secret that I like to watch Indiana basketball games. There are times I have meetings and commitments and have to tape a game. When I do this, I don t like to rewind the whole tape and watch the whole game not knowing whether or not IU wins. If IU winds up losing, I want to know that sad news from the beginning. If they win, it helps me put up with seeing them fall behind or blow a lead earlier in the game. The ultimate outcome is what really matters.

Revelation tells about the final chapter in life s story. A believer can endure a lot if they know that in the end, their faith and trust will ultimately be vindicated. And the last word of the last chapter of the Bible tells us that, in the end, God wins!

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