The River of Life and a Theology of Hope

At the heart of Revelation is not Rapture or Armageddon, but hope!
Revelation is

• --written to beleaguered churches amid persecution
• --critique of empire
• --critique of imperial violence
• --offers alternative voice of hope and protest
• --not a direct prediction (prophecy not same as prediction)
• --not directly written for us in 21st Century
• --Prophetic call to wake up and take heed (so can be applicable for us)

What is Revelation really about?

• Core of book: call to faithfulness to Lamb (against imperial Rome, amid persecutions)—book of worship
• Early Christians were pacifists (nonviolent)
• Three Greek words for “world” in the NT
  •     -Ge (earth)—I shall renew the face of the earth…
  •     -Kosmos (the whole ordered world)—John’s prologue
  •     -Oikumene (economy, empire)—created by humans
• What does Revelation say comes to an end?
  •     -not ge or kosmos but oikumene
• What does Revelation say will be renewed?
  •     -ge

Before the Judgment Seat of Christ

• Alternative View
• Nothing in Revelation says it is “individual”
• Collective—
• Different meaning to be “judged”
• Ekrithesan (krinow)—can be passing sentence
• But also “ensure justice is done”
• God’s justice/righteousness is served here and it is comprehensive in nature
• Victim and Perpetrator judged together
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa

 

Maranatha: God’s Continual Creation
Rev. 21:3-6:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’
“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life…”
In the end is a new beginning…

 

Revelation 22: 1-5
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.”

 

Jewish Tradition: Clean and Unclean
Rev 22:13-17
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.

The Final Word
Rev. 22:16-17
“‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
   
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’

And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’

And let everyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.”

Alpha and Omega--Beginning and End...

"With the drawing of this Love

and the voice of this Calling

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time."

        -T.S. Eliot,  Little Gidding