Vision of the Ages: "The End and a Beginning" (Revelation 19.6-22.5)

There are several cycles of visions in Revelation, each depicting the same period of history. The final cycle is the most detailed and contains the most revelations. The previous cycle was the seven Trumpets, which depict God’s judgments on the wicked world. But these judgments were always partial. When we come to the final cycle, the seven Bowls, we now see the full fury of God’s wrath leading to the very end of the world.

The seventh Bowl is a summation of the entire cycle and depicts the final destruction of the wicked world order, which is also called Babylon (Rev. 16.17-21). This final bowl of wrath gives a summary of two important themes in this cycle of visions. First, there is the unrepentant nature of the wicked world. Even with all the judgments that God has been pouring out upon the world, the wicked refuse to repent of their sins. Second, the world deserves the wrath of God. God is giving them something that they have earned by their wickedness and stubborn lack of repentance. God’s judgment is not something hasty or capricious. The world has been storing up wrath for the day of God’s righteous judgment. God’s wrath will come on those who have rejected the Gospel of Christ and persisted in their idolatry and immorality.

The wicked world order that will fall under the wrath and judgment of God is called Babylon in the book of Revelation. This borrows on language from the Old Testament Prophets. Babylon in this sense does not refer to any specific location on earth but to a broad, spiritual principle. Babylon is the City of Man or human society in alienation from God. Babylon has always existed within human history and culture and will continue until the end of the world when it will fall under God’s final judgment.

So, as the final bowl of wrath is poured out, the Old Order fades away and a New World comes into view. This New World has already been there, but now it is being revealed in its full glory. The final section of the book of Revelation shows us a series of visions about how the old order will end and the new order will begin. There will be an end and a beginning. These visions are described in mostly symbolic pictures because the realities themselves are so far beyond our experience. Rather than satisfying our curiosity, these visions about the world to come and the eternal order are meant to arouse desire and hope in the heart of God’s people who are still living by faith as aliens and strangers in this world. The visions in this final cycle give us four different perspectives of what the end of the old order will look like as well as the appearance of the New Creation and the eternal order.

The Return of Christ

The key event that will end this present Age and usher in the New Creation is the appearance or the coming of Jesus Himself. The key vision in this final cycle of visions is the appearance of Jesus coming out of Heaven. The world will end with the appearance of a person. The blessed hope of all Christians is to see Christ returning to earth. The epistles of the New Testament are filled with references to Christ’s return and the implications this event has for Christian living. If He is coming again then we must be ready. But rather than discussing the various moral implications of Christ’s return, the vision in Revelation simply describes the nature of His return. The language is symbolic, no doubt, and the vision is meant to teach us about the manner of Christ’s return.

First, He will come publicly. John again sees Heaven opened. This time someone is coming out of heaven. When heaven is opened we can expect a special kind of revelation. John received the book of Revelation when a door was opened in heaven and he was taken up to the heavenly places. But at the end, the revelation to end all revelations will come out of heaven.  The New Testament speaks of Christ’s coming as an appearance or a revelation. Every person who has ever lived will witness this event because all the dead will be raised. No one will miss seeing Him when He appears. The veil that separates the earthly realm from the heavenly realm will be permanently removed so that everyone may see the Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory. He is going to appear in this way so that He may be recognized for who He really is. There will be no more doubts about Jesus on that Day. It will be made known that He really is the Lord and that He really does rule the world. 

The Church is sent out into the world to declare the message that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus is the one whom God has chosen to rule the world and to bring in the fullness of the Kingdom. But we must accept this message by faith. At the present, we cannot physically see Jesus ruling in heaven. But one day, Christ will be seen and there will be no more doubts or questions about Him and His position in God’s Kingdom. 

This appearance at the end is necessary for His vindication. Many people have refused to believe in Him and the world has mostly rejected Him. It must be shown openly before the entire human race that Jesus really is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Secondly, He will come powerfully. When Jesus came into the world the first time, He came in humility as a baby in a manger. But that is not how He will come the second time! When Jesus comes again it will be with power and great glory. He is coming as a conquering king. He is going to judge the world and consummate His kingdom authority. There are still rebellious personalities in the world who have not acknowledged or submitted to Christ’s authority. When He comes again, every knee will be forced to bow down and every tongue will have to confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. All rebellion will cease. Christians are those who by faith have already bowed the knee to Christ and confessed Him as Lord. This is how we are saved. His appearing in glory will be the final stage of our salvation.

The End of Evil

These final visions in Revelation are meant to be a source of hope for the people of God in the world. God’s people need this encouragement because the world is a place of tribulation and opposition. The source of this opposition will eventually be put away for good. Evil cannot win, and it is just a matter of time before all evil forces are removed forever. 

The ultimate source of evil has already been identified in the book of Revelation as the Dragon, the great serpent also called Satan or the Devil. Satan started a cosmic war in heaven which then spread to the earthly regions. Satan had some allies in this war which are also revealed in the book of Revelation. Satan used the two Beasts to intimidate and deceive the people of the world into joining his side in this cosmic war. Since Satan has been cast out of heaven to the earth, his main objective is to harass the people of God who are still in the world and within his domain. This final cycle of visions shows how evil has already been dealt a mortal blow. The forces of evil remain in the world for a time while Satan gathers for a final war. But in the end, Satan’s evil attacks against the people of God will come to nothing and everything influenced by Satan will be removed.

Evil is opposition to the will or nature of God. Evil is not an entity equal to God as is taught in the philosophy of Dualism. Something is good or evil in relation to God. If something is in a right relationship with God, then that thing is good. But something that is not in agreement with God is evil. Satan is opposed to God and is therefore evil. Satan has been very successful in turning human beings against the will of God. Satan’s power has been such that the entire world is under his control. No one is immune from Satan’s influence. Humanity has joined with Satan in the cosmic rebellion and has been used to carry out Satan’s schemes. The main objective of Satan is to oppose the people of God and Satan has used wicked people to do this work. The wicked have persecuted and even killed the people of God when they could do so. But the wicked cannot prosper and they will eventually be removed from the world, along with the dark masters who manipulated them. In the world to come the people of God will have with no one to harass them. A time of universal peace is coming, like the calm after a great storm.

In one of the more difficult and disputed sections of Revelation, Satan is bound and no longer allowed to do all that he would in the world (20.1-6). While the exact timing and nature of the 1,000 years have been disputed, it is my understanding that the binding of Satan took place through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This has allowed the Gospel to spread throughout the world. However, before the end comes, Satan’s activities will increase as he gathers for a final blow. At times it may look like Satan is winning, even with his limited capacity. As the end approaches it may seem that the people of God are almost completely overcome. But the book of Revelation is showing us that Satan can never be completely successful and the purpose of God cannot be thwarted. Evil has already been defeated and the true victor in the battle will eventually emerge. No doubt there are those who find it hard to believe that Satan has really been restrained. But the spread of the Gospel throughout the world seems to prove that Satan cannot do all his will. Satan cannot stop the Gospel from being preached. He cannot stop people from coming to Jesus and being brought into the Kingdom of God. Satan cannot stop the saints from serving God and doing His will in the earth. Therefore, Satan’s power in the world has already been broken.

But Satan will be released to make a final assault before the end comes. It seems that the final days will bring an increase in evil activity as Satan makes his final push against the people of God. Satan’s final defeat is assured, but he has not given up his fight just yet. The final push may appear very successful. Like a city besieged and surrounded by an enemy force, the people of God seem to be overmatched by their enemies. In fact, it always seems like God’s people are at a disadvantage in the world. Perhaps God has designed things this way. It is God who delivers His people from evil, especially at the end. God’s people must trust in God’s power. If we were left to ourselves, there could be no victory. But if God is for us, who can be against us?

God will eventually deal with evil. At the end, there will be no doubt about the righteousness of God. God will be glorified, and evil will be laid bare for all to see. Nothing can be hidden from God forever. Everything is going to be brought into the blazing light of His glorious presence. To be even more precise, it is Jesus Himself who will judge the world (Acts 17.31). God the Father has placed the responsibility for judgment into the capable hands of His one and only Son. Every person must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Every evil deed is being recorded in Heaven and will have a just reward. God has not forgotten. Nothing evil will be permitted to enter the world to come. Our only hope is to repent or turn from evil and be reconciled to God before the end is here. After that, the eternal state of things will be fixed. Now is the time for us to recognize the evil in the world and in ourselves and to repudiate all of it. This is the whole point of our lives in this world.

The Glory of the People of God

When the old order finally passes away the people of God will be revealed. Because of the presence of the fallen creation with all its imperfections, the people of God have not been seen for what they have become in Christ. Every person who is in Christ is a new creation. But this new creation has not been revealed yet and is still hidden beneath the wrappings of this natural world. Eventually, the glory of the people of God will be revealed. That is not to say that the people of God are anything special in themselves. God’s people were children of Adam just like everyone else. It is the work of God that makes them into new creatures. The people of God are becoming something that has never been seen before, even among the heavenly hosts. 

In Revelation, there are two images used to convey the glory of God’s people that will be revealed at the end: The Bride of Christ and the City of God. Keep in mind that these are collective or corporate images, not to be applied to individuals but to the whole community of the Redeemed. No individual Christian can be called the Bride of Christ or the City of God. But when they are finally all gathered together at the end, the people of God will be a glorious, beautiful bride and a great city. Both these metaphors or images are needed to convey something about the future state of the people of God. These two images are also used in contrast to the evil world order that is under Satan’s domination.

The people of God are the Bride of Christ. The wedding of the Lamb will be the consummation of history. At the present, the people of God are betrothed to Christ and are preparing themselves to be with Him forever. The people of God prepare themselves for the wedding feast of the Lamb while they are still in this world. The image of a wedding is used to portray the love, intimacy, and joy that will belong to Christ and His people forever. The greatest love story in history is the love that Christ has for His Church, of which the earthly relationship between a husband and his wife is a shadow. The primary characteristics of a bride are beauty and purity. A bride prepares herself for her bridegroom, to be beautiful in his eyes. In the same way, the people of God have removed themselves from the world and kept themselves pure for Christ. In contrast to the Bride of Christ is Babylon, the Prostitute, which is the defilement of sin and worldliness. The whole purpose of God has been to create a Bride for His Son. The full glory of this relationship between Christ and His Church begins in this world but will be consummated in the world to come. The relationship between the Church and Christ in this world has been like an engagement and courtship. But the day of the wedding of the Lamb and His Bride is coming.

The second image of the people of God is that of a city. The two images of bride and city are intertwined in John’s vision. When John sees the Bride, he sees a city. This has created some confusion. The city described here is often interpreted to be the place where the people of God will live forever. But the city is really a symbolic depiction of the people of God themselves. The City of God is the people of God. This city is called the New Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem in the Old Testament came to represent the people of God on earth and the place where God dwelt. The New Jerusalem contrasts with Babylon, the wicked City of Man, which is in alienation from God. So, we see the final destinies of two different societies of people. The City of God is described as beautiful, decked out with all manner of precious stones. While there is nothing particularly beautiful about the people themselves, the beauty comes from the glory of God that is being reflected by His people. God’s people contain some of God’s own nature. The City of God has strong walls and foundations because it will be eternal. In this world, the people of God did not have a permanent residence. But we will be a permanent part of the world to come. 

The most important part of this city is that it is saturated with the presence of God. The City of God is itself a temple in which God will dwell. John sees no temple there because the whole city is one, giant temple. The dimensions are a perfect cube, which reminds us of the measurements of the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. But that earthly Tabernacle was just a shadow of this ultimate reality. The whole goal of salvation has been for God to dwell with His people. This was the original state of man in Eden, it was symbolized in the Tabernacle, and it will be the glory of the Redeemed in the world to come. In this city, there will be full access to the presence of God without any of the hindrances and barriers we have in this world. The glory of the people of God will be the presence of God Himself. The glory of God will shine in the Redeemed like the light reflected in a mirror. In this world our reflection of God’s glory is poor. But when all the saints are perfected and gathered together there will be a Divine glory there that will be put on display for the ages to come.

The New Creation

The New Jerusalem is a depiction of the people of God themselves, in the aggregate, not the place where they will live. But the vision also gives a depiction of the new world, the New Creation, where the people of God will spend eternity. The end of the Bible takes us back to the very beginning of the Bible and reminds us of the Garden of Eden. In Genesis Paradise was lost. In the book of Revelation, Paradise is regained. The old order that had been subjected to the curse of death will pass away and the creation itself will be renewed. The New Creation will be different from the world we know, but not so different as to be unrecognizable. The major differences will be the absence of the curse brought into the world by sin, and the presence of eternal life that comes from having direct, unmitigated access to the presence of God.

The book of Revelation does much to shatter the idea of a completely spiritualized, immaterial heaven. The idea of the soul being released from the body and everything material has more to do with Greek philosophy than with Christian revelation and hope. The New Testament teaches the resurrection of the body and the regeneration of the material universe rather than the immortality of the soul. The creation of the material universe was God’s original idea and He has no problem with Matter. In fact, the whole purpose of redemption is to reclaim what was lost to sin and the curse of death. Revelation shows us a new world where all the effects of sin and death have been removed and creation has entered a new stage of glory. 

The hope of heaven is the hope of a redeemed earth in which the people of God will live in new, immortal bodies. We must not think of these new bodies as being something immaterial but of a different order. In the same way, the New Creation will be a material universe of a different order. Everything that is cursed by sin will be removed and the creation will rise to a level that no human being has ever seen before, not even in Eden. Revelation does not say that God is going to make all new things, but that He is going to make all things new. This is not a teaching isolated to the book of Revelation. The Apostle Paul taught the regeneration of the created universe. Our physical bodies, along with the created universe will be redeemed and set free from the bondage of corruption (See Romans 8.18-25). 

The whole point of salvation is to get us ready to inhabit this New Creation. Obviously, the work of salvation is not completed yet. The old order is still here. But the people of God have already been made into new creations in Christ and the work will be finished when we get our new bodies and set our feet on the new earth.

The other major feature of this New World will be eternal life. The curse of death will be gone so no one will die. But there is more to understand about eternal life than just the absence of physical death. Death and life are more than what happens to our physical bodies. Death and life are always connected to the presence or the absence of God. To be with God is to have eternal life. To be separated from God is to experience death. To have eternal life is more than just existing forever. Eternal life is a certain kind or quality of life that is shared with God Himself. To have eternal life is to share in the Divine Life. That is life as God intended for human beings. A great work had to be done by God to bring us this eternal life, which involved God becoming a man and dying so that we might live forever with Him instead of separated from Him. 

The vision in Revelation shows us different pictures of eternal life. The first is the River of Life. A river is a source of life. Wherever the river flows, things live and grow. The same is true with God’s life-giving presence. When we are there in the New Creation we will be at the very source of life itself. And we will also have access to the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life was lost in Eden, but it will be restored in the New Creation. We will have access to the very source of the Divine Life and we will live as we were created to live.

We must be prepared for this New Creation or we will not be able to enjoy it even if we were allowed into it. Of course, there will be people who will not be allowed in it, not because God was unwilling to let them in, but because they refused to be made ready for it. The way we begin to prepare to live in the new world is to start to have a desire for God. Even a little spark of a desire for God will do at first. But those who want something other than God will not have Him or the New Creation that He will make. How could a person go through this life avoiding or even rejecting God and yet hope to live happily in a world where the main feature of the place is the presence of the very God they have always been trying to avoid? 

The good news is that anyone can begin to prepare for the New Creation. The gift of eternal life is given even now. The New Creation will just be the fullness of eternal life. To enjoy the fullness, you must have the foretaste of the Divine Life. And that very gift is available for the asking.

For those who have already accepted the offer of eternal life, these final visions in Revelation simply show us that the best is yet to come. These are previews of coming attractions that should arouse holy desires in the heart of every child of God. All Christian living in this world is done with the next world in mind. We live in hope. 

Our hope is not in the future being promised by the progress of human civilization. Our hope is in the future promised by the living God. This is the same God who made the first heavens and earth and who has promised to make new heavens and a new earth. 

In the meantime, there is a cross to be born before a crown can be worn. But this brief glimpse of the world to come will help us be patient and keep the faith in this world as we wait for the next world to come into view.