The Lamb makes his grand entrance into the heavenly
liturgy to unroll the mighty plan of God represented by a scroll bound by seven
seals. He brings to fulfilment all that
is written in the Scroll. Seven is the
number of perfection. The Lamb is spoken
of as having seven eyes, signifying complete wisdom and knowledge. He has seven horns because the fullness of
divinity resides in him. The Lamb is enthroned in glory at the Father’s hand,
high above the most sublime of the angelic creatures and he receives the praise
of the whole of creation.
In today’s excerpt we have a vision of the Lamb who
has won the redemption of all mankind. Today is called ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ because
of the Gospel reading where Jesus says: ‘the sheep that belong to me listen to
my voice.’ So we are presented with two
very different images of Christ in these two readings. Each image has something very important to
say about Christ but it is not ideal to present us with both at once.
Apocalypse moves on to speak of the beast that
causes such devastation to the earth and to the Church. Who is this beast? Who did the writer of the Apocalypse have in
mind? He certainly would have had the
imperial power and cult in mind. The
beast is connected with the number 666 – usually taken to be ‘Nero Caesar’
written in Hebrew letters. John calls
the dragon ‘the beast that keeps coming up’ (11:7) John knows that the evil force working
against God’s plan for the world is a power that will manifest itself in every
age. There are many monsters operating
in different places and at all times.
‘The beast that keeps coming up’ is a very apt way
to picture the power of evil that is all too evident in our world. The final victory of Christ has not yet come
about. It will be announced by the final
trumpet blast. The seventh trumpet has
not yet been sounded. That is the way
John in the Apocalypse encourages us to be patient. He is writing to tell the Church communities of
every age that the situation is urgent and they must always be prepared for the
struggle – but with an assurance of victory – because the Lamb cannot fail.
Apocalypse paints a picture for us of the long time
between the victory of Christ in his death and resurrection and the end of time
when evil will be defeated and the New Heaven and the New Earth will be ushered
in. He speaks of this time as ‘the
thousand years.’ There have been many
predictions about when the thousandth year will come. Several people over the centuries have
confidently prophesised when the end of the world will be. But God would not be God if we were as
knowledgeable as he is!
The most attractive part of the Book of Revelation
is the New Jerusalem, set in the heaven and earth of the New Creation. In the vision of John we see the redeemed as
a huge assembly beyond number offering perfect worship and praise, with God
dwelling in the midst of his people. The
book ends on a high point of glory and happiness. It is a new creation. The popular modern meaning of apocalypse is a
great crunch! Revelation tells us, on
the contrary, that it is Christ’s definitive victory. A wholly different order of existence comes
into being. It is God’s final gift to
humanity ‘coming down from heaven’ so that he can dwell with us. It is the new Creation, after ‘the first
earth and the first heaven’ – all that we know and all that we can imagine –
have passed away. The New Jerusalem is
God’s perfect home and will be the home for all his people. When Apocalypse was written Jerusalem and its
glorious temple were no more. The Romans
had totally destroyed them twenty years earlier. But in the New Jerusalem the Church will
finally be purified and will be espoused to Christ as his promised Bride at the
end of time and for all eternity.
The Book of Revelation has never been very
popular. It is full of imagery much of
which is very difficult for us to understand.
The first hearers of the book were more familiar with that kind of
language. It is fundamentally a book of
hope – inspired by Christ’s Resurrection.
The Easter Candle always has inscribed on it the first and last letters
of the Greek Alphabet. This is because
of some of the final words of the Apocalypse: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (20:13). At the blast of the final trumpet announcing
the New Jerusalem John’s response – and hopefully ours too! – is ‘Come, Lord
Jesus’. (20:20)
