The horror of human sin, and its final consequences on the human race, take on a different meaning from the viewpoint of Heaven. The previous two chapters gave us the drama of Satan fighting the Lord, and the awful results on the earth. In this chapter, John shifts the viewpoint to Heaven, and shows us what The End will be like.
First, we are treated to the beatific vision of Christ the King and His citizens. The number is symbolic of the whole of His people, those who granted to Him by His sacrifice as the Lamb of God. By contrast to the previous passage with the Mark of the Beast, these have the Mark of God on their foreheads. Like the sound of God's approval at Jesus' baptism, John hears the sound of God's favor again. These citizens of the Kingdom sing a new song, a song of final redemption which they alone can sing. The reference to virginity is contrasted with descriptions later in the chapter of the Harlot, and is merely symbolic of spiritual purity. They are the firstfruits of the human race, the spiritual harvest Jesus mentioned in places such as Matthew 9:35-38. Here, they have been cleansed and gathered to His flock.
Before the earth is renewed and this Kingdom replaces it in the New Earth, some final measures must be taken to ensure God's justice. The Angel of the Gospel makes one last pass through the heavens to repeat the requirements of the Covenant of Creation: all Creation must acknowledge God as Creator. A second angel follows to announce the fall of the Harlot Church, here identified with Babylon. The third angelic herald gives the final warning regarding worship of the Beast. The wrath of God against sin recalls the Cup of Wrath Jesus faced in the Garden of Gethsemane. He tasted it for us, so we avoid it -- not so those who reject His Lordship.
John again takes a moment to encourage the saints suffering persecution. We know this judgment is coming; we have no idea when. In God's patience we await the final revelation of God Almighty to all Creation, a revelation which must include His wrath on sin. John hears a voice from Heaven reminding him to write in no uncertain terms: In that Last Day we who serve Him are better off dead before it arrives. Thus, should the Beast take our lives, it is a good thing. This is confirmed by the Holy Spirit, who connects it clearly with those who devote themselves to living Christ on the earth, by relentless service and doing good.
Finally, the time of warnings is past; Jesus Christ returns. We see Him "coming in the clouds" as we are told repeatedly in the New Testament. He will come with His sickle to make the final harvest of His saints. An angel comes from the Presence of God and tells Him it is time to move, reminding us even the Son does not know that final hour, but only the Father. At that time, He will draw out all His redeemed ones left alive.
That done, the angels of the Harvest of Wrath will come for those who did not turn to Christ. We have here echoes of Jesus' parable of the Harvest (Matthew 13:24-20), itself an echo of Joel 3:9-13 where he speaks of final battle of man against God. Isaiah, too, warned it would be like this (63:1-3). God would save the Righteous Remnant, and destroy all the rest of humanity in one fell swoop. While John does not mention here that symbolic Final Battle around Jerusalem, he describes the consequences of it in gruesome imagery. The depth of blood would cover the entire length (some 200 miles) and breadth of Israel. We are reminded this is not to be taken literally, but is a symbol of what sin does in the human soul, and to all humanity. Sin's price is beyond measuring.
For John's flock, all this serves to reinforce the call to focus on the spiritual plane. For the lost, this life is all they have. The sheer tragedy of that principle is impossible to put in words. When all this is gone, they will find themselves suffering eternal torment even more impossible to put in words. The spiritual focus is denied them. For us, it is an unspeakable gift of grace. We rejoice in living as a chance to share His love with others. We rejoice in dying so we may go to be with Him. That modern Western culture has lost touch with this other-worldly viewpoint is also tragic. Songs of longing for Heaven are songs John would sing.
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Ed Hurst
02 October 2007
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