Getting Job-ed
The Book of Revelation is often portrayed as a fearful book of the events to come in history or a magic fortune cookie that is attempted to be deciphered to figure out every detailed event at the end of time. However, this book was actually a letter written to churches in the first century to provide hope and comfort for them as they were facing persecution. What does this book say to us today? This was a paper written for Belhaven University. This is Part 2 of 2:
Justice
The Book of Revelation brings hope and comfort for Christians through the prospect of avenging His people from the actions of evil-doers and Satan himself through enacting true justice. Although Christians pray and seek the good for even our enemies, we long for the day for real justice to be instilled, which is really in perspective of the ultimate crime against God’s glory. Everyone, even non-Christians, is born with an innate desire to see justice, to see wrongs made right.(9) The Book of Revelation gives that hope with respect to the Christians that have remained faithful to God. Vengeance belongs to Yahweh, and His people long for His glory to shine through His just wrath on the wicked (Romans 9:22-24). If God did not judge the wicked, could he truly be “good?”(10)
We see righteous justice poured out on the counterfeit church of Babylon (Revelation 18:24),(11) the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 19:20), Satan himself (Revelation 20:10), and the wicked (Revelation 20:15). Often, we think about how could heaven be a happy place if we are knowledgeable about such torment of the wicked. However, this is a skewed perspective of a lack of reverence for the holiness and glory of God. In Revelation 19:3, the multitude in heaven praises Yahweh for the smoke of the destruction of Babylon. Revelation calls into question our perspective of the holiness of God and how much we value everything else in comparison.
Rulers, both temporally (as in the case of the original audience of Revelation) and spiritually, are calling to submission and worship.(12) Intermingled in the hope provided for the wrath of God being poured out on the wicked in Revelation there is actually a subtle warning also: remain faithful to Christ amidst the temptation to submit and worship other authorities. This ties back to the point made earlier about repenting and following Christ while there is still time.(13)
Renewed Creation
The final way the Book of Revelation brings comfort for those that are suffering and being persecuted is the hope for renewed Creation. Throughout biblical history and as depicted in the Book of Revelation, God is sovereignly moving history toward His intended destination.(14) No action in history, whether how large or insignificant, is not without purpose in God seeing to it that He will have for Himself a people that enjoy Him forever (Revelation 21-22, Ephesians 1:3-14).
As stated before, the churches in the first century faced severe persecution.(15) Time had passed since Jesus’ earthly ministry and people were losing their faith, especially in view of persecution from the state.(16) This was complicated by the idea of eschatology that was common during that time, in that when the Christ appears He would instill His earthly ministry all at once.(17) However, as seen throughout the New Testament, Christ’s ministry inaugurated the Kingdom so there is an overlap of time with the age of sin and His expanding kingdom, leading to the consummation of the Kingdom of God.(18) The Church is still facing this issue: we are now nearly 2,000 years since Christ’s ministry and people are forgetting the reality that following Him brings. The Revelation that was given to John was to bring a message of hope for the New Creation back to the forefront of the believers and this instills the hope of what the apostle Paul stated as “… light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV).
The renewed Creation is a reversal of the effects of the fall in the Garden of Eden (Revelation 21:1-5).(19) All pain and death is removed (Revelation 21:4) but most of all, God’s people are in the presence of God Himself (Revelation 21:3). The existence of mankind in the presence of God had not been present since the Garden of Eden in Genesis 1-3 as mankind was removed from His presence from their rebellion. Revelation 21:3 & 22:4 ESV states: “… Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man… They will see his face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” This is revolutionary because mankind had not been able to see the face of God without being destroyed because of His pure holiness (Exodus 33:20). Yet, in Revelation, the renewed mankind will be so intimate with God that we will see His face and enjoy Him forever.
This brings us back to the point of satisfaction: in the renewed Creation, God’s people will be with the One that is the only truly satisfying Being. While the world, sin, and Satan strive to seduce people with all the lures they can, what everyone has been longing for is God Himself. Our issue is not that we want evil things too much but rather that we are too easily pleased by things that aren’t truly satisfying.(20) The message from Revelation is the same from Psalm 73:25-26 ESV: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” We are to be so totally satisfied in God that whether in life or death, God is highly magnified in us (Philippians 1:18-26). This is to not be satisfied by anything else that is sub-par－God is in fact looking to destroy anything and everything that is seeking to fulfill the desire that can only be filled by Him.(21) John Piper states, “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.”(22) God will be most glorified in His people when they are in His presence and when they are satisfied completely by the only One that can truly satisfy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Book of Revelation is a letter that attempts to convey the reality of being in the presence of God to a group of churches that were facing persecution in the first century by calling them to remain faithful and if so, they will be in the presence of the all-satisfying God of the universe.(23) This call remains true for Christians today: remain faithful and receive blessings in the presence of God forevermore. The purpose of this paper was to examine how the Book of Revelation provided (and continues to provide) hope and comfort for the Church facing persecution and suffering by revealing hope for humanity, hope through faithfulness, hope in justice from God, and comfort in the promise of being in God’s presence. Just as John ended the Book of Revelation, the Christian’s heart continues to long for and to pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20 ESV). Oh, how we long for the day when we will be in His presence!
Footnotes
9. Austin Rankin, “How do you know God exists at all? Part 1 of 2,” accessed April 20, 2023,
https://gettingjob-ed.org//how-do-you-know-god-exists-at-all-part-1-of-2/
10. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 2: Structure and Content.
11. Vern Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation, (New Jersey, P&R
Publishing Company, 2000) 159.
12. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 1: The Background of Revelation.”
13. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 3: The King and His Kingdom.”
14. Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation, 25 & 97.
15. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 2: Structure and Content.”
16. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 1: The Background of Revelation.”
17. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 1: The Background of Revelation.”
18. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 1: The Background of Revelation.”
19. Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation, 183-186.
20. David Matthis, “We Are Far Too Easily Pleased,” accessed April 21, 2023, https://www.desiringgod.org/ articles/we-are-far-too-easily-pleased
21. Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation, 161.
22. John Piper, “God is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him,” accessed April
19, 2023, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/god-is-most-glorified-in-us-when-we-are-most-
satisfied-in-him
23. Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 1: The Background of Revelation,”
accessed April 15, 2023, https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/133
Bibliography
Hays, J. Daniel, and Longman, Tremper III, The Message of the Prophets, (Michigan,
Zondervan, 2010).
Matthis, David, “We Are Far Too Easily Pleased,” accessed April 21, 2023,
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/we-are-far-too-easily-pleased
Piper, John, “God is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him,” accessed April
19, 2023, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/god-is-most-glorified
-in-us-when-we-are-most-satisfied-in-him
Poythress, Vern, The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation, (New Jersey, P&R
Publishing Company, 2000).
Rankin, Austin, “How do you know God exists at all? Part 1 of 2,” accessed April 20, 2023,
https://gettingjob-ed.org//how-do-you-know-god-exists-at-all-part-1-of-2/
Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson 1: The Background of Revelation,”
accessed April 15, 2023, https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/133
Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson2: Structure and Content,” accessed
April 15, 2023, https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/134
Third Millenium Ministries, “The Book of Revelation Lesson3: The King and His Kingdom,”
accessed April 18, 2023, https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/135
