Recap

So far in Revelation, we've read through the messages to the seven churches, the courtroom scene, the three sets of seven divine judgements, the destruction of Babylon, and the final battle. Revelation, attributed to John, reveals the spiritual battles behind earthly struggles, asking: will you choose light or darkness? Addressed to seven churches, it presents Jesus as ruler of kings, cleansing believers through his blood, and uniting Daniel 7’s imagery of God and the Son of Man.

John described seven lampstands representing churches and stars for their angels, with Jesus commissioning him to deliver messages. Ephesus needed renewal, Smyrna was encouraged to stay faithful, Pergamum and Thyatira faced corruption, Sardis needed revival, Philadelphia was promised protection, and Laodicea was urged to recognise spiritual poverty. These messages reminded believers of the spiritual battle and called for repentance.

John saw heaven’s throne, where twenty-four elders symbolised humanity’s restored role as co-rulers with God. A scroll with seven seals awaited opening, and the Lion of Judah appeared as a slaughtered lamb, whose blood redeemed people from all nations. Worship spread to all creation.

The lamb opened the seals, bringing three cycles of seven judgements. The seals summoned horsemen—war, conflict, famine, and death—followed by martyred believers awaiting God’s plan and apocalyptic upheaval. Between the sixth and seventh seals, John saw a multi-national crowd marked with God’s seal and purified by the lamb. The seventh seal brought silence before the Day of the Lord.

The seven trumpets echoed Egypt’s plagues, symbolising divine warnings. Between the sixth and seventh trumpets, an angel announced God’s mystery and final judgement. John saw two witnesses, symbolising the church, prophesy with power, seemingly defeated by a beast but rising again to proclaim Jesus’ eternal reign.

John then described a spiritual battle: a woman, representing God’s people, gave birth to Jesus, while a red dragon, Satan, waged war. Cast to earth, Satan persecuted believers. Two beasts arose, representing oppressive empires and false worship. The mark of the beast symbolised allegiance to evil, contrasting God’s mark on believers.

During this persecution, John saw the Lamb on Mount Zion with 144,000 loyal followers. Three angels proclaimed God’s worship, Babylon’s fall, and judgement on the beast’s followers. Jesus harvested believers, while angels harvested for God’s wrath. Seven final judgements unleashed plagues and fire, declaring Babylon’s fall and urging loyalty to God.

Babylon, symbolised by a seductive woman, embodied economic corruption and rebellion against God. The beast represented war and destruction; the woman, moral and economic decay. The woman was defeated by the Lamb, who triumphed as “King of kings.” Babylon’s culture and power vanished, consumed by chaos.

With Babylon defeated, heaven rejoiced at God’s just judgement and the Lamb’s marriage to his bride. John saw Jesus as a rider on a white horse, leading a holy army to defeat the beast, its prophet, and their forces. Satan was bound for 1,000 years while faithful believers reigned. After being briefly released, Satan and his forces were consumed by fire. Finally, all were judged, evil was destroyed, and life was given to the faithful.

Revelation 21-22

Now we enter the final section of the book focused on what happens after all evil is judged and dealt with. It would be fair to say this is a future reality that is the end goal we are working towards.

The old heaven and earth are done away with to be replaced with a new heaven and earth. Note that earth still exists. Many Christians have this fanciful idea that when you die, it’s all about heaven and living in clouds as spirits.

Paul showed us that we have a physical resurrection to look forward to (1 Corinthians 15), and here we see a new physical earth to live upon. The point is that heaven and earth are now united. John specifically says that the sea was no more.

It seems unlikely, and a little arbitrary, that it literally means that there will be no seas in the new earth. But we know that the sea has metaphorically represented chaos throughout scripture, so to say there is no sea means there will be no chaos.

John sees a holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. This is drawing on the Old Testament imagery of an idealised future city. What the Old Testament often calls Zion (Isaiah 2:2-4, Ezekiel 37:26-28, Zechariah 2:10-13, Micah 4:1-5, Joel 3:17-21). The main focus of this imagery is that God would dwell with his people forever, like he did back in the garden of Eden,

This reaffirmed by a voice from the throne that declares that God will dwell with his people in this city. There will be no more death or mourning. All things will be made new.

The one who sits on the throne declares that he will provide living water to those who are thirsty, and to those who conquer, they will inherit this new creation and will be his children. This conquer language calls back to the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, where it referred to those who are faithful and loyal to God.

In contrast, those who are unfaithful and corrupt will be cast into the lake of sulfur that the dragon and the beasts were thrown into.

John is then carried by an angel up to a high mountain so he can get a look at this new city. The city shines like rare jewels with God’s glory, which draws on jewel imagery from Ezekiel 28:13. Its twelve gates represent the twelve tribes of Israel, mirroring similar imagery in Ezekiel 48:31-34.

But then the foundations represent the twelve apostles, potentially drawing on imagery found in Ephesians 2:20 and Hebrews 11:10. This city, this ultimate union of God’s presence and his people, is the culmination of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The old covenant with the people of Israel and then new covenant with all believers.

The city is measured at 1,500 miles wide and long, and 144 cubits tall. Remember, 144 is twelve times twelve, which is this symbolic number for the coming together of God’s people.

The walls are each a different jewel, again drawing on this imagery of jewels shining like the glory of God.

But then John notes that there is no temple in this city. At first, this seems to fly in the face of Old Testament prophecies that predicted a new temple (Ezekiel 40-48).

The point is that all this language is metaphorical, using imagery the readers would understand to point to a great truth. Ezekiel 40-48 used the imagery of a temple, as that’s the place where God met with his people.

Revelation and many other Old Testament prophets use the image of a holy city where God meets his people. This city doesn’t need a temple for people to meet with God, because God is dwelling with all his people.

Also, by using the imagery of a city, other people can enter this city. The Old Testament regularly described this holy city as a place where all nations come to meet with God (Isaiah 2:2-4, Zechariah 2:10-13, Micah 4:1-5) which is exactly what John sees.

This city has no need for a sun or moon, because the light of God is with them always.

We then switch from city imagery to garden imagery, drawing on the image of the garden of Eden. There’s a river of life that flows from the throne of God and the lamb. There is the tree of life that bears fruit all year round and heals the nations. We’ve returned full circle, back to God’s initial order but also somehow better.

At all this, John bows down to one of the angels and they rebuke him. Worship belongs to God alone.

And then Jesus gives some final warnings. He is coming soon to repay people for how they live. Those who let themselves be cleansed by God will be blessed and have access to this city. Thos who live corrupt lives will be left outside, separated from God.

Jesus names himself as the one who this book is about. The invitation is come. Then comes a warning about changing the words of this message, drawing on language from Deuteronomy 4:1-2. To add to it is to add plagues upon yourself, and to remove from it is to remove your share of this holy city.

Jesus then declares, “Surely I am coming soon” and John responds “Amen. Comes, Lord Jesus!”. And the book ends.

Revelation is a book dense with Old Testament imagery, and sometimes in ways that subvert the original imagery its drawing from. Lots of time has been spent trying to identify what this imagery references, and what events can be expected in the future.

As you’ll have guessed by now, I think this is a waste of time and misses the big picture of the book. This book seeks to aid readers of every generation to show the spiritual reality behind the things they see and experience.

Whether that’s direct encouragements to stay active and stay loyal that we see in the letters to the churches, or an encouragement that the horrors that each generation experiences are part of a spiritual battle that God is still very in control of.

These encouragements all points to a future, final ending where each person is judged on their own merits. So choose then to be faithful to God so that you might enjoy the ultimate union of God and his people. That is the book of Revelation.

Summary

We’ve finally finished the Bible in a Year commentary. We started in the torah, the first five books of the Bible. There we saw God’s original order that was then rejected by humanity, allowing the power of sin to enter in. This sin continued to corrupt humanity, leading to their downward spiral, causing God to disinherit them.

We read as God chose a man who became a family, who became a nation to be his people to guide the rest of the world back to God. That nation was caught in slavery for a while, then rescued by God, brought through the wilderness, and then to their own land.

We then read through the deuteronomistic history, which saw everything through the light of obedience leading to blessing and disobedience leading to curses.

Unfortunately, God’s people seemed trapped in the same sin and downward spiral as everyone else, as they repeatedly turned from God during the time of the judges, and then in the time of the kings. This then led to a split in the people of God, followed by both halves being taken into exile.

We read through the prophets who declared judgement on the people for their wickedness but also spoke of the hope of a future. A future king who would lead and rule his people well. A future city where God would dwell and all nations would come to worship him. A future people that were led not by laws but by God’s spirit.

We also had the wisdom books that gathered the collective wisdom of God’s people through wise proverbs and wrestling with problems of evil and love. And the psalms that modelled God’s people wrestling through pain, praise, repentance, and more.

And so we burst into the New Testament, where we immediately met the future king, Jesus. He taught of a new kingdom that was built on transformed lives, often flipping upside down the wisdom of the world. This Jesus died and was raised to live defeat the powers of sin and death.

This led to the birth of the church, God’s new people, who again were called to lead the rest of the world back to God declaring Jesus’ new kingdom. We read through the various letters from Paul and others, providing wisdom and guidance to churches.

Finally, we’ve read through Revelation that serves as a reminder that how we live our lives matters, that God is still at work unravelling the powers of sin and death, and that there will come a time when that will be completed. Where all sin and death are gone and God’s people will live fully reunited with him again.

And so, drawing on the unspoken question of Revelation, what are you going to do with that story? What have you encountered of God and Jesus in these pages? What wisdom have you gleaned that will shape your life?