Throughout the book, John sees amazing and extraordinary visions: the book is well named ! The Greek verb ‘eidon’, ‘I saw’, has occurred 42 times before these two instances, and this is his final vision, though the word does occur a 45th time a little later, as we shall see. Moreover, we have seen, and John has seen, various things ‘coming down from heaven’, mostly in judgement on the earth, like the ‘fire from heaven’ which finally destroyed Satan and his followers (20.9). But now all is changed, everything is new: a new Jerusalem descends from a new heaven to a new earth. John has heard much as well as seen much: 28 times he uses the word ‘ekousa’, ‘I heard’; this is the 27th. time, and the last time he hears something new; the 28th usage refers to all the other 27. These statistics may seem to be mere bean-counting, but they do at least serve to emphasise the finality of these three verses, and of this great vision, the grand finale not just of this study but of the Book of Revelation, and in some ways of the whole of the bible. But before we look at these verses in detail, there is a more general point to be made. These two verbs which I have so carefully counted (I hope) form the basis of God’s revelation to man not just in the last book of the bible but throughout scripture. Revelation could, perhaps, be defined as ‘intervention plus interpretation’: God’s intervention in history plus prophetic interpretation in scripture. From man’s point of view, we need the eye of faith to see him at work, and an obedient ear to hear what he has to say. This latter point serves as the coda to each of the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3: “He that hath ears, let him hear”. A God who acted without explanation might seem capricious; a God who merely spoke without acting would seem powerless. Our God does both: he acts powerfully and also explains clearly: that is revelation. So, here, John sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, but until he hears “a great voice from the throne” he cannot realise the full amazing significance of what he has seen.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
SKENE 28: Revelation
Throughout the book, John sees amazing and extraordinary visions: the book is well named ! The Greek verb ‘eidon’, ‘I saw’, has occurred 42 times before these two instances, and this is his final vision, though the word does occur a 45th time a little later, as we shall see. Moreover, we have seen, and John has seen, various things ‘coming down from heaven’, mostly in judgement on the earth, like the ‘fire from heaven’ which finally destroyed Satan and his followers (20.9). But now all is changed, everything is new: a new Jerusalem descends from a new heaven to a new earth. John has heard much as well as seen much: 28 times he uses the word ‘ekousa’, ‘I heard’; this is the 27th. time, and the last time he hears something new; the 28th usage refers to all the other 27. These statistics may seem to be mere bean-counting, but they do at least serve to emphasise the finality of these three verses, and of this great vision, the grand finale not just of this study but of the Book of Revelation, and in some ways of the whole of the bible. But before we look at these verses in detail, there is a more general point to be made. These two verbs which I have so carefully counted (I hope) form the basis of God’s revelation to man not just in the last book of the bible but throughout scripture. Revelation could, perhaps, be defined as ‘intervention plus interpretation’: God’s intervention in history plus prophetic interpretation in scripture. From man’s point of view, we need the eye of faith to see him at work, and an obedient ear to hear what he has to say. This latter point serves as the coda to each of the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3: “He that hath ears, let him hear”. A God who acted without explanation might seem capricious; a God who merely spoke without acting would seem powerless. Our God does both: he acts powerfully and also explains clearly: that is revelation. So, here, John sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, but until he hears “a great voice from the throne” he cannot realise the full amazing significance of what he has seen.
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