Revelation 4:1-11
“Throwing Crowns”
30 July 2017 St.
Andrew’s Military Chapel
With all of the baggage surrounding
Revelation, it has to be a crazy pastor that decides to embark on a four-week
journey into this book. That, or one that wants to break through a few
stereotypes and look at this type of Scripture in a different light. Many
people have heard more about this book than have read and studied this book.
Many of us here have read the Left
Behind Series that came out in the 1990’s. These novels, which are wholly
fiction by the way, tapped into a reading where Revelation is seen as a book
that predicts the future, specifically the end of the world. A book that
connects with the prophecies of Nostradamus. A place to go where we can predict
events in the world and develop a timeline of how the world will end, the holy
and righteous will be saved from a time of tribulation. But the saved are only
those who subscribe to the correct theology, which always happens to be the
theology of the individual providing the interpretation of the visions John
describes in Revelation.
When read this way, Revelation
sounds like a book based on destruction and exclusion. And for the life of me,
I cannot come to an interpretation of any book of the Bible that is focused on
destruction and exclusion. God’s Word is full of hope and inclusion, so why
would everything suddenly change on a dime? Why would God, who has been seen
throughout Scripture constantly and lovingly calling people to him suddenly
become one of pushing people away?
Revelation falls into the genre of
literature called apocalyptic. When we hear the term apocalyptic our mind may
flash to scenes of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner where there has been a
horrific war and those unfortunate enough to survive are left to fend for
themselves and endure the daily struggle to survive. Or, we imagine a world
such as we see in The Walking Dead where the zombies have taken over, society
has crumbled, and people begin to lose their humanity in the effort to survive.
Apocalyptic writing was a common
genre back in the first century, and this letter was written near the end of
the first century. Apocalyptic literature, as a type of writing, “designates
the mysteries of the transcendent world, either cosmic information about how
the universe works or information about the future destiny of the world.”[1] In that time, it would
have read more like science fiction where there is symbolic language, reality
is presented in dualistic terms where one doesn’t want to succumb to the dark
side of the force, and an expectation where good, in this case the Kingdom of
God, will ultimately triumph.
When we understand the apocalyptic
genre, we begin to see Revelation as less predicting the destruction of the
world and more as a letter from a pastor to his church to encourage and uplift
them with hope.
John was living on the island of Patmos
(show photo) which is a Greek island of about 13 square miles, or 34 square
kilometers located 150 nautical miles from Athens. It currently has around
3,000 residents and because of Revelation is a pilgrimage site for many
Christians. (show photo)
While in a cave on Patmos, John had
a vision from Christ which he recorded and relates to the churches in Asia
through this letter because he was unable to travel, the reason for which is
unclear in the letter. Christ has come
to John and he feels compelled to let his brothers and sisters in Christ know
what he has seen to they too can draw hope and inspiration in their present
situation.
At the beginning, Christ addresses
the seven churches in Asia those in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira,
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Each church is given encouragement as well
as some areas of improvement to better spread the Gospel in their particular
context. After receiving information for each of these churches John’s vision
takes him to heaven.
What he sees in heaven isn’t
destruction, rather a scene of praise to God from all of creation. Just as last
week we discussed how everything that has breath is to praise God. Here we see
it happening.
There are some really interesting
things happening here in this scene. First, it is noteworthy that the 24 elders
surrounding the throne aren’t the ones leading worship. The living creatures
begin to praise God and the elders follow. The four living creatures represent
all types of living creatures on earth. There is a wild animal, the lion, a
domesticated animal, the ox, a flying animal, the eagle, and a human being. Let
everything that has breath praise the Lord.
At first this may not look like worship and
praise. Back in the days of the Roman Empire, people would come to the emperor
and throw down their crowns before him to show allegiance to the empire all
while singing hymns and saying other liturgies of praise to the emperor and
Rome. By using this imagery, John is being subversive and making a bold claim.
God is the one to whom we owe allegiance and fealty.
Just as Christ came to earth and
questioned the authority of earthly leaders, religious and civic here to we see
John passing down a heavenly vision of Jesus’ actions on a cosmic scale. While
leaders on earth have their place and purpose, the ultimate ruler has ultimate
authority and is the only one deserving of worship and praise.
We throw our crowns down at the
foot of God’s throne. Everything that has breath swears allegiance and praises
God. Creation is close to God with the elders surrounding creation and
following creation’s lead in worship of God. Everything that the Roman Empire
stands for is called into question in this cosmic drama, just as Christ
questioned the power of Rome through his words and actions.
This isn’t anarchy, it is
allegiance to the true leader, the one true God of creation to whom we should
praise with every breath we take. No other entity deserves our praise. Respect,
yes. Praise and worship, no.
When you are under the boot of a
repressive government, a message such as this is Gospel, good news. A vision of
equality and allegiance to something greater than us all is a message of hope
and inclusion. John is communicating hope not just to Christ’s followers, but
to everyone. There may be bad times afoot, but in the end the Righteous One
wins and is the one to whom we will all offer praise and thanks. Our purpose
isn’t to serve mankind, but rather we have a higher purpose dedicated to the
transcendent other. The one being that can rise above the muck and despair of
humanity because God is the embodiment of goodness, mercy, love, and grace.
As Christians, we are called to
learn this message and live into this life of grace and mercy. Not just that
but to share the blessing of grace and mercy through our words and actions,
conscious of the impact of what we say and do will have on those around us. We
are called to throw down our crowns and give allegiance not to America, Singapore,
Australia, New Zealand, or the Queen, rather to the loving God of whom we learn
through the Bible. Inviting others into a story of hope and inclusion so they
too can receive and live lives of hope and grace.
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