Sermon from April 1, 2007
Carole and I visited England last year. Our flight out of Philadelphia was full. A young Korean sat beside me. We exchanged greetings. I discovered that he did research on robotics at the University of Pennsylvania.

I try to say things that lead to conversation about my faith. I told him that one of you did such and such. He immediately asked me if I was a Christian. He was, as was his family that had emigrated from Korea to Barcelona, Spain. He was going for a visit.

The conversation took an unexpected turn, when he asked what I did for a living. I told him I was a pastor, and his demeanor changed to one of profound respect. To my great surprise he said to me, "Would you speak the word of God to me?" My mind was very much on the book of Revelation, and this is a summary of what I said to him.

The message of Revelation is that the Church's imitation of Christ's faithful witness to God even to the point of death achieves the conversion of the nations. That anticipates and prepares for the day when, at the Second Coming, "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."

If you have felt lost in my sermons on Revelation, how do you think the early Christians felt, when they heard Revelation for the first time? They did have an advantage that we don't have. They knew the Old Testament. Every page of Revelation echoes some part of the Old Testament. Let me show you an example of that today. Please turn with me again to the last book of the Bible, to chapter 15 of John's vision.

The Song of Moses and of the Lamb
Revelation presents us with a mysterious scroll that is sealed with seven seals. The Lamb of God, who alone is worthy to do so, opens each seal. But when He opens the seventh seal, it reveals seven trumpets to be sounded before the end of all things. When the seventh trumpet sounds, it reveals even more visions.

These constant interruptions bear witness to the tender patience of heaven, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance – 2 Peter 3:9. But at last we come in chapters 15-16 to the seven bowls, whose contents seven angels pour out on the earth. Revelation 15:1: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues – last, because with them God's wrath is completed. But then there is another interruption.

Verse two: And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. That is how John referred to Christians, who overcame the temptation to renounce or dilute their faith in the face of Roman persecution. Some of them became martyrs. Others suffered economic hardships.

In John's language these victorious ones were standing beside a sea of glass mixed with fire. John seems to be comparing their victory to the Old Testament story of the Red Sea and the exodus from Egypt. This sea of glass mixed with fire represents a New Testament Red Sea and a New Testament exodus.

I say that because of John's reference to the Old Testament exodus at the end of verse two: They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb. You cand read the original song of Moses in Exodus 15, which comes immediately after Israel is safe on the other side of the Red Sea, and the pursuing forces of Pharaoh have been drowned in the Red Sea.

The song that follows in verses 3-4 is by no means word for word the song of Moses in Exodus. But its themes are the same: first, the incomparable and holy ways of God and, second, as the song concludes: "All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

A New Way to See God's Judgments
If this understanding is true, then we have to look at the seven last judgments with new eyes. As at the Old Testament exodus, so at the New Testament exodus the purpose of the judgments is to deliver God's people and bring glory to His name, and also to punish those who try to prevent the people of God from worshiping the one true God.

What I said about the Four Horsemen in chapter six I would also say about the first five bowls. John doesn't spend much time on them, only seven verses. The judgments of God are more important but not central to the meaning of Revelation.

The sixth bowl introduces the most famous name in military history. Verse 16: Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The most startling thing about the battle of Armageddon is that the kings that gather to fight never fight.

Verses 17 gives the reason they never fight: The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Verse 19 tells what is done: The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. They collapsed before the kings could fight the battle of Armageddon. More important, their opposition to God collapsed with them.

The rest of verse 19 forces us to focus on God's purpose in John's day. God remembered Babylon the Great (that's John's code word for Rome) and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. That is the fate of all nations that turn from God and refuse to give Him the glory due His name.

At the Old Testament exodus God delivered Israel from Pharaoh. At the New Testament exodus in John's day God delivered the Church from the Caesars. But does it have meaning for us? Yes. In our day God will deliver the Church from the unprincipled pursuit of personal pleasure that is sucking the very life out of the Western democracies.

And some day, as the Negro spiritual memorably puts it, we will "cross over into campground," "where all is peace" and "where Christ will reign on high." That will be the Triumphal Entry par excllence. Revelation has this vision in mind throughout.

The Pastoral Center of Gravity
On the Mount of Transfiguration the Gospel of Luke says: Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem – Luke 9:30-31.

They spoke about his departure. Literally, they spoke about his exodus. Of course, they meant His death. His death, which the Church celebrates this week, began the New Testament exodus, the deliverance from this present, evil world.

Already we celebrate many acts of deliverance from this present, evil world. They anticipate the end of all things, when He makes all things new. As we hold in hand the bread and cup of Holy Communion, we join ourselves in faith to Christ, His death, and His triumph. They anticipate the day, when His triumph will fully be our triumph.