Well, I’m not sure what we’re going to do here. I didn’t bring a sermon…just too many good NCAA basketball games on yesterday! Just kidding. I have a sermon.

I did have a nice afternoon yesterday though, when I was going back and forth between wrestling with Revelation, and checking in on the games on a little television. At one point, my son Nick looked at me and said, “you are really enjoyin’ this, aren’t you?!” Well. Bible…basketball. It doesn’t get too much better!

We’re back in the book of Revelation this morning. We’re not done…we’ll finish, actually, on Easter morning. And I have to say, I feel badly if any of you are just walking in cold to this series! The images are coming fast and furious now from Revelation.

Last week we talked through a huge, cosmic battle taking place between the forces of evil and God: a red dragon and two beasts- one with seven heads! against a baby, a lamb, a woman and the angels of heaven. Why does John use such pictures?

Flannery O’Conner was a prolific and profound Southern writer in the 1940’s. Her literary style is sometimes called “southern grotesque,” and one of its characteristics is that it has shocking characters who behave in rather startling ways.

For instance, I had our staff read a short story called Revelation, which takes place almost totally in a doctor’s office waiting area. There’s a woman there, and a girl of 18. And as the story unfolds, the girl inexplicably gets angrier and angrier until she finally attacks the woman and chokes her! Just typical O’Conner stuff.

Someone once asked her “why are there such bizarre characters in your stories?” To which she replied, “For the near-blind, you have to draw very large, simple caricatures.”

Perhaps it is what John, the writer of Revelation is doing with us as well, using very large, simple dragons, beasts, lambs, and prostitutes …because we’re nearly blind. Or at least immune. May God open our eyes this morning. I will again be telling parts of the story from chapter 15, 16, 17 & 18. But we’ll read together from Revelation 15 and the first verse of chapter 16.

We don’t have time for four chapters this morning. But we do have time for three pictures that come out of them: Seven bowls of wrath. The appearance of Jesus. The whore of Babylon.

Seven Bowls of Wrath

And so we have another sign, and more sevens. We’ve had the seven seals of the scroll. We’ve had the seven trumpet sounds. Now, with once again that wondrous Revelation number, God’s number 7 of completion and wholeness -there are seven angels with seven bowls, and seven plagues, “which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended(15:1.)” Now, what does that mean? That the wrath of God is used up? Or that God’s wrath was for a purpose, and the purpose has been fulfilled? Let’s see.

Each angel goes to pour out one of the seven bowls. The plagues that they contain hit the earth, or at least affect the earth and the people on the earth. Now, notice that this writer John is pretty knowledgeable about scripture. In fact it’s amazing how so much of Revelation has connections with the Old Testament. These plagues, at least most of them, bear a striking resemblance to what happened in the book of Exodus, when Moses was trying to set his people Israel free from Egypt.

You’ll remember that story, how God equipped Moses and Aaron with a series of plagues that hit Egypt and the Pharaoh: rivers to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, sickness. Each time pharaoh was tempted to let the people of Israel go free, but each time his heart grew harder. When he finally relented, he quickly rethought his position and gave chase to Israel. But God dried up a path through the Red Sea to allow the people to go to safety and then swallowed up the Pharaoh’s armies.

Here in Revelation, the plagues are poured out of the angels’ bowls of wrath:

• boils
• the sea becoming blood
• the rivers and springs doing likewise
• a burning sun which scorches people
• darkness over the people who had followed the beast, including pains and sores
• the Euphrates River is dried up so that invading armies might cross
• demonic spirits that looked like frogs gather mighty armies for battle at Armagedon
• earthquakes and hailstones

You see the connections.

We don’t have time to go into every detail on all of these plagues. But there is something very interesting that goes on here, as this final wrath of God comes fourth. When the fourth angel pours his bowl, the sun scorches people, and they curse (blaspheme) God, “but they did not repent and give Him glory.”

When the fifth angel pours out his bowl and people have sores and pains, they cursed (blasphemed) God, “and they did not repent of their deeds."

When the sixth angel pours out his and the hailstones of 100 pounds hit, they cursed God and we can safely assume they did not repent.

I always read scripture looking for repetition, because it usually underscores what is really important. And what is important here is this: What is it that God wants?

Does God want to throw people in the lake of fire?

Is the emphasis on the eternal torment?

What is it that God really wants? God wants people to repent. That’s what God wants, he wants people to repent.

I spent some time this week wrestling up this word “repent.” Metanoia, we would say in Greek. It is a word that evolved quite a bit in its usage. In secular ancient Greek, it mostly had to do with simply having second thoughts, or changing one’s mind, or re-thinking a policy that had been instituted.

In the Old Testament, it became a word that meant some of these same things, but seemed to bring an added dimension: remorse, deeply felt. A coming to grips with something that had been done and feeling remorseful.

By New Testament times, Christians had made the word their own, and it became even far richer. To repent was to “turn around,” to turn away from sin. But it went even deeper. It meant not only “turning away from sin,” but almost always it was used in a context that also included “turning towards God.”

And it goes deeper. Turning towards God most often meant receiving the forgiveness of sins and coming to faith in Christ. It’s a rich, rich New Testament word. Stop the way you are going. Turn away from sin. Turn towards God, for forgiveness in Christ. That’s repentance.

In Revelation, like in the whole of the Bible, this is what God wants. This is God’s heart - for people to return to Him, that they might receive what he always intended: love. forgiveness. relationship.

It seems that God most often uses wrath and judgment not because He’s a sadistic God, not as a punitive punishment, not because he desires people to go to an eternity without him, but for the exact opposite reason…so that people might turn towards him. God’s wrath and judgment…are in the service of God’s mercy and grace.

So why is it, I have to ask myself: in the history of the church, that we have spent so much time telling people outside the faith about God’s wrath and judgment and what the temperature of hell is like? Because we think we can turn them to God? Scare them into the kingdom? I’ve known a couple of people who responded out of fear, but not many.

Wouldn’t it be better to tell them what God’s mercy and grace are like? To tell them about a God who would come to earth to be with people? A god who would give up his life in love, who would stretch out his arms on a cross and in dying absorb the best that evil could dish out, and then live again?

Wouldn’t you want to tell people that God was like a Father who, missing his wayward son, went to the top of the hill every night to look down and see if there was any chance that his son had turned back and headed home? To let them know that God longed to care for them, like a shepherd, like a hen with her chicks?

I’m not ignoring the reality of judgment and wrath. It’s real, it’s frightening, it’s eternal. But let’s not lose sight of what God is after: people turned back towards Him. That’s His heart. And sometimes people still refuse.

In CS Lewis’ Narnia books, the last book is called “The Last Battle.” It would be an excellent read for you right now. It really is the book of Revelation, retold.

In the book, there has indeed been “a last battle,” with the forces of Aslan the Lion (Jesus) arrayed against a host of dark and evil creatures. Involved in the battle is a group of dwarves. There are, in fact…twelve of them. Hmm. The dwarves decide that they will worry only about themselves, rooting against both the forces of evil and good. When the good side triumphs, the dwarves are freed of the ropes that had bound them, and set free in a beautiful land of green grass and blue skies and growing flowers.

But they believe that they are stuck in a muddy, stinky little hut. They quarrel and fight with each other. And Lucy, the child Queen, says “Aslan…could you – will you – do something for these poor dwarfs?” And Aslan answers “I will show you both what I can, and what I cannot, do.” So Aslan instantly created an enormous feast of rich food, and put a goblet of good wine in the hand of each dwarf. But the embittered dwarfs continue to think they are in a dark and dingy hut, eating turnips and raw cabbage.

“You see,” said Aslan. “They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison.” And with that, Aslan goes to the door and roars out “Time!” And it is almost the end.

And…well, you should read The Last Battle!

The Appearance of Jesus

As the bowls are poured out, there are voices in heaven that say “Yes, Lord. Your judgments are true and just. It is what they deserve.” The same kinds of voices, I think, who have previously asked “How long, Lord? How long will you wait to act?”

Then when the seventh and final bowl is poured out, a loud voice rings out of heaven and finally provides an answer: “It is finished.” The same words, of course, that Jesus cried out on the cross. The answer to “How long?” Far longer than you think, but not forever.

Almost immediately, John sketches a picture of the mighty Roman Empire, but also other kings and kingdoms. At one point all of these forces, come together, “united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb; and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful ( Rev.17:13).”

“It is finished.” Jesus, the Lamb…shows up. And conquers. It’s a pattern in Revelation. Jesus appears in chapter 1. In chapter 5 Jesus appears as first a lion, then a lamb. In chapter 6 he appears as the lamb, and then again as one of the four riders. Then again in chapter 8. Then in chapter 12 in the nativity story. Then in chapter 14, the lamb on Mt.Zion. Then here in chapter 17. All of this wild stuff going on, all of this evil, dragons, beasts, all of the plagues, curses, unfaithful people, cities, kings, nations…but Jesus just keeps showing up.

Is it not what John is trying desperately to communicate to his churches? The world is spinning out of control, evil is everywhere, hang in there, look for Jesus.

Is it not what we need desperately to know? Regardless of what is going on, Jesus is not absent.

I have a good friend who is in a tough, tough part of life right now. It seems like a lot of things are going wrong, the plans and dreams he had have been undermined and he is reeling. What do I want him to know? I want desperately for him to know he is not alone. That as the page turns, he will have another glimpse of Jesus in the midst of it all with him. That even when things look the very darkest, even when Christ was on the cross, they are far from over.

Why does God wait so long? So long, that even the martyrs in heaven would say “finally, they get what they deserve!” It’s a complicated question. But I think it’s related to God’s heart, what he wants so badly: for people to return to Him. To repent.

It takes a long time because God wants people, all people, to come to Himself.

Whore of Babylon

Okay. We can’t read Revelation without looking very briefly at the whore of Babylon. It’s been fairly clear to most people who read Revelation that whatever other symbolism may be at work, at the very least “Babylon” is a portrayal of first century Rome. Now, it certainly can fit other cities of ancient times, and people in each century have found other worthy candidates, and a number of modern day civilizations certainly fit the bill. But Rome was the head of civilization in the first century Mediterranean. It had imposed its armies, its emperor, its well-oiled economic system, its many cults and its authority over the whole region, to the great detriment of some of the young Christians. John uses an image of a woman to communicate.

This is not the only time a woman character appears in Revelation. Last Sunday we saw a beautiful woman clothed in sun, moon and stars who was pregnant, giving birth to the Messiah. That woman was pursued by the seven-headed dragon, the devil. Near Easter we will hear more about the holy city and the church as the spotless “bride of Christ.” But here, an angel takes John to the wilderness, “in the Spirit,” to see the “whore of Babylon.” Rome.

Given Rome’s power and magnificence, you might think her portrayal would be as a dignified and powerful person? No.

Instead of being beautiful and attractive, she is clothed in scarlet and overdressed with gold and jewels and pearls, and is called “the mother of whores and abominations.”

Instead of riding a white horse, she sits atop the monstrous seven-headed beast.

Instead of sipping fine wine from her golden cup, it is filled with the sewage of the seamy parts of a city.

And she is drunk with the blood of the saints, those who proclaimed Jesus and were killed for it.

Rome, John wants his people to see, is not an attractive partner but a seductive temptation. Like a person linking sexually with a prostitute, Rome is a threat to the Christians, capable of dividing soul from body - one of the tragedies of prostitution. Some Christians, John seems to say, were willing to commit fornication (be unfaithful) by agreeing to worship the emperor. Others were happy to submerge their faith and participate in the immense economic prosperity. One author says fornication means not only “participation in the idolatrous worship of roman gods, including Caesar, but accepting Rome as the point of orientation for life in this world…”

John is afraid his people are not seeing clearly. That we aren’t. They’re living in the fuzzy, lulled into going along with whatever works in the Empire, so he paints the picture starkly. Do you want to follow Christ…or be on intimate terms with this thing? Can’t you see what she is? You have to chose. Open your eyes.

He would say the same thing to us. What is your point of orientation in the world? Is it Jesus? Or cultural status, wealth, a desire to fit in?

What defines you? Babylon is found in many places, including Seattle.

The last word on judgment?

The bowls of wrath tell us it is: Repent. The desire of God’s heart is for us to turn to him, so that his wrath might serve his mercy.

The appearance of Jesus tells us that though injustice and evil swirl around us, we are not alone, and the words “It is finished” remind us that there is an ending.

And the whore of Babylon warns us not to be deceived. Choosing Jesus is different from going along with the world.