The Book of Revelation - Genesis 2 & Revelation 21

St. Andrew's Brussels Sermons

Sunday 31 March: The Book of Revelation Preacher: Daniel Brink Readings: Genesis 2:4-9, Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV) How do you approach the Book of Revelation? Is it a Book of the Bible that you avoid, because of its complexity and obscure symbolism? Let's try and look at it the way the original readers would have seen it. This is because it was basically a letter - a letter to the early church with the purpose of encouragement and exhortation. It was written by John, who urged its readers to take it to heart. It was clearly an important document, and we shouldn't avoid it at all! If anything, it is a reminder that God is sovereign, and that Jesus is victorious over death. But it is a complex Book, containing references to the past, the present *and* the future. By the time we arrive at Revelation chapter 21, we see a future-oriented part of the Book, describing scenes from ‘eternity’. Eternity, as described here, takes the form of an entirely new Creation, similar to the current Creation, except much, much better: “like a bride prepared for her husband”. In the new Creation, God dwells with His people. There are two features of this wonderful prospect for God's people that we should look at: - God's presence as the *culmination* of God’s rescue plan for us; and - The *comfort* of being with God. First, “culmination”. It is interesting that the Bible opens with God’s act of creation, and it closes with another creation - a new Creation. It encompasses the entirety of God's plan for His creation, His ‘Story’ for us. ‘Stories’ are much appreciated by mankind all over the world. All of us are drawn to stories that feature a grand dilemma, a problem to be overcome. We want a story to have a hero. Perhaps this is because we are the creation of God, whose story for Mankind is one of rescue from evil. God's presence with His people is a repeating theme throughout the Bible. First, there was the Tabernacle, then the more permanent structure of the Temple. By the time we get to the Book of Revelation, the new Jerusalem is described as a perfect cube. This would have meant a lot to first Century Christians, because the Holiest of Holies was a cube room which was the dwelling place of God in the Temple. Second, God as our *comfort*. The good news is that in that New Jerusalem, chaos and suffering no longer appear. The Lord is on the Throne, and brings an end to suffering and loneliness. God dwells *with* His people. Our relationships here are tainted by the Fall. But in the Lord, we reach the fulfilment of our need for the perfect, intimate relationship with God. We belong to Him, and how wonderful it is to be where we belong. God's rescues His 'Bride', His people, through His Son. This is the culmination of the purpose of Mankind, and is our greatest comfort. Thanks be to God! Amen.