Judgement: How it all plays out.

From chapters seventeen on, we could almost call John's book, The Tale of Two Cities. The woman on the scarlet beast is Rome. It's not too hard to imagine why John, in prison, would speak in a guarded manner about Rome. But we know, and he knew we would, that he was not speaking of Rome literally, but as a symbol. A symbol of what? Well, we can learn much about this "city" in chapters eighteen to twenty.

And what is the other city? Well, that one you have heard of, and it comes last.

John assumed that we will have been paying attention. When we have read and understood all that is in chapter seventeen, we can understand pretty much all that John tells us in these present chapters about the judgement.

If you have been just skimming, and not doing the work as you go, that is all right. I know you will do it later. But not having done so makes you rely more heavily upon me, and we don't want to make a habit of that.

So, for the meantime, let me point out a few items in this judgement section that I feel are interesting and vital to our understanding of the whole message of John.

The first thing that happens in chapter eighteen is the announcement that Babylon the Great (Rome: The Unholy City) has fallen. Done. Past tense. The city is still present, and there are many people in it, but no longer can she say in her heart, "I sit as a queen." That issue is dead. She has fallen.

Who is in that city? Almost everyone, it seems. Verse eight of chapter thirteen says that all the inhabitants of earth whose names are not in the Lamb's book will worship the beast. I think that means everyone but the 144,000, but most disagree with me on that.

Then I say, "How about later in chapter thirteen where John says that no one who doesn't have the mark of the beast can buy or sell? Have you ever sold or bought anything? You must have the mark! You must be in Babylon!"

Then, as I am picking myself up off the floor, my scholar/opponent points out that the "mark of the beast" business hasn't happened yet, and when it does, a lot of good Christians are going to ready for it. And anyway, what about the numberless multitudes in white robes? What about them?

Usually, at this point, I just limp away, thinking that I should have learned by now not to argue with experts. But there are times when I just don't learn, and I will point out that the numberless multitude in white robes had COME OUT of the great tribulation. They were the ones who answered the heavenly call in verse four of chapter eighteen to "Come out of her, my people..."

But all of this friendly discussion is wasted time and effort until some basic agreements are reached.

Speaking as a pastor, I get very pragmatic when the subject of judgement comes up. If we are going to stumble and fall spiritually, this is where we do it. So any discussion of judgement must allow for the very real danger that talking about judgement almost always causes us to start judging!

In Matthew's sermon on the mount, what was one of the main issues that Jesus addressed? Judging others.

In Romans, Paul's theological statement, what subject did he begin with? Judgement. In fact, let's look at how Paul dealt with the subject of judgement, because it points out what dangerous ground we all enter when this subject arises.

Also, let's remember John, the pastor of seven of "Paul's" churches, writing from prison to his flock. These words from Paul must have been on his mind.

In chapter one of Romans, Paul begins his message at verse eighteen. He begins by talking about wrath.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

And we are immediately back at the scene described to us in chapters four and five of Revelation. Do you recall the elders perceiving God through the living creatures? Do you remember the elders worshipping and praising God in response to the worship and praise of the living creatures? This has always been God's intention, that we know the Creator through the creation.

But why, when Paul began talking about wrath, did he immediately address the subject of how humans are intended to know the Creator?

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

As soon as the Lamb began opening the scroll, the powers of creation began to be transformed in human perception. The parts of the creative force which they represented were experienced by humans as conquest, war, extreme inflation, and death.

Do the images listed by Paul remind you a little of the descriptions of the living creatures in Revelation chapter four? They do me.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen

When the forces of creation begin to be experienced by humans as forces larger than life, primary realities to be dealt with, we, in our pragmatic wisdom, began to center our lives around meeting those forces, either by avoidance or by joining.

Either way, they became idols for us.

Does the last phrase of Paul's in the paragraph above remind you just a little of how such affirmations are woven throughout Revelation? Here is how chapter five of Revelation ends:

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped

We may seem to have traveled away from the purpose of this chapter, but I tell you, the only way to safely approach the subject of judgement is with the most stringent safeguards at hand. It is a deadly topic, because left unguarded, the topic of judgement becomes transformed into judging on the part of the investigator.

As a safeguard I have turned to the most effective backfire I have seen, Romans chapter one plus 1.

We left off in Romans chapter one with verse 25. Paul has just set a trap for you and me. He has laid it out with great care, outlining the history of sin in our world, beginning with creation which shows God's nature to us, continuing with our lack of gratitude, which led to a fear of nature and subsequent idolization of it. Beginning with verse 26, he baits the trap.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Oh, this trap is baited well. It smells so sweet we can't resist it. We turn to embrace this image of THOSE PEOPLE who have done wrong. How comforting to look at others who have sinned. And now Paul sets the trap, he pulls back the spring.

29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are 20slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Now here is the funny thing about this trap. Most people don't even read the above section. Either they didn't intend to in the first place, having been referred to Romans 1:21-27 as "proof" that homosexuality is sin; or they are just reading along, waiting to get to the heart of Romans, and scan the above all-inclusive list that NO ONE can survive without applying it to themselves.

99% of all who read these words don't recognize them as a trap. Of course, any decent trap isn't going to be obvious. It isn't going to have the word "trap" on it in large letters.

What I don't understand is how so many can read the first verse of chapter two, and not realize that they have been had!

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things.

POW! Ouch! The trap has been sprung and we are ALL IN IT. Who can read Romans one and not either judge those whose behaviors resemble the list (always excluding ourselves, of course)or judge those who hold the list up as proof of the sinfulness of certain groups of people?

Romans 2:1 is an impossible standard which nobody can live up to. It is almost certain that John was well acquainted with this trap. At the very least, the same Spirit who guided Paul's composition of the above, guided John's hand in crafting Revelation to the same impossible standard.

We are all in Babylon. As long as we refuse to apply the words of judgement to ourselves, we are saying, "I am not a widow!" God calls to us, each and every one, "Come out of her!" But we can't hear the call if we think God is calling someone else.

There is only one person each of us should be applying the words of Revelation to, if we are to understand them: ourselves. In chapter eighteen, verse three,

For all nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.

Each of us is regent over our own decisions. Each of us buys and sells, obtaining our needs and way beyond. We are kings and merchants. We have watered down our lives in Babylon. But we insist that the wicked city is filled with those others.

But at some point in our lives, we stand convicted even in our own understanding. The remainder of chapter eighteen is spent voicing our lament at what we have been doing, and at what we have lost.

In chapter nineteen, we witness the wedding preparations for the bride of the Lamb. Who is the bride? Well, if it has taken our entire lives up until "now" to realize that we were in Babylon, how long will it take us to realize that having answered God's call to come out of Babylon, we are ready to join with Christ? He popped the question a long time ago. It took us a while to say, "Yes." Wedding preparations are being made for us. And look what it says in verse eight.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Right after the wedding a white horse appears, bearing one who is called Faithful and True. Read the description of this rider in verses eight to sixteen.

Who is it? We have to answer this question before we can go on to see what this rider does.

To most, this rider seems to be Christ. I say that identification is only partly correct. What has just happened? You have just become united with Christ, then a Christlike figure appears on the scene. I wonder who it is? Hmmmm.

But we don't have to rely on the sequence of events to establish the identity of the rider on the white horse. You have read the description of the rider. Did any of it sound familiar? It should.

Remember way back to the letters to the seven churches. You might recall that in each, a reward was promised to all who overcame. Review those promised rewards and you will see that the rider named Faithful and True incorporates all of the promises. The rider is you, after you have repented and submitted yourself to judgement, and have allowed yourself to be united with Christ.

Before, you were a pathetic creature, without a center of gravity, powerless, at the complete mercy of whatever wind blew, whatever any beastly force willed upon you.

Now, you ride on a white horse at the head of legions of the army of heaven. You hold authority and power to rule. Rule what? Don't backslide and think about ruling others. What has been missing in your life so far is your ability to rule over your own wild and unruly passions and desires.

I invite you to read the description of the confrontation between you, leading the army of heaven, and the beast, leading the kings of the earth. The real enemy is within. But see what happens when we but stand opposed to these earthly powers. Immediately the beast is captured, along with the false prophet, and thrown into the lake of fire.

Have you heard of the refiner's fire? If we contemplate another being thrown into that refiner's fire, we are in danger of our very soul. But if we assume responsibility for our own shortcomings, face up to our inner ugliness, they will be burned away.

The only judgement that is real is the judgement by Christ. As soon as we put ourselves under his authority, he says, "You are forgiven!" And immediately the process of atonement and purification begins. The subject of judgement is incomplete unless it means also forgiveness, atonement, refinement.

In Revelation, after judgement is rendered forgiveness is immediate, assumed. Then the atonement is portrayed as the wedding with the Lamb, and purification, sanctification, is the confrontation between the beast and you, in authority, on the white horse.

But think of how long we endure the wrath which has been the result of our own doing. Surely John had us in mind when the fourth bowl of wrath was poured out on the sun, in chapter sixteen.

9They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

Who is the beast? Where is the beast? The beast is a role we all assume. The beast lives in us.

Are you beginning to get the feel of how these words can have a whole new meaning, a whole fresh purpose, if we but apply them to ourselves?

It is time for some practice. See how you do at reading chapter twenty of Revelation with this new self-application in mind. See what happens.

Then, we'll get on to the Holy City

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