1. The End of All Things Revelation 19-22 "La nouvelle Jérusalem" (14th century tapestry)

2. The Wedding Feast (19:1-10) The Bride is made ready “Blessed are those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (19:9)

3. What is “prophecy”? Prophecy is not: ●Predicting future events ●Performing miracles (Koester 172) True prophecy is: ●words that point to truth ●a guide to worship the true God ●a call to repentance False prophecy is: ●a guide to worship idols and false gods ●destruction/oppression

4. The Great Battle (19:11-21) ●Not a “normal” battle ●Sword of the “Word” ●Both beasts thrown into lake of fire (19:20) ●Satan bound with chain, thrown into the abyss (20:1-3)

5. Christ the Warrior ●Faithful and true ●Warrior on a white horse ●One who conquers ●Wears diadems ●True name is hidden ○“Word of God” ○“King of kings” ●Wears garments soaked in his own blood

6. Victory Over The Enemies of God ●Christ slays the kings of the earth with his word ●Birds invited to eat flesh of the fallen enemies ●Contrast to the “marriage supper of the Lamb” ●Warning and promise

7. The Millennial Kingdom (20:1-6) ●Not to be taken as a literal 1,000 years ●Traditionally an earthly kingdom ●Saints’ whereabouts described relationally, not geographically ●First resurrection and second resurrection

8. Final Conflict and Final Judgment (20:7-15) ●Satan is released and returns to old ways ●Gog and Magog attack ●Security in God alone ●The book of life ●The book in which people’s deeds are recorded

9. The New Jerusalem (21:1-22:5) ●Absence of powers that oppose God ●An end to death ●Verses echo OT verses (list in Koester p. 193) ●Fulfillment of promises made to those who “conquer” ●Not a place for sinners

10. The Holy City ●Dimensions are not literal ●12,000 stadia symbolizes completeness ●12 gates, not 1 ●Sacred space in temple was cubed ●City and community are the sanctuary ●God and Lamb are temple ●See the face of God

11. The End Is Near (22:6-21) ●Christ and God are the End of all things ●The message is still relevant today ●“I am coming soon!” ●Do not tamper with what is written in this book

12. Edith Humphrey: “A Tale of Two Cities” Babylon represented by: ➔ Jezebel ➔ The Mad Mistress New Jerusalem represented by: ➔ The Refugee Queen ➔ The Bride of the Lamb

13. Identity Who are God’s people in relation to: ●the world ●their forbears ●angelic beings ●God Identity of God’s people made present in feminine imagery

14. Jezebel ●Brings up imagery of the story of Jezebel in OT ●False prophetess / false queen ●Adulteress ●Refuses to repent ●Warning of punishment ●Foreshadows the fall of Babylon

15. The Refugee Queen ●Rightful queen ●Gives birth to a son ●Seeks refuge from the dragon (Satan) ●We are reminded of Israel in the desert ●Suffering is a part of God’s plan ●She is humble "Santa Marija Assunta"

16. The Mad Mistress ●Mother of prostitutes ●Rides upon the beast ●Luxury and pride ●Dies at the hands of the beast ●Her funeral is ironic ●Babylon has fallen ●God commands his faithful to come out of her; that is to come out of Babylon “The Whore of Babylon” (William Blake)

17. The Bride of the Lamb ●The bride is made ready ●She is the holy city ●White, innocent, pure ●Glorified, fortified, protected and illuminated ●Maternal and fertile ●She is an end to suffering

18. A Final Note on Female Imagery A 21 st century perspective: ●Chauvinistic ●Implied subordination ●Makes assumptions about women Sympathetic reading: ●Both men and women are used in imagery ●Images are used to show us our true identity