So in the midst of our crosses, because of The Cross, we know the dragon is being cast down. The Beasts, 1 & 2, are going down, as they have again and again in every age of this world. While the saints of God and of His Lamb, we are held secure. It is as Jesus says to Peter in the Gospel Reading today, “I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
But…living by such faith remains something that requires endurance in this world. So many trials, so many crosses…so many, many beasts. But as St. John never tires of reminding his readers, we have Jesus…We have His Body, the Church. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments! How inscrutable His ways!”
Sermons
The visions are crying out: “Get a clue, people!” But not…not…not…as this Book is so often used. The clue is not: “Be afraid, be very afraid!” No! The visions declare that there is still joy even in the midst of devastating sorrows. Even in the midst of cataclysmic death there remains life. But…only by one Person. No, not some vaguely spiritual sort of God…but in the God who loved this devastated, cataclysmic world so much that He Himself took on flesh and became part of it in Jesus, lashing the destiny of earth to the destiny of His Son. And Jesus is all over this vision!
“So it begins.” This is what people think of when they think of the Book of Revelation. Yes, we’ve had some glory. John saw Jesus in the blinding light of eternal, divine glory. He was taken before the throne of God and he looked upon Him who sits upon that throne, while all around, as the hymn has us sing, “Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Which wert and art and ever more shalt be!” So much glory! And there is more glory to come in this book. But only out of the shadows; the glory will come out of the deepest darkness. So it begins…
[Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
No one in all creation was found who could open the seals. The singing stops as John weeps loudly, seeing that Creation is separated from its Creator. No one is worthy to bridge that gap. And it appears that the will of God toward creation will never be known, that it will remain a mystery forever.