The ancient Jews believed that their God was the creator of all the earth. So even though the world was full of evil and injustice, they never wavered in their hope that God would someday set things right again. It’s important to note that this vision of God’s future salvation has nothing to do with the evacuation of God’s people. Despite widespread misunderstanding, the story of the Bible does not end with Christians parading off to some otherworldly realm called “heaven.” Rather, salvation involves the coming of heaven to earth. In other words, it means that someday the kingdom of God shall be fully established over the face of all the earth. The world will then flourish in the way that God always intended. God’s people will experience unending joy, health, abundance, community, peace and contentment.
But the final establishment of God’s reign also means the destruction of everything that stands against his purposes. This is not simply a matter of Biblical truth; it’s a logical necessity. For if the creation is to be completely healed and restored, all the dark powers which seek to desecrate the world must be eliminated. There must be a final, great act of judgment whereby God purges everything which poisons and pollutes his world. Those people who turn away from God’s wisdom and goodness and defiantly pursue life on their own terms will perish. Last week, we explored how this theme of judgment permeates the entire scriptures, both in the Old Testament and the New. Whether it’s Moses, John the Baptist, or Jesus himself, all the ancient Jews firmly believed that God would one day vindicate the righteous and punish the wicked.
I would now like to explore the subject of the last judgment in the book of Revelation – last book in the canon. Revelation was written by a Christian prophet named John, who was exiled on the island of Patmos because of his loyalty to Jesus. (Incidentally, this is almost certainly not John the disciple of Jesus.) While in exile, God granted John an astonishing vision; he was able to see how God would achieve his final victory over all the forces of evil wreaking havoc upon the world. John glimpsed how God would bring his people through suffering to the time of renewal when God’s kingdom would be established over all creation. John’s vision concludes with a portrayal of God’s final judgment. But before we examine this final judgment scene, let us give our attention to an earlier part of the book of Revelation, the messages to the seven churches.
The book of Revelation opens with a stunning vision of Jesus the risen Messiah. Jesus entrusts John with messages to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia (modern day western Turkey). These messages give us fascinating insight into the world of the first-century Christians, including their thoughts about God’s final judgment. The risen Jesus frequently commends the churches for their faithfulness. But just as often, the Lord criticizes the churches for their shortcomings. When necessary, he calls them to repentance and warns them of impending judgment if they don’t change their behavior.
The church in Ephesus receives substantial praise from the Lord Jesus. But he does hold one thing against them: “you have abandoned the love you showed at the beginning.” Often people think about love as a feeling of warm affection towards others. But true Biblical love means far more than this. Love means taking concrete action to improve the welfare of others: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to those in need, etc. In other words, true Christian love moves far beyond the realm of feeling or sentiment; it is action-oriented. Jesus regards genuine love for fellow Christians to be the indispensable mark of his true people. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
Tragically, the Ephesian church had abandoned the love they had previously shown. Jesus sternly commands them, “Repent, and do the works you did at the beginning. If not – if you don’t repent – I will come and remove your lamp stand out of its place.” We should first note exactly what Jesus means when he says “repent.” Repentance does not mean feeling sorry for what you’ve done, although that is a good starting point. Like love, repentance is not about feeling but about action. That’s why the solution involves a change in behavior: “do the works you did at the beginning.” Jesus is not hoping the Ephesians can conjure up nice feelings towards one another; he’s imploring them to recover their previous conduct.
The most challenging thing about this passage are the consequences for failure. If the Ephesians don’t conduct themselves in love for one another, Jesus threatens to remove their lamp stand. At first hearing, this might not sound very harsh. But in the book of Revelation, the lamp stand is a symbol for the church itself. In other words, this signifies that Jesus would no longer regard the Ephesians as part of his church, his people. It’s a stunning warning that the Ephesians could lose their very identity as Jesus’ people and therefore their salvation in him. And crucially, this word of judgement is predicated on their behavior.
Jesus offers no criticism of the church in Smyrna. This church has already faced past suffering; further affliction is coming in the future. Jesus offers them this word of encouragement and exhortation: “Be faithful all the way to death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This is an excellent example of how the concept of faith extends far beyond simply belief or trust. The Christians in Smyrna were being persecuted on account of their loyalty to Jesus. When Jesus implores them to remain faithful even unto death, he means much more than just “keep believing in me.” Rather, the Christians in Smyrna are called to remain fully devoted to the Lord Jesus in word and deed. Their persecutors demanded that they formally renounce Jesus on pain of torture and death. But it’s absolutely vital that they resist. For those who remain faithful to Jesus even at the cost of their lives, Jesus promises “the crown of life.” There can be no doubt that this refers to their final salvation – resurrection to eternal life. Once again, salvation is inextricably linked to complete devotion to Jesus.
The church in Thyatira had among them a false prophetess whom John refers to as “Jezebel.” Centuries before, during the time of the divided monarchy, King Ahab had married Jezebel – the daugher of Ethbaal, the pagan king of the Sidonians. As queen, Jezebel forced the people of Israel into idolatry and slaughtered the prophets of God. Her unrestrained evil made her the archetype of wickedness in the memory of Israel. Now John sees how another Jezebel-type figure was leading God’s people into idolatry and sexual immorality. Jesus warns the church in Thyatira that he is the one “who searches minds and hearts. I will give to each of you what your deeds deserve.” To those who resist the deceptions of Jezebel and remain faithful, Jesus promises salvation: “To anyone who conquers, who keeps my works right through to the end, I will give authority over the nations.” Once again, salvation linked directly to behavior. In this case, the Christians are specifically promised that they will share Jesus’ coming rule over all nations.
Now before we conclude, let’s stop and clarify an important point. Many evangelical Christians become quite uncomfortable when the Biblical writers speak about how our works will be the standard of God’s final judgment. The key is to understand that “works” here carries its more general sense of overall conduct or behavior. John is not talking about “works of the law,” a phrase often found in the Apostle Paul’s letters. When Paul speaks about works of the law, he is referring specifically to the commands of Torah which were given to Israel prior to the coming of the Messiah. As the Old Testament tragically demonstrated, the people of Israel had stubborn, rebellious hearts which prevented them from wholeheartedly obeying the Torah. But now, through the death and resurrection of Jesus and through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Christians do indeed have the power to live in way that is holy and pleasing in God’s sight.
Hopefully, this discussion has made it abundantly clear that the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, embraces the fundamental principle that God’s final judgment will result in blessing and vindication for those who have done what is right and condemnation upon the wicked. Your actions matter for all eternity.
