Revelation 19-21 - The End of Evil

KNU International English Church
Josh Broward
November 5, 2006

The End of Evil

Revelation 19:11 – 21:8

[Show LOTR: Return of the King edited clip of last battle. The forces of good go to the battle field. They are wildly outnumbered and surrounded. But then the Ring is destroyed. The power of evil is broken, and the earth swallows the forces of evil.]

This is a pretty good picture of the end of time. John describes this scene through a series of word pictures in near the end of Revelation. Let’s read John’s pictures now: Revelation 19:11 – 21:8.

Throughout Revelation, John describes two powers and two groups of people. On one hand there are the power of Evil and all those who side with Evil’s work in the world. On the other hand, there are the power of Good and all those who side with the Good.

The powers of Evil first show up as Jesus sends seven letters to the seven churches (chapters 2-3). In these letters, Evil is represented in many forms: the religious legalists, the immoral liberals, persecutors of Christians, idolaters, false teachers, the arrogant, the church folk with dead hearts, and even Satan himself.

Evil rides again as the Four Horsemen mess up the world inside and out (chapter 6). Natural disaster pours out suffering on the earth (chapter 8). The earth is engulfed in the horrors of war (chapter 9). God’s people are abused and oppressed by an Evil system (chapter 11).

Then, Evil personally appears in the form of the great Dragon, or Satan himself (chapter 12). He attacks God’s children relentlessly, but then he tries an indirect approach. He sends the Bully Beast to scare people into turning away from God (chapter 13). Next, he sends the Con-Artist Beast to trick people into turning away from God (chapter 14).

In chapter 17 John describes Evil with yet another face: The Great Prostitute. Evil is like a woman who has sold her body to the world in exchange for our souls. In chapter 18 the world’s Evil systems are named as Babylon the Great, the city of wealth, oppression, and immorality.

Throughout John’s description of Evil, he consistently describes the camp of Evil, those who work on Evil’s team. They are stubbornly unrepentant. Despite God’s desperate attempts to win them back, they stick to their Evil ways. Some of them openly curse and reject God. Others do the same quietly with their God-rejecting lifestyles.

Evil and the people who side with Evil are characterized by fear, oppression, hollow happiness, deep sadness, lack of trust, selfishness, betrayal, violence, brutality, greed, cowardice, lies, gullibility (or easily believing lies), acting like gods, encouraging idolatry, and valuing present comfort over the eternal truth. Overall, when we summarize all of this, the camp of Evil is based on selfishness, abuse of power, and temporary pleasure.

Incomplete numbers are always applied to the powers of evil. Evil is represented by the number 666, indicating that it is chronically, persistently incomplete and inadequate, always one short of the perfect number 7. The time frame of Evil and oppression and the Great Tribulation or the Big Trouble is often represented with some form of the number 3 1/2. This symbolizes again the basic incompleteness of Evil’s reign. Evil is only half of the complete and perfect number 7. The time of suffering under Evil’s attack may feel like a long time, but in essence it is short and incomplete.

But John also describes Good and the people who side with Good. Good is on the scene from the very beginning. John introduces this great discussion of Good and Evil with an explanation that he is writing to the camp of the Good on behalf of God.

In great contrast to the incompleteness of Evil, God is described in very complete terms: “the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come” (1:4).

Jesus is a “faithful witness.” He has overcome death. And he is “the commander of all the rulers of the world” (1:5). He is the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (19:16). Evil rules through violent power, but the Lamb rules through self-sacrifice. God reveals himself as the Risen Lamb, the crucified Jesus Christ (chapter 5). He loves us, and he frees us from sin through his own death on the cross (1:5). Then, instead of ruling with oppression and abuse, Jesus invites everyone from the least to the greatest to rule with him and to be priests (20:6).

Evil destroys the lives of those in its camp, but God strengthens and gives life to those in his camp. He has ransomed us from the powers of evil through his own death (5:9). One day God will live among his people and “shelter them. They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears” (7:15-17).

Satan betrays his people (20:10), but God gives up his own life for them. “He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself with be with them. He will remove their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” (21:3-4).

Again and again John describes the people of God in terms of overwhelming joy. Again and again, they are filled with joy and fall down in worship. In God’s camp, though there is temporary suffering, there is eternal joy. This joy erupts like a volcano of praise in the great wedding supper of the Lamb (chapter 19).

Our Good God and the camp of God are characterized by truth, faithfulness, love, sacrifice, healing, joy, satisfaction, perseverance, provision, safety, purity, celebration, long-term focus, unwillingness to compromise with the world, and courage. Overall, God and God’s people are characterized by sacrificial love, truth, and perseverance.

John consistently uses perfect and full numbers to describe the camp of the Good. There are 7 churches, and God’s actions usually come in sets of 7 (7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, etc.). John consistently refers to God’s people with different forms of the number 12 (24 elders, 144,000), meaning God’s people will be full and complete. The time of Christ’s reign is described as 1,000 years. This is 10 (a number of power and fullness) times 10 times 10. Christ’s Kingship will be amazingly full and complete and long, especially when compared with the tiny and incomplete 3 1/2 years of Evil’s Troubled Time.

I need to say a little bit about this 1,000 year reign of Christ and his people. This is THE most debated point of Revelation. It draws a lot of attention and a lot of discussion. Everyone wants to know when the 1000 years will happen and what will happen before or after the 1000 years. This is missing the basic point of Revelation. Revelation is not a book for timelines. John uses overlapping images, and his images are not always consistent with each other. There can be no timelines built from Revelation. John is trying to paint an emotional picture more than a logical timeline. Revelation is not a book for speculation about the future! It is a book for motivation in the present!

So there are two groups, two camps centered around two powers: Good and Evil, God and Satan. Somehow Satan gathers his forces for one final attack on God’s people.

But amazingly, there is no fight. There is no real battle. A battle implies a struggle, and there is none. God completely overwhelms Evil. Evil verses God is like a bow and arrow against a nuclear bomb. There is no contest. Jesus speaks and Evil collapses (19:15). A mere angel puts Satan on a leash like a bad puppy (20:2). In the great attack against God’s people, fire falls from heaven and consumes the Evil forces before they fire a shot (20:9). Evil and all of Evil’s camp are eliminated, thrown into the lake of fire forever and forever.

John describes the destruction of Evil again and again. By my count, John gives 7 pictures of the destruction of Evil before chapter 19 and then 7 more pictures of the destruction of Evil in our passage, the final account of Evil’s doom. 7 – the perfect number! One day Evil will be perfectly and finally destroyed. One day, the kingdom of the incomplete will be completely eliminated.

Why all of this talk about the destruction of evil? Because God is establishing perfect goodness. He is creating a perfect world, a new heaven and a new earth, a world of perfect goodness. God is creating a place where his perfect love and peace will fill everything. That means that anyone or anything that is unwilling to submit to God’s perfect love and peace has to go. God can’t eliminate pain and sorrow if people are still out there abusing each other. Either we accept God’s love and live God’s love in the land of love, or we move out so that Love can be King.

What about us? What does all of this mean for us? How can we choose the camp of Good and live in the ways of Good?

Revelation 21:8 gives us an answer through a negative picture. “But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars – their doom is in the lake of fire and sulfur.”

The way of the Good is the exact opposite to this. Fix your eyes on Jesus; he is our only hope. Bravely hold onto your faith in him. Live a life of integrity; don’t compromise with the world’s standards. Live a life of peace and helping others. Stay pure. Stay away from all idols and superstition and anything opposed to God. Tell the truth even when it hurts. This is the way of Christ. This is the way of the Good. This is the path to the Good life. This is what it means to live a life trusting in Jesus.

Paul explains how we should live: “Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

“Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

One day God will eliminate Evil forever. Choose Christ. Hold on to Christ, and stand firm. Stand firm.

[Show Armor of God clip. You can view this clip at:

http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/index.php5?ct=store.details&pid=V00086. ]