Revelation 5:11-14
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:11-14 (NIV)
If Revelation were the only book in the bible, I’d probably be a Hindu or a Muslim or an agnostic. The Book of Revelation is confusing—even weird. There are strange beasts, scrolls, lampstands of great apparent importance, and a dizzying array of visions. I enjoy weirdness in novels and films, but not so much in a sacred text trying to tell me about the meaning of the universe and how to live in it.
Fortunately, the Book of Revelation comes right at the end of the bible, and we can read it through the lens of all the wisdom and strife and poetry that have come before. In that context, these verses proclaiming the worthiness of the Lamb and the unity of all things make more sense. The praise for the Lamb comes from “every creature in heaven and on earth and on the sea” (13). Deep down, this idea of unity seems to be the sum of all we seek.
After all, think of how much conflict we endure and how much conflict we even seek out. There are the conflicts of political disagreement or with the people who rub us the wrong way sometimes, but what about the conflict hard-wired into our lives. We kill every day—whether plants or animals—to survive. The stories we crave are always about conflict. (Try reading a story or watching a show that doesn’t have conflict, and you’ll be asleep in the first five minutes). Our lives are saturated with conflict.
Maybe Revelation is such a strange book because it speaks to our deep longing for a future in which conflict has been resolved and all of creation sings with one voice. As immersed as we are in daily conflict, deep down we feel that pull of unity and the grace of a God who can bring it to us.
Questions for Reflection:
- Are there conflicts that you crave? In stories? In sports? Why do you think we are drawn to those kinds of conflicts? What do they teach us?
- If you’ve read all or some of the Book of Revelation, what were your impressions?
Prayer:
God of Unity, please stir up in us the hope and imagination that will lead us to act in ways that promote the harmony you seek for us. Amen.
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