John’s vision closes with a bookend to Genesis — the tree of life growing by the great river which would take God’s Kingdom to the nations. We are taken into the garden city, where God’s rule far outweighs the pressure and persecution of our current day. As John concludes, he asserts the authenticity of the vision, the imminence of Christ’s return and the need for an ongoing faithful witness unto the goal.

At last, we are here! Heaven and earth collide, in an expression of Kingdom life with Jesus at the centre. The Bride IS the temple, and the once hostile nations now offer their Glory to the King of Kings. This encouragement for the early church will also be an encouragement to us as we seek to live out this faith in front of a (mostly) unbelieving world.

Now John sees Satan bound and thrown into the darkness for 1,000 years. While Satan is weak, those who have died for the sake of Christ are raised to new life. Now Satan, while rallying for a final push, is engulfed by the power of God. The church is rescued and begins its reign with Christ. How do we make sense of somewhat confusing passages like this, and what do we do with the famous 1000 years?

We are now welcome into the complete and total victory of the Lamb over the oppressor. He wins His victory not with violence, but with the Word. The Bride is made ready, but also makes herself ready, a task to which Christians today must continue. How do we walk in the victory provided to us?

Swiftly and suddenly, Babylon falls. In John’s compelling vision, steeped in Old Testament prophetic imagery and style, the destruction of the empire is complete, making way for a new and recreated garden city where the Lamb reigns. What are the characteristics of this empire, and how might we ‘come out of her’?

In contrast to the holy woman of chapter 12, we now have the unholiest of women riding into chapter 17. The heart of the beast is laid bare, and the world without God is exposed. A battle is set, but the Lamb wins — just by showing up. How do we guard ourselves against ‘Babylon’ in our own hearts?

Today, we see the recapitulation of the ‘sevens’ — we’ve seen the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and now it’s time for the seven bowls. Only this time, there is no more time for waiting. God’s justice moves swiftly against the beast and his followers, setting up the renewal of all things.