Seven Angels and Plagues

Outline: Seven Angels and Plagues
Passage: Revelation 15
Discussion audio (1h36m)

Revelation 15 appears like a dramatic interlude (we’ve seen a few of these already). You might imagine a TV series where for the last few episodes the action and tension has been rising more and more. And then suddenly there is a dramatic pause: it’s not that everything stops, but the plot doesn’t really move forward. It is more a character piece than an action one. As the episode enters its final minutes, however, new elements are introduced that raise more questions and increase the tension. This kind of episode doesn’t answer any questions that the audience has, nor does it resolve any of the plot. It’s there for the audience to take a breather and to reflect on what has already transpired. I see Revelation 15 to serve a similar function.

The outline is quite short, but the discussion audio is rather long. There are two reasons for this:

1. I found the readings for the first Sunday of Advent to bear some relevance to the whole idea of “Revelation” and the anticipation of the coming of Christ to right the wrongs of the world. I read the lectionary readings, and I also read a piece I found on the web – Pregnant Waiting: Reflections on Advent.
2. I read nearly all of Isaiah 63-66. The images and languages found in Isaiah are found repeatedly in the last half of Revelation, and I thought it best for us to understand the context that John borrows to convey his message to his audience.