Many read Revelation and attempt to understand it as a sequence of events, a time-linear story. This muddies the water causing insurmountable confusion. Rather, John’s vision is more akin to looking at an artifact that one has never seen before, turning it over, looking at it from different perspectives and describing what one observes.
The last chapter did this in describing the final judgment of God. This chapter is an interlude between observations of the final judgment of the earth. For John’s readers, the earth was the Roman empire. At the end of it all we will see the same sort of events and scenarios play out.
You will also notice that between new acts in the play, John returns to the throne room and there are renewed accolades declaring the majesty and glory of God and the Lamb. That’s what this chapter is.
In this interlude before the last seven bowls of wrath, the last seven plagues, we again see the sea of glass, this time glowing with fire, and standing beside it the congregation of those who had been victorious over the Beast and its image and its number.
John’s readers comprehended this and could picture themselves as the ones standing on this sea of glass in the comforting presence of God and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. The sea of glass reflects the fiery conflagration of the events on earth, symbolizing the end of it all. As I noted earlier, the sea represents death, and the glassy surface symbolizes that the Lamb has conquered death in the same way that Jesus spoke to the frothing Sea of Galilee and it became like glass. Likewise, John’s readers stood serenely on the sea of glass and offered up glory and honor to the Lord God Almighty.
The last chapter did this in describing the final judgment of God. This chapter is an interlude between observations of the final judgment of the earth. For John’s readers, the earth was the Roman empire. At the end of it all we will see the same sort of events and scenarios play out.
You will also notice that between new acts in the play, John returns to the throne room and there are renewed accolades declaring the majesty and glory of God and the Lamb. That’s what this chapter is.
In this interlude before the last seven bowls of wrath, the last seven plagues, we again see the sea of glass, this time glowing with fire, and standing beside it the congregation of those who had been victorious over the Beast and its image and its number.
John’s readers comprehended this and could picture themselves as the ones standing on this sea of glass in the comforting presence of God and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. The sea of glass reflects the fiery conflagration of the events on earth, symbolizing the end of it all. As I noted earlier, the sea represents death, and the glassy surface symbolizes that the Lamb has conquered death in the same way that Jesus spoke to the frothing Sea of Galilee and it became like glass. Likewise, John’s readers stood serenely on the sea of glass and offered up glory and honor to the Lord God Almighty.
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