In our scripture readings for today, the scroll of the plan of final victory over evil is opened by Jesus the Lamb, at least the first six of the seven seals. And the events that take place as a result begin the process of destruction that will eventually obliterate everything that is. The wrath of God will degrade the utopia of the persecutors, and its call to repentance will be impossible to ignore. But through the process, the servants of God will be protected, and for those who are faithful through the great ordeal, God himself will wipe away all their tears....
The Tesla in the parking lot is scratched with a key from the driver's mirror all the way to the trunk. The priceless painting in the museum is doused with tomato soup. The palatial mansion of the industrialist, is the first to go up in flames in the wildfire. For some reason, our spirits lift when the so-called oppressors and persecutors in our society have their nice things destroyed. For some reason, we feel that justice is served, when the pleasant little world created by the powerful, is taken away from them.
For the Christians originally reading this revelation to John, the world belonged to the Romans. The Romans held the power of life and death over them. The Romans made all the rules. The Romans did all the persecution. What could feel better to these Christians than the promise that God will WRECK their world?
It starts with the first four seals of the scroll – the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The rider on the white horse – Conquest – would be a bitter pill for the Romans to swallow. They were the ones conquering, not the ones conquered. The rider on the red horse – War – would work against the prosperity-inducing force of the Pax Romana, the peace and stability of the Empire. The rider on the black horse – Famine – would undermine the huge population of the Empire, and cause riots and chaos. And the rider on the pale green horse – Death – would bring widespread grief and panic. Something to cheer about for the souls under the altar, the white robed martyrs already killed for their testimony about Jesus.
And the destruction would not be limited to humanity. The sixth seal brings effects for the cosmos, with sun, moon, and stars, sky, mountains, and islands all degraded, to the point where the people, powerful or otherwise, are driven to the point of despair.
What is our reaction to all of this prophecy of destruction? We get scared. We make horror movies. We wonder at the nature of a God who would cause destruction at this scale, forgetting that he was responsible for creation at this scale – it's HIS universe. We wonder why God wouldn't just destroy the persecutors instead.
The answer to that, is mercy. God wants to wake up the persecutors, to change their hearts, to SAVE them, too. And the falling apart of your world is a great wake-up call. That's why the destruction occurs in stages, one seal at a time, to allow for as many people to repent as possible. But in the end, Jesus' pattern of death and resurrection will play out for the universe as well. The plan of final victory over evil requires that everything evil be destroyed, and since the fall of Adam and Eve, there is a stain of evil on everything.