2022/08/08

51. Completion of God's Wrath (Revelation Chapter 15-16)

As discussed in the previous issue, it is no coincidence that in John's Gospel, the words "the Sheep Gate" (John 5:2) appear at the beginning of chapter 5. The story on the sheep's theme that Jesus said in chapter 10, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep" (John 10:7), had already begun in chapter 5. The series of disputes between Jesus and the Pharisees and Jews also begins with the incident in chapter 5, where Jesus not only broke the Sabbath but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God (cf. John 5:18). Furthermore, this theme of the sheep leads to the scene in chapter 21 where the risen Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Thanks to John the Evangelist, who was so persistent in this theme, Christians can directly derive the image of Jesus' "my church" (Matthew 16:18) and its structure from his own words. In addition to the gate for the sheep, Jesus used expressions to describe it, such as sheepfold, shepherd and flock. Jesus' words, "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11), show that God is the parent who has both paternal and maternal nature (cf. this blog № 29, №43). God is the true parent of man. We can also see this characteristic of God in the following description in Revelation 15:3: "And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb." It depicts those whom Jesus had redeemed with his death and those whom the descended Holy Spirit redeemed with the death of the Holy Eucharist in Jesus' future (cf. this blog № 49, № 50), together praising and singing that the ways of God Almighty and the Lamb are just and true (cf. Revelation 15:3). Here we see God who "lays down his life for the sheep." The Gospel of John describes how the Jews "had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue" (John 9:22) and that they publicly stated of Jesus, "We know that this man is a sinner" (John 9:24) in the events in chapter 9, which are the introduction to chapter 10. They had, in their hearts, the danger that led them to commit murder, which God had first called sin in Genesis 4. Murder is the distinct denial of God's work of human creation. Man's accidental information, which makes man demonic (Satanic), is closely attached to man's thoughts that lead him to murder. When the last seven plagues are poured out in this situation, God's wrath will be completed (cf. Revelation 15:1) because if they do not repent, they will have no choice but to become evil spirits after they die (cf. this blog № 49). (To be continued)

Maria K. M.