Book of Revelation Fr. Thomas Hopko part III

March 26 Clashes Between Kingdom & the World

In this third lecture, Fr. Thomas relates the art and architecture of the Orthodox Christian Church to the Book of
Revelation and its symbols. He also discusses the connections and clashes between the kingdom of heaven and the
kingdoms of this world.
Story about priest vestments that say “God” all over them- this is from Revelation. Review: The vision of the
celestial liturgy involving the heavens and angels, which is also a cosmic liturgy because it involves all the elements
and the beasts; which is also an escatological liturgy because it shows what will ultimately happen at the End; which
is also the ecclesial liturgy involving the presbyters, the 144,000 from the great tribes, nations and lands
worshipping the Lamb and Him who sits on the Throne; we ended with the Lamb being worthy to open the seven
seals- the ultimate mysteries.
Then we come to the various visions of groups of seven- seven chalices, seven bowls of wrath (Rev.16). We are
not going to cover this in detail because Hopko states that he doesn’t know much about them. The seven seals with
the horses (Rev.6), throne, silence and two witnesses (Rev.11:3), etc., the biblical origin of this is Zechariah
including the four horsemen of the apocalypse where chapter six begins. The voice of thunder (Rev.6:1) implies
that something stupendous is happening, it’s very important, pay attention. Thunder is often used in the bible for the
revealing presence of God. The trumpets also announce something important to pay attention to. Interestingly, with
the opening of the first four seals, there is the word “come” or “erchou”, this invitation to see.
Who are the four horsemen of the apocalypse? The same horses and colors appear in Zechariah (6:1-3) which
claimed that it was God’s activity through the four corners of the earth. White symbolizes God’s will, the
conquering and original aspect. It’s very difficult to discuss because of the structure (chiliastic) of the points
presented. The white horse appears again (Rev.19:11) and Christ will be riding on it. The red is the taking away of
peace and beginning of slaying and trouble. The black is death connected to famine. The pale is simply hell. These
are the first four seals.
The fifth seal the beginning of salvation where under the altar is the souls slain for (because of) the word of God
(Rev.6:9). The martyrs are under the altar praying (v.10). They are given a white robe and told to rest a little longer
(v.11) until the number of martyrs is complete/fulfilled. One of the main points of the Book of Revelation is that if
you belong to the Lamb, you will get killed, you have to get killed, you have to die. You will not rise with Him
unless you die with Him. This is what St. Paul also says. It cannot be just death in the baptismal waters. One must
really die otherwise he/she cannot enter the kingdom.
When Christians began to build churches, they built them where martyrs had been killed and/or buried so that they
literally celebrate the victory of Christ over a spot where a martyr died. Later, when churches needed to built where
there were no martyrs, they brought the martyr or a portion of his relics to the church building. We still do this
today. Every consecrated church has a relic of a saint/martyr in or under the altar table. This is to show, as Tertullian
said, “The seed of the Church is the blood of the martyrs.” The main martyr of course is Christ Himself who dies in
total witness to God. We also have a practice of burying people under the altar especially in Mt. Athos.
The sixth seal (Rev.6:12) is the ultimate victory of the Lamb. This the great day, the day of the Lord in which the
sun is darkened and the strong (kings, generals, etc. v.15) fleeing from the wrath of the Lamb and the Enthroned
(v.16-17). This is the day of judgment. There is an interlude during the sixth seal (Chap.7) were we see the four
winds, four angels (v.1), the 144,000 (vv.4-8), the great multitude (v.9). All of them are singing glory, blessing,
thanksgiving, honor and power (v.12) to the Lamb. These people are those who have washed their robes, making
them white in the blood of the Lamb (v.13). The Lamb is their shepherd and king who wipes away every tear (v.17).
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This is a fulfillment of prophecy that the Messiah himself will do and become these things. The Christians
experience this vision when they gather liturgically for the Eucharist in the church.
The seventh seal (Rev.8) means the end of the world. The sixth seal speaks about our current situation. When the
Lamb opens the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for one half hour (v.1). This is an important sentence for
Orthodox Christians because the ultimate mystery cannot be revealed in any words, including God’s Word. That’s
an Orthodox dogma. The Church Fathers say the language of the age to come is ‘hysechia’ or ‘silence’. Later when
there is seven thunders, which means the revelation of revelation, the seer is told, “Don’t write this down because
you cannot.” So, there is a mystery beyond writing, even beyond revelation. That’s why the icon of St. John of the
Apocalypse always shows him with his hand over his mouth and his book is closed. The ultimate mystical theology
is silence and so there comes a time when even theologians have to shut-up. St. Ignatius of Antioch said, “Those
who hear the word of God through Jesus also hear His silence.” Vladimir Lossky said, “Holy Tradition is silence.” It
is the silence out of which the Word speaks. We must transcend words in prayer and contemplation. This is the
ultimate communion with God for the creature. Some parts of the ancient liturgy were done in silence including
Holy Communion. The Great Entrance with the bread and wine was done in silence. One of the hymns of Holy
Saturday says, “Let all mortal flesh keep silent, and stand in fear and trembling, giving no though to things of the
earth. For the King of kings and the Lord of lords comes forth to be sacrificed and given as food to the faithful…”
The Entrance of the Gifts during the Presanctified Liturgy is done in silence with the priest’s head covered in order
not to see and more fully contemplate the mystery in silence. The Orthodox have hysechast saints who pray in
silence. St. Isaac of Syria and St. Seraphim of Sarov both speak about communion with God where even prayer
ceases. St. Ambrose of Milan writes about the priesthood and begins it with a section on silence. He says that those
who cannot practice silence must never speak because they’ll have nothing to say. This is also a saying of the Desert
Fathers. St. Gregory of Palamas and all the hysechasts were practitioners of silence. Learning and doing silence is an
absolute essential part of our Faith. When the Cherubic hymn was introduced into our liturgy in the 10th century, the
monks went on strike. They refused to sing it because it was the one part of the liturgy that was still quite where
everyone was to contemplate the victory of Christ.
The silence is broken by seven angels with seven trumpets, peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning and
an earthquake (Rev.8:2-5). Angel (angelos) means ‘messenger’. [Disk 3, Lecture 2] Often John the Baptist is
depicted with wings because he is a messenger. Angels don’t really have wings- they’re a symbol for bringing a
message. The angels are blowing the trumpets (v.6) telling about the disasters on earth. These will not be
commented upon but it does represent the evil and falling-away in the world God created. Interesting to note that in
10Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the
rivers and on the springs of water. 11The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood,
and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter (Rev.8:10-11), the Slavonic word for Wormwood is
‘Chernobyl’, the same city in Russia where the nuclear disaster occurred.
In Chapters 9 & 10 [02-3-2:04] we see several tragedies with locust, horses, beasts, images showing destruction
with all its apocalyptic images that results from turning away from God and towards the demons. Chapters 12-18
deal with the great clash between the demons and God. For the people at the time of Revelation, these things meant
something in particular. However, they also function universally and archetypically. These are images and stories
that apply to each age perennially from the Crusaders to Peter the Great, from Lutherans to Catholics. Recently, a
member of the European parliament denounced the Pope as the Antichrist. The Book of Revelation never uses the
word ‘antichrist’. Antichrist does not mean ‘against Christ.’ Rather it means instead of or in place of Christ.
Certainly, the Book of Revelation portrays a progression of tragedy—everything gets worse. Again, do not read
the book strictly chronologically. Throughout history people have asked, “Can it get any worse?” The answer is’ yes
it can’ and ‘it has’. In Chapters 9-10, the implication is that we’re approaching the End, when there is no more time.
This is the seventh seal with the seventh angel (Rev.10:7). What is the connection between the two olive trees, two
lampstands and the two prophets as recorded in Zecheriah 14? Hopko speculates that it is a prophecy about the end
of the earthly Jerusalem and the beginning of the heavenly Jerusalem. In the NT, we see the earthly is a type of the
heavenly. In the Synoptic Gospels, the end of Jerusalem functions as a type for the end of the world. Sometimes it’s
difficult to distinguish which the author is referring to. In fact, there may be a purposeful mixing of the two. The
early Christians used the destruction of the Temple in 70AD as an apologetic to say that Christ was indeed the
Messiah and the end of the world was at hand. During the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate, the Jews became
excited because he was going to rebuild the Temple and had actually started to do so. To them, if the Temple could
be rebuilt, then Jesus is not the Messiah. Apparently, during this rebuilding, the walls were halfway up and then the
whole thing exploded. It has never been rebuilt since. 8And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (Rev.11:8). So, now Jerusalem has
become Sodom and Egypt, which in the scripture symbolize being against God. One of the great messianic signs is
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that an altar will be built in Egypt (recorded in readings on 40 days after Nativity of Christ). Thus, if Egypt can
come to worship the Messiah, this is a victory for the Jew. Of course, some Egyptians did become Christians and the
Coptic Church is still present there today.
Two prophets are mentioned in Rev.11:10. Most modern scholars would say they represent Enoch and Elijah
because they were the two taken up into heaven. Hopko says they are Moses and Elijah because they
represent/symbolize the whole of the Hebrew religion. Moses symbolizes the Law and Elijah the Prophets. Moses
represents the earth because he is buried and Elijah the heavens because He is taken-up. Moses represents the dead
because he died and Elijah represents the living because he did not die. They represent the totality/economia/plan of
God. At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus to show that He is the fulfillment of whole
history of Israel. These two prophets are slain, die and are resurrected and go up into the kingdom.
[3,2; 14:54] 16And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped
God, 17saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned (Rev.11:16-17). This is a clear Eucharistic reference with the
context and the use of the actual word “eucharistisomai”. God has justified and vindicated the prophets and His
temple in heaven is now open. There is no more temple on earth.
[Disk 3, Lecture 3] Chapters 12-18 is an apocalyptic vision of the clash. First, the clash is between the two
trinities. On one side there is the Enthroned, the Lamb (In this section is the only place in scripture where He who
sits on the Throne is referred to as the Father of the Lamb in verse 14:1. This makes it clear that the Lamb is the
Son of God.) and the Spirit (14:13; 17:3), who fills, inspires and vivifies all the saints, martyrs and those who
belong to the Lamb. On the other side is the dragon, who makes war against the Lamb and His saints, the beast
from the sea (13:1) and the beast from the earth (13:11). Again, at the time Revelation was written this meant
something very particular. The second beast who arises from the earth, it says he is like the Lamb (13:11). That’s a
classical antichrist sentence. How does the beast present himself like the Lamb? It is the second beast, who is like
the Lamb, who gets the number 666 (13:18). He gives, what we call today, the ‘good life’ especially money, power
and possessions. He brings a materialist kingdom. He says come to me and it’s all yours, just like Jesus was tempted
by Satan (Lk.4:1-12). The devil tempted Jesus to become a worldly messiah who does not get slain. Some churches
teach that if you believe in Christ and come to church that you will receive worldly riches. These are the ‘name it
and claim it’ churches where one rarely hears about a cross and martyrdom. This is absolutely antichrist in nature
because Jesus never preached such a thing. He said, “Seek first the kingdom of heaven” and I will take care of the
rest. And boy, did He take care of the rest for the martyrs.
The message of Revelation is radically eschatological. It says we can participate with joy in the kingdom to come
but we are also in the tribulation. Richard Neibur described the antichrist character of the dragon and two beasts in
American Christian religion where there is a God without wrath, bringing man without sin, into a kingdom without
judgment, through Christ without a cross. For some people, the trouble they have with the Lamb is that He is
constantly being slain.
There are five clashes. The first, [3-3-4:43] and ultimate clash is between the new Jerusalem and Babylon (14:8).
Babylon was the name for the historical Rome in NT. When St. Paul writes his letters in prison from Rome, he says
“the church in Babylon greets you.” ??? Babylon is the symbol for the fallen world (see Ps.137). Revelation
proclaims that New Jerusalem is victorious and Babylon is destroyed. The New Jerusalem is depicted as woman
clothed with the sun (12:1-17). The woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the
earth (17:18). St. Paul said, “The Jerusalem from above is our mother” (Gal.4:26). The Church on earth is the New
Jerusalem. The mystical Church on earth is the experience of the kingdom to come. How many times do we
proclaim the kingdom in the worship? “Blessed is the kingdom…Thy kingdom come…” We are a kingdom church.
The Church is God’s kingdom on earth. It is more than all the fancy décor. It’s the resurrected life in communion
with God through Christ, filled with the Spirit, with all the angels, saints and righteous. It is the foretaste, experience
and presence of the kingdom which is to come that is already victorious in Christ. If the woman is the New
Jerusalem, then she also symbolizes the Church. Some say, especially in Catholic circles, that this woman is Mary.
Averky says no because she gives birth to the son with great travail (12:2). Hopko disagrees with Averky because, if
one takes the total dogmatic tradition of Orthodoxy, we know that Mary functions symbolically as an image of the
Church because Christ is literally born from within her. She is the temple in which God dwells. She is wisdom that
has built her house (Prov.9:1). She is the gate facing East (Ez.44:1). She is the ladder in Jacob’s vision (Gen.28:12).
The woman is the feminine presence through whom God gives salvation and birth to the people. “She brought forth
a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to god and this His
throne” (12:5). This is a clear reference to Christ. Regarding the anguish, this does not necessarily refer to
childbirth. It more likely refers to the anguish she experience witnessing the suffering and death that her son would
undergo. It is prophesied in Luke 2:34-35 “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a
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sign that is spoke n against 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also) that thoughts out of many
hearts may be revealed.” Mary can be the image of the anguishing, suffering Church standing at the Cross of Christ.
But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness
(Gr. Desert), to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time (12:13). This
symbolizes that the Church has no place in this world. It will always be marginalized. Therefore, if you belong to
Christ, you are already dead and you live in the desert. We belong to a kingdom not of this world. The desert
symbolizes this reality. That’s why the monks would go there to do battle and win it for God. 17And the dragon was
enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of
God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev.12:17). Her offspring are the members of the Church. The devil is
making war against the members of the Church. We should remember that we are baptized in order to make war.
The war is not over at baptism. It begins at baptism. The gauntlet is thrown down against the devil (renunciations),
the subject is covered in oil (to make slippery) to do battle and gets ready to have his/her own body broken and
blood spilled.
The antitype to this woman is the woman sitting on a scarlet beast (17:3), the great harlot who fornicates with the
leaders of this world (17:1-2). Someone once called her the scarlet harlot. Fornication, according to the prophets, is
the image of infidelity to God. It doesn’t just refer to sex. God created us to be His bride. He is faithful to us till the
end. The conjugal image is the main biblical symbol for the relationship between the creation and God. It’s a
marriage. Yahweh says repeatedly to Israel, “I am your husband.” The image is fulfilled when the Messiah comes.
He is referred to as the bridegroom. The earliest writing about Jesus, the gospel of Mark, quotes Him speaking about
Himself as the bridegroom (2:19-20). For the Orthodox, this is very precious because we begin the week of weeks,
Holy Week by bringing out the icon of Christ (suffering, crowned, in purple) and sing “Behold, the Bridegroom
comes.” The first several days of Holy Week are dedicated to the theme of the Bridegroom and His bride with
Parable of the Talents and the Ten Virgins entering the bridal chamber. We sing, “I see Your bridal chamber all
adorned O my Savior, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter therein; O Giver of Light make radiant the
vestments of my soul and save me.” The Apocalypse ends with smashing bridal imagery—the marriage supper of the
Lamb. “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev.21:9). The marriage festival is now complete
and the people may enter into the bridal chamber where we become one with God.

March 26 Clashes Between Kingdom & the World
Source:http://www.stgeorgegoc.org/sermons/revelation%20kingdom%20&%20world%20clashes.pdf