It seems to me that many Christians today look for Christ’s return in the near future like most Jews looked for the coming of the Messiah in the first century AD. That is, just as the Jews of the first century AD looked for the Scriptures to be fulfilled literally, so, too, do many Christians want to interpret the Apocalypse literally, as much as they think possible. This is a problem, because literalists need such interpretations in order to assure themselves that what they preach about the Apocalypse and future return of Christ is correct. Nevertheless, literalism is not a good tool of interpretation for this book or the return of Christ! The Apocalypse is about Jesus, not about a number of awesome, unprecedented events. It is about Jesus’ Gospel, with which he entrusted his disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). It is about the judgment of the enemy who sought to destroy the Gospel, before it had an opportunity to take hold. In other words, the Apocalypse is all about Jesus, the spread of his word and the victory he had over his enemies in the first century AD. Any attempt to make Jesus’ Coming into a future event is to mock the Gospel and to make light of Jesus’ victory.
In Revelation 18:1 John tells us that he saw another angel, who was great in power. I find it interesting to note that this angel had come down to the earth from heaven. Moreover, this angel doesn’t seem to be an ordinary angel, such as the one who had shown John the judgment of the great whore (Revelation 17:1). On the contrary, this ‘angel’ was great in power (G1849), but all angels are powerful, certainly more powerful than men. Yet, John describes this ‘angel’ as one who was very powerful, suggesting he was more powerful than ordinary angels. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus claimed that all power in heaven and in earth was given to him! The very first thing Jesus did after announcing he was almighty – having all power in heaven and all power on earth – was to send his disciples over all the earth with the Gospel, teaching everyone about what Jesus said and did, and commanding them to cease their rebellion against God (Matthew 28:19-20; cp. 2Corinthians 5:18-20).
As overcomers who have trusted in Jesus (Revelation 12:11), it is in preaching the Gospel that we share in Jesus power over the nations (cp. Revelation 2:26).[1] Through the Gospel, folks believe and cease their rebellion against the Lord, and it is in sharing this Gospel with others that we express our own power over the nations, because through preaching Christ we tear down every stronghold and imagination of men that exalts itself above the rule of God (2Corinthians 10:5).
Notice that John also describes the angel by saying the earth was lightened with his glory. This statement is repeated once more in Revelation 21:23, which events clearly occur after the parousia or Coming of Christ. There we are told God is with us, so we have no need of the light of the sun or moon. How should we understand such a declaration? Should we actually believe, as some do, that after Christ returns the sun and moon will no longer be of use to mankind? This is nonsense, especially if we consider the clear meaning of the Scriptures. They, themselves, tell us that both the sun and the moon were created to be the lights of the earth (Genesis 1:14-18), and, not only so, but both day and night would endure, as an expression of the Lord’s unbreakable word that the Messiah would come out of David’s family (Jeremiah 33:20). Why would the Lord nullify his created work, which he did on the fourth day of creation?
Therefore, it seems to me that the phrase the earth was lightened with his glory doesn’t refer to physical light. Rather, it refers to spiritual light—the light of the word of God. It has to do with bringing light to the nations (Isaiah 60:1-3), which, itself, has to do with the voice or the word of God (Ezekiel 43:2). Therefore, when the texts says: the earth was lightened with his glory, it has to do with the light of the Gospel shining throughout the world. Revelation 18:1 seems to show the strong angel is Jesus returning, as he claimed he would (Luke 17:24, cp Matthew 16:27-28), but his return couldn’t occur until the light of the Gospel—the message of what Jesus had said and done for mankind was spread throughout the known world (Matthew 24:14). In other words the light of the glory of Jesus, which lightened the whole earth, is the message about Jesus in the Gospel! The judgment of the enemy was about to occur (2Thessalonians 2:8), and he would be utterly destroyed with the brightness of the Gospel—the glory of the Lord (cp. Romans 16:20; Revelation 17:1).
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[1] See my earlier study: Ruling with Christ Through the Gospel.
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