The Book of Revelation Is About...Works! Part 1: The Framing of the Book

One of the reasons I enjoy researching and teaching in the latter part of the New Testament (e.g., 1-2 Peter, Hebrews, and Revelation) is because these often unfamiliar texts say things in ways that we are not accustomed to hearing them said, especially as it relates to how we conceive of life in Christ. And sometimes this different way of saying things runs up against what we "know" to be true. 

In my most recent go-around at teaching Revelation, I have been struck by this simple, pervasive, and yet often-overlooked fact: John's Apocalypse is about works! To be even more precise, John's Apocalypse is about being saved by works! In the midst of the fantastic and perplexing imagery of Revelation, especially in chapters 6-20, it is easy to loose the forest for the trees. But, as I will try to show (in the next several posts), the majestic extravagance of Revelation 4-5 and the shocking horror of the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls are in the service of this most fundamental message: our "works" matter. One way to see this foundational theme of the book is by looking at the way in which Revelation is bookended or framed. 

The Prologue

In the prologue (1:1-3), a blessing is promised for those who "keep" the words of prophecy in the book. To "keep" the words written in Revelation is John's way of talking about faithful allegiance to Jesus--to his teachings, but even more so, to his pattern of life, as we will eventually see. The word "keep" comes from the Greek verb τηρέω (tēreō), which in this context means to persist in obedience (compare with Rev 12:17; 14:12; and Matt 28:20's "teaching to observe (tēreō) all that I have commanded"). This opening promise of blessing strategically raises an unwritten orienting question, the answer of which will resurface in Revelation 2-3 and in Revelation 21-22: What is it that we are to "keep"? 

The theme of persistent obedience is extended in John's opening greeting in two subtle ways. First, Jesus is presented first and foremost as the "faithful witness" (the phrase could also be translated "the witness,  the faithful one"). The epithet of "firstborn among the dead" is a subtle reminder that Jesus' life of persistent obedience resulted in a shameful death, but that his fidelity was vindicated in the resurrection (1:5). In other words, Jesus' obedience, his keeping God's word, his patient endurance, though costly, was not in vain. 

Second, as John introduces himself, he makes it clear that it was his allegiance to the word of God and the faithful witness of Jesus (1:9) that resulted in him being exiled to Patmos.  What is more, he sandwiches his mention of kingdom membership with two descriptors that point to the challenges that come with following Jesus as king in this present age: tribulation and patient endurance:

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus.

Revelation 1:9 (ESV)

So, John opens his letter by raising the question: what is it that we are to keep? He highlights Jesus' faithful allegiance (and vindication). And he reminds his readers that he writes from Patmos because he has kept God's word and been faithful to Jesus' pattern of life. It is within this context that John makes the declaration that this Jesus is coming (Revelation 1:7), which raises yet another question: What is he coming for? In other words, What is Jesus coming to do? And does that relate to the other question, What are we to keep? 

The Epilogue 

The epilogue of Revelation 22:12-21 answers that question for us: "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done (22:12)." There is a wordplay going on in this passage that is worth exploring briefly. The word translated "recompense" seeks to represent the Greek word misthos, which can mean wages (for work done); it can also have the positive connotation of reward, or the negative sense of punishment. Similarly, the verb translated "repay" represents the Greek verb apodidōmi, which can mean pay (positive) or pay back (negative). All of this underscores that when Jesus comes back, he comes to make judgments that are based on the "work" (Rev 22:12 uses the word ergon, which means work) that each one has done. Whether this is a positive or negative encounter depends upon what one has done (or left undone). 

Revelation 22:14 seeks to clarify the nature of work that will be evaluated: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates (22:14)." In Revelation 7:14, those who are characterized as having "washed their robes" are those who faithfully endured tribulation for the sake of maintaining allegiance to Jesus. The manuscript history of Revelation has an illuminating textual variant in this verse in which the phrase "do his commandments" appears rather than the more opaque "wash their robes". This suggests that some of the earliest readers of Revelation perceived that washing one's robe was John's way of talking about keeping the commandments of Jesus. Read thus, those who have the "right to the tree of life" (John's way of talking about what we might call salvation but what he would perhaps call New Creation), are those who did the "work" of keeping the commandments and pattern of life of Jesus. This reading is further supported by  the illustrative passage that follows. Those who wash their robes (i.e. remain faithful to Jesus by keeping his commandments) are contrasted with those who do not have a share in the New Jerusalem/Creation because they love and practice falsehood, including murder, idolatry, and sexual immorality (Rev 22:15). 

So, the beginning and the end of Revelation underscore that our "works" matter. The readers are encouraged to keep this "revelation of Jesus" (1:1,3), and reminded that at his return Jesus will pay/repay each one according to the work that was done. 

This may feel unsettling to hear, especially for Christians who live downstream of the Reformation and the "Solas" of "faith alone" and "grace alone".  But before we consider the implications of how Revelation is framed, and before we try to reconcile Revelation with contemporary conceptions of salvation, we need to further explore the theme of "works" in Revelation. For, as we will see, this theme is also prevalent in the message to the seven churches, and it features in key moments in the narrative of judgment in Revelation 6-20. Thus, in part 2 and part 3, I will explore this theme further in those two corresponding sections of Revelation. In Part 4, having thoroughly traced the theme of "work,"  I will conclude with some reflections on what this means in our place in time, especially as Christians who live in the wake of the traditions about salvation that were generated as a result of the Reformation.