Revelation was written long before our modern awareness of the ecological crisis, but in his vision John of Patmos warns us of the possibility of the reversal of creation, the virtual destruction of heaven and earth. Does his insistence on the judgment of God and the hope for repentance shed any light on our anxiety about the future of the earth and its resources?
From the first century until now people have worked very hard to identify the number of the beast and to assign that number to some individual or power that seems particularly threatening. If, as we suggest, the number made sense in its original context do we still have an obligation as faithful people to try to identify forces that strive against God’s justice, or should our faith be purely private and reticent? If we need to name injustice, how might we start?
We tend to think of evil deeds, evil decisions and even evil people. What we do not much talk about in many of our American churches is the idea that Evil is larger and stronger than particular evils—like a ravening beast. Is this just a childish notion best discarded, or might it point to a truth about the extent and endurance of evil?