What is God up to?

One of the exercises in the Focus 3 spiritual formation for emerging leaders material we were to discuss this past week was to look at a variety of scripture passages to get an idea of what God's mission is — what God is up to in this world. I had been a bit surprised not to find anything from the final chapters of Revelation on the list, since if there is anything in the Bible that would describe the end to which God is heading, surely it would be this vision of the end. After reflecting further on the final two chapters of Revelation, I think I may have just a bit different perspective on this whole "pursuit of Leadership" myth that I have been struggling with.

The Dwelling of GOD

The first thing I noted was:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Revelation 21:3

I thought about how many times this "dwelling of God with man" came up in the biblical story:

• in the garden of Eden, when God used to walk and talk with man in the cool of the evening;
• with the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, where God dwelt with them, in the very middle of the camp, in his own tent (with parallels both to the tents the people lived in and to the garden), and moved with them wherever they went;
• with Moses, of whom God himself says that he reveals himself not in visions and dark dreams, as to others, but with whom he speaks face to face, as a man with his friend;
• in the temple that Solomon built and dedicated to God, where God dwelt visibly among the people (at least in the sense of the visible shekinah glory);
• most notably, in the prologue to John's gospel, where we read: "and the Word became flesh and pitched His tent among us, and we beheld His glory — glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth";
• and of course, in Jeremiah and Hosea and other prophetic books, God continues to talk about wooing his people, his wife who he took to himself but who forsake him for other lovers, and drawing them back to himself again.

Clearly, a major theme throughout scripture: God working to reverse the estrangement that occurred in the garden, when man rejected the presence of God and hid from him.

The most odd thing, however, is the shape that God's dwelling with man takes:

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having he glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

Revelation 21:9-11

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:2

The city as symbol of rebellion

The most astonishing thing about this revelation is that not only does God chose to dwell among men in the city, but that the Bride of the Lamb is herself described as the city.

Throughout the Bible, the city is the quintessential symbol of rebellion against God. The first city is built by Cain, who simply cannot trust that God's mark upon him will be sufficient protection for him, and instead puts his trust in the city he builds. And after the flood, the peoples of the earth refuse to disperse throughout the earth, to repopulate it. Rather, they assemble at Babel, to build a great city as a monument to themselves: even to the extent of declaring that they themselves will go up into heaven.

Again, and again, and again, God's prophets speak against the city as the symbol of greed, violence, corruption, exploitation of the vulnerable, and death. There is very little good to be said of the city anywhere in scripture.

Even Jerusalem, called out to be the City of the Great King, the city where God himself dwells among his people, becomes a symbol of rebellion. In Jeremiah, God warns the people that their faith in the "holy" city, and in the "holy" temple, is misguided — the city and the temple will not save them from God's judgement for their allegiance to other gods and other kings, no matter how well they keep up the rituals of their temple worship.

Jesus ultimately laments over Jerusalem, identifying her as the city "that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!" Matthew 23:37. Indeed, he says that it is impossible that "a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem" Luke 13:33

Ultimately, the city is referred to in Revelation 17 as "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations". And John says that "I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Rev. 17:6 "And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who have been slain on earth." Rev. 18:24

Indeed, the triumph of God and of the Lamb is proclaimed in heaven by the cry: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!" Rev. 14:8; Rev. 18:2

Behold, I make all things new!

So what does it mean that the city — the great monument to man's power, wisdom, wealth and independence from God, the great symbol of rebellion, of sin, of greed, of violence, of sexuality immorality, of corruption and death — is made the dwelling place of God, the Bride of the Lamb? For John sees the holy city as being itself the holy place of God's temple (hence its cubic dimensions); and as the source of the river of life that flows out of the gates of the city and brings life and joy to the whole earth (much as the river that flowed out of Eden); a city so secure that her gates never need be shut, and who may welcome the kings of the earth at any time, so that they may walk in her light; a city who, with the Spirit, says "Come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price."

How amazing is the work of God, that he takes the work of man — proud, rebellious, violent and corrupt — and makes it his own dwelling, full of beauty, truth and life; for his own glory and for the good and blessing of the whole earth. No wonder the book ends with "Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

What about my struggle with Leadership?

Just this: if God can take the worst of man's rebellion and arrogant self-seeking — the city — and turn it into His own glorious dwelling, then certainly God will have no problem taking the fruits of "the pursuit of Leadership" — as self-absorbed or self-deluded as it may be — and turning it into something glorious. Never, therefore, should I fear that God's work will be thwarted, even by the misguided adventures of his people.

If then, God places me in a position to speak against the follies of Leadership run amok, it does not consequently fall to me to Lead the people back — that is, to take it upon myself to see that those to whom the message is given heed it and follow. Rather, my call must always be simply that of being a "loving adversary of every regime".