Evil is a persistent problem: it is here with us right now and is something that existed at the foggy beginning of time, as the early scribes recorded in what are now our scriptures. Evil is also something that exists beyond time as we know it. So, the resonant, prophetic voice of the apostle John still comes through today in his final oracle, Revelation.
Our first glimpse of evil possibly begins with the statement in Gen 1:2 that describes the world as “formless and void.” These two Hebrew words, tohu and bohu, which could be translated as “chaos” and “waste,” were the features of the primeval deep waters where God’s Spirit hovered. Some scholars believe this choice of words indicates that a great battle had already been waged between the fallen angels and Michael’s host. Our first full encounter with evil was in a perfect garden, where a tree called The Knowledge of Good and Evil thrived near the Tree of Life.
Mankind’s future story still interfaces with evil in an eternal place called the Lake of Fire in Rev. 14:10 and 20:10. It is not my purpose in this episode to cast my vote either for or against eternal punishment in fire—we’ll save that for another day and leave you wondering—but I am going to review how Jesus works as the end-time Judge, so we have a context for God’s heart as he deals with evil.
In Revelation chapter 5, we see a courtroom scene with a scroll of seven seals, the last will and testament of creation. Much to-do is made over finding a one who is worthy to open the scroll, when suddenly the herald comes that only the Lion of the Tribe of Judah has been found worthy to open it. The graphic shocker John shows us is a bloody scene: a perfect little lamb with its neck ¾ slit appears, when we expected to see the mighty, triumphant lion. For the rest of the book of Revelation, it is always the Lamb of God who walks out the acts of judgment. Our picture of the Lion of Judah is now redefined, offering a fresh way of perceiving our Messianic deliverer.
It is from the Lamb’s position of loving sacrifice for the entire world that he is a worthy (and, might I add, trustworthy and safe) person to judge the earth and right all wrongs. He is always working from a position of giving life (which is what his death brings) and never from a position of taking life. If he judges with a terrible and fearsome judgment, be assured that it is to give more life to his creation, not to take that life and beauty away.
That said, I would like to point out that Rev. 14:10 says those that wear the mark of the beast (evil incarnate) will be tortured IN THE PRESENCE of the angels and the Lamb, and smoke from their torment will rise forever and ever. Smoke isn’t actually fire, but it is the lingering effects of an eternal, persistent expression of God dealing with evil.
The word torture denotes a sense of judicial examination, whereby the truth of a situation comes to light. The word torture (βασανίζω) in the Greek text originally referenced a coin tested in the fire against the proving stone to find if the coin had authentic value. The word’s usage over time began to include the testing or proving of men through buffeting or torture on the rack. In Rev. 14:10, the proving stone is Christ, and the coin is man who has been minted by evil instead of Jesus’ life.
The uprising smoke from this encounter offers us a constant affirmation of life. How? That fiery Love does overcome evil and bring life—it doesn’t just check out or ignore the pain evil has caused. I really don’t want to develop this too much right now, because it would require a deeper examination and is way more than enough material for another post. But let me briefly say that according to 1 Cor. 3:10-15, no man is exempt from this proving fire. God will test every man’s mettle because he is interested in drawing out the best, the fullness of his own life in a people created to reflect his own beauty.
So, just as the Lamb has wounds and scars from his sacrifice that are still evident in heaven, affirming his decisive victory over evil, so is the smoke evidence of the decisive and final judgment of evil in the world. The stigmata of Jesus are brands on his body, saying that his love for us is complete. The lingering smoke of this “testing by fire” is a similar statement. The Lamb is addressing evil in people who cause others to suffer, who are the takers in this world instead of the givers: those who diminish goodness instead of enriching God’s creation with vibrant life. And because of this, we see the slain Lamb acting out redemptive judgment from his position of love with all those who are stubborn gaping holes of bitter evil in his creation.
This smoke is a symbol of the Lamb of God’s contention with evil. It is 100% apropos for him to contend because it is he who freely gives all he has and lays down his life for the burdens of humanity, who came and is coming as the Man of Justice to right every wrong and wipe away every tear of the oppressed. With the ever-rising smoke, questions remain. the mystery of evil remains, as does the mystery of God (i.e. good). If you take mystery out of the picture, you also remove things like adventure and challenge, which create pizzazz in life. What John the Revelator offers us is not a complete annihilation of the memory of evil, but he does let us know that though evil may be persistent, love is always, at the end of the day, triumphant.
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