When we think of Gods sovereignty we usually think of power, but Gods power isn’t just brute strength. It can be based off his wisdom and omniscience. My goal in this paper is to show the difference between the proposition that “God controls every little thing” or “God is in control of every little thing”. I believe that God is in control of all things, in total control of all situations, but what I do not believe the Bible says is that God is in control of every little act, because that would present God as the author of evil, and that distinction must be made. I believe Revelation is making that distinction. Revelation paints a beautiful picture of Gods sovereignty and helps us understand that God is not someone who is actively bringing harm to earth, that is not an accurate or fair picture to what the one Holy God is doing. The judgment passages in the book of Revelation, show he is withdrawing his restraint and protective grace so that the evil forces can come out and do what evil forces do best which is destroying Gods creation. The reason God does that of course is because humanity is in rebellion and his aim is to bring the people to repentance. As Greg Boyd talks about in his book [1]“The Crucifixion of the Warrior God” Gods wrath is just his withdrawal of his protective grace. We see a great example of this in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 51-52. Israel sins and they embrace darkness over God; then God allows Babylon to go and take them over. God is not meticulously causing Babylon to go in and destroy Israel, he just removed his protective hand from his people because they were choosing evil, and God knows that once He does that, Babylon will do what Babylon does. He also destroys Babylon after this because he did not give those desires to Babylon, he didn’t make them do it, he just used a nation that had evil desires so that his people would return to him and repent. In Revelation 5:1 we are introduced to a scroll, but at first, we don’t know what it is. We know it’s a scroll, writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. It doesn’t matter to us what the scroll contains exactly, but what we do know is that the scroll cannot be opened except by its proper authority. As the plot of Revelation unfolds it’s clear that the scroll reveals Gods will, his intention for the world, which includes both judgement and redemption, all under his authority.
Let’s dive into Revelation now. I would first look at chapter 6, the four horseman scene. The four horsemen need to be understood collectively, what you say about one can probably be understood or said about the others. The point being is the four horsemen are the first peek we get at seeing sinister beings being summoned to carry out Gods judgement on rebellious people. That is important because it gives us insight into how we will see and interpret the later chapters. Each rider in the four horsemen scene is given something. The first rider (v1-2) is given a bow, and a crown, his divine goal was to ride out “bent of conquest” (New International Version. Rev 6;2) . The second rider we see in verses 3-4 was given a sword, his job is to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. The third rider (5-6) had scales in his hands when he came fourth, the scales represent justice. So, this rider’s job was to bring on economic injustice. But this rider was given a command to not do something “do not damage the oil and the wine” (New International Version. Rev 6:2). The last rider in verses 7-8 was given power over a fourth of the earth to “kill by sword, famine and plague” (New international Version. Rev 6: 8). There are a couple things we must note firstly, the riders name is “Death and Hades was following close behind him”(v8). In Revelation 20:14 we see after Jesus defeats all the evil powers; he takes death and hades and tosses them into the lake of fire. Hades is a place where the dead go so Hades is very much an enemy of the Christian, this scene underscores Christs authority over life and death. After all, he is the one who “holds the keys to death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Secondly what we notice of the last rider is that he is not permitted to wipe out the whole world, his sinisterness has a limit. He is only allowed to kill a fourth of the earth. These beings are not operating on their own, they’re operating on divine permission. As evil beings do not operate independently or outside the reign of Gods sovereignty. These beings are only given the ability to bring about certain things. Each one of these riders represent evils that are not directly caused by the will of God but only tolerated by his permission to bring people to repentance.
Let’s move to Chapter 7 verses 1-5 we see, as Craig Keener puts it bluntly in his Revelation commentary “Gods sovereignty over the winds”[2] We see a scene where four angels are holding back the winds of the four corners of the earth; they show Gods sovereignty over the furthest parts of the earth. They were holding the wind to prevent any wind from blowing on the land, the sea, or any tree. We learn that authority to harm the land and the sea was given to the angels. But in v3 we see another angel, a non-sinister being because this angel is described with having the “seal of the living God” as the other angels are not. But this angel gives a command to the angels that are holding the four corners of the earth, that is, not to carry out their task of destroying Gods creation until there is a seal put on the foreheads of those who serve God (V3). Again, we see a scene where evil must abide by the authority of the most high, yet God is not the one causing the evil. We also see a glimpse into the purpose of this seal and judgment, that is to preserve Gods people and to lead those who are not Gods people to repentance. God prevents or delays the judgment of the winds until he has provided protection for his servants, those who have chosen him.
Revelation 8 we see another example of Gods judgment on his people. Chapter 8 is the Trumpet scene. In verses 6-13 we see this idea that God is handing the world over to the spiritual beings of darkness because people have embraced the darkness. When we go back to Exodus 7-11 and look at the story of the plagues that’s exactly what God did then. He just handed Egypt over to their decisions. The plagues were considered to be an act of judgement on the people and the sinister forces they worshipped “All the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment” (Exodus 12:12. English Standard Version) The point there was for God to show his glory over all of Egypt so that Gods people would be free and others would see his glory and repent. And it worked out; we know the Israelites were set free but also, we know others came with them “A rabble of non-Israelites went with them” (Exodus 12:38. New Living Translation). Here in chapter 8 of Revelation, we see a judgement that is harnessing sinister beings again, allowing them to do what sinister beings do but only because the people have embraced these sinister forces. But again, we get this idea of delayed judgment, suns and stars are dimming (v12) but it’s not totality yet. Darkness is coming, but it’s not total yet. God is delaying his judgment again because God wants people to see this and come to him and repent, that’s why Revelation is a progressively worse judgement, he is trying to leave room and time so that none shall perish but all come to God.
In chapter 9 we see a judgment another event where each being that is being used by God is given something. Firstly, we see a spiritual being who falls from heaven to earth and is given a key “to the shaft of the Abyss” (v1). The idea is that they key was given or granted to this being. Again, referring to Craig Keeners Revelation commentary says this “underlines God’s sovereign ability to use even those who are evil to accomplish his ultimate purposes” [3]Then we see once this being opens the shaft of the Abyss came smoke that covered the sun and sky, and locust came from the shaft. The locusts were given authority; this implies they didn’t have authority beforehand. In V4 they are told not to harm the “grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads”. What we see here is that the beings are given restricted authority. God is capping off their abilities; they’re only allowed to harm those who don’t have the seal of God on their foreheads; those who did not chose God. In v5-6 they’re held in check even further they’re only allowed to torture, not kill, and only allowed to do that for five months. Why only five months? Some commentators point to the fact that a locust lifespan is usually only about three to six months, while that is true, I think John is highlighting the true theological reason within that time frame. To show that there is a shelf life, an end to these sinister beings. To show that these evils are not God, they are contingent beings with a contingent existence and the authority they have has been given limitations. The fact that these beings were not allowed to kill and only allowed to torture for a short period of time, with verses 20-21 show us that God is using the destructive agents for a purpose, that motive is repentance. This judgment is destructive but it’s something the people have chosen. V21 tells us they were partaking in idolatry, worship of demons, they were murderers, partook is magic arts, and were sexual immoral. These people have said no to God and welcomed the darkness from the pit. But God did not just wipe them out, he gave them over to their evil ways in hopes that they would turn from them and turn to him. This scene is just divine withdrawal. God is withdrawing his grace, there was a seal on the pit, but he has removed it because people are embracing that which is not God.
In closing, Revelation reveals a sovereign God who is in absolute control of history, judgment, and redemption. As Dr. Michael Heiser puts it[4] “God’s sovereignty is not rigid control over every action, but supreme authority and ownership of the cosmos”. Revelation pulls a beautiful biblical hermeneutic to show Gods judgment is always for redemption. We see that example perfectly in the story of Christ. Where God redeemed a murderer, Barabbas, in order that his son could die, rise again and save the entire world. In that, God delayed his judgment on man, put in all on his son so that we all might come to repentance.
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[1] . (Boyd, G. (2017) The Crucifixion of The Warrior God. Fortress Press).
[2] Keener. C. (2000) Revelation The NIV application Commentary), 233
[3] (Keener. C. (2000) Revelation The NIV application Commentary).267
[4] (Heiser. M (2009) God’s Sovereignty and Nature’s Freedom)
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