OCTOBER 10, 2017 One of the panelists in the ”Living the Questions” series, Barbara R. Rossing author of ‘The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation’ said that the whole book of Revelation is leading up to the idea of the new heavens and the new earth, the heavenly Jerusalem, where justice is brought about in contrast to the Roman Empire.

Blurb from library online catalog – Countering the armageddoneers who dominate the wavelengths and book racks, Rossing (New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago) says that the Bible does not provide a predictive screenplay for worldwide violence and disaster in the Middle East. Rather, Revelation’s gift is a story of God who loves us and comes to live with us; Biblical prophets are not predictors of end-time events, but inspired voices calling people to repentance and justice. She assumes no background in theology. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

She said we must get better at telling counter-stories, that is ones that show the love of God rather than the science fiction type ones like Left Behind.

‘Thus, the message of the book of Revelation becomes a reframing of the whole concept of victory, giving victory first to the Lamb and then to us. Nowhere in Revelation do God’s people ”wage war.” What they do is ”conquer” or ”become victors” — and they do that by the Lamb’s own blood and by their courageous testimony, not through Armageddon or war. In contrast to Rome’s theology that defined Victory as military conquest, Revelation develops a counter-theology of the non-violent victory (nike) of Jesus, God’s slain Lamb, in which ”evil is overcome by suffering love,” not by superior power.’