"The wrath of the Lamb" in the Revelation of St. John (6,16-17)

Abstract

Revelation of John is concerned with the final conflict with evil and the ultimate fulfillment of God’s redemptive act in Christ, so the book speaks to generations of Christians who are convinced that history cannot be allowed to continue on its present course. Consequently, conflicts and threats from the first century achieve apocalyptic significance, and the description of the end time is painted with colors drawn from a period in history in which the churches were confronted concretely with the seduction and threats of oppressive and idolatrous powers.

One aspect of the text of Revelation is the expressive and evocative nature of its language. Part of the power of the book's language is in the fact that much of it was borrowed from the Hebrew scriptures and made to function with freshness and relevance in the settings of the first-century churches of Asia Minor and beyond. Several theological points from the book should be made to help establish a context for discussing them. Firstly, the wrath that is poured out upon the world is the wrath of the "Lamb" (6:16). Even the conquering Christ at the final day of triumph rides upon his steed with his "robe dipped in blood" (19:13) implying that he conquers as the one who has been baptized in suffering through the cross. This is not the wrath of an evil or capricious tyrant but the wrath of injured love supremely revealed in the cross. Secondly, the saints themselves conquer by the blood of the Lamb (12:11). Their victory is also the victory of suffering love over evil as they identify with the crucified Lamb. Revelation granted oppressed Christians of the late first century an ultimate dignity before God that the world could not take away, for the world’s judgments have been realized by the Lamb who functions as the final Judge of history.