For the longest time, I refused to read Revelation. It portrayed an apocalypse that made me, even as a believer, terrified that I wouldn’t escape its wrath. But as I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve realized that we should read Scripture through the character of Christ rather than the assumptions of our own human experiences.
When we win the championship game, we get the trophy, the yearbook shoutout, the glory. When we dress the right way, say the right thing, impress the right guy, we get the date. When we clean all the dishes, fold all the laundry, keep all the children alive, we buy the fancy cup of coffee, shame-free.
We live off of a self-made merit system. Work hard, play hard, win big. Right?
I’m a firm believer that most people aren’t lazy. Our culture is all about some goal-setting and expensive, sticker-laden planners. We don’t mind making big moves and making things happen, but we put the weight of our worth on how well all of these plans pan out. Often, when things go south, we don’t give ourselves any amount of grace. We take it personally and create our own identity crisis.
So, while Revelations 22:12 (ESV) says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done,” I think we need to revisit this verse with extra grace—the kind of grace Christ gives, not the kind of grace we socially distance ourselves from out of guilt and failure.
Here are three freeing, less Zeus-like ways to interpret this Scripture:
1. Understand Exactly Why Christ Is “Coming Soon”
Do you remember Matthew 25 and the parable of the virgins with their lamps? It’s this beautiful display of what it means to wait on Christ’s second return, always prepared to run away with the Bridegroom.
Yes, Christ’s second return will be a devastating day for the nonbeliever who doesn’t have their lamp lit, but we often believe that He is bringing Judgment Day to earth. Let’s get a few facts straight: Christ is returning to earth for His bride (us), and all the heavy judging will be in a heavenly realm.
When Christ says He’s “coming soon... to repay each for what he has done,” He’s coming for the brides who are dancing around with their fiery batons, sparklers, match bouquets, and oil lamps—ready for a Bridegroom Whose recompense looks different, softer, kinder than anything else.
2. Check Up on the True Definition of “Recompense”
I grew up in a church that thrived off of misinterpreting the King James Bible. “It’s the King James or the highway!” I was told... as if we were worshiping an interpretation of the Bible rather than the Godhead that brought the original Scripture to life.
Rather than understanding the character of Christ, I was taught to revere a version of the Bible that I never understood. From the way I saw things, the more thee-eth and thou-eth it was, the holier. No questions asked. No definitions or further studies required.
Even if your church doesn’t have an unhealthy obsession with a particular translation of the Bible, it’s common for church people to make assumptions about Scripture, or to misinterpret a verse. After all, most of us are pros at reading one verse and neglecting the context of the whole chapter, the whole book, the whole purpose behind the whole Bible. Right?
If you check out the definition of “recompense,” it means “to make amends (to someone) for loss or harm suffered.”
Perhaps instead of assuming that Revelation is this big, mean horror story, we should see it as the ultimate healing, as Christ coming back to save us from the sin and hurt that we’ve suffered.
3. Heal Your Understanding of "Repaying"
Repaying someone has a negative connotation these days. For me, personally, when I think of repayment, I recall crime shows where someone gets jealous over some dirty money and kills the other guy off (who stole the dirty money from him). I think of parents going through a nasty divorce and using the child as a pawn to get even.
It’s often judgmental and cruel, and it never ends well.
But, as the story usually goes, I’ve taken my perspective, my understanding, my definition of a word like “repaying” and made all sorts of inaccurate assumptions.
In Revelation, we see the repayment as Christ coming back to earth and torching the whole place. We think He somehow revels in the Tribulation period while we’re over here hoping and praying that the Pre-Millennial theological perspective is correct.
Again, though, we’ve forgotten the source of God’s love, the “why” behind why Christ came to earth the first time. He came to restore. And yes, the Bible says He’s coming back with fire a second time, but remember that Christ never repays from a seat of hate and vengeance. He repays with grace, which means we not only dodge the bad stuff we deserve, but we get the free, redeeming stuff that cost Him His everything.
Yes, He’ll repay with fire a second time. But this fire will only consume what is evil, and meanwhile, purify what is His. As Christ’s beloved, this fire will only refine, cleanse, and heal hearts.
For the longest time, I refused to read Revelation. It portrayed an apocalypse that made me, even as a believer, terrified that I wouldn’t escape its wrath. But as I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve realized that we should read Scripture through the character of Christ rather than the assumptions of our own human experiences.
This isn’t to say that this newfound reading method softens the blow of conviction. Trust me, it puts conviction on high resolution, but when we see Christ as a (healthily) jealous, protective Bridegroom, as One Who desires to heal what’s broken in us, and as a God Who always repays with more goodness than we deserve, we see repayment as a win-win that calls us to not only be grateful, but calls us to extend unmerited grace and favor to others.
Let’s repay—but in a Jesus, maybe even Revelation, sort of way.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/leolintang
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