‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ is a play by William Shakespeare, a comedy that reminds us that however many obstacles are faced in life, a happy ending pleases everyone. All too often in life, we are faced with the awkward truth that not everything does end well for us, but the Bible is adamant that the ending of the story of life is a happy one for those who trust Him. God is our Saviour and King; His plans cannot be thwarted, and so we are assured that we are on the winning team. We cannot guarantee the ‘happy ending’ on earth, but we are urged to live in the light of eternity, where the ending definitely is happy for those who love righteousness. (2 Cor 4:16-18)

Our Bible studies in the book of Revelation have shown us great suffering, persecution, plagues, judgments and death; one church member recently commented, ‘it’s all a bit heavy.’ I suspect many of us feel life is like that: rather too heavy at times! But even in the midst of bizarre symbolism of dragons and beasts and scarlet prostitutes, there is hope in the book of Revelation. We have found it in the worship of the Lamb and Lion of the tribe of Judah who has triumphed. (Rev 5:1-10) We have found it in the promise that God will lead His people to springs of living water and wipe away every tear. (Rev 7:17) We have found it in the assurance of triumph through the blood of the Lamb and the word of testimony. (Rev 12:11) Once again, in Revelation 17, we find hope: ‘The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled.’ (Rev 17:16-17)

God’s words will always be fulfilled. Therefore we have hope.

Allegory is a literary device in which a story points to a hidden or symbolic parallel meaning. The story is enjoyable and complete in its own right, but it points to something else at the same time: Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ and C. S. Lewis’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ are examples of this, with the pilgrim representing the Christian and the trials he goes through in life, and Aslan the lion representing Christ.

Stories are one of God’s main ways of communicating with us, perhaps because we all identify so strongly with characters in a story. Jesus often taught using stories (parables); the Parable of the Sower, for example, tells the simple story of a farmer sowing seed on different kinds of soil, but the underlying meaning is about the role of God’s word in our lives and how different our responses to that word can be.

Allegory takes the everyday and the familiar and shows us that life works on different levels. One of the strongest metaphors in the Bible is that of marriage. Marriage, a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, is not only the foundation of family life, but points to the relationship between Christ and the church. (Eph 5:21-32) The relationship is founded on love, faithfulness, commitment and covenant. Adultery in the Bible is used not only to describe the breakdown of this relationship but to show us how anything less than whole-hearted devotion to Christ will not do. Hosea the prophet marries a prostitute on God’s orders to live out a parable of God’s unconditional love despite the waywardness of His people. Ezekiel and Jeremiah speak frequently on this topic (see Ezekiel 16 & 23, Jeremiah 2), using language that often shocks us. So it is not surprising to find the theme of prostitution and adultery featuring so heavily in Revelation 17. Perhaps what ought to shock us the most is how strange we find this in modern days, largely because we are so inured to sexual immorality – we live in a society which tells us repeatedly that ‘anything goes’ these days. Perhaps that is why God blasts us out of our complacency and indifference with chapters like Revelation 17, reminding us that honour, faithfulness and devotion matter even today.

Babylon, the city representing the godless way of the world, is called ‘the mother of prostitutes’, is clothed in purple and scarlet (symbols of power and immorality) and sits on the scarlet beast (already identified as Satan in earlier parts of Revelation.) Many have interpreted her power not only in terms of false religion but in terms of economic and political influence. Babylon is the antithesis of Jerusalem. The two cities represent all that is worst and best in the world: those who follow the prince of the air and who defy God, believing their own ideas and beliefs are the way to freedom and happiness, and those who follow Christ, living on earth with an awareness of eternity and understanding how different God’s ways and thoughts are from their own. (Is 55:8-9)

The Bible is explicit that ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great!’ (Rev 18:2, Rev 14:8) As we head towards the climax of Revelation and await the wedding supper of the Lamb, another allegory/ metaphor reminding us of the joyous banquets associated with weddings (Rev 19:7-9), we need to keep in mind that whilst evil may seem to flourish now, that will not be the case forever. (Rev 17:16-17) God’s plans and purposes are being worked out; He will triumph in the end.

We often talk about ‘raising the roof’ with celebrations (think of all the Manchester City fans last night as their team claimed the treble by winning the UEFA Champions League as well as the Premier League and FA Cup this year), but this morning we looked at how friends literally raised a roof to get their friend to Jesus. (Mark 2:1-11, Luke 5:17-26) and how the miracle that happened resulted not only in physical healing but the forgiveness of sins as well. Sometimes miracles are clearly visible, but sometimes they are not so obvious.

This story shows us that tenacity and friendship are crucial in life and that faith is needed for miracles to happen. We see a ‘seamless unity of believing and doing’ (see James 2:14-26) in the actions of the friends who made an opening in the roof to get their crippled friend to Jesus when there was no way into the house because of the crowds. They were not daunted by obstacles, but did all they could to bring their friend to Jesus, a reminder to us that this too can be our aim in life.

Before we see the miracle of healing, however, Jesus gets to the more fundamental problem all of us share: the need for the forgiveness of sins. Sin acts as a barrier between us and God. It separates us from a God who is too pure and holy to look on sin. (Hab 1:13) This is a universal problem for humanity, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) No matter how good we strive to be, we cannot be sinless; we cannot be perfect. That is not something we can afford to ignore, gloss over or pretend is not true, for the wages of sin is death. (Rom 6:23) If the problem of sin is not dealt with, then we face eternal separation from God; we face judgment and hell. Jesus shows us here His authority in all areas and proves that authority by not only forgiving sins (which cannot be seen) but by healing the man.

Eternal life, forgiveness, cleansing, restoration and healing are all available through God’s grace and mercy. These gifts can be received by us today if we have faith: ‘No work too hard for Him; in faith receive from Him.’ (‘Be Still’, David J. Evans) The sky really is the limit if the roof is raised!

Today we had the privilege of attending a 90th birthday party for Brenda, who attends our evening services and is also a member of Furlong Road Methodist Church. It was wonderful to spend some time with her and to see all her friends and family together.