Annihilation or Renewal?

Mark B. Stephens investigates the cosmic eschatology of Revelation, with a particular focus on the question of continuity and discontinuity between the present and future world. Key background texts are examined for their influence, including selected traditions from the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple apocalyptic texts, and the literature of early Christianity. The centrepiece of the analysis is an integrated exploration of the topic throughout the entirety of Revelation. Drawing upon a range of methodologies, the author shows that the imagery and auditions of Revelation work together to communicate both judgement upon the present order of creation, and yet at the same time the eschatological renewal of all things. In particular, the eschaton is depicted in terms of a transfer of sovereignty over the earth, with the eschatological arrival of God's throne bringing about the displacement of the present "destroyers of the earth" (Rev 11:18).