This is an INTEREST GROUP PRESENTATION ABSTRACT; the paper will be presented at the Jamaica Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel in October, 2012.  Comments are welcomed!  View all abstracts.

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This paper looks first at the apocalyptic text of 2 Peter 3:10-13 and suggests an alternate reading to the vaporization and replacement of the present cosmos. Then it explores the rainbow and creational worship in Revelation 4 and 5, the four horsemen in Chapter 6 depicting the groaning of creation. We look at the grim artistry of the trumpet warnings in Chapter 8 and the ‘shock and awe’ visions of Chapter 16, making note of the verdict of God’s justice rendered by the ‘angel of the waters’ and the explicit promise that God will destroy those who destroy the earth (11:18).  It is vital for the church to consider how to see this and teach it as a creation-care text underscored by hope rather than viewing it cynically or fatalistically (or worse, voyeuristically) as the inevitable destiny of a doomed world. The paper concludes by examining the vision of the urban garden in Chapter 21 and the pristine river of the new creation in Chapter 22 and some implications and possibilities for those who seek to live by new creation principles in the present world.