John (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) and Jesus (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15) come preaching repentance. Over time, though, it becomes clear that the Jews are not repenting, and Jesus begins to denounce the cities that don’t respond to His message of repentance (Matthew 11:20-21; 12:41; Luke 10:13; 11:32). Jesus’ lurid predictions of judgment are a response to that failure to repent, and in response the Jewish leaders seal their impenitence by demanding that Jesus be crucified.
Revelation’s use of the verb “repent” (metanoeo) is patterned in the same way. Jesus comes preaching repentance, this time to the churches of Asia (2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3; 3:19). Three-quarters of the use of the verb are found in chapters 2-3. Afterward, the verb is only used with a negative particle (ou): They did not repent (9:20-21, 16:9, 11). These later impenitents are not the members of the churches of Asia, but their fate does serve as a warning to those churches. If you want to avoid the fate of Babylon the great city (Revelation 17-18), then you’d better not not-repent. You’d best listen to Jesus, who comes preaching repentance.
And then there’s the neat little fact that the verb metanoeo is used 12 times in the book, which perhaps serves as a numerical hint about the people whom He is calling to repentance.
Acts follows Luke’s gospel, with the Spirit-filled apostles taking on the role of Jesus, and Revelation is to the gospels as Acts is to Luke: Jesus comes preaching repentance, gets crucified, rises; the apostles come preaching repentance, get stoned, and judgment falls.
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