violence

"One of the central messages of the book of Revelation—spoken to a people who were struggling with persecution, war, famine, and pestilence—is that there are interludes throughout where we see the worship of the saints and the angels in heaven. There is a consistent picture that in spite of all the chaos that the world seems to be devolving into, we see the worship of God in heaven. There is a sense in which it is a reminder to us that God remains on his throne and sovereign—that God will gather all things up unto himself.