Matthew 24:44
You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Heavily inspired by the Book of Revelation, this piece invites the viewer to step into the shoes of John the Revelator. While not a literal depiction of what John described being revealed on the island of Patmos, it is an artist's interpretation of what he may have seen and how he tried to explain it. Throughout the work there are symbolic ties to Scripture, references to historic Christian traditions and subtle nods to modern pop culture. This piece draws heavily from religious iconography throughout history expressed through my personal style and artistic preferences. Science fiction also influenced the design of the floating city, New Jerusalem. I often limit my palette to only a few colors and for this piece, I only used black and white to emphasize composition and direct focus toward the message. Revelation 5:6 was the original title, as the central focal point of Jesus, reflects the slain lamb with 7 horns and 7 eyes that are described in the verse. However, after a lot of thought, research, and prayer, I chose to title the piece Matthew 24:44. This verse is plucked from a few different ways Jesus tells his disciples of the suddenness of His return, emphasizing that the Son of Man will come unexpectedly and without warning.
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”(Matthew 24:36-44 NLT)
This work along with the message are not meant to inspire fear, it is a promise of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to destroy all evil once and for all and for His children to spend eternity with Him. We have been given a lifetime and nearly two thousand years to prepare for His coming. My prayer is that we are all ready when He returns.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
BreakDown
In Revelation 21:1-2, The city of New Jerusalem is described as coming down from God out of Heaven.
Early renaissance paintings often showed flying objects that have symbolic ties to stars, angels or holy presence. But through a modern day lens, they look like Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena(aka UAP aka UFO).
(The Miracle of the Snow, Livre des Bonnes Meurs, The Madonna with Saint Giovannino, The Annunciation with Saint Emidius, etc.)
The floating city was stylistically inspired by the music video Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz. This building on the left of the screen is a subtle nod to the windmill featured in the video.
New Jerusalem is described as a ~1400 mile square with walls all around. I drew this city with massive buildings and trees.
Halo around the heads of divine figures has been a tradition since around the 4th century.
There is an eastbound wind making Jesus’ hair and robe flow. An eastbound wind in biblical context is understood as God's judgement(Hosea 13, Exodus 10, and Isaiah 27). This is shown in this piece because the viewer is in the shoes of the revelator being told about the impending final judgment.
The right hand gesture is called ICXC(Greek abbreviation for Jesus Christ). Used in Eastern Orthodox and some Catholic iconography, every finger's position is symbolic. The index, middle, and pinky finger represents the Trinity, the thumb and ring finger show the union of the divine and human nature in Christ.
Revelation 1:13 described the Son of Man standing wearing a long robe and gold sash.
All leading lines point to Christ
All light comes from this top point, this references God in New Jerusalem(Revelation 22:5). Also a reference to the original Star Wars poster
The city is stylistically inspired by the plane Coruscant in the Star Wars Universe.
Real world observatories that are used to look into space.
In Revelation 22:2, a river flowing through trees of life are described. While planning for this piece, I considered water flowing down, but I ended up only drawing the trees. The trees are also a reference to the Garden of Eden.
In Revelation 1:7, Jesus is described as being revealed to all people from the clouds.
There are wounds/scars on Jesus’ face and hands. In Revelation 5:6, a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, was revealed to John the revelator.
Also in Revelation 5:6, the Lamb is also seen with 7 horns and 7 eyes.
Hand out with palm up becoming you to join Him.
There are 3 distinct subjects in the piece; the floating city(New Jerusalem), Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the clouds. These are symbolically linked to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The city is purposely drawn to look like a large crown with 7 horns(buildings, large antennas, and structures) showing the Father as the head of the Trinity. In John 3:8, the Holy Spirit is compared to a blowing wind.
Behind the Scenes
First Sketch
Final Sketch
Timelapse
Midpoint Photo
Planning City
Planning Composition
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