Black Elk never doubted that his vision depicted the harmony and life that the Great Spirit wanted for all the children of the earth. Yet he felt the vision had failed, and he blamed himself. I wonder why it came to me, a pitiful old man who can do nothing. If a man or woman or child dies, it does not matter long, for the nation lives on. In fact, neither the vision nor Black Elk had failed.
Scripture knows another vision, one that depicts the consummation of all things.
It is John's vision of the new heaven and new earth. Revelation tells of the early Christians being hunted down, persecuted, economically blacklisted, and killed, the same as Black Elk's people. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. . . . He also sees unimaginable wealth. This is not just the fantasy of the oppressed, yearning for what had always been denied them.