"A Glorious Vision" - a sermon on Revelation 7:9-17

When it comes down to it, we don’t know very much about the after-life, and what it will be like in heaven. And this is well and good, for we have so much responsibility here on earth, that’s enough for us to deal with. Eternity will look after itself for us, if we fully put our trust in God, receive the gift of salvation, and follow in the way of Jesus. But sometimes it’s just nice to think what heaven might be like, especially at times when life (on earth) is getting us down. We read in Revelation chapter 7 (v.9-17) a glorious vision of life, such as it will be for those who enter heaven.

But, as I will argue over coming weeks, we should also seek to experience, as much as we can, this sort of connection and relationship with God here and now. We are worshipping apprentices here on earth, in preparation for an eternity filled with opportunities to commune with God (without distraction), so a bit of practice, better ... a lot of practice, would no doubt be a good idea! And given our freedoms here in Australia, we have unending opportunities and forums through which to express our worship and service to God. So, for this reason as well, we are given a bit of a view, a vision, of what eternity might be like.

Now, as I said, this ‘vision’ is very important for those who are struggling in this life. Here they see what a glorious time awaits them. The struggle will be replaced by beauty; sadness given over to joy. The Book of Revelation was primarily written to encourage Jesus followers suffering under the varied challenges of life and in some cases being persecuted for their faith. There was certainly degrees of distress and harassment in the churches that this document was addressed originally to (the churches referred to in chapters two and three), being marginalised communities trying to exist within the general Greco-Roman culture.

This book reassures us that God will have the last word and that Jesus has brought the victory. When I was a young boy, I thought that the crowd of over 121,000 at the MCG for the 1970 Carlton versus Collingwood Grand Final was huge. But that was nothing compared to the vision we have in Revelation 7. John sees a vision of the biggest crowd imaginable, incorporating people from all nationalities and language groups, standing in awe before God and Jesus, clothed in transformed perfection, waving palm branches acknowledging their king, and singing together “Salvation belongs to our God”.

To say “Salvation belongs to our God ... and to the Lamb”, is to acknowledge that our total well-being is found in our relationship with God made possible through Jesus. Now, on a much smaller scale, we have already rehearsed for this today; just without the palm branches. What will it be like to sing that song in such a large gathering, simultaneously in thousands of languages? As we look at our society and shake our head and wonder sometimes, this glorious vision should encourage us. We are part of something big, huge, immeasurable, and eternal; all the children of God that span all the centuries, the cultures and the continents are together (M Eugene Boring).

Where at the “tower of Babel” (Genesis 11) God dispersed people into different language groups so that they would never again be tempted to think they could usurp God from his throne, now those who have responded positively to God over the centuries will happily and enthusiastically gather around God’s throne in thanksgiving and praise (without any thought at all of rebellion). This was foreshadowed on the day of Pentecost when people of many varied cultures heard the gospel of Jesus (from the mouths of the disciples) in their own language.

All the angels and heavenly beings will be there, and “elders” too – which perhaps represent all of God’s true leaders and prophets that have been so foundational to our faith – the patriarchs like Abraham and Moses and the apostles like Peter and Paul. These provided an example for us as they “fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God” (v.11-12). For God in “wisdom” and “might” has brought them (and us) through from birth to death to eternity; or we might say – ‘from birth to spiritual re-birth to physical death into eternity’.

In verses 13 to 14 we have a very interesting dialogue between John and one of the “elders”. John hears the “elder” say to him, “Who are these [ones] robed in white ... where have they come from”? John replies to the effect, ‘well I could guess but I reckon you are the one who already knows’! This dialogue sets the scene for we listeners and readers to hear the important identification that follows. Our attention has been gained and we hear: “These are [the ones] who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.

Now sometimes this “great ordeal” is interpreted to mean some future ‘end-time’ period of great persecution, or perhaps a specific time of persistent persecution back in the first century of the church, and each of these may be true; but I still think it best to see this “great ordeal” as generally representing each of our testing journeys of life on earth in a fallen world environment, or if you like, the violence and terror and evil that can afflict any generation. If we over-analyse the symbolism in the Book of Revelation we tend to get bogged down in a multitude of different opinions and in so doing miss the basic message.

Using such terminology as the “great ordeal” will serve to wake up any of those who were complacent about their faith and saw no contrast between their Christian commitment and the surrounding culture, making them aware of the critical situation in which they lived and the threat they faced (M Eugene Boring) – i.e. the danger of compromising themselves out of their salvation experience.

Life is difficult, especially if you are abused, neglected or oppressed on the one hand, or you make an unpopular yet righteous stand against the tide on the other hand. One brings poverty, the other brings persecution. Yet, hang in there, God will have the victory, and you can be a part of it. “Who are these ... and where have they come from” is the question. The answer is: ‘these are the ones who have received God’s gift of forgiveness through accepting what Jesus did for them on the cross – these are the ones who have had a change of heart and direction, and allowed God’s Spirit to transform them – these are the ones who have taken their burdens to the foot of the cross and left them there – these are the ones who have emerged from the threat of evil clothed in the righteousness made possible by Jesus’.

To loudly sing “Salvation belongs to our God” suggests that we know that we have been lifted out of the mire and been cleansed; we understand that something remarkable has happened to us and continues to happen to us ... leading us to such gratefulness. Our state of being “robed in white”, as we have it in verse 9, has occurred because we have washed our robes (ironically in the blood of Jesus) – verse 14. This has happened as we have received Jesus’ forgiveness and then actively kept ourselves away from the perversions that ‘dirty’ life.

The ones who have “come out of the great ordeal” have been interpreted by some to be those who have died (or will die) for their faith and become martyrs. But equally, we could consider such ones as any whose faith has been found genuine through times of trouble. Their lives have equally been given up for Jesus and his cause – they have truly ‘taken up their cross and followed him’; and even in this life they have “irrepressibly” risen above their ordeals (Michael Wilcock). Of course, such generous commendation of these “martyrs” (and their resultant celebratory state) is because they never took the ‘easy way out’.

“For this reason”, we go on to read in verse 15, “they are before the throne of God”. I’m excited! I’m really excited!! Again this knowledge and this assurance of what lies ahead has a very real impact on how I live now. The “temple” referred to here (in v.15) is strange because we read in other places that there will be no such “temples” in heaven. Even the mention of “shelter” is interesting, for why would we need to be “sheltered” in the perfect climate of heaven. I think this reference (in verse 15) is reflecting back to our life here and now in this world, and asking us to apply the strength of our faith to our current circumstances, before it reflects back to the eternal security we have with our Good Shepherd Jesus (in v.16-17).

It is our internal and our eternal security that helps us deal creatively and properly with our current struggles and trials. And so we are not only confident in the future, but also in the present, for God is with us here too. The same Jesus that awaits welcoming us at God’s throne, provides thirst-quenching water and 30+ sunscreen and divine consolation now. While we wait patiently for our eternal peace, the love of God “superintends” (or manages) our misfortunes (Richard B Hays).

Ultimately there will be no thirst nor hunger nor heat nor cold to worry about at all. This doesn’t just happen through a perfect environment, but more so through the ongoing loving shepherding of Jesus. And we also read that “God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (v.17), which suggests that all the grief, shame and weariness that we have carried through life will be lifted off us completely! How could this be when we carry our sorrow so deeply? Think about that! Do we leave all our emotions behind ... or become like a robot? I’m sure we don’t!! The passion of the worship seen here would also deny that! There just must be something so remarkable about being so tightly in God’s presence like this, that our various sorrows all roll away. Problems, disability, anxiety, loneliness, hardship, pain, even missed opportunities, will be things of the past. There will be nothing to fear anymore.

We will be able to put all of life’s disappointments aside, and simply worship God in the company of our brothers and sisters. Nothing now separates us from enjoying perfect harmony with God. Our own sin has been dealt with, and evil cannot touch us anymore. It is not those who have selfishly and callously sought power and wealth who are here; it is not the unrepentant abusers and oppressors and bullies who have waged war on us that are here; it is you and I who John sees here ... in this glorious vision of heaven. This passage challenges any thought that the church of Jesus Christ is on a mission to nothing and cannot survive the forces against it – quite the opposite – the ultimate success and vindication of committing to God’s service is seen in the mass international celebration of Revelation 7.