God Wins: The Message of the Book of Revelation
A Serie by Ray Jewell
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'”
– Revelation 7:9-17
This picture of heaven now foreshadows the eternal new heavens and new earth. Heaven now is doing the same thing as eternity, though it is not yet complete. But look who is pictured here. People from every tribe, nation, people, too numerous to count. And in the center of it all is the Lamb, the key figure in this whole drama.
Notice the two paradoxical realities given here. First, the ones in white robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Think about it. How does washing something in blood make it white? Well, it doesn’t. Washing something in blood will make the garment a red bloody mess. The people dressed in white robes came through difficult times. They are in the presence of God for eternity because their robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. In other words, it is because of the sacrifice of this Lamb that they are in God’s presence.
The other paradox, the Lamb IS the shepherd. Again this makes no sense from a human perspective. Yet this Lamb is known in the Gospels as the Great Shepherd, the One who lays down His life for His sheep. He is the sacrifice and he is the One in charge. In fact, it is because he lays down His life that He has authority over all things.
So, what is happening in heaven now? The same things that will happen in eternity. Serving God day and night, no more hunger, no more thirst, no more sweating, no more tears. The curse of sin is gone. May we join them in there song as we wait for our turn to go to God.
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
Until next time,
TO THE GLORY OF GOD!
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