Resurrection Hope: Homecoming (Revelation 7:9-17)
Intro
We’ve been exploring our resurrection hope the last three weeks and will conclude today at the end of the story in order to remind us what our homecoming will be like.
The apostle John, the author of Revelation, was one of Jesus’s closest friends. He referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. Though he was the only one of the 12 who was not martyred, records say that he was thrown alive into boiling oil because of his Christian witness, which he somehow survived. John had already watched many of his friends be executed, including his brother James. He was familiar with suffering.
The context of this vision is given in chapter 1 when John explains that he was exiled on the island of Patmos, off the coast of present-day Turkey, because of his work in the Lord. He would have had little to eat or drink and been extremely isolated. John writes that he was “in the Spirit” on the Lord’s day. I think this means that he was in prayer and worship, a deep time of communion with God, when he was caught up into a vision of heaven where he saw and heard from the Lord a perspective of the current reality for Christians.
Quick Application: This scene alone is worth pausing and meditating on. A man who was suffering greatly found incredible peace and rest for his soul by turning his attention to the Lord. He set his mind and heart on the Lord rather than his circumstances, and God met him in that place with what he needed to get through, as well as to encourage us with hope in our suffering.
A word about this book: The book of Revelation is often scary to Christians, and as a result, it is often ignored, but when properly understood, it is one of the most profoundly encouraging and strengthening words in Scripture. The main point of Revelation is that Christians should stand firm in suffering because Christ has overcome and will give us grace to overcome. It’s a call to endure for a little while. It’s a call to keep on the journey. It’s a call to keep believing and keep hoping because our suffering will soon be over and we will be home soon.
This message comes in the form of apocalyptic literature, which simply means that it comes in word pictures which reveal mysteries of heaven. They are meant to stir your imagination and build your faith.
People often get stuck in this book when they try to interpret it like a linear story. In the same way that people get stuck with the creation narrative in Genesis when they try to understand it scientifically and logically, we miss the point when we misunderstand the literary genre.
I believe, along with many other Bible scholars, that this book is best interpreted as many stories that tell the same story. Rather than being linear, this book is cyclical. In other words, it cycles through the same story in many different ways. Each story captures a unique angle or perspective of our strong reason to hope even in the face of intense suffering and opposition. When I studied this book in college with this perspective, this story came alive and provided rich material for me to meditate on in times of suffering.
There are plenty of Christians who interpret Revelation differently and that is ultimately ok. There are certain things we must affirm, like the bodily return of Christ and triumph over sin and Satan. But there are other things that simply are not worth dividing over, like what the millennial reign is.
Let’s get into the text.
Revelation
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “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.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The Sealed Sons of Israel Are The Great Multitude
I’m jumping into the middle of the chapter and skipping over the section of 144,000 sealed from the Sons of Israel. But I will comment on it briefly since these two sections are tied closely together and it helps provide an interpretive framework for this book. This first half zeroes in on God’s protection of his people in the midst of great upheaval in the earth under the wrath of God. The angels are instructed to seal “the servants of our God on their foreheads” before anything moves forward.
Then in verse 4 we read “I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.” He heard the number of the sealed. They are described as sons of Israel. But then in verse 9, notice the switch from what he hears to what he sees. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude…from every nation.”
So, he heard the number of the sealed, and they were called the sons of Israel. But then he saw a great multitude from every tribe and tongue. There is disagreement in the church over how best to interpret this but I believe the 144,000 is symbolic of the people of God including Israel.
This same pattern of hearing something mysterious and then seeing something that gives interpretation is used on few occasions like in chapter 5 when John hears about the conquering Lion of Judah and then sees the Lamb in the midst of the throne. Most scholars believe the number is symbolic and not literal. The list itself is strange too as it starts not with Reuben the firstborn but Judah. It also omits the tribe of Dan and adds both Manasseh and Joseph. So, I think it’s best to interpret this precise number as God’s intimate knowledge of all of his own. He knows all that are his and seals them with the promised Holy Spirit.
This interpretation doesn’t diminish the honor or role of the Jews in God’s salvation story but highlights it since it is through the Jewish Jesus from the tribe of Judah that we all are grafted into Israel as true sons of Abraham (e.g. Gal 3:29).
With that said, we can jump into our text to see more clearly how God protects his people until their homecoming. Look at verse 9.
The Great Multitude Before The Throne
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
What did John see? He saw a great multitude of people, both Jew and Gentile, before the throne. People from not just every nation, but every linguistic people group. This gets down to the minute families of the Earth.
Notice the two-part object of their worship. They are standing before the throne and before the Lamb worshiping just like we see in chapter 4-5.
In Revelation chapter 4, we see God on this throne, the Creator of all, with the seven-fold Spirit of God before the throne like torches of fire. Then, in Revelation chapter 5, we see the Lamb in the midst of the throne, described as one having the same authority and power as the one on the throne represented by 7 horns and 7 eyes described as the seven Spirits of God. So, just like that seen, we see again praises being given to God and to the Lamb.
Our confession as Christians in a triune God is given in picture form here. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit unique in their roles but worshiped by angelic beings and humans and animals alike as the one true God responsible for life and salvation.
Before The Throne
Before we get too lost in the details, just settle into the fact that all these people are standing face-to-face with their God. Their faith has become sight. No longer any separation, but only intimate, face-to-face communion forever. No longer anything to keep us apart from his full love and affection.
White Robes: They are before him clothed in white robes. We’ll see a little later that these people are described as having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So these white robes representing their purity and righteousness and ability to stand in God’s presence is not in themselves, but founded in the righteous atoning work of Jesus sacrificed on the cross.
Settle into this truth. You will not stand before God in shame or guilt. You will not run from his presence but run to it. You will be affirmed and shown to belong in that holy place to by what you wear. Church, we confess this even now. We have been made holy and pure in God’s sight in Christ!
Palm Branches: We’re also told that the multitude is holding palm branches in this moment of worship. When I think of palm branches, I think of the triumph entry and the mixed bag that moment was. Many who praised Jesus as the king who had come in the name of the Lord were soon shouting crucify him. Many of the spiritual leaders who witnessed Jesus being worshiped that day rebuked his disciples. But do you remember Jesus’s response? he said that if these were silent, even the rocks would cry out.
But now, no one is being silent. Rocks are not necessary, but God‘s image-bearing humanity in every language declares his praise in one voice while wielding palm branches in honor and love of the king.
What were they shouting? Salvation belongs to God and to the Lamb.
In Psalm 38 and Psalm 62, this confession is sung by the people of God. But in these Psalms it was a hopeful confession. It was a confession that God had saved them and yet salvation was not yet complete. They still had enemies, they still suffered. But here they confess that salvation is complete!
Salvation is what every human needs. Salvation is rescue from death. It is deliverance from enemies. “Save me” was the cry of the drowning Peter, representative the proper cry of every human lost in sin.
And from where shall our salvation come? Every people in every place in every time will confess together that salvation belongs to God to the Lamb.
There is no other name under heaven and earth by which man can be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, God’s only son sent from heaven out of love for his lost world.
We join with them now and we’ll join with them again clothed and white and face-to-face with our Savior. Salvation belongs to our God…and to the Lamb!
The Angel’s Response
Look with me now at verse 11.
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
It’s not just humanity that bows in worship in heaven, but the innumerable angels in festival singing.
These angels, other places called the hosts of heaven, the angel armies, are surrounding the throne, along with the elders and four living creatures around the throne.
When they hear the declaration from the church that salvation belongs to God in the Lamb, they fall to their faces and worship God.
Just imagine that. Humans leading angels in worship. We declare the Gospel, and they give God glory and honor.
This is where I believe Peter gets the idea that angels look upon our salvation longingly (1 Peter 1:12).
This heavenly worship also puts on fully display Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 3:“So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Eph 3:10
It is through the church and the salvation of it that all of heaven will be drawn to worship. When God‘s people stand and celebrate the victory of their king, every angel go to their faces, giving glory and honor to God. “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
The angels worship in a seven-part hymn. The seven descriptions of gods glory, might, and honor are symbolic of a full and complete worship. There is nothing held back. The angels acknowledge that there is one found worthy of worship. God alone is worthy of this worship and will be worthy throughout all eternity. Our worship will be fitting and no less exciting at year 1 billion as it will be in year one.
This should have been the response of Lucifer and all the angels who followed him in jealousy of God and his people. But countless angels did not followed Lucifer, even if they didn’t understand God’s plan. But now, through the Church, God’s wisdom in his plan of redemption is put on full display for the angels sparking this worship.
Who Are These In White?
Look now verse 13:
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
At this point, the narrative moves beyond simple observation to an interaction with one of the men of heaven. There are 24 elders on 24 thrones pictured in Revelation chapter 5, giving many interpreters reason to think that the elders are made up of the 12 heads of Israel and the 12 apostles. These two groups representing both the old and the new covenant people of God. One of them spoke up and asked John about the crowd?
John’s response is comical and I think captures what we all feel. Why on earth would you be asking me? You know! But this is a literary device intended to make sure nobody misses what the point of this hope filled passage. God wants every follower of Jesus to identify with this crowd and know that this is our destiny. This resembles our homecoming, when we the people of God will stand before the throne in robes of white and worship Him.
The Great Tribulation
And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The answer given by the elder is that these are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. Again, what you believe about the great tribulation depends on your interpretive framework, but my sense is that the great tribulation represents the suffering of the church in the time between Jesus‘s first and second coming.
The great tribulation is, in other words, what I think we are all enduring now. Certainly, I believe that in various generations, people endure more intense tribulation – think Nero and the Roman Colosseum or the more modern genocide of Armenian Christians in the early 1900’s. But each of these horrible eras of persecution is representative of the whole of this tribulation that we live in. The difficulty of standing firm in the faith is real.
They Have Overcome By The Blood Of The Lamb
But listen to what the elder declares of these who have come through this suffering:
They have washed the robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.
How did they stand? How will we stand? By the blood of the lamb. How do we come through the great tribulation? By the blood of the lamb. In Revelation chapter 12, we are told that the accuser of the brethren accuses them before the throne night and day, but that they overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (12:11).
The point here being that we, the people of God, are under great tribulation now between Jesus’s first and second coming, and it is only those who stand firm in their faith in Jesus will stand before the throne in joyful worship.
Before The Throne Night and Day
The elder gives even further description and a picture of our hope in verse 15:
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. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
They are before the throne and serve him day and night in the temple.
This is not something that should freak you out and make you think of heaven as an eternal worship gathering, but rather make you think of our eternal intimacy with God. This is good news. There is nothing that can separate us from our God. This is good news! We will know our rightful place and purpose and will never again sin. There will never be a reason for us to turn away in shame or guilt. We will boldly stand face to face with our God and serve him forever! We will lock eyes with our King. We will joyfully serve him night and day declaring his praises and living fully as we were made to live.
Sheltered With God’s Presence
And he who sits on his throne will shelter them with his presence.
This is one of the most incredible promises for a sufferer. Our God will shelter us forever and ever with his presence. When I think of God‘s presence, I think of the warmth of the lamp in the chicken coop which shelters the baby chicks. I think of a child stepping out to take a risk on something new who is comforted by his father’s eye contact and affirmation. I think of an infant quieted by the sound of its mother‘s voice. In the same way, we will be sheltered, comforted, hidden, by the presence of our God forever and ever. There will not be a place that we can go from his presence, where we will not experience his shelter. There is no reason to fear.
When people suffer, they often hunger for some tangible sign of God‘s care. We long to know that he sees us in our pain, that he hears our prayer. We experience tastes of this through Scripture’s Gospel promises, through God’s gentle voice in creation or in prayer, or through the care of a brother or sister. But then we will not wonder if he is near or if he hears or if he sees. Our faith will not be weak, but our faith will become sight and we will experience his presence day and night.
No More Suffering
Verse 16 highlights the end of our human suffering.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
These forms of suffering have been common to mankind throughout history. John likely felt these things acutely while suffering in exile. God did not create us with lack, but God’s abundance was snatched away by the effects of sin. Now we hunger, now we thirst, but then we were hungry and thirsty no more. Now we are scorched under the heat of the sun and various forms of suffering. Our work is difficult, childbearing is difficult, marriage and parenting are difficult. But soon we will be sheltered, never to suffer again.
God’s Care For Us In Christ
And who will comfort us? Well, we’ve already established that God’s presence will shelter us. But notice the word “for” or because in verse 17:
“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Even as we experience now, God’s presence is perfectly manifest in Jesus, the suffering Lamb. He walked this path before us and endured our pain. He is Immanuel. God with us. We are sheltered and comforted in the manifest presence of the Lord Jesus. He is our good Shepherd forevermore.
Jesus has been our shepherd until now. With you in mind, he went all the way to the cross to get you home. When he rose, he raised us up with him and united us to himself by his Spirit. Like he does now, he will do eternally. He will guide us to living water just as he promised. If anyone is thirsty, come to me, and I will give him a drink. Drink of living water.
In the shepherding care of our Lord Jesus, we experience God’s care. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes as he unites us face-to-face to his son. I love that the ending of our pain and suffering is so closely tied to our union with Jesus, to our connection with his shepherd care.
God’s comfort for lost sinners in this world was his presence among us through his son and it will be the same throughout eternity. Our comfort is and will forever be in Jesus. It will be his shepherding care that will be God’s means of wiping tears away. There is no comfort or salvation or peace apart from Jesus.
Conclusion: Resurrection Hope
What should this picture do for those who are suffering as we journey home?
Our prayer is that it would stir your faith and make you confident in this hope Jesus purchased for you.
We’ve meditated this month on our heavenly home, in order that we might join the apostle John in worship with joy inexpressible and filled with glory, even in the most dire circumstances.
Because Jesus is alive, our hope is securely fixed for us in him. We are united to him, seated with him in the heavenly places, sealed by the Holy Spirit, so we can be sure of this soon coming inheritance.
I’ll close with the wonderful exhortation from Hebrews 12:1-2:
English Standard Version Chapter 12
12 … let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
We walk this road set before us like Jesus who kept his eyes on the promises ahead. This road is a road of suffering. But even now, though we are grieved with various trials, we rejoice in the hope of eternal glory. Look to Jesus. He is exalted in heaven and will soon call you home.