The Resting Church Rejoices

All Saints Sunday

November 2, 2014

Revelation 7:9-17

The Resting Church Rejoices

†

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I.

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 in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

Revelation 7:9-10

The last book of the Bible is a detailed record of what God revealed to St. John in a vision. But unlike a dream while you sleep, John was awake during this vision. What he saw did not come from his imagination. And what he saw was given for the comfort and certainty of all Christians. John saw that Jesus wins! All of history and time cannot escape the victory of God's Son over sin and death.

In the first several chapters John saw the church on earth. The church on earth is a church at war. We fight not with guns, but with the Gospel. St. Paul explains the war we are fighting is a war for hearts and minds.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:11-13

Paul goes on to say: Stand firm! Ready feet! Extinguish flaming arrows! Be alert! This is the church at war against the Devil and our own temptations. We fight enemies within and without. But all our fighting does not save us. Our fighting is the work of souls who already are saved. Christ blesses His people and keeps us safe in His Word until the end of life.

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

II.

But in this chapter, chapter seven, John sees what is to come: the great gathering of believers gathered around the true God, crying out His Word. They are no longer at war; they are finally at rest. And so they rejoice. Down on earth God's saints had been divided by time, space, and our own sin. But in heaven this is no longer true. In the life to come we are one great multitude.

The multitude comes from every nation and tribe and language. In the Old and New Testaments those who trusted in Jesus' promises were scattered into all the earth, some voluntarily, others were forced. But wherever they ended up, they preached the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Their pastors baptized and they preached; they celebrated the Lord's Supper. They were the Church among all tribes and nations and peoples.

We live in a world that pays lip service to multiculturalism, and sadly this lip service only ends up bullying individuals and divinding cultures. The only thing that will ever truly transcend culture is sin and Christ. All are sinners. And Jesus died for all of them, all of us. And this good news compels all creation to rejoice. And John sees other creatures, not human beings, rejoicing, too!

II.

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!" Revelation 7:11-12

Earlier in John's Revelation we meet the elders and the creatures. The living creatures seem to be special angels. And as living angels they are messengers with the message of the living God.

There are 24 elders and they represent the believers in the time of the Old Testament and the believers in the time of the New Testament. They are stand-ins for the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of Christ. Thus they are 24 and represent believers of all time.

III.

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "My lord, you know." And he said, "These are they who are coming out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:13-14

Suddenly in the middle of this joyful praise, one of the elders stops to ask John a question. Think of this exchange like a parent speaking to a child who is seeing something new for the first time. The parents asks the child to explain what they are seeing and the child responds by assuming that the parents already knows the answer. And the elder here does.

These are the saints, the communion of saints, who have endured temptation and doubt and have come through the great tribulation of life into the great peace of everlasting life. Great tribulation sounds like a believers being burned at the stake or beheaded. Indeed this was happening when John wrote these words long ago, but it still happens today. But just as we should not compare are goodness to others, we shouldn't compare our sufferings to the situations of others either.

Our life is filled with worry and trouble. Much of it is caused by the sinfulness that flows from our hearts and out of our mouths. Some of it comes at us from our spouses and families. A little comes from the world around us. We live in a culture that considers gently speaking the truth to be rude and aggresive and mean. And so these bullies overwhelm us with the worry of being thought a bully by others. And so to avoid any persecution or hassle, the Christ we hear and receive on Sunday morning has little bearing on what we do on Monday or even Sunday night.

Seeing our future through John's eyes fills us with courage for the present tribulations of our lives. Even if we didn't have this confident picture of the future, we'd still be saved until the end by the goodness of our Savior. But in His mercy, He gives us this look at the future as an encouragement, a promise of what is to come that puts courage into us. And that courage is Christ Himself.

He has washed our robes with His blood. This makes us think of Baptism and Communion. He has made us a communion of saints, who now are at war with the world and in conflict with our own sinful flesh. But soon this struggle will pass into distant memory when Jesus returns for you. And then you will be

". . . before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over you. Never again will you hunger; never again will you thirst. The sun will not beat upon you, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be your Shepherd; He will lead you to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from your eyes." Revelation 7:15-17

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.