Devotion 10.27.26

Revelation 7

"A Great Multitude from Every Nation

"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.”

God's salvation is found in The Lamb, his Son, who fulfills the promise given to us through God's steadfast love. By faith, a gift from God, we will be part of those who join him in everlasting life.

Revelation is a book about hope and comfort to the living. Hope in Christ specifically is the theme found throughout. 

Today's passage is one such example of the hope given to believers who, having faced tests, trials and tribulation on earth, unite with Christ in death.

This can take us back to the promise given to Abraham of having offspring as numerous as the stars, "if you can count them" (Genesis 15). This offspring is from every nation, fulfilling Christ's command to us to go into every nation, teaching and baptizing them in the name of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28).

We are comforted by the words of John in this passage for the simple reason that we are among those who have hope in our salvation to join these saints in our life-everlasting. As we mourn the loss of those who've gone before us, we are comforted by the fact that they are in Christ's presence, and that we will join them when our time comes. 

Until that time, we daily pray that God gives us opportunities to serve and share his Word to those who don't know Christ and the promise of the resurrection.

Praise be to God for his saving Word made flesh! Praise to God for the redemption that saves a wretch like me. Praise to God who gives us this "new song" which we share with the world, every nation and every tongue. Amen.