Revelation 7:9-17 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 7:9-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. Verse 10They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Verse 11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, Verse 12singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
Verse 13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" Verse 14I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Verse 15For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. Verse 16They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; Verse 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Devotion
What a scene! This is no golden sunset, beautiful flower garden or mountain view. John describes what human eyes have not yet seen. We can only faintly imagine what he is portraying. Yes, we can have an experience of God, of an angel or a flash of insight into a Bible passage. Some years ago, a Sunday survey at various churches in a Minnesota city disclosed that one in three has had an experience beyond the normal ones of this world. Maybe you are one of them. But most of us must just savor what John saw.
In troubled times of persecution, famine, disaster or death of a loved one, Christians are especially open to hear and imagine what this passage describes. It will be our living reality when we leave this world. It is even now the regular experience of those now with the Lord. Some may disagree, believing that, “when you are dead, you are dead.” But it is our promised eternity. No wonder some saints are ready to die. They want to see Jesus’ face.
Prayer
Dear Lord, most of the time we are not anxious for you to take us from this world. But there are times, and the time will probably come, when we are glad to leave. Amen.