Revelation 7:9-17 IT WILL BE BETTER
9 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. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 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, 12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" 13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes-- who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 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. 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 spread his tent over them. 16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17 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."
I was reading a book by Martin Luther, and he was making me feel guilty. It was a book filled with prayers written by him. I was reading prayers about Judgment Day. And I started reading those prayers and I started to feel guilty. Maybe you would feel guilty too. Listen to just a few excerpts from this book – prayers about Judgment Day…
“Graciously Hurry the coming of that day…” “…” “Grant that this day come soon…" Lord Jesus Christ, hurry! Lord Jesus, do not delay in bringing the blessed day …”
Basically, Martin Luther was saying in these prayers that this world is a mess, his life was difficult - and he wanted Jesus to return right now. “Lord, please make Judgment Day happen today! Bring it on, God, bring it on!” And so I felt guilty. You see, I don’t know if I’ve ever prayed that passionately for Judgment Day to come right now. Have you? Why didn’t you get up this morning, and before you came to church today you prayed, “God, please bring an end to this world right now. Hurry up.” Why didn’t you pray that?
I wonder if part of the reason is because we don’t really think life after Judgment Day will be much better. We’re used to the life we have right now, and we really would rather that it doesn’t change. Maybe, the real prayer in our heads that we don’t want to admit is “God, I know you say that Judgment Day is coming. But make it come later. Not right now, God, not right now. I’m used to this imperfect life I have – the imperfect house I live in, the imperfect place where I work, the imperfect family and friends that I have. I’m used to all of this, so not right now, God, not right now.
Martin Luther in his prayer book prays “Hurry, God!" Jesus says four times in the Book of Revelation, “I am coming soon!” And the Apostle John responds, “Come Lord Jesus!” In other words, bring it on.
What if your life would be better if Judgment Day happened today? What if your health, your relationships, the way you feel – everything about your existence, would become better? What if, most importantly, your relationship with God would be better, if Jesus returned right now? Today on this Christ the King Sunday we are going to see what life will be like when we are standing in the presence of Jesus Christ, our king. How much better will it be? It is my hope and prayer that after we study this portion of Scripture, we will desire more strongly the return of Jesus Christ.
In the book of Revelation, God is giving the Apostle John different visions to encourage him. Here in chapter 7, God gives John a glimpse of heaven, to encourage him. This picture of heaven also encourages us. Let’s take a look… 9 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.
Imagine being part of that crowd– you will look around and there will be too many people to count – thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people, standing in front of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our King. It will be better than any stadium you’ve ever been too – better than Lambeau field or Miller Park or the Bradley Center. A bigger adrenaline rush than any crowd that you have been a part of. And you will be cheering:
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." We’ll talk about those white robes in just a little bit. What will you hear in heaven? You'll hear people crying out in a loud voice. If you’ve ever been part of a crowd that's cheering loudly, this will be better. You’ll be cheering for Jesus Christ, celebrating the salvation that he has won for you on the cross, and it will be louder and better.
I wonder if part of the reason we would rather that Jesus not return today, right now, is because of our sin. Deep down, we know that we are sinful, and if Jesus returns, he’s going to see our sin. Do you ever think about that? Will he see our selfishness, our materialism, our pride, our lack of love and patience toward others, all of our sins. Maybe we don't want Jesus to return because we don't think we belong in this picture of heaven - holy angels, holy people. We're not holy – we don't belong. And so it’s OK if Jesus doesn’t come back today. He can come back later. I have too much sin for Jesus to let me into heaven.
But listen to this: “one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes-- who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 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.” Do you see that? Someday you’ll be wearing a white robe when you stand before the throne of God - represents purity, holiness, sins forgiven. How do you wash your robe and make it white in the blood of the Lamb? How do you get rid of that sin that’s stuck to your life? The rest of the Bible tells us – to repent of our sins, to believe in Jesus as our Savior – every time you say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” – you are washing your robe and making it white in the blood of the Lamb. Didn’t you confess your sins and receive God's forgiveness at the beginning of the service? Did you see the baby baptized this morning? That's when Jesus covers you with his righteousness. In the eyes of God, you’re wearing that white robe right now, even though you can’t see it.
Look at how much better it will be to stand in the presence of Christ our King: he will “spread his tent over us” – “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.” Imagine never wanting anything again, because you already have everything.
“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." How will it feel, to drink living water - water that makes you feel more alive and healthy and awake and joyful than you've ever felt before? How will it feel when you take your first breath in heaven? How will it feel, when you look around and you're so happy that a tear of joy rolls down your cheek and you feel someone wipe that tear away and it's God himself? Right now we believe that God is with us, but someday you'll be able to see him and hear him and feel his presence in a way that you never have before.
A writer of many Christians used to do this - as he drew the curtains at night and got ready for bed, he used to repeat to himself the words, as if in prayer, and certainly with expectancy, 'Perhaps tonight, Lord!' In the morning, as he awoke and looked out on the dawn of a new day, he would say, looking up into the sky, 'Perhaps today, Lord!"
The little child in the backseat cannot wait to be home. Are we home yet? he keeps asking. No matter how nice the backseat is, it's better when you get home. Are we home yet Lord?
And so, with Martin Luther we pray, “Come quickly Lord Jesus. Hurry Lord Jesus.” Try it sometime – maybe today. Look up at the sky. Look up at the clouds and picture Jesus coming, and pray that he will come soon. It will be better when he does. Lord Jesus, come today. Come right now. We are ready. Amen.”
