All
Saints’ Day (observed) (November 6, 2016)
INI
The
Revelation to St. John is a fascinating book, albeit a bizarre one.
It has all kinds of weird images, including dragons and angels, the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, gigantic flaming meteors, a beast
with ten horns and seven heads, and so on and so forth. People love
to study it. People get freaked out by it. People have come up with
all kinds of crazy interpretations about it. Those interpretations
usually come from overactive imaginations rather than a careful study
of the book and understanding the symbolism within it.
St.
John wrote it when he was in exile on the island of Patmos toward the
end of his life. It begins with a series of seven letters to
existing congregations in Asia Minor. Then follows a series of
visions that all portray the same time period – from Christ’s
ascension until his second coming – depicted in various ways and
with varying imagery. As you read those visions, you have to imagine
yourself as a time traveler, going back and forth in time and viewing
things over and over again but from a different perspective each
time. To quote a famous TV time traveller, the Doctor in Doctor
Who,
it’s all a bit “wibbly wobbly timey wimey.” All the Doctor
Who
fans will get that. But if you’ve ever watched any shows or movies
about time travel, such as Back
to the Future,
you’ll understand that. The stories are full of paradoxes and
events that are hard to connect. That’s a bit like the Book of
Revelation. But everything finally comes together in the end when
the end of all things portrayed … the glorious consummation of
God’s eternal plan, all centered in the cross of Christ, “the
Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.”
Throughout
the book, in the midst of the visions, there are vignettes …
interludes … brief evocative descriptions of something that John
sees. Our text today from Revelation 7 is one of those vignettes,
one of those snapshots, if you will. It comes toward the end of the
first vision, the vision of the Seven Seals. Seven seals are broken
to reveal various aspects of the time between Christ’s ascension
and his second coming. It describes a fearful display of tribulation
in this sin-sick world. The first six seals reveal that the world
will face war and bloodshed, famine, plague, natural disasters,
death, even martyrdom for those who hold fast to the Word of God and
confess the name of Christ, and the coming wrath upon an unbelieving
world.
But
then, after the sixth seal, comes a break in the action. Here is a
welcome rest. Here is the promising vision of the saints in
eternity, in heaven, at the resurrection. It is a great multitude, a
numberless crowd, gathered from every nation and tribe and people and
language. Here you might compare the description of Abraham’s
descendants. The Lord told Abraham, “I will surely bless you, and
I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven and
as the sand is that on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17). And the Lord
has kept that promise, in that all who are justified by faith are
children of Abraham, both Jew and Gentile alike (Rom. 416-17) …
just like this picture in our text.
This
great multitude is clothed in white, a symbol of holiness and glory.
Think back to Christ’s transfiguration. There the holy Son of God
stood in glory, with his face shining like the sun and his clothes
whiter than anyone could ever bleach them (Mark 9:2-3). Think of the
angel at Christ’s empty tomb, whose “appearance was like
lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow” (Matt. 28:3).
This glory and holiness is applied to those who trusted in Christ in
this life. They are forgiven and cleansed. “They have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” the
perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Their status with God
was not evident on this side of the veil. But standing in glory,
they wear white signifying their forgiven, holy status with God.
They
also hold palm branches in their hands, a symbol of victory, which
should also remind us of Palm Sunday. There, the crowd welcomed
Christ as he rode on the back of the donkey. There, they waved palm
branches as Christ was on his way to the cross to shed his blood and
be our Paschal Lamb, our once for all Passover sacrifice where God’s
wrath rests on his Son and passes over us. It sure didn’t look
like a victory. But it did three days later when Jesus rose from the
dead, proving that his death counted for us and for that great
multitude in heaven.
Note,
also, how this great gathering gives all glory to God. They don’t
take any credit at all for being there. “Salvation belongs to our
God,” they loudly cry, “who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
And all the heavenly creation described elsewhere in John’s vision
replies, “Amen!” Yes! What you said is just true! “Blessing
and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen!” It’s all about God!
It’s all about the Lamb! It’s all about Jesus! They fall on
their faces before the throne and worship God. And here at this
feast in this palace, our Lord is enthroned in the bread and wine.
We kneel here, we bow, we give him honor and glory, and yes, if we
had room, we should fall on our faces as well.
St.
John’s snapshot is an image of a family gathering in which you will
one day be included! But we don’t quite see our faces there yet.
What we will be has not yet appeared (1 John 3:2). This is not how
we see the Church today. A multitude? Far from it. The faithful
will always appear to be a remnant. We want the church to grow, but
sometimes she is small in size. Remember that growth is not always a
sign of spiritual health. There were times that even great crowds
walked away from Jesus as he stood right in front of them (John
6:66). But one day we will see that great multitude that John saw.
We will be a part of that multitude.
We
don’t see white robes here. We see filthy rags. But in the waters
of Holy Baptism you were washed in the blood of the Lamb. You are
forgiven. You were given faith to trust in Christ as your Savior.
There will come a day when the verdict of “not guilty” will be
publicly declared of you. The white robe of your baptism, the white
robe of Christ’s righteousness that you wear, will be visible to
all.
The
Christian life also does not often feel victorious. Rather than
going “from vict’ry unto vict’ry, his army he shall lead”
(LSB 660:1), it seems we go from defeat to defeat. But Jesus has
already overcome sin, death, and hell for you. Jesus said, “In
this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world” (John 16:33). And later, St. John wrote in 1
John 5, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5). Jesus has overcome. And
united to him by faith, you overcome.
In
every war, there are often soldiers who refuse to admit defeat even
after the generals have surrendered. They hide out and attempt to
ambush a convoy. Snipers secretly stash themselves away and pick off
soldiers one by one. That’s how it is for the devil and the forces
of hell. They are defeated. The cross and the empty tomb was the
decisive battle. Yet the devil’s forces refuse to surrender. They
continue their subversive operations. But their efforts are the last
gasp of a defeated enemy, while the Church moves in the world with
the tools she has been given … God’s Word, water, bread and wine
… and with those tools, the Holy Spirit calls people to faith and
draws them out of darkness into the light of Christ.
God
has given his love to you. Christ Jesus lived, died, and rose again
for you. You are baptized into his death and resurrection. You are
God’s child now. What you will be has not yet appeared, but when
he appears you will be like him … risen from the dead, never to die
again, without sin, whole and holy, blessed, inheriting the kingdom
of God, with nothing keeping you from being in perfect fellowship
with the Father forever. You will hunger no more. You will thirst
no more. The sun shall not strike you nor any scorching heat …
like pilgrims in the wilderness. But the Lamb in the midst of the
throne will be your shepherd, and he will guide you to springs of
living water … eternally refreshing you and slaking your thirst for
righteousness, for holiness, for the love and presence of God … and
God will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Yes,
there’s plenty to mourn about and cry about now in this present
tribulation. But not there. Not in the resurrection. Not in the
new heaven and the new earth. Only blessedness. Rejoice and be
glad! Rejoice and be glad for the saints who are coming out of the
great tribulation. Rejoice and be glad that you will one day sing
with all the saints in glory.
INI
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