Our side wins!

“For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life–giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears.“ – Vs 17 NLT

Regardless of your eschatology or view of future things, one thing we can all agree on is that God wins in the end. He will bring all this madness to an end. We can sit and debate the specifics and argue pre-trib, post-trib theology, but we can’t argue over the fact that God is going to finish what He began. We can’t debate the fact that He is redeeming a people for Himself out of all of mankind and their salvation is available only through His Son Jesus Christ. That seems to be the primary thought in this chapter. If you get beyond all the opinions as to who the 144,000 and the great multitude that couldn’t be numbered really are, you see that the focus of chapter seven, like the rest of this book, is the Lamb.

John views a scene of a vast multitude of believers clothed in white robes and standing before the throne of God, carrying palm branches and crying out, “Salvation comes from our God on the throne and from the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10 NLT). In response to this cry, the all the angels, the 24 elders, and the four living creatures bow before the throne and shout, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:12 NLT).

John is then told who the great multitude of people dressed in white are. They are those who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, and their robes are now white. In response to this transformation of their lives, they stand before the throne of God and serve Him day and night. God has transformed them through the sacrificial death of His Son, and as a result, they worship and adore Him. The elder tells John:

They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life–giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears. – Revelation 7:16-17 NLT

Isn’t this what it is all about? Isn’t this what we all long for? A time when we will never hunger and thirst again. We won’t hunger for change or for release from this body of death. It will have taken place. We won’t thirst for more of God because we will be with Him. We won’t have to suffer the scorching heat that comes from life in this world. But we will enjoy the constant refreshment of God’s presence. We will feast and drink in the very presence of God. There will be no more tears and no more sorrow. No more longing for things to be different. No more anxiety. No more worry. No more disappointment. No more stress. No more fear. No more struggle with sin. No more depression. No more ….

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be our shepherd.

Father, I can’t wait until that day. While there is a lot about the end of time that I don’t understand, I do understand that You win in the end. As confused and screwed up as this world seems to be, it will all be made right when You determine it is time. And I will be part of a great multitude of people who stand before Your throne and worship You day and night. Thank You for making this possible through the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. Help me to keep my eyes focused on the reality of the future. What we are experiencing here is just a blip on the radar screen compared to what eternity holds (2 Corinthians 4:17). Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org