Revelation 7:9-13, 17 - 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, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 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, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? ... 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."
I was discussing this Bible passage with a friend and she said, "It sounds like a really boring long worship service to me." I looked back at the text and I could see what she meant. I didn't actually agree-it looks more to me like the "happily ever after" scene of God's great play, when all the actors reassemble on the stage to make their bows—but I can see why others might worry about it being boring.
I've heard this kind of thing before about other bits of Revelation. The bit that doesn't do anything for me is the description of the heavenly Jerusalem as built of gold and gems and pearls. My mind keeps imagining the glare that would come off such a construction. And the color mix! Too much for my eyes. But others have told me that it really speaks to them as a picture of the glory and beauty of God's kingdom.
And then, of course, there are all the really weird passages: the beasts with several heads and multiple horns, the living creatures with four faces. My son likes these, especially in the Lego illustrated version of the Bible. You, too, probably have bits of Revelation that really speak to you—and other bits that are just not your favorite, at least right now. The Holy Spirit uses God's Word—even the weird bits!—to bless each of us differently at different times.
But no matter how differently we react to Revelation, there is one thing we can all agree on: its focus on Jesus Christ, our Savior. Revelation promises us, "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." This is what we need, every one of us, all of us who know Jesus as our Savior. We rely on the One who suffered for our sake, who lay down His life on the cross, who rose from the grave three days later. He is the One we look forward to seeing face to face; He is the One who is our Shepherd through life and death. We can safely trust in Him to bring us to Himself. That is the message of Revelation, and we can all rejoice in that together.
THE PRAYER: Dear Father, keep us close to Your Son Jesus as His own people. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 1-2 Luke 24:36-53
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