Revelation 7:9-10

Revelation 7:9-10

After this I looked – and behold – a crowd, with so many that nobody was powerful enough to count it out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues having been placed in the presence of the throne and in the presence of the lamb, who have been clothed in a brilliant robe and having palms in their hands.  And they cried out in a great voice while saying, “Salvation by our God who sits upon the throne and to the lamb.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

There are so many people who make a big deal about the sealing of the 12,000 out of the twelve tribes.  But look!  How does this passage open?  Just as soon as we get all of those numbers, John tells us that an incredible multitude that cannot be counted appears.  It isn’t about the numbers at all!  The crowd is massive.  The people who are in relationship with God throughout all of time and history is an incredible number!  What is really neat about this is that it is proof that God’s promise can be trusted.  God told Abraham that his offspring will be greater than the stars in heaven or the sands in the sea.  Here we see that this promise is absolutely fulfilled.

When you think about a great multitude with Christ, what do you think about?  How can this be a humbling fact to consider?

Second Thought:

Notice that this crowd is pretty motley.  I don’t mean that insultingly.  But they are from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue.  God doesn’t have a preference in who follows Him.  Genealogy means nothing to Him.  What means everything to Him is a willingness to be in relationship with Him.  What means something is a humble faith.  What means something is a desire to glorify God.  These characteristics mean far much more than who we are, where we are, what color our skin is, how much money we make, or what language we speak.

Why is this fundamentally a message of hope?  Why does this message help us understand the love of the Father?

Third Thought:

Look more deeply at these people.  They wear white robes.  White is a sign of purity.  These are people who are forgiven.  These are people who know what it feels like to have their sins cast aside and no longer held against them.  This is why they lift up palms as tribute and glorify God.  These people are grateful for a gift received that they could never have earned.

Where do you feel forgiveness in your life?  Where do you feel God’s purity within your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Revelation 7:11-17