For Those Who Grieve

John writes the book of Revelation to people who are suffering. People who are facing the hardest trial they've ever been through. People who feel their lives have become a nightmare. And he offers them a dream. A dream of the heavenly reality. The reality against which everything else must be measured. He offers them a dream. A dream of the heavenly truth. The truth to hold on to.

In Revelation 7, John sees a large crowd worshiping God. The angels, the elders, and the mysterious creatures also worship God. Then one of the elders tells John who's in the crowd:

"These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb's blood. This is the reason they are before God's throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. They won't hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:14b-17, Common English Bible)

So who are these people? They are the ones who have lived through terrible suffering. They are the ones who have made it through the nightmare. And the reason why their clothes are white is NOT because they lived a perfect, holy, and pure life, but because the blood of Jesus has rescued them.

The truth is, Jesus has already won the victory and those who follow him are saved. That word saved really means rescued. N.T. Wright tells us, ". . . often in the Old Testament the word seems to mean 'the victory through which rescue is won.'"

God invites them in. He welcomes them. He shelters them with his presence. What this means is, he comforts them. He protects them. And all the blessings of heaven are theirs.

The final verse of chapter 7 is beautiful: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." There's an intimacy in this image. It's a picture of a Christ-like God, who at his core is holy love and mercy. We see who he really is is when he steps down from the throne and personally wipes away every tear from every eye.

That's not just a dream. That's the ultimate reality. It's the reality we're invited to hold on to.

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