Male and Female - Revelation 7:9 - 17

Revelation 7:9 - 17

Perhaps one of the things that we should note in Revelation is the imagery and constant refrain of worship.  In fact, in much of our liturgy, frequent calls to Revelation are made.  Therefore Revelation is perhaps one of the most comforting books in the Bible.
 
While the world is falling under the power and sway of evil and the church is being hounded and chased, yet the worship and praise of God is being done and this worship stems from the fact that Christ has conquered.

This song of victory could not be more clear with our text today.  John turns around and he sees the whole church.  This is not some vision of those dead in heaven.  What John sees is a picture of everyone.  You are somewhere in that crowd.  This is the final victory in procession here.  

John sees the victorious Church.  They are wearing white, the color for peace, cleanness, and holiness and they are waving palm branches.  The image here brings us back to Palm Sunday as Christ marches in.  Here now we repeat that scene, but here it is done with all glory and might to the one who was sacrificed for us.
 
And what is the chorus line being sung? “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!”

This causes the same four living creatures and the 24 elders to fall down in worship again.  The same people who stood in for the whole creation and the Church.  What is being communicated is that the Creation is what is benefitting from God’s salvation.
 
This leads to that most famous scene in Revelation with the elder questioning John about the identity of those in the crowd.  “Who are they?”

“ummm… Sir you know.”
 
“They are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.”  Tribulation is the word for crisis or judgment.  In mind here is the sorrow and sighing of the present age.  We are told their robes are white because they have been washed by the scarlet red blood of the Lamb.  And therefore God shelters and takes care of all their needs because they are creatures who are dependent and need their God.  And God will grant it to them as he removes all their sighing and all their crying.

It is good to be a creature and it is good to have such a God as our Triune God.