Revelation 7:2–17
In the name of the Father and of
the + Son and of the Holy Spirit –
Many people are fascinated by
the Book of Revelation – maybe even obsessed. So many think of it as a great
puzzle, that if we could only solve it, we would know what’s going to happen
and when. Other Christians think of Revelation with fear, confusion, and
despair. Whether you think Revelation is scary or intriguing, it’s probably not
the book of the Bible that we turn to when a loved one dies. And there are some
good reasons for that. The Gospels and some of Paul’s Epistles have plenty of
confident and clear messages of comfort for us. And when our grief is
overwhelming, we don’t need to bother with symbols and visions.
Still, there
are some wonderfully beautiful, comforting passages in Revelation as well –
ones that we couldn’t do without. Like Jesus saying, “Behold, I am coming soon… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end… Fear not, I am… the living one. I died,
and behold I am alive forevermore.” (Rev. 22:12–13 & 1:17–18) And this:
“Be faithful unto death, and I will give
you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) Or this: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed
indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their
deeds follow them!” (Rev. 14:13) And then we have our reading today from
Revelation 7 – one of the most beautiful pictures of the Church.
Revelation 7
shows us an image of the Church on earth and the Church in heaven. There is
only one Church – one holy Christian and
apostolic Church – but for now, this one Church has a barrier running
through it. It’s the barrier between earth and heaven – between time and eternity.
Revelation 7 first gives us an image of the Church here on earth, the Church
Militant, and then shows us the Church Triumphant that we will one day join. Revelation
7 is about us here in this earthly life. It’s also about those who have gone
before us and have come to their heavenly rest. And it’s about us all, when we
are finally reunited around the throne of God.
First, we see
the Church Militant. An angel says the servants of God must be sealed, and the
number of the sealed is 144,000, sealed from
every tribe of the sons of Israel. 12 tribes with 12,000 from each tribe is
144,000. That total number is really not the important thing. The important
number is 12 – the number of the tribes of Israel, the number of the apostles,
and so it is the number for God’s people. 12,000 times 12 gives you just about
the most complete, most full number you can get for God’s people. It’s not a
literal number of people – it’s a symbol for the whole people of God – the
whole church here on earth.
Here we see the
Church drawn up in ranks, with believers appointed to each tribe or battalion. They
are in battle formation, ready to get their marching orders, ready to set out
on the Lord’s mission. The Church on earth is called the Church Militant. We
are the fighting Church – doing battle with all the enemies of God.
Now for the
Church this is really a defensive war. The only offensive strikes are those
made by the Lord Christ Himself – the Victor who dealt the deathblow to sin,
death, and the Devil. And even this attack upon our enemies was achieved by His
suffering, bleeding, and dying. So also, like her Lord, the Church fights the
good fight with her shield of faith and prayer. She fights with the sword of
God’s Word. She even fights with her own blood, willing to shed it as witness
to what her Lord has done.
The Church
Militant, the people of God in this valley of shadow and death, is in a
defensive war, but we need not suppose that this means it’s up to us to defend
ourselves. The Church on earth, the 144,000 are sealed by God. We are marked
with God’s special mark – the mark of His cross. We are signed and sealed with
His signature – we are His. He put His name on us in Holy Baptism – Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit – we are marked as ones redeemed by Christ the crucified. Further,
He keeps us sealed with His Word – His sure and certain promises that are
repeated for our hearing again and again, that we would not forget or grow
indifferent. He keeps us sealed and signs His name all the more clearly with
His very body and blood. That Holy Supper tells you, “you are My holy one, My
saint.” This seal even tells all the demons of hell, don’t touch these ones –
they belong to Me.
For now the war
rages on – we still have hardship, attacks, failures, and every kind of
tribulation. But they cannot destroy you. The Lord has sealed you, marked you,
claimed you as His own. And that means one day He will move you from the Church
Militant to the Church Triumphant.
The second, and
far more glorious, image in Revelation 7 is of the Church Triumphant – the
saints who have left this earthly battlefield and are now at peace with the
Lord Jesus. This is 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. These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. And now
they experience the victory of the Lamb – the One who was slain and has begun His
reign. These believers have finished their part in the fight. And no matter how
long, or how short, their warfare was – they are now at peace. They are with
the Lamb, who is also the Shepherd – Jesus – the One who conquered in the fight
and gives everlasting peace.
These
are the differences between the Church Militant in the here and now – and the
Church Triumphant in the there and then. But this sermon is
not meant to be a simple compare and contrast essay. Of course, we could
go on and on with how different life is here from there in heaven. But if we’re honest
with ourselves, if we’re honest like the saints before us, then we know that
all the misery we endure right now is a product of humanity’s fall into sin.
Even
more honestly, it is a product of our own sinful actions, words, and thoughts.
But
the comfort of Revelation 7 is that those in heaven have been freed from all
their misery. They have been freed from all their sin. They have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. No more sin clings to them – no more filth,
grief, or pain. They are only holy – only righteous – washed in the blood of
the Lamb. And that is what we
look forward to as well.
For
now, we are still on the battlefield – we still see the casualties of the
Devil’s attacks. We see how each Christian still falls prey to death. And when a beloved
Christian dies we call it loss. But God calls it gain. And by faith we
know this is the truth. 144,000 is a big number – in other words,
there are a lot of Christians on earth. But it cannot compare to the great multitude that no one could number.
With
each blessed death that countless host around the throne gets harder to count.
And
do not fear, because your face belongs in that multitude of saints as well.
St.
John was given a glimpse of the whole Church Triumphant – and on the Last Day
that will include you. On that Day, the God who became flesh and
dwelt among us, He will come again. And then we, in our flesh, risen and
glorious, safe and secure, with no tears in our eyes, then we will dwell with
God. We
know the end of the story. We know the song that we will sing – it’s
the same glorious song the saints in heaven are singing right now. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb!” And the angels all join in, singing to their
God for the salvation He gives to humans, so that we might join the angels in
their praise: “Amen! Blessing and glory and
wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and
ever! Amen.” So we also join in the song now, while we are still on earth we
sing with angels and archangels and with
all the company of heaven to our God who saves us from our sin, will bring an
end to our warfare, and give us an eternal victory.
In mercy, Jesus, bring us to that eternal
rest with You and God the Father and Spirit, ever + blest – Amen
Immanuel
Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA
November
1, 2015
