By Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III
On All Saints’ Day we give thanks to God for the victory of the believers, the saints, who have gone to heaven before us. God brought them to faith in Jesus Christ, preserved them in faith, and finally, according to his timetable, took them home to glory. Their victory, their salvation, is due to God alone—our merciful, gracious, and loving God.
In Revelation 7:9-17, the apostle John has a vision of the saints in heaven. John not only sees the saints, a great number of people, but also hears them crying out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb,” who is Jesus Christ. John’s wonderful vision tells us about the blessed state of those in heaven.
We must remember that John, throughout his book Revelation, uses in part symbolic language. What he describes in Revelation 7—the beauties and glories of heaven—is beyond human language, and it is beyond our full comprehension. So, he uses symbolic language to give us at least an impression of what the heavenly splendors are like.
John sees the saints holding palm branches, which are symbols of joy, victory, and salvation. They are wearing white robes: this symbolizes that they are perfectly clean, holy, and pure. They are so because they “washed their robes … in the blood of the Lamb,” and although the Lamb’s blood is red, it whitened their robes. By God’s grace and power, they had faith in Jesus, relied on His redeeming work, and through faith appropriated His bloody self-sacrifice for themselves. They are clean and pure because of Christ.
The believers, or saints, in heaven are totally holy. They no longer have a sinful nature, so they no longer violate God’s holy will. The marvelous reality is that they are perfectly pure, never sinning.
Being completely holy, the saints in heaven, as the Revelation passage says, continually serve God. This service includes singing praise to Him, such as the hymn, “Salvation belongs to our God.” But these saints are involved in a multitude of other activities, some beyond our comprehension. What we do so imperfectly here on earth is done perfectly, in a far greater manner, in heaven. There, no weakness hinders the saints, no disturbance interrupts them. As the hymn says, “We feebly struggle, they in glory shine.”
The saints in heaven are in beautiful, close fellowship with God. They are continually in His presence, beholding His splendor. His glory enfolds them.
The saints in heaven no longer experience the effects of sin. They do not have any discomfort, pain, or sorrow. They have come out of the great tribulation—by God’s grace and power they survived all the suffering, persecutions, trials, and tribulations Christians experience in this evil world. They remained faithful to the end, and now, they enjoy total freedom from all troubles in heaven.
The Lamb, Jesus Christ, will continually shepherd His sheep, the saints in heaven. He will tend to them with great care, and “guide them to springs of living water.” Christ will lead the saints to ever new delights; He will show them one new, exciting vista after the other. There is absolutely no boredom in heaven. Christ constantly will be unfolding tremendous surprises for the saints in glory, unimagined joys.
John’s vision gives us joy.
With regard to the loved ones who have preceded us to glory, although we miss them, we are happy for them. They are having an awesome, joyful time in heaven! We rejoice that, by God’s grace, we through faith in Christ are on the road to heaven, our real home.
This month’s study text:
A Great Multitude from Every Nation
9 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, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 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, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
17 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.”
Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV)
Reflection Questions:
How does John’s vision bring you comfort in your grief and suffering during your time here on earth?
What does John’s vision encourage you to do while here on earth?
Who are you looking forward to seeing in heaven?
Prayer:
Almighty God, Thank You for the victory of the saints in heaven. Keep us close to You through Your Word and Sacrament and help us to serve You now as we look forward to serving You perfectly in heaven. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III has been a regular pastor on “Worship Anew” since 1998. He currently teaches in the Exegetical Department at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.