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God Will Wipe Every Tear – Revelation Bible Guide Day 12

March 6, 2018

Previously in Revelation

“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; ¹⁷for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Day 12

Revelation 7:1-17

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree. ²I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, ³saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”

⁴And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel:

⁵From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
⁶from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
⁷from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
⁸from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed.
⁹After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

¹¹And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
¹⁶They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
¹⁷for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Points of Interest

“the seal of the living God” – Kings had these stamps to indicate a letter was under their power and protection. This angel has either been marked as God’s or symbolically is flying around with God’s seal to mark others.
“a seal on their foreheads” – This reminds me of the old story of guilty brother Cain being given a mark on his forehead by God so that others wouldn’t murder him. At the end of chapter six, the rulers of the earth asked how they would endure history’s trials. The answer here is to come under God’s protection. Experience teaches us this won’t protect us from the struggles of circumstance that all humans face, but experience also teaches us that God can often give people other-worldly joy and courage that is its own kind of protection.
“people of Israel” – This chapter has two visions of people of God. I wonder if this first vision is the worshipping community in the present or past. It’s large (in John’s numerology, also perfect – 12 groups of 12,000), but you can name them and count them, and they live under a form of God’s protection during hard times.
“great multitude…from every nation” – In the second part of the vision, the community is uncountable and unnamable – drawn from all peoples on the earth. These people maintain their beautiful human diversity but share in common victory and common love and gratitude for God. This strikes me as the future destiny of God’s people, one we get only occasional glimpses of in this life.
“Salvation belongs to our God” – God isn’t hording the power to save but sharing it widely. God does what human empire claims to do but can’t – rescue and liberate us, effect joy and freedom.
“white in the blood of the Lamb” – Chemically, this makes no sense, of course. No one washes their clothes in blood to clean them – don’t try this at home, please. But John is saying the slaughtered Lamb doesn’t only represent the sacrificial, co-suffering love of Jesus but is the means by which humans find cleansing and victory.
“The Lamb … will be their shepherd” – Another irony. This Lamb steps up and leads the flock. Jesus will guide us toward rest and satisfaction and fulfillment.
“the seal of the living God” – Kings had these stamps to indicate a letter was under their power and protection. This angel has either been marked as God’s or symbolically is flying around with God’s seal to mark others.
“a seal on their foreheads” – This reminds me of the old story of guilty brother Cain being given a mark on his forehead by God so that others wouldn’t murder him. At the end of chapter six, the rulers of the earth asked how they would endure history’s trials. The answer here is to come under God’s protection. Experience teaches us this won’t protect us from the struggles of circumstance that all humans face, but experience also teaches us that God can often give people other-worldly joy and courage that is its own kind of protection.
“people of Israel” – This chapter has two visions of people of God. I wonder if this first vision is the worshipping community in the present or past. It’s large (in John’s numerology, also perfect – 12 groups of 12,000), but you can name them and count them, and they live under a form of God’s protection during hard times.
“great multitude…from every nation” – In the second part of the vision, the community is uncountable and unnamable – drawn from all peoples on the earth. These people maintain their beautiful human diversity but share in common victory and common love and gratitude for God. This strikes me as the future destiny of God’s people, one we get only occasional glimpses of in this life.
“Salvation belongs to our God” – God isn’t hording the power to save but sharing it widely. God does what human empire claims to do but can’t – rescue and liberate us, effect joy and freedom.
“white in the blood of the Lamb” – Chemically, this makes no sense, of course. No one washes their clothes in blood to clean them – don’t try this at home, please. But John is saying the slaughtered Lamb doesn’t only represent the sacrificial, co-suffering love of Jesus but is the means by which humans find cleansing and victory.
“The Lamb … will be their shepherd” – Another irony. This Lamb steps up and leads the flock. Jesus will guide us toward rest and satisfaction and fulfillment.
“wipe away every tear” – Maybe I’m working the poetry too literally here, but God’s promise isn’t that we’ll never cry again, but that we’ll have each tear personally wiped away as it falls. I find this presence and comfort more moving and hopeful than a flat, low-emotion existence.

Spiritual Exercise

In the midst of Revelation’s drama, we see this week our third of seven scenes of worship. These remind us that in the drama of our times, we can still find solidarity with one another and connect with a good God who listens to us through worship. Each day this week, you’re invited to withdraw from the stress and urgency of daily life and reflect on God’s power and goodness. Consider today this chapter’s image for your destiny. Express to God any gratitude or praise it stirs in you.

A Direction for Prayer

For your city: Think of some people who are hungry, thirsty, or have eyes full of tears. Pray that God will start to fulfill the promises of today’s passage for them.

The Bible Guide

This blog post is part of a Lenten journey through the book of Revelation. Every year during the season of Lent, we take a focused look at a portion of Scripture as part of our communal spiritual practice. This year, we are exploring what it means to be Children of God in a Fractured World, with Revelation as our lens. The series starts here.