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9 After 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. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And 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, 12 singing, "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, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14 I 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. 15 For 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. 16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for 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." (Revelation 7:9-17 NRSV)
The Baptists ran a long campaign some years ago, probably early 70s with bumper stickers that said, "I Found It!" The hope was that people would ask the car's owner, "What is this about, or what is It?" The driver, being a good and well-trained church member; after all, they had Training Union in their churches every Sunday afternoon, could answer a concise reply that said I have found life in abundance because I am saved. You see kids, in those days, saying the word saved was not a bad thing and very few people would die of embarrassment if they heard someone say that word to them. I was in seminary at the time this was big and one professor made a big deal (mocking the campaign) by sayiing, "I'm going to make my own bumpersticker that says, "I don't know what it is!" And indeed, so many years later, it is evident we, the Church, may not know what "it" is. Very few preachers preach it and usually mock those who do as being short-sighted or old-fashioned. I invite you to just think back a few years to the word it and what it may have been referring to in those days. Recently, it was the code word for Corona Virius. Some years ago it referred to something completely different.
Fast forward to whenever this passage comes true for you and me. I pray we will be in that great multitude that John was not able to count because there were so many people from every nation, from every corner of the world, from all tribes and peoples, and langauges, who stood before the thone of Jesus. The dress code for the day will be white robes. All will be holding palm branches. And, if you're like me, Palm Sunday palm branches make me teary-eyes, but since in Heaven there are no tears, I will be able to hold one and shout, along with you and the others, "Salvation belongs to our God Who is seate on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Wow! Just thinking about that makes me feel great! For it was that word, more better said, that action, of salvation that got us there. I think often of my dear friend, Eva Boscamp. She was a great blessing to me in the short time I knew her, and her joy was knowing the Lord Jesus as her personal savior. And when the time came for her to leave her earthly body behind, I had no doubt as to where she was headed, and so was she. She was not sad, but joyful and excited. I bet she is already fitted for her white robe and she is rehearsing the songs that we will all sing in praise of our Father, our Lord and Savior, and to the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
All of our ordeals will come to an end sooner rather than later. Yes, it sometimes seems too long, like I-10 after Kerrville when one is headed to El Paso! But you do arrive. And how we face each ordeal will determine where we end up on this important day in Heaven. If we face our challenges, struggles, setbacks, illnesses, losses, etc, with full trusting faith in God, we will be singing alongside Eva and so many others who have gone on before us. And we will know what it is to stand in a place where there is no more hunger, no more thirst, no more Texas, I mean, scorching heat; because the Lamb, Jesus our Lord, will be at the center of the throne as our Shepherd and He will guide us to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Joy and happiness will triumph over all other things.
PRAYER: Loving God, in Your strong name we pray thanking You for salvation. May we not shy away from sharing news of our salvation with others, for through it we have found the fullness of life. Abundant life is now ours thanks to You. May the joy of salvation bless me in such marvelous ways that I cant' help but bless others. Lord, bless those for whom we have been praying. Our faith does not waver, but strenghten our weak areas, for we pray in faith, in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share the joy of salvation with someone today!
Rejoice and receive my blessings of peace and hope,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
