He who has an ear, let him hear

 

On Revelation 7:1 – 4; 9 – end.

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

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.”

 

After the uproar of the heavenly realm pouring judgment to the earthly domain – a complete silence. Four winds held by the angels – wrath withheld for a still moment. Easily, the book of Revelation could win an Oscar based upon the graphic and the epic proportion of the great judgment that is to come.  The Lost Children of Israel numbered among the servants, the multitude of people of every nation, every tribe, and every language too great to be numbered gathered in front of the throne – receiving the reward signifies with palm branches in their hand and clothed with the white robe made clean by the blood of the Lamb (v7 – 14). Easily we could be overwhelmed by the confusing visions written by John as revealed by Jesus Christ. What this has anything to do with us? What is the comforting message to us at this day of age?

First, we must understand that this Revelation closely tied to the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches in chapters two and three. The key to understand the whole theme of Revelation lies on understanding the need for the churches to “reads and hear the word of prophecy” (Rev 1:3). The churches are called to obey the word of warning as the looming Age to Come signified with the ongoing physical and spiritual persecution of some of the churches. To summarize the book, we could say that chapter 1 is the revelation of Who Jesus Christ is, chapters 2 to 3 are messages unique to each church in which obedience are demanded of them and the promise of rewards for that obedience were told. Alas, chapters 4 to 22 is the vision of Christ glorious returns to defeat all God’s enemy and reach its pinnacle with the rewards the obedience delivered to those who obeyed in chapter 7 and chapter 21.

Beyond the cryptic message of today’s reading as well as to avoid reading too much into symbolism, chapter 7 does not invite us to go around and look for the redeemed Son of Israel nor wishing to become one. But rather, it is the foretaste of what joy that we could experience when Christ comes in glory (9 – 14). It is not from the absent of pain and suffering, but rather the joy by which the suffering (as per prophesied from chapter 6 to 16; Seven Seals followed by Seven Trumpets then followed by Seven Bowls of suffering) ends with the Lamb took His place at the throne and dwell with His people; a great reminder to the Ark of Covenant dwell in the midst of the Tabernacle. The great gospel message is clear here – Christ came to die on the cross for the sin of the world breaks the enmity between God and His people. Likewise, Christ returns in glory dispel the principalities that caused rift between God and His Creation. The perfect New World order envisioned to us with the image of the Lamb Shepherding His people to the springs of the living water; no more will be weariness, no more will be pain and suffering, and no more will be death (for they will quenching their thirst for salvation at the springs of living water). How glorious that will be!

Much like the seven churches at that time this Revelation was revealed to, we too, at some ways if not the same, facing great opposition to stay true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Principalities of the world demands the church to be politically correct to please the masses as the church infested with hates and division, no wonder the faithful cries foul and shout “hosanna” – save us – for the Lord to take His rightful place of Honour – becoming our God, dwelling among His people. This world has gone too far. The seven churches of Revelation at their time and the churches of every age would agree the same. We need God as our King now! The only righteous governance is from our God. The only righteous judgement is by our God. The only true peace and comfort is with our God.

The Book of Revelation give us the foretaste to that sure promise of reward for obedience. Greatly so the obedience demanded of us at time when gospel is a mere lip-service in church, at time when the government shutting us down with “glitters and glams”, at time when the strong man of the organization demanded honour be exalted to him more than God. The great saints of tribulation mentioned in our passage crying out victory (verse 10) echoes the demand of our God – to suffer for the gospel or to be faithful to the gospel until death (verse 14). It would be too much to ask for us to literally die for the gospel, but if situation arises to that conclusion, let not the living word of God departs from our lips.

As Christ told the church of Laodicea this word, let this be a reminder, rebuke, and comfort to all of us, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Amen.