At this time of the year I remember my grandmother, Daisy Weston, who died in early August 1987. I also remember Charlotte Oliver, the second wife of my brother Stephen, who died in July 2022. It seems therefore fitting to celebrate that they are both now in heaven. So in this blog I am looking at Revelation 7.9-17, which tells of the vision John had of life around God’s throne. Here we see three things.
First, heaven is home to the greatest family ever. In John’s vision, he “looked and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7.9). The crowd was so enormous, that no one could count all the people – literally, ‘no one could do the arithmetic’. God promised Abraham that his people would be in number as the stars of heaven (Genesis 15.5) and as the sand of the sea (Genesis 32.12). What an encouragement this vision must have been to the seven small struggling churches to whom John was writing. In effect John said, ‘You are not on your own, for you are part of a great family – the family of God’.
According to one estimate of heaven’s size, there have been over 5,500 million Christians deaths between the resurrection of Jesus and the present day. This kind of calculation needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. The wideness of God’s mercy is such that there is no doubt that we are going to be in for all kinds of surprises. In this respect some wise words of John Newton come to mind:
When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be to see many there whom I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss many people who I expect to see; the third and greatest of all will be to find myself here.
Secondly, heaven is a trouble-free zone. John heard one of the elders saying, “the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them” (Revelation 7.15), or as the GNB puts it he “will protect them with his presence”. Many people around the throne of God had experienced persecution, some of whom had been put to death by the sword; or been thrown to lions in the Coliseum; or had perished in deep dungeons. Over the years other Christians have experienced other pressures: for instance life can be bruising for Christians who refuse to compromise their values with the world’s values. Life can be tough in other ways too, for Christians are not exempt from the pain and suffering of the world. However, once they are around God’s throne they will be safe and secure. There they will discover that their deepest needs are met, because Jesus will be “their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life” (Revelation 7.17a). Finally John declared, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7.17b). The tears of grief and pain belong to the past; sorrow has been replaced by delight.
This future is reserved for those who “have washed their robes and them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7.14). Here we have a theological rather than a visual picture. Normally blood stains rather than cleans! We are dealing here with symbolism. The blood of the Lamb. which washes clean, symbolizes the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross. It cleanses us from sin (see Hebrews 9.24 and 1 John 1.7). Here we have a reminder that God’s people owe their place in heaven first and foremost to Jesus, and only secondarily to their faith expressed in courage and endurance.
Thirdly, heaven is filled with songs of praise, a place where along with those who have gone to heaven the angels also join their voices in praise to God. They cry out:
“Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and power and might be to our God for ever and ever” (Revelation 7.12)
At first sight it appears that John has heaped together a random collection of words of praise, with the intention of making an effect through their sheer quantity. Yet each of the terms is significant, for each of them expresses a different response to God:
- Blessing (NRSV) or praise (GNB), which in Greek is eulogia, literally means ‘good words’. It represents the loving adoration of God for his grace beyond measure (see Ephesians 1.3-10).
- Glory, which in Greek is doxa, from which we get our English word doxology, represents the awesome acknowledgement of God’s inestimable worth (see Luke 2.24).
- Wisdom, which in Greek is sophia, is the joyful boast that God’s wisdom is wiser than any human wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 1.18-31).
- Thanksgiving, which in Greek is eucharistia from which we get our English word eucharist, surely includes thanksgiving for Jesus whose body was broken for us and whose life was outpoured for us (see 1 Corinthians 11.23-25).
- Honour, which is Greek is time, is the reverential respect due to the King of the universe.
- Power, which in Greek is dunamis from which we derive our English word dynamite, is the confession that God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3.20 GNB).
- Might, which in Greek is ischus, is the celebration of God’s strength. He raised Jesus from the dead and “appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1.20).
God has loved us with an everlasting love and has opened up his heaven for everybody who responds to his love for us all.
To sum up, let me quote an old American hymn:
Heaven is a wonderful place,
Filled with glory and grace.
I want to see my Saviour’s face.
Heaven is a wonderful place.