For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” [Revelation 7.17]
All my life, I have taken comfort in the words, God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
But, you know what? Those whose tears will be wiped away are a very specific group of people!
Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. [Revelation 7.13-14]
Those whose tears will be wiped away are qualified by something: These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. Furthermore, dying in the great tribulation is qualified by this: They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
If these qualifiers are indeed exclusive, then we need to understand their significance!
What does it mean to die in the great tribulation? If we think for a moment that we are the ones whose tears will be wiped away (or that we will enjoy any of the benefits listed in verses 15-17), then we better have a grasp of what it means to die in the great tribulation!
I would love to give clear direction here, but I must refrain from opinions because I simply have no clue. I DO know this: it is important that we understand the Revelation of John so that when we must make decisions about end times, than we will be equipped to do so!
I know this: the apostles of Jesus saw it as a privilege to suffer and die for Jesus. Perhaps we then should reconsider our modern "comfort Gospel" with all its pampering and self-centeredness! In other words, it might serve modern believers well to begin to consider "what hill they are ready and willing to die on" (oh, that'll preach, won't it?).
I am not done yet... I want to point out something that stood out to me like never before from today's reading, and, it may just be my hill to die on!
But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts. [Revelation 9.20-21]
For some time now, I have cried "idol!" at man's solutions. One of the worldly solutions I have questioned as an idol is insurance (which is tied closely to medicine). In Revelation 9.20-21 we see a group of people who, even through terrible plagues, refused to repent and turn to God. Instead, they continued their worship of idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. Does anyone besides me find it the least bit disturbing that more than one health insurance company categorizes their health plans as "gold, silver, bronze, etc."?
The irony of my calling insurance an idol and the phrase "choose what hill you are willing to die on" is remarkable. The argument, "You will die if you don't use insurance to get medical help!" may have more spiritual significance according to Revelation 9.20-21 than most wish to acknowledge!
But, let me be very clear here: I want to be one of those white-robed ones whose tears will be wiped away! Is ANY price to great to pay to accomplish this?
May the Lord help us to understand! May the Lord help us to respond in faith!
Father, I am only growing more convinced that the idolatry of modern man is greater than at any time in history. Forgive us for this adulterous sin! May Your Word make very clear the path of faith we are to follow! So be it!
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