Revelation 7:9-17
All Saints’ Sunday
4 November 2007
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
“These in white robes. Who are they? And where did they come from?”
That was actually a great question for St. John to ask his angelic tour guide. After all, St. John didn’t have 2,000 years of Christian history and education on his side. He didn’t have the Bible sitting on his coffee table, like many of us do, to simply open and read and study and answer his own question. And be sure to remember that St. John lived in the day before Tide laundry detergent and dry cleaners. Most clothing in John’s day was not white – at least not for long. So St. John’s question – in his day and age – was a great question! “These in white robes. Who are they? And where did they come from?”
I’d like to ask you three different questions this morning, but three questions related to that crowd in white robes: “These in white robes. Where are they? Why are there? And what are they doing?”
This past Thursday, five pastors who minister in what we call “Circuit 7" gathered here in the church for a time of worship and The Lord’s Supper, then gathered in the Green Room for some discussion. Our topic was worship, about offering our bodies as living sacrifices as part of our spiritual act of worship [Romans 12:1]. In the discussion, this question of St. John was raised and I believe it was our own Pastor Fackler who wisely raised a great point. That great point was that we don’t preach much about Heaven. Much preaching in today’s churches deals with daily events. You see the topics all the time on church marquee boards: How to Handle Stress; How to Raise Your Kids; How to Enhance Your Marriage. Don’t get me wrong. Those are all great topics! Those are all topics the Church should be tackling! But have you ever seen a church marquee board advertising the pastor’s sermon with one word: “HEAVEN”??? Well, this morning, that is the title of this sermon and it is the sole focus of our thoughts.
“These in white robes. Where are they? Why are there? And what are they doing?”
The angelic tour guide told St. John that these in white robes are the “Saints,” those who were believers in Jesus Christ and part of the family of God during life here on earth, who are now someplace else.
Where are they? Well, the tour guide doesn’t use the word, but they’re in Heaven. “They’ve come out of the great tribulation.” There is an actual place called Heaven. It’s not just a state of mind. It’s a place. It’s a physical place that is part of our eternal life – a bigger part of our eternal life than our existence here on earth. It’s a place that is different from life on this earth, this place that’s called the “great tribulation.”
Heaven has no tribulations. Listen to what the angelic tour guide says: no hunger; no thirst; no beating sun; no scorching heat; living water; no tears. All the things that bother us and perturb us and annoy us here on earth will be absent in Heaven. All those things we enjoy here on earth will be even greater and even more enjoyable in Heaven. Beyond all that, we get to wear constantly dazzling white robes.
I sometimes believe that I singularly keep my dry cleaner in business. I can see the look of fear on her face when she sees me approaching the door with a pile of white clothes in my arms. I can see the look of sheer terror on her face when she sees me approaching the door my robe in my arms. She calls my “Preacher Man” and she takes excellent care of my clothes. Trust me – I have given her some real challenges. Make-up and lipstick on my shoulder after hugging someone at the door. Coffee drips down the front after I got a little careless during 10-2, trying to sing and drink coffee at the same time. Dirty water splashes along the bottom hem after I stepped in a puddle of muddy water on a rainy day. Red cake frosting on my sleeve after I reached across a cake on one of those “surprise” birthday celebrations. Wearing a constantly dazzling white robe is part of Heaven because it means no dirt, no stains, no accidents. Where are they? They’re in Heaven!
Why are they? The angelic tour guide makes that very clear. The Saints are in Heaven because Someone has done something truly extraordinary for them. The perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, has shed His Blood for them and that precious Blood of Jesus has become for them the most remarkable detergent. It doesn’t cleanse our clothing. It cleanses our souls. It’s like “White-Out” covering our every sin.
The Bible makes it clear. Heaven is for the holy and, in case you’ve forgotten, “holy” is not an adjective used synonymously with my name or with your names. “Holy” is what is sung before the Throne of God. “Holy” is the adjective attached to the name “Lamb of God.” Holy is the descriptive word used before God’s Spirit.
If “holy’ is the entrance ticket into Heaven, you and I haven’t a chance. But for the shed Blood of the holy, sinless, spotless Lamb of God, sacrificed on the altar of Mount Calvary, the Saints of God – you and I included – would be standing outside Heaven, in eternal darkness, weeping and gnashing our teeth [Matthew 8:12]. But Jesus Christ shed His holy Blood for us so that Heaven is not a hope. Heaven is a certainty. Why are they? Because Jesus Christ loved them and died for them.
What are they doing? They’re joined in the eternal song of Heaven, shouting out and singing out those words: “Praise! Glory! Wisdom! Thanks! Honor! Power! Strength! To our God forever and ever! Amen!”
That’s a dream come true for all of us. Whether we love singing here on earth and have been blessed with a relatively decent voice here on earth, or whether we’re ones who haven’t been so blessed and spend our Sunday worship times simply standing and listening to others around us sing, in Heaven we will all have perfect voices and perfect pitch. Our voices will be joined together with those Saints of every time and every place, every language and every nation singing the praises of God, Who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous Light [1 Peter 2:9].
Today, let’s once and for all banish from our minds the unBiblical concept that when we get to Heaven we will be issued a set of wings and a golden halo and simply float around in the sky. For me – and other type-A personalities like me – that would be more hell than Heaven. Give me some good words and a great rhythm and I am in Heaven. Give me a reason to celebrate, give me a Person to celebrate, and I am in Heaven. And so will be each of us! What are they doing? They’re singing about and celebrating their God!
Heaven will be one unending party, a place where the pain and problems, the cares and concerns of this earth are the furthest thing from our mind. And, Saints, fellow Redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ, Heaven in ours because He Who made us also died for us and cleansed us with His Blood and filled us with His Spirit here on earth and has issued to us the invitation to spend all time with Him in His party place called HEAVEN!
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena