The great multitude around the throne

Revelation 7:9-12

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.”

The full number of God’s people are protected on earth, and in heaven a multitude beyond counting declare that God and the Lamb are worthy of praise and glory because they have brought salvation to the world.

The multitude in heaven is drawn “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” – so in case we don’t get it – this is an international, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural group. But notice each nation, tribe, people group, and language do not give up their language or their culture to come and worship the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb. They do not need to learn another language to bring appropriate praise to God. They do not need to learn another culture’s ways of being in order to be fully welcomed into the reign of God. The language of heaven is all the languages of the earth. The culture of heaven is every culture bringing their best to the worship of the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

This picture of heaven is what the church on earth leans towards, longs to be, a place where all ethnicities and languages join together in the celebration of Jesus. For Jesus is above human culture and any of the ways in which human beings categorize each other. Jesus is above all the conflicts between nations and cultures – and in him all those divisions fade to nothing. For it is Jesus above all, above all the lines and divisions. For as vs. 12 reminds us – all the glory, honour, power and might belong to God alone. And before him all of creation will bow the knee.      

PRAYER:

O Lord God, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might be to you, our God, forever and ever! Amen.