After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 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.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Revelation 7:9-17
Take a moment to observe the passage. What do you notice about the focus of heaven? It’s hard to imagine the picture these verses paint; if they feel “otherworldly,” it’s because they are. The glory of heaven is unlike any glory that we can imagine here on earth. There will be no pain, tears, discomfort, fear, and disappointment, only the worship of the Lamb who made a way for us to be there. Heaven is the apex of glory where God will receive worship from everyone and everything for all of eternity.
Is there an area of your life that you have not been living with an eternal focus?
What would change in your life if you were to live with the glory of heaven in mind?
Take a moment now to pray. Confess the times that you’ve forgotten to live with an eternal mindset. Praise God that He is worthy of all worship for all time. Thank God that because of Jesus, we will get to join in this future glory of heaven. Ask God to help you remember heaven's coming glory and live accordingly.
Scripture References
15.The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16.For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17.He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18.And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19.For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20.and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.21.Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of1:21 Or minds, as shown by your evil behavior. 22.But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23.if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
1.In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2.Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3.And they were calling to one another:“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;the whole earth is full of his glory.”4.At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.5.“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”6.Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7.With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”8.Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
10.As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11.They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12.Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”13.Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14.The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”15.Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16.Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17.I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18.The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”19.Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20.coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.21.Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22.and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
9.After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10.And they cried out in a loud voice:“Salvation belongs to our God,who sits on the throne,and to the Lamb.”11.All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12.saying:“Amen!Praise and gloryand wisdom and thanks and honorand power and strengthbe to our God for ever and ever.Amen!”13.Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”14.I answered, “Sir, you know.”And he said, “These are they who have come 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 Godand serve him day and night in his temple;and he who sits on the thronewill shelter them with his presence.16.‘Never again will they hunger;never again will they thirst.The sun will not beat down on them,’7:16 Isaiah 49:10nor any scorching heat.17.For the Lamb at the center of the thronewill be their shepherd;‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’7:17 Isaiah 49:10‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’7:17 Isaiah 25:8”
1.The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.2.Day after day they pour forth speech;night after night they reveal knowledge.3.They have no speech, they use no words;no sound is heard from them.4.Yet their voice19:4 Septuagint, Jerome and Syriac; Hebrew measuring line goes out into all the earth,their words to the ends of the world.In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.5.It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,like a champion rejoicing to run his course.6.It rises at one end of the heavensand makes its circuit to the other;nothing is deprived of its warmth.
5.In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:6.Who, being in very nature2:6 Or in the form of God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7.rather, he made himself nothingby taking the very nature2:7 Or the form of a servant,being made in human likeness.8.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himselfby becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!9.Therefore God exalted him to the highest placeand gave him the name that is above every name,10.that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11.and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.
14.For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15.And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.16.So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:5:17 Or Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here! 18.All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19.that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20.We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21.God made him who had no sin to be sin5:21 Or be a sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
About the Contributor
Born from 20+ years of ministry, Passion Equip exists to empower a generation to live out their eternal purpose in the midst of everyday life, keeping the name and renown of Jesus as the desire of our souls. View more from the Contributor.
