A Message of Hope!

You don't find the Book of Revelation in the Sunday lectionary often. That is for good reason!  It is a complicated and quite often frightening Book to most.  It is full of symbolism and images and violence that spark the imagination in negative ways.  Revelation is often misinterpreted and used, I believe, to twist the message into something it it not.  Yet, for reasons I am not clear on, it is alway in the readings for All Saints Day.  Which is November 1 each year.  Many Lutheran Churches celebrated All Saints Day this last Sunday since the first of November was on Wednesday this year. 

It is interesting to me that the Book of Revelation is one of the favorite choices used to scare people into faith.  It is interesting to me because Revelation is actually a story of God's love and acceptance of all nations and languages.  The scary part  of Revelation, the part the TV evangelists play on, is the presence of  an oppressive and totally unjust ruling empire -- Rome.  A way of ruling, and living, that is constantly tempting believer to compromise. To chose the ways of the world over God's love and compassion. 

It is God's love and compassion that seems to gets lost in the violent images of John's vision.  John is writing to those believers who are tempted!  Encouraging them to resist the temptations of an evil and destructive empire.  This tiny passage, in the midst of all the scary detail, is about God's universal acceptance of all who believe regardless of their faults and flaws.

I challenge those, who want to use Revelation as a book of judgment and division, to take another look!  I invite you to look past the scary symbolism!  And listen to what is right before your eyes.  And you will find a clear message of hope.  This message come through load and clear in the All Saint's reading from the seventh chapter of Revelation (see below) when John writes: 

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. 

 

That no one could count form every nation....before God's thrown...

This great multitude was unknown to the elders -- the Hebrew religious leaders. (see verse 13)!  The great multitude were a people they did not recognize! Because -- because -- they were not of the house of Israel!

The message?  

It is not only the Jews who can expect salvation!  Indeed there is no limit to the multitudes!  All -- all -- are welcome before the thrown of God.  All will be saved!  This great multitude of unknown people have come before God from a life of struggle, much hardship and exclusion. 

They have come on their own!  They have come because they know that their salvation comes only from God.  Despite all that they have lived through!  They come with hope before this God they worship.  And that is enough! 

 

The Elders, of the Jewish religion, were not to be their judge! 

Neither are those who preach a God of judgment and wrath today!

God comes to all who believe with this message saying:  "I am the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end.  I will wipe away their tear.  And their pain will be no more (Rev. 1:8 and 21: 3-7)."

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." 

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?"

14 I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 

16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 

17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."(Rev. 7:9-17)