"Blood of the Lamb!”

A Sermon Based Upon Revelation 7: 9-17

By Rev. Dr. Charles J. Tomlin, DMin

Flat Rock-Zion Baptist Partnership

May 7 2017, Easter Series, 4/9: ‘Jesus Christ Revealed Today

Country Music legend Hank Williams tragically died young at age 29 from heart failure caused by addiction to pain pills and alcohol.   Along with his terrible demons empowered by back problems, came angelic gifts of imagination.  One of his most prophetic, yet tragic songs he wrote was entitled, ‘I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive!’   His first verse opened:

Now, you're lookin' at a man that's gettin' kinda mad

I had a lot a luck but it's all been bad

No matter how I struggle and strive

I'll never get out of this world alive.”

Hank Williams was right.  None of us, no matter how fortunate, or unfortunate, will get out of this world alive.  Like the biblical character Job, even if we do everything right, we will not be able to get through life without some kind of trouble. 

At the center of today’s Bible text we overhear an angel explaining to John the identity of a ‘great multitude dressed in white robes’ washed white “in the blood of the lamb!’  You can hardly be more graphic, but how can robes be washed white with lamb’s blood?  Perhaps it helps to begin by saying that no other single passage in the Bible is more descriptively written and expressively laced with Christian hope and gospel truth than the text before us.   But exactly because Revelation was written in an ancient form apocalyptic code,  such images have been often misunderstood and greatly abused.  As GK Chesterton put it:  ‘And though St. John saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators.’

When I was in college, one of my professors expressed his own disliked for the misuse of terms like ‘the 144000’, ‘the Great Tribulation’, and of course the heavily violent image of ‘the blood of the lamb.’   He told us that even the great reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin, who wrote about most every other book of the Bible, did not even comment on Revelation.    However, what they dared not do, we can do, and must do.  We have historical and theological insights that can help us break the code to undercover the original meaning.  That will take us to heart of the gospel message as the revelation of Jesus Christ.  But again, you certainly can't understand what these images mean until you know what is behind them. 

A HORSE WENT OUT TO RIDE…

In the previous chapter, some very ugly horses had been summoned to ride.  We call them the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  Many expect these horses to ride at the end of the world, but the truth is that they are always riding through our world and through our lives.  These horses ride to conquer though power, through bloodshed, through starvation, and through death.  This is how the world worked in ancient times, and sadly, the world still works this way.  When people or nations go after power and become blood thirsty, everyone who gets in their way, starves or bleeds.

In history, both ancient and modern, we know this scenario all too well.  Jesus himself said, ‘there will be wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet…’.   We know the tragic story of Syria and Aleppo and the Russians siding with the evils of Assad.  We know the constant threats of terror in Europe, and now, also the deeds that have caused mass death and pain on 911, and beyond, here in the States.   This is not to even mention the death toll of two world wars and the consequences still being felt, both in Germany, and around the world. 

Who will try to conquer next?  Will it be Russia, China, or some other unknown, unseen, or unexpected rouge power who threatens with a nuclear warhead?  Now that the ‘cat’s out the bag’, the horse out of the stable, or the ‘bomb’ has been dropped, most anything could happen; even the most unthinkable.  We often don’t want to think about that.  But strangely, these apocalyptic images of power, death, and tribulation are often sounded more by the press, the elite, and the educated, than are taken seriously by people in the pew.  Who wants to contemplate all the deadly powers that are always riding in our world?  Who wants to see the destruction that constantly threatens? Who can live in peace with such threats always over and sometimes, ‘on’ our heads?   You do realize, don't you, that ours is the first generation to create a clock that calculates how much time we might have left until doomsday?  You might think a bunch of religious fanatics invented such a clock, but it rather a group of concerned scientists, 14 of whom were Nobel Laureates. Would you dare look to see what time it is?  Last time I checked it was 3 minutes to midnight—midnight being doomsday!

The truth it's that it's always close to the end for someone, somewhere?  We all know this is our continual, constant, precarious reality, but who wants to consider it?   You don't think about it much, until a relative dies, or some tragic event comes to a friend or gets close to you.  I have to think about the end a lot, due to the nature of my job. Every time I must conduct a funeral, or pray with someone facing illness or surgery, my mine races to the reality of life and death we all face, but often deny. 

Still, it hits me harder, as it does you, when the unexpected or a great injustice happens to me.  And if being or doing good doesn't stop the unfair or the unwanted from happening, why be good anyway?  Since there are no guarantees in this life, what does it matter how we live, what we do, or what we believe?  That is where many are when it comes to contemplating our impending end. ‘Eat, Drink and be Merry, for tomorrow we die!  And as the popular song oin the 1970’s asked, which some are still asking, ‘Is this all there is?’ 

As I was writing these words, a terrorist bomb exploded in a Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo.   Today Coptic Christians are a very small minority in Egypt, but their presence in Egypt is much older than Islam?  Most Islamic neighbors, now the majority in Egypt, still make room for this historic, small group of Christians, allowing them to work as Cairo’s garbage collectors (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38280627). Strangely, there was a time when Christianity was the most celebrated faith among Egyptians, especially around Alexandria.   However, all that has changed, and now, there are some extreme voices that even want all Christianity gone everywhere—not only wiped off of the face of the Egypt, but off the face of the whole earth.  

Still, while some are trying to destroy Christianity with bombs and terrors, others unwittingly threaten the future of Christianity in even more effective ways, here at home.  Even some who call themselves Christians do this by not showing up in worship, by not caring about their own Christian community of faith, and by the continual neglect to live and teach and pass on the faith they claim to have.   In ways that are obvious and unobvious, the horses of the apocalypse continue to ride.   Death continues to threaten us, both physically and spiritually.

SALVATION BELONGS TO OUR GOD

Interestingly, however, the intent of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is not to show us how dominate and destructive the horses are as they ride, but to remind us that even the forces of death and destruction let loose in the world, are only allowed by the one sitting on the throne.   The point is that the risk of human life enables power-seekers, struggle, warfare, death and destruction, but even these great negative forces will never again have the ultimate, upper hand.   As Revelation has been revealing from the opening of the vision, it is only the lamb who ‘holds the keys of death and hell’ (1:18).  It is the lamb ‘who has been slain, but is still standing at the center of the throne’ (5:6), and because only the lamb ‘opens the seals’  (6:1),  we are now being told to imagine how even ‘death’ and destruction have themselves become servants of God’s will and purpose.

In Revelation, even the message of gloom and doom is being transformed into a song of praise.   This becomes clearer as even this picture of apocalyptic doom, is now suspended by a vision of ‘those who were sealed’ who are of the ‘144,000 from all the tribes of Israel’ (7:4).   To this great number is added an even greater ‘multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language’.  All these together, the countable and the uncountable, are now ‘standing before the throne and in front of the lamb’ (7:9).    All these Together they ‘cried out in a loud voice’  louder than the sounds of gloom and doom, saying:  “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (7:10).    They sing ‘praise…forever and ever to God for  his ‘glory…wisdom…honor…power and strength’ (7:12) because celebrate as those who ‘have come out of the great tribulation….’ (7:14). 

But of course, the ‘victory’ they celebrate around the throne of God in heaven, was never obvious to them while on earth.   The riding of the horses of death and destruction are very obvious, but the sealing and victory of God’s people isn’t.  On earth we see nothing but death and destruction, and the riding of powers of conquest and corruption; but it is only in a vision of heaven can we see those ‘who have come out of the great tribulation’ with ‘white robes’ and celebrating a victory that was not won by themselves.   This is why their song of praise is that ‘Salvation belongs to our God’.  Salvation is never fully ours while we live in this world.  It is a song can be sung now, but this salvation belongs only to God, and will ever be fully realized here.  This is why John, now suffering tribulation too (1:9), needs this Revelation of Jesus Christ.  We also need the ‘revelation’ because we are still going ‘through’ it, and our victory is not yet fully ours.

Perhaps you are going, have gone, or will go through some ‘great tribulation’ too.   Of course, the ‘great tribulation’ John meant was a direct persecution of Christians.   Before the book of Revelation was written, around 64 AD, the roman Emperor Nero order attacks on Christians because he wanted to blame someone for the problems he was having.  Perhaps you’ve heard the old phrase, “Nero fiddled, while Rome burned!”   That was about the time when Christians were thrown to Lions and hung up on light posts to burn like torches.  It was terrible.  Later, around 95 AD, another Emperor named Domitian, who was well-known for being paranoid (most Emperors were murdered to end their reign).  This threat of new persecutions, which perhaps never occurred on any large scale, was the occasion for John’s vision.

Such threats of ‘great tribulation’ are years removed from us, but as people who live with great risk, we also must live with the constant threat of suffering unexpectedly, unwantedly, and often unjustly.   We don’t have to go through ‘The Great Tribulation’ at the end,  but we can experience ‘great’ tribulation of our own.    This is why we need to constantly remind ourselves that in a world where we often have very little control, ‘salvation belongs to our God’.    The picture of the protective sealing of God’s people (7: 1-3), followed by songs of heavenly praise around God’s throne (7:9ff) are powerful images to remind us that in life and in death; God is our only true hope.   In a world where the horses of death and destruction continually ride, we need to be constantly reminded of our hope.  

Right after World War II, a sixth grade class in Greenville, SC, welcomed a new kid to their class.  He was blonde kid from Poland.  The teacher explained that things were bad in Poland so he came to live in Greenville.  One kid joked it must be really bad in Poland to have to come to Greenville.  

Not long after the new kid came, the others noticed food missing in class.  First it was an apple or two.  Then, some sandwiches, and other items from their lunch boxes went missing.  One day a girl in class saw the blond Polish boy take two cookies.  She reported it to the teacher.  The teacher invited the boy out of the room and into the hallway.  She told him, “You don't live in Poland anymore.  You now live in a new location in America.  We have plenty of food in America. When you get hungry all you have to do is ask me.  Do you understand?”  The boy shook his head as if he understood.  He never stole food again.

What the Revelation wants us to know is that those people who have finally received the fullness of God’s salvation are in a very different location.  It is not only a location where people in white robes constantly sing thanksgiving to God, but these are those who now find themselves in a very different place where there is unending hope; no more suffering, no more hurt, and no hunger or thirst; no more pain.   After their ‘great tribulation’, they have reach that place where God has wiped away there tears (&:14) and given them eternal shelter (7:15).  This is a gift of ‘salvation’ that only God can give (7:10).

MADE THEM WHITE IN THE BLOOD

But can we still believe, along with those that great multitude in heaven, that ‘salvation belongs to our God…and to them lamb’ (7:10)?   It’s certainly not easy, is it?  We don’t know how well they --- those suffering Christians---- were able to ‘sing’ this song in the midst of their own suffering, hurt and tribulation.  Perhaps exactly because it is always hard to sing such praise and hope that this Revelation of heaven was given. 

Near the end of last year, right after that ISIS inspired, Tunisian Terrorists, drove that 18-Wheeler into that crowed Christmas Market in Berlin, and over a dozen were killed and dozens more were injured, the city was terrorized, but the whole nation was filled with angst and fear.  The tragedy took place right in front of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church.   That church was bombed during World-War II and left in ruins.  But a chapel has been built onto those ruins where people will remember, can still enter to worship, and will hopefully still pray for peace. 

Only a day or so after the terrible event, which took place less than a week before Christmas, the Lutheran Bishop held a prayer service in the chapel, entitling his message, “How Can We Still Celebrate Christmas?”  In this message, he addressed the fears, the hurt, and all the anxiety everyone felt in Berlin, and in all of Germany.  He also spoke of how hard it would be get into the Christmas Spirit, as the normal human response would be to answer hate with hate.  He spoke of how all this hate had been inspired by an ‘Inman’ there who was preaching nothing but hate to young Islamic men.   Then he said, if we responded to this hate and closemindedness, with more hate, and more closemindedness, we will not heal.  No, the only hopeful answer is justice, openness, along with more democracy, and more freedom.  His answer was, instead of preaching hate, to ‘inspire’ hope that is rooted in God’s love (https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article160482948/Wie-soll-es-denn-jetzt-ueberhaupt-noch-Weihnachten-werden.html).

Certainly, inspiring hope rather than hate is not easy.   That is exactly why we have this most powerful, even violent, image of people who have suffered and died, washing their robes ‘white’ in the ‘the blood of the lamb’.   This image of ‘hope’ not only comes at great cost, but it also comes unexpectedly, yet is still true.  That is what John wants to convey to them, and to us.  When Christ suffered, and when we too suffer with Christ, we can hope for the most surprising, unexpected outcome.

Here, we must remember that the suffering of Jesus was a very big problem for the disciples and the early church.  As Jesus predicted, just before his death:  “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered' (Matt. 26:31 NRS).  Even after his resurrection, some were still struggling with what it all meant (Luke 24: 17-25).   This sent some of the disciples to searching the Scriptures for answers.  What they did not anticipate before, is that behind the suffering of God’s servant, and their Messiah, was the very saving plan of God.   They confirmed with the prophet Isaiah, that ‘by his stripes we are healed’ (Isa. 53:5) and that it ‘was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain’ making his life ‘an offering for sin’ (53:10).  

Of course, this was, and is still not an easy thing to grasp.   How does God work his salvation through the suffering, pain, and hurt of Jesus on the Cross, and also through the hurt, pain, and suffering God’s servants still experience in life, even when we do what is right?   How does God save us, wash us clean, through the ‘blood’ that has been spilt, or is still being spilt by those who serve God in this life?

While I, nor you, nor anyone can ever fully explain the mystery of how God saves and washes us clean through ‘the blood of the lamb’, or how there is a strange ‘power’ in the blood, as the church sings, what we can know is how this all ties into hope.   Whatever is behind this ‘shedding of blood’ (Hebrews 9:22) and the ‘washing with blood’ (Rev. 7:14), the final conclusion of the New Testament---the only conclusion that makes any sense---is what Paul concluded: …”But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.  Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:6-9 NRS). 

This picture of a great multitude, having their robes washed white in ‘the blood of the lamb’ only makes sense when you look at the final, saving picture of God’s eternal, unending love.   Only when you know how God’s love raised Jesus, and only when you also believe that God’s love will also raise us up, only then, can faith, life, or suffering finally make sense.  Hope is only realized through love.   Right here, in this very hopeful, John’s Revelation still points us to the heavenly picture where all suffering is answered and pain is finished.   As a Jewish philosopher once realized for himself,  all faith, and all hope is given birth in love:  “Only Love believes in Resurrection!” Amen (http://ludwig.squarespace.com/wittrs-blog/2009/11/27/wittgensteins-thoughts-in-1937-about-god-the-resurrection-of.html).