A few months before any new movie is released in the cinema, a trailer for the movie usually appears. We might see these trailers in a few different places: as advertisements on our televisions, at the cinema before we see another movie, or on YouTube. Their purpose is to give us an idea of what the movie is about and generate interest in it, so when it is finally released it can be successful. A good movie trailer will give enough information about the movie that people will want to see it without revealing too much about the story or spoiling any surprises in the plot.
The Revelation of John has caused a lot of discussion and speculation among Christians and non-Christians for almost two thousand years. Its collection of strange creatures, symbolic numbers and mysterious events have prompted people to ask if we are to read it literally or figuratively, if it is recording the past or predicting the future, if it threatens doom or promises salvation. Arguments about interpreting Revelation is said to have divided the first German Lutherans who came to South Australia, a split which took more than a hundred years to heal.
We can ask all these questions and more about this passage from Revelation 7:9-17. There is a lot of symbolism and imagery which we could spend a lot of time exploring. If you have any questions about the reading, or anything in Revelation, please contact Pastor Eugene who would love to discuss it with you. This reading gives us a picture of God’s heavenly throne room where his people are assembled in worship with angels and other heavenly beings around God and a Lamb who appears to have been slain, who represents Jesus. They sing songs of praise as they worship God for his saving power. As the conversation between John and his guide continues, we are told that the people John can see have come through ‘the great tribulation’ (v14 NLT) and who are now safe and at peace. Because of what God has done, these people ‘will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes’ (vv16,17 NLT).
One way we can think about this scene of the heavenly throne room is like a trailer to a movie. John is giving us a sneak peek of what is happening in eternity, sort of like a movie trailer gives us a preview of a movie which is to be released. We don’t see they whole picture, but in these words that John has written, God gives us a glimpse of what has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future. John’s vision in Revelation gives us a glimpse of eternity, and because eternity is outside of time, this scene of God’s heavenly throne room is also outside of our understanding of time. That is why we can say that it has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future. The past, present and future are all connected by God’s eternal reality.
We can understand this scene as what’s happened in the past. At the time John wrote this letter, Christians were suffering horrible persecutions. When he describes this ‘crowd, too great to count’ (v9 NLT), he sees the people who were suffering in those persecutions and had remained faithful to Jesus even though they lost their earthly lives. Many believe that the origin of All Saints Day was to commemorate these martyrs who witnessed to their faith by giving up their lives for following Jesus. Here John sees them in eternal glory, rescued from death through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, clothed in the garments of righteousness and purity Jesus gives them, and waving the palm branches of victory. The Lamb on the throne has shepherded them into eternity where they are free from the trials and tribulations of life in this world and are safe in the shelter of God’s grace and peace.
We can also understand this scene as what will happen. Many people believe that Revelation is predicting what will happen in the future. We can agree with that to an extent because this scene describes our eternal reality. This ‘crowd, too great to count’ (v 9 NLT) is God’s people ‘from every nation and tribe and people and language’ from across the centuries who will spend eternity with God. Like the martyrs of the ancient church, God will deliver them from the trials and tribulations they experience and will gather them in his throne room for all eternity. Here we see the final destination of God’s people as John uses language which is very similar to what he writes in chapter 21. In that passage, John sees a new heavens and new earth as God’s heavenly city descends to earth. This is the final destination of all the faithful. This is our final destination, when God welcomes us into his presence at the end of our lives in this world and we spend eternity with him.
Finally, we can also understand this scene as giving us a glimpse of what’s happening now. Just like movie trailers are for films which are usually already completed, in this scene we are given a glimpse of the salvation we have right now through faith in Jesus. Because we worship our God who saves us, we are shepherded by the Lamb who was slain, and we worship in the one Holy Spirit which gives life to and unites all of God’s holy people, we are part of that ‘vast crowd, too great to count’ as we worship together. John’s vision gives us a glimpse of the eternal reality we are part of now through faith in Jesus. Like the trailer of a movie, we receive a glimpse of the shelter we already have from Christ, a foretaste of God’s grace which satisfies our hunger and thirst, which protects us from the dangers and threats of this world, and which wipes the tears from our eyes. God’s salvation was complete when Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30) on the cross. This scene gives us a preview of what eternal salvation looks like. It gives us a glimpse of what we look forward to as we live in it now, trusting that we will receive it in all its fullness when Jesus returns in glory.
Until that day, we live in patient and hope-filled expectation. Like waiting for a movie we want to see after the trailer is released, we trust that it will come when the time is right. As we celebrate All Saints Sunday, we can give thanks for the martyrs over the centuries who endured their great tribulations and are now with God. We can also remember and give thanks for the lives of our loved ones who faithfully endured their own trials and tribulations in this life and who are now part of the great crowd that no one can number in the throne room of our God. We can also look forward to the time when we don’t need to rely on a glimpse of eternity, a preview of what we look forward to, but when we will join that heavenly crowd and praise God for all his goodness and saving love for eternity.
More to think about or discuss:
- How do you react when you watch a trailer for a movie you really want to see? How does the trailer help you look forward to watching the whole movie?
- What do you think of seeing Revelation 7:9-17 as a preview for the eternity God gives us? What do you look forward to most about that eternity?
- How might trusting that you have this eternity to look forward help you find hope in your times of trials and tribulations? How might it help someone you know find hope?
Pastor Eugene Online 
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