Revelation 7:9-17
“No More Tears”
The Book of Revelation is one of the strangest books in the Bible. While many Christians avoid reading it because it’s so difficult to make sense of, others are fascinated by the process of trying to interpret it. You may have heard about some Christians reading Revelation as a future prophecy and trying to associate current events with the symbols and images contained in the book. Usually the interpretation leads to a conclusion that the end of the world is coming very soon, causing fear, confusion, and sometimes some very unusual life decisions based on that belief.
But within the Reformed Tradition of which we are a part, we use historical-critical methods to try to understand what the authors of Scripture were dealing with in their time and place. This helps us to understand what they might have meant to communicate through the Book, and only then do we make the interpretive leap to what it might mean for us today.
Revelation is best understood when you see who wrote it, when and why it was written, and what kind of literature it is. The historical context is essential because the book’s imagery and message arise directly from the lived experience of early Christian communities under Roman imperial pressure.
Revelation identifies its author simply as John, exiled on the island of Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (Rev. 1:9) Sources consistently describe Patmos as a Roman site of banishment for political or religious prisoners. John’s exile suggests he was punished for refusing to participate in emperor worship.
Most scholars date the book to the reign of Emperor Domitian (between 81-96 CE), a period marked by intensifying pressure on Christians who refused to acknowledge the emperor as divine.
Revelation emerges from a world where emperor worship was mandatory in many regions; Christians were accused of atheism for refusing to worship Roman gods or the emperor; and non-participation in the imperial cult was seen as treason, threatening the empire’s relationship with the gods. This led to social exclusion, economic hardship, and sometimes execution.
The Book is addressed to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). These congregations were small minority groups under pressure to conform to Roman expectations. They were also tempted to compromise their faith to avoid suffering. And perhaps most importantly, they were in need of encouragement, warning, and hope.
The form of the writing is apocalyptic, a genre that uses symbolic imagery, visions and heavenly journeys, cosmic conflict between good and evil, and eschatological hope that at the end of time we can trust in God’s final victory.
The passage set for this All Saints Sunday includes a heavenly vision of a multitude of God’s people gathered around the throne of God with the Lamb (representing Jesus Christ). The crowd is described as innumerable (so many people that they cannot be counted), diverse (including people from all nations, peoples, and languages), and they are all there for one purpose – to worship God together with joy because God has been victorious over all the evils of the world.
Remember, the church communities that first received this book were struggling a lot. It wasn’t just written as a theological text to promulgate John’s beliefs about the end of time and God’s final victory, but it was circulated to the churches as a kind of pastoral letter to encourage them to stay strong, to stay faithful to God and Jesus Christ, and to withstand the pressure from the Romans with the strong assurance that the oppression will not last forever.
Likely, one of the reasons for all the strange symbolic language and images was to protect the communities who were passing on these writings. If the book fell into the wrong hands, they wouldn’t want their persecutors to know what they were talking about and how they were criticizing the emperor and others.
In the first part of chapter seven (which we didn’t read today) we can read about 144,000 suffering Christians who are sealed and marked as belonging to God and receiving God’s protection. The specific number is symbolic rather than accurate. You might think of the 12 tribes of Israel multiplied by the 12 apostles, multiplied by 1000 – a really big number! The symbolism implies that all of God’s beloved people are under God’s care.
And then in today’s passage that follows, John describes the future scene in heaven – the ultimate destination that is promised to the faithful people. It is a multi-ethnic gathering of the nations. Everyone is wearing white robes, symbolizing purity, victory, and being washed in the Lamb’s blood (in other words, the people have been cleansed of sin and forgiven because of Jesus’ love and sacrifice).
The people are waving palm branches, evoking both victory celebrations, the Feast of Tabernacles from the Jewish Tradition, and echoing Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We are told that the Lamb (Jesus) will become their shepherd, moving from a sacrifice for our salvation to a guide who will lead us all in paths of righteousness and towards springs of water to refresh us.
The most powerful line, in my opinion, is the last one where we read that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” The persecution will cease; the suffering will be over; the pain will come to an end; and there will be no more tears. This must have been such a powerful message for the Christian churches of Asia Minor at the end of the first century.
But of course, it’s a message that is just as relevant for many people in our world today.
- I’m thinking of Christians in North Korea, where religious activity outside state control can lead to imprisonment and severe punishment;
- Religious minorities in Pakistan, including Christians and others, who can face discrimination, false accusations, and violence;
- People displaced by war in places such as Sudan, Syria, and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where conflict has caused immense suffering and forced many from their homes;
- And Refugees worldwide, many of whom have fled persecution, violence, famine, or political oppression and continue to live in uncertainty.
On this All Saints Day, we are invited to remember those around the world who suffer from war, violence, poverty, displacement, illness, and persecution. We also give thanks for the countless saints who have remained faithful through trials and now rest in the presence of God, where every tear is wiped away.
But I wonder if this vision of the multitude praising God together in heaven can be an encouragement for us also in our context.
Certainly, we are watching powerful “emperor-like” leaders rising up in various parts of the world today. We are worried about how upcoming elections will go, and we are concerned about our neighbours and those who will continue to suffer depending on how things go. Can the message of Revelation help us and others who are being directly impacted when we receive the assurance from God that this will not always be the way things are?
For some among us, we may be going through personal suffering too. We may be weighed down by grief, struggling with health issues, or feeling lost and alone in the midst of our busy lives. If something like that feels true for you today, the message from our loving God through the Book of Revelation is this: This will not always be the way things are!
Hold on! Stay faithful! Trust God, and hope for the future victory, peace, and joy!
The other part of the vision that I want to mention is that diverse crowd in heaven. When we see so much division in our world (and sometimes in our churches too), when we judge and exclude each other, when we don’t see each other with our diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages as fully human and fully God’s beloved, then we need this vision too.
It’s a challenge for all of us with our limited vision to fully embrace our differences and welcome the intercultural church and world that God intends for us. But here we see that it is possible, and it is glorious, and that it will come to be one day.
As we gather around the Table of Communion today, we join our praise and thanksgiving with the saints of every time and place – past, present, future, and around the world. If we have the eyes of our hearts open to see, we may catch of glimpse of that diverse worshipping community in heaven. And when we share the bread and the wine, we are invited to a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that we will all share in the heavenly reign of God.
Remembering the promise that there will be no more tears, let us praise God together for these gifts, joining our voices with all God’s people, singing “Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks, honour, and power and strength… be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”