“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’
So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and 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 dwell among them.
They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes'” (Revelation 7:13-17).
To this point, our author’s perspective on the Book of Revelation has been that of an observer. However, a question posed by one of these elders drew him into these events as they were taking place: “’Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?'” (CEB). While this elder could have simply relayed this information to John, our author, it seems that he preferred to engage him as a participant in this question-and-answer exchange. That brief discussion went far beyond a simple exchange of information, for it offers a surprising degree of insight for those who are willing to examine it closely.
Although the book of Revelation is widely known for its apocalyptic imagery, our text from Revelation 7:16-17 offers a comforting message of assurance. For example, God may often feel distant as we navigate the challenges and obstacles of everyday life. But this passage tells us that God will dwell among His people in eternity, thus encouraging us to look forward in the face of our daily hardships.
As we’re reminded in the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT).
We also have the following promise: “They will never hunger or thirst again, and they won’t be troubled by the sun or any scorching heat” (CEV). Hunger and thirst are sensations that virtually everyone can relate to. Many can empathize with the discomfort of a sunburn or can identify with the experience of being outdoors in the scorching daytime heat. But what if we never had to experience such things again? Those experiences will be a thing of the past once we enter the realm of eternity.
Image Attribution : “Through a glass darkly” by fotologic is licensed under CC BY 2.0.