Who Are These?

 

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:11-14 ESV).

 

Just downhill from the Bennington Battle Monument in Old Bennington, Vermont, the burial ground next to the historic Old First Church (founded in 1762) is the site of poet Robert Frost's grave. Mary and I visited there some years ago. You can see from the picture I’ve attached that it is a beautiful setting. However, the picture we see from John’s vision in our reading today gives us a very different look at death.

 

Perhaps John, the narrator of this story, had a blank and puzzled look on his face when he was asked: “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” It is easy to get lost in a crowd, especially “a great multitude that no one could count” (v. 9). No wonder John responded by saying, “Sir, you know.”

 

The Spirit of God, who gave John this revelation, wants us to know who these people are. We do not know them all, but we know some of them very well. They are believers in Christ who have died and have gone before us to be in heaven with God. As Mary and I walked through the Old Bennington Cemetery it was easy to imagine the lives of those buried there. Because of its age there were those who had experienced some of the worst of times during wars, famines, calamities, and great physical trial. I’m sure they were grieved for years following their deaths.

 

We grieve the deaths of our loved ones today, regardless of the circumstances. We miss them. To comfort us, God gives us this picture of a multitude before his throne. And they are not lost in the crowd. God knows and cares for each one, and he continues to be their shepherd. Death is but a door to eternal life in a perfect world!