What We Will Be

(All Saints Day)

November 02, 2014

Revelation !"#1 1 $ohn %!1#% &atthe' (!1#12

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet a famous historical figure? Many of us wonder
what it would be like to meet George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln, or Benamin !ranklin" # have often
seen informal surveys and $olls that ask which famous $ersons we would most like to meet or what we
might ask them if we had the o$$ortunity to have lunch with them" But for anyone who is se$arated from
us by even a few decades, we would first have to s$end some time e%$laining our modern world to them"
&o anyone who lived before World War ##, we would have to e%$lain et air$lanes, s$ace travel, com$uters
and cell $hones" #f they lived before the American 'ivil War, we would have to e%$lain automobiles and
modern race relations, $articularly in light of our having a non(white $resident" &he farther back in history
we go, the more things would need to be e%$lained" )omeone from the *+,,-s would find our dress, our
customs, our food, and even our s$eech to be very unusual" Benamin !ranklin was something of a ladies
man and while he might ust find today-s revealing hemlines and skin(baring fashion to be more than a
little intriguing, .ohn Wesley and most others would find such things to be /uite scandalous" Louis and
'lark took years to travel across the 0orth American continent, but by the *12,-s that tri$ could be
measured in weeks, by the *13,-s it could be accom$lished in days, and now we think nothing of traveling
from coast to coast in an handful of hours"
#f history teaches us anything at all, it is that things change" 0othing stays the same"
We find this same theme throughout scri$ture as well" &he world of the 4ld &estament changed
dramatically over time" 0ations and cultures and even languages were different from its beginning to its
end" Likewise, many more things had changed by the beginning of the 0ew &estament and more still by its
end" &hroughout scri$ture, the $ro$hets s$oke about changes that were to come"
&he message of scri$ture and of history is this5
What is, is not what 'ill be"
What 'ill be, is not 'hat is"
Almost nowhere is this message so obviously a$$arent than in .ohn-s $ro$hecy contained in the book of
6evelation" #n much of .ohn7s writing he reveals stories of what will be and the many ways that things will
be different" )ometimes these revelations are meant to warn us and other times they are intended to
encourage us" #n Revelation !"#1, .ohn says this5
9
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation,
tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
1
And they cried out in a loud voice!
*
"#alvation belongs to our $od,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.%
11
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They
fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped $od,
1&
saying!
"Amen'
(raise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our $od for ever and ever.
Amen'%
1)
Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes*who are they, and where did they come from+%
1,
I answered, "#ir, you know.%
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation- they have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
1.
Therefore,
"they are before the throne of $od
and serve him day and night in his temple-
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
1/
01ever again will they hunger-
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,2
nor any scorching heat.
13
4or the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd-
0he will lead them to springs of living water.2
0And $od will wipe away every tear from their eyes.2%
4f course, .ohn is writing about the future, in the days that will lead to the end of time" .ohn says that in
those days there will be a great multitude, $eo$le from every nation, tribe and language who stand before
the throne of God because they have been killed, martyred, because of their belief in .esus 'hrist" Here we
see that after their death, they have been cleansed of all their sin and are $rotected and comforted day and
night by God himself"
4ne interesting thing that we see in this $assage is the use of o$$osites" &he dead are alive, the lamb is the
she$herd, the victors are those who have been slain, because they have found victory in death, and
$urification through blood" #n the end, .ohn tells us, things will not be as they seem"
What 'ill be, is not 'hat is"
.esus also uses this same language of o$$osites to describe the future in his )ermon on the Mount in
&atthe' (!1#12)
8
1ow when 5esus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 6is disciples came to him,
&
and he began to teach them.
6e said!
)
"7lessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
,
7lessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
.
7lessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
/
7lessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
3
7lessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8
7lessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see $od.
9
7lessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of $od.
1
7lessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11
"7lessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me.
1&
9e:oice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
.esus says that a day is coming that will be different than today" &oday we have the $oor and the
o$$ressed" &hey must fully rely u$on God because they have no one else u$on whom they can rely" But
on that future day, the $oor will become rich because they will become the owners or rulers of the kingdom
of heaven"
#n that day, the mourners will find comfort, the humble will inherit the earth, the world will be set right,
mercy will abound, we will come to live with God, and those who were $ersecuted in the name of .esus
'hrist will reoice because of their great reward in heaven" &hrough death, those saints have come to a
$lace of comfort and rest"
And we are called to remember that as uncomfortable as life can sometimes be, as often as we e%$erience
$ain, suffering, grief, and sorrow, we must also remember that this $lace is not our home" We are born here
and we will die here, but we do not belon* here and we will not stay here"
#n 1 $ohn %!1#%, the A$ostle .ohn writes these words of comfort9
#ee what great love the 4ather has lavished on us, that we should be called children of $od' And that is
what we are' The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
&
;ear friends, now we are
children of $od, and what we will be has not yet been made known. 7ut we know that when <hrist
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
)
All who have this hope in him purify
themselves, :ust as he is pure.
2
4ur future has not yet been revealed" 4ur eternity has not yet been witnessed" But we have seen, felt, and
witnessed9 love"
We have seen and felt the love of God and the love of .esus 'hrist for us and one day we will see him face
to face" 4n that day, our human bodies will be transformed into something new, better, and eternal"

And I saw the holy city, the new 5erusalem, coming down out of heaven from $od, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband-
)
and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "7ehold, the dwelling of $od
is with men. 6e will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and $od himself will be with them-
,
he
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor
crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.%
.
And he who sat upon the throne said, "7ehold, I am making all things new.% :Revelation 21!2#(, RS+;
What is, is not what 'ill be"
What 'ill be, is not 'hat is"
What 'e are is not what 'e 'ill be,ome"
<

=ou have been reading a message $resented at &rinity >nited Methodist 'hurch on the date noted at the to$ of the first
$age" 6ev" .ohn ?artridge is the $astor at &rinity of ?erry heights in Massillon, 4hio" @u$lication of this message is a $art
of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you" Letters and donations
in su$$ort of the Media ministry or any of our other $roects may be sent to &rinity >nited Methodist 'hurch, 2+3+ Lincoln
Way A", Massillon, 4hio <<B<B" &hese messages are available to any interested $ersons regardless of membershi$" =ou
may subscribe to these messages, in $rint by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at
subscribeCtrinity$erryheights"org" &o subscribe to the electronic version sign u$ at htt$5DDee$url"comDvAl=n" &hese
messages can also be found online at htt$5DDwww"scribd"comD?astor .ohn ?artridge" All )cri$ture references are from the
0ew #nternational Eersion unless otherwise noted"