From Revelation 7:15-17:
1. The redeemed are where they have always longed to be - before the throne of God. Safely arrived under the good sovereign rule of God, they now enjoy intimacy.
2. The redeemed serve God day and night in his temple - worshipping with all self-consciousness stripped away, and all signs and symbols fulfilled.
3. The redeemed are under the covering of his tent, secure and delivered. Here the tenderness of the Redeemer is stretched out continually to his people.
4. The redeemed will never undergo trial or suffering or tribulation again. In coming home, they are freed from hard work and toil.
5. The redeemed will enjoy the nearer and dearer presence of their Saviour. He will be in the centre and he will be their Shepherd.
6. The redeemed will be permanently satisfied as they drink the waters of life. Here all their longings will be gloriously realised and fully enjoyed. They will delight in the richest of fare and will permanently drink deep of the Spirit.
7. The redeemed will have had all sorrow and sadness banished. The Lord tenderly wipes ( literally ‘digs out’) every tear from their eyes.
In summary, the redeemed enjoy the sweetest, fullest and most intimate relationship with the Trinity it is possible to conceive. But even language fails when faced with the everlasting marvels that await us. There the redeemed are in God’s immediate presence, treated as dear to him, delivered from every care and hardship, set free from everything that would their abundant flourishing. There will be no more hunger or thirst. Uninterrupted fellowship with God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As the seraphic Charles Wesley joyfully exclaimed:
“In the Lamb/ Thrice happy I am/ And my heart it doth dance at the sound of his name!”
I do hope you know yourself of that great number “from every nation, tribe, people and language.”
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