Upside-down Expectations
Revelation 7:13 – Then one of the elders asked me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” 14 – So I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!
verse 15 – For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 – They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, 17 – because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
I’m picturing all these regular things that the gospel of Jesus Christ turns upside-down. Blood usually stains things red, but the blood of Jesus bleaches our robes white. Lambs are raised by Shepherds, but the Lamb of God is the shepherd. We satisfy our daily hunger and thirst with food and water but with God hunger and thirst will never happen again. When we cry we wipe our own tears, but God himself will wipe away the last of our tears forever. Prolonged exposure to the sun can lead to burns and overheating, but permanent exposure to God means burns and overheating will be non-existent!
With unimaginable tribulation ahead – Jesus, the Son of God, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world will bring us through it and lead us to everlasting life! Let Jesus turn your expectations of doom into triumph as He leads us from death to life eternal!
Where two are gathered 