A New Song

“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. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”
Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV) 

Do you ever wonder what heaven will be like? 

Phrases like, “pearly gates,” and “streets of gold” are instantly recognizable by most people as descriptions of heaven. But what does the Bible say? How does the Bible describe heaven? 

In Revelation 7:9-10, the Bible describes heaven as filled with extravagant worship from multitudes of diverse people. The inhabitants of heaven– too many to count– are geographically, racially, and culturally diverse; and yet, they are completely unified. 

That may seem almost impossible in our culture as discussions of race relations spark outrage, fear, anger, and grief. The Holy Spirit wants to heal these wounds. And in Heaven, the result of healing is incredible diversity and profound unity. 

How might this be true on earth? Through the community of faith, the church, you can model these heavenly habits of heart and mind right now. And this example will show the world what heaven looks like.

In Christ, you are free to differ from others in preferences of music, preaching style, fashion, and much more. You are free to be different from someone else, yet still unified. But you must never let these differences overshadow how much is shared in common.

You have been forgiven and redeemed by the same Christ as someone else. You have been made new and filled with the same Spirit. You have been saved for the same purpose–to glorify the same God. 

In heaven–and in the people of heaven on earth–the glory of the Redeemer outshines the differences of the Redeemed. Notice the song they sing in Revelation 7:10, “Salvation belongs to our God, Who sits on the throne...” Salvation belongs to “our” God. When we all turn our eyes away from ourselves and fix them on Christ, we begin to sing a new song...a song of reconciliation, of healing, and of hope.

Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for entering our brokenness so that we might experience Your restoration. I know that You are the only hope for our world. Help me to be a beacon of light and unity in the darkness of racial division. In Jesus’ Name, amen.