Revelation 7 begins with a vision of the chrch on earth; symbolized by 144,000 servants of God from the twelve tribes. Each one bears the seal of the living God, God protects them during the time of turmoil and suffering. Each of us must decide: the seal of God or mark of the Beast?
In our reading from the Apocalypse, we see the church in eternity, too large to count! The faithful are dressed in white--we will be made pure and holy--holding a palm branch to greet our victorious King. We will cry out with megas phone (a great voice) "soteria" (healing, deliverance, safety, salvation) belongs to God and the Lamb! Soteria is healing, deliverance, safety and salvation.
All Saints celebrates the holy ones who belong to God. We remember the faithful in every age, marked with the seal of God. We want to be like them—to bear God's image before the Beast who rules this earth, but not forever. The Apocalypse is not easy to understand, but the central revelation is quite simple. In Jesus, the Lamb, God has saved and healed the world. Someday it will be complete.
Politics, the human quest for power, often reduces us to beasts. It feeds on fear and anger. It seeks to dehumanize the other, to see the worst in them and ignore it in ourselves. The Beast inflicts pain and suffering, but God offers healing and deliverance. The Lamb will save us from the satan, from each other and from ourselves. The Beast will not prevail, even if for a while the saints appear to have chosen the wrong king.
The Beatitudes declare the victory of the Lamb. Blessed are the poor and heartbroken, blessed are the humble and merciful, the ones who long for a better day, blessed are those who suffer for Jesus—some day you will dress in white and hold a palm branch!
But it is not just in the distant future. “See, what love the Father has given us? We are God's children now. Someday we will be transformed and become like Jesus, but already we can live as the divine offspring through faith.
Stay focused, holy ones! Live as a saint. Do not be distracted by the Beast or his threats. Do not be discouraged by the hostility of the world. Do not fear the daily struggles. You are a child of God, a holy one set apart. Rejoice in His faithful love and live like a saint.
