Revelation 7:9–10 — After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Read further: Revelation 7:13–17; 1 Corinthians 1:2.
The candy is still on the counter. A plastic skeleton hangs from someone’s porch, and a few pumpkins have already begun collapsing on the steps. Another Halloween has passed. But the name of last night’s holiday points to today. Halloween developed from All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before All Saints’ Day. November 1 has a Christian history many people have never heard. The observance grew from the early church’s remembrance of martyrs, believers who had been killed for following Jesus. Broader commemorations developed to remember saints beyond those individually named. November 1 became established in the Western church through developments in the eighth and ninth centuries. The observance long predates the Reformation and continues in several Protestant traditions as well as Roman Catholicism.
Christians were remembering people whose absence hurt. Their faithfulness deserved gratitude, and their deaths raised a question that still reaches us personally: What has happened to those who died belonging to Jesus? You might have a face in mind already. Someone whose voice you can still hear. Someone who taught you to pray, welcomed your questions, or sat beside you in church. Maybe their Bible is now on your shelf. You can turn its pages, but you can’t call and ask what they were thinking when they underlined that verse. Seasonal decorations are easy to put away, but the reality of death stays with us.
Revelation gives us a vision substantial enough to meet that reality. John sees a multitude no one can count, drawn from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They stand before God’s throne and before the Lamb, and they worship. Their song tells us why they’re there: “Salvation belongs to our God … and to the Lamb!” Their hope rests entirely in God’s rescue. Later in the chapter, their white robes are explained through the blood of the Lamb. Christ’s sacrifice made them clean.
What makes someone a saint? In the New Testament, the word describes people set apart for God in Christ. Paul even calls the troubled believers in Corinth saints. Their standing comes from belonging to Jesus, not from their behavior. Across centuries and continents, God has been gathering a family through the death and resurrection of His Son. The people death has taken from our sight haven’t passed beyond their Savior’s care. Remembering them means thanking God for His work in their lives. We don’t need to attempt to contact them — Scripture strictly forbids this! Instead, we entrust them to Christ and look toward the resurrection He has promised.
As we gather this morning, our church occupies one small place within that immense redeemed family. We sing in our own time and language to the same Lord. Our voices may tremble and some of us will feel the absence of a loved one. But we still have reason to sing! The Lamb who was slain is alive. He will shepherd His people, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. The final word over those who belong to Jesus will be spoken by the Savior who conquered the grave.
Head: Those who belong to Jesus remain in His care beyond death.
Heart: Whose absence do I need to bring into the hope of Christ’s resurrection today?
Hands: Thank God for one believer whose life helped you know Jesus. And as you worship this morning, join the congregation’s praise with gratitude that you belong to the same redeemed family.
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You for redeeming a people from every nation and generation. Hold us tenderly where remembering those who have died brings fresh sorrow. Lift our eyes to Your victory and the resurrection You’ve promised. Receive our worship this morning as we join Your people in declaring that salvation belongs to You. Amen.”
-PK