Ascension from another Angle

5/24/09

Albertville

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Rev. 7:9-1

When they first started putting baseball games on television, they had but two stationary television cameras. One was placed down the third base line, the other was high and above home plate getting a wide view of the field. While it was immediately hailed as a great accomplishment and the wave of the future, it had quite a few limitations. With only two fixed cameras, it was difficult to see all the action in an understandable way. It wasn’t long, that they learned that more than two cameras were necessary. Nowadays, of course, we enjoy many different angles as well as slow-motion instant replay And, typically, the more important the game, the more cameras they use. The World Series is festooned with Television cameras.

It’s so much easier to make sense out of things when you look at them from more than one angle. This is true not only in baseball but many other things as well. And so I propose that we look at the Ascension of Jesus from a different angle and in so doing, I think our understanding of it’s meaning will be strengthened.

Generally, when we think of the ascension, we tend to see it from the perspective of the disciples. In our mind’s eye we stand on the hill with them. We see Jesus lifting up his arms to bless us, we see him floating upwards behind the clouds, and then we see him no more.

But what if we could look at ascension from a different camera angle. What if it were possible to watch Jesus coming into heaven rather than leaving the earth? Now wouldn’t that be interesting! Well, one of our fellow Christians has been allowed to do just that? His name is John the Apostle. And in his book of Revelation, he gives a view from the other side. He gives us a glimpse of what it’s like in heaven with the victorious Christ on his throne and it is glorious.

John says that he looked up and he saw a great multitude of people. The crowd was so big that no one could count it. More numerous than the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (Gen. 15:5). We’re talking millions. People from every nation, every tribe and language were standing before the throne of the Lamb. And these people were wearing white robes, and they were waving palm branches. And with one voice they shouted "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb." And it then seems that they started chanting or singing with the angels just like we sometimes do in our liturgy, "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. AMEN!". What a sound that must have been, billions singing in unison. Try to imagine what that was like to sing with all those people. Maybe you remember Easter Sunday, what it was like to sing the hymns of praise with a full church. Multiply that a couple 100,000 times and you will begin to grasp the scope of what it was like to be in that crowd which John tells us about on that day.

As John listened to them, his ears full of their praise, his body rippling with waves of holy delight, One of the Elders who had been guiding him through the vision, asked him a question. He said, "These people in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" Perhaps John didn't know, or maybe he was just too enthralled with what he saw. For he turned the question back to the elder and said, "why don't you tell me who these people in white robes are.”

And with the elder's reply, we learn something rather amazing. We learn that we won’t always have to imagine what it was like, because we will be there to see it for ourselves. John was given a view of the assembly of all Christians at the end of time. And among those people who stood there in white robes singing praises to the Lord at the top of their lungs, was you and I. When John looked over that sea of people from every nation, every language and every tribe he saw you and me standing in the midst of them!

Perhaps you thought the bible always reported the events in the lives of other people, like the children of Israel, or Paul, or maybe Timothy or some other person and you never thought that the Bible actually speaks of things that you personally are involved in. This is why so many consider the bible to be irrelevant. But today, I’m telling you that it is entirely relevant. Because it has always spoken of the great events that have happened and will happen in your life. When psalm 23 says “The Lord is my Shepherd”....That’ s you....you say that because he is your shepherd right now and he has been since you were baptised. When Paul, in Romans Chapter 7 speaks of the great spiritual battle within him between his old adam and the new man in Christ, He’s describing a situation that you are fully aware of and even now you are struggling with it. This is the substance of your prayers! This is about you . And here, in the vision of Revelation he describes what you will be doing and where you will be in the future!

How do I know This? How do I know that among those people standing before the throne will be you and me. Well, look at how the Elder in John’s vision described them. He said, “these are the people who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed there robes and made them white by the blood of the lamb.” And that’s us!

Have we not washed our robes in the blood of the lamb? Is this not the very heart and center of the faith which we profess? By the blood of Jesus, we have forgiveness. And no matter how ugly the stain of our sins may be, they are washed clean by the blood of the lamb. You know exactly what it is like to wash your robes in the blood of Jesus. You do it every time you get on your knees with contrite heart and confess that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness. “Cleanse me with hysop and I will be clean! Wash me and I will be whiter than snow!” (Ps 51:7). Yes yes, this is you. You who wash your robes in the blood of the lamb. So among those in white robes praising the victorious lamb will be you...you who remain in Christ until you breath your last.

White Robes, white robes. We use white robes sometimes. Remember. When kids get confirmed, we make them wear white robes. Also sometimes, when we baptize a baby, the baby is wearing a white robe (and in some cases...it been passed down through generations) Are you starting to figure out why we do this? The tradition of having confirmands and also babies who are baptized wear white robes is the church expressing the fervent desire that we will one day see this babies who are baptized and these teenagers who are confirmed in that great crowd of the redeemed. So even our traditions reveal the truth about this text.

I’ve almost got you to agree that John saw you on that day he was given the vision of Christ’s victorious reign. But there was one part that you didn’t quite get. There was one part that perhaps caused all manner of bells and whistles to go off. Let me read the elder’s description of those in white robes once again: “These are the people who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white by the blood of the lamb.” Aha! There’s a word in there that might have caused you to stumble: “Tribulation”. You’ve heard that word before haven’t you? Those silly books by Tim Lahaye known as the “left behind” series, used that word. A vast number of mistaken TV preachers use that word. And they always speak of it as if it were some distant event that will happen in the future.

But it’s happening right now. The moment you were baptized, Satan marked you as one of his enemies. At that moment he began to mount a propaganda campaign against God so as to persuade you to turn to unbelief. Perhaps for you it started when you were in school. They introduced you to the whimsical, magical, ridiculous teaching of evolution. It got you to wonder if maybe there isn’t a God. You struggled with this.

But that was just the beginning! There’s more to come! Trail after trial after trial will afflict you and your faith in Christ Jesus.. Getting fired for no good reason, losing a loved one., losing a child, suffering an accident, suffering an injustice, suffering from and eventually dying from an incurable disease. Sometimes everybody and everything in the world seems to be shouting in our ears what Job’s wife once said. Remember what Job’s wife said to her Job? “Why don’t you just curse God and die!” “Curse God and Die!” (Job 2:9) That’s exactly what Satan your enemy wants you to do. But you must not! You must stand fast. You must wash your Robes, You must “wait upon the Lord.” (Is. 40:31); You will not be disappointed (Is 49:23). You will not be put to shame. Your enemies will not triumph over you (Ps. 25:2) You will tread upon the lion and the cobra (ps. 91:13)

The Elder’s description of you continues: “He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them, never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The Sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes.” That’s what Jesus’ ascension means to us. He reigns and therefore we win. AMEN