The gospel will not fail; all nations will worship
The gospel’s final outcome is a people from every nation, tribe, people, and language, redeemed by the Lamb’s blood, standing together before the throne and the Lamb to worship God. Knowing that outcome, the church should continue proclaiming the gospel faithfully and with hope today.
By Paul Zhang
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Theme: All Nations in Worship
Brothers and sisters, today I am not going to begin by asking, “How many people have you shared the gospel with lately?”
Nor will I begin by asking, “How much has our church grown this year?”
Today, I want to begin with a promise:
If you have recently been discouraged because your church is small, disappointed because family members still do not believe after many years, or anxious because this age seems to be moving farther and farther from God, my hope is that by the time we finish this passage, you will be able to lift your head again.
Today we are not simply asking, “How is the church doing right now?” We are letting God take us to the end of history to see:
What will ultimately become of the gospel?
Sometimes we lose heart not because God is doing nothing, but because we are standing too close and seeing only one small piece.
Imagine someone standing in front of a huge painting, nose almost touching the canvas. All they can see is a patch of black, and they say, “Why is this painting so dark?”
But when they step back ten paces, they discover that the black patch is only a small part of a glorious picture.
Revelation pulls us back.
In chapter 6, we see war, famine, death, persecution, and heaven and earth shaking.
Chapter 6 even ends with an unsettling question:
“For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17, KJV)
Then chapter 7 suddenly draws back the curtain of heaven.
John says:
“After this I beheld …” (KJV)
What does he see?
Not a church growing smaller and smaller.
Not a handful of Christians hiding and barely hanging on.
But—
“A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” (KJV)
Brothers and sisters, this is the picture I want you to remember today:
Every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
So today’s message comes down to one sentence:
The gospel will not fail; all nations will worship!
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” (KJV)
There is a very important word here:
“Beheld.”
In the preceding passage, 7:4, John says:
“And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (KJV)
John first hears a number that can be counted.
Then he sees a multitude no one can count.
This reminds us of chapter 5.
John first hears:
“The Lion of the tribe of Juda … hath prevailed.” (KJV)
But when he turns to look, what he sees is:
A Lamb looking as though it had been slain.
Revelation often uses this reversal of hearing and seeing to move us from human expectations into God’s reality.
Here it is the same:
What John hears is God counting his people without missing a single one. What he sees is a redeemed host so vast that no one can count it.
God said to Abraham:
“In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3, KJV)
Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah:
“I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6, KJV)
After his resurrection, the Lord Jesus said:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.” (Matthew 28:19, KJV)
Then in Revelation 5:9:
“Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” (KJV)
Now chapter 7 finally lets us see the result.
The promise in Genesis,
the hope in the prophets,
the Great Commission in the Gospels,
the mission of the apostolic age—
all finally converge before the throne in:
All nations in worship.
We need to return to the time when John wrote Revelation.
The churches in Asia Minor were not powerful.
They lived under the vast Roman Empire.
One of Rome’s proudest claims was:
We have conquered many peoples.
People of different languages, ethnicities, and regions had all been brought within the empire’s borders.
What the empire demanded was:
Allegiance to Caesar.
Yet on Patmos, John saw another gathering of the nations.
Not the nations bowing before Caesar,
but the nations standing before the Lamb.
Not conquered by Roman swords,
but redeemed by the Lamb’s own blood.
Not forced to shout:
“Caesar is lord!”
But freely singing:
“Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (KJV)
This is the gospel’s deepest challenge to every empire:
No earthly country, people, culture, or political power can become history’s ultimate center.
There is only one final center:
The throne.
Only one final King:
The Lamb.
And the final multitude comes from:
Every nation and tribe.
What is our problem?
We are far too quick to judge eternal work by today’s numbers.
Only one person comes to faith today:
“Are we getting nowhere?”
A family has prayed for ten years and still sees no change:
“Is God doing anything?”
A small church has only a few dozen people:
“Have we failed?”
But brothers and sisters,
Do not use today’s few to dismiss the countless multitude John has already seen.
You plant a seed today.
You do not know where God will cause it to sprout.
The gospel traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch,
from Antioch to Asia Minor,
from Europe to Asia,
from one people to another.
Until one day,
The nations stand before the throne.
So remember:
We do not decide whether to be faithful based on the numbers in front of us. We remain faithful today because we already know how the story ends.
Here is our first refrain: The gospel will not fail; all nations will worship!
The passage continues:
“Stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” (KJV)
This answers the question left hanging at the end of chapter 6:
“Who shall be able to stand?” (KJV)
What are the people in chapter 6 doing?
Hiding.
Kings hide.
Commanders hide.
The rich hide.
The powerful hide.
They even say to the mountains and rocks:
“Fall on us.” (KJV)
But in chapter 7,
a group suddenly appears—
they are not hiding.
They are standing.
Where?
Not at a distance.
But:
“Before the throne, and before the Lamb.” (KJV)
Why do they dare to stand there?
Not because they have never sinned.
Not because their religious performance is outstanding.
Not because they come from a particular ethnic group.
Verse 14 gives us the answer:
“Have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (KJV)
This is one of the most remarkable pictures of the gospel in the entire passage:
Blood makes clothes white.
Common sense tells us
that blood leaves stains.
When blood touches white clothing,
it should turn red,
and may be very difficult to clean.
But the gospel tells us:
The blood of this world leaves stains; the Lamb’s blood removes them.
This is the mystery of the cross.
Imagine
that each of us has a garment.
Written across it is our past:
Pride,
jealousy,
greed,
lies,
hidden sin,
failure,
the wrongs we have done,
things no one else knows.
We try hard to wash it.
We wash it with morality,
with religion,
with good deeds,
with “At least I’m a little better than someone else.”
But it will not come clean.
Until we come to the cross.
Christ’s blood does not merely cover up sin.
It cleanses sin.
So the psalm says:
“Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (See Psalm 51:7, KJV.)
Brothers and sisters,
one day we will stand before the throne,
not because we can say:
“Look how successful my life has been.”
But because:
“The Lamb was slain for me.”
That is the gospel.
So here is a second picture to remember:
A white robe.
When you see a white robe, remember:
I can stand not because I am good enough, but because the Lamb’s blood is precious enough.
They are not only wearing white robes.
They are also carrying palm branches.
Palm branches are signs of celebration and triumph.
In John chapter 12, the crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem carrying palm branches.
Now, in this final heavenly scene,
the palm branches appear again.
But this victory is distinctive.
It is not military victory,
financial victory,
or political victory.
Their victory is this:
They went through suffering, yet did not leave the Lamb.
They faced the world, yet remained faithful.
They passed through death, yet stand because of the Lamb.
So a Christian’s hope is not:
“I will never face hardship in this life.”
It is:
“Whatever I go through, the Lamb will ultimately bring me to stand before him.”
Our second refrain is still: The gospel will not fail; all nations will worship!
Now the whole vision reaches its climax.
Countless people cry out together:
“Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (KJV)
Then the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures all join in.
The whole heavenly court becomes one great gathering of worship:
“Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” (KJV)
Brothers and sisters,
have you noticed?
The Bible’s final picture is not a meeting, but worship.
Not a discussion,
not a strategy,
not a budget,
not even a missions report.
It is worship.
Because there are still people in this world who do not worship the true God.
That is why John Piper’s familiar statement is so powerful:
“Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”
In other words:
Mission exists because worship is not yet complete.
Why do we share the gospel?
Not simply to increase church attendance.
Why do we plant churches?
Not simply to expand an organization.
Why do we send missionaries?
Not simply to meet an annual goal.
But because:
There are still people who should be worshiping their Creator but are worshiping created things instead.
So mission is a call:
Leave idols and turn to the true God.
In Revelation chapter 7,
the nations have come.
The tribes have come.
The peoples have come.
The languages have come.
On that day,
we will no longer need to say:
“Please pray for this unreached people group.”
Because they have come.
We will no longer need to ask:
“Who will go as a missionary?”
Because the gospel has reached the ends of the earth.
But one thing will never stop:
Worship.
Today’s mission
is gathering worshipers for eternal worship.
The next time you share the gospel with someone, think of it this way:
You are not merely asking:
“Would this person come to church?”
You are inviting someone to join that great worship gathering of all nations in Revelation chapter 7.
Perhaps this person does not believe today.
Perhaps all you do is invite them to a meal.
Perhaps you simply pray for them.
Perhaps you just say:
“May I pray for you?”
It seems so small.
But suppose that one day,
you stand before the throne
and suddenly see that person in the vast crowd—
wearing a white robe,
holding a palm branch,
singing together with you:
“Salvation to our God … and unto the Lamb.” (KJV)
Then you will understand:
That prayer years ago was not small at all.
That meal was not small at all.
That time you shared the gospel was not small at all.
Because you once invited someone
to join the eternal chorus.
Brothers and sisters,
I invite you now to stand with John on Patmos in your imagination.
Do not begin by looking at how many people are in church today.
Do not begin by looking at how dark this world is.
Do not begin by counting how often you have shared the gospel without seeing results.
Lift your eyes.
Look.
Can you see them?
From China,
from the United States,
from Africa,
from Europe,
from Asia,
from peoples whose names you have never even heard …
Older people,
young people,
children,
different skin colors,
different languages,
different cultures.
No one can count them.
They are wearing white robes.
They are holding palm branches.
They are standing before the throne.
Then a voice rises.
Not Chinese.
Not English.
But the shared worship of all nations and peoples:
“Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (KJV)
Brothers and sisters,
this is the church’s future.
So when you go to work tomorrow,
do not go with a defeated mindset.
When you face family members who do not yet believe,
do not lose heart.
When your church is small for now,
do not feel inferior.
When sharing the gospel brings no immediate results,
do not stop.
Because we have already seen the outcome.
This week, remember three things:
A picture: the nations standing before the throne.
A white robe: only the Lamb’s blood enables us to stand.
A refrain:
The gospel will not fail; all nations will worship!
Then think of one person’s name.
Someone who does not yet know Jesus.
Hold that name in your heart.
Begin praying for that person today.
Look for opportunities to love them.
Look for opportunities to bear witness to Christ.
Because perhaps one day,
as you stand in that uncountable multitude,
you will see that person in the crowd.
On that day,
you will no longer need to share the gospel.
You will hold palm branches together,
stand before the Lamb,
and worship with one voice:
“Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” (KJV)
The gospel will not fail.
The Lamb has already overcome.
All nations will worship. So today, we keep sharing the gospel.
