Sermon -- All Saints' Day (November 1, 2026)

BLESSED ARE ALL THE SAINTS.

REVELATION 7:9-17

In the name + of Jesus.

      People have always been enamored with the afterlife, particularly when some claim to have received visions of heaven.  You may recall a book some years ago called, “Heaven is Real.”  In it, a child claimed to have gone to heaven, seen relatives, and reported information that he could not have known about family history.  Later, we learned that the whole thing was fabricated.  This disappointed many Chrisitans and gave ammunition to people who mock the Christian faith.

     If you ever wanted a sneak peak of the heavenly vision, you do not need to go to the bookshelves of Christian book stores for stories that cannot be validated.  But you do have a book where God himself has given a sneak peak into the heavenly kingdom.  The Bible offers several glimpses into the presence of God.  Our reading for today is, perhaps, one of the most vivid of those glimpses.  The Lord Jesus gave the blessed apostle John a vision of the glories of heaven with all the saints gathered around the throne of God. 

     “After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).  St. John saw people from all over the world gathered around the throne of God.  Blessed are all the saints. 

     Your longing for heaven may be focused on a reunion with your loved ones, but your loved ones are not the focal point of heaven.  Oh, your loved ones who have died in the faith are there.  John saw them.  They are waving palm branches in a procession of victory over sin, death, and the devil.  They are clothed in white garments which were put upon them in baptism.  For all who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  They have been declared blameless through faith in Jesus.  This is what allows them to stand in God’s heavenly kingdom.

     Blessed are all the saints.  We rejoice that the departed saints now receive the blessings of heaven.  But the focal point of heaven is the Lamb who was slain for all the saints.  Angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven rejoice before God who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to save sinners.  “All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures.  They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God” (Revelation 7:11).  Just as they were redeemed, body and soul, to dwell before the Lord, so they are invested, body and soul, in their worship of the Lamb of God.

     “One of the elders spoke to me and said, ‘These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from’” (Revelation 7:13)?  Perhaps St. John knew, but rather than make an assumption, St. John played it safe and deferred to the elder for the answer.  John wrote, “I answered him, ‘Sir, you know.’  And he said to me: These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:13-14).  The great tribulation is the world in which we live.  Upon death, the saints of God are delivered from this world of sorrow to the glories and joys of heaven.  Blessed are all the saints.

     But many saints still dwell in the great tribulation.  You are familiar with these tribulations.  You may not experience all of them, but they are ever present among us.  They are sickness and pain as bodies age, ache, and fail.  They are anxiety and frustration because life does not work the way we expect it to.  They are the bitterness of sorrow, loss, and death because we are all too familiar with hospital beds and grave sites.  These are tribulations common to all mankind, whether they are Christians or heathen.

     But Christians endure additional tribulations.  These are times of persecution and suffering for the sake of Jesus.  While the persecution we endure for the sake of Jesus is likely limited to being slandered, scorned, or shunned by some, other Christians suffer much worse.  Christians in Nigeria are being hunted, kidnapped, and murdered.  Just recently at a funeral in Jordan, dozens of Christians were killed or injured by Islamic gunmen.  For many brothers and sisters in the faith, there is a real cost and commitment to standing firm in Jesus.  Pray for them. 

     Despite the great tribulations endured by the saints of God, Jesus says that his people are blessed, especially when they are persecuted.  “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.  In fact, that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).  Now, we do not feel blessed when we must bear great tribulations.  But Jesus’ declaration is not that you will feel blessed.  “Blessed” is the status you have as God’s people, especially when you stand firm as God’s people in the day of persecution.  You are blessed, meaning that God’s favor remains upon you.  You may lose your freedom, your home, your job, and even your family.  But you do not lose your place in the kingdom of God.  Jesus upholds his promises.  Jesus preserves his people.  Blessed are all the saints.

     Our struggle in the great tribulation is bad enough, but it becomes sin when we fault God for them.  We reason through it this way.  The persecutions and sufferings we endure are evil.  God could stop them if he wanted to.  After all, God is almighty.  He can do anything.  Then we also reason that, if God truly loves us, he would not want us to suffer.  So, we conclude either that God is not all-powerful or that God does not really love us.  We conclude that God is to blame for the evils we endure.

     Repent.  God is not the one who brought evils upon this world.  The world that God created was perfect.  The people that God put into it were holy.  That was God’s design.  But man had different designs.  He subjected the whole world to death and destruction because of sin.  God continues to work in this world as it is—cursed, corrupt, and marked for destruction.  Still, we yearn for God to do something about it.

     He has!  To deliver you from every form of evil, God had to deliver you out of your sin.  He sent his Son, Jesus, to do just that.  And to deliver you from sin, Jesus had to suffer the evils of this world—persecution, rejection, frustration, and crucifixion.  More than that, Jesus had to endure the judgment which sinners have brought upon themselves.  His hanging from the cross was not just about enduring pain; it was about enduring the torments of hell.  His death was not just about being executed as one guilty of crime; it was about being damned as the one guilty of all sin.  Jesus absorbed all the punishment for sin.  This is where your sins were dealt with.  This is what delivers you from the curse of sin.  And because Jesus has washed your robes white in the blood of the Lamb, the Father is pleased to declare you to be his saints.  Blessed are all the saints.

     Blessed are all the saints.  Your status was granted to you when you were baptized into Christ.  You know you are children of God because that is what God says you are.  But that does not excuse you from the tribulations of a sinful world.  Once again, you may wonder: Why doesn’t God do something about this?  The answer?  He will.

     St. John saw the deliverance which awaits all the saints of God.  The saints who are dressed in garments of salvation, given to them by the Holy Spirit and sustained in them by God’s word and sacraments, are gathered before the throne of God.  Here, the saints not only are freed from the curse and judgment of sin, they are also free from the consequences and effects of sin.  St. John noted, “They are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple.  He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them” (Revelation 7:15).  The saints have an eternal refuge from every enemy and every evil.  Once you are in the heavenly kingdom, the devil cannot bother you.  Death cannot touch you.  Sickness and sorrow, aches and pains, shame and regret must remain outside the gates of pearl.  In heaven, there are no hospitals or mortuaries, no medication or therapy, no corrective lenses, hearing aids, or walkers.  There is not even Kleenex.  All the saints will enjoy a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  There, the Lord will spread his protection over you, and you will finally be delivered from all evil.

     St. John goes on, “They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again.  The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat” (Revelation 7:16).  All their needs, whatever they are, will be met.  Nothing will be lacking.  For you, dear saints, the Lord is pleased to present the heavenly banquet already.  Here, even if it is just for a moment, Jesus presents you with the feast that the saints in heaven receive.  Here, even if it is just for a moment, you get to feast with the saints who have gone before you.  Soon, you and I will have a place where the banquet goes on eternally.  Nothing will spoil it—no shortage of time, no lack of provisions, no separation from our loved ones who have died in the faith.

     Blessed are all the saints.  And St. John tells you why you will enjoy uninterrupted blessing.  “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 every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).  The Lamb who was slain for you now lives and reigns for you.  He will forever be your Immanuel.  He will be with you forever to protect you, to provide for you, and to comfort you.  The Lord himself will console you.  Like a father who tenderly cares for his frightened or hurting child, he will wipe away all your tears.  Instead, you will know only God’s love which is pure and perfect and permanent. 

     Eternally blessed are the saints of God who have gone before us into the heavenly kingdom.  They have come out of the great tribulation.  Jesus has rescued them from every enemy, every threat, every difficulty, and every evil that is known in this world.

     Blessed are all the saints of God.  And recognize that you are also the saints of God.  If you find yourself wondering why God does not make all things right, remember: He does.  He has washed your robes white and dressed you for heaven.  And he will finally deliver you from every evil.  Await your transfer to the joys of heaven with patience.  For you are the saints of God, and you are forever blessed.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.