My freshman year of high school I went on a mission’s trip to Mexico City. The purpose of our trip was to help build a meeting space for a new church who could not afford to pay for the labor, so our days were filled with making concrete by hand, laying bricks, and preparing meals.
I didn’t speak Spanish; in fact, I knew a total of two words: Hola and Adios, and I wasn’t the only one in the group who couldn’t speak the language. The scene was, at times, comical, and trying to communicate was often interesting.
A few of our lunch breaks looked like an over ambitious game of charades as we attempted to communicate with each other, but we eventually figured out a system, and what unfolded was beautiful. Our work was merely adequate – we were just high schoolers – but what was remarkable was being a part of this hodgepodge group of mixed ages and cultures who all worked together toward one goal.
The Great Multitude
I had the privilege of hearing a sermon several weeks ago on “Unity in the Church,” and one of the verses read was particularly striking. These are verses I’ve pored over many times before, but this time, there was a different light shed on the words. Revelation 7:9-10 says this:
“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, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
I’ve read these verses while considering the glory of the second coming, but I’ve not focused before on the amazing picture of unity amid diversity. For a moment, I traveled back to our memorable trip in high school and thought about the beauty that surrounded that distinct but unified group.
The picture John reveals in Revelation is foretelling of what is to come – it’s a vision of our future when Christ returns, and the details in these verses hold important implications for believers both in the here and now and in the anticipation of what is to come.
Diversity in the New Heavens and New Earth
When John looks out, he sees a great multitude that no one can count. The sea of faces all look different, the crowd includes an assortment of nations and peoples, and the words spoken are heard in dissimilar languages.
I can close my eyes and imagine the magnificence of this scene. Heaven will be grandly diverse. We won’t lose our uniqueness as each one is distinctively formed in the image of our Creator.
But because we live in a broken world, sin creeps in, and, at times, causes our pride to swell when confronted with these differences. Satan whispers the lies that we often buy into: my way is better; we are superior.
It’s joy that should well up over the diversity in the body of Christ. Our distinctions are stunning, and in this brief glimpse of what is to come, there is a vast array of people, only some of whom have a similar appearance, and many of whom have a different cultural context.
When Christ returns, we will be changed, yes, but diversity will remain. Theologian, Charles Spurgeon, says this of these verses:
“There is individuality in heaven, depend upon it… but Abraham – you will know him; Isaac, you will know him; and Jacob, you will know him. There will be in heaven not a company of persons, all struck off alike so that you cannot tell who is who; but they will be out of every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue.”
Unity in the New Heavens and New Earth.
It’s not to be missed that this diverse multitude is crying out to Jesus with one loud voice (v 10): “Salvation belongs to our God!” Yes, there is diversity but there is also great unity of purpose and voice as together the multitude gives glory to the King of Kings.
As a worship leader, I love to sing hymns with the body of believers. When the unified voices lift my soul, I sometimes imagine how awesome it will be when one day a tune is sung with the multitude, and not only in English, but in Swahili and French and Spanish. We will rejoice to hear other tongues spilling out their praises to God as one body.
Diversity and Unity in the Here and Now
But what does this future diversity mean for us in the here and now? I heard a Bible teacher ask once, “Do all your friends look just like you?” Her prodding question was an exhortation to embrace the diversity amongst the body of Christ now. We have so much to learn from each other. Whether it’s sitting down with someone of a different ethnicity, age, or cultural background, there is much to gain from delighting in our differences.
I recently listened to a recording of an African children’s choir on the Getty’s newest “Sing” album. My daughter was in the car with me, and the boisterous voices and beat of the drum caught her off guard. “There’s no piano?” she questioned as she listened to the drums lead the choir. I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s not needed.”
Her curiosity was sparked, and as our heads bobbed to the beat, we talked about how awesome the different kinds of worship will be in heaven.
Pursue in the here and now what will be our future reality. Rather than using our differences to turn against one another, embrace the opportunity to listen and learn. And rather than being exclusive in your friendships, pursuing only those who look and think just like you, rejoice in the gift of diversity amongst the body of believers and seek to understand more about all that is beautiful among the different nations, peoples, and languages.
