After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
(Revelation 7:9-10 NIV)

What do people look like in heaven? Specifically, what will our skin, hair, and other features be like? Do you imagine heaven as an ethnically uniform expression of humanity, or do imagine a glimmering mosaic combining to reflect the image of the one by whom we were created and redeemed?

Revelation was written by John. It’s the account of an expansive vision given to him by Jesus. Spanning both future events and current events from his day, it’s a sneak peek into the culture of heaven. How did John know that the sea of faces surrounding the throne were from diverse nations and ethnicities, speaking different languages?

The opening lines of Revelation state that he “testifies to everything he saw.” Ethnic and cultural distinctions are still evident in heaven! John saw them, and we will, too. God, therefore, must consider them good, adding to the beauty of what is to come. Esau McCaulley is a New Testament scholar and author. He writes,

“God’s vision for his people is not for the elimination of ethnicity to form a colorblind uniformity of sanctified blandness. Instead, God sees the creation of a community of different cultures united by faith in his Son as a manifestation of the expansive nature of his grace. This expansiveness is unfulfilled unless the differences are seen and celebrated, not as ends unto themselves, but as particular manifestations of the power of the Spirit to bring forth the same holiness among different peoples and cultures for the glory of God.”

Jesus binds us together in unity without ever bringing us to a place of sameness. Instead of erasing or muting ethnicity, it is a means by which he makes his glory known. Celebrating our differences enhances our delight in him.

Prayer for the Week

Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of diversity. Thank you for the treasure of ethnicities, cultures, and languages that is humanity. By your grace, will you grow my capacity to celebrate the countless ways your image is displayed in us so that my worship of you may increase? By your grace, will you grow our church’s capacity to celebrate and integrate differences so that more people will be drawn in and captivated by your goodness? Thank you that we don’t have to wait for heaven to participate in multicultural worship. Amen.