“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)
In Revelation 7 we read of John’s vision of those over whom the Lord reigns, a vast uncountable number of people from every tribe and nation.
This vision tells us a very important fact that is vital to we believers who live in 21st Century America. We are not primarily Americans or any combination of that form (Italian-American, African-American, Chinese-American, Democrats, Republicans, etc.). We are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is composed of and open to people from every ethnic group, race, language and nationality. Thus racism, nationalism, and ethnic pride have no place in the Kingdom of God. As we have seen in the past few years, such distinctions and identity politics separate, divide, and create hostility. The Kingdom of God unites.
We believers are one flock, under one shepherd, Jesus Himself. We are called by faith to obey the Lord, to follow His commands, and to love one another. We the faithful are equal in faith and status to every believer throughout the world. Thus we must treat all believers, no matter who they are or where they are from with respect and love. The Kingdom of God is the only way to bring peace to all people on earth, to calm the fears, doubts and pain of all those who are hurting and wandering in the darkness of sin. The Kingdom of God is the only way to find forgiveness for sin and freedom from shame. For only through faith in our Good Shepherd as our sacrificial Lamb can we find oneness with God and peace with each other in and through Him.