Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” – Revelation 15:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 29, 2015): Revelation 15

Today is Palm Sunday. Historically it marks the beginning of Holy Week for the Christian Church. It was on this day in history that Jesus entered Jerusalem to cheers of the crowds. Five days from now the crowds will still be cheering, but at this time it will be while Jesus is being crucified. But on this day, on Palm Sunday, no one (except for Jesus) is thinking about crucifixion. On this day the King is being celebrated as he comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. And on Palm Sunday, the donkey is very important. When a king entered a city on a horse, he was coming in times of war and in a demonstration of his strength. But if he entered the city on a donkey, he came in peace. On Palm Sunday, Jesus’ donkey indicated that the king was coming in peace.

On Palm Sunday, the crowds filled the air with their cries.

            “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38)!

But on this day Jesus was not in the mood for celebrating. There was too much work that still needed to be done, and much of that work would be completed on an old rugged cross.  Jesus wept as he looked over the city. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). It seemed that peace for Jerusalem would take more than just the king entering the city on a donkey.

Here in John’s vision, it is a bit of a different situation. The work has been completed and the Lamb has won his victory. His righteous acts have been revealed and what was not seen on Palm Sunday is now obvious. And as a result, all division is past and all nations have come and are ready to worship. On Palm Sunday, not everyone was willing to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. But in the End, that will not be the case. In the end there will be a universal recognition of God and all of his designs. In the End, everyone will worship the Lamb. And that means that in the End, there will finally be peace.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Revelation 16