Behold a Host, Arrayed in White

Bob Uecker was the iconic announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers. He had a legendary call of a wild pitch in the movie, “Major League,” “Just a bit outside!” His legendary call of a home run for the Brewers of, “Get up, get up, get outta here, gone! A home run!”

Uecker passed away in January of 2025, having called games for 54 seasons without ever witnessing a Brewers championship. So, his emotional spirit loomed large over the Brewers title run.

But many believe his spiritual spirit also loomed large over the team. Fans and fellow announcers would say that “Mr. Baseball” was smiling down on the team. Brewers Hall of Famer, Robin Yount, spoke to the crowd at the Victory Rally in Milwaukee stating, “He’s here. I know he’s here.”

There were pictures created of Uecker with angel wings. Some commented that it was Uecker who caused a baseball hit by an opposing team to strike the roof in Milwaukee instead of being a home run.

I bring this up because what people are saying about Bob Uecker is very similar to what they’ll say about their departed loved ones. But are they correct? Do God’s departed believers receive angel wings? Are they looking down and smiling? Do they become involved in the events of the earth?

Also, isn’t it amazing that a culture that rejects the Christ of Christianity, the Savior from hell, and the Rescuer to heaven, will often talk about people this way to make themselves feel better? As Christians, we want to get it right. We want to speak the way Christ and his prophets and apostles speak about the realities of death, heaven, and hell.

By God’s grace, Bob Uecker was a devout Catholic Christian. So, we can be confident that he is with the saints that John sees streaming into heaven, “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. They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10).

Who are they? These are saints who are coming from the four corners of the world – from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were born sinners belonging to Satan. Then they were baptized, justified, declared innocent, and made redeemed, blood-bought children belonging to their heavenly Father. Through the justifying work of Jesus, they are streaming into heaven. Through the sacrifice of the Lamb, they can stand in front of the Lamb’s throne.

The saints are there only because of Jesus. You are made a saint only through your Savior, Jesus. Jesus is the Living One whose death defeats your death. His nakedness on the cross is your white robe for eternity. His blood washes away all the stains of your sins. His wounds are your healing. His pain is your comfort. His voice is your absolution. His condemnation is your liberty. His defeat is your victory. His grave opens your grave. His death is your life. Jesus did all this to make his believers into his saints.

Believers don’t become angels when they die. They aren’t given wings when they arrive in heaven. Saints are given gifts that are so much better. Upon their arrival into heaven, they are handed a white robe that has been purified in the blood of Jesus. The blood of the Son of God shed from the cross washes all their sins away. Their stained sinful clothing from this earth is removed. These saints are now wearing the clothing Christ gave them to wear for all eternity. They don’t ever have to worry about what they’re going to pull out of their closet to wear. “Hmm. I guess I’ll wear this white shirt with these white pants, these white sandals with a white robe over all of them.”

They’re given a palm branch of victory to wave in their hands, just like the people waved palm branches when King Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. So, God’s saints will be waving palm branches before King Jesus’ throne for an eternity of Palm Sundays. It’s a heavenly recreation of the earthly actions of Palm Sunday. “A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them out on the road. The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest’” (Matthew 21:8-9)!

They’re given a golden crown to wear on their heads. Jesus promises, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Many people wrongly believe that a saint is someone who lived a perfect and virtuous life. Scripture reminds us that there’s only one person who has ever lived a perfect and totally virtuous life – Jesus. All of us are by nature lost and condemned creatures who deserve only God’s wrath and punishment. The saints John sees; the saints we sing about today in our hymns; and the saints we thank God for today in the Prayer of the Church are believers who have died and now received their eternal rest and reward in heaven.

Note this poignant contrast later in Revelation 14. “Yes,” says the Spirit, “because they will rest from their labors, for their works follow them” (Revelation 14:13). While the saints are resting from their labors, there will be no rest for those who worship the beast. “Those who worship the beast and his image, and anyone who receives the mark of his name, are going to have no rest day and night” (Revelation 14:11).

John writes, “One of the elders spoke to me and said, ‘These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?’ And I answered him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me: ‘These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Revelation 14:13-15).

We answered who these saints are, but where do they come from? The elder answered that they are the saints who are coming out of the great tribulation. Jesus talks about this tribulation in Matthew 24. “Watch out that no one deceives you. Because many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many people. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because all these things must happen; but that is not yet the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains. Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will put you to death. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away from faith. They will betray each other and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. But whoever endures to the end will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:4-14). We are enduring this tribulation right now as we are living in the End Times.

In Psalm 149 that we sang today, the psalmist writes about what it’s like existing in the Church Militant – the Church at war here on earth. “May high praise of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with iron shackles, to carry out the judgment written against them. This is the glory of all his favored people” (Psalm 149:6-9).

The psalmist also writes about what it will be like to be part of the Church Triumphant – the victorious Church at rest in heaven. “Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praise in the congregation of his favored ones. Let Israel rejoice in its Maker. Let the people of Zion celebrate for their King. Let them praise his name with dancing. With hand drum and lyre let them make music to him. For the Lord is pleased with his people. He adorns the humble with salvation. Let those he favors rejoice in honor. Let them shout for joy on their beds” (Psalm 149:1-5).

While we remain here in the Church Militant, after our justification, we are to be living a life of sanctification. Sanctification is a big Bible word for “holy living.” As Jesus talks about in his Sermon on the Mount, these are the things that we will naturally be doing as God’s justified, redeemed, baptized, and now sanctified saints. By God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit we will be blessed as the poor in spirit, those who mourn, are gentle, hunger and thirst for righteousness, are merciful, and are peacemakers. We are even blessed when we are persecuted in Jesus’ name (Matthew 5:3-10).

As part of our sanctification, we are made different than we were before. We are changed from sinners into saints; from Rahab the prostitute to Rahab the great-great-grandmother of King David; from Peter the Denier to Peter the Feeder of Jesus’ sheep; and from Saul the Persecutor to Paul the Apostle.

What are these saints doing? Are they watching the World Series or changing the flight of a baseball or looking down and smiling? Is your dad in heaven watching you walk down the aisle at your wedding without him? Is your wife looking down, pleased at the way you’re raising your children without her? Is your brother sending you a signal in the woods you used to walk through as kids?

No. No to all of them. The saints in heaven are way too busy to be doing any of these things. They are way too joyful in perfection to be concerned about and bothered by the events here on sinful earth. So, what are the saints doing in heaven? They join the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures falling on their faces and worshiping God, saying, “Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 7:12).

These saints were justified. Then they were sanctified. And now they are glorified. They are glorified in giving God the Father and Jesus the Lamb the glory they deserve. They’re busy. St. John records what the saints will be busy doing. “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. They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, for 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 7:15-17).

As interesting as the Brewers World Series win was to Wisconsin residents and Brewers fans, the residents of heaven weren’t watching. They are instead only interested in watching, praising, and cheering the Lamb on his throne. That’s because, through the blood of the Lamb and the sacrifice of God’s Son, they have been made saints of God. Behold a Host, Arrayed in White. Amen.