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Professional planners urge people to plan wisely for retirement. Not only should they save money to live on; they should plan to pursue a purpose-filled life after their primary career is over—aiming to stay active as long as possible and pursue a future that offers fulfillment. Notice the future God promises the saints who pass through the Great tribulation—described by the Apostle John in Revelation Chapter 7. “Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, ‘Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?’ and I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one who knows.’ Then he said to me: ‘These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Some Bible scholars do not believe this text refers to martyrs from this church age. Still, John asserts the protective love of their Shepherd Jesus Christ. He guarantees their future beyond this life for all eternity.
