Perfection Pending and the Meaning of Teleios

In one of my favorite conference talks ever given Elder Russell M. Nelson explained his thoughts on perfection and how it is not exactly what we probably think it is in this life. An excerpt of passages from his talk is found below and the full version (which should be read in its entirety) is found here.

When you follow the link to lds.org make sure to read the footnotes of this talk as well as they provide additional insights into the original Greek derivations of "perfect."

"If I were to ask which of the Lord’s commandments is most difficult to keep, many of us might cite Matt. 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” 1

When comparing one’s personal performance with the supreme standard of the Lord’s expectation, the reality of imperfection can at times be depressing. My heart goes out to conscientious Saints who, because of their shortcomings, allow feelings of depression to rob them of happiness in life.

We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy—not guilt trips! 2 We also need to remember that the Lord gives no commandments that are impossible to obey. But sometimes we fail to comprehend them fully.

James gave a practical standard by which mortal perfection could be measured. He said, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.” 4

Scriptures have described Noah, Seth, and Job as perfect men. 5 No doubt the same term might apply to a large number of faithful disciples in various dispensations. Alma said that “there were many, exceedingly great many,” 6 who were pure before the Lord.

This does not mean that these people never made mistakes or never had need of correction. The process of perfection includes challenges to overcome and steps to repentance that may be very painful. 7 There is a proper place for chastisement in the molding of character, for we know that “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.” 8

But Jesus asked for more than mortal perfection. The moment he uttered the words “even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” he raised our sights beyond the bounds of mortality. Our Heavenly Father has eternal perfection. This very fact merits a much broader perspective.

Recently I studied the English and Greek editions of the New Testament, concentrating on each use of the term perfect and its derivatives. Studying both languages together provided some interesting insights, since Greek was the original language of the New Testament.

In Matt. 5:48, the term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means “complete.” Teleios is an adjective derived from the noun telos, which means “end.” 10 The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means “to reach a distant end, to be fully developed, to consummate, or to finish.” 11 Please note that the word does not imply “freedom from error”; it implies “achieving a distant objective.” In fact, when writers of the Greek New Testament wished to describe perfection of behavior—precision or excellence of human effort—they did not employ a form of teleios; instead, they chose different words. 12

Teleios is not a total stranger to us. From it comes the prefix tele- that we use every day. Telephone literally means “distant talk.” Television means “to see distantly.” Telephoto means “distant light,” and so on.

With that background in mind, let us consider another highly significant statement made by the Lord. Just prior to his crucifixion, he said that on “the third day I shall be perfected.” 13 Think of that! The sinless, errorless Lord—already perfect by our mortal standards—proclaimed his own state of perfection yet to be in the future. 14 His eternal perfection would follow his resurrection and receipt of “all power … in heaven and in earth.” 15

The perfection that the Savior envisions for us is much more than errorless performance. It is the eternal expectation as expressed by the Lord in his great intercessory prayer to his Father—that we might be made perfect and be able to dwell with them in the eternities ahead. 16

The Lord’s entire work and glory pertains to the immortality and eternal life of each human being. 17 He came into the world to do the will of his Father, who sent him. 18 His sacred responsibility was foreseen before the creation 19 and was foretold by all his holy prophets since the world began. 20

The atonement of Christ fulfilled the long-awaited purpose for which he had come to the earth. His concluding words upon Calvary’s cross referred to the culmination of his assignment—to atone for all humankind. Then he said, “It is finished.” 21 Not surprisingly, the Greek word from which finished was derived is teleios.

That Jesus attained eternal perfection following his resurrection is confirmed in the Book of Mormon. It records the visit of the resurrected Lord to the people of ancient America. There he repeated the important injunction previously cited but with one very significant addition. He said, “I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” 22 This time he listed himself along with his Father as a perfected personage. Previously he had not. 23

Our climb up the path to perfection is aided by encouragement from the scriptures. They hold the promise that we shall, if faithful in all things, become like Deity. John the beloved Apostle wrote:

“We should be called the sons [and daughters] of God. …

“… When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 33

Continuing encouragement comes as we follow the example of Jesus, who taught, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 34 His hope for us is crystal clear! He declared: “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” 35 Thus, our adoration of Jesus is best expressed by our emulation of Jesus. 36 "

Russell M. Nelson, “Perfection Pending,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 86

There are only two elements that separate us from the Holy Spirit

I have been studying more of the talk that was given by Elder Bushe referenced in my last post and found the following quote:

"Paul declared to the Romans the indispensable need to live our lives by faith, as he says: "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). The original word in the Bible for the word sin is hamartia. The word hamartia means "missing the mark," deriving from the sport of archery. In modern English we would probably call it "shooting an air ball." When we do not do everything in our life in faith or, in other words, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we are missing the mark. We are off target. When we are off target, we will not feel the confidence and joy and power of the Holy Spirit, and, therefore, we will have to learn to direct our desires toward repentance--we must change to bring us back on target. In my humble understanding, it can be said that there are only two elements that separate us from the Holy Spirit: First, our lack of desire to repent, and, second, our lack of desire to forgive."

Elder F. Enzio Bushe "Unleashing the Dormant Spirit" BYU Devotional May 14, 1996

How to Become a Disciple of Christ - Elder F. Enzio Buche

Unleashing the Dormant Spirit

F. ENZIO BUSCHE

* Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.

* When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God.

* In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take.

* First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don't permit anything to detract you from this awareness.

* You cannot communicate with God unless you have first sacrificed your self-oriented natural man and have brought yourself into the lower levels of meekness, to become acceptable for the Light of Christ.

* Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul.

* Pause to ponder the suffering Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the awareness of the depth of gratitude for him, you appreciate every opportunity to show your love for him by diligently serving in his Church.

* God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.

* God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us--everything will fall into its place.

* Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.

* When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.

* Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.

* If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.

* Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.

* Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.

* Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction.

* You want to be good and to do good. That is commendable. But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost. Then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do.

* The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.

* Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve.

* And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better.

Thus, we prepare all the days of our lives, and, as we grow, death loses its sting, hell loses its power, and we look forward to that day with anticipation and joy when he will come in his glory.

http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=7908

Family Prayer

"Will you join me as we look in on a typical Latter-day Saint family offering prayers unto the Lord? Father, mother, and each of the children kneel, bow their heads, and close their eyes. A sweet spirit of love, unity, and peace fills the home. As father hears his tiny son pray unto God that his dad will do the right things and be obedient to the Lord’s bidding, do you think that such a father would find it difficult to honor the prayer of his precious son? As a teenage daughter hears her sweet mother plead unto the Lord that her daughter will be inspired in the selection of her companions, that she will prepare herself for a temple marriage, don’t you believe that such a daughter will seek to honor this humble, pleading petition of her mother, whom she so dearly loves?"


"When father, mother, and each of the children earnestly pray that the fine sons in the family will live worthily that they may, in due time, receive a call to serve as ambassadors of the Lord in the mission fields of the Church, don’t we begin to see how such sons grow to young manhood with an over-whelming desire to serve as missionaries?"

President Thomas S. Monson - March 2009 Ensign "Come Unto Him in Prayer and Faith"

A 20 Year-Old Harvard Students Response to her Mormon Faith

Sent to me by my cousin - the following video appears to be from a forum discussion at Harvard University and focuses in on one students view of her LDS faith.


Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

The Cycles of Civilization

At work today my co-workers and I discussed how and in what way this great nation of freedom may fall. Great teachers and students of the Book of Mormon have studied and identified a pattern or cycle that the great Nephite nation followed from prosperity to destruction. At the website mormonhaven.com they displayed a great diagram show below:


I also found another similar observation that is alleged to have been written by a Scottish historian that lived in the 1700's about the patterns of civilizations. The source of who actually said this has been disputed but it is believed to be Alexander Fraser Tytler:

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

• From bondage to spiritual faith;
• From spiritual faith to great courage;
• From courage to liberty;
• From liberty to abundance;
• From abundance to complacency;
• From complacency to apathy;
• From apathy to dependence;
• From dependence back into bondage.

Give me strength that I may burst these bands

1 Nephi 7

16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

18 And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again.

I have always had an interest in the difference between what Nephi prayed for and what actually happened. Nephi prayed to have the strength given to him by the Lord to burst the bands. The Lord did answer Nephi's prayer by delivering him from his enemies but did so by loosening the bands. I have speculated that the Lord did this perhaps to teach Nephi something he needed to learn about humility and putting to much faith in the arm of his own flesh. Nephi later wrote about this in what has come to be known as the psalm of Nephi

2 Nephi 4

33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.

34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

3 Questions for more productive church leadership meetings

Council received from a wise Bishop about the most important questions to lead an agenda in any presidency or leadership meeting:

1) Who is the Lord prompting us to serve?

2) What is the Lord prompting us to do?

3) What did he prompt us to do last week (last meeting)? How did we do? How can we do better?

I am convinced if these three questions were the focus of our councils we would be better focused on the real purpose for having those meetings: to bring souls unto Christ.

How to accelerate performance - Thomas S. Monson

Upon entering the mission field my mission president gave each of us the following card:

"When we deal in generalities, we shall never succeed. When we deal in specifics, we shall rarely have a failure. When performance is measured, performance is improved. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of performance accelerates."

- Thomas S. Monson

The Role of God in our Trials and Suffering

From a sacrament meeting talk given on August 24, 2008

This past week I with co-workers gathered around the television to watch some of the first pictures that came in from Madrid, Spain showing the disturbing images of what could hardly be recognized as an airplane. Individuals including children and vacationing families were taken in one swift moment from this life to the next.As we watched no one spoke a word for minutes as we listened to reporters and witnesses tell the story as they had seen it. A co-worker finally broke the silence chiming in with the cynical statement: “well,” he said, “I guess God must have been playing an away game again.”

It is easy in a world full of tragedy to think this way. In the past two years our family has been close to two young couples with small and in both cases infant children in which the husband was diagnosed with a life threatening brain tumor. We have rejoiced in the recovery of one of these young men and of course been heartbroken with the loss of the other as we have watched a young mother of 3 endure the sadness of losing her eternal companion for this life.

Caught up in the pain of such moments we sometimes ask: How could a good and loving God in heaven allow such things to happen? Or – How could God abandon me in such a way? Or – Where is God when it hurts? In the depths of the deplorable conditions of Liberty Jail Joseph Smith cried out, “Oh God, where art thou?” – a petition I am sure, at one time or another, we have all made.

It is this subject in particular that I want to talk to you about today: Where God is in the midst of our trials as well as what role he plays in the challenges and set backs of life. In speaking to BYU students over 50 years ago, then Elder Spencer W. Kimball asked some tough questions about human suffering and tragedy, and at the same time provided a provocative and elevated perspective on God:

"Was it the Lord who directed the plane into the mountain to snuff out the lives of its occupants," Elder Kimball asked, "or were there mechanical faults or human errors? Did our Father in heaven take the life of the young mother or prompt the child to toddle into the canal …? Did the Lord cause the man to suffer a heart attack? Was the death of the missionary untimely? Answer if you can," said Elder Kimball, "I cannot, for though I know God has a major role in our lives, I do not know how much he causes to happen and how much he merely permits… could the Lord have prevented these tragedies?" Elder Kimball continues, "The answer is, yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, fly all planes, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not…the basic gospel law is free agency and eternal development. To force us to be careful or (to be) righteous would be to nullify that fundamental law and make growth impossible."

It seems Elder Kimball is letting us know that there is a fundamental difference between a loving God which ALLOWS tragedies and mishaps to take place versus the almighty CAUSING them to take place.

It is especially difficult for persons who view God solely as a dispenser of good gifts and happy times to fathom in what way - if any - he is related to earthly trauma. Having been brought up with the constant teaching that "God is love," or "God is good" we inevitably equate such goodness with kindness. I love the works and words of C.S. Lewis but the following is perhaps one of my most favorite things he said: "By the goodness of God, we mean nowadays almost exclusively His lovingness; and in this we may be right. And by Love, in this context, most of us mean kindness – the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy. What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, ‘What does it matter so long as they are contented?’ We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven – a senile benevolence who, as they say, ‘liked to see (the) young people enjoying themselves,’ and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, 'a good time was had by all.'

Brothers and Sisters we of course know and understand the true character and nature of God to be somewhat different. Rather, we understand that God’s goodness is absolute purity – like that of a blast furnace. God always does the right thing. God always does what is best. God always does things without error or without prejudice. Such a God might not always be likable or even comfortable. But such a God may always be worthy of worship.

As a young Boy Scout I learned a valuable lesson from my Metalworking merit badge counselor. He opened the scriptures to one of the last pages of the Old Testament and read to us from the book of Malachi:

Malachi 3

2) ...for he (referring to our Father in Heaven) is like a refiner’s fire...

3) And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

The counselor then took a piece of unrefined silver and held it over the extreme heat of the fire. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The silversmith is required to sit and watch the silver very carefully during the entire process because if it is left for a moment too long in the flames it can overheat and absorb to much oxygen which then makes the silver unworkable and therefore useless to the worker. How does the refiner know when the silver is ready and the impurities have been removed – that’s the easy part he says – I know it is ready when I can see my image reflected in it.

This story has brought a new meaning to the question posed by Alma, "…can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?"

To quote Lewis again: "(God) has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense…We are," he continued, "not metaphorically but in very truth, a devine work of art, something that God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character.”(Thus it is perfectly) “natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love - but for less"

Hebrews 12

6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

The Father is the Husbandman, the Vinedresser. The Savior is the vine and we are the branches. The Vinedresser chooses the manner in which he will purge the branches. Why? Notice from John 15, “every branch that beareth fruit, he (the Father) purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

Every one of us will come face to face during our lives with burdens and trials. We may lose a loved one, suffer financial setbacks, be heartbroken over a wandering child who has lost their way or deal with the pain of self doubt. We question ourselves. We question our faith. We question our God. These are of course natural reactions to trauma – especially when each one of us would be perfectly content to remain perfectly content. But that’s not why we’re here.

Questions such as “Why is this happening” are not the right questions to ask. The answer to why is this happening is because we are mortal. Because things like this happen in a mortal world. No one of us is required by God to enjoy suffering or to anticipate with delight the next trial. On the other hand it makes little sense for us to come to this world to be proven and then ask why we are being proven.

Elder Richard G Scott taught: “When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys… Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?”

President Boyd K. Packer explained:

“There are three parts to the plan. You are in the second or the middle part, the one in which you will be tested by temptation, by trials, perhaps by tragedy… Understand that, and you will be better able to make sense of life and to resist the disease of doubt and despair and depression…If you expect to find only ease and peace and bliss during Act II, you surely will be frustrated. You will understand little of what is going on and why it is permitted to be as they are.

“Remember this!” Elder Packer said, “The line ‘And they all lived happily ever after’ is never written into the second act [of a play]. That line belongs in the third act, when the mysteries are solved and everything is put right. …”

Brother Robert Millet former Dean of Religious Education at BYU related the following experience as he and his wife Shauna dealt with the agony of a wandering child. He said he was approached one day by a fellow professor familiar with his trails and asked the question, “Bob, do you think our Heavenly Parents wander throughout the heavens in morose agony over their straying children?” Startled a bit by the question he thought for a moment and said, “no, I don’t think so. I know they feel pain, but I honestly can’t picture them living in eternal misery.” Then his friend responded: “Ask yourself why they do not do so and it will make a difference in your life forever.” Brother Millet goes on to say that he did not get much work done for the rest of the day. He went home that night and with his wife set out in a prayerful quest over the next several days to understand how our Eternal Father and Mother deal with their pain. “In time,” he explained, “it began to dawn on us that the Lord knows the end from the beginning, and that, as Joseph the Prophet declared, all things – past, present, and future – are and were with Him “one eternal ‘now.’” Perspective. PERSPECTIVE. That was the answer. God deals with pain through and by virtue of his infinite and perfect perspective. Gods own faith in the outcome of His plan of salvation is perfect. Gods own faith in the redeeming mission of His Son our Savior and in that of His Atonement is without doubt or question. Although Satan and his forces of evil will win many skirmishes the ultimate delivery and victory of the faithful is ensured. What we need for the time being to do is to seek through prayer and fasting for at least a portion of our God’s perspective.

Early in the spring of this past year I felt I was being taught a bit of this principle in the following example: I had the wonderfully gut-splitting opportunity to attend game 7 of the 2001 Baseball World Series which pitted the Arizona Diamondbacks against the New York Yankees. Many call that 7-game series one of the greatest ever played. The Diamondbacks were facing one of the great sport dynasties in history and I am sure the tension and excitement is not too far from the memories of those of you who watched the games. What I am sure is also not too far from the memories of those who remember is a certain un-named relief pitcher who the manager kept sending out to only give up leads and home runs. In the games I watched at home I must have believed that if I shouted loud enough at the screen somehow Bob Brenly would hear my protests. My son Drew at the time was just an infant and I could tell by the disapproving glances of my wife that it would probably be better that I went to game 7 instead of scare and set a bad example of temperament to my young and impressionable son. The final game of the series was just as exciting and gut-wrenching as you would hope it would be. It came down to one pitch and one spray single just out of the reach of the infield. The Diamondbacks won and we cheered and celebrated.

This past Spring in an effort - I am sure - to raise season tickets purchases - they decided to air highlights of the 2001 World Series on television as well as the entire 7^th game. I realized that because I was there in person I never had the chance to see the game up close and from the cameras angle. So Drew (now 6) and I sat down on a Saturday morning to watch the game. I noticed, as did my wife, an almost immediate change in my temperament. The boos from the crowds and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and the utter and complete blindness of Umpires which seemed to exist before did not bother me. Players struck out, home runs were hit, errors were made – it did not bother me. Why? Because, I knew the eventual outcome of the game – The Diamondbacks were to be the World Champions. My prior frustrations were replaced with grins as though to say, “ah yes, the suspense of it all made for good theater.”

I in no way wish to trivialize your trails and sufferings nor my own with cute references to games and stories. As a counselor to a bishop I am not acquainted with names and details, but I do sense the levity of the sorrows and concerns he shares with you – both known and unknown. I testify that he is God’s chosen servant to guide this ward at this time.

I know the day is coming when all the wrongs, the awful wrongs of this life, will be righted, when the God of justice will attend to all evil. Those things that are beyond our power to control will be corrected either here or hereafter. Many of us may come to enjoy the lifting, liberating power of the Atonement in this life, and all our losses will be made up before we pass from this sphere of existence. Perhaps some of us will wrestle all our days with our traumas and our trails. But He who orchestrates the events of our lives will surely fix the time or our release.

The Book of Revelations in the New Testament is all about the assured victory of God and his people over the forces of evil. It contains in my view one of the more beautiful scriptures of hope as we face our trials:

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.