Rev. 7:9-17
Last Week: In Rev. 6:1-17 we heard John describe the opening of the first six Seals and the start of the Great Tribulation. From the opening of these Seals, we learned four major points of application:
1. The opening of the Seals explicitly affirms the absolute sovereignty of God. The four riders receive their authority from heaven and everything they do is controlled by Almighty God and the Lamb. God's people have nothing to fear from the Antichrist because they belong to the Lamb. 2. The opening of the Seals clearly demonstrates the self-defeating character of sin. The Antichrist show us by visual imagery how the spirit of selfish gain-wealth, power, and fame-is a fruit of sin that lead to destruction. 3. The opening of the Seals reveals that the work of Jesus Christ not only includes redemption but will also result in judgment against His enemies. Those who reject the Lamb as their redeemer will experience both the death of the body and the soul and will dwell in the kingdom of the dead. 4. The opening of the Seals reveals what will happen to a world that is opposed to God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our civilization, as we now know it, will one day cease to exist under the Antichrist. Therefore, the predestined future of this world hold not peace but judgment.
This Week: As we move to Rev. 7:9-17, the sequence or chronology of the book is interrupted and we are taken into an "interlude." The interlude is obvious from the change of theme and the suspension of judgments. The very nature of the judgments in the preceding chapter (i.e., "for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" Rev. 6:17) raises the question of who could possibly survive these judgments physically, let alone receive salvation by grace spiritually? Chapter 7 answers this question. Since (according to our Futurist view of Revelation) the church has been raptured and the Tribulation begins only with unbelievers, how do people come to faith in Christ? We find the answer in the sealing of the 144,000 at the beginning of the Tribulation. These are the first converts who become the great evangelists of the Tribulation period and are supernaturally protected by God in their witness; and following them is a "great multitude" who will also be saved. I will precede the lesson verses with a summary explanation of vv. 1-8:
Rev. 7:1-8 Summary. As the chapter opens, in vv. 1-3, John sees four angels at the four corners of the earth who are empowered to hold back the judgments until all of God's "servants" have received their seal which symbolizes God's ownership and protection of them. Next, in vv. 4-8, John hears that the number sealed are 144,000, consisting of 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. There have been some pretty bizarre interpretations of these verses (e.g., that the 144,000 are "symbolic" of Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormon Elders), but simply understood in its normal and literal usage, the verses clearly identify the 144,000 as Jews, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes, which are expressly named in vv. 5-8. Recognizing that they are Jews is completely consistent with the entire scheme of Bible prophecy, with the fact that this is the 70th week of Daniel, and in the context of the Tribulation, also the time of Jacob's distress (Dan. 9:27; Jer. 30:7). The Tribulation is a time when God will conclude His dealings with Israel to establish and fulfill His promises to the nation (Dan. 9:24ff).
TRUTH 1: God's plan to redeem humanity and Jesus Christ's saving work will not END with the Great Tribulation. Rev. 7:1-8 reveals that in the midst of the Tribulation, before the earth (as we know it) is destroyed, God will call 144,000 supernaturally protected evangelists, 12,000 from each of 12 tribes of Israel, who will continue the work of Christ in spreading the Gospel to a lost world. This view is wholly consistent with the entire scheme of OT Bible prophecy, with the fact that this is the 70th week of Daniel and also coincides with the time of Jacob's distress (Dan. 9:27; Jer. 30:7).
Read Rev. 7:9-10 - The Salvation of a Great Multitude
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
v. 9: The words, "After this," connects this vision with the one of vv. 1-8, above: it establishes a cause/effect relationship in which the 144,000 sealed Jews become the instruments God uses to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. John notices three things about this great multitude:
(1) The size of the multitude: The word, "behold," (Gr. idou), in this context, means to express utter amazement, like me saying to you, "Wow! Would you look at that!" As John looks, he sees "a great multitude no one could number." In plain language, this is a number so large that it's beyond human computation-like one of us saying "bazillions." But God knew every one of them, down to the number of hairs on their heads.
(2) The diversity of the multitude: Unlike the 144,000, who were all Israelites, this "multitude" are people from every nationality, ethnicity, race, and linguistic group-from every walk of life you can imagine. And undoubtedly, this would also include other redeemed Jews beyond the sealed 144,000.
(3) The position of the multitude: The position in which John sees this multitude, "standing before the throne and before the lamb," tells us that they are in heaven in the presence of God the Father and Jesus as saved people. You might ask who are all these people and how did they come to be there-in heaven, I mean? John will come to that in the next few verses. The phrase, "clothed in white robes," symbolizes the imputed righteousness of Christ given to them at the point of salvation (do you remember the quests' robes in the parable of the Wedding Feast, Mt. 22:1-14?). The "palm branches," according to OT tradition, symbolized festive joy and worship as well as victory and triumph.
v. 10: When they cry out in v.10, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb," they are declaring that God is the only source of salvation, and nothing or no one else. They knew salvation wasn't something they had achieved, but something God, by His grace, gave them.
TRUTH 2: As the 144,000 proceed to evangelize the lost, the numbers of people saved will be BEYOND human computation (v. 9). In plain language, this "multitude" is a number so large that it's beyond human computation-like one of us saying "bazillions." But God knows every one of them, down to the number of hairs on their heads. These are the people-probably in the billions-who will be left behind when the church is raptured. It's nice to know that many of them will be saved before the Tribulation ends, but, as laborers in God's harvest, it is still incumbent upon us to reach as many as possible before the rapture comes.
Read Rev. 7:11-12 - All Heavenly Creatures Join in Worship
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
vv. 11-12: Angels are always seen attending God, obeying His will, or worshiping God's person and work in His creation (Job 38:1-7). Angels rejoice especially over the salvation of sinners (Lk. 15:8-10). So, as the great multitude worshiped God, the angels and the others in heaven were irresistibly drawn to join their voices in praise. And as the angels, elders, and creatures heard the worship of the multitude, they clearly experienced the infinite power, wisdom, and majesty of God. In these verses,
TRUTH 3: Angels REJOICE especially over the salvation of sinners (Lk. 15:8-10). In these verses, as the great multitude worshiped God, the angels and the others in heaven were irresistibly drawn to join their voices in praise.
Read Rev. 7:13-14 - The Identity of the Great Multitude
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
vv. 13-14: The elder posed to John the same question we raised in v. 9., and then answered it by telling him that they are the martyred people who were converted during the Tribulation (that would have been the last half of the Tribulation). These are the same Tribulation Saints the martyrs of the Fifth Seal in Rev. 6:11 (last week) were told to wait for. Notice, like the previous martyrs, these saints would have appeared in their intermediate state before receiving their resurrection bodies, insofar as the post-Tribulation resurrection had not occurred yet. The statement, "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," is at the same time paradoxical but absolutely true. And it means they were saved just like you and me-by the blood of Lamb. They acted in faith, trusting in the work of Jesus Christ, and God justified them, crediting the righteousness of Jesus Christ to their account (Rom. 4:5).
TRUTH 4: The statement, "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," demonstrates that the TRIBULATION SAINTS will be saved the same way as me and you-by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. They acted in faith, trusting in the work of Jesus Christ, and God justified them, crediting the righteousness of Jesus Christ to their account (Rom. 4:5).
Read Rev. 7:15-17 - The Position, Service, and Satisfaction of the Multitude
15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 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."
v. 15a: The multitude's position "before the throne" is repeated, emphasizing the overwhelming reality of having access to the very throne God in contrast to the hopeless conditions they faced on earth. Here, there are no barriers, no waiting lists. The preface "Therefore" means they are standing there because they are wearing the white robes of Jesus Christ (v. 14).
v. 15b: The phrase, "serve Him day and night in the temple," suggests a present action taking place then in heaven as they serve the Lord before His throne. We don't know exactly how they serve, but they do in some fashion. The phrase, "day and night" implies constant service to God, but this isn't drudgery-we need to remember that in a glorified state, we have no need of rest or sleep-we'll never be tired. The "temple," referred to 16 times in Revelation, does not mean a building like Solomon's Temple but the place where God presence resides (Ezek. 37:27), like the OT tabernacle or tent.
v. 16: Life on earth during the Tribulation would be a nightmare in terms of survival, a day-to-day struggle to seek basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter from the elements under harsh conditions. But now, they no longer suffer from hunger, thirst, or heat, because God "shelters them with His presence" like a tent (v. 15c). There certainly can be no safer, more comfortable, and peaceful place than inside God's "tent."
v. 17: Notice who's there right in the center of things--"in the midst"-Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Spurgeon said the Christian life, as we live it now, is just a rough draft of the life to come. The "springs of the living water" speaks of a life that is both full and eternal. When we join Jesus as our shepherd, like these Tribulation Saints, we live in a place of perfection, with every need met, where there is no sorrow or pain or even regret-all of the trials and troubles of earthly life will be past.
TRUTH 5: Just like the Tribulation Saints described in vv. 15-17, we will WORSHIP God in the midst of Jesus Christ as our SHEPHERD forever and ever. Like these saints, we will stand before the throne of God because we will be wearing the white robes of Jesus Christ. Spurgeon said the Christian life, as we live it now, is just a rough draft of the life to come. The "springs of the living water" speaks of a life that is both full and eternal. When we join Jesus as our shepherd, like these saints, we will be living in a place of perfection, with every need met, where there is no sorrow or pain or even regret-all of the trials and troubles of earthly life will be past.
