Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 151st episode. In this episode I want to continue our study of the book of Revelation. We are in chapter 7. The events of this chapter would occur after the opening of the six seals but before the sounding of the seven trumpets. Remember the six seals were opened by Christ and ushered great calamities into the world as judgment against the wicked. The seven trumpets bring attention to terrible corruptions which would arise within the Church. So in the space between the six seals and the seven trumpets we encounter this scene of comfort and beauty. This chapter reminds us of our security in God’s grace during difficult times. This chapter shows us how God demonstrates profound restraint when it comes to judgment. We see the faithful sealed with the mark of God and kept forever under His divine protection. There are countless multitudes who respond to this salvation with songs of praise. This chapter ends with a description of the honor and happiness given to those who faithfully serve Jesus Christ and for those who suffer for Him. Let’s begin with verses 1-12:
Rev 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
Rev 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Rev 7:5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
This passage opens with God demonstrating His divine patience towards His people in His will to restrain the winds of chaos. You can think of the four winds as forces which seek to undermine your well-being. You whip up the winds of chaos in your life by sinning. You know this is true because there are a multiplicity of things you avoid doing out of your desire to avoid the consequences. Within the Church these four winds represent mistakes and corruptions in religious teaching which results in mischief and disruption. You can find passages of Scripture where the Holy Spirit is compared to the wind. But bad teaching and false prophets are driven by spirits of confusion and these spirits are represented as the four winds – each contrary to another – but all very damaging to the Church. These kinds of spirits cause tension and trouble within the congregation. They cause hostile disagreements over secondary issues while distracting Christians from the primacy of the gospel.
This four winds idea is further evidenced by the fact that Satan is called the prince of the power of the air, and Satan used a great wind to destroy the house of Job’s eldest son. Doctrinal mistakes and bad teaching are like winds which shake the faith of those who are unstable. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he calls for us to grow in maturity beyond that of children so we won’t be carried away by every wind of doctrine. This idea of being tossed to and fro most often occurs within society in response to cultural changes. A philosophy or some kind of insight changes a culture and the unthinking masses are thrown around by the shifting sands of change. The best way to secure yourself against this barrage of wind is to anchor yourself to Jesus Christ. He is your Rock in whom you can rest all of your trust. This means committing your attention to God’s Word and using Scripture to inform your understanding of what’s around you. The four winds are called the winds of the earth because the spirits of madness and the false doctrines do not exist in heaven.
These winds of chaos were restrained by the ministry of the four angels. The spirit of confusion does not go forth into the world unless and until God permits it. This doesn’t mean that God creates it, rather that He allows it to run its course if the people refuse to repent. But since the four winds remain under His control He can restrain them as His will sees fit. This passage shows the good will of God towards the faithful and how His angels set to work for the benefit of His Church. But this divine restraint will not last forever. Sometimes God’s wrath is only held back because He knows there are still faithful living among the wicked. God loves His people and He takes particular concern for those who serve Him during times of temptation and corruption. He works to preserve them and to protect them from being exposed to the common infection of pathological collective psychosis. That’s called prevenient grace when God looks out for you long before you’re actually aware of Him doing so. God knows who His faithful are and He will establish them and then test their obedience. If you’re destined to do great things for God you can be absolutely certain He is going to test you. He’s going to put you through the experiences you need – even if they hurt – in order to prepare you for this work. God is the only one who knows the timing of your trials.
While the four angels were holding back the four winds, which we can think of as Satan and his chaotic spirits, another angel was appointed to mark out and distinguish the faithful servants of God. The seal of God is said to be marked on their foreheads, which could mean the faithful standout to God as plainly as if their faith were written on their foreheads. This seal set the faithful apart for mercy and safety during the worst of times. There were 12,000 people set apart from each of the 12 tribes of Israel for a total of 144,000. It’s interesting to note how the tribe of Dan is not given the dignity of being included on this list. The people in the tribe of Dan had a strong addiction to idolatry. Also the list of the tribes is ordered differently than at other times in Scripture – we might infer this list is in order of how faithful each tribe had been to God.
There are at least two ways we can view the 144,000 sealed people. We can interpret this as referencing the Jewish remnant which God saved during the destruction of Jerusalem. Or we could apply it forward to God’s chosen remnant in the world. Scholars like Matthew Henry suggest the destruction of Jerusalem was not yet over and therefore it should be applied to the remnant of Jews. But accepting that interpretation forces him to concede this passage is using a definite number to represent an indefinite amount of people. I think it’s more likely this prophecy of the 144,000 sealed faithful of Israel is looking forward to the end times and to those who will be reserved by God according to the election of grace.
John’s vision pans over to the countless multitudes who were brought into the Church across the ages. This is said to be a great multitude which no man can number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues. It’s plain to see that God has a greater harvest of souls among the Gentiles than he had among the Jews. This could be a consequence of sheer numbers – more are the children of the desolate than of the married woman. All of these people are seen to be gathered before God’s throne and nested under His divine protection. God knows who belongs to Him and He keeps the faithful safe during times of great temptation. As church leaders we often speak about attendance and how many people are in our congregation. In heaven we will witness the congregation of Jesus Christ Himself – it will be vast and uncountable by human eyes.
The saints and the Gentile believers offered up praise for the care of God in reserving so large a remnant of the Jews. The 144,000 sealed among the tribes of Israel were saved from infidelity and destruction. The Jewish church prayed for the Gentiles before their conversion and the Gentiles were happy with God for being merciful with so many of the Jews when they could have easily been cut off. The praising Gentiles stood before the throne of God in the presence of Jesus Christ who is the Lamb of God, the Creator of the universe, and the Mediator between humanity and the Father. When you worship in church you are drawing in close to the presence of God. It’s true that the emotional catharsis is not God Himself, but rather it’s a natural human reaction to experiencing the presence of God. It’s fundamentally a reaction to profundity – and what can be more profound than to worship in the presence of the Creator of the universe? We’re only able to do this because Jesus Christ is our Mediator. No one comes to the Father except through the Son – as fallen sinners Jesus is our only hope.
The masses John saw standing before the throne praising God were wearing white robes and had palms in their hands. The white robes represent the purity of justification, holiness, and victory. The palms in their hands symbolized their triumphant victory in Jesus Christ. The faithful servants of God will be honored with victory and glorious appearance because they fought the good fight of faith and finished their course. When the Gentiles praised they cried with a loud voice saying: salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb. This is both the call of hosanna and hallelujah. This praise wishes well to the interest of God and Christ in the Church and in the world. It also gives praise to the Father and the Son for the great salvation. Jesus Christ and God the Father are inseparable in these praises. All who enjoy salvation should bless the Lord Jesus Christ for being the Lamb of God and for loving us so much that He sacrificed Himself to save us. John’s vision shows the redeemed among humanity praising God publicly and with much fervor.
The angels also sang out in praise for God. The angels waited before the throne of God, ready to attend Him and to serve the needs of the saints. Angels are very humble beings and their expression is of the greatest reverence. Notice how they fell before the throne of God on their faces to worship Him. Angels are among the most excellent of created beings – they have never sinned and they exist in the presence of the Lord continually. Yet even these heavenly beings are notably humble towards God. So think about human beings. We are frail, dirty sinners compared to even the lowest of heavenly angels. Understanding our station in relationship to God is the key to maintaining the reverence and humility necessary in our addresses to God. The angels expressed agreement with the praises of the saints by voicing Amen and then they added some praise of their own. They prayed blessings that glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be unto their God forever and ever. This was a glowing acknowledgement of God’s glorious attributes – His wisdom, His power, and His might. When you finally take in these characteristics of God you will be awestruck by Him. Like the angels, you will declare that God ought to be blessed, and praised, and glorified for all of eternity. Humanity is designed to glorify God – it is our most fundamental purpose and makes up the beating heart of our sense of meaning. We can prepare our hearts for experiencing the presence of God in heaven by practicing it right now. Our praise and our worship on earth helps train our spirits for heaven where these things will be perfected and where our happiness will last forever. Let’s read verses 13-17:
Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 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.
Rev 7:15 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.
Rev 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17 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.
This chapter finishes with an account of the happiness and honor which is given to those who faithfully serve Jesus Christ when they get to heaven. One of the elders in John’s vision asks him a rhetorical question: what are these which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they? Ministers should always bear in mind that they can learn valuable insight from lay people in the congregation. God is the one who blesses people with wisdom and God can bless whomever He chooses. Churches all across the world are full of aged and experienced people whom young preachers would do well to acknowledge. It’s true that the lowest saint in heaven knows more than the greatest apostle on earth. The rhetorical question asked by the elder in John’s vision was asked out of admiration. Faithful Christians deserve our attention and respect. One of the main influences over your development as an individual will be the company you keep. You do yourself a great service to mark the upright and try to surround yourself with people who support the best inside of you.
Notice how it didn’t hurt John’s pride to admit his ignorance to the elder. He respectfully acknowledged the rhetorical nature of the question and waited for the elder to elaborate. Intelligence is not equal to wisdom because the wise are always listening and learning. There are some intelligent people who are convinced of their own relative omniscience and therefore shut out the thoughts of those they perceive to be less intelligent than themselves. This kind of person will never catch up to someone who is both intelligent and wise. The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom and therefore raw intelligence is not the critical prerequisite for acquiring wisdom – the critical prerequisite is humility. It takes practiced humility to see your own blind spots and continually observe the thoughts of others in the effort of expanding your knowledge. The arrogant will always suffer the absence of this ability as an Achilles heel which prevents them from becoming all they could be. God Almighty laughs at your intelligence, but He dearly loves to bless you with wisdom should you choose to seek it.
The elder proceeded to give John an account of the masses of faithful martyrs. They were standing before God’s throne clothed in white robes and holding palms of victory in their hands. The elder reminded John that these people had come from a very difficult tribulation. They had lived their earthly lives in deplorable conditions brought on by persecution. Each of them had faced temptation from Satan and his spiritual agents of evil. Many of them had been imprisoned and the martyrs among them had even been killed for their faith. Life is a difficult business. It’s fatal. No part of it is trivial – it is all profound. But even the most difficult aspects of life cannot separate you from the love of God if you remain faithful. Good is more powerful than evil. If you walk through your suffering faithfully your experience of heaven will be made all the more satisfying because of it. You might say some suffering is enough to damage you and make you fundamentally incapable of experiencing the joy of heaven. But the vast gathering of martyrs wore white robes which were washed into purity by the blood of the Lamb. There is no amount of sin or suffering which cannot be atoned for and redeemed by Jesus Christ. Your faith allows the righteousness of Jesus to be imputed to your soul – purifying you and making you clean in the sight of God.
Just look at the radical nature of Christ’s redemption of the martyrs. These were men and women who were imprisoned in the worst filth you can think of. They were beat down, raped, murdered, and tortured by wicked people. Yet here John saw them standing before the throne of God – purified and filled with joy. The redemption of Christ brought them from the worst conditions humanity could expertly construct and into the blessed presence of Almighty God Himself. God dwells among them and they bask in the fullness of joy. Christ brought them from the bottom all the way to the infinite heights of heaven and He will do the same for you if you trust in Him and follow Him. What many people don’t realize about heaven is that it will be a state of service to God. Imagine being able to serve God without ever growing weary or weak. Imagine living in a condition where you are filled with the profound sense of meaning which attends successful hard work but while also being in a state of peaceful rest continually. It’s impossible for us to comprehend because for right now we live in the fallen reality. We can’t do hard work without it being hard. But heaven is a place where you will enjoy both the height of making masterpieces for the Lord while at the same time enjoying the height of peaceful rest. It’s truly a mysterious and miraculous place to wrap your mind around.
The faithful who stood before God in their white robes were set free from all the inconveniences of mortal life. They felt no sense of lacking what they needed – they never even became hungry or thirsty. All their desires were provided for by God Himself and any sense of uneasiness which comes from the reality of scarcity was completely gone from them. When you get to heaven you will be set free from the burdens of sickness and pain. Never again will you be scorched by the heat of the sun. In heaven you will be sheltered by the love and guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ – you will never feel lost again. He will feed you and lead you to living waters and He will put you in possession of everything that is pleasant and refreshing to your soul. You will hunger and thirst no more.
One of the hardest parts about life is the moment of tragedy all of us experience. When we lose our loved ones or when we experience betrayal. These kinds of experiences can and have broken the spirits of many people. But in heaven you will finally be delivered from these experiences once and for all. Jesus will wipe away every tear from your eyes. This means not only will there be no tragedy in heaven, but even the tragedies you experienced here on earth will finally be healed. The martyrs understood tragedy firsthand. It wasn’t as if their faith made them impervious to pain. They had shed many tears and their hearts were broken over and over. But none of this damage was too much for God to redeem. With His own gracious and gentle hand Jesus Christ wiped away their tears and they cried no more. Often we think of God as a harsh judge over humanity, and God does judge sin. But it’s these passages in Scripture which reveal the infinite depths of His love and His grace towards us. He draws near to us in our broken condition when there’s nothing left for us to do but cry. He comes near and He comforts us. He doesn’t reprimand us for having weak faith in these moments. He comforts us. He wipes away our tears. If you ever find yourself questioning the goodness of God or His love for you – cling to these verses and understand His heart for you.
When you meet God in the hereafter He will turn your sorrow into rejoicing. Do your best to understand this future and allow the knowledge of it to brace you and carry you through your present state in this life. The Bible says those that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Those that go forth now weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them. There is light at the end of the darkness for you even if you can’t sense it yet. Believe in it on faith. Waiting in that light is your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So stand up straight, keep your head up, throw your shoulders back, and walk boldly into the inheritance of heaven which God has prepared for you since before the beginning of time itself.
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