02.24. LECTURE No. 24 -- Rev_7:9-17
LECTURE No. 24 -- Revelation 7:9-17 The Underlying Theme of This Book - A Book of Consummation - Those Who Came Out of Tribulation - Multitudes of People Will Be Saved During the Tribulation Period - An Earthly Scene - The Throne of David Upon Earth - God Has Only One Way of Salvation and That Is Through Faith in the Shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ - The Reward of the Tribulation Saints
LET us not forget the nature and the importance of this last book of the Bible. It is declared to be the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to show unto His servants things which must shortly com to pass! And strange as it may seem this last book of the Bible, is a book of prophecy!
The first great prophecy was given by the Lord himself in Genesis 3:15, where He said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
In these strange words the Lord gave the promise of a coming Redeemer, who would be the seed of a woman, and who would bruise the serpent’s head. In due course of time Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and was born of a Virgin mother, and became the fulfillment of this prophecy. In the prophecy which the Lord gave in Genesis 3:15 concerning the Messiah, he said to the serpent, “Thou shalt bruise his heel.” This expression, no doubt, referred to the humiliation and suffering, and death of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross, for all this we know was accomplished at the time of his first advent. When Jesus hung upon the Cross with nails in his hands and in his feet, he was, indeed, bruised of Satan.
Nevertheless, in spite of this, we know that after Jesus had been crucified and buried, on the third day He arose again and after forty days he ascended into heaven! At the time he ascended into heaven many of the prophecies concerning the Messiah were as yet unfulfilled including the one in Genesis 3:15, which promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head.
Also, many of the Promises given to Abraham, in the Great Abrahamic Covenant, were as yet unfulfilled. Therefore, the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ became an absolute necessity. Christ must come again to bruise the serpent’s head, or else the original prophecy will remain unfulfilled. Christ must come again to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, or else the hope of Israel must fall. The Consummation The second coming of Christ, to bruise the serpent’s head, and to fulfill the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, and to fulfill all which the prophets have spoken, is the great underlying theme of the Book of Revelation. Therefore, it is sometimes called the Book of the Consummation, which of course, means the end of those things spoken of elsewhere in the Word of God.
What we have, therefore, in the Book of Revelation is a prophetic foreview of those events, which will bring about the end of God’s plan of redemption, for the world.
In Genesis, we have a record of beginnings, namely;
- The beginning of the heavens and the earth.
- The beginning of man,
- The beginning of sin,
- The beginning of judgment,
- The beginning of the race of Israel as distinct and separate from the Gentiles,
- The beginning of the Grace of God.
In the Book of Revelation which we are now studying, all of these things in their present order come to a consummation or a close. So let us realize that we are studying concerning the consummation of all things pertaining to God’s plan of redemption.
Review
We have progressed in our present study to Revelation 7:9, where our lesson will begin for today.
In our last lesson based upon Revelation 7:1-8, we saw that under the opening of the 6th seal of the seven sealed book, which John saw in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, there would be a lull or calm, as it were, in the midst of the storm of God’s judgments, which will then be falling upon the earth in rapid succession. This interruption in the ongoing of events will be brought about by the command of the angel, which John saw ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, who shall command the four angels who are described as holding the four winds of the earth, saying,
“Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
From our last lecture study we learned that those referred to as the servants of our God, who are to be sealed, were none other than the 144,000 who are to be sealed out of the twelve tribes of Israel. The time of this sealing, we stated, would be during the tribulation period after the church, which is the body of Christ, has been raptured away to be with the Lord. The nature of this sealing, we discovered, was to be with a visible mark for outward identification, and also, a spiritual anointing in preparation for the work which they were to do.
The great reason for the sealing of these 144,000 Jews, will be in order that they may become the flaming evangelists of the tribulation period, who will go out and preach to all the world the Gospel of the Kingdom, announcing to all men everywhere that the King will soon return from Heaven to reign over all the nations of the whole earth. Our Lesson Text
Now at this time, let us continue our study by reading what is written in Revelation 7:9-17, where it says,
“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;
“And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
“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,
“Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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. 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.
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 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.” A Threefold Result
First of all, let us call your attention to the fact, that three things are mentioned as a result of the breaking of the 6th seal of the Seven Sealed book. The first result was the terrible commotion or shaking which will take place in the earth and in the heavens above, which will strike fear to all men then living upon the earth. And the second result was, the sealing of the 144,000 from among the 12 tribes of Israel, And the third vision that John saw, was that of the great multitude which no man could number of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, who stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and with palms in their hands. Who Are the Sealed Ones?
Now, the first thing for us to decide is, who those of this great multitude are, and from whence they come. And if we confine our study to the lesson text, we should have little difficulty in doing this.
What we have here is a millennial scene! The things described here belong to the earth in the kingdom age which is to follow the tribulation period.
In our last lesson we learned that the 144,000 from among the Jews will go forth preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. Therefore, we have every reason to expect that as a result of their preaching, multitudes will be saved during the tribulation period. Conditions will be different then from what they are now. Today is the age of grace, and men are being saved through the preaching of the Gospel of Grace, but by this time we expect the church to be completed, and raptured away to be with Christ!
So what we are studying here has to do with those things which will come to pass after the church has been completed and raptured away. At that time men will be saved through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Christ Will Come As we know, the tribulation period will close with the 2nd coming of Christ, in power and great glory at his revelation, when he shall come to destroy the Antichrist and the false prophet.
Afterwards he will ascend to the throne of David in Jerusalem and reign as king over all the earth. This is confirmed in Zechariah 14:4; Zechariah 14:9, where it says,
“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East - And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord, and His name one.”
“Then the government will be upon his shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, he Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment, and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.”
The Psalmist David, also said in Psalms 67:4,
“Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for Thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”
Multitudes Will Hear and Be Saved
It is perfectly natural to believe, therefore, that in preparation for these things through the preaching of the 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel, multitudes of people will hear and believe and be saved through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, from all kindreds and people and tongues.
Now let us notice that it says: “They stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
David’s Throne The very fact that those of this redeemed multitude are to be clothed with white robes, and have palms in their hands, would also indicate that this is an earthly scene, and that the throne in question here, is not the throne in heaven but rather the throne of David here upon the earth. The Feast of the Tabernacles The scene is one of joy and of great rejoicing. This is confirmed by the fact that they have palm branches in their hands. In other words, the joy of the feast of tabernacles is theirs.
In Leviticus 23:33-44; the Lord ordained that after the harvest, Israel should observe the feast of tabernacles, at which time God said.
“Ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord, your God, seven days.”
Therefore, as it was then in Israel so shall it be again when this time comes. These multitudes of people, who shall be saved through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, shall rejoice with much gladness before the throne, and shall worship the Lamb upon that throne, and wave their palm branches before him, crying, with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb.”
Now some may object to what we have said, because mention is made in our lesson text of the angels and the elders and the four beasts, or living creatures, but there is no inconsistency here, when we consider the fact that John saw these things in prophetic vision, he had been caught up in spirit to the throne in heaven, and from that exalted position, he was shown these things, which shall come to pass upon the earth. There is no doubt but what the angels who were then standing round about the throne in heaven, and the enthroned elders, and the four living creatures, sharing this wonderful vision with the Apostle John.
It is no wonder, therefore, that they fell upon their faces before the throne that was in heaven, and worshipped God, saying,
“Amen; Blessing, and Glory, and Wisdom, and Thanksgiving, and Honor, and Power, and Might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
Two Thrones
It is absolutely necessary, therefore, to understand that there are two thrones in question in our lesson text today. The one was the throne in heaven, from which John and the elders and the four living creatures and the angels were given to see things in prophetic vision. The other throne in question here, we have already stated, is the throne of David, which as we know, is to be re-established here upon the earth at the second coming of Christ.
There no way of understanding this passage intelligently unless we keep this distinction in mind.
Out of Great Tribulation
Now, in verses Revelation 7:13-14 of our lesson text it says,
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? 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.”
These words furnish an important key to the understanding of the entire passage. When it says here, that this multitude came out of great tribulation, there is no question but what the tribulation referred to here, is the great tribulation spoken of by Daniel Prophet in Daniel 12:1, and by Jesus himself in Matthew 24:21.
Of the tribulation Jesus said, “Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
We have already learned from our study what will happen under the opening of the other five seals. Peace will be taken from the earth, and there shall be famine and scarcity, followed by terrible plagues, and under the opening of the sixth seal, the earth and the heavens shall go into convulsions. But, this is only the beginning of those things which will occur during the tribulation, as we shall see.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that one of the Elders answered, saying, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb.”
These words reveal an important truth, namely; that salvation for all men in all ages is accomplished through faith in the blood of Christ. How true it is that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission, as stated in Hebrews 9:22.
Man who is guilty before God, can only be saved through the blood of an atoning sacrifice.
Only One Way of Salvation
God has only one plan of redemption and he does not change or compromise this plan in any age to suit the conceptions or desires of any man or group of men!
Those who were saved in the Old Testament times were saved through the shedding of blood, in which case the innocent atoning substitute died in behalf of the guilty sinner. Such sacrifices, we know, were typical of, and foreshadowed the one great sacrifice which Jesus made for all men upon the cross at which time he shed his blood to make an atonement for the sins of the world, for he was truly the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, as stated by John the Baptist.
When he gave his life as a sacrifice for sin upon the cross he was the only pure and innocent man the world had ever known!
Therefore He gave His life by shedding his blood in behalf of those who were lost. Therefore, only through faith in his shed blood can any man hope for redemption, and this applies to all men in every age alike without respect of persons.
Those who lived on the other side of the cross were saved by faith in the blood of the son of God which had been prophesied would be shed for them upon the cross.
And we who live on this side of the cross are saved through faith in the blood of the son of God, which WAS SHED for us upon the cross nearly 2,000 years ago. And herein “God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Many Ethical Religions Reject the Blood of Christ
I know there is a lot of religion in the world today which teaches a sort of ethical righteousness apart from the blood of Christ.
So many these days are opposed to the blood of Christ and reject it as being the only way of salvation. But in this message, without an apology to any living man, and in the fear of God, and as a witness before men upon earth and angels in heaven, and demons in hell, I wish to declare my faith is the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as man’s only hope of redemption!
And it is interesting to note from our lesson text that this great multitude who will be saved out of the tribulation will share this faith and conviction with all of us preachers of the gospel, who believe in the blood of Christ.
For it says: “These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Their Reward
Therefore, it says, “are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sittest on the throne shall dwell among them.”
The last verse just read reveals the reward of those who will wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the lamb, namely: that they will be accepted by the Lord and will serve him day and night in his temple. In other words, they will become the servants of God, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. The Bridehood Saints
Now, let us not forget that before this time comes, the church, which is the body of Christ, will have been caught away at the rapture to be with the Lord. Therefore, the opportunity for becoming a bridehood saint and a member of that elect body called “The Church” will have been closed forever.
From the scriptures we know that those who are now being called out from among both Jews and Gentiles, into the church, which is the body of Christ, are being called and prepared to receive the greatest crowns and the highest thrones and the glorious positions of authority of any elect body in the universe!
The scriptures reveal that being the sons of God we have become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ in all things which are yet to come. But when the church, which is the body of Christ, has finally been completed those crowns and thrones and kingships which it offers, and which are now open to all who will believe and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, will be closed forever!
Hence those who are saved after the resurrection and rapture of the church could, by the very nature of things, only be accounted as servants of the Lord. And for that very purpose this great multitude will be saved during the tribulation period, and will come out of great tribulation and will enter into the joys and privileges of the kingdom age. Will Serve Him Day and Night in His Temple In Revelation 7:15 it says that they shall “Serve him day and night in his temple.” The temple in question here is not the temple in heaven, but will be the millennial temple which every student of prophecy knows will be rebuilt.
For a description of this future temple which will be in Jerusalem, we refer you to Ezekiel 40:1-49, Ezekiel 41:1-26, and Ezekiel 42:1-20.
This will not be the temple which the Jews will build in the near future in their unbelief in which the Antichrist will exalt himself above all that called God. But the temple described by Ezekiel will be the one which Lord himself will cause to be built.
This is confirmed in Zechariah 6:12-13 where it says:
“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord:
“Even he shall build the temple of the Lord: and he shall bear the glory, and he shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” The Tabernacle of David to Be Rebuilt To substantiate the statement which we have just made, we refer you to Acts 15:16-18 where it says:
“After this I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
“That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”
This passage reveals not only the fact that such a temple is to be rebuilt, but sets forth the purpose for which it will be done, i. e., that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name if called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
They Shall Hunger No More
Now concerning this great multitude of blood washed saints, in Revelation 7:16-17 it says:
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
“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.”
Concerning this redeemed, joyful multitude Seiss in his book on the Apocalypse says:
“O the blessedness, the peace, the comfort, the everlasting satisfaction, which is the portion of these palm-bearers! Our souls thrill with the mere contemplation of it! A home so happy, a rest so glorious, a place so high, a bliss so exquisite and enduring, would not be too dearly purchased at a cost of all the pains of the great tribulation! It is verily the very mount of transfiguration to which we are carried by this theme. We feel ourselves overshadowed with the cloud of brightness. We cannot open even our drowsy eyes to the scene, but our lips mutter: ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here.’
Fain would we set up our tabernacles where we might ever contemplate the blaze of living glory. Here we would sit forever viewing bliss so great, so true, so high. This glorious Lamb! The glorious throne! These glorious ones with their glorious crowns! This effulgence of gracious Godhead! These sinless splendors! These eternal consolations! These holy services! These smiles of favor beaming from the King! These never-withering palms! These ever-shining robes! These ever-thrilling songs! These over-flowing springs of never-failing life! These joy-speaking eyes which never weep, and singing lips which never thirst, and uplifted hands which never tire, and comforts from God as a mother would comfort the child she loves, and sorrow and sighing forever fled away! O blessed, blessed, blessed contemplation!”
~ end of lecture 24 ~