1 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,280 This evening we're back into the book of Revelation after taking 2 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:16,840 a month away from it. 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,760 And to catch us all up, let me remind you of where we've been in 4 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:22,640 these first six chapters. 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,800 The book opens with John, who's imprisoned on the island of 6 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,580 Patmos, receiving a vision of the risen Lord Jesus. 7 00:00:29,820 --> 00:00:32,460 And this vision is a letter to the seven churches. 8 00:00:32,460 --> 00:00:37,820 Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and 9 00:00:37,820 --> 00:00:38,660 Laodicea. 10 00:00:38,660 --> 00:00:42,340 Some of these churches will be familiar to us because of Paul's 11 00:00:42,340 --> 00:00:43,300 missionary journeys. 12 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:48,580 Others we know existed, but may not have a record in the New 13 00:00:48,580 --> 00:00:49,060 Testament. 14 00:00:49,060 --> 00:00:53,740 But here, starting with the closest to that island in the Mediterranean, 15 00:00:54,180 --> 00:00:56,740 going to its furthest, letters to the churches. 16 00:00:56,740 --> 00:01:00,260 And what these letters teach us is that not only is it a message 17 00:01:00,260 --> 00:01:03,940 to the churches in its day to stand firm in the midst of persecution, 18 00:01:04,420 --> 00:01:07,860 but also to stand firm for the truth of the Gospel. 19 00:01:08,740 --> 00:01:11,460 A message then and a message now. 20 00:01:12,020 --> 00:01:15,820 For the message to the seven churches is in fact, a message to 21 00:01:15,820 --> 00:01:16,660 all churches. 22 00:01:17,620 --> 00:01:21,760 And so after this message, this letter to the churches, John 23 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:23,320 looks and sees. 24 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:25,880 And those are two key words that we'll see come up again. 25 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,120 And tonight we see it. 26 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:28,840 John looks and he sees. 27 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,800 And after the letter, he sees the throne room of heaven. 28 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,760 And in the midst of it is God himself. 29 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:41,960 And as he looks on, he sees as he describes in chapter five and 30 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:45,280 verse six, between the throne and the four living creatures. 31 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:50,220 And among the elders, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been 32 00:01:50,220 --> 00:01:54,100 slain with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven 33 00:01:54,100 --> 00:01:57,100 spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 34 00:01:58,620 --> 00:02:04,100 Recalling what we read in chapter one and chapter two, we begin 35 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:05,940 to see repetition. 36 00:02:05,940 --> 00:02:09,380 And so already as we get through this book, we see that there's 37 00:02:09,380 --> 00:02:13,300 repetition of what the Lord wants to tell us so that we will 38 00:02:13,300 --> 00:02:17,520 be sure that what he's saying is true, that indeed it will come 39 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:18,160 to pass. 40 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,520 And John, here in chapter five, beholds the risen Savior, full 41 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,680 of the imagery of Isaiah's lamb that was slain. 42 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,520 That points us back to the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the 43 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,400 children of Israel on the Day of atonement. 44 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,120 Scripture rushes towards revelation. 45 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,850 Nothing in revelation is new for us because it has all been given 46 00:02:42,850 --> 00:02:46,810 to us in the other books of the Bible because of God's careful 47 00:02:46,810 --> 00:02:49,530 plan of salvation, of humanity. 48 00:02:51,290 --> 00:02:54,730 And so this rich imagery helped the church then, as it helps 49 00:02:54,730 --> 00:02:59,370 the church today, as it helps us today to know that God has been 50 00:02:59,370 --> 00:03:02,970 working throughout all of history to bring about that plan 51 00:03:02,970 --> 00:03:08,750 of salvation, that plan that John now sees fulfilled in the Lamb 52 00:03:08,750 --> 00:03:12,390 that stands and looks as though it had been slain. 53 00:03:13,910 --> 00:03:15,830 But John continues to look. 54 00:03:16,070 --> 00:03:20,550 And John sees that the Lamb has a scroll, a scroll that no one 55 00:03:20,550 --> 00:03:21,990 can open but the Lamb. 56 00:03:22,550 --> 00:03:25,510 And this scroll is sealed with seven seals. 57 00:03:26,310 --> 00:03:29,550 And the Lamb opens these seals and presents a picture for us of 58 00:03:29,550 --> 00:03:31,990 what the last days are going to be like. 59 00:03:32,310 --> 00:03:36,810 And in these last days, we can expect war, civil unrest, economic 60 00:03:36,970 --> 00:03:41,210 hardship and inequity, disease and death. 61 00:03:42,090 --> 00:03:45,370 And when we look at the history of humanity since the ascension 62 00:03:45,450 --> 00:03:49,570 of Jesus, we see all of these at work in different ways and in 63 00:03:49,570 --> 00:03:50,410 different places. 64 00:03:51,290 --> 00:03:56,170 And chapter six concluded with only six seals being open with the 65 00:03:56,170 --> 00:04:00,050 final judgment asking, who can withstand God's wrath on the final 66 00:04:00,050 --> 00:04:00,410 day? 67 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,320 And now chapter seven comes to us with a purpose. 68 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,520 It's an interlude and answers the question posed in chapter six. 69 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,040 Well, it is those sealed by God who will be spared from his wrath. 70 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:20,080 So who can withstand God's wrath in the final day in chapter 71 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:20,440 six? 72 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:26,280 Chapter seven tells us it is those who have been sealed by God. 73 00:04:28,410 --> 00:04:32,650 Well, I don't know if you were out walking in any of the early storms 74 00:04:32,650 --> 00:04:36,290 of this winter, or if you recall back to the storms of last 75 00:04:36,290 --> 00:04:36,730 winter. 76 00:04:37,370 --> 00:04:41,210 And if you walk on a stormy day, you will know that you can do 77 00:04:41,210 --> 00:04:44,770 your best to stand firm, but the wind will have a way to knock 78 00:04:44,770 --> 00:04:45,490 you off your balance. 79 00:04:45,490 --> 00:04:48,730 Where you need to adjust your footing so that you're standing firm 80 00:04:49,690 --> 00:04:53,720 with any strong gust of wind, you will be forced to move either 81 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,000 with your hands or with your feet. 82 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,200 And we often tell our children, please don't jump up at 83 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,720 the edge of a cliff on a windy day, because they might blow off. 84 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:04,640 And of course, they'll believe anything. 85 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:07,760 But we know the strength of wind. 86 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,880 We see it in weather vanes or wind socks. 87 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,840 We can tell how strong the wind is, and this is used for many 88 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:15,240 occasions. 89 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,680 If you drive up the valley road, you'll find one there so that 90 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,390 people can know in their lives, light aircraft, whether they 91 00:05:21,390 --> 00:05:22,790 can take off or not. 92 00:05:24,390 --> 00:05:30,150 But we've seen the wind and really its debris over recent years. 93 00:05:30,870 --> 00:05:32,870 We've seen damage done to property. 94 00:05:33,350 --> 00:05:37,150 We've seen the strength of the wind and electricity and telephone 95 00:05:37,150 --> 00:05:38,390 poles being blown down. 96 00:05:39,110 --> 00:05:42,390 There is a strength to the wind that we don't always appreciate. 97 00:05:42,870 --> 00:05:47,150 But we have to remember that wind is powerful enough to generate 98 00:05:47,150 --> 00:05:48,670 electricity for our homes. 99 00:05:48,670 --> 00:05:50,310 This is just how powerful it is. 100 00:05:51,750 --> 00:05:56,910 Well, all of this helps us to understand what Revelation 7 is pointing 101 00:05:56,910 --> 00:05:57,430 us to. 102 00:05:58,070 --> 00:06:01,910 It's pointing us to, as we begin, the strength of the four winds 103 00:06:01,910 --> 00:06:05,990 of the Earth, because In verse one, we're told after this, I saw 104 00:06:05,990 --> 00:06:08,910 four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding 105 00:06:08,910 --> 00:06:13,440 back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on 106 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,640 earth or sea or against any tree. 107 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,200 Now, the four corners of the earth is not written here to teach 108 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:22,720 us that the world is flat. 109 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,440 Previous generations have thought that that's what this passage 110 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,480 has meant, but that's not what it means, and we know that instead, 111 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:36,160 the four corners stand for the entire world, just as four corners 112 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,410 of a house stand for the entire house, and four, the four 113 00:06:39,410 --> 00:06:43,450 corners of the land, as mentioned in Ezekiel 7:2, stand for 114 00:06:43,450 --> 00:06:45,690 the entire land of Israel. 115 00:06:45,690 --> 00:06:50,730 So we're familiar with four corners, meaning the extent of what 116 00:06:50,730 --> 00:06:54,130 we're talking about at the four corners. 117 00:06:54,130 --> 00:06:58,690 Then we have the four angels, and they're almost like superintendents, 118 00:06:59,490 --> 00:07:02,770 superintendents of the world, for God's sake. 119 00:07:02,770 --> 00:07:07,220 Again, we've seen this with these angels already sent out into 120 00:07:07,220 --> 00:07:07,580 the world. 121 00:07:07,580 --> 00:07:11,740 But these angels now have a purpose, because the four winds that 122 00:07:11,740 --> 00:07:16,780 are spoken of here in verse one stand for judgment, judgment 123 00:07:16,780 --> 00:07:21,220 to come, the final judgment which will engulf the entire world. 124 00:07:21,220 --> 00:07:24,100 And so think back to that stormy day of walking in the wind 125 00:07:24,660 --> 00:07:27,780 and really feeling it so strong you wonder if you can take 126 00:07:27,780 --> 00:07:30,660 another step into the oncoming wind. 127 00:07:30,660 --> 00:07:33,940 Any of you who've been at sea in a storm will know exactly what 128 00:07:33,940 --> 00:07:34,500 that means. 129 00:07:35,490 --> 00:07:36,690 You will have to make a decision. 130 00:07:36,770 --> 00:07:40,130 Are you going to turn around and let the storm blow you? 131 00:07:40,770 --> 00:07:43,970 Or are you going to face it head on and go straight into it? 132 00:07:44,930 --> 00:07:45,650 The par. 133 00:07:46,210 --> 00:07:51,130 The veracity of the wind is something that constantly surprises 134 00:07:51,130 --> 00:07:58,450 us, cautions us, and shakes us so how much more this warning that 135 00:07:58,450 --> 00:07:59,970 there is a final judgment. 136 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:05,640 But look at what's happening to this final judgment. 137 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,200 You see, the final judgment, or these four winds have already 138 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,600 been spoken about in scripture. 139 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:20,440 Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah all speak of four winds 140 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,120 from the four quarters of heaven, that they will be inflicted 141 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:25,000 on the entire land of Elam. 142 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,600 But here, the four winds encompass the whole world. 143 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,440 The angels are restraining the winds so that they're not unleashed 144 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:35,320 on land, on sea, and on trees. 145 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,520 And John here is taking us back to the period before the final 146 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:45,360 judgment commences, because John sees another angel coming from 147 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:50,240 the rising sun, and this angel carries with it the seal of the living 148 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:50,680 God. 149 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:56,370 Now, we're not told what this seal looks like, but what we do know 150 00:08:56,370 --> 00:09:01,210 is this seal comes with the authority, so that whatever is said 151 00:09:01,290 --> 00:09:05,210 next is to happen, because it comes with the authority of the Lord. 152 00:09:05,530 --> 00:09:10,090 And so the command is Given to the four angels not to harm the earth 153 00:09:10,490 --> 00:09:17,050 or the sea or the trees, they are held back until a certain time. 154 00:09:17,050 --> 00:09:22,900 And this is what verse three tells us, until we have sealed the 155 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:26,740 servant of our God on their foreheads. 156 00:09:28,020 --> 00:09:32,340 When we read about being marked as belonging to God, it means 157 00:09:32,740 --> 00:09:34,980 that we're being marked for protection. 158 00:09:36,020 --> 00:09:40,020 And it can't help but remind us of the night when the angel of 159 00:09:40,020 --> 00:09:42,980 death went through Egypt in Exodus. 160 00:09:43,060 --> 00:09:45,620 And although we haven't got there yet in our morning studies, 161 00:09:45,620 --> 00:09:50,620 we'll see in chapter 12, God tells Moses what the Israelites need 162 00:09:50,620 --> 00:09:53,760 to do to be protected from the judgment. 163 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:58,880 Their homes had to be marked by the blood of an innocent lamb. 164 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,400 And theologian Andrew Sacks suggests that this is a picture of 165 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,120 what's happening here in Revelation 7. 166 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:09,360 These servants are being marked by the blood of the Lamb of 167 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:13,280 their Savior and Redeemer, the risen Lord Jesus, so that they will 168 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,640 not face his wrath, the wrath of the lamb. 169 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,120 Those who are sealed by God on the forehead in Revelation stand 170 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:25,900 in contrast to to those who accept the mark of the beast on their 171 00:10:25,900 --> 00:10:29,220 foreheads in chapters 13, 14, and 20. 172 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:33,940 And in both instances, the mark is symbolic. 173 00:10:34,660 --> 00:10:38,740 What separates believers from unbelievers is that the former have 174 00:10:38,740 --> 00:10:42,340 God's seal and the Father's name written on their foreheads. 175 00:10:42,340 --> 00:10:47,460 As Revelation 14, verse 1 tells us, they are protected by God 176 00:10:47,700 --> 00:10:52,030 and they're marked as as his own people, his genuine servants. 177 00:10:52,030 --> 00:10:52,430 Why? 178 00:10:53,310 --> 00:10:56,830 Because just like that night when the angel of death went through 179 00:10:56,910 --> 00:11:04,390 all of Egypt, the wrath of the Lamb will pass over those who have 180 00:11:04,390 --> 00:11:06,590 been sealed by his blood. 181 00:11:08,190 --> 00:11:14,030 But John gets more detail and is told the number of the sealed. 182 00:11:14,270 --> 00:11:22,520 In verse four, he says, and I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000 183 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,560 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. 184 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:33,200 Between verses five and eight, we have listed for us the 12 tribes 185 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:37,320 of Israel and their allocation of 12,000 people each. 186 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:42,360 And what we're learning as we go through Revelation, that numbers 187 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:43,400 are symbolic. 188 00:11:44,700 --> 00:11:48,860 So when we come to the number 144,000, we know that we've got to 189 00:11:48,860 --> 00:11:50,620 interpret the symbolism. 190 00:11:51,340 --> 00:11:52,540 So how do we do this? 191 00:11:53,500 --> 00:11:58,620 Well, whenever we try and work out what 144,000 looks like, let's 192 00:11:58,620 --> 00:12:02,870 start with what we already know, the number 12. 193 00:12:03,050 --> 00:12:08,980 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, bridging both Old and New 194 00:12:08,980 --> 00:12:11,580 Testament, that gives us 144. 195 00:12:13,460 --> 00:12:15,900 But how do we get that then, with all its zeros? 196 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:18,740 Well, the easiest way is to think of zeros in its tens. 197 00:12:19,540 --> 00:12:22,820 Ten is another number of completeness in Scripture. 198 00:12:23,140 --> 00:12:28,780 And so if you multiply 144 by 10 by 10 by 10, the sense of completeness, 199 00:12:28,780 --> 00:12:31,700 because that's the significance of the number 10 is 200 00:12:31,700 --> 00:12:34,100 exponentially emphasized. 201 00:12:35,220 --> 00:12:38,820 This is the complete number of Old Testament saints. 202 00:12:38,820 --> 00:12:42,220 The 12 who looked forward to put their faith in Christ, who was 203 00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:45,680 promised, combined with those saints in the New Testament era who 204 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:49,240 look back at the cross and the resurrection and put their faith 205 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:52,080 in Christ as represented through the apostles. 206 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:56,480 This is the true Israel, the church across the ages. 207 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:00,520 Everyone is accounted for, and they are all sealed. 208 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:05,680 144,000, a symbolic number representing all of God's people. 209 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,200 They're sealed for his protection. 210 00:13:11,170 --> 00:13:17,010 Now, there will be different ideas of how we get to 144,000. 211 00:13:18,930 --> 00:13:23,450 The reason why I pose this one to you is because of that list of 212 00:13:23,450 --> 00:13:24,010 tribes. 213 00:13:24,010 --> 00:13:26,930 Did you notice anything in that list? 214 00:13:28,850 --> 00:13:35,980 First of all, John hears a number, and then he sees a multitude. 215 00:13:37,100 --> 00:13:38,700 But who's in that multitude? 216 00:13:39,580 --> 00:13:42,140 The tribe of Joseph. 217 00:13:43,260 --> 00:13:47,380 When have you ever heard of the tribe of Joseph? 218 00:13:47,380 --> 00:13:49,460 There was no tribe given to Joseph. 219 00:13:49,460 --> 00:13:50,940 He is a child of Israel. 220 00:13:51,660 --> 00:13:57,340 But his tribe was split between Ephraim and Manasseh. 221 00:13:58,060 --> 00:14:01,500 But look again at that list and see that Manasseh is there. 222 00:14:01,500 --> 00:14:02,580 So why not Ephraim? 223 00:14:02,580 --> 00:14:04,660 Why is Joseph now mentioned? 224 00:14:04,660 --> 00:14:09,280 Because in the whole of Scripture, this is the only time 225 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:13,760 that the tribes are presented in this way. 226 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:16,320 But who's missing? 227 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:22,320 Because if Joseph and Manasseh were there, well, who's not if there's 228 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:22,640 12? 229 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,480 Now, I could pause long enough for someone to shout out the answer, 230 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,320 but let me tell you, it's Dan. 231 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,440 Dan isn't recorded, perhaps because of the evil associated with 232 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:36,960 that tribe, as recorded in Judges 18. 233 00:14:37,630 --> 00:14:41,150 And so instead, as I pointed out, we have Joseph and Manasseh. 234 00:14:42,750 --> 00:14:46,190 And so here we have a list of tribes that we've never seen before 235 00:14:46,190 --> 00:14:47,070 in Scripture. 236 00:14:48,110 --> 00:14:49,870 Who's at the top of it? 237 00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:51,470 Well, it's Judah. 238 00:14:51,790 --> 00:14:53,630 Well, he's never been to the top of it before. 239 00:14:53,630 --> 00:14:54,150 And why? 240 00:14:54,150 --> 00:15:00,110 Well, it might be because from him comes Jesus, the Messiah, head 241 00:15:00,590 --> 00:15:06,620 of the people of God, head of Israel, both Old Testament and New. 242 00:15:07,340 --> 00:15:12,820 And so these peculiarities in this particular presentation mean 243 00:15:12,820 --> 00:15:16,460 that there's some symbolic reading to be understood in it. 244 00:15:17,340 --> 00:15:20,900 And when understanding the 144,000, we mustn't go down the line 245 00:15:20,900 --> 00:15:25,260 of some cults that commit a literal 144,000 people to the new 246 00:15:25,260 --> 00:15:25,740 heaven. 247 00:15:25,820 --> 00:15:28,660 And then the rest who weren't good enough to get to the new heaven, 248 00:15:28,660 --> 00:15:31,660 but still good enough to be saved, well, will then just be in 249 00:15:31,660 --> 00:15:32,460 the new earth. 250 00:15:33,180 --> 00:15:38,620 We have to be very careful of how we commit to this number, because 251 00:15:38,700 --> 00:15:42,780 numbers are symbolic in apocalyptic literature. 252 00:15:44,060 --> 00:15:48,860 But we also must pay attention to what John hears and what he sees, 253 00:15:49,100 --> 00:15:52,180 because in recounting this for us, John follows a pattern that we 254 00:15:52,180 --> 00:15:53,260 saw in chapter five. 255 00:15:53,580 --> 00:15:57,580 There he is told about a lion, but he sees a lamb in verses five 256 00:15:57,580 --> 00:15:58,060 and six. 257 00:15:58,060 --> 00:16:00,220 And the lion and the lamb are the same entity. 258 00:16:01,140 --> 00:16:05,700 So to hear John hears the number 144,000 in verse four. 259 00:16:05,780 --> 00:16:07,300 But what does he see? 260 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:11,780 He doesn't see 144,000 around the throne. 261 00:16:12,580 --> 00:16:15,940 He sees in verse nine, an uncountable multitude. 262 00:16:17,780 --> 00:16:20,860 And again, we have two different ways of describing the 263 00:16:20,860 --> 00:16:21,780 same entity. 264 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:27,220 And the uncountable multitude confirms the point that the 144,000 265 00:16:27,460 --> 00:16:34,730 representatives, all believers, 12 by 12, 144 multiplied 266 00:16:34,730 --> 00:16:39,970 by 10 by 10 by 10, that sense of three times completeness, completeness 267 00:16:40,130 --> 00:16:45,170 in its entirety, to demonstrate what indeed heaven will 268 00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:45,650 be like. 269 00:16:46,930 --> 00:16:49,490 And so, moving on to verse nine, we see one of the greatest 270 00:16:49,490 --> 00:16:50,930 missional verses in Scripture. 271 00:16:50,930 --> 00:16:54,860 And this is the moment that I love in Revelation, because after 272 00:16:54,860 --> 00:16:57,780 this I looked, we're told, and behold a great multitude that no 273 00:16:57,780 --> 00:17:01,260 one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples 274 00:17:01,260 --> 00:17:04,900 and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed 275 00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:08,220 in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 276 00:17:08,460 --> 00:17:10,940 It's a wonderful image for us to enjoy. 277 00:17:11,340 --> 00:17:16,380 And the praise that follows in verses 10 through to 12 is something 278 00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:20,540 to pay attention to and to enjoy, because this moment of praise 279 00:17:20,540 --> 00:17:24,020 in heaven is an uncountable multitude that are crying out with 280 00:17:24,020 --> 00:17:28,540 a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God. 281 00:17:29,740 --> 00:17:32,820 Now, it's interesting that they're not saying, salvation belongs 282 00:17:32,820 --> 00:17:33,260 to me. 283 00:17:33,660 --> 00:17:36,780 They're on the other side of the final judgment and can see how 284 00:17:36,780 --> 00:17:40,900 God has preserved a people for himself through persecution and through 285 00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:41,500 judgment. 286 00:17:41,820 --> 00:17:45,820 They're praising God for the magnificence of his plans for history 287 00:17:46,140 --> 00:17:48,780 that have been executed through the opening of the seals. 288 00:17:49,580 --> 00:17:53,220 They know that their salvation is the result of having been marked 289 00:17:53,220 --> 00:17:56,780 by the blood of Christ, not by any worthiness in themselves. 290 00:17:57,820 --> 00:18:01,900 It's almost as if they don't have enough words to express all 291 00:18:01,900 --> 00:18:05,420 the honor that is due to God for what he has done. 292 00:18:05,580 --> 00:18:10,740 So they pile them up into one long string of blessing and glory 293 00:18:10,740 --> 00:18:16,530 and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power, and might be 294 00:18:16,530 --> 00:18:19,210 to our God forever and ever. 295 00:18:20,570 --> 00:18:21,210 Amen. 296 00:18:22,810 --> 00:18:26,250 And it's not just the multitudes who are worshipping God. 297 00:18:26,250 --> 00:18:27,010 Who else is there? 298 00:18:27,010 --> 00:18:30,210 Well, we're told the angels bow down and who are standing in 299 00:18:30,210 --> 00:18:32,970 their place, the elders and the Four living creatures, just as 300 00:18:32,970 --> 00:18:36,970 we've seen before, the heavenly host, are worshipping God 301 00:18:37,130 --> 00:18:41,050 along with God's elect now in heaven. 302 00:18:41,700 --> 00:18:45,540 And this is a true foresight of what heaven will be like, as together 303 00:18:45,540 --> 00:18:51,380 we stand in awe and wonder, yet in full understanding of who 304 00:18:51,700 --> 00:18:52,900 God is. 305 00:18:53,860 --> 00:18:58,340 And so we must pause at this point and ask ourselves a question. 306 00:18:59,460 --> 00:19:04,260 Do you believe this to be your reality when Christ returns? 307 00:19:05,060 --> 00:19:10,180 Are you assured of your praise in heaven and because of your faith 308 00:19:10,180 --> 00:19:11,140 in Jesus Christ? 309 00:19:11,940 --> 00:19:14,420 You see, chapter seven is quite confronting. 310 00:19:14,820 --> 00:19:18,420 As we're forced to look and we're forced to consider the true 311 00:19:18,420 --> 00:19:20,020 membership of God's kingdom. 312 00:19:20,500 --> 00:19:23,860 It isn't enough to hope for the best or to think that you've 313 00:19:23,860 --> 00:19:26,100 done enough to earn your right into heaven. 314 00:19:27,060 --> 00:19:31,140 We can only look to Jesus as the one who has taken the punishment 315 00:19:31,140 --> 00:19:35,940 our sins deserve so that we can be his and be his for all eternity. 316 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,360 Is this your assurance tonight? 317 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:44,480 Do you know this deep within yourself that heaven and that praise 318 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,400 of heaven is yours to give because you are found in Christ? 319 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:53,920 This is what John tells us in first John 2, 2, 3. 320 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:59,400 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but 321 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,200 also for the sins of the whole world. 322 00:20:02,010 --> 00:20:05,770 And by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep 323 00:20:05,770 --> 00:20:07,290 his commandments. 324 00:20:08,090 --> 00:20:11,530 Now, John's not speaking here of keeping to the ten Commandments. 325 00:20:12,010 --> 00:20:17,090 They are good to keep and must be kept because they tell us how 326 00:20:17,090 --> 00:20:20,450 we are to worship God and how we're to live with and amongst each 327 00:20:20,450 --> 00:20:20,730 other. 328 00:20:21,530 --> 00:20:24,970 But what we're hearing is here what the Gospel tells about how we 329 00:20:24,970 --> 00:20:26,490 live Christ's way. 330 00:20:27,300 --> 00:20:30,340 You see, that's ultimately how we know that we are His. 331 00:20:31,540 --> 00:20:35,940 We live by his teaching, we follow his way, and we know his truth. 332 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:39,940 This is the evidence in our lives that proves that we are His. 333 00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:44,340 We're all good at making New Year's resolutions. 334 00:20:44,340 --> 00:20:47,940 And I've been listening to a few on the podcast that I listen 335 00:20:47,940 --> 00:20:51,060 to and one of the ones that has been striking to me, surprising 336 00:20:51,060 --> 00:20:55,470 in some instances, some people wanting to be better at reading their 337 00:20:55,470 --> 00:20:58,870 Bibles and what they mean in the coming years that they'll spend 338 00:20:58,870 --> 00:21:01,750 more time doing it, that probably over Christmas with the 339 00:21:01,750 --> 00:21:04,350 busyness they felt, they just haven't had the time that they did. 340 00:21:04,910 --> 00:21:08,390 And everyone will go with great starts for whatever we want 341 00:21:08,390 --> 00:21:09,630 to achieve in this year. 342 00:21:10,110 --> 00:21:15,150 I have loaded and emptied the dishwasher successfully for one day. 343 00:21:15,790 --> 00:21:17,390 Will it continue to day too? 344 00:21:17,710 --> 00:21:18,510 I don't know. 345 00:21:19,110 --> 00:21:20,470 And isn't that the same with us all? 346 00:21:20,950 --> 00:21:22,350 We want to Read our Bibles. 347 00:21:22,350 --> 00:21:24,070 We want to live Christ's way. 348 00:21:25,030 --> 00:21:28,310 But then something comes along and we just get off Track. 349 00:21:29,830 --> 00:21:33,230 We miss 1 day, 2 day, 3 day, 4 days, 5, 6, 7. 350 00:21:33,230 --> 00:21:37,990 Before we know it, we fall out of the holy habit of reading, of 351 00:21:37,990 --> 00:21:41,350 praying, and of living by the standard of Christ. 352 00:21:43,830 --> 00:21:51,080 The question, do you believe that your reality when Christ returns 353 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,240 will be eternal praise in heaven? 354 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:59,680 The assurance of this is not based on good works or hoping to 355 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:00,360 have done enough. 356 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:06,520 The assurance is only that we live for Christ and His way, so that 357 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,880 indeed we know him and have that full assurance. 358 00:22:12,610 --> 00:22:17,050 And as we continue on in this chapter concludes as we read it, 359 00:22:17,050 --> 00:22:19,010 of John being asked another question. 360 00:22:19,570 --> 00:22:22,770 This is now the second question John has been asked in Revelation, 361 00:22:23,890 --> 00:22:28,570 but it's the elder asking the question, who knows the answer, but 362 00:22:28,570 --> 00:22:31,730 the reason why it's given to us this way, where John says, you 363 00:22:31,730 --> 00:22:34,850 know the answer is so that we will pay attention to what we're 364 00:22:34,850 --> 00:22:38,460 being told, because the answer is significant for us to understand. 365 00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:43,180 John is presented with people clothed in white robes. 366 00:22:43,420 --> 00:22:46,700 And the elder informs John in the second half of verse 14. 367 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:50,540 And he said to me, these are the ones coming out of the great 368 00:22:50,540 --> 00:22:51,100 Tribulation. 369 00:22:51,900 --> 00:22:55,900 They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood 370 00:22:55,980 --> 00:22:56,860 of the Lamb. 371 00:22:57,820 --> 00:23:02,100 John, like Daniel before him, teaches that those who belong to 372 00:23:02,100 --> 00:23:05,110 God are truly rescued. 373 00:23:05,910 --> 00:23:10,150 They are rescued and delivered because they have washed their robes 374 00:23:10,310 --> 00:23:15,270 white in the Lamb's blood, picturing the cleansing work of Christ 375 00:23:15,590 --> 00:23:16,470 on the cross. 376 00:23:17,670 --> 00:23:23,190 The robes of the redeemed people of God are white not on account 377 00:23:23,350 --> 00:23:29,230 of their own righteousness, but because of the cleansing atonement 378 00:23:29,230 --> 00:23:31,940 of the Lamb who gave himself for their sins. 379 00:23:33,700 --> 00:23:37,340 Often in Revelation, white robes or white garments designate 380 00:23:37,340 --> 00:23:41,020 the righteousness of the saints, the godly lives they have 381 00:23:41,020 --> 00:23:41,340 lived. 382 00:23:41,340 --> 00:23:44,700 And John gives us here the ultimate reason why believers have 383 00:23:44,700 --> 00:23:48,500 white robes and explains why they have endured the Great Tribulation. 384 00:23:49,780 --> 00:23:53,820 Their salvation is due to the blood of the Lamb, to the sacrifice 385 00:23:53,820 --> 00:23:57,380 of Jesus, the cleansing coming only from him. 386 00:23:58,420 --> 00:24:03,300 That's why they sing such a beautiful song in verses 15 to 17, 387 00:24:03,540 --> 00:24:08,300 poetic in nature, because in these verses we're given a picture 388 00:24:08,300 --> 00:24:13,700 through poem of what all who have been marked sealed by the blood 389 00:24:13,700 --> 00:24:18,500 of the Lamb, what it means to be sealed to Christ by the Holy Spirit, 390 00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:22,180 all who have patiently endured the tribulation of living for Christ 391 00:24:22,180 --> 00:24:28,210 in a hostile world, what they can expect, and so what we can expect 392 00:24:28,530 --> 00:24:33,170 in Christ, is that we will not only be protected in the final judgment, 393 00:24:33,650 --> 00:24:37,330 but we will enjoy the protective presence of God for all 394 00:24:37,410 --> 00:24:38,130 eternity. 395 00:24:39,010 --> 00:24:42,210 Marked and sealed as His. 396 00:24:43,890 --> 00:24:48,130 Nothing and no one will be able to harm us. 397 00:24:48,690 --> 00:24:51,250 All of our needs will be provided for. 398 00:24:51,780 --> 00:24:56,060 All the pain of the past will be wiped away, not through any impersonal 399 00:24:56,060 --> 00:25:00,220 declaration, but personally and lovingly, as God himself will 400 00:25:00,220 --> 00:25:02,100 wipe away our tears. 401 00:25:03,380 --> 00:25:08,900 We'll be safely in the fold of our shepherd, the Lamb. 402 00:25:09,860 --> 00:25:14,460 That's why verse 17 is such a beautiful verse with which to end 403 00:25:14,460 --> 00:25:16,500 this break in the opening of the seals. 404 00:25:16,500 --> 00:25:21,510 But it's also words that bring us back to that great image or that 405 00:25:21,510 --> 00:25:26,110 great motif throughout all of Scripture of the one who truly guides 406 00:25:26,110 --> 00:25:28,190 God's people, the shepherd. 407 00:25:28,750 --> 00:25:32,150 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. 408 00:25:32,150 --> 00:25:35,270 Here's another image of who Jesus will be to us. 409 00:25:35,270 --> 00:25:38,750 Not just a lion, not just a lamb, but now a shepherd. 410 00:25:39,230 --> 00:25:43,610 And he will guide them to springs of living water, and God 411 00:25:43,610 --> 00:25:47,730 will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 412 00:25:49,090 --> 00:25:54,490 This is the great assurance that we must know in the midst of 413 00:25:54,490 --> 00:26:01,530 the tribulation we face here and now, we have a shepherd who leads 414 00:26:01,530 --> 00:26:01,810 us. 415 00:26:03,010 --> 00:26:07,410 This is not simply an escape, as if we're running out of a burning 416 00:26:07,410 --> 00:26:07,810 building. 417 00:26:09,020 --> 00:26:13,740 We're actually being led to a place that is good for us and that 418 00:26:13,740 --> 00:26:15,180 will refresh us. 419 00:26:15,980 --> 00:26:18,860 And we will look to the shepherd as the one who will wipe 420 00:26:18,860 --> 00:26:25,060 away all of our tears, because he truly loves us, for he died for 421 00:26:25,060 --> 00:26:25,420 us. 422 00:26:26,540 --> 00:26:31,100 This is a wonderful truth for us to behold, a truth that I want 423 00:26:31,260 --> 00:26:34,980 you to leave with tonight that you'll be encouraged in heart and 424 00:26:34,980 --> 00:26:39,130 soul that this is the Savior in whom you place your trust. 425 00:26:40,730 --> 00:26:47,850 He's the One who will lead you, refresh you, and heal you through 426 00:26:47,850 --> 00:26:49,770 the wiping away of tears. 427 00:26:51,210 --> 00:26:52,890 Is it your truth tonight? 428 00:26:52,890 --> 00:26:55,690 Is this who you see your Savior to be? 429 00:26:56,090 --> 00:26:59,650 Because if it's not, well, then it's not truly the risen Lord 430 00:26:59,650 --> 00:27:00,490 Jesus Christ. 431 00:27:02,100 --> 00:27:04,740 This is what we're told in Revelation of what will be. 432 00:27:06,660 --> 00:27:09,940 And so we must believe that this is the Jesus who saves. 433 00:27:11,060 --> 00:27:12,500 Do you know the Savior? 434 00:27:13,140 --> 00:27:16,020 Do you know his constant love for you? 435 00:27:16,420 --> 00:27:22,340 For as Jesus himself says in John 10, 27 and 28, my sheep hear 436 00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:22,900 my voice. 437 00:27:23,220 --> 00:27:25,020 So here he is as the great shepherd. 438 00:27:25,020 --> 00:27:27,220 And I know them, and they follow me. 439 00:27:28,660 --> 00:27:34,740 I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one 440 00:27:34,740 --> 00:27:37,780 will snatch them out of my hand. 441 00:27:41,220 --> 00:27:44,180 This may be the last time that I make any reference to the year 442 00:27:44,180 --> 00:27:45,220 that is ahead of us. 443 00:27:45,780 --> 00:27:49,220 But please let me make one comment on this. 444 00:27:50,660 --> 00:27:59,940 Whatever this year will hold, be it the joys or the sorrows, please 445 00:27:59,940 --> 00:28:02,260 know you have a Savior. 446 00:28:03,220 --> 00:28:07,460 Know that you have a Savior who gives us eternal life. 447 00:28:07,860 --> 00:28:12,780 And because of that we will never perish and no one will snatch 448 00:28:12,780 --> 00:28:14,820 us out of his hand. 449 00:28:14,980 --> 00:28:16,580 He will keep us. 450 00:28:18,180 --> 00:28:22,820 He will calm our anger, frustration, when we know that's 451 00:28:22,820 --> 00:28:23,940 not the way we should go. 452 00:28:24,900 --> 00:28:28,580 He will forgive us when we fail day and daily. 453 00:28:29,860 --> 00:28:33,620 He will be the Savior who indeed, as the children's chorus 454 00:28:33,700 --> 00:28:42,900 says, is mighty to keep 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 days a week. 455 00:28:43,860 --> 00:28:50,130 He is a Savior who's mighty to keep 52 weeks a year. 456 00:28:51,890 --> 00:28:57,330 Come to the Savior, each and every one, as I need to come to the 457 00:28:57,330 --> 00:29:03,130 Savior to know this wonderful truth, to know this wonderful love, 458 00:29:03,130 --> 00:29:08,370 to cherish and to know that he is the One who will lead us through 459 00:29:08,370 --> 00:29:14,140 whatever is ahead, whatever tribulation we will face, so that 460 00:29:14,140 --> 00:29:18,700 with the redeemed we will be sealed and we will be brought into 461 00:29:18,780 --> 00:29:20,220 the throne room of heaven. 462 00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:26,380 And there cry with all of God's people, blessing and glory 463 00:29:26,380 --> 00:29:30,580 and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might to 464 00:29:30,580 --> 00:29:33,660 our God forever and ever. 465 00:29:34,540 --> 00:29:35,180 Amen. 466 00:29:35,740 --> 00:29:39,350 This truly is our glorious hope. 467 00:29:40,950 --> 00:29:41,830 Let us pray. 468 00:29:43,030 --> 00:29:45,670 Our Father God, we thank you for your word. 469 00:29:46,710 --> 00:29:52,950 Your word that beyond the details, points us to heaven, points 470 00:29:52,950 --> 00:29:59,030 us to who you are, to the God that we trust, the Savior that we 471 00:29:59,030 --> 00:30:04,350 can know, and Father, knowing that you indeed will keep us to the 472 00:30:04,350 --> 00:30:04,630 end. 473 00:30:06,190 --> 00:30:11,230 So may our focus this night be on Christ and be on him alone. 474 00:30:12,510 --> 00:30:17,070 And help us to go confidently in him through these days that are 475 00:30:17,070 --> 00:30:22,270 ahead, knowing that no one will snatch us from the hands of 476 00:30:22,270 --> 00:30:23,710 our good Shepherd. 477 00:30:25,230 --> 00:30:27,550 And we ask these things in Jesus name. 478 00:30:28,430 --> 00:30:29,070 Amen. 479 00:30:36,810 --> 00:30:45,190 Sam.