Revelation 7:14-17 "Those Who Have Come Out Of Great Tribulation" Greg Bahnsen {Part 28 of 63}

Thank you for giving us this day, that we might grow in our Savior, and we might be able to meditate upon his benefits and his person. And we pray that you might draw us nearer to him as we meditate upon his word. We thank you for the word of truth that we have. We ask that we might be enabled to live according to it, that we might understand its precepts, we might be obedient to its direction. And thank you, Father, that you give us a word of comfort and encouragement. And we would recognize, Father, that we are not sufficient in ourselves, that we do need this comfort, that amidst the problems of a Christian testimony in this world, your word does come to us as strengthening. And we thank you for that. As we thank you for the Savior who has revealed these things to us. We pray that His Spirit would be present as we understand his word this day. For it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. We're in Revelation chapter seven again this morning, and I would like to read the chapter over again and finish up the remaining verses where we left off last week and then do something of an extensive review of the material in the book of Revelation. Because when we come to chapter eight, then we really move into the. The action sequence of the book. And I think everything we've seen thus far is extremely important. I wouldn't want this to be misunderstood, but in a sense, everything has been preparation in terms of the Revelation, in terms of the prophecy of the book, as we're actually going to start seeing the. The working out of the prophecy in chapter eight. And so today we'll finish up seven and then do some review of the first seven chapters altogether. But first of all, let's read chapter seven through again after this. I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree. And I saw another angel ascend from the sun, rising, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and 40 and 4,000 sealed out of every tribe. Of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. Twelve thousand. After these things I saw and behold a great multitude which no man could number out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes and palms in their hands. And they cry with a great voice, saying, salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne and unto the Lamb. And all the angels were standing round about the throne and about the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God, saying, amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, these that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they? And whence came they? And I say unto him, my Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they that come out of the great tribulation. And they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And therefore are they before the throne of God. And they serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun strike upon them nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. As we look at chapter seven, remember the last few weeks that we've been studying it. Let me ask you a few questions here. The sealing of God on the forehead of his saints represents what? What is it for God to seal believers? What kind of mark is this? A mark of ownership. And what God owns, he does what too. He protects it and preserves it. So God will preserve his saints. He seals them through their trials. And the people that are said to be sealed here are called 144,000 out of every tribe of the children of Israel. Now, when we read of the children of Israel, every tribe of the children of Israel, do we understand by that literal, physical Israel, or do we understand the Church of Jesus Christ? And if so, why? It's the Church. It's the Church. And why? Because the tribes listed here are not the same as the Old Testament. Tribes. That's right. We have a very unusual listing here. Indication that it's not empirical Israel, but it's Israel understood as the faithful followers of God. And in the book of Revelation, have we any indications that John distinguished between pseudo Israel and true Israel? And how he drew those lines? Think now, the letters to the seven churches. What does he say about. Yeah, that's right, the synagogue of Satan. Obviously he doesn't think of physical Israel as the people of God. He thinks of them as a people, Satan. For Christ came to his own and his own received him not. But where is true Israel to be found then? Well, in the church of Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is the elect people of God. And the full number of God's elect, 144,000. That is, out of every tribe we have 12,000 sealed. The full number of God's elect have this provision of his protection and ownership, his sealing on them. Now, John in verse 9 says, after these things, after he sees that the. That the new Israel of God, the church, has been sealed and protected. After these things, I saw and behold a great multitude which no man could number. Now we have one multitude which apparently is numbered 144,000, and then another multitude which is not numbered. The first multitude referred to the Church and the second multitude refers to what. The Church. Well, now, wait a minute. The one is 144,000, the other is innumerable. How do you reconcile those two facts? I mean, if this is the Church, both times has the Bible contradicted itself? It's hard to get a rise out of you people this morning. Kind of a cold day, I suppose. It'll warm up. They're both figures of speech. And obviously you don't have to have rigorous consistency. So what is the purpose of each of the images if these are two different descriptions of the same group of people? Why innumerable? It's vast. Why 144,000? It's perfect. It's the full number of the electricity. All right. Now these who have the benefit of being God's people and are sealed with his ownership and protection, are arrayed in white robes with palms in their hands. And they praise God for the salvation which he has provided. The angels, even those which are not subjects of salvation, praise him for the same. In fact, the whole heavenly court praises God for this work of salvation that he's accomplished. And then one of the angels specifically asked John questions similar to those I've been asking you. Who are these people that are arrayed in these white robes? John of course indicates that he's not the one who can interpret this vision, that rather the speaker can. And so then the elder who asked John this question says, these are they that come out of the great tribulation. They've washed their robes and made them white. The blood of the Lamb. Why the great tribulation? This refers to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, I suppose, or maybe a future tribulation period on earth which we can look ahead to specific period of history. The great Tribulation. Among all the tribulations that we have, this is the great one. Is that the way I interpreted it? Yes, the well known tribulation. Why is it great? Because of its intensity or because of its extent? Well, I suggested it was because of its extent. This is the great tribulation. This is the one that spans all of history. It's the tribulation which all believers have. Jesus says, in this world ye have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. But in this world you have tribulation. This is the great tribulation. And Paul says, you know, through many tribulations we must enter in the kingdom of God. And it's the well known tribulation, the well known tribulation of great extent. Well, now, before I go on, there's especially a point I want to clarify because last week I think I may have misled some of you, at least judging from some questions after the class I spoke of this great tribulation, I mean this great multitude coming out of the great tribulation. And I said I would not restrict this to the intermediate state. And I'm afraid that some got the impression that I was saying it doesn't apply to the intermediate state. But there's a difference between saying it doesn't apply and it isn't restricted to that application. See, these are two symbolic representations of the Church of Jesus Christ, two different descriptions of the Church. And they describe different benefits that we have as members of Christ's church, as those who are joined to his body. On the one hand, we are seen as the Israel of God, we're the true elect of God, and the full number of us have been sealed and protected. And so we're the Church militant here on earth. And through our trials and tribulations and through the advance of the Church in the world, we have the protection of God. And on the other hand, we're seen as an international multitude of people who have had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. And we stand justified before God and therefore have the privilege of being in the very presence of God. And we have palm branches in our hands symbolizing the victory of Christ's salvation, which is ours. Those two truths are slightly different, of course. They're congruent, they go together, but they emphasize different things. Now, it is true that those who come out of great tribulation are going to know the benefits of God's immediate presence in the intermediate state. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with that vocabulary, we call the state here the intermediate state because it's not the present state of man you see in his body, but living under sin. Nor is it the future and final state of man, where he is a glorified resurrected body, not subject to sin any longer. But it's intermediate between those where man does not have his physical body, at least as we now know it, but nevertheless knows the presence of God prior to the institution of the new heavens and the new earth, or at least the the consummation of the new heavens and the new earth. And so man, as he dies now, and as we speak traditionally, his spirit, his soul, is present with God in heaven and is called the intermediate state. Now, what I was saying last week is the truth portrayed here applies to all Christians and at all times, but it applies to the intermediate state as well. And all I'm saying is it's not restricted to the intermediate state. All of us now wear robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, and all of us know a measure of that victory. And all of us at least have the anticipation of God wiping every tear away from our eyes. But it certainly is true that what is said here holds preeminently of those who know the immediate presence of God who have passed from this life into the glory of their future state. And so I want to make sure you understand that. That the great multitude is a great multitude in heaven, to be sure. But I'm saying that the truths applied to those who are among the great multitude are truths which apply to us at all times. And of course, we'll enjoy those truths. We'll enjoy the presence of God and the protection of God finally and in a. In a fuller way when we do, when we do pass the glory and know his immediate presence. All right. Now, this brings us to verse 15. But before I go on and finish out the chapter, let's make sure we understand what has gone before. There's been a lot of complications and strange twists in this chapter. I mean, to understand these two different groups and what is meant by these two different groups and why John says what he does say about the two different groups. And then this question about the Great Tribulation and all the rest. Anybody have any questions still remaining about this section? Now, we could all. If somebody came up to you tomorrow and said, you know, I've been reading through the Bible and there's only one thing that prevents me from becoming a Christian, and that's understanding what this means here. About 144,000 in the Great multitude. You'd be able to give them a credible answer. You know, like the Ethiopian eunuch is reading along, says, I just don't understand this portion of Isaiah. Would you be able to expound that to him? If there are any questions, now's the time to get them out. All right. Verse 15. Therefore they are before the throne. It may be a bit catchy, but I think it's a good thing to remember. Maybe it's a good thing, especially for those who are in seminary who like things put to them in a very sophisticated way, to remember that anytime the word therefore appears in the text, you have to stop and ask yourself, why is it there? Or what's it there for? Therefore, well, what's that stressing on the basis of something that's gone before. They are before the throne because they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. On that basis they are before the throne of God. There's a very strong indication in Scripture that salvation can never be by personal merit, can never be by our own individual works. In fact, that's absolutely excluded. You see, our own works are filthy rags in the sight of God. Our own righteousness merits nothing. And so our robes must be washed. And they must be washed in this ironic way, in blood, in the blood of the Lamb. And then they're made white. And on that basis we can stand before the throne of God. Remember the very ending of chapter six in the book of Revelation, for the great day of their wrath is come. And who able to stand? Chapter 7, verse 15. Therefore are they before the throne of God? They serve him. Danite. Those who stand before the throne of God do so because their robes have been made white in the blood of the Lamb. They know God's gracious provision. Now, very quickly, at the end of last week, I was explaining why it is that the imagery of washing robes in the blood of the Lamb means that the death of Jesus Christ is efficacious. You see, those for whom he shed his blood have their robes made clean. There is no basis then before God for their condemnation. They are justified they stand righteous before God with clean white robes. And so if Christ shed his blood for an individual, that blood cleanses and that blood sets free. And therefore all those for whom Christ died shall be saved. And what does that mean then about the number or the extent or scope of the atonement? For whom did Christ die? Did he die for each and every individual? Well, we could say so, as long as we maintain that each and every individual shall in fact know eternal salvation, that every individual has his robe washed in the blood of the Lamb. Is it possible for Christ to shed his blood and his blood not wash our robes? No, it's not. And so if you hold to a substitutionary atonement, if you understand the nature of Christ's work, you automatically know the number or the extent or scope of those for whom Christ died. You know, those that Christ died for must be the elect, those who actually enjoy final salvation. I wonder now if you have any questions about that particular doctrine. It's something which has not been the emphasis of this class, but it's something you can't overlook in this passage. Therefore, they stand before the throne. Those who are able to stand are those for whom Christ died. It's on the basis of his sacrificial death and the shedding of his blood that they stand before the throne of God. Well, what kind of place is heaven then? Those who know the immediate presence of God. Now, if you were to close your Bibles, and I were just to ask you now, write down everything you know about the heavenly state and give me all those images that are conjured up in your mind of heaven. I wonder what you'd write, what kind of conception you have of our enjoyment of God's presence through all eternity. Well, a common conception of heaven is that it's a place of kind of laziness and bliss, you know, just kind of. I don't know whether it's floating on clouds or just exactly what image comes to mind. This is an unfortunate 20th century secular portrayal of the heavenly state. But notice here that John says that those who stand before the throne serve him day and night in his temple. Heaven is not a place of inactivity, but it's a place of holy service. It's a place of activity. It's a place where we're going to be doing things. In fact, actually it says here they serve him day and night, meaning that they serve him constantly. It's a place of constant service. In First Chronicles, chapter nine, we see that the heads of the Levitical houses served God day and Night there was constant temple service being rendered before God. And now what is said of the Levites is applied to all the saints of God here, that when we are in heaven with God, we serve him day and night. His temple. Heaven is itself regarded as a vast sanctuary. We serve him in his temple. It's interesting, however, to Note In Revelation 21, verse 22, how John says, and I saw no temple therein. So John in one place says that the saints served God in his temple day and night. But then he says later, I saw no temple therein. There was no temple for John to see. And yet that's allegedly where the saints serve. How are you to reconcile these two facts? How can John say there is, but there isn't a temple? Isn't that a contradiction again? Well, to understand how John could say both those things, you need to understand what the temple itself represents. And when we know, when we understand the purpose of God's temple and what it symbolizes, then we can see how John could say both of these things. In Leviticus 26, verses 11 and 12, we can see, I think in capsule form, the significance, the temple or the tabernacle of God. Leviticus 26, at verse 11. And I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you, and I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. The tabernacle was the dwelling place of God in the very midst of his people. God walked in the midst of his people. God dwelt in the midst of his people. God tented, he tabernacled in the midst of his people. And that's significant to notice the point that God dwells among his people. And that's the purpose of the tabernacle. Because when God becomes incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, it's interesting that John the apostle in his gospel chapter one, says at verse 14, and the word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld his glory, glorious of the only, begotten of the Father, full, full of grace and truth. You see Jesus Christ tabernacled among men. He became flesh and tabernacled among men in the Old Testament. God tabernacled in the midst of his people. God dwelt in the midst of his people. And he did so in terms of the holy of holies and the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies, in the tabernacle and temple. In Ezekiel 37, verses 27 and 28, we get a from another slant, the same Emphasis on the meaning of the temple or the significance of the temple. Ezekiel 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and the nation shall know that I Jehovah, that sanctifieth Israel, when my tabernacle shall shall be in the midst of them forevermore. What's the significance of this? Ezekiel is talking about Israel being removed from the promised land. God says, I will tabernacle with my people. I will yet be with them. God is going to go with his people, see, even into exile. And that's the meaning of the temple. Whether you have a physical building or a tent or not. It's the presence of God the constitutes the tabernacle. Look at Revelation 21:3. I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. Tis a repeat of what we see in Leviticus 26 and Ezekiel 37. God repeats the covenant promise in connection with the dwelling in the tabernacling of himself with his people. If God is with his people, then they are his, and he is theirs. And that's the essence of the covenant. Of course, God dwelling with his people in that way. And now in Revelation 21, verse 22, John says, I saw no temple therein. However, in Revelation 7 he says that God's saints serve him in his temple day and night. Well, if we read on Revelation 21:22, we'll see why it is that both these things are true. Revelation 21, verse 22 and I saw no temple therein, because there the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple thereof. You see, it's because God is actually immediately present with his people, and the Lamb is there that they are the temple. They are the essence of the temple. They are the significance of the temple. Their dwelling with the people of God makes that dwelling the temple. So John can say, because God is with his people, that his people serve him day and night in his temple. And because God, the very presence of God constitutes the significance of the temple, there's no need for a literal temple building. There is no temple here. There is no particular place, you see, that symbolizes the presence of God. For you see, all of heaven is the presence of God. And So in Revelation 7, verse 15, therefore are they before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. You see, the presence of God being drawn into the very presence of God is the spreading of his tabernacle and his presence over his people that constitutes the temple. It's interesting that God's people are said to serve him day and night. In chapter one verse, verse six of Revelation, and chapter five, verse ten, God's people are designated as priests who enjoy the immediate presence of God. And so in a sense, the Old Testament symbol of the priest serving God in his tabernacle and having access to the holy of holies and the very Shekinah glory of God, and his immediate presence in that form becomes symbolic and paradigmatic, a model for what we shall enjoy for all eternity as the priest of God serving him day and night in his immediate presence. Verse 16 goes on to describe the glories of that state. That we shall know. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them into fountains of waters, of life, life, and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. Verse 16 tells us that typical physical ills that we know here on earth can be seen as symbolic. And in the future none of these physical ills will be known. God's people are going to be free from all the torments that they know in this life. No more hungering, no more thirsting, no more sun striking us or any heat. The background to that promise is found in Isaiah 49:10, where the prophet Isaiah looked ahead to the day in which God would bring these blessings to bear upon his chosen people. Isaiah 49:10 says, they shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them. For he that hath mercy on them will lead them even by springs of water shall he guide them. You see how John is alluding to this particular verse on Isaiah's prophecy. Quite clearly, the terms of blessing are the same. No hungering, no thirsting, no being smitten by heat or sun. And then God having mercy, seen in terms of his leading them by the springs of water. And of course, the Lamb shepherds us by fountains of living water, according to Revelation chapter 7. However, let's look at Isaiah 49:10 in its context and pay a little more attention to it. I'd like to read for you the paragraph in which it is found, I.e. verses 8 through 13 of Isaiah 49. Thus saith Jehovah, in an acceptable time have I answered Thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee, and I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages, saying to them that are bound, go forth to them that are in darkness, show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them. For he that hath mercy on them will lead them even by springs of water will he guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted, exalted. Lo, these shall come from afar, and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of sinim. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains. For Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted. Now somebody tell me what this prophecy in Isaiah pertains to, what chapter 49 of Isaiah's prophecy is all about. What is Isaiah trying to accomplish in saying these words? What is he? What is he speaking to to God's people? Why is he saying these things to God's people? What's the point? That's right. God is going to deliver his people from captivity, and he's going to restore his blessings upon them. Instead of the desolation that they know in captivity, they're going to know God's comfort and his guidance. He's going to shepherd them, and they're going to have all their provisions met. Well, now, if God wishes to say these things to his people, to comfort them because of their captivity which is coming, or in the midst of captivity as they knew it, what image is he using? What imagery is he drawing upon in the Old Testament to make this point? Look at verse nine, saying, to them that are bound, go forth to them that are in darkness, show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. Exactly that's right. You see, this is Exodus imagery here. Verse 9 here uses the imagery of deliverance from Egypt. Let's look at Exodus just three verses in Exodus to make that point. Exodus 13:21. And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night, and a pillow, pillar of fire to give them light that they might go by day and by night God led them. Those who were bound went forth from Egypt. Those who would know darkness were given the light of God. And God himself was guiding them, and as God guided them. Look at chapter 16, verse 35. What did he do for them? And the children of Israel did eat the manna 40 years until they came to a land inhabited. They did eat the manna until they came into the borders of the land of Canaan. So God provided for them so that they wouldn't hunger. In chapter 17, verse 6 tells us in the midst of a situation where Israel was complaining for lack of water, God says, behold, I stand before thee there on the rock in Horeb Thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And so God guided his people and fed them when they were hungry, and gave them water to drink when they were thirsty. And so this Exodus imagery is being used by Isaiah to make the point that even as God was present with his people and guided them and provided for them in the Exodus, so he will be present with his people, and he will guide them back from exile, and he will make the same provisions for them. Notice verse 8 of Isaiah 40:49 declaring the preserving help of God. Thus saith Jehovah, in an acceptable time have I answered thee in a day of salvation have I helped thee and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people. Verse 13 shows that he will comfort the afflicted. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains. For Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted. And so God in the Exodus guided his people, and fed them, and gave them water, and was present with them. And Isaiah using that encourages the people in exile, that God will comfort them he will comfort them in their affliction, and he will preserve them. And then notice verse 8 again, thus saith Jehovah, an acceptable time have I answered thee in a day of salvation have I help thee. Look at Second Corinthians 6:2. I'm going to begin reading Second Corinthians so you get the context at chapter five, verse 20. We are ambassadors, therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beseech you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And working together with him, we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, at an acceptable time, I hearkened unto thee and in a day of salvation did I succor thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. We could take probably a month of Sunday school lessons just on that one application of Paul. Paul is quoting Isaiah, you see, Isaiah 49. Thus saith Jehovah, in an acceptable time have I answered, in a day of salvation have I helped or suckered thee? He's quoting Isaiah 49, verse 8. But what's Paul applying it to? The Exodus, to the exile, to the return from exile. Who's Paul applying these words to? Come on, it's obvious. Redemption in Christ and applied to the church at Corinth. Right. And when is that day of salvation in which God hears and helps his people? What's Paul say? Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time that God hears and helps. And now, of course, doesn't, I don't think, refer to the specific day or month of the year in which Paul was writing to Corinth, but he was talking to the. About the whole New Testament era, to the accomplishment of redemption. He goes, this is the age in which what Isaiah was saying is true. That's interesting. John. Now quotes from Isaiah 49, say the same paragraph here. It's the same context. John is quoting this and applying it to what? To our immediate presence. To the immediate presence of God. Say after we die, the salvation that we know will be even more clearly understood and experienced at that time. The reason I want to draw this out is because this is one of the most dramatic. There are many others, but to my mind, one of the more dramatic indications of the unity of God's people through all history. See the same language and imagery applied and used over and over again. It's recapitulated over and over again. First of the Exodus, then of the return of exile, and then the accomplishment of redemption in Christ, and then the consummation of redemption as we know God's immediate presence. You see, the church in Israel are all one in God's sight. God doesn't distinguish between them. And this Isaiah 49 passage is a very rich passage then because it's the heart of four very key passages in the scripture, or at least four very important events in the Scripture. Calvin said that in his commentary in Isaiah that it's customary with the prophets to mention the departure of the people out of Egypt whenever they intend to demonstrate the kindness of God and God's kindness. Using the Exodus, imagery is applied not only to the exile situation, but it's applied to the New Testament Church, Corinth in the day of salvation which they now know. And John applies it in the book of Revelation to the kindness of God that we shall know for all eternity. And what's the reason for this comfort? Verse 17 of Revelation 7. For the Lamb shall do something. The reason why we know this comfort is because. Because the lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, shall guide them into fountains of waters of life, and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. The reason for the comfort is that the lamb will shepherd them. That's something of a striking paradox, isn't it? The lamb will shepherd them. That's precisely what the Greek tells you. Jesus is the lamb. And you would think that, you see, lambs have a shepherd over them. But Jesus is a very unique lamb because he's a lamb who is also a shepherd. And he shepherds us. The lamb shall become the shepherd. There'll be a reversal of roles, and he's going to shepherd and guide us first. John 10:11 is well known to all of us. Christ is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the the world. And having given his life for the sheep, he becomes their shepherd and guide. And verse 17 says he guides them to living fountains of water. There'll be no unsatisfied desire, no unsatisfied desire. When we know God's presence. The thirst for God itself, the supreme desire of man, will be fully satisfied. Now in John the seventh chapter, and I remind you now, John, who wrote the Gospel, is also the author of Revelation. So these connections are not by any means accidental. In John the seventh chapter, verses 37 to 39, we have this interesting account of Jesus talking about living water. Now, on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood, stood and cried, saying, on the last day of the feast, it was customary for these great pots of water to be poured out by the priest as symbolic of God's work on the last day of the feast. We have to understand, Jesus, seeing this taking place, cries out to the multitude there, if any man is thirsty, let him come unto me and drink. And he that believeth on me, as the scripture hath saith, that from within him shall flow rivers of living water. Jesus is making it quite clear that he will fulfill the symbolism and the significance of the feast, and that he's the one who provides water, and it's living water for his people. But now how does Jesus do that? How does Jesus become unto us water of life? And how does he provide living waters of life for us? Verse 39 in John Gospel. I mean verse 39 of chapter 7 of John's Gospel gives us the interpretation of John the writer. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John explains that Jesus provides this, this internal well of living water, the streams of living water, water within us when he provides the Holy Spirit. And when did he provide the Holy Spirit? Well, after he was glorified. When was Jesus glorified? What supremely is the glorification of the Son of God? His exaltation to God's right hand after the accomplishment of salvation and his resurrection from the dead. And after Jesus is glorified, he sends forth the Spirit into the church. And so John is reminding us that Jesus was speaking of the Spirit when he spoke of these living waters that would be provided this internal supply from God. And so in Revelation 7, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd. And he shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life. The Son of God is going to provide his Holy Spirit to meet and satisfy every desire and need of his people. There will be a complete provision, and then we have this promise. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. When there's a beautiful sermon to be preached on that, you know, no handkerchiefs in heaven, no weeping, for God will wipe away every tear. And it's interesting how compassionate the way the. The author here puts it. You see, it's not just that there won't be any tears, but God Himself is going to, you see, symbolically or spiritually, figuratively speaking, God himself is going to be wiping the tears off our face. God will wipe away every tear out of our eyes. Isaiah 25, verse 8 is the background to that promise. And let's go back to Isaiah's prophecy again to see it in context. Isaiah 25 at verse 8. Let me read for you again the paragraph in which it's found, beginning at verse six. And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things. A feast of wines on the of the leaves of fat things full of marrow, of wines, and the leaves well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He hath swallowed up death forever. And the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth. For Jehovah hath spoken it. You see how the encouragement is, how true this is. God has spoken it. It's going to happen that he will swallow up death forever, and he will wipe away tears from the faces of all his people so that their reproach will be removed. The life of God's people is to be perpetual, and the life of God's people is to be filled with joy. And so the promise of every tear being wiped away is seen in connection with the swallowing up of death. Death. And where do we read of the swallowing up of death in The New Testament? First Corinthians 15. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:54. But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this more mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Then Paul goes on, o death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And on that basis he can exhort us to be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in him. It's not in vain because we know death will be swallowed up. Now it's of interest to me. Well, I have really two things I want to say about this. You see how important it is. Then if you're going to not only in the Book of Revelation, but I think throughout Scripture, but especially in the Book of Revelation, how important it is to be familiar with the Scriptures. You see, John is really weaving together a very intricate and beautiful deep number of truths together, and he wants you to see those connections, I think. But if we're not familiar with the promises of Isaiah 49 and the promise of Isaiah 25 and the way the New Testament writers pick up on those promises and actually quote them in their epistles and so forth, then we fail to see the depth and the background that is to be found in the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is by many commentators and I think far too often even by myself, flattened out because we don't see what lies behind what all the scriptural background is for these promises. The second thing I want to say is it's interesting. We've been talking about the intermediate State, right, Those who come out of great tribulation, those who are in the intermediate state in the disembodied existence, knowing the presence of God. But the promise of wiping away every tear from our eyes comes from a promise having to do with the resurrection, where death will be swallowed up. And Paul says, death is swallowed up when our bodies rise from the grave. You see, in the consummation state, when we have resurrection bodies, when death has been done away with forever and the effects of death have been undone because our bodies have come forth from the graves, then it will be appropriate to say death is swallowed up. And it's in connection with death being swallowed up that Isaiah, as God wipes away every tear from their eyes. And so this just finishes out, you see the whole picture, the continuity of God's kindness and blessing to his people, how he seals them and protects them and preserves them and makes all provision for them, whether it be in the Exodus or at the time of the exile, or in the day of salvation that we know right now, you see as a church in history, or whether it be the intermediate state or the consummation state, when we're our new resurrection bodies. And so what we have in this vision of the great multitude, this international group from all tribes and tongues and nations, is a vision of the ultimate security and the ultimate triumph, which must be the light in which God's people evaluate their present great tribulation and the light in which they evaluate their progress on earth. We're the Church militant and we're the Church triumphant. We're the new Israel of God in which every elect person of God has been sealed and preserved. And we're a great multitude that comes out of great tribulation to know the protection and ultimate presence of God and the final joy. And the climax of that vision is, as I've said here, God wiping away every tear out of our eyes. Salvation means victory. And it's a sad thing when the theologies that come out of the Book of Revelation, so either suppress that fact or even turn it around and pervert it. You can't see salvation as John saw salvation without seeing that it means victory for God's people, God's protection on earth going through the tribulations, and God's final salvation for them for all eternity. Any comments or questions about chapter seven in Revelation, then. Chapter 8, verse 1, says, and when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. There you have the silence before the storm. You see the calm before the storm. We've been. We've been having these silence seals broken for us. And because the sixth seal is such a lengthy one, we may forget where we are in the midst of the drama of the book of Revelation. But you see, John has seen the sovereignty of God in creation. He's seen the sovereignty of God in redemption. But then there is this problem that arises. For God holds in his right hand a scroll sealed with sin. Seven seals. The scroll is the scroll of history. It's the judgment of God that is pronounced upon the nations. But who can open it? Well, nobody is found worthy to open the scroll but the Lamb of God. And so Christ comes forth to take the scroll, the seven sealed scroll, out of the hand of God. And then the seals of that scroll begin to be broken. And as each seal is broken with, we see some glimpse, we have a glimpse of some aspect of the scroll, some truth that's to be contained therein, some element or principle that's going to be applicable in the vision that will finally follow. And the first four seals pertain to what they are associated with. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Right. And who are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? What principles are found in the breaking of those seals? What principles do we see about future history? In them, who comes forth riding on a white horse, conquering and to conquer Christ. And so when that seal, I mean, when that scroll is completely open, the predominant point is going to be that Christ is riding through history, conquering and to conquer. Does that mean that everything is sweetness and light in history then? Well, who are the three horsemen that follow him in his service? That's right. You see, ways of destruction, economic distress and warfare and death. The curses of the covenant will be brought by the rider on the white horse. Upon those who will not see him as the Prince of Peace. He will bring a sword and he will destroy people. Okay, the fifth seal is broken. And what's the fifth seal? That's right. The prayers of the saints. What are the saints praying? They're asking for vengeance and vindication. They're asking that God would have avenge their blood upon those who have been their persecutors on earth. And the answer of God to the cry of his saints is what? Wait, wait. That's another major principle of history. Between the two advents of Jesus Christ. You see, we live in a period of tension in which the saints are persecuted. And we say, now this isn't the way it's supposed to be. The saints are supposed to be victorious in this age. We follow the rider on the white horse. We're to see victory and overcoming and triumph. And so they ask that their blood be avenged, that they be vindicated for their death. And God very often answers to his church. Wait. And in this day, he was saying, wait. Wait for what? Well, the breaking of the sixth seal tells us what God's going to do. And what is God going to do about the. The martyrdom of his people? He's going to avenge it. And how is he going to do that? What did we say specifically was the historic reference of the breaking of the sixth seal? The sun becoming black as sackcloth in hair, the whole moon becoming as blood. Every horseman and every captain being destroyed, the mountains being moved out of their places, and people running to the mountains and crying on them to fly, fall on us, hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne from the wrath of the lamb. What does that refer to? What historic event? The fall of Jerusalem, Jesus had said, indeed Jesus said on his way to Golgotha that that's precisely what would happen. What is all this imagery, then, of the sun and the moon and the stars being removed or turned to blood or blackened? Just terrible climactic events in the heavens. What is that symbolic of throughout the scriptures? Falling. That's right. The fall of things which are apparently not to be moved. Those things which seem indestructible, great kingdoms or empires. And Israel, of course, when it falls, although it may not appear because of political events at the time, the fall of Israel, fall of Jerusalem may not have appeared to be all that significant politically. But in terms of God's plan in history, you could hardly ask for a more significant and climactic event. What was Israel? What was Jerusalem? The mountain of God, you see, the holy city of God. The people of God were symbolized, you see, in their capital there in Jerusalem. And when Jerusalem falls and falls at God's displeasure, then he's disowning the Jews, and he's saying, yes, Jesus came into his own, his own received him not. But God requoits that upon those who have rejected the Messiah. And so this is a great principle of history, that not only do God's people have to sometimes wait for their vindication and live in a time of tension, you know, crying out to God for deliverance and not knowing it, because we have to have the patience of the saints, but God has removed Israel as the kingdom, has established a new kingdom. And God will judge those people who in fact bring persecution against his own people. And then we Have a continuation of the sixth seal in chapter seven, where John goes on to see that while God will wreak such destruction on earth, he nevertheless protects his people. He seals his people, the new Jerusalem, the new people of God, the new Israel of God. The 12 tribes are sealed, even though we've just seen indication, a preview of the fall of Jerusalem and God's disowning of his historic people. And so the new people of God, the new Israel, are fully sealed and protected and preserved. And they'll be an international group and they'll stand before the throne of God because they have had their sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb. Now, that is what all the breaking of the seals is about. And I wanted at one time to bring that all together so you could see, here's a glimpse of this and a glimpse of that. All these glimpses, all of them you see, important enough that you could spend weeks of exposition on each one of them. But the point comes in chapter eight that he opens the seventh seal. And now you see the scroll is open. And at this point the scroll is laid out and there's a half hour seal silence in heaven. You can imagine in John's experience now of seeing this vision of what that must mean. It's one thing for us to sit here and to know, you know, the moment's ticking off and so forth, and the class is about to end and we read about a half hour silence to heaven. But for John, look at all the things he's seen and how he's been built up to this and how now the judgment's going to fall and God waits a half hour. As the moments are ticking, you see, the tension is mounting. And then finally God will call forth seven trumpets. And when those trumpets sound, then his judgment falls on earth. And so all of chapters one through seven, in a sense, have been in one sense now building up to what we finally come to in chapter eight. In chapter eight, we begin the discussion which is controversial. In chapter eight, we see the prophetic section of the book of Revelation. What is John prophesying? All the rest has been preparation or at best, anticipation of what's to follow. Now chapter eight, the judgment of God is finally declared, and from chapter 8 through chapter 18 is going to become the most controversial section of the book. But I've maintained that if we've done our homework well on chapters one through seven, we won't have near the problems, as so many other commentators do when they come to this section of the book. John begins the book, the time is at hand. John's given an outline for what's going to take place. He says he's told write the things which have been, the things which are the letters to the seven churches and the things which shall be hereafter. And at chapter four, he begins writing the things that shall be hereafter. And he sees a vision of God's sovereignty in creation, a vision of God's sovereignty and redemption. And then finally, he's presented to him the scroll that will tell him what will happen hereafter. And we've been seeing anticipations of that when we've been breaking these seals and expounding the breaking of the seals as I bring you all up to date. I mean, you're all ready. Well, now, next week we would start on this. However, I'm not going to be here. Lord willing, I'll be out of town, and Jim Jordan's going to take the class. But in two weeks, we'll begin chapter eight, the prophetic section of the book. Let's close with a word of prayer. Father, we pray that you will have made us faithful in our exposition to this point in your word, that you will have led us into the truth by the spirit of truth, that we might have the mind of Christ and understand those things which have been revealed. We ask you, Lord, that you would remove from our minds those things which have been false and that you would clarify for us those things which are true. We ask you, Lord, that we'd have a proper understanding and a proper preparation for what you have to say to us in the prophecy of this book. We ask, Lord, that our minds wouldn't be confused and we wouldn't be misled, but that we might know that we might have revealed and unveiled to us those most important truths which you have given. We pray, Father, this wouldn't become simply stuff, stargazing and looking into a crystal ball. But the Father, we would see that the book of Revelation is something to be obeyed by your people. It is not only a comfort, but it's a commandment. We ask you, Lord, that as we see what you are telling us, we would know how we should live, how we should glorify you, and how we should hasten that day in which the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord of his Christ. For it's in his name that we pray all these things. Amen.