Faithful Messengers: Revelation 10:1-11

Have you ever considered that in some regards faithful Christian is much like a mailman?  We have a message to deliver to the world.  We are not to change the message; we are simply to deliver it and prayerfully leave the results to God.  When a mailman delivers a message, there are certain things that he or she knows about that message (addresses, etc.) and there are certain things that they do not know (like all of the message’s contents).  I use this illustration today because in Revelation 10:1-11, John received a vision that was to remain a mystery and a message that was to be made known to the world.  The message that we get from John in this chapter contains some known’s and some unknown’s.  As faithful messengers, believers need to be faithful with God’s message, whether it is known or unknown. My prayer today is that we could learn to trust God with what He does not chose to reveal and to feast upon and proclaim what He does chose to reveal.

 [10:1] Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. [2] He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, [3] and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. [4] And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” [5] And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven [6] and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, [7] but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

[8] Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” [9] So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” [10] And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. [11] And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (Revelation 10:1-11 ESV) How are God’s people supposed to be faithful with God’s message at all times? 

1. We Must Accept that God has Not Chosen to Reveal Everything to His People (10:1-4)

In verses 1-4, John is given a mysterious message that He is to seal up.  We’re introduced to “another mighty angel” (who is massive and possibly has a divine description: in other words, there is a possibility that he could allude to “the angel of the LORD” in the Old Testament) and he is holding a “little scroll.”  When this angel called out, “seven thunders sounded,” which communicated something that was to be sealed up.  I believe that just as the seven seals and the seven trumpets communicated a message, so do the “seven thunders.”  They “said” something.  John, however, is told not to write that message down.  They are a part of God’s good plan to end history in His time and according to His wisdom, but they are not for the churches to know.  This passage alludes to the book of Daniel, where he was told twice to seal up the vision that God had given to Him (Daniel 8:26, 12:4). 

Now while the message of the seven thunders may not be clear, the message for God’s people here is: that God, in His wisdom, has not chosen to reveal everything to His people.  I’m reminded of the words of Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”  Now that’s a relevant message isn’t it?  To the question of how the world is going to come to an end, God simply says, “I don’t want you to know all the details.”  I think one of the obvious reasons that God does not give us all the details is so that we will learn what it means to trust Him. 

Remember the story of Job?  One of the most striking things about the story of Job is that when God speaks, He doesn’t give Job very much explanation for what he has been going through.  He doesn’t tell Job “why” all of this has happened.  Rather than answer Job’s questions, God asks Job some questions of His own!  Job’s greatest need was not to know all the details behind his suffering; it was to trust His Redeemer no matter what He suffered. 

When it comes to the future in general or our future in particular, as finite people who claim to worship an infinitely wise and omniscient God, we must learn to trust God with what He has not chosen to reveal.  Life is full of questions we will never have answers to.  Why cancer?  Why now?  Why a brain bleed in the prime of this young lady’s life?  Why the loss of my child?  Why the loss of my spouse?  Why the loss of my job?  I’m not saying there are no answers, but I am saying God never intended for us to have all of them.  Can you accept that? 

2. We Must Trust that God will Be Faithful to Bring About Everything that He has Revealed to His People (10:5-7)

In verses 5-7, this mighty angel swears by the eternal Creator, “him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it,” that there will be no more delay in the fulfillment of the mystery of God.  Remember that in Revelation 6:10, the souls of the martyrs were told to wait a little longer.  God there was delaying vindication.  No more.  He says that this “mystery” will be fulfilled in the days of the seventh trumpet and that this will happen “just as he (God) announced to his servants the prophets.” 

Now what we want to ask at this point is what this mystery that will be fulfilled is.  An important principle to follow when studying the Bible is to let the Bible define the Bible.  We’re not told here what this mystery is, but we are told that it will be fulfilled in the days of the seventh trumpet.  So a good way to see what this mystery is would be to read ahead and see what happens in the days of the seventh trumpet.  We read about it in Revelation 11:15-19: [15] Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” [16] And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, [17] saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. [18] The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” [19] Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

So the “mystery” that will be fulfilled is that kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of God and Christ.  This is referring to the consummation of God’s kingdom.  That this is the mystery that will be fulfilled is also confirmed by the fact that John says this “mystery” was “announced to his servants the prophets.”  Zechariah 14:8-9 is but one example: [8] On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. [9] And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.  This is His good end for the world.  God’s kingdom is where everything is going.

The simple point that I want to draw out of this scene is this: although God has not chosen to reveal everything to His people, He will be faithful to bring about everything that He has revealed to His people.  We may not know all the details about how the world is going to end, but we do know how the world is going to end.  I don’t remember where I heard it, but I remember someone commenting once that even though they knew the world was going to get rough in the end, the weren’t bothered by it because they had “read the end of the book” and saw that in the end, “we win!” 

Does that comfort you, to know that in the end we win?  This doesn’t just apply to how the world will end.  This applies to every one of those questions we mentioned earlier that we would never have the answers to.  God hasn’t revealed many details to us about the things that we go through in this life, but He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.  He has promised to work everything that we face together for our good and His glory.  He has promised that in the end, we win.  God will have His kingdom, this broken world will be made right, and the forces of evil will be once and for all defeated.  Will you trust Him to be faithful in what He has revealed when you are failing to see the details that He hasn’t?        

3. We Must Be Faithful to Internalize and Proclaim What God has Chosen to Reveal to the Nations (10:8-11)

In verses 8-11, John is now given a bittersweet message to proclaim to the nations.  He is told to take this “little scroll” and to “eat it.”  This “little scroll” will be “sweet as honey” in his mouth but will make his stomach “bitter.”  This is an allusion to Ezekiel 2:9-3:10, where Ezekiel is commissioned to take a message of lamentation, mourning, and woe (judgment) to God’s people.  John, like Ezekiel, is being commissioned to internalize and proclaim (11) the message of this scroll.  Notice that after he eats this scroll, John “must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”  It seems that this little scroll is a bittersweet message that John is to preach to the world. 

Why is this message said to be bittersweet?  There are at least two good reasons.  One reason is because the coming of God’s kingdom is a message of redemption for God’s people, but of judgment for fallen humanity.  God’s kingdom coming will ultimately mean both the unrestrained expression of His love for His people and the unrestrained expression of His wrath upon rebellious humanity.  Another reason is because the coming of God’s kingdom (a sweet reality) is going to come through the suffering of His people (a bitter reality). 

There are two applications of this point that I would like to close with.  First, the fact that John is told to “eat” this scroll reminds us of the need to feast upon God’s word, the message that we are supposed to be taking to the world.  God expects all of His people, including us, to feast upon His Word and to proclaim it to others.  Consider the following passages that express the desire to feast upon Scripture.  I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. (Job 23:12 ESV) How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103 ESV) [16] Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16 ESV) But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV) I want to remind you of a Bible reading commitment that was mentioned in our summer Bible study last summer.  Dr. John Piper mentioned that many in his church had made a “no Bible, no breakfast” commitment to read the Bible based upon these Scriptures.  May we do so as well and so treasure the words of His mouth more than our daily food.

Second, remember that we too have a bittersweet message for the nations and we must be faithful to proclaim it.  The gospel is a sweet message for those who respond in faith and repentance, but it is also a word of bitter judgment for those who do not.  All those who refuse to come to faith in Christ will be eternally condemned and suffer the torments of hell forever.  However, all those who repent of their sin and rely upon Jesus’ substitutionary life, death, and resurrection will never be condemned and live forever in God’s coming kingdom.  Have you been faithful as one of His messengers today?  Are you proclaiming this bittersweet gospel to the nations, starting with your neighbors?  If you are not a Christian, will you respond in faith and repentance to this message today so that it may be as honey on the lips of your soul forever?  

The Certainty of God's Judgment: Revelation 8:1-9:21

I really feel like the bearer of bad news today.   I say this because in Revelation 8:1-9:21, John recorded the outpouring of God’s judgment upon the world.  But John recorded these things in order to encourage believers and to call unbelievers to repentance.  This bad news was actually good news to the original readers.  We too live in a day when a message about God’s judgment is very unpopular.  However, believers need a Bible saturated view of God and the world that will help them see God’s judgments as an encouragement and unbelieves need to heed the call to repent in light of God’s coming judgment.  One thing we will see today is how this passage echoes the Exodus story in order to point to a greater Exodus.  The news of God’s judgment upon Egypt was an encouragement to the Israelite slaves.  Let’s ask God to hear this passage as He intended and to respond Biblically to the certainty of His judgment.

 [8:1] When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. [2] Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. [3] And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, [4] and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. [5] Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

[6] Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. [7] The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

[8] The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. [9] A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

[10] The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. [11] The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

[12] The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.  [13] Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

[9:1] And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. [2] He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. [3] Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. [4] They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. [5] They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. [6] And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. [7] In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, [8] their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; [9] they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. [10] They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. [11] They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. [12] The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

[13] Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, [14] saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” [15] So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. [16] The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. [17] And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. [18] By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. [19] For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

[20] The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, [21] nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 8:1-9:21 ESV) What is the Biblical Response to the certainty of God’s judgment? 

1. PRAY (8:1-5)

Once the Lamb opens the seventh seal, there is nothing but “silence” in heaven for about half and hour.  This silence is probably due to the certainty of God’s judgment and the anticipation of God’s kingdom.  Remember that this scroll of destiny, which mainly contains how God will bring the world to its appointed end in judgment, had seven seals, so it is now open and ready to be executed.  The Old Testament often calls for silence when “the day of the LORD” arrives: Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. (Zephaniah 1:7 ESV)  Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.  (Zechariah 2:13 ESV)

Once this period of silence is over, seven angels step forward and are given seven trumpets that will each signal an outpouring of God’s judgment when blown.  Before the trumpets are sounded, however, another angel comes forward and is given much incense to offer “with the prayers of all the saints” (3).  That the smoke of this offering rises “before God” communicates that God is hearing, savoring, meditating upon, and going to respond to these prayers.  Remember what the saints have been praying for.  It’s found in Revelation 6:10: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  They have been praying for their own vindication and the vindication of God’s name so that His kingdom will finally come. 

What I want to point out about this scene is that God here answers the prayers of all the saints by pouring out His wrath upon the world.  His response is His judgment upon the world.  This is what is pictured in the censer being filled with fire and thrown down upon the earth, causing the cataclysmic events we read about in verse 5, as well as the events that take place as the seven trumpets are blown.  This is our first Exodus connection.  We read in Exodus 2:23-25: [23] During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. [24] And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. [25] God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.  God answered these prayers by judging Egypt.  God will answer the prayers of all the saints by judging the world. 

Do you pray?  How do you pray?  Do you pray for vindication of God’s name and the suffering of His people?  Perhaps if you truly experienced the persecution and oppression that many of them do, you would.  The children of Israel cried out for deliverance from the Egyptians because they had been slaves there for centuries.  Could it be that such a prayer is foreign to us because we do not truly understand that we too are foreigners in bondage in this world?  May we pray for vindication, for victory, for God’s kingdom to come, and also for the repentance of those who will face the coming judgment of God. 

2. REPENT (8:6-9:21)

Our second septet, the seven trumpets, is found in 8:6-11:19, and their structure is very similar to the seven seals of 6:1-8:5.  As with the seals, the first four trumpets are grouped together (8:6-12) as well as the last three (8:13: called three “woes”) and there is a break, or interlude, between the sixth trumpet and the seventh.  Again, notice that these trumpets are specifically called “plagues” in 9:20.  This is our second Exodus connection.  These judgments are meant to bring to mind the plagues that God inflicted upon Egypt in the Exodus story.  While not all the details will parallel, these trumpets, which herald the great day of God’s wrath, will globalize the Exodus plagues. 

With the sounding of the first trumpet, a violent hailstorm destroys a third of the earth’s surface.  This somewhat parallels the seventh plague in the Exodus story (Exodus 9:13-26).  With the sounding of the second trumpet, “something like a great mountain” is hurled into the sea, turning a third of the marine waters to blood, killing a third of the sea creatures, and destroying a third of the ships.  The third trumpet likewise signals for “a great star” to fall from heaven, contaminating a third of the world’s fresh waters by making them bitter and apparently poisonous (8:11).  “Wormwood” was a bitter herb well known in John’s day (Jer. 9:15,23:15).  These two trumpets somewhat parallel the first plague in the Exodus story, where the Nile River was turned to blood, devastating the water supply of Egypt (Exodus 7:14-25).  With the sounding of the fourth trumpet, a third of the light of the sun, moon, and stars is struck, causing a significant darkness.  This trumpet somewhat parallels the ninth plague in the Exodus story (Exodus 10:21-29). What these first four trumpets are communicating is a dismantling of the natural world modeled after the Exodus plagues.  One commentator called this a “de-creation,”[1] which would cripple the world just as the plagues crippled Egypt.    

At this point in the vision, “an eagle” (a bird of prey) pronounces a triple “woe” upon rebellious humanity, or “those who dwell upon the earth.”  A woe is a pronouncement of doom, and what is being pronounced is that what has seemed bad up to this point is about to get much worse.  God’s judgments are escalating in their intensity.  With the sounding of the fifth trumpet, another star falls from heaven (probably an angel in this case) and is given a key to the Abyss, or “bottomless pit.”  They Abyss is a place of punishment or confinement of wicked spirits (11:7, 17:8, 20:1-3, Luke 8:31).  When he opens the shaft of the pit, smoke rises, darkening the air and the sun.  Out of this dark smoke comes a plague of locusts that inflict torment upon rebellious humanity.  This recalls the eighth plague of locusts in the Exodus story (Exodus 10:1-20), only these locusts aren’t your average locusts!  Much of this detail is an allusion to Joel 1-2, where Joel is alluding to the Exodus plague as well. 

These locusts are said to have the power of a scorpion’s sting and the ability to inflict torment that lasts for five months, causing a person to wish they were dead but not be able to die.  It is said that in this torment, “people will seek death, and will not find it.  They will long to die, but death will flee from them.”  Sounds like torture doesn’t it?  It is.  These locusts are also said to have a king named “Abbadon,” or “Appollyon,” which mean “Destroyer.”  Here is yet another Exodus connection: the angel of death is called “the destroyer” in Exodus 12:23.  Now I am going to skip some of the details given about the creatures because I am simply not certain what they are meant to communicate.  What is clear is that this trumpet signals some type of demonic plague that will torture all those who do not belong to God.

With the sounding of the sixth trumpet, “the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” are released, unleashing an army of 200,000,000 troops.  The purpose of this army is to kill a third of mankind with fire, smoke, and sulfur.  The fact that this is a plague of death recalls the tenth plauge in the Exodus story (Exodus 12:29-32) and the details recall the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Again, there isn’t a satisfactory interpretation of who these angels or this army is.  It could be a literal army or a demonic one.  This big idea is an unfathomable invasion bringing unfathomable death. 

Another Exodus connection that we see is the refusal to repent on the part of the unbelieving world.  Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not repent, lost humanity will refuse to repent despite God’s powerful display of judgment. Revelation 9:20-21 reads, “[20] The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, [21] nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” 

Notice something here.  The fact that we are told that the rest of mankind did not repent implies that one of God’s purposes in these judgments was for them to in fact repent.  Why the natural disasters?  Why the torment?  Why the death tolls?  The reason is so that those who remain will see the hand of God and repent.  These judgments are not meant to only judge wickedness in the world, although they are intended to do that.  They are also meant to turn people to God.

A good question to ask today is this: where will you turn when the world falls apart, when everything you place security in crumbles?  You might disagree, but it’s probably safe to say that if you won’t turn to God now, you probably won’t then.  This may be your last opportunity to even do so.  The world is going to fall apart one day and suffer this type of devastation.  Only those who have trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ will be spared God’s wrath.  As in the Exodus story, on those who have been covered by the blood of the Lamb will see God’s wrath pass over them.  The reason this is true is because Christ has already bore the entirety of the wrath that they deserve in their place on the cross.  He has done that for you as well.  Will you repent and come to Him today? 

3. DO NOT FEAR (9:4)

Just as the Israelites were protected during the Exodus plagues, so are the people of God in Revelation.  We are reminded here in 9:4 that God’s people have been sealed (7:1-8) and will therefore be protected from God’s wrath.  God’s people will not experience the wrath of God and they will not be separated from the love of God in Christ by any natural disaster or persecution.  These events will ultimately only result in their exodus from this fallen world into the eternal presence of God.

It is curious why so many believers seem to be frightened by what they read about in Revelation.  Maybe we should ask ourselves why such realities make us afraid.  When we fear someone or something other than God, we normally are experiencing unbelief on some level.  These verses are intended to make us fearless in the face of such events because we can trust that we will be protected from the wrath of God and preserved through the persecution and suffering of this world. 

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[1] G.K. Beale & Don Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, 1112

A Vision of Victory: Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17 contains one of the most glorious visions of God’s people found anywhere in Scripture.  Here, John recorded a vision of God’s people in victory in order to encourage believers that God will keep His people to the very end.  It functions much like the visions that Joseph received as a teenager: it is just enough of the picture to keep Him faithful and call Him to endure (Genesis 37:5-11).  Robert Mounce says that the purpose of this vision “is to grant a glimpse of eternal blessedness to those about to enter the world’s darkest hour” and point them to the ultimate hour of triumph.[1]  May this vision of God’s people in victory stir your heart up to face anything that God may call you to face! 

 [7:9] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” [11] And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, [12] saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

[13] Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” [14] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

[15] “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. [16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. [17] For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:1-17 ESV)

1. Tour of the Text (7:9-17): the Saints in Heaven

1. Their Description (9-10)

Revelation 7 contains two complementary visions of God’s people.  In verses 1-8, we are given a picture of the Saints on Earth, and in verses 9-17, we are given a picture of the Saints in Heaven.  John describes the saints in heaven as a great, innumerable, multi-ethnic multitude that is standing and singing.  That this multitude is innumerable is an allusion to God’s promises to Abraham concerning the number of His offspring (Genesis 15:5: stars, Genesis 32:12: sand).  God is seen here as faithful to have kept this promise to Abraham.  That they are a multi-ethnic multitude also shows God faithful to have kept His promise to bless all families of the earth through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:1-3) and shows Christ faithful to have built His church as He said He would (Matthew 16:18). 

Notice two activities that John describes about this group.  First, they are “STANDING before the throne and before the Lamb” (9).  This is the answer to the question the earth dwellers asked in Revelation 6:17: “who can stand?”  We’ll talk about why in a bit, but for not notice that this group is not fleeing to the rocks and caves to hide from God.  They are standing victoriously before Him!  They are “clothed in white robes,” which is the attire of heaven in the book of Revelation.  They symbolize both purity and victory.  The “palm branches in their hands” are also symbols of victory and festiveness.  This is a victory celebration and they are all declaring they’re victory cry!  This is their second activity described.  They are SINGING, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  They credit God with the entirety of their salvation.  God saved them, God sealed them, and God kept them! 

2. Their Audience (11-12)

In verses 11-12, all the angels, elders, and the four living creatures (seen standing around the throne) fall on their faces before the throne and worship God in response to the song of the great multitude.  They affirm the truth of the song of the great multitude, saying, “Amen!  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”  Robert Mounce has an excellent quote about this verse in His commentary: “If there is ‘rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents’ (Luke 15:10), how unbelievably great will be the joyful adoration of the heavenly host when ALL the redeemed stand before their God!”[2]

Also, notice the double “Amen!”  They agree with heaven’s victory cry.  I wonder, would the angels “Amen!” the songs that we sing?  Would they “Amen!” the truths that are declared from this pulpit?  Church, we should strive to know, sing, and preach the kind of theology that angels affirm. 

3. Their Identity (13-14)

We now come to the identity of the great multitude in verses 13-14.  One of the twenty-four elders then asks John a question that elder already knows the answer to, but one that John doesn’t.  The question however, is important because it lets us know what God want us to understand about this great multitude.  The elder asks John WHO this great multitude is and WHERE they come from (13).  This means that WHO they are and WHERE they come from is very important. 

They are first those who have persevered through the great tribulation (14a).  This answers the second question.  The elder identifies the multitude as “the ones coming out of the great tribulation.”  A difficult question to answer at this point is: What is “the great tribulation”?  Is this referring to a final period of suffering or to the sufferings of church throughout history?  In His Olivet Discourse on the end times, Jesus quoted Daniel 12:1, referring to a time of “great tribulation” that was to come in the last days, a tribulation like nothing the world has experienced since its creation (Matthew 24:21).  But remember that according to the eschatology of the book of Revelation (and the rest of the New Testament), we are already in the last days.  John said in Revelation 1:9 that he was already a brother and a partner in “tribulation” to these readers.  Also, Jesus spoke of the “tribulation” that the church at Smyrna was facing and still to face.   I think it is also important to remember that we are still in the context of the opening of the seven seals, the fifth of which was described in Revelation 6:9-11, which spoke of the fact that a certain number of believers were still to be slaughtered before the end.  Revelation 7:13 seems to indicate that they have now come through that great tribulation.  So, I tentatively think that this should be thought of in the same was we thought of the earlier seals.  “Great tribulation” refers to the sufferings of the church throughout history, but also refers to a more concentrated time of suffering at the very end (like a woman’s contractions). 

This group of people is secondly those who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb (14b).  He further identifies the multitude as the ones who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  Now isn’t that a strange image?  What white garment that you have will remain white if you wash it in blood?  Obviously this is referring to a different kind of washing of a different kind of stain.  It is the stain of sin, wickedness, and rebellion, which is precisely why those who haven’t been washed cannot stand before the throne and the Lamb in chapter 6.  This stain incurs the wrath of God.  This great multitude was stained with the same sin, wickedness, rebellion as those who fled from the wrath of God in Revelation 6:12-17, but the blood of a substitute has satisfied the wrath of God that was due them.  This touches on a glorious truth called penal substitutionary atonement.  The word penal rightly implies that there is a penalty for the stain of my sin and rebellion that must be addressed.  Christ, the Lamb, addressed this penalty by bearing it Himself in my place, as a substitute.  This is why the word, “substitutionary” is used.  Because Jesus has lived, bled, and died in my place, I can now be reconciled to God.  His wrath towards me is satisfied.  This is the what atonement means, that two parties who were at odds with each other have now been reconciled.  That is why this great multitude can stand before the throne of God, because the Lamb has paid for their sins and bore the wrath of God in their place.  This is what it means to be washed by the blood of the Lamb: that you look to Jesus alone for salvation and trust Him and His finished work to make atonement for you and your sin.  There is no other way to be washed white before God.  There is no other way to stand before Him. 

4. Their Destiny (15-17)

Now it gets really good!  Notice the word, “THEREFORE” at the beginning of verse 15.  This means that because they have (1) come out of the great tribulation (persevered) and (2) washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb (been washed), they will have the following reward described in these verses.  Their first reward is that they will serve in and be sheltered by the Presence of God (15).  Their serving “before the throne of God…day and night in His temple” is a priestly picture (1:5-6, 5:9-10).  The picture is completed by the reality that they will be sheltered by the presence of Him who sits on the throne.  God’s presence is seen to be the great reward of His people. 

The second aspect of their destiny is that they will be satisfied and shepherded by the Lamb (16-17).  I connect verses 16 and 17 because of the word, “for” in verse 17.  It seems that the reason they will never again hunger, thirst, or be struck by the sun or any scorching heat (Isaiah 49:10) is because they will be shepherded by the Lamb and comforted by the Father.  The Good Shepherd will guide them to “springs of living water” that will eternally satisfy their souls.  That is what the images in verse 16 are meant to communicate: ULTIMATE SOUL SATISFACTION, and it will come by the gentle, loving hand of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  He will wipe away their every tear (17b).  God saved those whom He sealed; He did not loose any of His sheep.  This truly is a picture of a VICTORIOUS CHURCH.  

2. Thoughts from the Text

So let’s close with some points of application from this passage.  This is a glorious picture of the destiny of the people of God.  What I would like us to consider is that even though this vision reminds us of the people of God we will become, we are still the people of God now if we have been washed by the blood of the Lamb and we are to live like the people of God now!!!  How do we do this?  First, may we be a people with a rich theology.  There is such an accurate understanding of God’s grace in salvation in the victory cry of this great multitude.  “Salvation belongs” to God and the Lamb.  Have you really pondered the depths of what it means to be saved by the grace of God alone?  We bring nothing but our sin, rebellion, and spiritual deadness to the equation.  It is God who seeks us, God who draws us, God who makes our dead hearts alive, God who opens our blind eyes and deaf ears, God who gives us faith to believe the gospel, God who seals us for the day of redemption, and God who finishes the work that He starts in us.  What can we say but that our salvation belongs to our God? 

Second may we be a people of perseverance.  They have come from the great tribulation.  You don’t come from something unless you have been in something.  They are a group of people who have remained faithful even unto death.  Can we say that about ourselves, that we would die before we cave in on our allegiance to Jesus Christ? 

Thirdly, may we be a people who share God’s heart for the nations.  From God’s promise to Abraham to the fulfillment of it in this passage, we see that God desires a people from “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” on the planet.  God has called His church to be the instrument that He uses to reach these people.  One of the ways we are seeking to share God’s heart for the nations is in our adoption of an unengaged, unreached people group in Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Would you pray about giving and going towards these efforts? 

Finally, may we be a people who treat the presence of God like the treasure that it is.  Verses 15-17 present knowing and dwelling with God as the ultimate reward of heaven.  This reminds me of passages like Psalm 27:4 and 84:10: One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4 ESV)  For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10 ESV)  Do you treat the presence of God like the treasure that it is?  Jesus had bled and died to give us access to it. 

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[1] Robert Mounce, NICNT: Revelation, 162

[2] Ibid. 163