I like to keep things for a while and really get value out of them. That’s why my wife and I drive older cars. That’s why I buy higher-quality clothes and wear them for a long time.
One of the areas where I am challenged with keeping things nice is with my white running shoes. I like all-white shoes. However, they’re very hard to keep clean. Well, my wife discovered something and bought it for me one year: pink miracle. This stuff really helps keep your shoes clean. However, in my mind, it doesn’t make any sense that something that is pink can make something look more white. Shouldn’t the pink stain the white?
Today, as we continue our journey in Revelation 7, we’re going to hear about some who are before the throne of God. Today’s sermon is entitled “Those Before the Throne.”
One of the descriptions of those who are before the throne is that they are dressed in white robes, which have been made white by being washed in blood.
Well, how does that work? How does washing something in blood make it white? We’ll learn in just a bit.
Before we do, let’s pray together and ask God to speak to us.
(prayer)
Ok, we only have two points in the main part of the sermon this week. So, let’s get right into it.
First, let’s see . . .
I. The sealed and saved for the Lord.
Look at Revelation 7:1-14:
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel rising up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were allowed to harm the earth and the sea, 3 “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed:
144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites:
5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.
9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
Salvation belongs to our God,
who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb!
11 All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Ok, we have these two groups presented in this passage: The sealed for the Lord and the slain for the Lord. Let’s talk about each of these groups.
First, let’s talk about the sealed for the Lord.
These are often simply referred to as The 144,000, since verse 4 says, “And I heard the number of the sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites.”
There is a question about who these 144,000 are, and we’ll get to that in just a moment. However, first, let’s identify why these 144,000 are sealed.
Look again at verse 3. It says:
“Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
If you back up earlier to verses 1 and 2, you see that four angels were holding back some sort of destructive force (referred to here as “the four winds of the earth”) so that this force, called the wind, could not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
Further, an angel says to four other angels who were allowed to harm the earth, “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees.”
So, we can gather that destruction is to come to the world, but not before this group of people can be sealed for the Lord; this group, who is referred to as the 144,000.
There are two main theories about who these 144,000 are.
First is the literal interpretation that there will be 12,000 people from 12 tribes of Israel sealed as servants of God.
This theory holds that a large number of Jews will return to God by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. What a beautiful picture that would be.
Another theory is that these 144,000 are representative of a certain group of people, but not literally 12,000 people from 12 tribes of Israel.
This theory would hold that perhaps this refers to a large number of Jewish people who will come to Jesus, but not necessarily 144,000 exactly.
Another idea is that it represents other groups of people who will come to Jesus during the Great Tribulation.
Some cults have even wrongly latched on to this group, claiming that they are the 144,000.
Well, as is often the case, we’re not sure of the exact identity of these 144,000, but we do know that this represents a number of people who will be purposefully identified and sealed by God.
It seems as if the forces of heaven are doing this intentionally to set aside these people as God’s servants during the great calamity that will come on the earth.
So, these are people sealed for the Lord.
We also see some who are saved for the Lord. Look again at verse 9. It says:
“After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
These before the throne and before the throne were . . .
. . . a vast multitude
. . . from every nation, tribe, people, and language
. . . clothed in white robes
. . . with palm branches in their hands, and
. . . crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God.”
The passage gets more specific as to who these people are. Look at verses 13-14:
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?
14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The elder asked John a question, but apparently John had learned from the question about the scroll (in Chapter 5) that he (John) doesn’t know the answer.
So, John says back to the elder, “Sir, you know.”
Indeed, the elder does know. He says that these are those followers of Jesus who have come out of the Great Tribulation.
They have been saved by Jesus. Their robes, once dirty because of their own sin and because of the curse of sin on the world, have been washed by the blood of Jesus the Lamb!
Blood doesn’t normally make anything white. In fact, bloodstains are hard to remove from clothing.
However, the blood of Jesus the Lamb is no ordinary blood. It is supernaturally powerful!
We’ve looked at some Bible verses about blood already in our study of the Book of Revelation. Let me point you to some more.
Ephesians 1:7 says:
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
Let’s go back to Revelation 1:5, which says:
“ . . . To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood.”
Church, there is power in the blood of Jesus!
The biggest problem we have in our lives is the problem of our brokenness before God.
The greatest need we have is the need for forgiveness.
The ugliest stain we have is the stain of our sin.
Yet, the blood of Jesus the Lamb solves that problem.
The blood of Jesus meets that need.
The blood of Jesus cleanses those stains.
Jesus loves to meet our greatest need. He loves to fix our greatest problem. He loves to clean our greatest stain.
That takes us to our second point . . .
II. The protection and provision of the Lamb.
Jesus the Lamb loves to protect and provide for His sheep.
Let’s see this provision and protection in verses 15-17:
15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and they serve him day and night in his temple.
The one seated on the throne will shelter them:
16 They will no longer hunger;
they will no longer thirst;
the sun will no longer strike them,
nor will any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne
will shepherd them;
he will guide them to springs of the waters of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
First of all, notice why these people are before the throne of God.
Verse 15 says, “For this reason they are before the throne of God.”
For what reason? Well, we must go back to verse 14 to learn the reason. The reason is that their robes were washed white by the blood of the Lamb. That is the reason they are before God’s throne.
We learn first of all that the Lord will protect those before the throne of God.
Verse 15 tells us that God will shelter them.
Verse 16 says that the sun will not strike them, and no scorching heat will harm them.
Verse 17 tells us that Jesus the Lamb will shepherd them, meaning He will care for them.
Verse 17 also says that God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
As a frightened child is comforted when taken up in the arms of his or her parent, so also, God’s people will one day be comforted and protected by our God.
We learn also of the provision of the Lord.
Verse 16 says that God’s people will no longer hunger or thirst.
Verse 17 says that Jesus the Shepherd will lead God’s people to the springs of the waters of life.
As Shepherd, Jesus will provide everything that we need and more; He will bless His people beyond their wildest imagination.
Remember these words that Jesus spoke on the earth, as you reflect upon His protection and provision. Jesus said in John 10:11:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
At the end of all things, King Jesus will protect and provide for His own. They may suffer for a time while on this earth, but the Good Shepherd will not forget His sheep.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: God will care for His people until the end.
Listen, church: This world has many difficulties. Other difficulties will come upon this world that are worse than we can imagine.
However, God is with you. He will not abandon you.
Jesus said in John 16:33:
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
God will seal and save His people.
Jesus will protect and provide for His sheep.
Don’t lose heart. Don’t be afraid.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Trust the Good Shepherd.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. If you are in Him, you are His precious sheep. He knows you by name, and He cares for you.
You know, there’s another passage that talks about God as our Shepherd. As we conclude, let’s focus on that passage now.
Let’s look at Psalm 23:
Will you say it with me?
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.”
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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