Revelation 7:1-17
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
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, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 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, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 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.
“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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 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.” (ESV)
Big Idea: If you want hope for this world and the next, you must cling to the gospel which seals, saves and serves.
I. Saves by the Son’s Blood (vv. 10-14)
The high point of this passage occurs in the middle, just where you would expect a Hebrew author to put it. Everything revolves around the throne where the slain Lamb sits. John makes sure we understand that the absence of fear and shame in the presence of God is only explained by the “blood of the Lamb.”
A. From fear (vv. 10-12): These Christians in heaven worship the Lord with childlike abandon because the blood of the Lamb has removed all fear. Their white robes signify their justification, the exchange of Christ’s righteous record exchanged for their sinful record on the cross. The blood of the Lamb also removes fear of the future. Remember we learned in 5:14 that “Amen” will be the last word of history. When God’s whole redemptive plan has been worked together for the praise of his glorious grace and every person, creature and angel—good and bad—have been forced to admit it, then the final “Amen” will be spoken.
B. From shame (vv. 13-14): The blood of the Lamb not only saves from threatening external forces, it saves from threatening internal forces. If the devil cannot intimidate you from the outside by physical harm or material deprivation, he will try to cripple you on the inside by jailing you in your shame.
II. Serves by the Father’s Mercy (vv. 15-17)
The final lines of this passage are as beautiful as any in Scripture. No heart should remain hard after reading that the God of the universe will stoop to mend the bodies and spirits of each of his children at the end of history. The utter humility we witnessed with Jesus washing his disciples feet will be eclipsed by the stunning humility of the Father, Son and Spirit bowing before us to soothe our fears, bind our wounds, and wipe away our tears.
A. Physically (vv. 15-16): Every physical pain, trauma, deformity and deprivation will be taken away once and for all. God’s promises are not only spiritual. He promises to supply his people’s basic needs in this life.
B. Emotionally (v. 17): Physical healing is certainly a welcome promise but if each of us is honest we will confess that the greatest pains are emotional. In his sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon imagines that God keeps three different bottles of our tears: one for disappointment, sin, and betrayal.
III. Seals by the Spirit’s Love (vv. 1-9)
The first explanation for a Christian’s hope that he will “stand” on the Judgment Day while all those who have neglected the Lord will be laid waste is that he has the “seal of the living God.” Whether in the ancient world or today, a seal does three things—it preserves from tampering, ensures ownership and certifies a document’s genuineness.
A. Preserves (vv. 1-3): By saying that God has set a seal on us, John is assuring us that God preserves us from ultimate spiritual destruction (cf. 9:4; 14:1). God never promises to spare us from physical pain, emotional trials or even death. But everywhere he promises to preserve believers from the fires of judgment and eternal destruction.
B. Owned (vv. 4-8): Next God’s sealing shows his ownership of us. Owners always count and value what they possess. A good businessperson regularly inventories his stock, counts his stock, and measures his supplies. God conducts a roll call of all those whom he has sealed to make sure none is missing. What will appear to be numberless to us, will have been numbered by God (5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15).
C. Genuine (v. 9): Sealing also proves that we are the genuine children of God and genuinely belong in heaven. John changes the metaphor a bit by describing believers in heaven as those “wearing white robes.” Later we will learn that they are white because they have been “washed in the blood of the Lamb” (14).
Questions for Reflection/Discussion:
- Which of the three main points above gave you the most hope? Why did that point especially resonate with you?
- What does passage have to say about who you are?
- How should you live in response to this?