Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Rev 7.1 and following. Indeed, the great day of anger is so far from having arrived, that we find, in the parenthesis that forms chapter 7, God performing the magnificent works of his saving mercy. The first is to put his seal on the 144,000 of the tribes of Israel, by means of an angel who ascends from the East. Then it is granted to the prophet to see a great crowd of gentiles, whom no one could count, “of every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in long white robes and having palms in their hands. And they cry out aloud, saying, ‘Salvation is to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'”
Here we do not simply have “salvation”, but salvation is “to God” as sitting on the throne, his judicial throne as we have seen. Indeed, the tenor of these words assumes that a great change has taken place. They are not the expression of a testimony given during all ages or at various times. Far from being a painting of the redeemed of all times, it is expressly said that it is an innumerable crowd of gentiles, in obvious contrast to the seals of Israel, and in connection with the judicial government of God. What these gentiles are, one of the elders explains to the prophet, who otherwise would obviously have been in default. Now, if the elders represent the glorified saints, these gentiles are not, and moreover, they obviously cannot be all the saints, since the 144,000 of Israel are expressly distinct from them.
Who are they? A multitude of gentiles who, by the power of grace, are spared in the last days. It is not said that they are glorified, and nothing can make us assume that they are not yet in their natural bodies which is in no way incompatible with their presence before the throne. Indeed, it is there that the prophet sees them in the vision, just as in chapter 12 he sees a great sign, a woman in heaven; but we must not conclude from there that they are indeed in heaven. It is necessary to focus on depending on God’s teaching alone, and to get rid of preconceived ideas: and then carefully weigh the circumstances in which those of which it is spoken find themselves. For it seems perfectly clear that these gentiles are not glorified saints in heaven. First, we see them clearly distinguished from those of Israel who are on earth. There are, therefore, on earth, two distinct bodies: one composed of Jews; the other of nice guys. Second, they emerge from the great tribulation, which proves that, far from being a whole comprising the saved of all times, they form a special group, albeit very numerous, composed only of people who have been preserved and blessed by God during the time of the great tribulation.
For in the times of the millennium many gentiles will be saved; but those we have here are not saints of the millennial era. They are saints who, among the Gentiles, will have been brought to the knowledge of God through the preaching of the eternal gospel, or the gospel of the kingdom, which is mentioned in the gospels and in Revelation. For the Lord said to his disciples: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth, as a witness to all nations; and then the end will come” (Mat 24:14). This is precisely the time we are talking about here. These words of the Lord do not give a general view of what is being done now, but they do say what will still be done, just before the end, when the great tribulation breaks out. We see, in this great crowd of gentiles, the fruit of the divine grace that will then be exercised, and all the details of the description that presents them to us, agree with what we have already pointed out, and confirm it.
We have already drawn attention to the fact that the great multitude that stands before the throne is distinct from the elders, so that, if the latter represent the Church, the former must be distinguished from it. But since everyone admits that the elders are the glorified saints, the conclusion to be drawn seems quite clear and certain. It is true that the same body can, at different times, be represented by different symbols, but never by two symbols at the same time. Thus, for example, Christians are presented once under the figure of a procession of virgins, and another time, under the image of a bride; but all confusion is carefully avoided in the same parable.
One of the elders therefore addresses the prophet, and answers himself to the question he made to him. “These who are dressed in long white robes, who are they and where did they come from? And I said to him: My Lord, you know it. And he said to me: These are those who come from the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and bleached them in the blood of the Lamb.” From this, it is obvious that they are believers or saints. Then he adds: “That is why they are before the throne of God”, which does not describe the place where they are actually, but expresses their character: they are seen in relation to the throne. And it is this relationship, as we have already pointed out, that shows us that they belong to a particular period, and not to all those that have passed and will flow; the throne, before which they find themselves, being neither that of grace, as at present, nor that of millennial time which differs from both; but it is the throne seen in the aspect that we can call apocalyptic, to distinguish it from what has been before and what will be after.
Not only are they in this special relationship, but it is also said, “He who sits on the throne will set up his tent over them.” It is the image of shelter that the Lord, in His grace, extends over them, covering them with His care and goodness. It is important to note this. Currently God dwells by the Holy Spirit in the Church, following what is said: “You are built up together to be a dwelling place of God by the Spirit”; but it will not be so when these gentiles are called to his knowledge. It will extend its protection over them, which is perfectly suited to the character under which they are presented. In the past, God in the pillar of clouds, was the defense and shelter of the camp of Israel, although he also had his dwelling among them; here he shows, in his grace, that it is not only those who are sealed among Israel who enjoy his care, but also those poor gentiles. “They will no longer be hungry, and they will no longer be thirsty, and the sun will no longer hit them, nor any heat.” Is not such a promise much more suitable for a people on earth than for men glorified in heaven? What would it mean for them to be sure that they would no longer be hungry or thirsty? While we understand all the consolation it contains, if it is about people who are on earth. Blessings flow for them from the One who is the true source of them, and all traces of suffering are erased forever; “because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will graze them and lead them to the fountains of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Humans marked with the seal of God:
- Wind subject to
Ps 148:8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, Impetuous winds, who carry out his orders, Pr 30:4 Who ascended to heaven, and who came down from them? Who collected the wind in his hands? Who squeezed the waters in his garment? Who made the ends of the earth appear? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Do you know? Mk 4:39 Having woken up, he threatened the wind, and said to the sea: Silence! shut up! And the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.
- The Living God
Joshua 3:10 Says: “By this you will recognize that the living God is in your midst, and that He will cast out before you the Canaanites, the Hethians, the Hevians, the Herezians, the Guirgasians, the Amorites, and the Jebusians: Ps 42:3 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: When will I go and appear before the face of God? Mt 26:63 Jesus remained silent. And the high priest, speaking to him, said to him: I adjure you, through the living God, to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Rev 7:2 And I saw another angel, who was rising to the side of the rising sun, and holding the seal of the living God; he cried out in a loud voice to the four angels to whom it had been given to harm the land and the sea, and he said:
- Examples of Worshippers
Gen 22:5 And Abraham said to his servants, Stay here with the donkey; I and the young man will go so far to worship, and we will come back to you. Ex 34:8 Immediately Moses bowed to the ground and prostrated himself. Jg 7:15 When Gideon had heard the account of the dream and its explanation, he prostrated himself, returned to the camp of Israel, and said, Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hands. Rev 4:10 the twenty-four old men prostrate themselves before the one who sits on the throne and they worship the one who lives in the ages of ages, and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying: Rev 7:11 And all the angels stood around the throne and the old men and the four living beings; and they prostrated themselves on their face before the throne, and they worshipped God, Rev 11:16 And the twenty-four old men, who sat before God on their thrones, prostrated themselves on their faces, and they worshipped God,
- Living water
-Who comes out of the house of God Ez 47:1 He brought me back to the door of the house. And behold, water came out under the threshold of the house, to the east, for the face of the house was to the east; the water went down under the right side of the house, at the south of the altar.
-Is not affected by the times or by the seasons Za 14:8 On that day, white waters will come out of Jerusalem, And flow half to the East Sea, Half to the Western Sea; This will be the case in summer and winter.
Christ, the source of the living water Jn 4:10 Jesus answered him: If you knew the gift of God and who is the one who tells you: Give me to drink! you yourself would have asked him to drink, and he would have given you living water.
Satisfies even the deepest needs Jn 7:37-38 On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus, standing up, cried out: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and drink. 38 He who believes in me, rivers of living water will flow from his womb, as Scripture says.
-The inexhaustible reserve Rev 7:17 For the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will graze them and lead them to the springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
-Make life fruitful Rev 22:1-2 And he showed me a river of water of life, crystal clear, which came out of the throne of God and the lamb. 22 In the middle of the place of the city and on both banks of the river there was a tree of life, producing twelve times fruit, returning its fruit every month, and whose leaves were used for the healing of nations.
-Universal call to drink Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say: Come. And let him who hears say: Come. And let him who thirst come; that he who wills, take water from life, free of charge.
From all the above, we note that this chapter appears as a parenthesis between the 6th and 7th seal. Before going further in His ways of judgment, God sets aside and seals those who belong to Him. A first group is formed by Jews from different tribes. It constitutes that faithful residue whose feelings the Psalms reveal to us. The second group of people consists of a multitude of nations who have believed in the gospel of the kingdom. By presenting these faithful to us now, it is as if God were telling us: these punishments are not for them; they will go through the ordeal under my protection. In the same way, on the night of the Passover, the Israelites were distinguished and sheltered from the blows of the destructive angel by the blood of the Lamb (Ex 12:3-13). It is in this blood that these believers from “great distress” will have washed and bleached their robes. Their salvation will not be assured by any means other than ours: the precious blood of Christ. Then the same Lamb who purified them will graze, protect, and water them from the sources of life (Isaiah 49:7-12). God Himself will wipe away their tears. What promises! They come in advance to console them in view of an unprecedented distress! He is the good Shepherd who has been rejected, and who himself has gone through tribulation, through great tribulation, and he will feed them. The Lamb, as he will be known in this time of transition, the Lamb who is exalted in the midst of the throne, will graze them and lead them to the fountains of the waters of life. It is not, as for us, the promise of a fountain of water gushing into eternal life and flowing out like a river; but they will be nourished, refreshed, and perfectly guarded by the grace of the Lamb whom they have followed. They thus form a class apart, distinct from the heavenly elders or saints; distinct also from the saints of the millennial period, who will never see the tribulation: they have in grace before God a known and fixed position. May the Lord accompany you all there.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the seventh seal and the first four trumpets. »
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.