Good morning. How are you all doing today? Awesome. Awesome. Yeah, I want to say if
this is your first time joining us here at Hosanna Christian Fellowship or if
you're joining us online for the first time, we want to say welcome. We're so
glad you're here to worship with us today. I am Pastor Nathan and as a part
of today's service we will be celebrating in communion together so if
you're in the room you should have gotten one of our little communion cups
as you came in. If you did not we will be having the elders walk through the
room later to make sure you get those but if you're watching online I want to
encourage you to get your communion emblems ready. We will be taking
communion at the end of service today but this morning we are looking at two
groups of people who answer the question, who represent the answer to the question
that is asked at the very end of Revelation chapter 6. You see as we've
been studying through Revelation the great day of the wrath of God has come.
The seals have been broken as God has started to pour out his judgment during
the tribulation time on earth and it's a terrible time of tribulation of
escalating judgments as God in this final period of the history of earth is
starting to judge the wickedness and the sin on earth and as these judgments are
pouring out it's like wave after wave crashing on the earth and each wave is
getting bigger as it then crashes down with the judgments of God each one
getting more destructive than the last and at the end of chapter 6 by the sixth
seal we see something very important that rebellious earth acknowledges the
truth that the judgments that are falling upon earth are from God Almighty
not that they believe in him not that they acknowledge him but we see that
they finally acknowledge that he is real and that the judgments are from him and
yet they still refuse to repent. So John then observes them at the very end of
Revelation chapter 6 verse 17 he observes them ask this important question
who is able to stand? Who is able to stand? That word stand their meaning to
endure which is very reminiscent of Malachi chapter 3 verse 2 which calls
this this end time the day of his coming and it says who will be able to endure
the day or the time of his coming? Well chapter 7 answers that question who is
able to stand during this time as God is judging the earth through a series of
climactic judgments that affect everyone on the earth at that time chapter 7
stands somewhat as a parenthetical between the sixth seal and the seventh
seal it's this moment in between the two a break in the action if you will
because it's like we've all seen it maybe in the movies or in comic books
specifically as a story is being told as the narrative is being expressed what
you see then is meanwhile right meanwhile and the camera will shift to
something else happening while the previous things are happening or in
that break in the action and so here between the sixth and seventh seals
things have gotten so bad that it tells us in Revelation 6 that people are
hiding in caves asking the rocks and the mountains to hide them from God Almighty
and they say who can stand who can endure the wrath that is to come you
know the same question is asked in Psalms chapter 76 verse 7 it says and you
you are to be feared speaking of God and that word feared there means you are
awe-inspiring and it says when you are angry who can stand before you well it's
not the wicked it's not the sinners it's not the rebellious because we see in
Psalm chapter 1 verse 5 it says therefore the wicked will not stand up
in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous and so again
who can stand during this time who can endure during this time well the answer
is two groups actually and we see both of those groups here in chapter 7 of
Revelation the first group is a very specifically numbered hundred and
forty-four thousand from the tribes of Israel Jews who are sealed and protected
during this time and the second group is called a vast multitude that nobody
could number you know back in the Old Testament the prophet Habakkuk he saw
what was coming on the nation of Israel as God was about to pour out his
judgment on the nation of Israel and he asked a very important question in his
prophecy the question he asked is God why would you let this happen it's a
question people are gonna be asking during the time of tribulation God why
would you let this happen but as Habakkuk went and had his
conversation with God he came to understand what God was doing and why he
was doing it he came to understand God's judgment against sin came to understand
that God in his holiness and justice has to judge sin and so as he let it all
sink in Habakkuk then said okay God I get it but please in your judgment
remember mercy I know you need to judge sin God but please when you do lace it
with mercy and thankfully that is a pattern that our God follows we see that
throughout the entire scripture that as God has to pour out his judgment at
times he does lace that judgment with mercy and that is exactly what we see
extended to these two groups of people during the tribulation time and so
that's what we're going to be looking at today in chapter 7 but first we as God's
people are gonna spend some time worshiping him praising his name because
he is almighty he is worthy he is the lamb that was slain for our sin and he
deserves all the praise from his people amen father God we thank you Lord so
much for who you are God that we here in this age of grace during this church age
Lord we were able to stand as people redeemed washed clean by the blood of
the Lamb Lord and we're so grateful for that we're so thankful for that Lord but
God we know there is a time coming that as you take your church out of this world
and then pour out your wrath on the sin and the sinners that still abide here
Lord we know that even during that time your mercy is still extended that
salvation is still possible and that there will be some who cry out to you
for salvation Lord we know during this time that you have a special plan and
purpose for your chosen people Israel and God we're so thankful Lord that in
the midst of your judgments there is still mercy there is still grace there
is still the opportunity for salvation and so God we want to study and learn
and see what you're gonna be doing during this time not Lord that we would
then delay our own salvation and say I'll do it later but God to see how
glorious and graceful and merciful you are God and that is your people today
saved by the blood of Christ we would be people who walk in that grace and that
mercy as we preach salvation to the lost as we share the need God for people to
cry out to you as we warn them about judgment to come that they would have
the salvation that you offer them today Lord we love you we thank you God we
ask that you would be praised we ask that our worship would glorify your name
today and it's in your name Jesus we pray amen all right we are in Revelation
chapter 7 and so it says in verse 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 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 in the sea don't harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the
servants of our God on their foreheads and I heard the number of the sealed
144,000 sealed from every tribe is of the Israelites then he goes on in verses
5 through 8 to give a breakdown of those 144,000 from the tribes of the
Israelites 12,000 from each tribe and he mentions them Judah Ruben Gad Asher
Naphtali Manasseh Simeon Levi Issachar Zebulun Joseph and Benjamin now if
you'll notice there in verse 1 he opens with after this that is a term of
chronology after this after John witnesses from heaven the events of the
first through sixth seals but before the seventh seal after this he mentions
that he sees something taking place there and he mentions immediately these
four angels at the four corners of the earth now you know when you're studying
the Bible good biblical hermeneutics and if you've never heard that word don't
worry about it you don't even remember it it's a fancy term for the proper way
to interpret the Bible or the study and interpretation of Scripture one of the
rules of hermeneutics is when you read Scripture the first thing you do is take
it at its plain reading and then if the plain reading isn't clear you then start
to evaluate the symbolism or the intent behind certain types of things and as
we're studying through Revelation there is a lot that is symbolic that is
metaphorical but there's also a lot that is just plain as it is read and so these
four angels there I believe are four angels that had control or authority
over something in the earth and then when it uses this phrase the four
corners of the earth that phrase is an ancient phrase that was used similar to
our modern equivalent when we would say something like the four points of the
compass we would understand what that means north south east west it means it
means the entire area or the entire earth and so these four angels are
standing at the four corners of the earth the indication there the
implication is that these four angels have some type of worldwide effect or
worldwide influence or authority and specifically there it says that the
restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth
the sea or any tree now biblically if you go through and you look at the idea
of winds and how they're related to God's work or heavenly work or those
types of things what you'll see is that winds often refer to the destructive
force of God's judgment it's when God's judgment is being poured out it is often
referred to as winds going forth one examples in the Old Testament in Hosea
chapter 13 verse 15 it says although he flourishes among his brothers an east
wind will come a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert and his water
sources will fail and his springs will run dry and the wind will plunder the
treasury of every precious item and so that is a a symbolic telling of God's
judgment coming forth and there's many other examples but when it says the four
angels at the four corners of the earth are restraining the four winds the four
winds is a way to refer to the worldwide judgment the four corners of the compass
if you will that judgment that has taken place worldwide is now being restrained
after the sixth seal or during the sixth seal but before the seventh and so with
a chronological view of the seals and the trumpets and the bold judgments of
Revelation what we're seeing here is a momentary cessation of wrath a momentary
restraining of what is being poured forth after the sixth seal these four
winds these these four winds representing the worldwide judgment of
God is being temporarily restrained and then what we also then get is a glimpse
of what is taking place on the earth during this time and a glimpse of what
is to come because of that if you remember when we looked at the first four
seals you had the first four seals that were represented by the four horsemen of
the apocalypse and those were both a chronological unveiling of activities
and judgments on earth but they were also a picture a summary of the entire
tribulation and so we see that here in Revelation 7 as well as we look at the
uncountable number of people that are saved and then we see here another angel
it says with the seal of God used to seal some particular servants of God on
their foreheads and again that seal the idea is in ancient times kings or people
in authority would have a signet ring with some type of marking some type of
logo some type of brand on it that represented who they were in their
authority and then if they wanted to seal something to say this can only be
opened by somebody who bears this mark or the fact that this thing that is
being delivered with the seal bears the authority or the ownership of the one
who sealed it kings would then like you know put wax on it and stab it with
their signet ring and so these seals would be something that kings or
property owners would use to show ownership or authenticity and so this
angel has the seal of God himself who he then goes for and seals this hundred
and forty four thousand so this first group that we see that I believe is an
answer to the question who can stand during this time of tribulation is this
hundred and forty four thousand now they're very specifically numbered
right it says a hundred and forty four thousand and then just in case we're
tempted to think oh that's just metaphorical it tells us exactly how
that hundred and forty four thousand has come to twelve thousand from each of
these twelve tribes but what I want to point out here in our study of this
because the question is like well who are these hundred and forty four thousand
servants of God because there are numerous different interpretations of
this that different groups have different people different ways that
revelation is interpreted sometimes leads to different interpretations of
these hundred and forty four thousand and so I just want to look at what it
says from the tribe of the Israelites is that unclear what does he mean by
Israelites he means Israelites hundred and forty four thousand from every tribe
of the Israelites now that's an interesting thing to note because like I
said some people in our world today say no this hundred and forty four thousand
refers to our modern group our modern church some people look at that and go
no it's a purely metaphorical way to refer to just some general gathering of
people who are saved some just say it just represents any particular group of
saved people for example Seventh-day Adventists which some of you are
familiar they believe that the hundred and forty four thousand are them and
it's not exactly a hundred and forty four thousand what it refers to is
people who are adherents of Adventist Adventist theology that's who the hundred
and forty four thousand are and they refer to themselves as spiritual Israel
so that's how they get around the fact that it says Israelites one of the ones
we're probably most familiar with is the Jehovah's Witness cult right they
initially when they first started said we Jehovah's Witnesses we are the hundred
and forty four thousand and so we are the ones that are going to be going to
heaven the problem was is when one hundred and forty four thousand and one
got saved they were like what do we tell that person sorry bro you took too long
right I mean it was it became a it became a problem and so what the
Jehovah's Witness cult had to do was then adjust their theology and say well
well the first hundred and forty four thousand Jehovah's Witnesses which are
which are these hundred and forty four thousand they're the ones going to
heaven and every single one sense are just going to be inhabiting the new
earth and so they got the second place prize or something like that but the
real challenge is when you talk to Jehovah's Witness about this and they
say we are the hundred and forty four thousand one of my favorite questions
is cool which tribe are you from and there's never a good answer there was
another cult called the worldwide Church of God led by a man named Herbert
Armstrong he claimed that the members of his church were the hundred and forty
four thousand some go so far as to say it's not even referring to Jewish
people as I mentioned that it's just a metaphorical thing you know because
what they say is that this listing of the twelve tribes it's an irregular
listing it's not a normal listing of the tribes right and in the the reason they
say that is because when you read the listing as we read there the tribe of
Dan is left out the tribe of Dan which is one of the original twelve tribes is
not mentioned the tribe of Manasseh is added in his place and so they go
because it's an irregular listing this can't be a literal listing of a hundred
forty four thousand Jewish people and there's reasons for that one of the
reasons people think Dan is left out is because the tribe of Dan was the tribe
of Israel that really aggressively brought in idolatry into the people of
Israel and so they were kind of dealt with for that but they are going to be
redeemed in the Millennium but we don't have time to get into that type of stuff
but the idea or the the follow-up to that saying these aren't to Jews because
it's an irregular listing is well what is a normal listing of the tribes right
how is it supposed to be listed because if you go through the Old Testament the
tribes of Israel are listed in no less than 20 different ways 20 different ways
that the tribes of Israel are listed including one in first Chronicles
chapters 4 through 7 which indeed omits the tribe of Dan so if for someone to
say these aren't actually Jewish people because the list is weird what is a
normal list the Bible itself lists them in different ways and so just because a
listing of the tribes has subtle differences doesn't then mean the only
conclusion is that this list is symbolic or metaphorical and so again it says
from every tribe of the Israelites and then it lists 12,000 from the tribes and
so the point of this is that this hundred and forty four thousand this
first group of people in this parenthetical moment between the six and
seven seals that are able to stand are Jewish children of Israel they are part
of the God's special chosen people the Jews they are the covenant people that
scripture tells us and some people get all bent out of shape about this you
know well I'm a part of the church yes we are but but the Jews are a special
covenant people special to the Lord and have been from the very beginning the
Jewish people have always had a very special place in God's prophetic plan
and he you just read through scripture you see how many covenants that he made
with this special group of people and then when you look at the Jewish people
as a whole to to identify just a lot of the reasons why they're so special
scripture largely came from them that's where scripture God's Word came from
it's a lot of it is about them a matter of fact three-quarters of the entire
Bible is about the Jewish people it's about the Jewish people in their nation
almost every single author of scripture is Jewish they are the ones that
preserved scripture as a part of their culture they would meticulously hand the
scripture down from father to son as a father the scribes would they would
write every letter of scripture they would record it page by page and then
they would train their sons to do it who had been carrying on that tradition
and and this process happened over hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of years preserving God's Word the Apostles of Jesus all Jewish the
Savior of the world Jesus himself Jewish the first church in Jerusalem was a
Jewish congregation the Jewish people have a very special place in God's heart
that's not to diminish those of us that aren't Jewish it's just a fact that they
are very special people to God in fact in Romans chapter 9 verses 4 through 5
Paul the Apostle said this they are Israelites and to them belong the
adoption the glory the covenants the giving of the law the temple service and
the promises the ancestors are theirs and from them by physical descent came
the Christ who is God over all praised forever amen and so one of the truths
about the tribulation period this final seven years of Earth's history during
this this time this age we're in is at least in part about Israel it's about
the Jews it's at least in part to prepare Israel to receive its Messiah
that's one of the reasons why this last seven year time of tribulation is
referred to as the time of Jacob's trouble in Jeremiah chapter 30 Jacob was
the one incidentally who is renamed Israel it's the time of Israel's trouble
in Daniel chapter 9 the prophet Daniel gave us a prophetic calendar and this
prophetic calendar about the end times events it's all about the Jewish nation
it's all about Jerusalem it's a very beautiful and detailed promise of the
second coming of the Messiah and so it's commonly referred to as the 70 weeks of
Daniel okay we don't have time to break down all the details of it but go read
Daniel chapter 9 it's a very interesting study to look at what Daniel has to say
about the prophetic calendar of earth and so in this thing real quick he says
there are 70 weeks allotted to the history of what God is doing and what he
means by weeks is groups of seven so 70 groups of seven okay you could get into
all the math and stuff and there's math from you know the time that that this
happens you you have 69 of these weeks and then the Messiah shows up and he's
gonna be cut off and then you have the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy that
hasn't happened yet because there's a pause in that prophetic calendar as we
have been in the age of grace the age of the church but this 70th week of Daniel
is known as the day of the Lord or the great tribulation the tribulation time
that is to come that which we are studying here in Revelation and so as we
are reading and studying about what God is doing on the earth in this time much
of it is to prepare Israel nationally to receive their Messiah now nationally
Israel doesn't do that today nationally they don't accept Jesus as the Messiah
in fact they didn't do that the first time he came either did they the matter
of fact it says that he came to his own and they received him not which is then
why he says he goes I came to my people they rejected me and then I extended the
offer to the whole world including Gentiles and that's the age that we
live in today but one day they will one day they will accept their Messiah they
will accept Jesus as their Messiah and many Jews will be saved and sealed as a
part of that process to proclaim Jesus as Messiah and guess how many are going
to be sealed and saved to do that a hundred and forty four thousand of them
twelve thousand from each tribe now again that idea of being sealed means
that there is some type of mark imprint on them that represented who they belong
to it represented ownership on authenticity and protection and so it's
like God saying on these particular Jewish people here's my signet ring
here's my here's my signature they belong to me they are mine they know me
and I will protect them it's interesting interestingly during this age of grace
in Ephesians chapter 1 we see a very similar picture if not the same picture
as Ephesians chapter 1 tells us that that during the age of grace the church
those that are saved both doing Jew and Gentile during the church age are sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance and so
we have that same picture there but here in Revelation chapter 7 specifically
these hundred forty four thousand are Jewish believers who come to believe in
Jesus as Messiah after the tribulation has begun in Revelation 14 we see these
hundred forty four thousand again having survived the terrors of tribulation
being protected by God during this time and there in Revelation 14 it says they
show up with Jesus on Mount Zion being the redeemed of the earth so other
reasons that I believe these are actually Jewish people and not just some
symbolic representation of the church or something else one is that the tribal
affiliations are very specific it doesn't just say oh tribes of some people
it's like no no tribes from these very specific tribes that are known and
recognized as tribes of Israel so they are a very particular socio-political
group of people the term Israelites is never specifically applied to the church
in the New Testament and it says that they're from every tribe of the
Israelites if you go to Romans chapter 11 you'll read there that it tells us
that because Israel didn't want Jesus when he came the first time that there
was a partial hardening of Israel and it says until the fullness of the Gentiles
and that is the age we're in now but once that fullness of the Gentiles comes
God is gonna then start dealing with his people Israel again during tribulation so
God hasn't rejected his people which some teach some profess some say God is
done with Israel altogether but that is not what we see through Revelation as a
time of their national salvation will come and so again these hundred forty
four thousand according to Revelation 14 verse 4 it says they are redeemed from
humanity as the first fruits for God and the Lamb and that idea of first fruits
means that they are the beginning of the harvest of the full salvation of Israel
and so I don't see them as symbolic of the church which incidentally is
required for some of the alternate interpretations of Revelation for some
that may line up with a mid tribulation rapture or a pre-wrath rapture in those
particular interpretations it requires you to look at the Jews in Revelation is
not as actually Jews but as just a symbolic telling or you have to look at
Israel as the same as the church and biblically Israel and the church are not
the same group of people and so prophecies specifically for one don't
necessarily apply to the other so what are these people doing what are these
Jewish people doing what are they sealed for and what are they sealed to do during
the tribulation period well I believe that they are sealed to help fulfill a
prophecy that Jesus made shortly before his crucifixion this prophecy that Jesus
made was in Matthew chapter 24 and incidentally Matthew is the gospel that
was written to primarily a Jewish audience and so when you read the gospel
of Matthew it's really helpful to to interpret what you're reading through
the lens of the Jewish individual of Jewish culture of Jewish understanding
and so Jesus there speaking in Matthew 24 about this tribulation time predicts
a great persecution that will fall on the Jewish people during tribulation but
then he says in Matthew 24 14 that the good news of the kingdom will be
proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations and then the
end will come and so what are these hundred forty four thousand sealed for
sealed to do what are they doing during tribulation well I believe they're Jewish
evangelists to go out and preach the the truth of the Messiah the truth of the
gospel during this time where God's judgments are being poured out upon the
earth and these are 144,000 Jewish people who believe that Jesus is their
Messiah and they zealously go out to preach to the whole world it says and
due to them being sealed in Revelation 14 saying that they are redeemed from the
earth that they are purchased and protected that they then survive the
judgments that are being poured out on earth during this time and that leads us
to the next group of people that we see standing out of the tribulation verse
nine of Revelation 7 he 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 they were clothed in white
robes with palm branches in their hands so you'll notice that this group is very
different from the hundred forty four thousand some read Revelation 7 and go
oh they're the same people they're the same people but unlike the first group
which very specifically said hundred and forty four thousand twelve thousand from
each tribe this troop said this group it calls a vast multitude which no one
could number that's different than the first group they're not the same group
of people and on top of that they're not sealed like the hundred forty four
thousand were sealed so I believe this group of people are Gentiles specifically
because it uses this phrase from every nation tribe people and language and
that is a biblical way a biblical phrase often used to refer to everybody else on
the earth so you got the hundred forty four thousand from the Israelites and
then you have this vast multitude of everybody else right now it also can't
be the church as some think because the 24 elders which represent the church
back in Revelation 4 and 5 they're in heaven prior to the seals being broken
on top of that it tells us as those 24 elders are in heaven seated on thrones
but this group they are standing before the throne after the seals have started
additionally I don't believe that these are the church being saved at the mid
point or some point in tribulation because John doesn't even know who they
are look at verse 13 then one of the elders asked John who are these people
in white robes and where did they come from the phrasing in the original
language is John do you know who these people are what does John say in verse
14 I said to him sir you know that's a way to say why are you asking me I don't
know you do that's what this phrase reads in the original language and then
it says then he told me or the elder told him these are the ones coming out
of the great tribulation they wash their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb so it tells us very specifically who they are these are the
ones coming out of the tribulation time it calls it the great tribulation here
but this group is a huge number of people it's a huge number of people
having been saved during the events of the tribulation period likely at least in
part by the preaching of these hundred and forty four thousand Jewish
evangelists who are preaching to the whole world and all the nations and so
these are people that during the tribulation time are saved by their
faith in Jesus these are people who came to trust Jesus and to love Jesus it says
that they have white robes on and again those white robes is that picture of the
redemption that has been granted to them by the blood of Christ as a matter of
fact it says they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb
it says that they have palm branches again that was a picture that we saw in
Palm Sunday right as the people were waving these palm branches was a
picture of deliverance it was a picture of deliverance from the intertestamental
period with the Maccabees and the whole thing that took place there but when
they were delivered from their oppressors they were waving these palm
branches that represented God has delivered us and so we see these people
with these white robes and these palm branches representing their deliverance
their salvation they're accepted by God people who are accepted by him having
been rejected on earth now as we get further into the the study of revelation
we're gonna see that the tribulation period is a very difficult time for
those who decide to put their faith in Jesus Christ some of us today here on
this earth we're like it's hard to be a Christian people make fun of me people
people give me a hard time and there are many people please do not
misunderstand me worldwide that are suffering greatly for their faith but
here in America it's getting worse but but it's nothing like it's gonna be in
tribulation period tribulation period is gonna be all the stuff we read about in
in in in speculations where it's like no no you someone finds out you're a
Christian they're gonna come and kill you they're gonna come and and not just
take away your business but it's gonna be your very life on the line simply for
saying I believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah and so these people rejected by
the earth during tribulation having accepted Jesus and being accepted by
God are seen here in Revelation 7 but I want to see them in in in encourage you
with their picture because you might be going through a time of pressure right
now here on earth to conform specifically here in America we are
under great pressure to conform to certain cultural and societal changes
when it comes to gender ideology and gender identification pressure pressure
pressure pressure you have to conform just most recently the some of you've
read about it what's happening Dodger Stadium right there we're entering into
Pride Month and and they're having their pride thing and there's this particular
group that whose whole purpose is to is to mock Catholicism and they dress up
as nuns and they're celebrating the just the lifestyle and initially Dodger
Stadium was like we're not gonna give you an award because you're not just
about promoting your lifestyle you're specifically about mocking the faith of
Catholics and then everybody's like how dare you do that and then he said okay
you can come back we'll give you an award and there's this pressure in
society today every generation's had something but the pressure today in the
world is to accept this this ideology and we've already seen it happen where
no if you if you don't accept this ideology you can't even have a business
you can't make cakes you can't sell flowers if you don't accept this
ideology you're not gonna get money for your public school if you don't accept
this ideology you can't work here if you don't accept this ideology that's the
pressure we're under today but there's other pressures that we face in the
world as we're trying to walk and live and and be the people God has called us
to be there's pressures to to go party and do drugs and drink and be a part of
that whole lifestyle there's pressures to cheat on your spouse constantly from
every angle there's all kinds of pressure and the pressure comes with oh
why don't you just stop going to church and why don't you stop believing that
oppressive stuff and why don't you just why don't you just let go of that and
you know stop holding to the fact that Jesus is the way the truth in the life
you know everybody is spiritual and we all have our different path and pressure
pressure pressure pressure you can't have your Bible on your desk at work oh
yeah that they can have their Quran on their desk at work but you can't have
your Bible on your desk at work and it's easy to start thinking you know it's so
hard to stand against that because I have to be around these people all the
time right if it's in your workplace sometimes it's family your social circle
but don't forget don't forget that there will be a time coming where you and them
will stand before God will stand before God Almighty and you will stand before
him and you will answer to him and so the pressure can be great the pressure
can be overwhelming but you don't have to give in the Holy Spirit that you have
within you can strengthen you to stand against that the truth of the gospel can
give you the strength to stand against that but more importantly know that
they're gonna stand against God before God one day and so will you and when God
says what did you do with my son I don't want to be there and be like well I said
I believed in him but you know I just kept relenting and backing away and
accepting sin and trying to make everybody happy I want to be able to say
you know I stood for righteousness I stood for Jesus Christ I stood for him
and we see a picture of these people doing this here in the face of great
great persecution and so as Christians today in this age of grace we live for
the future now we know we're gonna stand before God one day and we live for that
future now we don't live for the now in the now we live for Jesus now we we
strive for obedience to him now we want to glorify his name now in our life in
our living we don't want to glorify the word of our culture we want to glorify
the word of God and so this vast multitude it says they will stand for
truth on the earth during the reign of the after Christ be persecuted likely
lose their lives for it but the result is they will stand before Christ in
forgiveness in purity in grace in mercy free from the penalty of sin and death
and so yeah the Bible tells us that during this time the world will fall to
the lies of the Antichrist but this vast multitude from every nation and every
people they will be overcomers and they will be standing before God through and
out of tribulation redeemed it's beautiful picture but I believe it's
meant to be an encouragement to us today you know this is why I tell people when
they go well if I could get saved during tribulation I'll just wait till then I'm
like if you can't stand for God today what makes you think you're gonna stand
for him then when the very real penalty is someone's gonna come up and kill you
for it it's just something you need to consider but important truth yes Israel
the Jews they are God's special chosen people and yes there are special
promises to them yes the Bible tells all of us that those who bless Israel will
be blessed right and that's why we support Israel and and pray for Israel
but the gospel it shows us here is for everyone the gospel is not limited to
any one people group it is for every single human being on earth and so verse
10 we go on it says they cried out in a loud voice salvation belongs to our God
who is seated on the throne into the lamb all the angels stood around the
throne and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell face
down before the throne and worshiped God saying amen blessing and glory and
wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to your be to our
God forever and ever amen and so these redeemed it says they crowd in a light
loud voice they cried out in this loud voice the idea here the picture is that
they worshiped God with fervor and intensity you know I love it when I'm
here in the front row during worship and the worship from behind me is like
pushing my hair forward I love that I love it when the body of Christ when we
are together crying out to God with our voices to praise him to let him know how
awesome and amazing he is and I know sometimes that's a struggle but that's
why we call it a sacrifice of praise that there's times where I'm like God I
don't feel like praising you but you're still worthy of it you're still worth it
so we choose to enter into that and so they're worshiping God with such fervor
and such intensity and the worship was so intense I believe so filled with
gratitude and joy and thankfulness all of that it says the angels and the 24
elders and the four living creatures will all fell down in worship with them
and the whole host of heaven is praising God and I love that picture because the
Bible tells us that when one sinner comes to Jesus Christ it says the entire
host of heaven all the angels rejoice when one sinner can you imagine the
worship service when this vast uncountable multitude are there it's
gonna be amazing and so jump down to verse 15 with me it says for this reason
their salvation there before the throne of God and they serve him day and night
in his temple the one seated on the throne will shelter them they will no
longer hunger they will no longer thirst the Sun will no longer strike them nor
will any scorching heat for the lamb who is at the center of the throne will
shepherd them he will guide them to the springs two springs of the waters of
life and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes so what we saw at the
end of chapter 6 was the world turning to the rocks and the mountains to
shelter them to hide them from God Almighty in his wrath but these who
turn to God in trust and love and salvation we're asking for forgiveness
saying God I believe in who you are repent of my sin we see that the truth
is that God shelters them now when the Antichrist lied to people during
tribulation and they stood against it believing this highly unpopular message
at the time that God is true that Jesus is Messiah they ended up persecuted for
it and it gives us a hint of what that persecution looked like because it said
they will no longer hunger they will no longer thirst right it goes on to list a
few things there and it's interesting because later on we see the enemy
counterfeit God again counterfeit the mark that God put on these hundred forty
four thousand and come up with his own counterfeit mark the mark of the beast
and we'll see that under his control of the earth that without that mark you
can't buy and you can't sell what does that mean certain people can't buy food
to eat and so they became hungry it tells us later in chapter 8 that the
water sources become corrupted as a part of the judgment of God on the earth
well that would lead to a great thirst on the earth as clean water sources then
are controlled by those in power the Antichrist and his minions and again to
buy clean water to sate your thirst well you can't do it unless you have that
mark saying I belong to the beast and so there was a great thirst plus there are
those who are going through revelation that as they are there on the earth
experiencing the judgments that are being poured out as the judgments of God
come upon the earth we see in chapter 16 on the fourth bold judgment it says that
the Sun was allowed to scorch people with fire that were on the earth at that
time then so these people experience this persecution in the suffering of
the tribulation time but they came to know God they came to believe in him and
once in heaven it says none of that happens anymore there's no more hunger
there's no more thirst the Sun no longer strikes them having shed tears I would
imagine due to the persecutions and the sufferings that that they were
experiencing on earth they get to heaven and it says no more because God will wipe
every tear from their eyes you know a part of revelation actually all of
revelation it's not about what's the future the very beginning of this book
said it's a revelation of who Jesus Christ as we study this book it's less
about do you believe in post-trib or mid-trib or pre-trib no no no the
question is what do we learn about Jesus what does this teach us about Jesus what
does this teach us about his heart and who he is and I love the picture here
because in verse 17 it says for the lamb who's at the center of the throne will
shepherd them will protect them care for them nurture them is what that word
means and he says they'll do that by leading them to the springs of the
waters of life it's interesting that word for shepherd there is the same word
that we get the term pastor from and so when I was reading that I was like
Jesus is gonna pastor me I can't wait for that it reminds me of Psalm 23 verses
one through four where it says 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 or the valley of the shadow of death as you might
understand it I fear no danger for you are with me your rod and your staff they
comfort me and this is what I learned from this whole picture here in
Revelation chapter 7 that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everybody it's for
every nation it's for every people it's offered to everyone today it's gonna be
offered to everyone then but as we're gonna see as we study through
Revelation mankind says no we hate you we don't want your salvation and the
judgments get worse and worse and worse as the hearts of mankind get harder and
harder and yes the gospel will go out during tribulation time but it's going
out today it's going out through the whole world today it's going out to all
the people of the earth today one day yeah it's gonna go out in this really
powerful way and there's gonna be this uncontrollable multitude that even
though they're persecuted and killed even though they suffer for their belief
in Jesus hunger thirst and even scorching heat even in the midst of all
that they cry out to God and and say God save us God I'm sorry for my sin even
then in the midst of the wrath of God pouring out on the earth we see what we
see today grace mercy forgiveness salvation still being offered and that
is true today as it will be then our God is gracious our God is merciful our God
is light the Bible says our God is truth our God is love and he is long
suffering and he may be waiting for you like well you just believe in me already
I've shown myself to you I've spoken to you and you have these questions that
you read on forums well that's that question sinks Christianity and and that
you get an answer over and over and the reality of the situation is what you're
hanging on to is sin that's it you want to keep sinning without consequence and
today the long-suffering patience of God Almighty puts up with it that you would
have the opportunity to come to know him before he's pouring his wrath out on this
earth but I want to close by looking at this detail in verse 14 where it said
they washed their robes in the blood of the lamb that's an interesting phrase
isn't it how many of you have ever gotten blood on a white shirt did
washing it make it clean nope it just stays right it's a permanent stain and
that's what happens we get blood on clothes and it becomes a stain we can't
remove but isn't that a wonderful picture of sin sin is a stain we can't
remove in our life and these robes speaking of the salvation they had after
they were washed by the blood of Christ these robes speak of their spiritual
condition their lives having been made pure washed by the pure blood of Jesus
Christ that is the message of the gospel that is the message of the gospel today
that is going to be the message of gospel during tribulation that is going
to be the point in the hope as God is pouring out his wrath on sin and it
keeps getting worse and worse and worse the point is you're a sinner and without
me there is no salvation cry out to me that's the message of the gospel that we
can be purified from all of our sin by the blood of the lamb this truth about
Jesus is what we're reminded here it's what I'm reminded by in this chapter
this revelation of Jesus Christ that is all about him who he is what he has done
what he will do I read a story about a man who once fell into a pit and he
couldn't get himself out and a subjective person came along and said
well I feel for you down there and walked off an objective person came
along and said well it's logical that someone would fall into a pit there's a
pit and they walked off a Christian scientist came along and said you only
think you're in that pit a Pharisee said only bad people fall into pits a
mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit a news reporter wanted the
exclusive story on the pit a legalistic Christian said well you deserve that pit
Confucius said well if you would have listened to me you wouldn't be in the
pit Buddha said your pit is only a state of mind a realist said well it's a pit a
scientist calculated the pressure necessary in pounds per square inch to
get him out of the pit a geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the
pit an evolutionist said well this pit means that you're a rejected mutant
destined to be removed from the evolutionary cycle and so you're gonna
die in that pit so that you cannot produce any pit falling offspring the
county inspector asked if he had a permit to dig the pit and then asked if
he had a permit to climb out of the pit a professor gave him a lecture on the
elementary principles of the pit an evasive person came along and avoided
the subject of the pit altogether a self-pitying person said you haven't
seen anything until you've seen my pit a charismatic from the faith movement said
just confess it and you won't be in that pit any longer an optimist said well
things could be worse a pessimist said things are gonna get worse and the
theologians argued over the timing of his fall into the pit and the timing of
him getting out of the pit but Jesus saw the man reached into the pit took him by
his hand and lifted him out of the pit
that's the truth of scripture it's the truth of revelation Jesus wants to pull
you out of the pit today and if he's speaking to your heart and your need for
him this morning if he's speaking to you about your need for forgiveness because
you've sinned against him and you know it he's speaking to you about the reality
that he wants to seal you today with the Holy Spirit of promise that you will be
his now and forever receive him today don't wait until tribulation because
your heart might harden then and no matter what you just might get more
hardened by God or by the by the judgments to fall and you might reject
him and reject him and reject him today is the day of salvation for you don't
wait more importantly that you don't even know if you're gonna make it until
tribulation you could die this afternoon and the Bible says to be absent from the
body is present with the Lord and if you find yourself standing before God today
and you have not been washed clean by the blood of Christ you will stand
there not in salvation you will stand there in judgment receive him today let's
pray father God we thank you Lord for who you are we thank you Lord for what
you've done we thank you Lord for what you're doing and we thank you Lord for
what you're going to do Lord when we study these events that are still to
come during this tribulation period God it's it's it's horrific it's horror on a
scale we can't even imagine but God even then it is a picture of your holiness it
is a picture of the offense that sin is against you Lord it's also a picture of
what you're gonna do in dealing with sin but Lord because we are so consumed in
sin we are gonna fall in that same judgment unless we have confessed to you
as Lord and Savior unless we have been washed clean by the shed blood of Christ
on the cross Lord as you died to atone for our sin unless God we have put our
faith in that and have been adopted in your family and sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise unless God we are yours we will face judgment and God today
is the day of salvation for some and so while we're praying with heads bowed and
eyes closed here in this room and if you're watching online if God has been
speaking to your heart today about your need to receive him as your Lord and
Savior about the truth that you have sin in your life unconfessed sin that
you've broken God's law and this the truth that if you stood before him today
you would be guilty and judgment would fall upon you if that reality is hitting
your heart today and you want to say God forgive me he receives you he will not
turn you away and so while we're praying with heads bowed eyes closed if you want
to receive Jesus today I just want you to raise your hand where you're seated
and say yeah I need to be saved God bless you anybody else God bless you in
the back I see you anybody else got to speak in your heart today about your
need for salvation your need to be saved that you would be able to stand before
God and righteousness and holiness and not in judgment anybody else in this
room just raise your hand up where I could see it if you're watching us online
and God is speaking to you and you know you need to receive Jesus Christ this
morning just let us know in chat I want to receive Jesus anybody else in these
last few minutes all right those who that raised your hand and even if you
didn't for whatever reason but you know you need to be saved I want you to pray
this prayer with me say father God I believe you I trust you I believe that
you are God I believe I have sinned against you I believe because of your
holiness that there is a penalty due on me for breaking your law Lord I see a
picture in your word of the seriousness of sin and Lord I ask that you would
forgive me I ask that you would cleanse me I ask that you would deliver me now
today before this great wrath falls that I would be with you safe forever thank
you for loving me so much that you would adopt me into your family that you would
seal me now with the Holy Spirit that you would call me your own and that I
would be able to stand before you in righteousness help me to live my life
for you today in a way that glorifies you help me to stand for you in this
world today to tell people about you to live for you that others would be saved
as well thank you in Jesus name I pray amen if you receive the Lord today we
have some new believers packets we want to give you guys after service and so
you could come forward or you could go out into the foyer one of our elders
out there will have these for you because we want to help you just start
walking this journey this relationship with God that that is now but we're
gonna close today's service in communion as the body of Christ because communion
is is where we as the redeemed remember our redemption it's where we remember
what Jesus did for us you know Jesus said when he instituted communion he
said do this in remembrance of me do this in remembrance of me and you know
he wanted us to remember that the gospel the good news it was for us it was for
us who who received it it was for us before he received it but now those of
us that have received it we get to experience the blessing of it when we
called out to him in faith we remember that we were saved because of his blood
we remember that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit as his forever having that
guarantee of the inheritance of salvation in heaven being forgiven and
pure clothes in his perfect righteousness delivered from the penalty
of sin forever that's what this moment is and we celebrate communion we
remember that we're able to stand before him not in guilt not in shame but in
glory and so you all should have received one of these cups before he
came in if you did not please raise your hand our elders will walk one down to
you if you're online hopefully you have your communion with you so real quick
on the front of this you'll notice there's two tabs a very thin plastic
tab and a thick one if you'll pull back the thin plastic tab right now to
reveal the cracker here you see this represents the bread when Jesus
instituted communion with his disciples it says he took the bread he gave thanks
to God for it and he broke the bread and he said this is my body which is for you
this bread represents his body and he said take it and do this in remembrance
of me in communion we remember the price of our sin we remember the cost of our
sin we remember the wrath of God on our sin as it fell on him instead of us
that's what we remember Jesus wanted us to remember he said this bread this is
my body it represents my body my sinless body that was given for you
because we need to remember that the wrath of God against sin is is is is
terrible but it didn't fall on us it fell on him the full judgment for your
sin and my sin fell on Jesus Christ he took it willingly so that you and I could
have a relationship with him a saving relationship with him today how
beautiful is that you know there's a judgment that we deserved for breaking
God's law it's a judgment we deserved for violating as well it's the judgment
we're seeing that is going to be poured out into the future on this earth but
because he loved you and me so much he stepped into our place he stepped into
our punishment he suffered our punishment he paid the price that we owed
so that we can obtain salvation now so that in this age of grace in this time
we could be saved from his wrath but when you look at the bread it's it's to
bring to remembrance that he bled he suffered he died so that you could be
forgiven so that through our confession of faith in who he is that we would be
again adopted into his family called children of God and not sufferers of his
wrath to come that's the truth that is the truth of everything that Jesus is
the way to eternal life nothing else will do and we remember that we have
him because of our faith in him let's pray father we thank you God for your
broken body or we know you gave it for us Lord God when we look at what you
suffered in the scourging and the cross and everything your body was was
obliterated Lord and yet even in that you fulfilled the truth of prophetic
scripture that not a bone was broken that God down to the very details of
what you suffered for our sin it's prophetical proof that God you are the
Messiah and that you came once to to be the lamb the atonement for the entire
world Lord but we know you're coming again in in conquering victory but now
as we wait for that time Lord we remember that we are saved only because
of what you did that this price that we could not pay was paid for us that the
penalty that was due was taken by someone else and God we say thank you we
say thank you God that we may live free that we may live forgiven that we may
stand before you in the confidence of our redemption to live for you thank you
God let's partake together
now for those in the room just very carefully pull back the thicker tab it
will reveal the juice here in the cup you know that same moment when Jesus was
instituting communion it says he took the cup and he's told his disciples this
is the new covenant in my blood again we talked about how with Jesus's God's
relationship with Israel he made covenants with them but this was a
covenant that he was making that applied to all of mankind it wasn't the old
covenant in the Jewish system of sacrifice had they had to go back and
constantly offer new sacrifices to cover their sins Jesus said this is a new
covenant that my blood is being shed once for all and so he passed that cup
and he said drink of this cup and do this in remembrance of me because he
wanted us to remember not just the horrible penalty of our sin and the
horrible price that he paid that we'd be forgiven but he wanted us to remember
that on the other side of that we are clean that we have a clean slate an
unblemished record our fellowship with him is completely restored and when God
looks at us through the blood of Christ he sees perfection he sees an
unblemished child of his and it's that is shed blood permanently that state
that is blood permanently purchased for us a people who didn't deserve it a
people who couldn't earn it that were to remember that we were stained by sin
like blood on a white shirt and nothing we could do could wash it away and
really in the big picture of us being sustained by the sim and blamish the
only thing that was really worth doing was to throw us away but God said no I
love you more than that I love you more than that and so as he atoned for our
sin on the cross the stain of our sin was forever purged there is salvation
in no other than Jesus Christ and God's ultimate desires that all would be saved
that's why he shed his blood for all his desires that all would come to know him
and because we have been cleansed by his shed blood yes we are people who eagerly
look forward to his coming the time where we're taken out of this earth to be
with him rescued from his wrath to be with him forever we look forward to that
time clothes with his robes of righteousness and in the meantime how do
we express our gratitude to him both recognizing the horrible price of our
sin but then embracing the truth that we have been washed clean of the stain of
it how are we to live it's in gratitude by loving him first and foremost above
all things by living for him by pursuing obedience by telling others about him
telling everybody we can about the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ
because if we have been washed clean they can be washed clean let's pray
father we're so thankful God for your shed blood God you didn't just take the
wrath for our sin and leave us that way but you changed our hearts you washed us
of the stain you got rid of the blemish Lord that we are pure people because of
you we are redeemed people because of you we're no longer stained we're no
longer under the control of sin we're no longer at the mercy of the devil and
his temptations Lord but we're different we're cleansed and then sealed by the
Holy Spirit God in the life where to live now is to walk in that freedom to
tell people about the freedom and the salvation you offer them Lord to tell
people about the grace and the mercy and the forgiveness that is found in Jesus
Christ that you're not a God who glories in judgment but that your desire is that
all would be saved and that you made the way God we remember that we remember
that salvation that you granted to us through your blood and we say thank you
let's partake together
well father God we we pray Lord is as we learn of you through revelation that we
would be even more motivated than before to tell people about who you are that we
would be people who want to see the gospel of Jesus Christ go forth in this
world that people would be saved Lord saved now yes God we don't want to see
anybody go through this terrible time of judgment and so Lord may we be just
filled with your spirit equipped and empowered to go forth and do your work
to love as you love to extend grace and mercy as you extend it to talk of the
forgiveness and the salvation that we have with everybody that will listen
that your name would be glorified Lord we know this world is dark and we know
it's getting darker and we know we're quickly coming to that time God where
you're gonna say enough on sin but help us to be diligent and redeem the time
now that we would stand in this world before you and before them proclaiming
the white robes that we have and waving those branches of deliverance to help
others find the way to that beautiful place before you and forgiveness we
thank you we love you it's in Jesus name we pray amen let's worship guys