2023 Nov 5th, Sunday Morning Service

Morning will be looking at the second half of Revelation chapter 7 verses 9 through 17 to begin with There's a Great Awakening ahead. There's coming to World Wide Revival, like nothing. This Earth has ever experienced to heard of we've prayed for great revivals and great movies of God's spirit, and we prayed for people families in cities. Nations to come to Christ. It's been the prayer of God's people through the centuries that God would bring a great harvest of Souls and he will one day it will come it will be the greatest movement of God's saving power in terms of sheer numbers that the world has ever known. Now the anticipation of that should not Shock us because God's longs to save 1st Timothy 2:1 through 4 says first of all, then I heard that request prayers in a session and Thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people for kings and all who are in Authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Father who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And 2nd Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness but is patient towards you not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance God is a saving God that is his nature these and many other texts of scripture identify God as a saving God he desires and he plans to save Sinners and that is why Jesus came and so we come to Revelation chapter 7 and we come to a text in which we see God and is saving activity and numbers never seen up to this time a time in the future history. When his most massive saving work will take place in a brief period of years. The fact is the worst of times. It's the worst of time and in human history. It is the day of Satan's full fury. It's the time of the unleashing of demonic power over the face of the Earth. It is the time when the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit has been taken away and send runs absolutely wild. It is the time of terrorizing dictatorship of antichrist of him and his cohort the false prophet and it is the time of the murderous reign of terror that causes people to slaughter each other all over the globe. It is a time of God's unrestrained Fury as the whole world is in golfed in his wrath as he lets loose powerful judgments live destroy men and women, it's time of War famine earthquakes pestilence wild animal destruction and death plagues collapsing universe. A splintering and fracturing of the earth that will kill billions of people and culminate in the time called the day of the Lord. The ultimate Fury of God it is in the middle of all that that God will be who he is the savior saving people in a way and to an extent unknown before and the prayers of all the saints through all of the centuries will be answered. Now the saving work of God in this time. To come will be too full and it's important to remember that it will be it will involve on one hand is real and on the other hand the nations of the world. We know that God has promised to save his real and we are waiting for that day. We are longing for that day and here in Revelation chapter 7. We've already gotten the taste of that in the first date versus we met 144,000 Jews who will be redeemed who will be sealed and protected during the time of tribulation and they will become an evangelist and the preachers of the Gospel that will crisscross the globe and if they're preaching Israel will hear the message of the saving gospel, and eventually they will look on the one whom they've pierced they will be redeemed and a fountain of cleansing will be open to them and their salvation promise. We'll come to past salvation for Israel. Is coming but secondly and this is what is featured in our study today. There is coming salvation to the Gentiles and you know that this too is Promised scripture and because this is rarely ever dealt with I want to spend a few moments looking at it. Let's look at the Book of Genesis and I want to set in your mind the promise of God to the nations of the world for the ultimate time of Salvation. You really Finds Its beginning in the 12th chapter of Genesis with God's promise to a man named Abraham.

Tell the Lord said to Abraham go from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land, which I will show you and I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing and I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you. I will curse and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Now that could have a number of specific fulfillments. It was through them in the Old Testament that Any Nation or any person of another Nation heard the truth because the law and the prophets and the testimonies the covenants all the promises of God were given to the nation of Israel and it was then through the means of Israel as the witness nation that others heard it also has the implications about the Messiah for it was through the nation Israel that ultimately the Messiah came in whom is provided salvation. Not only for Jews but for the Gentiles and then finally, I believe it will be through the witnesses and the testimonies of a converted Israel and certainly in great part the 144,000 Jews, but the rest of the world in the time of tribulation to come hearing the truth of Christ will be saved and so in Israel, they will all be black. So there's a promise there at the very outset of the abrahamic Covenant related to the Salvation of Nations and look at Psalm 67 when I want to show you just briefly a few places in the Psalms to set this in your mind. There is a Psalm of Praise that the Jews would read and sing. It speaks about God's blessing to them verses 1 and 2 God be gracious to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that your way baby known on the earth your salvation among all nations and then down and verse 7 God blesses us so that all the ends of the Earth May fear Him God has designed them to be as witness nation and they were in part and temporarily and then of course they failed and had to be set aside a new people was called out name leave the church, but I believe in the future at the great testimony of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. The Nations will hear and fear the lord and turn to Christ from the very beginning. There was a call to Gentile salvation Psalm 98 be the last song today that we look at although there's other places. You can find it verse 3 sums it up very well. He has remembered his graciousness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the Earth have seen the salvation of our God. In other words. God has put his saving power on display through Israel. In order that we might reach nations of the world. Israel was never ever caught. His people to be an end in themselves. God didn't save them as an end. He save them as a means to reaching the nations of the world and eventually do they failed the first time they will succeed the second time as God converts them sets aside these marvelous Witnesses who preached and the result is a massive Gentile salvation, Isaiah 49 deserves at least a look-in verse 6, he says it is too small a thing that you should be my servants to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a Light of the Nations so that my salvation May reach to the end of the Earth. God's plan with Israel was always to reach the world through them just as when they were set aside. His plan was to reach the world through the church. Joel The Prophet has something to say about this demands our attention. Also Joel 2:28 says it will come about after this that I will pour out my spirit on All Mankind and your sons and your daughters will prophesy and your old men will have dreams your young men will see visions and even on the male and female servants. I will pour out my spirit in those days what you have here is all mankind in the millennial Kingdom and what that means is they have to be redeemed during the time of the tribulation to go into the kingdom because there will be no unbelievers in the Kingdom initially some will be born and reject but there will be Believers from All Mankind going into the kingdom as a spirit of God is poured out on all of them. Matthew 24:14 this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations and then the end will come. So right before the end of the tribulation when the Lord comes back and sets up his kingdom. There will be a worldwide gospel preaching across the face of the earth that is part of the Lord's plan for the. We know as the tribulation God has promised salvation to the Gentile world. When is this going to happen? There are Gentiles coming to Christ all the time. But when is this Massey Revival that's going to sweep Gentiles from across the face of the earth. When is this going to happen? So let's look at Revelation 7 9 through 17

After these things, I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all the tribes peoples and languages standing Before the Throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands and they cried out with a loud voice saying 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 in the four living creatures and they fell on their faces before the throne and worship God saying amen the blessing Glory wisdom Thanksgiving honor power and might Belong To Our God forever and ever I'm in. Then one of the elders responded saying to me these who are closed in the white robes, who are they and where they come from and I said to him my Lord, you know, and he said to me these are the ones who come out of the Great Tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb for this reason. They are Before the Throne of God and they serve him day and night in his Temple and he who sits on the throne will spread his Tabernacle over them. They will no longer hunger nor thirst nor will the sun beat down on them nor any scorching heat for the lamb in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd and will guide them to Springs of Water of Life. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Here we find according to verse 9 a multitude Beyond counting from every nation and all tribes and people and tongues standing Before the Throne and singing about salvation. We're going to meet this group. Let's begin with some key words. It starts out with a description. The description is in first nine and it says after these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all the tribes peoples and languages standing Before the Throne and before the lamb. Now all kinds of suggestions have been offered as to who these people are. Some people say this refers to all the people who have been saved through all the ages. This is just a representative group of all the people who have ever believed in God Old Testament New Testament. Everybody is sort of represented in this group. It's just a symbolic group some of suggested that it represents the spirits of just men made perfect as it says in Hebrews the spirit of saved who are now in heaven awaiting their bodies others say it's the raptured church some believe. It's just the accumulation of all the martyrs through all the ages some of suggested they want you're seeing here is the Millenium a scene of saints and others have said no, it's just a big General symbol of how the Christian faith will ultimately be victorious. What's look at the description and find out who these people are John begins with saying after these things. I looked and I comment on that because that's the kind of she little phrase each time that phrase is there. We have a new vision. So starting here in verse 9. We have a vision that is separate from the one in chapter 7 verses 1 through wait, the phrase is used to mark off a new vision distinct from the previous one and then he says the hold which puts a exclamation in it. It's a starting Vision. Now remember John is in his old age. This is thirty years after the last real Apostolic action, and he is really alone exiled to the island of Patmos and receiving Revelation that late in the century. He knows Gentile churches have been established. He knows that Asia Minor has been evangelize by the Russell Paul, he knows the Timothy and Titus have been working in their respective areas and there have been others who have evangelize the Gentiles but what he sees here is Way Beyond what he could ever imagine the Gentile churches were small and beleaguered and persecuted and a c a massive Gentile multitude singing salvation to our God was a very shocking experience. Now, this is different than the 144,000 and let's look at how they're different. First of all, the number of people here is indefinite. And the number of people in the prior vision is definite 144000. Secondly the tribes of Israel were mentioned there and hear every nation in tribe and people and tongue And they're the people were prepared for perilous persecution here. They are victorious and Beyond any persecution. So it is a distinctive group and a distinctive Vision John sees and he's going to be sending these seven letters to the churches and only two of those churches were faithful five of them were into Senate one level and some of them were even told that they were going to pass out of existence if they didn't shape up John is probably got the worst case scenario in his mind, but on the other hand in spite of the littleness of the church, he sees the massive volume of Gentiles in this Vision what hope that must have put into his heart. He said I saw a large multitude which no man could count. The crowd was too large God knew, but it couldn't be counted. Do they count to the million and none of us three thousand on Pentecost and kept counting and counting in the early years of the church so they could count but not this crowd. This is beyond counting and these people come from every nation all tribes and peoples and tongues now that same for full description peers as you remember earlier in the Book of Revelation. It is a way to identify broadly and comprehensively the people of the world the persecuted Believers fleeing and preaching all over the world the flying angel with the Everlasting gospel the two witnesses the 144,000 or going to be going all over the place preaching the gospel and they're going to ignite a Revival that is going to result in this massive number of people embracing Christ. I suppose we could conclude that the church may not succeed in reaching Every Nation with the tribulation Saints. Will they're going to get a little help the two witnesses who have a miraculous Ministry and are even raised from the dead in front of the whole gaze of the world the Angel flying through the heavens preaching the Everlasting gospel and some Supernatural way the 144,000 who are sealed and protected from any harm doing the same thing and then the persecuted believers who are running everywhere calling people to come to Christ for whom they are willing to die. Now they are further described and look at the end of verse 9 as being clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands. First of all being clothed in white robes gives us some insight into their condition. Now the only other people we see in the Book of Revelation for a dress like that or back in chapter 6 and look at verse 9 when the lamp broke the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar The Souls of those who have been killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained and a white robe was given each of them and we said the sometime back in the first half of the tribulation. There will be persecution people are going to die for the word of God and the testimony that they have maintained a testimony of Christ and hear these Believers are seen and now in chapter 7, we find a similar group here are the people from every tongue and nation and they have why? Robes leave then would be identified with those people in chapter 6 as people who had been identified as Believers and had been martyred not just in the first half as those in chapter 6, but now in the second half and when the martyrdom is even exaggerated as Antichrist has now taken charge of everything and massacres Believers everywhere he can and that shows us a tremendous spiritual Revival that is going to happen even during a time when Christians have to pay the highest price the greatest Revival the world will ever experience will come when the price is the highest it's ever been. So there they are and those white robes are symbols of exultation of righteousness of victory of Celebration and all of those things are related to the wearing of white robes. Now. There's no need to assume the attics Lee had bodies here because we know they don't have actual bodies of this time Revelations chapter 24 says then I saw Thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them and I saw the souls of those who have been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God and those who would not worship the Beast or his image and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands and they came to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years. So up until that time they haven't yet come to life verse five. The rest of the Dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. So they're still waiting for their bodies to come to life that doesn't happen until the time for the initiation of the Kingdom. So here they are just Souls The Souls of those who had been slain second thing about them is they have palm branches in their hands in the palm branch was of course a tree very familiar in that part of the world very useful to those people because all that it provided and whenever there was a time of Joy or a time of Triumph for a time of Celebration palm branches became prominent you remember for example, the tribal people entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is called Palm Sunday because the people were waving Palms in their hands. They Associated Palm with deliverance and celebration enjoy. So here we see them and righteousness and in Victory and in celebration and the celebration not only represented by the white robes with the palm branches in their hands. So the palm branches are waived the Messiah on triumphal entry as if to say here comes the deliver and here again, we see them celebrating their salvation with the symbolic palm branches in their hands A fitting backdrop for the one who delivered them from the world Satan Antichrist death and Hell a word about the location back to verse 9, where are they? It says in the middle of the verse they are standing Before the Throne and before the lamb. Now we know where that is because we've gone through chapter 4 and chapter 5 in the front. The throne is very clearly identified for us chapter 4 verse 1 John says, I looked and behold the door standing open in heaven and the first voice which I had like the sound of a try a trumpet speaking with me said come up here and I'll show you what must have take place after these things immediately. I was in the spirit and behold a throne was standing in heaven. So they are in heaven These Are the souls of these folks who are now in heaven the throne it says right here in 7:9 that they are standing Before the Throne. It is the Throne of God. It's the throne where the lamb is as well and how did they get there? We have to die to get there. They were martyred. 20:4 tells us they were killed because of the testimony of Jesus because of the word of God and because they didn't worship the Beast and they didn't take his Mark as sold their souls left their bodies when their bodies were killed. They died as Martyrs the Saints are in heaven because of death not just Martyrs, but certainly in great measure Martyrs and others who have died of other causes. It's an international crowd. It was so large. It defies counting Victoria's celebrating righteous Saints who have been faithful to the testimony of Jesus and the word of God and are now in the presence of God and his very thrown there now out from under the altar they were under the altar praying that the Lord would take Vengeance. They now seen enough to know he's already done it. So they're no longer under the altar altar interceding there now standing triumphantly Before the Throne they've gotten up come out. Reminder The Altar and they're standing ready to see the Triumph and to receive the resurrected bodies and come back to inherit the Earthly Kingdom of Christ. The third word the first description. The second is location the third word that unlocks this text is action. And what are they doing? Will the answer to that same verse 10, they cried out with a loud voice saying salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb they're worshipping that's what they're doing. Their prayer of intercession has stopped for the moment. They're not pleading how long oh Lord. Are you going to let this stuff go on now that's changed. Now what they're doing is crying out and worship. Joyful exuberance. In fact, it says they cry out with the loud voice. God likes things loud. That's interesting to me, but he does.

And they say salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb just those two words Our God. That's a startling. I mean we look at our world and we get so discouraged don't lie Nation after Nation after Nation rejecting Christ will look over all of Europe where Christianity was. So strong one sometimes of the Reformation we look at Europe and it's dead and little tiny churches are here and there in the great mass of humanity have rejected Jesus Christ in Western Europe. You look at Eastern Europe and has been locked up in communism for decades and now is emerging and trying to find its way as it screams itself through the religions of the world. And you look at Latin America and you see it's steeped in an unbiblical non saving kind of Catholic system. You look at Canada and it's his Pagan as the United States are more indifferent to religion few churches having him packed you look at Asia and it's steeped in all kinds of false religious systems. You look at India and you just keep moving around the globe. And you say where are the believing people you look at Africa the same thing but here is a mass of humanity from everywhere and they're saying salvation to our God. God has become their God and they're now worshiping the God who sits on the throne and they're worshipping the lamb. They've had a change of heart. There are many people who Curse God but there will be many others when this stuff begins to break loose it will turn to the gospel under the judgments that are falling this multitude of people from all over the world are saying salvation to our god that's simply means we give him the credit for our salvation Salvation is the theme of their worship just like it is a virus they have now entered into the fullness of Salvation. They've been delivered from sin and delivered from death and delivered from hell and delivered from Satan there now in the very throne room of God and they're right there in his religious his glorious presence and the presence of the Lamb what we learn here is a the action of Heaven is primarily praise, isn't it? Bakon chapter 5 we saw the 24 Elders along with the four living creatures the four living beings and all the Angelic creatures chimed in and say Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. It's just all praise. They're always singing about salvation and heaven and that's because it's the redeemed and the saved that are doing the singing and by the way, all of the worship in heaven is to be focused on God in the Redeemer 19:10, John falls down to worship an angel in the angel says don't do that. I'm a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus worship. God and over 22:9 John did it again. He fell down at the feet of the Angel and he said don't do that. I'm a fellow servant of yours your brother in the prophets and if those To heed the words of this book worship God all the worship in heaven focuses on God and the lamb we meet them then the group of redeemed and send it souls in the presence of God engaged in worship. Let me introduce just one more word. And that's the word association. I already told you that they have a song hymn of praise very much like the 24 elders, but I want you to notice and verse 11 and all the Angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures and they fell on their faces before the throne and worship God saying amen blessing and glory and wisdom and Thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our god forever and ever amen. Association you must be wonderful to go to heaven and hang around Holy Angels Must be wonderful when you know, what a wretched rotten undeserving Center you are and only by God's grace. Are you there and all of a sudden wake up and be in the presence of Holy Angels standing Before the Throne of God in the Throne of the Lamb. That's classy Association. And that's where these folks find themselves. In fact their very presence and they're very worship elicits the worship of the angels and it says in verse 11 and all the Angels those worshipping celebrating creatures that God designed to praise him or stimulated and they all join and praise after all that's their reason to be we have heard them doing it before they're joining in have they ever experienced salvation No Angels don't experience salvation the ones that Feller damned and can't be saved in the ones that didn't fall aren't lost. They don't need to be saved but they're very curious about salvation because it's something they can't explain in Ephesians 3. We are reminded that the Lord saves the church so that he can make known through the salvation of the church to the rulers and the authorities in the Heavenly places is manifold wisdom. Just saving work they can experience but they're fascinated by it and it puts God's power on display. They have never experienced and never will experience salvation, but they love to praise God for it. And so there is an immense crowd coming into the presence of God wearing Robes of righteousness triumphant Victorious celebrating who spend their time worshipping God with such worship for salvation that it elicits the attended Praise of all the angels all of them. I don't know about you, but that gives me a lot of Hope It's wonderful to know that we struggle along in this life and we have such strong desires and such intense wishes that the gospel Triumph. It makes no sense to me how people can hear the gospel and walk away from a rational standpoint. It's irrational. It is absolute foolishness. And sometimes we Christians do get a martyr complex. Don't we we feel like we're outnumbered and you know, we want to crawl into a little corner and say, oh there's just a few of us were on the losing end of this deal. I thought we were going to be part of the Conquering force. Will the day is coming when by God's grace and his Mercy the gospel will Triumph it will try up across the world and the promise of Salvation to the nations of the earth will come to pass it will be the best of times during the worst of times but that's just like God who in the midst of Wrath remembers Mercy In the midst of judgment remembers Grace, let's pray.

Father God really is good news. Well, the world gets worse and worse and plunges into darkness. In the horror of antichrist Rule and similar run amok and unchecked. It all would seem so Bleak if it weren't for the fact the gospel will reach the farthest corners of the world and you will redeem a people for yourself. Lord help us to remember that the gospel can still try out for the hearts of those who are open. Give us Open Hearts to reach and a teach in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you, and you are dismissed.