The Life of a Saint
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
We are embarking on a new series entitled, “The Life of a Saint.” Today, we begin that series in the book of Revelation.
1. The saints of God are many and one in Christ. (vs. 9-12)
1. The saints of God are many and one in Christ. (vs. 9-12)
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
v9. John sees the Great Multitude standing before the throne of God. They are wearing white robes and holding palm branches. This is probably a victory image; the victory, in Christ, is won. So, the whole church, all believers, the redeemed, stand before the throne dressed as a victorious throng.
v10. The shout of the redeemed identifies the one who has secured for them this place of honor.
v11-12. The angels respond to the shout of the redeemed by falling before the Lord, crying out "Amen" and ascribing seven attributes to God.
The phrase after these things introduces a new vision. Yet it is not a completely different vision. Those who were sealed were on earth; the great multitude in the present vision are gathered before the throne and before the Lamb. This is a vision which anticipates the final end; the tribulations of this life are over and God has wiped away every tear from their eyes. The people in the two visions are the same—John is presenting here the reverse side of their fortunes. This is characteristic of John’s writing throughout the Revelation—he proceeds by way of interlocking spirals of material, dealing in much repetition, emphasizing his main points over and over, while he makes slow progress to his final conclusions. The present chapter is a counterpart to 10:1–11:14 which follows the blowing of the sixth trumpet.
2. The saints of God will persevere until the end. (vs. 13-14)
2. The saints of God will persevere until the end. (vs. 13-14)
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
v13. John is now prompted by one of the elders to question "who are they", this "great multitude"?
v14. A twofold answer is given: i] They are those who "have come (and are coming) out of the great tribulation." This tribulation is not just the last great tribulation when evil is fully revealed, rather it includes the past and present tribulation of the church as it constantly facing its struggle against evil. Evil is seemingly the master, but in fact, God is the master, exercising his reign through the suffering community of Christ; ii] They are those who have been redeemed, perfected in Christ, justified on the basis of his death and resurrection.
The innumerable multitude before the throne serves to complete the heavenly assembly in chapters 4 and 5. The white robes represent purity, the badge of martyrdom, and the characteristic of all saints. Palms stand for victory. These are those who had overcome and were enjoying the blessings promised to the seven churches (see 14:1–5; 15:2–4). They raise their song of praise to God and to the Lamb for salvation—for their final salvation, because they had been sealed and protected from apostasy and temptations to waywardness. They are also described as those who come out of great tribulation and who washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. This corresponds to the description of the martyred 144,000. This fact gives them the right to be before the throne of God. They have not washed their robes by themselves alone, but by their faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
3. The saints of God will dwell with God forever. (vs. 15-17)
3. The saints of God will dwell with God forever. (vs. 15-17)
15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
v15. The situation and role of the redeemed in the heavenlies is now described. The place is described as a temple, in the sense of being the sanctuary or dwelling-place of God. In this place the redeemed have access and thus must serve as priests providing access for others. This is possibly what is meant by serving God in the sanctuary. The description is certainly not one of static inactivity. The "tent over them" illustrates the all-protecting presence of God.
v16. The situation is described in the most beautiful of terms. First, a list of negatives gives us an idea of the fulfillment we can expect in the age to come. Does this mean that in the eternal kingdom we will face no times of trouble, that we will be at complete rest and in complete peace? This may well be so, but the descriptives may also reveal to us that we will no longer be at the mercy of our fleshly nature, nor will our material environment slowly break us. In the age to come God's people will no longer be at the mercy of their fleshly limitations, nor the onward rush of circumstance.
v17. On the positive side, Jesus will guide us into the very presence of the Lord God, satisfying us fully with his divine presence and supporting us in our every need.
The great panoply of this chapter consists of more than just additional descriptions of the attendants around the throne as in chapter 4. This is a revelation of the presence of the martyred, blood-washed people in the heavenly Kingdom of God. Further description will be found later (chs. 21 and 22), but at this point one of the elders explains to John the identity of the multitude and their relation to God and to the Lamb. They shall dwell by God’s throne, serving Him in His sanctuary—not as priests but in “spiritual worship” which all may render to Him. He … shall spread his tabernacle over them. This echoes Psalm 23:6: “And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” For the Lamb … shall be their shepherd. They shall no more know hunger or thirst, nor the withering heat of the noonday sun. They who have been sealed with the “seal of the living God” (7:2) are now led beside the fountains of waters of life. And there shall be no more reason for sorrow.
The eternal blessings of the righteous are set in contrast to the plagues and tribulations and martyrdom which they endured while on earth. They are also contrasted to the fate of the great men of earth who are heard to beg for death in preference to facing the wrath of God. There is found here also a contrast between the lovingkindness of God and His great wrath.
It must be said that the Revelation is limited in its picture of God. It reveals the two-sided or twofold attitude of God toward His creation—toward righteousness and toward sin. Obviously these two attitudes could not be the same, or God would not be God as depicted in Scripture prior to John’s time. John apparently saw the need of this portrayal because he believed that the end was near, the parting of the ways was at hand, the final disposition of God’s creation would soon be made, and God’s stance would of necessity be that of Judge of man whereas it had been that of Redeemer. John records no attempt to evangelize the wicked of the earth, those who persecute the Church of Jesus Christ.