"God's People"

At the heart of Revelation the message is to the believers in the seven churches that John is writing too in chapters 2 and 3. The book of Revelation has many things to say about God’s people, and that is why we would consider this a major theme for Revelation. In fact we see many different names for His people throughout this book. The saints, servants, brothers, witnesses, the sealed, 144,000, my people, and the bride. All of these names are descriptions of the people of God. I can say with certainty today, that it is of extreme importance that you know if you are a believer! Ask yourself right now, do I have a personal relationship with the God of this universe?

1. We are called to endure through suffering.

When we take a look around this world, we see that there are a lot of evil things happening. We see people suffering because we see murder, we see hate and racism, we see evil people doing terrible things. And because there is evil and sin in our world this leads to the suffering of God’s people. 2 Timothy 3:12 tell us that, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The world has always hated christians and the church because it has hated Christ and what he stood for. Paul talks about this spiritual warfare that is constantly happening all around us in Ephesians chapter 6. Satan and his demons are in battle with God’s people and because of that we will face suffering and persecution. In their book “Persecuted” The Global Assault on Christians, the authors mention that in all the persecuted groups of people in the world, Christians are the single most persecuted religious group in the world today. But this is exactly what was happening during the time that John is writing to these churches. Listen to what we see in Chapter 2.

Revelation 2:9–10 ESV

“ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

We also see this is Revelation chapter 12.

Revelation 12:17 ESV

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Anyone who reads through the book of Revelation will quickly see that this book shows us believers who stand up for the name of Jesus will face persecution. This is exactly what was happening with the early church as they faced persecution from the Roman government. Many of them even faced death because they believed in the gospel message. (The Lord’s death and His resurrection) Revelation 20:4 tells us that John saw believers who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and the Word of God. Some of you may be facing persecution today from family members or coworkers who ridicule you because of your stand for Jesus. I want to encourage you today to keep persevering. Here is how we know this is exactly what we as God’s people must do. Look with me at chapter 13 and 14.

Revelation 13:10 ESV

If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Revelation 14:12 ESV

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

John wants us to know how important it is for God’s people to stay faithful and endure to the end. Yes, we will have pressure from this world, and Satan. Many of you will struggle to give in to the pleasures of this life, yes we will deal with difficult things in this life, but eventually God’s wrath and judgment will be poured out for those who are wicked. This is why God desires for His people to keep on keeping on. In Revelation 12:17 we see that John shares with us that believers or God’s people are known by keeping the commandments of God. God desires for His people to obey the laws that He has given and continue to persevere. John also tells us in Revelation 16:15, “Those who stay awake and alert till the end will receive the garments of salvation.” Church keep awake, endure to the end. I know that some of you have gone through some terrible things in this life so continue to endure and know that God goes with you into battle.

2. We are guarded by God.

In 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 took off from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Twenty seconds later it crashed and killed 156 people. Only one person survived—a 4-year-old girl named Cecelia from Tempe, Arizona.

How did she make it when everyone else died? Rescuers pieced together what likely happened. Evidently, when the passengers realized they were going to crash, Cecelia’s mother took off her seatbelt, turned around, and got in front of her child. She surrounded her with her body, covering her in her love, guarding her little girl. The mother gave her life for another.

Church, everyday I realize how much God guards His people. But as we look to the book of Revelation we see how this plays out.

Revelation 7:1–8 ESV

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

God guards and protect His people. One thing I need to address here is the fact that we have already seen from Revelation chapter 2 is that God does not prevent His people from suffering. No, believers will suffer and be persecuted this side of heaven. But as Believers endure suffering the most interesting thing is that we should never fear death. The only thing to fear is the wrath of God. We would do good to remember that in this Pandemic church. Someday God’s judgments will come upon this earth and God’s wrath will be unleashed, and that time will be a very scary thing that all will fear!!! In fact Revelation 6:17 asks the question on that day who can stand? The Good News today is that God promises to guard His people by stamping or marking us with His seal. This means that we are His people and nothing can separate us from the Lord. The 144,000 here is again symbolic for all of God’s people down through the ages. This is men and woman, old and young, black and white, Jew and Gentile. The main thing that I want you to understand about all of this is the point that the 144,000 or believers have the name of the Lamb and Father on their foreheads and that means they are His and guarded by Him.

Now along with this text from Revelation chapter 7 we also see something very interesting from Revelation chapter 12 verse 6. Look at this with me.

Revelation 12:6 ESV

and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

So, the woman here in chapter 12 is symbolic of God’s people. And God nourishes her in the wilderness for 1,260 days. The point here is that we need to understand God nourishes, sustains, helps, leads, delivers and preserves us. Think back with me when God delivered His people out of slavery from Egypt. While His people were in the wilderness God nourished them, lead them by fire, delivered them from enemies and guarded them the whole way right into the Promise Land. You may be here today and feel all alone. You may be wondering where God is in difficult times, so that is why I want you to know today that even though you may face persecution and go through suffering you have a God who goes with you through those difficult days. If you are a believer today than you are God’s child.

3. We are to be faithful witnesses.

Revelation 2:13 ESV

“ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

Revelation 11:1–14 ESV

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

During the life of Christ we see an importance of Him training up his faithful men to be a light into the world. Jesus gives His men everything that they need, to go out and bear witness about His name. After the Gospels we see how all of this begins to play out and the church begins to take off. We see a fire in the souls of the apostles to help the lost know about salvation through Jesus. (His life, death, and resurrection.) We now come full circle to the end, and to the book of Revelation. Here in chapter 11 we read about the two witnesses. There has been much written on this subject and there is a lot of controversy on who these witnesses are. There are many who think this is talking about Moses and Elijah. Others think Enoch would be another witness. However most scholars come to view that the two witnesses here actually refer to the church. It is the church’s job just like it was the prophets to speak God’s message about Christ and to also warn people about the judgment that will come for those that refuse Christ. That is why we see these two witnesses referred to as two olive trees and two lampstands. We as God’s people, His church are to shine brightly as a lamp and be witnesses to this lost world.

Revelation 17:6 ESV

And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

Author Scott Duval says, “Today the word ‘martyr’ refers to dying for the cause of Christ. But at the time Revelation was written, the Greek words martyria and martys simply meant witnesses or testimony. This group of words connected in Revelation with Christians dying for their faith.” When I think about these early believers I think about men and women who were so fired up about Jesus that they were telling everyone about what He had done. They were truly faithful witnesses. But what about you and I today? Are we burdened to help others know about Jesus? Do we care for the lost and are we even praying that they would come to know Jesus? Yesterday at Men’s Prayer Breakfast we got to hear about God changing a man’s life. Nate Naverette shared his testimony with our men and one of the things that Nate did not tell our guys is his passion to be a witness for Jesus. He is telling guys at his work about Jesus. He is being a witness. In the Gospels we see what Jesus has to tell us before He leaves earth. Listen to these passages.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 19:10 ESV

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Church, may we have a passion for the lost and be God’s faithful witnesses.

4. We are God’s bride.

One of the fun parts of my job is the joy of officiating weddings. Time and time again I get to watch the guys face when he sees his bride walking down the aisle to meet him at the front of the church. He is excited, nervous and often times in shock. Let me remind you today that if you are a believer than you are part of the bride of Christ. In fact, one of the last chapters of Revelation give us a wonderful hope as believers, a hope that we need to be reminded of. Listen to this.

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

As believers I think that we can get frustrated with all the people in the Bible who were walking well and then were sidetracked by the Devil, especially God’s people the Israelites in the wilderness. But then I am reminded that this is me and I desperately need the Lord and His wonderful forgiveness. I need to be reminded that someday the Lord is going to return and take care of all the wrong in this world and make everything right. He will take away sinful and evil things and there will be this wonderful reunion with His bride, His people. Paul said it this way in Romans 8:18, “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

As we journey through this life and come together each and every week at church I hope that we will see the importance of being a community of believers. We are not to walk alone or all by ourselves in this journey. We were made to live together and hold each other up. God designed His church to be the light of this world and we need each other. Even though we face suffering we can endure with God’s help and protection. We can run to him for guidance and direction and know that He goes with us and that He has overcome the world. My prayer for our church is that we would do our job to be faithful witnesses and see how awesome it truly is the be the bride of Christ.