When We All Get To Heaven

INTRODUCTION

If you have your Bibles you can open them to Revelation 7. We’ve been working through the book of Revelation as a church. If this is your first time to Broadview this is how we typically do church. We work line by line, passage by passage through entire books of the Bible.

The past two weeks in the book of Revelation have been like drinking from a fire hydrant in many ways and so today we’re going to change the pace and focus on a few powerful verses in the middle of Revelation 7.

If you’re new the the Bible or the book of Revelation let me orient you to where we are.

Birds Eye View

Revelation is the last book of the NT and describes the final events that take place on the earth before Jesus comes again.

It’s an apocalyptic book which means it uses imagery, symbolism and metaphor to communicate. Think of it as literal truth being communicated in a non-literal ways.

In Revelation 4 John is caught up to heaven and paints this powerful picture of what he sees. Bright lights, a throne, an angelic host and four beast like creatures. There are 24 elders that surround the throne and they are all worshipping the one seated on the throne.

In Revelation 5 Jesus is presented as the lion from the tribe of Judah and the lamb who was slain. He is the ONLY ONE worthy to break the seals and open the scroll.

For the past few weeks we’ve been focused on that scroll and those seals. We don’t have time to go into detail but you can basically think of the scroll as the future plan of God for the end of the world and the seals as particular events that take place on the earth before those future plans are brought about.

Birth Pains and You

That’s what Revelation 6 is all about. You’ve got four horsemen who bring great trouble to the earth. Jesus describes these events at birth pains in Matthew 24.

Peace and prosperity are taken from the earth and replaced by war, poverty, famine persecution and death. The difficulty of these days will be unmatched to any other time period of human history.

These days will require patience and endurance from God’s people. We will need faith that is robust enough to withstand the pressure campaign that will come to renounce Christ and his Word. Our love for Jesus will be tested and many will fall way and be exposed as false believers.

TEXT AND CONTEXT

Revelation 6 closes with the sixth seal which consists of cosmic signs and wonders that announce the up and coming outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth.

When we begin Revelation 7 you expect to see the 7th seal broken and the scroll unrolled. Instead you get a break/parenthesis.

You might think of this section as John “filling in the gaps” of what’s happening during the breaking of the seals but from a different perspective. Namely, John is filling in the gaps from a heavenly perspective.

That’s what a parenthesis is. It’s a para thesis. A thesis that comes alongside to fill in more details about the main thesis. This parenthesis has three main scenes.

Revelation 7:1-3 gives us the first scene.

You have a group of angels who are holding back calamity on the earth. They are instructed by an archangel 3 “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.””

The sealing of those servants takes place in Revelation 7:4-8

Revelation 7:4–8 (CSB)

4 And I heard the number of the sealed:

144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites:

5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah,

12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,

12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,

12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,

12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,

12,000 from the tribe of Levi,

12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,

12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,

12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.

So we see here a remnant of Israel; namely, 144,000 from 12 different tribes.

The listing of the 12 tribes is different here than in other places in the OT and of most interesting significance is the listing of Judah first.

After John sees the sealing of the 144,000 he turns and see another vision but this time it’s of a vast multitude.

There are people from every tribe, tongue and language and they’re gathered around the throne giving worship to the lamb who was slain.

Revelation 7:9–17 (CSB)

9 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. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

Salvation belongs to our God,

who is seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb!

11 All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and strength

be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.”

Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They 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 they serve him day and night in his temple.

The one seated on the throne will shelter them:

16 They will no longer hunger;

they will no longer thirst;

the sun will no longer strike them,

nor will any scorching heat.

17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne

will shepherd them;

he will guide them to springs of the waters of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

A STRATEGIC DECISION:

This is obviously a lengthy passage and we could spend weeks diving into each little detail. But I want to examine it from a birds eye view this morning.

A remnant of Israel placed alongside the innumerable multitude in heaven powerfully illustrates the redemptive plan of God from the very beginning. A plan that began in Genesis and culminates here in Revelation.

The placing of the 144,000 Israelites next to the vast multitude from every tribe and nation is a strategic decision by John to highlight this theme.

Why does John place them side by side in this way? It has confused many commentators and created lots of debate and controversy.

Some think these two groups are the same people looked at from two different perspectives.

Some think the 144,000 are Israelites and the second group is all believers in heaven.

I think this is the Apostle John doing a little “biblical theology” and it’s a powerful reminder for us not only of what God’s redemptive plan is but also our part in it.

However, before we make that connection we need to better understand each group.

The Identity of the 144,000

First let’s talk about the 144K. These eight verses have been the seed bed of GREAT debate (but after the last two weeks I didn’t think it wise for us to go into today.)

Personally, I think this reference to 144,000 people from the 12 tribes of Israel is a reference to actual Jewish believers.

Whether they become believers the moment they are sealed or whether they become believers throughout the years of the Great Tribulation, I’m not sure.

But I believe it’s a clear reference to Jewish people otherwise John would’ve have gone into detail about the tribes they come from and so forth.

The fact that they are sealed signifies God’s ownership and protection.

How Many Are There?

A question people often ask is will there literally be 144,000? Will they literally come from these 12 tribes? Are the tribes even traceable anymore given the destruction of all the birth records/genealogies?

I’m not sure I can say that definitively. Remember John uses a lot of these numbers symbolically. Historically the number 12 has been used in reference to the people of God.

You’ve got the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of Jesus.

You have the 24 elders in Revelation 4-5 which seems to add the 12 OT people with the 12 NT people - therefore it symbolically references the entire covenant people of God both OT and NT.

When it comes to 144,000 it is 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10. Therefore it’s entirely possible to see John using this number to speak about the totality of a definite number of Jewish believers from the 12 tribes of Israel.

So it may be more than 144,000 or it may be less than 144,000 it may be exactly 144,000. I’m not sure.

When Are They Saved?

When do they become believers? I can’t prove this but I personally believe they are going to get converted sometime during or after the sixth seal. We know that everybody on the earth is going to know the judgment that’s coming is coming from Jesus (the wrath of the Lamb.)

The signs of the sun going black, moon turning to blood, earth quakes, stars falling from the sky and so on were mentioned over and over again in the OT.

Every Jew knows what the Day of the Lord IS, what it is proceeded by and who brings it about. When these Jews see Jesus is the one ushering in the great and terrible day of the Lord then they are immediately going to repent and believe.

They’ll mourn as they look on him who they pierced but they’ll also believe. The hardening of their hearts that is so prevalent right now will finally be broken as their faith is made sight.

Are they sealed before that event or after that event? Text doesn’t say. Could be at the beginning. Could be after the 6th seal. Not sure it makes much of a difference. The point is the seal signifies God’s protection and God’s ownership.

Bright Light in the Darkest Night

Whatever you believe about the particulars of this group of people. There’s a point of application when it comes to the relationship between trials, tribulation and the redemptive plan of God.

The point is this: God can redeem even the worst kind of tribulation.

God is advancing his redemptive plans even as satan rages and the world burns.

The Antichrist and the forces of evil in Revelation 6 make things look dark and depressing and like there’s no hope for the future. But Revelation 7 is a reminder that even in the darkest night God’s light will shine.

In fact, the darker the night the brighter the light.

Two Purposes In Pain

The Lord is able to redeem even the worst kinds of pain and suffering. The world has been broken because of sin and sometimes we suffer because of God’s judgment on that sin. But even as he wounds he heals.

You can find meaning and purpose in your pain and suffering because it’s not JUST about God’s judgment on sin. Trials and tribulations are also a place from which redemption can come.

Some of the worst evils on this earth have been used by God to bring about great redemption. (cross of Christ as the greatest example)

Beauty from ashes. A garment of praise from heaviness. It’s a resounding theme in both OT and NT.

So in the dark night of your soul do not despair as though God is entirely distant or indifferent to your pain. He is not. He does not waste a single hurt. He is able to work all things together for good. Don’t discount the dark days because the light of Christ still shines.

The Great Multitude

Now that we’ve established the identity of these 144,000. Let’s talk quickly about the identity of this great multitude. We spend some time on this last week so we won’t belabor the point here.

Revelation 7:9 (CSB)

9 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.

Last week I argued that this is a picture of the church: resurrected and raptured out of the Great Tribulation. I say that for at least three reasons.

They have white robes similar to those given to the Christian martyrs in seal #5. They are not holding them (as then) but wearing them. They are standing. These are embodied people.

They are distinct and separate from the 24 elders, the heavenly host of angels and the four living creatures. They sing a different song because they are a distinct group.

They come out of the Great Tribulation. I think this is a reference to the rapture. After the cosmic signs and wonders and before the outpouring of God’s wrath I think the Bible teaches the church will be raptured and protected from the wrath of God.

If this IS a reference to the Church then why does John mention them directly after his discussion about sealing these 144,000 Jewish believers from the 12 tribes of Israel?

I think John is actually pulling this imagery from the book of Genesis. Let’s call it “the Abraham Connection.”

MAKING CONNECTIONS

This is a connection that was made all the way back in Genesis 12 and God’s promise to Abraham. Abraham was given a promise that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

In other words, there would be people - A VAST MULTITUDE - from every tribe tongue and nation that would be blessed because of the blessing that God decided to pour out on Abraham and his seed.

If you’re not big into your Old Testament then this might’ve flown right over your head but the Bible is a SINGLE story of redemption. There's a scarlet thread holding both OT and NT together and it is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me show you.

The Promise to Abraham

In Genesis 11 the people of the earth try and build the tower of Babel and God scatters the nations and confuses their languages.

Then in Genesis 12 you have God selecting Abraham from all the peoples of the earth to give a special blessing and promise.

He tells Abram to leave his land and go to a new land that God would show him. He promises him this in Genesis 12:2-3

Genesis 12:2–3 (CSB)

I will make you into a great nation,

I will bless you,

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,

and all the peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.

So the innumerable multitude in Revelation 7:9 is first mentioned in God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:2-3. Through God’s blessing to Abram, all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.

Notice the promise.

“I’m going to bless you and make you into a great nation and through that blessing all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.”

In other words,

“Abraham, you’ve been blessed to be a blessing. A conduit of blessing from God to every nation on earth.”

Friction and Promise

Abram obeys God and begins traveling to this new land. He runs into a little friction at one point in the journey but God reminds him of the promise again in Genesis 13:16

Genesis 13:16 (CSB)

16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.

That’s a lot of offspring! Obviously nobody could count the dust of the earth so the vision is of a multitude that nobody could count.

This language is exactly what we see in Revelation 7:9.

You get to Genesis 15 and Abraham still has no children. All he has is a promise. So he assumes his servant Eliezer of Damascus will be his heir.

But God reminds him again.

Genesis 15:4–5 (CSB)

4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

I don’t know the last time you looked up at the stars but there’s a bunch of them. 400 Billion in the milky way galaxy alone!

How in the world would the promise to Abraham make him a Father to that many descendents? Well that’s exactly what we see in Revelation 7.

As Abram grows older the friction between the promise of God and the reality of his situation grows. He tries taking matters into his own hands but all it does is cause problems within his household.

He’s 99 years old still with no child of his own but God reminds Abram of his promise:

Genesis 17:4–6 (CSB)

“As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.

Notice the language? Remember, I want you to notice a connection between God’s promise to Abraham and the innumerable multitude in Revelation 7.

Genesis 12:2-3 - “Though you all the peoples of the earth will be blessed”

Genesis 13:16 - “Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth...”

Genesis 15:4-5 - “Your offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky...”

Genesis 17:4-5 - “You will be the father of ‘many nations...’”

Genesis 17:6 - “You will be extremely fruitful…nations and kings will come from you...”

Extremely fruitful, numerous as the stars in the sky, numerous as the grains of sand on a sea shore. All of this parallels with John’s vision of a vast multitude in Rev 7:9.

The Promise to Isaac & Jacob

Abraham is finally given a son betwen him and his wife and he names that child Isaac. He’s 100 years old and has one son to his name. (not a vast multitude).

You probably have heard the story of Abraham and Issac how God asked Abraham to take his beloved son and offer him up as a sacrifice to the Lord. (God’s provision to Abraham’s faith foreshadows the person and work of Christ on the cross.)

After that event God reminds Abraham of the promise one more time. You see all the images brought together in one verse.

Genesis 22:17–18 (CSB)

17 I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies. 18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

The Torch is Passed

After that test of faith Isaac grows up and gets married. Sarah (Abraham’s wife) dies, Abraham remarries and has several other children but none of those children have the covenant promise passed on to them.

The promised is passed down but only to Issac, the son of Abraham and Sarah.

Genesis 26:4 (CSB)

4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,

Isaac has a son and his name is Jacob. The promise God gave to Abraham and Isaac he then gives to Jacob (Israel). Genesis 28:14

Genesis 28:14 (CSB)

14 Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Through many trials and tribulations Jacob eventually gets married, has children and wrestles with God about his purpose in life.

God changes Jacob’s name to Israel and renews the covenant promise that had been given to his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham.

Genesis 35:11 (CSB)

11 God also said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you.

And Jacob is fruitful and he does multiply. He has sons with Leah and Rachel that pretty much match the 12 tribes mentioned in Rev 7:4-8.

The Lion of Judah

One of those sons is a boy name Judah. Judah is the FIRST tribe mentioned in Revelation 7.

Judah is also the tribe in which Jesus finds his lineage. He is the Lion from the tribe of Judah.

As Jacob is dying he pronounces a blessing on all of his children. Notice what he says to Judah.

Genesis 49:8–10 (CSB)

8 Judah, your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down to you.

9 Judah is a young lion—

my son, you return from the kill.

He crouches; he lies down like a lion

or a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah

or the staff from between his feet

until he whose right it is comes

and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.

We saw in Revelation 5 Jesus was the Lion from the tribe of?! Judah. He is the one to whom all obedience belongs

If we kept reading you would see more and more parallels to the description of Jesus in the book of Revelation. This is forming John’s vision of Jesus in the apocalypse.

Fulfillment in Christ

Jesus Christ is fulfillment of the covenant made to Abraham. He is the seed through whom all the nations of the earth are blessed and he is the one given all rule authority dominion and power.

The promise passes from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah until eventually it is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Gen 13:16; 15:4-5; 17:4-6; 22:17-18; 26:4; 28:14; Gen 35:11; 48:8-10)

More than that, all those who are IN CHRIST are not only heirs to God’s blessing but also heirs to God’s mission to be a light to the nations and a conduit of God’s blessing.

Therein lies the connection between God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis and the description of God’s people sealed and protected in Revelation 7.

Isaiah 49 Connection

There’s one more Old Testament thread that I want to show you that connects with this vision of God’s people in Revelation 7.

It’s Isaiah 49. It’s a passage about God using this special servant to bring the people of Israel back to God.

But then the job expands not just to be a blessing to Israel but also to the nations of the earth. So again God blesses us so that we might be a blessing to others.

Isaiah 49:6 (CSB)

6 he says,

“It is not enough for you to be my servant

raising up the tribes of Jacob

and restoring the protected ones of Israel.

I will also make you a light for the nations,

to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

The rest of the chapter goes on to describe the salvation that this Messiah will bring. The language matches that of Revelation 7.

Isaiah 49:10 (CSB)

10 They will not hunger or thirst,

the scorching heat or sun will not strike them;

for their compassionate one will guide them,

and lead them to springs.

In my view, Isaiah 49 is pointing to the Messiah. He is the seed of Abraham through whom all the nations of the earth have been blessed.

But Jesus taught that we are united in him by faith. So all of his blessings are our blessings and God’s purpose for him becomes God’s purpose for us.

So the Lord is saying to US his covenant people, “I’m going to bless you so that all the nations might receive my blessing through you. You are blessed to be a blessing.”

Already Not Yet Blessings

What is the blessing we receive in Christ? We no longer hunger, we no longer thirst, we are no longer scorched by the heat and struck by the sun.

This is not just speaking about physical provision that we will have in Jesus when we all get to heaven. It’s talking about a spiritual provision we can have as his kingdom citizens RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT NOW we can be shepherded by the Lord Jesus.

RIGHT NOW we can stop feeding that insatiable appetite trying to find meaning and purpose in drugs, sex or whatever else.

RIGHT NOW we can rest under the shelter of Almighty God.

RIGHT NOW we can receive the comfort that comes from a great high priest who has been tempted in every way that we are yet without sin.

Look at how John describes the blessing in Revelation 7:17

Revelation 7:17 (CSB)

17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne

will shepherd them;

he will guide them to springs of the waters of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

CONCLUSION

What’s the point of application? Well one obvious point is to worship Christ for the great blessing of salvation we have in him. One day we will receive the fullness of these promises when we all get to heaven.

But Revelation 7 hasn’t happened yet. That means we’re left here on earth for a reason. God’s MO hasn’t changed. The central theme of the Bible is still the central plan of God when it comes to redemption.

God has not changed his mind about what his covenant people should be about. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We have been called out of darkness into his marvelous light so that we might declare the excellencies of the Christ who saves!

Don’t Miss The Heart of God

Do we share the heart of God to bless the nations with salvation that is in the Lord Jesus Christ?

The OT people of God kept missing this. They would take the blessings of God and hoard them for themselves.

Even the NT people of God failed to capture this. They were prone to enjoy God’s blessing for themselves but not as excited about doing the hard work of making it known to those who haven’t heard.

It took somebody like Saul of Tarsus and some unnamed disciples on a road trip to Antioch to finally capture the missionary heart of God.

We cannot disconnect the blessings of God from the mission of God. God didn’t make a mission for his people. God made a people for his mission!

We are an Acts 1:8 church. That means we want to be a church that embraces the mission of God to be a witness for him to every person in every place. Even the hard to reach places.

Let us NOT do what the people of God have historically done. Let your light shine in the darkness.

Let this vision of a people from every tribe tongue and nation be the fuel in your engine to pray diligently, give sacrificially and go courageously to the ends of the earth.

We’ve been sealed and protected by the Holy Spirit. Will you commit to being a light to the nations so that the people who populate this vast multitude will be who God intends them to be.