Revelation 7:9-12 "He Rules!"

Introduction

When we celebrate Palm Sunday we most often think of it as to how it fits into the narrative of Holy Week.

And certainly we should. Israel was under Roman occupation and the Jewish people were looking for their Messiah.

They were pinning their Messianic hopes on Jesus and this was their day, the coronation of Messiah to bring about their liberation from their political oppressors.

As Christians we know that this original Palm Sunday was a coronation of Jesus as the Messiah, but His death, burial and resurrection proved to establish a Spiritual Kingdom.

And as our text this morning reveals, that the implications of that Spiritual Kingdom dynamic refuse to allow us to be short sighted when it comes to our celebration of Palm Sunday.

Because it calls our attention away from earthly things into the throne room of heaven. And it moves our focus on the temporal things of life and on to the focus on eternity.

And this is revealed in the declarations that are being made before the throne of God. Look at the Declaration of Salvation in verse 9-10:

I. The Declaration of Salvation (9-10).

The Identity of the Multitude.

This multitude that John sees are those who have come out of the great tribulation that has been going on the earth.

These are those who have come out of the church age since the inception of tribulation launched from 70 AD through the time of the second coming.

The multitude is made up of every people group and they are dressed in white and standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

The white robes reflect the purity of God’s imputed righteousness.

But the Scripture tells us here that they have Palm branches in their hands and they are making a declaration: Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

The Understanding of the Multitude.

This tells us that these saints dressed in white have a certain perception. This should sound familiar to us on Palm Sunday.

Because on that original Palm Sunday as Christ rode into Jerusalem there were palm branches being waived and as well as cries for salvation. Heaven appears to have its own version of Palm Sunday.

But in this heavenly celebration that we see here it is not an appeal for salvation but a declaration that Salvation itself is rooted in God and the Lamb of God.

But it is not just those who are dressed in white who are making declarations. Look at verses 11-12:

II. The Declaration of Supremacy (11-12).

These are the Angels who are gathered around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures.

We know from other text that the elders bow before Him and cast their crowns before Him. These are most probably the Apostles and select Old Testament Saints. The four living creatures are depictions representing all of created animals of earthly existence. These creatures exist to worship God. That is their purpose and the very reason for their having been created.

Even though the elders and the four creatures are present they don’t seem to be at this moment to be joining in this declaration of God’s Supremacy.

But all the Angels appear to me moved by the declaration of salvation made by the palm waving saints dressed in white in the throne room of God and they fall on their faces.

And the declaration they make is minimized in the way it is translated in the ESV. The emphasis is missing.

Literally it is “the Blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the might be to our God.”

The point is that they are emphasizing these characteristics is they find the totality of their fullness in God alone.

And there are eternal implications, forever and ever. Certainly this takes the cries of Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! on that original Palm Sunday and extends it to the glory of the cosmic level.

As a matter of fact you could take the prophecies in the OT regarding Palm Sunday and connect it through the fulfillment in Christ and it will launch you focus to the ultimate glory of eternity.

This eternal reality is where our faith must direct our hope even as we live our lives in the world.

III. The Application

But Christian it is so easy for us to focus on the temporal because this is where we live and we experience most of our problems in this world. We think Palm Sunday and its implications may be nice theology but how does it have any baring on what really matters in the practical aspects of life.

We have real issues in this world to contend with. Work is stressful and we experience tension in relationships. The kids are bouncing off of the ceiling. There are financial pressures and the culture war doesn’t seem like it is going away anytime soon. The political world is upside down and the test results are not saying what I hoped they would.

Those are the things that we often want our Christianity to address and we use them to determine the relevancy of our Christian faith based on how applicable it is to those immediate felt needs that we experience.

I have found that the evil one never hinders me from weighing the relevancy of my Christian faith against the backdrop of my perception of the felt needs of my life.

The reason this is true is because my perception of what is ultimately good for me long term is so easily distorted by the fickle nature of my flesh.

Palm Sunday teaches us this because the felt need of deliverance from Roman occupation was the felt need of the people.

But God’s intention was death on a Cross. All the people could see was short term, but God saw and empty tomb with the exalted Christ seated at the Father’s right hand. God saw His redeemed around His throne dressed in white secure in His salvation waving palm branches.

Christian it is going to take a high and exalted view of Christ to sustain you in this world. Because that is who He is and we are called to live in light of our sovereign King who rules and reigns on high over all things.

We don’t think such theological propositions are relevant because it they are concept that we find hard translating into practical benefit for our lives.

Christian when your immediate felt need expectations are not met by God in this life, ask yourself this question: How is God using these events, trials, tribulations and tensions that I am experiencing for my sanctification and His ultimate glory? And then pray for the answer.

But in order to do that you have to be serious about sanctification in your life. If you aren’t, you will never ask the question nor will you pray for God to show you the answer. Some things are obvious.

Parents who get upset and stressed out with their disobedient and unruly children maybe should do inventory on how seriously they take their own sanctification before their heavenly Father who rules on the throne of heaven.

Husband who’s wife fails to lovingly submit may want to do inventory with his own submission to the one who rules over heaven and earth. And maybe start by examining how he loves his wife sacrificially like Christ does His Church.

Stressed out at work? Maybe a greater vision of the sovereignty of your God as being your ultimate source and strength for your life.

Conclusion:

We know these things. But without dependence on God as our source and strength faith will fall back to self-reliance every time.

Christian I find my pride stands ready even in the subtle twist and perverting of spiritual truths. I fall in to the idea of mastering and using the Holy Spirit instead of the Holy Spirit mastering and using me.

Self lurks around every corner. Only a Sovereign Lord who is high and lifted up, seated on His throne, holding the key of life and death can handle my sin.

And oh Christian, how he has conquered it and keeps me in spite of the battle with it. Confess it to Him and rest in His provision of grace to you.

Unbeliever, the Jesus of the Bible is not a wimpy Jesus. He is triumphant and victorious over the grave and He rules sovereignly over the affairs of men.

And he can handle anything you got. You need a saviour.

Let’s Pray!