“Worth it All in the End”
(Revelation 7:1-12)
Series: Understanding The Book Of Revelation
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church, Henderson KY
8-27-06 (AM)
- Please open your Bibles to Revelation, chapter 7.
While you’re turning there let me remind you that in our evening service tonight at six o’clock, I’ll be bringing a message entitled, “Wisdom about Alcohol.” We have been conducting a survey of the Book of Proverbs. And we’ve been learning about a lot of practical issues such as family, work, gossip, temptation, laziness, and now tonight: alcohol. Do you know what the Bible teaches about alcohol? Are you aware of some of the arguments used to defend drinking alcohol today?
I remember when I spoke at the meeting before the mayor and the city commissioners back during the debate over expanding alcohol sales on Sunday. It was my opinion that the legislation was being rushed through without giving enough careful reflection upon the harmful effects of expanding alcohol sales. And there was more than one person at those meetings defending the use of alcohol. One commissioner even subjected those present to something of a mini-diatribe or “sermonette,” reminding everyone how Jesus had changed water into wine, for example.
Well, how do you respond to an argument like that? I didn’t get the chance, of course. I wasn’t invited to redirect and refute such reasoning and it’s probably just as well. The issue seemed already decided. But we’ll get a chance to deal with the topic tonight and I look forward to our discussion.
For now, we are continuing our morning series of messages through the Book of Revelation. We are in the part of the book that concerns future events. Chapter 6 described for us certain events that would take place during the time of Great Tribulation upon the earth. Chapter 6 ends by describing the cataclysmic events to occur when Jesus returns and we hear the unbelievers crying out, “The great day of His wrath has come; who is able to stand?” Chapter 7 is the answer to that question. We read in chapter 7 about those who are able to stand when the Lord returns. While we will treat all of chapter 7, we’ll read now just the first three verses to get us started.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
1After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
- Pray.
Introduction:
I suppose we could sum up the main point of the entire Book of Revelation with a paraphrase of its main point and the main point is: “Hang in there.” Hang in there. God is in control. He has a perfect plan. He is guiding the events of history to fulfill that perfect plan. So hang in there.
Michele and I were blessed last night to listen to a singing of the group, Gloryland, a group made up of a few of our members, Johnny Mays, Gene and Cara Stinson. One of the songs they sang is the song, “Through it All.” The lyrics remind us of God’s guiding hand in our lives: Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.”
Chapter 7 is a reminder that receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and then living for Him will be worth it all in the end. He is guiding us “through it all.” And what we see here in these verses are at least four major blessings of the Lord. First, we see:
I. The Blessing of His Sovereign Protection (1-3)
Chapter 6 details the coming of the Great Tribulation upon the unbelievers of the earth. It tells of the coming of the “four horsemen of the apocalypse,” how God is going to allow man to get what he wants. And the result will be war, famine, pestilence and death upon the land. But before God allows this judgment to come, we see the working of His sovereign protection.
1After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth (an idiom for the four directions: north, south, east, west), holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
We see God sovereignly holding back His judgment. Before the four winds of judgment blow upon the earth, God steps in and exerts His sovereign protection.
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
So there are four angels getting ready to allow the four winds of judgment to blow upon the earth and God steps in and pauses the action. Then we see another angel coming from the east—the direction from which comes the blessing of sunshine—and he has in his hand “the seal of the living God.” A king’s seal was used to denote ownership. The seal here may be like the king’s signet ring, a ring impressed into hot wax, denoting the king’s “stamp of approval” and “ownership” of a thing. Here we read that God’s seal is marked upon a people. The fifth angel who appears says, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
More about that in a moment, but for now I want us to simply note the blessing of God’s sovereign protection. These verses remind us that God is in control of every single detail of history. This doctrinal truth encourages me like no other.
I was thinking the other day about a time I was in the fourth grade. There was a bully in my class by the name of Arnold Arlinbaugh. That just sounds like a bully’s name, doesn’t it?! Arnold Arlinbaugh. Arnold was one of those guys who was just bigger than life. Bigger and taller than anyone else. Seemed to me like maybe he was already shaving, you know. Just a big, mean, dude. And I don’t recall why he got so angry with me on the playground one day, but I remember his just coming over to me and throwing punches in my face. Left, right, left. And as I’m taking these blows to the chin I see a teacher over here watching this but too scared to do anything. Man, everyone was scared of Arnold Arlinbaugh! But it’s the strangest thing—I remember when he hit me with that first left cross to my face, I remember being surprised and thinking, “Hey, that didn’t really hurt.” I don’t know whether it was the surge of adrenalin or what, but I was so surprised that the words just came out of my mouth: “That didn’t hurt.” Of course, saying that out loud in front of Arnold didn’t help my situation any. I remember his saying something like, “Oh, yeah?! Well, how about this and this,” and he threw the punches. I must have looked like Rocky Balboa standing there like a rag doll, taking these punches to the face. Later on I was so angry with Arnold, but I remember at the time just being absolutely surprised by what a punching I could take. It’s like there was this mysterious, strengthening power within me, sustaining me through it all.
You know we get beat up a lot in this world. The outworking of sin is all around us. Tragedy comes to us in many forms: sickness, job loss, financial strain, people problems and worry. But God has promised to be with us and to work out a perfect plan for every single one of us. Nothing escapes His notice and He demonstrates His sovereign protection over our lives by allowing us to suffer only what He knows we can handle by the help of His grace. So when you’re taking hits from the bullies of life’s challenges, remember the blessing of God’s sovereign protection. He’s there, empowering you, guiding you for His glory. The blessing of His sovereign protection. Secondly, see:
II. The Blessing of His Sealed Possession (4-8)
In verses 4-8 we read of the people who receive God’s special seal of possession and ownership.
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Then we read of the 12 tribes: Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and so forth. 12,000 each for a total of 144,000. It’s interesting how people have interpreted this 144,000. For years, the Jehovah’s Witnesses said it referred to them. They were the 144,000. I think they now believe it is a number that refers to their leadership. There are many good scholars who believe the number symbolizes the church.
I think it’s best, however, to take this text as straight-forwardly as possible. John tells us that these 144,000 people are Israelites. He identifies them as “servants of God” who are “one hundred forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” I think we have to conclude, then, that the 144,000 are Israelites who will receive the blessing of God’s seal during the time of Tribulation. It suggests that they will be specially protected by God and used of God during this time.
Some scholars believe the 144,000 Israelites are Jewish evangelists who will share the gospel during the tribulation period. That may be true, but the text doesn’t explicitly say that. In fact, we don’t read of that anywhere in the Book of Revelation. We do read, however, in the Gospels that the “gospel must first be preached to all the nations” (Mark 13:10) before the end comes. So it is at least a possibility that these 144,000 will be used of God in this way.
It may be that the number 144,000 is to be understood as a general number that symbolizes the entire nation of Israel. The nation of Israel had 12 tribes. The 12 tribes were represented by 12 precious stones worn on the breastplate of the High Priest. The 12 loaves of showbread in the Old Testament tabernacle also signified the nation of Israel. We will read later in the Book of Revelation that the New Jerusalem has 12 gates, with each of the gates bearing one of the names of the 12 tribes. So given the way numbers are used symbolically in Revelation, it may be that 144,000 is a general number to symbolize the entire nation of Israel during the time of Tribulation. On the other hand, the number may refer to a specific Jewish remnant of 144,000 Jews. These Jews may become followers of Jesus Christ either during the Tribulation period or immediately after the Tribulation, just prior to entering the millennium.
Whether the 144,000 is a general number to symbolize the entire nation of Israel during the Tribulation or a specific remnant of Jews we cannot say for certain. Another thing about which we cannot be dogmatic is whether these 144,000 become followers of Christ during the Tribulation period or immediately after the Tribulation period, just prior to the millennium. If the latter scenario is correct, these Israelites trust Christ when He returns at the second coming. In this case they will enter into the millennium with non-glorified bodies. If the former scenario is correct and these 144,000 become Christians during the Tribulation, then they will enter into the Tribulation with glorified bodies. More about that later!
In any event, these Israelites receive the blessing of God’s sealed possession. Israel is, and will forever be, a special people chosen of God. God gave Israel an unconditional promise in Jeremiah 31:35-37:
35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): 36 “If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever.” 37 Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD.
God promises to forever bless the nation of Israel. That’s why Israel is always in the news. That’s why Israel cannot be annihilated. As one S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. puts it, “Pharaoh tried to drown the children of Israel and they would not drown. Nebuchadnezzar tried to burn them and they would not burn. Haman tried to hang them and they would not hang.” Each person failed in his attempt to annihilate the Jews. We could add others; Hitler for example, and every Muslim who understands the Koran as teaching that all Israel must be killed will fail also. Someone said, “The history of Israel is the history of a miracle and the miracle of history.”
The Bible teaches in Romans 11 that Israel is now experiencing a blindness, a hardness of heart. But when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, the nation of Israel, those living during Christ’s return, will look upon the One who was pierced for their sins and they will be saved.
We see the blessing of God’s sovereign protection, His sealed possession, and now:
III. The Blessing of His Saved Procession (9-14)
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues (not just people from Henderson, not just people from America, not just white people, but people of all races from all over the world), standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
John gives us a vision here of all the Christians who have come out of the Great Tribulation, saints who have given their lives as martyrs for the Lord Jesus Christ. They are God’s saved procession. They are there around the throne, dressed in white robes, which signify the purity and victory of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have (verse 14) “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.”
I ask again along with the hymn writer, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
This leads naturally to the final blessing. We see also:
IV. The Blessing of His Supreme Provision (15-17)
What we read of these Christians who have died during the Tribulation time teaches us what lies in store for every Christian:
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
In heaven we’ll not be sitting on a cloud with a harp in our hands. That sounds boring to me. We’ll be doing stuff. We’ll be in the presence of God Himself, finding our greatest joy in serving Him. Look at God’s supreme provision for Christians. Whatever we’ve been deprived of here because of this fallen world, we’ll be provided for there. In fact, it may be better to say: whatever need we have here is a need removed there.
16 “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Talk about it being “worth it all in the end!” The blessing of God’s supreme provision. Whatever trials we encounter here, God will remove completely there. There will be no more suffering. The Great God Himself will take His strong, loving hand and wipe away every tear from our eyes! Praise His holy name.
Conclusion / Invitation:
I read a story recently from the sermon of Dr. Danny Akin. I had read it before in a correspondence I received in an email sometime ago. I think it fitly illustrates how receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and living for Him in this world is worth everything:
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in “the room.” There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “Girls I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one, and ashamed at some of my comments and thoughts recorded on each. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the thoughts and actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match.
A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me and I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories, others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I Have Betrayed.”
The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I Have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed At.” Some were hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger,” “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.” I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes there were fewer than I hoped.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my brief life to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.
When I pulled out the file marked “Songs I Have Listened To,” I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn’t found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.
When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.
An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: “No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!” In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.
Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore “People I Have Shared the Gospel With.” The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.
And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.
But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own, deeper than I had ever seen on any face. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Why did He have to know?
Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word. He just held me, flooding my soul with a love words could never capture.
Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. I noticed that each signature was in red. “No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “No, no,” as I tried to pull the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.
He gently took the card back. He smiled a gentle smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.”
Suddenly I felt clean, clean on the inside in a way I had never known. As I looked at myself I saw that miraculously my clothing was now a glorious white robe, brighter than any material I had ever seen. Then I remembered what God’s Word, The Bible, said in Revelation 7:14, “they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” God indeed “will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
- Stand for prayer.
Heads bowed and eyes closed. In Mark 8:36, Jesus asks, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” The answer is: it profits that man nothing. In all of your planning for the future, have you given serious thought to what happens when you die?
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