Waters of Life

Biblical Studies in Multiple Languages

Search in "English":
Home -- English -- Revelation -- 074 (The Immense Number of Those Called out From the Nations)
This page in: -- Arabic -- Armenian -- Bulgarian -- ENGLISH -- French? -- German -- Indonesian? -- Polish? -- Portuguese -- Russian -- Yiddish

Previous Lesson -- Next Lesson

REVELATION - Behold, I am Coming Soon
Studies in the Book of Revelation
BOOK 3 - THE CHURCH OF CHRIST AND THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS (REVELATION 7:1 – 9:21)
PART 3.1 - THE CHURCH OF GOD AND HIS LAMB FROM THE SONS OF JACOB AND THE NATIONS (REVELATION 7:1-17)

3. The Immense Number of Those Called out From the Nations Standing Before the Throne of God and Before His Lamb (Revelation 7:9-17)


REVELATION 7:9-10
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

After John had received assurance that the complete number of Christ's followers from Israel would be sealed, the angel of the Lord opened his eyes to see another marvel. Standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb stood an immeasurable great number of witnesses from all nations. They wanted to see the one they loved, for whom they had suffered. They wanted to thank Him, and to worship Him, because He had loved them first, and offered Himself for them.

To describe who the chosen are in Revelation a second time in modern terms: There stood a great number “out of all 193 nations, 12 tribes, 11,874 people groups and 6,578 languages”* (Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 13:7; 14; 17:15). The global dimension of this expression corresponds to the mystery of the church of Jesus Christ in the last days. The gospel is being taken by single persons, media, books, cassettes, radio, television and internet to all the different people groups of the earth (Revelation 14:6).

* These numbers correspond to the latest statistics.

No person should remain locked out from the salvation offer of God and His Lamb. Everyone should have the chance to hear the gospel, that he can either receive or reject it. World mission lies in the hands of the meek Lamb of God, so that through faith, love and hope His kingdom may be realized in those who belong to Him.

The vision of John was not limited to the near surroundings in Asia Minor, or to the twelve tribes of Israel. It encompassed all of mankind. Our God wants all men to be saved. His wish will not be realized, however, because not all people want what God wants. Not all people want to open themselves to the love of God and give themselves unconditionally to Him.

The witnesses to the Father and to the Son wore white robes as a sign to show that, in themselves, they were not sinless saints. They had been justified by grace alone, and as a sign of their justification, had received the garments of righteousness.

The witnesses to the Lamb carried long palm branches in their hands, as a sign of their victory, similar to the way they are awarded to the winners of sporting events. They were the best among those “called out” and received a special place beside God in the throne room of heaven. They had not become victors by their own strength, but had experienced that the strength of Christ comes to completion in their weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

The Witness of the Victorious: The masses of those collectively possessed by the spirit of Hitler and the propaganda of Goebbels cried out: “Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!” (Long live victory!) Yet there followed no ultimate victory, but a total defeat. There came no good, but disaster…worldwide disaster!

The victors in the throne room of heaven, too, had just one sentence on their lips. They wanted to speak forth their very own confession. They denied themselves and gave all honor to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. They shouted out with a great voice a single significant, eternally valid cry: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” With these words they did not extol their own salvation, but confessed its origin: God and His Lamb!

These chosen ones had studied, recognized, experienced and suffered the reality of salvation in the Bible. They stood before the throne of the Almighty as living proof of the resurrection of the saints. They had been tried in the fire of persecution. Their existence was a sign of the realization of salvation in mortal men. They were the fruit of the suffering of Christ. Their faith was the victory that had overcome the world.

PRAYER: We thank You Heavenly Father and magnify Your meek Lamb, because his death brought fruit that surpasses all understanding. No one could count the number of those who fell on their knees before You and Your Lamb. They had nothing to say or testify other than crying out: Salvation was accomplished by You, Who sit on the throne and by Your Lamb. We too cry out the same statement joyfully and praisefully.

QUESTION:

  1. Write and keep by heart the summary of the testimony of the multitudes of believers.

www.Waters-of-Life.net

Page last modified on November 27, 2012, at 11:37 AM | powered by PmWiki (pmwiki-2.3.3)