Who Will Stand?

Revelation 7:1-8:1 - Riley Boggs

This past week I was talking with someone about how I have been preaching through the book of Revelation, and I was telling them about how I see this book as seven cycles of seven. Seven different perspectives of the same overall picture. And when I said that they asked, “So, are you like preaching the same sermon every week?” And the answer I gave was, “Kind of”. Now hopefully for you all who have been here for the past 8 weeks, it hasn’t seemed like the exact same sermon each week. I don’t think each passage says the exact same thing. Like I just mentioned, it’s a different perspective of the same picture.

That being said, as we work through this book, I do hope you feel like you’re hearing the same truths week-after-week. This book was written in this way for a reason. It’s not accidental. It was written in this cyclical way where themes repeat over and over again. Why? Well because the truths that God is trying to instill in us through this book are some of the most difficult truths to actually learn. It’s things that we have to hear over and over again, so that we might truly begin to believe them.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. If you tell your child that you’re going to get ice cream later, you don’t have to tell them twice do you? Absolutely not. They’ll remember that and continually remind you of it. They’ll believe it and they will hold you to your word. On the other hand, think about if you have to discipline your child, and you tell them, “I’m doing this because I love you and want what’s best for you”. That doesn’t quite work the same way, does it? No, it’ll be something you have to remind them time and time again. They may not understand and they may not believe you. What you are telling them and what they are experiencing seem at odds. It might be years, maybe until they even have kids of their own, for them to truly understand what you meant when you said that.

The same is true when it comes to Biblical truths. Some truths are easy for us to remember and to believe. For example, the birth of Jesus. We know the story of there being no place in the inn for Jesus and the wisemen coming and all of that. It’s a story that you can believe and it doesn’t really demand much of you. On the other hand, some truths are difficult to remember and even more difficult to believe. For example, the truth that tells us that God has purposed our suffering for our good. That truth can’t exist on an island of it’s own. It demands something of us. It forces us to believe something that can feel very contrary to what’s happening around and to us. It pushes us to either believe it or not. And that choice, whether to believe that or not, makes all the difference, doesn’t it? This is why I think this book is written in this way. It is dealing with the same general ideas time and time again. Difficult truths that we might not really believe the first 20 times we hear them.

Last week we looked at chapter 6, where first 6 seals on the scroll were opened. Each of the seals revealed a different characteristic of the time between Jesus first and second coming. They described what life will be like as God continues to unfurl the scroll that is His great redemption plan.

We looked at how the first 4 represent conquest, war, famine, and death. 4 things that mark the lives of everyone living in this broken world. A cursed world showing itself to be just that, cursed. And we also saw that it’s not as if these things are happening outside of the control of God, but rather it is actually Jesus allowing these judgements to fall upon the world. He’s not watching helplessly as these things take place. And so we shouldn’t be worried that final salvation could be lost or that God’s plans might be thwarted despite this. Instead we cling to and trust our God who has promised to work out all things for the good of His people.

And then we see this even further in the 5th and 6th seal. The 5th seal shows that there are those who have been killed for their faith. John sees them and they cry out to Jesus, asking that He might bring about justice. But Jesus gives them a white robe and tells them to rest because there are still more who must give their lives. Jesus even says He has them numbered. Then in the 6th seal we get this incredible image of the world seemingly coming apart at the seams. Look back at chapter 6 starting in verse 12. It’s important we see this before diving into chapter 7. Starting in verse 12 we read, “12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’”

It’s the cataclysmic picture of the day of judgement coming. Everything begins to give way. Not a literal picture, but a symbolic portrayal of everything passing away, preparing for the new to come. And it’s during this time that it says all the people on the Earth begin to hide. What are they hiding from? Well they tell us. They are asking to be hid from the face of him who is seated on the throne, which is God the Father, and from the wrath of the Lamb, which is Jesus. They see that He is coming and they are struck with fear, and simply ask, “Who can stand?” After you read that, you would expect the 7th seal to be opened and the final judgment to actually take place. The first 6 seals seem like they are building and building, and it feels like the end is about to take place. But then, when you start reading in chapter 7, you see that there is no mention of the 7th seal. In fact, it’s not until chapter 8 where that final seal.

So the question is, what is happening in chapter 7? Well chapter 7 is an interlude between the 6th and 7th seal that answers that question, “Who will stand?” And so that is where we find ourselves this morning, answering that question. And what I’d like to do is look at this passage overall and try to explain what is happening and show you all the overall theme, and then I’ll pose 3 questions that this passage answers for us.

Look at verse 1 where you see the phrase, “After this.” Before we get into what John actually sees, I just want to remind us that that phrase is not being used to tell us the chronological order of the events taking place. John isn’t saying that after the cataclysmic event in the 6th seal, this is what is to take place. If you read it like that then you’ll find yourself getting a bit lost in what is happening and when it happening. That phrase “after this” is being used to indicate the order in which John is seeing these things, not the order in which they happen. Remember this book is a picture book, not a mapped timeline. And that’s very important because what you’re actually going to see is that chapter 7 is running parallel to chapter 6. The truths in both of these chapters are happening at the same time. They are happening right now, in heaven and on Earth.

One of the clearest ways to see that these chapters are indeed running parallel is by what we see in the rest of verse 1. John says, “...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.” Those four winds are symbols of judgement that are coming on the Earth, which are mirroring the 4 horsemen we saw in chapter 6 that are also symbols of judgement. And in the same way that each of the horsemen were limited in different ways, here we see the 4 winds are being held back by angels. It’s this picture of God restraining judgment until the proper time. He has a purpose that is still unfolding.

In verse 2 the vision continues and we read, “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.’” Here we see a different kind of seal. It is not a seal that binds the scroll, but it is a seal that is placed on the foreheads of the servants of God. And it seems as if it is supposed to protect them? For us to properly understand what is happening here, we need to trace back the Old Testament reference, which is Ezekiel 9:1-4. Now, you don’t have to turn there but I’ll read it for us. This is what it says, “Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, ‘Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.’ 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. 3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. 4 And the Lord said to him, ‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.’”

Did you catch that? God is bringing judgement on Jerusalem, but He is protecting a remnant who are truly following Him. He commands everyone to be destroyed, except those who are following Him. And the way that He protects them is by placing a mark on their forehead. Hopefully you see the connection here. In this vision, Jesus is telling us that judgement is and will continue to come upon the Earth, in all of the ways we have seen. But in the same way He protected the remnant in Jerusalem, so now He is protecting a people for Himself. He’s marking them. He’s sealing them as His own. This is not a literal mark, but a spiritual mark. One that takes place within the heart of a man or woman who places their faith in the Risen Lord and are given the very Spirit of God. They have been marked.

That is actually what I believe to be the overall theme of this interlude chapter 7...

God has claimed a people as His own

Whenever someone seals something, they are making a claim about it. They are declaring that it is theirs. You can think about the sealing of a letter. People used to have specific wax seals that they would stamp on the envelope so that the one receiving the letter might now who it is from. They were saying this letter is mine, it is from me. This is the same truth that is being shown to us here with the sealing of God’s people. God, from eternity past, has decided to claim people as His own. He has called a people to Himself. He says they are mine and cannot be taken from me. They are His. There are so many beautiful truths that flow out of this, and we will look at them in a little bit.

But when you hear that, “God has claimed a people as His own”, one the first questions you might ask is, “Who are they?” I mean if God has sealed a people and laid claim to them, then it seems reasonable to want to know who they are. That’s the first question I want to answer for us this morning...

Who are the people that God has claimed?

Now you might have noticed this already, but there seems to actually be two groups of people in this chapter. The first group are the 144,00, which are described in verses 4-8. And then in verse 9 we see the second group when John looks and sees a great multitude standing before the throne. Now let me just get ahead of this and say that I believe these are describing the same group of people. Both of these groups are those whom God has sealed and claimed as His own. The only difference is there location, the former being on Earth, and the ladder being heaven.

It’s really important for us to note that because there has been much debate about who exactly these 144,000 are in verses 4-8. I’ll tell you why I take these to be the same group in a second, but first I just want to show you what many others have taken this group to be and why. Many, like I’ve said, approach this book with a more literal interpretation in mind. And so when it says, in verse 4, that there is a number sealed of 144,000 that are from every tribe of Israel, they take that to be literal. They read this and would say that that is a literal number that is to come from literal Israel. This is what they would call the remant.

Now I understand that reading, but I don’t think it’s the right one for 3 reasons. First, as we have seen so far, numbers are clearly symbolical in this book. And so when we come to this number, we should just continue with the symbolism. What we have here is 12×12×1,000. We’ve seen this already with the elders around the throne, but 12 represents completion. We haven’t seen the number 1,000 yet, but it is symbolic for fullness or a great number. You can think of the Psalm 90 where a thousand years are but a day to the Lord, or Psalm 50 where God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, or in Deuteronomy 7 where God promises to keep His love for a thousand generations. In none of these examples are we to think that once we get to 1,001, the deal is off. Of course not. Those numbers are clearly symbolic, and the same is true here. What we have is 12×12×1,000, which is simply saying, that there is a full and complete number that is great, who are sealed. That’s the first reason I don’t take the reading that these are a literal remnant of Israel.

The second reason is that this list of the tribes of Israel is just different than the rest. It’s the only list of the tribes of Israel in the New Testament, and it is different than all the Old Testament lists. It can’t be a list of Jacob’s sons, because it does not contain the tribe of Dan, but instead lists Jacob’s grandson, Manasseh. It can’t be the tribes who inherited the land because Jospeh, Manasseh, and Levi are listed, but not Ephraim. And if it’s not those lists, then it seems to be a different list altogether. Then on top of all that, the order still doesn’t quiet make sense. What I think is happening is that this list is not trying to account for those of literal Israel, but is instead trying to remind us that Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. I think it’s been reworked in this specific way to show us that it’s not a literal list, but this is a great number of people who are of Jesus, who is of the tribe of Judah.

The third reason I don’t believe that this group is literally from Israel is because of the next time we will see this group of 144,000, which is in Revelation 14. There we see this same group except now they are not described by the names of the tribes of Israel, but are called “...those who have follow the Lamb wherever he goes...redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb…” It seems to be clear that this group is not a literal remnant of Israel, but rather it is a symbolic way of saying that God has a claimed a group of people as His own. From the very beginning, until now, He has indeed had a people who are His. That promise made to Abraham where God said He would be the father of many nation is being seen, right here. And this no doubt is intended to be the case when we see this same group of people described in a different way. This same group on Earth also exists in heaven, it’s those who have died in Christ. Look how they are described in verse 9. “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…”

God has laid claim on a people. Not a people who come from a certain place or look a certain way. Not a people who can trace back their lineage or speak a certain language. It is a people who have one thing in common. They have believed that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Before He came, they believed in the promise by faith. They believed that God would indeed send a Messiah to save them. Now, it is a people believe that Jesus died and resurrected on their behalf. A people who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and follow Him. These people are those who have been sealed by God. They are His and He is theirs. It is those who cry out the words of verse 10. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

So if we know who they are now, then the next question we must ask is this…

What has God promised His people?

I want to begin answering this question by looking in verse 13. In that verse we see a question asked. It’s one of the elders asking John the question. He asks him, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where they have come from?” Now that question seems like the question that we just answered, because it is. But the way that this question is actually answered is a bit different. You can see it in verse 14 where John responds and says, “Sir, you know.” And then the angel tells us who these people really are. He says, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Now in one sense, we are told how one becomes a part of God’s people. If someone wants to know how they can be sealed by God, here it is. They must be washed in the blood of the Lamb. They must confess and believe, and they will be credited the very righteousness of Jesus.

In another sense, however, we are being told what God has promised His people. There is a statement in there that has an implied promise to the Christian who is living in the world right now. It’s that very first sentence from the elder, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” Now again, there is debate over what exactly this is to mean. Some of thought this great tribulation to be a specific and rather short time period of intense turmoil that will come onto the Earth. Many would say that this is a 7 year period and then either before or after, depending on your persuasion, Christians are raptured out. And I said this last week, as much as I understand that this is a very common viewpoint among many pastors and teachers that I know, I simply do not see it here. This great tribulation does not appear to a short period of time in the very final days where things ramp up in an unbelievable manner.

It seems to me that the way to understand this is by continuing to read this in the same way that we have seen the visions workout previously. In chapter 6 we saw these judgements taking place, you could call them tribulations. And then we saw the martyrs under the altar crying out, right? And what did Jesus give them? Well He gave them white robes. No doubt we are supposed to connect these two. These are both the saints who have made it out of the great tribulation through death. They have died in this world of sin and suffering, but they have died in Christ. And so we say they have made it out. They have arrived home. This seems to fit best. There is no other outside category that needs to be created here.

Not only that, but I want you to turn all the way back to Revelation chapter 1. Look what John says in verse 9. He says, “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation…” John is saying he’s in it with them. And if that’s the case, then it cannot be that this is a short 7 year time period at the end. What John has in view here in this vision is simply the time between the 2 comings of Jesus that is marked by tribulations. It’s marked by pain and suffering and death. But, have no fear, because Jesus has promised to deliver those who He has claimed. And that’s the first promise I want you to really take hold of this morning. Jesus has promised to bring you out of this. If you are His, then you have been sealed by Him. He will ensure that you do not lose the faith. He will ensure that you make it home.

I know doubts can pile up. I know legalistic pressures can feel very real. I know that your salvation can feel anything but sure. But hear me say this on the authority of the Word of God. God sent His Son to die for you so that He might make you His own, and Jesus’ death will not be wasted. It was done with intentionality. When He sent His Son, He did so with His affection set on you. Do you really think He would let you slip out of His hands now? No way. God bought you with a price that is incomprehensible, and you can be sure that He will complete that work. That is what God has promised to those who are His.

But then it gets even better. God wants His people to know what home actually is. He wants us to know what awaits us. He gives us specifics. Look starting in verse 15. They are before the throne of God. They serve Him endlessly, and He shelters them with His presence. Verse 16, they will have no lack and nothing will harm them. Verse 17, He will be in their midst, He will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to everlasting water, and He will wipe away every tear. Do you see all the promises being made here? We will dwell with God, truly. We will be protected, entirely. We will see our purpose and will be satisfied. We will be intentionally and perfectly cared for.

I hope you’re starting to see why this book is so encouraging. John is seeing the intimate care that God has for His people. A promise to wipe away their every tear. Do you feel how tender and close that is? You don’t wipe away the tear of a stranger. You hardly wipe away the tear of your friend. You only wipe away the tear of your sons, your daughters, your brothers, your sisters. Those who know you and you know them. Those whom you love. Do you see it now? That’s the kind of affection that God has towards His people. A love that is on one hand more than we can comprehend and on the other hand is very real and close. It’s beautiful. This book is written so that Christians throughout the ages, awaiting their Savior, might hear these promises and be moved to incredibly bold faith.

That’s the final question that I want to answer this morning...

What should His people do?

I simply want to put 2 things before us here. The first, His people should proclaim His name. This means worship and this means evangelism. If everything that we have seen this morning is true, and it is, how in the world could we withhold praise? If God sought us out, claimed us as His own, and promises us all these wonderful things, how could we not declare His name to a lost and dying world? It seems that the believers in heaven understand these things. In verse 10, look what they cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Then in verse 12 the elders and 4 living creatures worship and say, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” They get it, so they declare it. I think that is part of the push of this text this morning for us. Are we declaring the God to be all that He is in worship and in conversations with those who do not know Christ?

The second answer to this question of what His people should do is the more difficult one, at least for me. Believe and trust what God has said. On the surface that sounds so simple, doesn’t it? And maybe at times it is. When everyone is happy and healthy and the money is good, it can be easy to say, “God, I believe you and trust what you have said.” And don’t hear me wrong, that is good. When things are going well and seemingly easy, be very quick to believe and trust. Build that habit for the harder days, because it’s in those harder days when these belief and trust can be incredibly difficult.

But, when the days are dark, we are still called to believe that God loves us. When tribulations are abounding, we are still called to trust that all things will work out for the good of His people. It’s when anxiety is paralyzing, when sickness and pains are endless, and when sorrow and grief continue to come. It’s when you fall back into that same sin you thought you had totally moved past, when you the wonderful plan you had laid before is taken away in a moment, and when the thing you have been praying for for years doesn’t come to fruition. It’s in those moments where we must believe and trust. Despite our circumstances, despite how we feel, we must believe. Why? Because it’s an act of obedience, it’s an act of worship, and it will be the very thing that demonstrates that we are indeed His. And if you are struggling to believe and trust, come to this passage. Read through these promises one by one. Read them over and over again.

Maybe you have noticed, but as I’ve been preaching I have tried to flip back and forth between saying “God’s people” and saying “you” or “we”. I’ve done that intentionally because I want us to be reminded that we are His people. If you have trusted in Christ for salvation, then you are His. And that means these promises turn are written to you. So when you come to these promises, read them as they were intended to be understood. They were written to a people in a broken world waiting for Jesus to deliver them through death or through His return. That’s us. Go to verse 15 and let’s read these as the promises that await us.

“We will be before the throne of God, and we will serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter us with his presence. We will hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike us, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be our shepherd, and he will guide us to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.” God has claimed you as His own. He has made you promises. This morning, in faith, let’s walk in those promises.

There’s one thing left to do before I close, isn’t there? The 7th seal. We still haven’t gotten there. Well look at the first verse of chapter 8 and see it with me. It says, “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Does that feel a bit anticlimactic, maybe? Well let me explain what is happening. That seventh seal is the final seal binding the scroll, which means that when it opens, the fullness of God’s redemption plan has taken place. In other words, the final judgement is about to take place and the new heavens and new earth are about to be established. That is what is in view here. When that 7th seal is opened, it is so unbelievable that everything simply goes silent, even the praise in heaven pauses. Now again this isn’t literal, it’s just trying to capture the magnitude of that final day when Christ does indeed return.

And you might expect that in verse 2 that we would see a picture Jesus returning, but if you glance at those next few verses, that isn’t what happens. Want to guess why? Well because a new cycle begins, the third cycle. And what you’ll see next week is that we are getting another perspective of this same picture. But don’t worry, in due time, we will see that final picture more clearly. Later in this book we get a perspective that does include that day.

But until then, in Lord’s kindness, He has given us a meal to give us a foretaste of what is to come. A meal that reminds us of why we are His and why the promises are ours. A meal that is intended to encourage our hearts to press on until He comes for us.