X. The Confirmation.

If you have received the free gift of salvation, have believed that Jesus is the Son of God, and have been born again into the family of God the Father, you can rejoice and shout glory to God, because the confirmation of all of the above is evident in the Heavenly scene as described by the Apostle John in Revelation 7, following the six seals.  In verses 9-17, the scene in Heaven, immediately following the sixth seal and the gathering together of the elect, is described to John, again from Jesus through an angel.  If anything should thrill your soul, these verses should.  Please read them for yourself over and over.  John wrote that he looked and saw a multitude so great in the Heavenly scene that no one could number them, and they came from all the nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues from all the earth, and they were all ‘standing’ before the throne and before the Lamb.  In the Heavenly scene described in Revelation 5:9, all those around the throne, the four living creatures and the 24 elders, fell at Jesus feet and sang a song that indeed He was worthy to open the seals, because He was slain, and with His blood HE “purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” which is repeated almost word for word in Revelation 7:9. (Revelation 5:9-10, 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”) (Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,)  Remember in the fifth seal, we underscored the fact that John saw only souls under the altar.  However, in the scene described in Revelation 7:9, after they had “rested a little while longer” as Jesus directed them to do, they are now “standing.”  The gathering together, the Rapture, had just taken place. (Revelation 6:11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.)

The bodies of those from all the centuries who were asleep, the dead in Christ, were given glorified bodies and were united with their souls, and those that were alive and remaining, were given glorified bodies, and all were just raptured, gathered together, and are all standing, clothed with white robes, and have palm branches in their hands.  They are now crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”  The word they use here, Salvation, is used to express their appreciation that God had just delivered them, rescued them, or their Salvation, from the Great Tribulation. 

And then, in verses 11 and 12, John saw around the throne the angels and the elders and the four living creatures. They fell prostate before the throne and were worshiping God, and said a prayer.  Then one of the elders, likely one of the twenty-four, prods John and asks, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”  Then John said to the elder, “Sir, you know,” a clear statement that John did not recognize who this multitude was. Then the elder said to John, “These are the ones (the elect from all the ages since Christ’s ministry, the dead in Christ and all those who were living, all who had just received their glorified bodies) who come out of the ‘Great Tribulation’, and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.” (so this event had to be after the midpoint of the seven years, when the Great Tribulation started—see Matthew 24:15-21, 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.)  For a beautiful description of what we, the elect of the ages, will be doing, what His promises are for the future, and how He is going to lead us, please read carefully Revelation 7, verses 14-17 to finish this glorious picture.  It is beautiful. (Revelation 7:14-17, 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 wash their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 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. 16 They shall neither hunger any more nor thirst any more; 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.”)

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