After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed 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 spread his tent over them.
16 Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
My Understanding: Jacob, who was later named Israel, had twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. When the twelve tribes of Israel were formed, Levi, who represented the priests, and Joseph were not among the twelve tribes, but rather Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were named among the twelve tribes in place of Joseph and Levi. So, it is interesting to note that in this list of all the tribes of Israel in Revelation, Levi and Joseph are included, and Ephraim and Dan are excluded, so this is basically a complete list of Jacob’s sons with Manasseh (Joseph’s son) listed in place of Dan. So, while some scholars believe that this literally represents the twelve tribes of the physical nation of Israel, others believe that this list is representative of all of Israel, i.e. of all of true Israel, which are those who have turned to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior.
God held back his judgments on the earth until a seal had been put on the foreheads of “the servants of our God.” The true servants of God are those who have put their hope, faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives, by God’s grace and through faith.
Ephesians 4:22-24 says this about how we come to know Christ as Savior and Lord:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Those who are servants of the Lord, thus, are those who have turned from their lives of sin, they have been made new by the power of the working of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and minds, and they have turned to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Christ. Whoever would try to hold on to his old life of sin would lose his life, but whoever would forsake his life of sin to follow (obey) Christ, he would find his life.
Since this (above) is what it means to be a servant of God, then this list in Revelation must be representative of all those, at the time this occurs, who are true followers of Jesus Christ. They will have the seal of the living God put on their foreheads, which represents the Lord’s name being stamped on the foreheads of his servants (his followers). In Ezekiel 9:4, it is recorded that God did something similar when he told the man clothed in linen to:
“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
I believe this is a mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ. He or she will be one who will feel passionately what God feels with regard to sin, especially with regard to unchecked sin that has been allowed to go on within the church. Following this marking of the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things going on within God’s holy city, (the church today, i.e. the new Jerusalem), was a great judgment, beginning with God’s sanctuary and with the elders who were in front of the temple. God takes sin within his temple (now our hearts; his church) very seriously. And, he wants us to take it just as seriously as he does.
White Robes
The scene then shifts from the sealing of all the tribes of Israel to a great multitude from every tribe, nation, people and language. They were wearing white robes, and they were standing before the throne of God and in front of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who was slain (crucified) for our sins. They were the ones who had come out of the great tribulation and had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. These were the Lord’s servants, his followers. They serve him day and night in his temple, and they fall under the spiritual protection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for their sins, and who set them free from the power of sin, and free to worship and to serve their God. Not only do they serve God in heaven, but they were his servants on the earth, who served him night and day in his temple (the true church; and/or in their hearts). Remember when Jesus said about the self-righteous – “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”? True worship begins in our hearts in our times of personal and intimate communion with our Lord Jesus, and then is lived out in our obedience to him.
Those servants of the Lord dressed in white robes declared the praises of God and told of his salvation. True servants of the Lord not only serve the Lord Jesus day and night in their hearts (true devotion to God) and in the true church, Christ’s body, the family of God, but they proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ so that others may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior. They are his faithful servants and witnesses.
For those who are the Lord’s true servants, many great and precious promises have been given. We have the love and care and spiritual protection of our Lord while we are still on the face of this earth, and we have the promise and hope of eternal life with God in heaven one day when he takes us to be with him. And, added to that, we have the promise that we will never hunger or thirst again; we won’t have to deal with the forces of nature, including the sin nature; the Lord Jesus will be our only shepherd (pastor), and he will lead us to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. That is awesome!
I Will Uphold You / An Original Work / November 4, 2011
Based off of Isaiah 41:8-20; Ephesians 6:10-18
You are My servant; I’ve chosen you.
I’ve not rejected you; I’ve been true.
Do not be fearful; I am with you.
Don’t be alarmed, for I am your God.
I will give you strength, and will help you.
I will uphold you with My right hand.
All who’re against you will be disgraced.
Those who oppose you, they will perish.
Enemies you search, but will not find.
They war against you; nothing will be.
I am your Lord God, who takes your hand;
Says, “Do not fear, for I will help you.”
The poor and needy, water they need.
Their tongues are thirsty; no drop to drink.
I will give answer; not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow from within.
My living water I will outpour
On those who seek Me; and Me adore.
Jesus provided the sacrifice;
For our sins blood bought; He paid the price,
So we’re forgiven all of our sins,
When we invite Him to come within.
He cleanses us from our impure hearts.
His life within us gives a new start.
http://youtu.be/i0LFPI-isSU
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