The Revelation of Christ – Part 20: The Great Multitude

The Revelation of Christ – Part 20:

The Great Multitude

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

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SERMON INTRODUCTION

The Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most difficult book in the bible.

Because of this fact, many avoid it, or ignore it all together. Some fear lack of understanding, others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.

Many times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right into Revelation and find out what’s to come.

This is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author a novel in Chinese that very same day.

Or, a kindergartner learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum mechanics calculations.

The words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgement, even some who claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than Jesus Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.

A special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.

Although it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by little.

 

SERMON SERIES

THE THINGS WHICH ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)

Part 3 – Ephesus The Backsliding Church

Part 4 – Smyrna The Steadfast Church

Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church

Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church

Part 7 – Sardis The Spiritless Church

Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church

Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 10 – The Throne of God

Part 11 – The Scroll and Seven Seals

Part 12 – The Lamb is Worthy

Part 13 – The First Seal

Part 14 – The Second Seal

Part 15 – The Third Seal

Part 16 – The Fourth Seal

Part 17 – The Fifth Seal

Part 18 – The Sixth Seal

Part 19 – The 144,000 Sealed

TODAY’S SERMON - THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 20 – The Great Multitude

SCRIPTURE READING

Revelation 7:9-17

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 before 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 shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on 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.’”

          I.      AFTER THESE THINGS I LOOKED

a.   After the 144,000 were sealed

                                     i.   These are the 144,000 we talked about last week

                                    ii.   Remember the symbolic wording leading up to the description of the 144,000

1.   4 angels on the 4 corners of the earth

2.   Holding back the 4 winds (4 horses)

3.   The angel with the seal of God putting it on the foreheads of the servants of God

4.   The it describes 144,000 sealed, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes

                                   iii.   Everything was symbolic, not literal

b.   Standing before the throne and before the Lamb

                                     i.   Now, in the next verse we see John looking at them, a Great Multitude that no one could count (possibly millions will be saved during the tribulation)

1.   Remember the command (do not harm the oil or wine) speaking of the Holy Spirit and Salvation through the Blood of Christ STILL a covenant during the Tribulation!

                                    ii.   He describes them

1.   From every nation, tribe, people, language

                                   iii.   These are those who died during the tribulation as martyrs

                                   iv.   Unlike suicide bombers and those who kill in the name of their god and call themselves a martyr, a TRUE martyr of God is one who remains faithful to God unto death…it has absolutely nothing to do with killing others.

c.   They cried in a loud voice

                                     i.   Standing before the throne and before the Lamb

                                    ii.   Wearing white robes (Nehemiah 8:17) and holding palm branches in their hands

1.   The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life

2.   In their hands represents something they now possess

                                   iii.   And they cried out in a loud voice

1.   Here meaning because there were so many

                                   iv.   “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the Throne and the Lamb.”

1.   A proclamation of God’s authority and control (sitting on the throne), and His plan of salvation being realized through the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

         II.      ALL THE ANGELS WERE STANDING AROUND THE THRONE

a.   Around the throne, around the elders and around the four living creatures

b.   They fell on their faces

                                     i.   All because of the proclamation which was just made, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb”

                                    ii.   At this phrase, The angels, elders, living creatures, and the countless multitude fell on their face and worshiped God.

                                   iii.   Worship and praise because of Jesus and the cross

c.   Saying;

                                     i.   Blessing, and Glory and Wisdom, and Thanksgiving, and Honor, and Power, and Might, be unto our God for ever and ever, Amen.

                                    ii.   Here we see seven fold praises to God the Father and God the Son (Revelation 5:12)

1.    In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

                                   iii.   Both receiving 7 (number of perfection)

                                   iv.   Showing God the Father and Christ the Lamb are both entitled to equal praise in heaven, because they are one and the same.

        III.      THEN ONE OF THE ELDERS ASKED ME

a.   These in white robes, who are they, and where do they come from?

                                     i.   Remember the 24 elders, 12 on either side of the throne of God

                                    ii.   12 represent the 12 tribes and the Old Covenant

                                   iii.   12 represent the 12 disciples and the New Covenant

                                   iv.   One of the elders asked John this question

                                    v.   John answers, “You know”

b.   He (the elder) said;

                                     i.   These are they who come out of Tribulation

                                    ii.   They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

1.   They were saved by trusting Christ and what He did at the cross

c.   Therefore, they are before the throne of God

                                     i.   This specific Great Multitude came out of the Tribulation

                                    ii.   They are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple and He who sits on the throne shall shelter them with His presence

CONCLUSION –

Never again will they hunger, or thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.

This portrays a perfect living environment

“And the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them”

Not only does the Lamb save them, but cares for them as well, and all their needs.

“and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters”

Symbolic of the Holy Spirit. John 7:37-39

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

All things causing sorrows will be gone forever.

Next week we look at the Seventh Seal

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