Revelation 7:1-17

Revelation 7:1. And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Observe that God has servants ever ready for his work. There were winds to be restrained. «And I saw four angels,» mighty spiritual beings who had power over the air. These winds were to be restrained until all God's people were safely sealed and you may depend upon it that no calamity shall happen to destroy the people of God, they must first be saved. There shall be no deluge till there is the ark; there shall be no Romans to destroy Jerusalem till there is a little city in the mountains to which the disciples may flee. God will protect his own. The dead calm, the perfect quietude which prevailed while the angels restrained the winds is set forth in these words. The wind did not appear to blow on land, or sea, or tree, not a ripple broke the surface of the waters, not a leaf stirred on the bough, everything is quiet until God's people are secured.

Revelation 7:2. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their forehead.

See how other things are protected for the sake of God's people. The earth and the sea and even the trees, have a cordon of safety round about them while God's people are being secured. When the Lord Jesus put to sea on the Galilean lake, we read that there were with him many other little ships, and when the calm came for his ship they were in the calm, too. And so it is a good thing if you are not in the Church, yet to have some sort of connection with it; a great thing for the age to have the Church of God in it, for God will take care of a nation often for the sake of his people. As he would have spared Sodom had there been righteous men found in it, so doth he spare nations for the sake of his saints.

Revelation 7:4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Now we are going to read their names. I hope you won't say it is tiresome to read them. Remember he that wrote this Book in the Father of them, and children's names are not wearisome to their own father. Remember, he that fills this Book bought them with his blood, and wore them upon his breastplate as the great High Priest of Israel; bearing all these names upon his heart, graven upon the palms of his hands. We need not be weary of hearing names which Christ has worn on his breast.

Revelation 7:5. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

Juda stands first and Benjamin stands last: they were joined together, but here they are as widely divided as they can be, yet they stand in an equal position; and the day shall come when first and last shall rejoin together in the equal blessing of the Most High. Where is Dan? Not mentioned here.

See, there is nothing without mystery. We shall never understand all the things of God. It seemed simple enough to bless the twelve tribes, and yet there is one wanting.

Revelation 7:9. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

This is the great gathering of the Gentile multitude redeemed by blood, numbered by God, never to be numbered by men, being like the sand on the seashore, innumerable. Of all colors they shall be, and they will look to us on earth if we could see them, to be a motley group, and if we heard them speak it would seem a strange jargon. Many are the languages of earth, but one is the speech of heaven. All hearts are alike in the kingdom of the Most High, whatever the color of the flesh. Do you know, that entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem seems to me to be the pattern we have here before us, only this is the fulfillment of it. Here are the crowds that gathered about him, the twelve disciples lead the way, and here are the multitudes with the palms in their hands scattering them in the pathway of their king.

Revelation 7:10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

In Jerusalem they cried Hosanna, which was «Save, Lord,» but now they have risen a little higher, and they sing, «Salvation to our God.» It is the same melody but it is pitched to a loftier key, and there are more to sing it; and they are not now conducting a prince to his throne but they are looking up to the king upon his throne, reigning there.

Revelation 7:11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Not some of the angels, nor many angels, nor even an innumerable company of angels, but all the angels; they shall all gather on that august occasion around the throne of God and the Lamb.

Revelation 7:12. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

What a deep, sonorous Amen that will be! What a mighty volume of sound! How full and rich, how hearty! Oh, that our ears may be there to hear it, and our tongues to swell it.

Revelation 7:13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they?

«And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.» You see the question was put by an angel, as an answer one of the elders answered. Whom did he answer? Why, John; and what John's heart was inquiring. He was saying to himself, «Who are these?» And one of the elders was responsive to his heart's inquiry, and put the same inquiry into words on his behalf.

Revelation 7:14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Shall «tabernacle over them,» that is the exact word, as though he were a pavilion, a canopy over them.

Revelation 7:16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

It looks almost as if they might have a tear in their eye when they first come there; certainly they shall never be sure of being without a tear till they have crossed the pearly threshold, but then he shall wipe away the very tear, there shall be no possibility of weeping there. May our eyes behold that sinless and sorrowless land, and its Eternal Lord!