Sermon: Who Can Stand? Revelation 7:9-17

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 49:8-13

“Thus says the Lord: ‘In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up. Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene.’ Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted” (Isaiah 49:8–13, ESV).

New Testament Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘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. 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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (Revelation 7:9–17, ESV).

Introduction 

It is important for us to remember the question asked at the end of Revelation chapter 6. It was asked by those upon whom the wrath of God came on that last day as shown to John in the vision   when the sixth of seven seals was broken. The question that they asked is vitally important for it is the question that the opening of the first six seals should cause us to ask. It is also, not surprisingly, the question that the two visions of Revelation chapter seven answer.

“Who can stand?”, that is the question.

Remember that when the sixth seal was broken John saw “the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, [hiding] themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 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, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15–17, ESV).

Who can stand?  Who can continue to live, or bear up under all that will happen on that last day when God’s wrath is poured out in full? And who can stand – who can bear up under the tribulation that will come upon the earth when the four horsemen described with the breaking of the first four seals comes? Who can possibly bear up under it?

Certainly, from the perspective of the wicked the answer is no one! Is that not the sense of Revelation 6:17? Do you see that this question is delivered by the wicked, great and small, as  a rhetorical one? When they call out 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, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”, what they mean is, certainly no one can stand! No one could possibly bear up under the weight of this judgment. Indeed, that is their earthly and unbelieving perspective on the matter.

It Is Those Who Belong To God Through Faith in Christ Who Will Stand

But the book of Revelation provides us with a different perspective. It gives us God’s perspective on the question. The two visions of chapter 7 answer the question, “who can stand?”, and make it exceedingly clear that it is those who belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ who will indeed stand.

This truth has already been communicated in verses 1-8 of chapter 7. We considered that text last week and I will not take the time to repeat what was said then. For now simply remember that the 144,000 – the 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of New Covenant Israel, with the Christ producing tribe of Judah at the head – represents all who believe upon Christ, Jew and Gentile alike, in every age. And remember that these are said to be sealed by God! These belong to God. He, by his Spirit, marks them as his own, protects and preserves them. In other words, he will make them to stand as they sojourn in this world!

And notice that the question is answered again, but from another vantage point, in the text that is before us this morning.

Who can stand? See the answer in verse 9: “After this [John] looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Revelation 7:9, ESV).

Who are these standing before the throne of God? They are the same group described in the previous vision, but from a different perspective. These are the people of God. These are those who have faith in Christ. They are the ones who were able to bear up under tribulation, and to stand unharmed through the judgment.

The vision of verses 1-8 portrays the people of God as a relatively small and earthly people numbered precisely by God for war, sealed by God so that they might bear up under suffering.

The vision of verses 9-17 portrays the same group of people – the people of God – but as an innumerable, multiethnic, heavenly people who stand victorious before the throne of God.

These are not two different groups  – one group symbolized by the 144,000 and another represented by the multiethnic multitude – but one and the same group considered from two different perspectives. It is the same group of people symbolized in each vision. These are the people of God.  All those who have faith in Christ are symbolized here.

The thing that distinguishes the first vision from the second is not the people symbolized, but the location.  The 144,000 were sealed so that they might be preserved – stand up – under tribulation on earth. The multiethnic multitude are seen by John, where? In heaven!

Isn’t amazing how things can be viewed from multiple vantage points? When we consider the church (here I am thinking of the universal church) as it is on earth today, what do we see? A relatively small, humble, often suffering people, who are engaged in war. This is not our home. We are sojourning in a hostile land. But we can take comfort in the fact that God knows exactly who belong to him. God’s people are numbered by him. And we can take comfort in the fact that we are sealed by him. He will indeed preserve his people and bring them safely home. But when we consider the church from a heavenly perspective as she will be for all eternity, what do we see? An innumerable, multiethnic, heavenly people standing victorious before the throne of God in glory, clothed in white, serving God day and night, singing praises to his most holy name. Same people, different perspective. Same people, different location.

This considering of one thing from two vantage points is nothing new in the book of Revelation.

Look at Revelation 5:5. Remember the scene. John saw a vision of the throne of God and in God’s right hand was a scroll sealed with seven seals. The question was asked by an angel, “who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals” (Revelation 5:2, ESV)? John began to weep when no one was found. But the then “one of the elders said to [John], ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals’” (Revelation 5:5, ESV). Notice that John had not yet seen Jesus, but he heard a description of him. Jesus was called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” and he was said to have conquered.

After this John saw a vision of Jesus. But what he saw did not match the description he heard. “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6, ESV).

The same Jesus was considered from two vantage points. Both are true. Jesus is at once “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” and the “Lamb slain”. He is both the mighty, conquering, victorious King, and our humble, despised and rejected, suffering servant.

Notice the same pattern here in chapter 7. John did not see the 144,000, but rather “heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Revelation 7:4, ESV). Here the church is described in humble terms. The people of God are sealed so that they might, like their Lamb like Savior, stand in the midst of suffering on earth. But then in verse 9 John saw these people. And when he saw them they looked nothing like what he would expect given the description he just heard. Instead of 144,000 suffering but sealed on earth he sees “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Revelation 7:9, ESV).

The language, “a great multitude that no one could number” should immediately remind us of the promises made to Abraham.

Genesis 15: “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.’ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.’ And he brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:1–6, ESV).

Genesis 17: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:1–5, ESV).

John saw a vision of the offspring of Abraham in heaven. This innumerable, multiethnic, heavenly people standing victorious before the throne of God are all of those – Jew and Gentile – who have the faith of Abraham, who trust, not in themselves, but in the Christ whom God has sent.

Who will stand? It is those who belong to God through faith in Jesus who is the Christ who will stand.

These Stand Because God Has Made Them To Stand In Christ Jesus

Notice that these are able to stand before the throne because God has made them to stand in Christ Jesus.

In the previous vision the 144,000 were said to be sealed by God – God preserves his people on earth. Here in this vision the people of God are said to be clothed in white robes.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes…” (Revelation 7:9, ESV).

Remember what was promised to the Christians in Sardis. Christ said, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5, ESV).

To the saints in Laodicea Christ said, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see” (Revelation 3:18, ESV).

The white robes symbolize victory and purity. You will not stand before God unless you are clothed in white. The trouble is that your garments and mine are terribly stained. We do not have the proper garb. We are woefully ill-suited to stand before the God of glory. If we are to stand before God in righteousness we must be clothed by him. We must be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Our filthy rags must be removed and we must be clothed in white.

Indeed, this is what God promised to do even long before the coming of Christ. He said in the days of Isaiah, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18, ESV).

Ironically, it is the crimson blood of Christ that purifies. Look at verse 13: “Then one of the elders addressed [John], saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ [John] said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to [John], ‘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” (Revelation 7:13–14, ESV).

It is Christ’s blood that purifies. If we are to stand before him in holiness we must be cleansed by the blood of Christ. And how does one “[wash] their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”? It through faith in Jesus Christ. One must abandon all hope in self and confess that in Jesus Christ alone is the forgiveness of sins. We must believe upon Christ – trust in him – if we are to stand before the Lord in purity.

Each one in this innumerable, multiethnic multitude is clothed in white – can you picture it? And they have palm branches in their hands. The palm branches symbolized victory. When a vicious king would ride through the city the citizens would waive palm branches in celebration. Remember, this was how Jesus was greeted when he rode into Jerusalem on, what we now call, Palm Sunday. The multitude “took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written…” (John 12:13–14, ESV). As you know, this earthly multitude was fickle. Though their words were appropriate, their devotion to Christ was less than pure. But here in Revelation 7 John sees a pure and redeemed multitude. And what do they say? They cried “out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10, ESV)!

Who saved these? To whom did these owe their salvation? Their salvation belonged to God and to the Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ. God saved them through Christ. God made them to stand.

These Stand TO Give Glory To God And To Christ For The Victory That They Have Won

And notice that these stand to give glory to God and to Christ for the victory that they have won.

Verse 10: They cried “out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen’” (Revelation 7:10–12, ESV).

It’s all about the glory of God, folks. He is worthy of all worship, and he will receive worship for all eternity from his angelic hosts and from his redeemed.

These Will Be Sheltered, Comforted, And Supplied By God For All Eternity

But notice lastly that the redeemed also stand to be sheltered, comforted, and supplied by God for all eternity.

“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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15–17, ESV).

It is true that all things are for the glory of God. We will indeed serve him for all eternity. But do you see how good God is to his redeemed? He himself will shelter us with his presence. God himself will be our dwelling place.

The prophesy of Ezekiel 37 is behind this passage. Listen to verse 25: “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore” (Ezekiel 37:24–28, ESV).

God himself will be our sanctuary. He has tabernacled amongst us in the person of Jesus – the word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us; he is with us now – the church is the temple of the holy Spirit; but at the consummation God will fill all. Everything will be temple. God will shelter us with his presence.

No more hunger. No more thirst. No more scorching heat. No more tribulation for the people of God. This is what God promised to Israel in the Isaiah 49 passage that we read earlier. Israel was told, “they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them” (Isaiah 49:10, ESV). Notice how the promise made to Israel in Isaiah 49 is applied, not to ethnic Israel, but to the multiethnic multitude washed pure in Christ’s blood.

It is this group – all who have the Lamb for their shepherd, who will be  he will be led “to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17, ESV). In this world life begins and ends with tears, but God will bring eternal comfort to all who are in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion 

Brothers and sisters, what questions should this text cause us to ask ourselves?

Are you properly clothed?

“And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.” (Matthew 22:1–19, ESV)

Are you grateful to God and to Christ now as you look forward to your heavenly reward?

Will you persevere? If you belong to Christ I know that God will preserve you. But I am here asking a different question. Will you persevere?

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:12–21, ESV).