Heaven

If you have your Bible, should you open them once again to Revelation chapter seven. My assignment this evening is to address the issue of heaven. Heaven. One could possibly think, well, then, why then would we go back to Revelation chapter seven. Shouldn't we go to twenty one or twenty two or something of that nature. Let's read chapter seven once again and pay attention all the way to the end. And remember remember the backdrop of chapter six. Remember that in chapter six we see this first iteration, if you will, of the judgment of God poured out. We see the seals, the seven seals. We see six of them open in chapter six. In chapter eight, there'll be another one open, and they'll be and then there'll be trumpets, and the trumpets will be another picture of the judgment of God. And between these we see chapter seven. And remember, in chapter seven, we're going back and we're answering the question from chapter six. Chapter six asks a question at the end, who can stand? Who can survive this? The answer in chapter seven is those who belong to God, those who are sealed. But not only do we see that those survive, but we see at the end of the chapter what that survival entails, look with me if you will again, beginning verse one. After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth, or see or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun with the seal of the Living God. And he called with a loud voice to the four angels, who had been given power to harm earth and see, saying, do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of the sealed. One hundred and forty four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Twelve thousand from the tribe of Judah was sealed, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtalai, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manassa, twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Isakar, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebelin, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. 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 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 fore 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, 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 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. What is that? That's heaven. That's heaven. This is a picture of those who have come out of the Great Tribulation, who have been sealed by God, who have been saved by God, and who are now spending eternity in the presence of God. And ultimately, when we talk about heaven, what we are talking about is our life in eternity in the presence of God. Amen. That's what we see a picture of. Not only do we see this, but I believe that we see here in chapter seven a powerful picture of our communion with the Triune God. And I think we see the work of the Triune God. Here. We see the work of the Spirit. We see the work of the Father, and we see the work of the Son in saving his people out of this great tribulation and bringing them to be with him. First we see the spirit, the Spirit at work. The Spirit is the one who will bring us to glory. This is what the Spirit does. That there is this covenant of redemption in eternity past. And in this covenant of redemption, the Father gives a people to the Son. This is seen probably most clearly in John chapter seventeen, when Jesus talks about all those whom the Father has given to me. So the Father gives a people to the Son in eternity past. The Son, out of his love for the Father. Father, out of his love for the Son, gives him this love gift. The Son, out of his love for the Father, actually redeems those whom the Father has given to him. Now, the Spirit, who is the very personification of the love between the Father and the Son, actually applies this redemption in time to those whom the Father gave and the Son redeemed. And not only does he apply this redemption, but he actually vouchsafes and keeps and preserves those whom the Father has given and for whom the Son has died and brings us safely to glory. Amen, this is the Spirit's work God. The Spirit does this, and this is one of the reasons that we can answer this question. Who can stand those who are sealed by God? And we read this doing not of the Spirit? That his work is that of the one who seals us. He preserves us, and he keeps us. And the Spirit is going to do that no matter what we face. He's going to do that. But who is he going to bring to glory? What is the Spirit at work doing right now in redemption? Well, he's bringing a numerous throng to glory. If you get anything from Revelation when you read chapter four, and then again in chapter five, when you read here in chapter six and elsewhere when there's a reference to what is going on around the Throne, one of the things that you understand is that there is a great multitude that will be saved. I've had the privilege of preaching all around the world, and one of the amazing things that happens when we sort of get out of our own comfort zones and out of our own places, we think about the church, we think about the people of God, in very limited scope, and all of a sudden you go to different parts of the world and meet people who speak different languages and have different cultures, and you realize that God is not just at work saving people where I live. Amen, God is at work saying people from every tribe and nation and kindred and tongue. That's why he says, after this, I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. It is a numerous throng. God is at work saving people, numerous people, probably billions and billions of people. This is the work that Christ accomplished. This is the gift that the father bequeathed to the son. This is the work that the Spirit is now doing and has been doing. Imagine that we have nine children, seven of them still at home. Someone asked me, I don't know. We were at a conference and doing a Q and A maybe when we were in South Africa, and someone asked me the question, you know, why do you have nine children? And my answer was because we couldn't get ten. Amen. We did our best, but wrangling nine children, wrangling seven children. When we were leaving. We have a friend who's here and he's visiting us, and he kind of chuckled because one of the things that you do when you have and you know, if you have a bunch of kids, you know exactly what I'm about to say. One of the things that you do wherever you go. We're getting ready to go out here, we're getting ready to walk into the street. My wife and I were both doing the same thing, getting ready to go in the street. Do we have seven? And then we'll look at each other, you know, and I get my count and I'm like, okay, I got seven. She looks at me. I got seven. Okay, I got seven. You got seven. Let's go. The Spirit is at work, applying redemption to sealing, uniting to Christ, preserving and keeping all those for whom Christ laid down his life. Think about that for a moment, the power of God expressed in the magnitude of the salvation of the people of God. And not one will ever be lost, Amen, Not one will ever be lost. The Spirit will do his job. Not only is he saving a numerous throng. He's saving, a worshiping throng. They're crying out with the loud voice. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. And the angels were standing around the throne, and the elders and the fore living creatures, and they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, and we see again this sevenfold doxology, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen around the throne is worship. The Spirit's saving and worshiping people. And this is why it's always rather odd to me that there are people who wouldn't worship God if you paid them. But if you ask them whether they're going when they die, they say they're going to the place where God will be worshiped forever. Huh. They want nothing to do with the worship of God. And yet the people whom God the Spirit is saving, applying redemption to and preserving is a people who will be in the presence of God forever, a people who will be worshippers of God forever. If you've got a problem worshiping God, now you need to question whether or not you are headed toward an eternity. Will you worship God forever? Amen? He is bringing to glory all of those for whom Christ died. The next part of the text, these are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation. These are the ones who've washed their robes. These are the ones who've made them white in the blood of the Lamb. These are the ones. What does this mean. It's very important to understand this idea of the Great Tribulation. There are those who read the Book of Revelation in a particular way, and their view is what's called a futurist view, and the idea is that the Great Tribulation is something in the future. The Great Tribulation is something that is going to come at some time in the future. And that's problematic for a number of reasons, not least of which is that when you read Chapter six and then Chapter seven and understand them properly, it's obvious that this judgment of God from which we're being saved is the Great Tribulation, and the result is all of the people of God. So all of the people of God are saved from the Great Tribulation. It's prophesied in Daniel chapter twelve, verse one. At that time shall arise Michael, the great Prince, who has charge of your people, and there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. Part of this is the persecution of God's people and great apostasy. In the Letters to the Seven Churches, Ephesus, Sardis, and Leadicia are in danger of losing their identity as the people of God, Pergamum, and Thiatira are compromising their loyalty to Christ. This is seen as great compromise and apostasy. It's the judgment on the wicked. We see this in Revelation chapter twenty one, but it's also a present day reality. In Revelation one point nine, John writes this, I John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in. Jesus was on the island called Patmas on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. So John says he's our partner in the tribulation whose partner is he. He's the partner of everyone who's reading Revelation. So, according to the author of Revelation, the tribulation was already in effect when Revelation was being written. It's not something future. John sixteen thirty three. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace, and world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world. Tribulation is not something future. Tribulation is our lot in life. We see this in the Acts of the Apostles chapter fourteen, Verses twenty one and twenty two. When they had preached the Gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God. Paul says in two Timothy, chapter three and verse twelve, all those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted. No, beloved, Tribulation is not something that we look forward to coming someday long after we're gone. Tribulation is the believer's lot in life. This is one of the major problems with the so called Word of faith gospel with the prosperity Gospel. The prosperity Gospel puts forth an idea that ultimately, if you're experiencing anything that looks like tribulation, your faith must not be strong enough. When the Bible paints a very different picture. We don't escape from the tribulation by God getting us out of here. We escape by having washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb, and we become part of this priestly throng. So the Spirit is saving a great multitude of people. The Spirit is saving worshiping people, the Spirit is saving a redeemed people, and the Spirit is actually saving a priestly people. Verse fifteen says, 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 serve God in the temple day and night. They are the kingdom of priests that we read about elsewhere in scripture. Look at first Peter chapter two, verses four and five. As you come to him a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious you, yourselves like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This is who we are, and this is what the Spirit is building us into. He's building us into a holy temple. He's building us into priests. Again, this is symbolic language. But what is the idea. The idea that when we come to faith in Christ, when we turn from our sin, and when we turn to Christ, what happens is we become a part of this covenant of redemption in time and God actually conforms us to the image of Christ. And we are being made into a people who are holy, who are righteous, who are set apart, and who offer acceptable sacrifices to a holy God. This is what the spirit is that worth doing. But not only is the Spirit at work doing this, but when the Spirit brings us to glory, the Father will be our shelter. My Father will be our shelter. Look again at the text in chapter seven, verse fifteen. 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, shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst anymore. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. One of the things that becomes evident as one lives life, as one meets people from various parts of the world, is that our cultures may be different, our traditions may be different, but ultimately all people everywhere are trying to do the same thing. We're trying to feed ourselves. We're trying to clothe ourselves. We're trying to shelter ourselves. Now, there may be different levels of food and clothing and shelter that we have available to us. We may drive different cars and live in different kinds of houses, but ultimately, what are we doing. We're marrying and giving in marriage. We're starting families, and what are we trying to do with our families. We're trying to raise our children. We're trying to put food on the table. We're trying to teach them as best we can to be good citizens and godly men and godly women. We're trying to teach them to then go and do the same things that we're trying to do. Life is really simple when you get down to it. And ultimately we fight and scratch and claw for our whole lives to be sheltered from hunger and from thirst, and from nakedness and from the elements. And what happens when we get to glory. We hunger no more, we thirst no more. The sun doesn't strike us anymore. We don't need to have that kind of protection anymore. And there will be no scorching heat upon us anymore. We won't sweat under sweltering lights anymore. Will be done with that. But notice what happens. The Bible doesn't say that the spirit will usher us into a time when we will just be better able to do this ourselves. What does the text actually say. Look at it again, He who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. It's the very presence of God that shelters us. And again this is a picture. And one of the things that we know is that in heaven there will actually be a restoration of what God did in creation, and for example, there will be work, there will be productivity in heaven. We will not lay on clouds and play harps there will be work, there will be productivity in heaven. But what's the point here. The point here is I won't have to worry about being sheltered, protected, cared for, because God's very presence will be my shelter. So the spirit is at work, and the spirit is actually bringing a people to a complete salvation, a complete salvation where we will be in the presence of God, who will actually be our shelter, and the Son who will be our shepherd. Look at the text again. The lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. What a turn of phrase. Earlier, at the end of chapter six we have an amazing turn of phrase, hide us from the wrath of the lamb. Right, this idea of the wrath of the lamb, What a turn of phrase. Now the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. The lamb will be our shepherd. He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. The theme of the shepherd is a thing in the Bible from the beginning to the end. In fact, in Genesis we find shepherding not only when we see you know, the Abraham and all of his livestock and lot and all of his livestock. We see shepherding even before that. We see shepherding early on when sacrifices are offered by Cain and Abel, one of them offers the sacrifice of a shepherd. But we actually see shepherding earlier than that, because ultimately God is the shepherd of Adam and Eve in the garden. Later on, when Joseph is reunited with his brothers and they are going to get the finest of the land in Egypt, he says, what tell Pharaoh that we are shepherds? Later on, when God finally has a people in a land and he gives them a king, who does he give them as a king? He gives them a sheperd boy as a king. But even before that, when he got them into the land of Promise, who did he use? He used Moses? Well? What did Moses do well? For the first forty years of his life he lived in Egypt in royalty. For the next forty years of his life he was a shepherd and midian, And for the last forty years of his life he shepherd at Israel in the desert. The prophets and priests and kings are rebuked. And why are they rebuked? Because they're supposed to be the shepherds of Israel, and yet they do not shepherd God's people properly. And then finally we get into the New Covenant, and in a new Covenant, before Jesus Is even says a word, what happens. The Angel announces his birth to shepherds. He says, I am a good shepherd. And at the end of the book, in the last book of the Bible, what do we have the people of God being shepherded by the lamb, after having been shepherded by the Spirit all the way to glory. Amen. This is actually a fulfillment of a promise. All of these things that we see here. Listen to Isaiah forty nine to ten. They shall not hunger a thirst, either 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. This is what our shepherd does. Listen to this, this was actually our benediction this morning. Now may the God of Peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal Covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, the Great Shepherd of the sheep. We don't just stand the idea here. Is not that the tribulation of chapter six comes, and when the dust settles, we stand there wiping the dust away from us, having survived when others did not. That is not the picture here. The picture here is this, that the judgment of God is going to come, that men and angels will be judged, that the earth will be judged, That heaven and earth will pass away. But there will be new heavens and new earth. And there will be those on the other side of this tribulation, not who stand there dusty and having escaped by the skin of their teeth, but those who have actually been made new, and have been ushered into the presence of God by the Spirit of God, and sheltered by God the Father, and shepherded by God the Son. For all eternity. This is what heaven is, This is what God is doing. This is where we're headed. Regardless of where we get off, there is going to come a generation who will be here when Christ returns. Yuh oh, that that might be us, But there will be a generation who will be here when Christ returns. But outside of that one generation who is here when Christ returns, all of us die in the midst of tribulation and we meet God on the other side. So no, the idea of us standing, the idea of those of us who are found in Christ being the answer to the question who can stand, is not the idea of us somehow not experiencing tribulation in this life. The idea is that even in spite of it, Even in chapter six, there's an amazing statement in chapter six. In chapter six, the martyrs cry out to God, and the martyrs are saying, when how long before you vindicate us? And the answer is, basically, your number is not complete. There are those whose way through tribulation is martyrdom, and yet they will stand. Imagine that picture if you will. There are those who follow Christ and who will be killed at the hands of bloodthirsty men because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But on the other side of the tribulation, the ones who were slaughtered will stand in the presence of the Lamb, and those who did the slaughtering will find themselves begging the rocks to fall on them. No belove it. This is not pie in the sky, escape difficulty, never have a bad day if you're a good enough Christian, that's a lie. That's a lie. This is more significant than that. This is no matter how much tribulation you find yourself enduring, even if you find yourself enduring to the point of death, know this that there is an answer to the question who can stand? And the answer is all of those whose robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb, because after all, he won his reward not by escaping death, but by enduring it. What are you going through? What are you enduring? What are you afraid that you will never be able to overcome? What is hurting you? What is harming you? What is making it difficult for you to go to sleep at night and not want to wake up in the morning. What is it? You name it? Is it? What is it? What is it? And whatever it is, it will never be more significant than the work of the triune God, who is going to save all of his people. Whatever it is, it is not bigger than a dead Jesus. And if Christ can raise from the grave and defeat death and Hell itself, then whatever it is that you are enduring, it's not enough to keep you from this truth. God is greater. God is greater, Amen, God is greater. Endure, endure. Let's pray, Oh God, how we thank you, How we need you, Oh how we rejoice in You. We live in the midst of a world that is filled with trouble trials on every hand. We live in bodies that are frail, with minds that are weak, souls that are weary, And we desperately need to be reminded again and again that God the Spirit will shepherd us through and that what he does, God the Father will be our shelter, and God the Son will be our shepherd. And the day will come when You will, indeed wipe every tear from our eyes, every hurt will be healed, every pain subsided, every longing and desire fulfilled, and every fear removed. Even so, Come Lord Jesus. Amen,