Salvation to God and to the Lamb

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. 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 foreheads. 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. 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. 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; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 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, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 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. 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. 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 waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. - Revelation 7:1-17

    ‘For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes’ (Revelation 7:17)

    The subject of this chapter is the salvation of God's elect. Long ago, the prophet Jonah declared, ‘Salvation is of the Lord’ (Jon. 2:9). All God's saints upon the earth learn the sweet words of David's song and rejoice to sing, ‘The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord’ (Ps. 37:39). ‘Salvation is of the Lord’: In its planning! In its purchase! In its performance! In its preservation! And in its perfection! From beginning to end, salvation is God's work and God's gift; and he gives it to whom he will (Rom. 9:16). When at last all the elect are gathered together around the throne of God, perfectly glorified in Christ, they shall proclaim, ‘Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb’ (v. 10). In these seventeen verses John teaches us four facts about the salvation of God's elect.

    God preserves this world in order to save his elect in the world (vv. 1-3)

    No one should mistake God's longsuffering for lack of will or ability in the Almighty to punish his enemies. The entire sixth chapter of Revelation is a warning to men of the certainty and finality of God's judgment. The Lord's patience and longsuffering with men and women in this world is an unquestionable fact. He causes the sunshine and the rain to fall upon both the righteous and the wicked (Matt. 5:45). ‘The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works’ (Ps. 145:9). But temporal mercies are not an indication of God's favor (Ps. 92:5-7). Far from it! God has set the wicked in slippery places. Their feet shall slide down to hell in due season (Ps. 73:18-20; Deut. 32:35). God has already prepared the instruments by which he will ease himself of his adversaries and destroy all his enemies (vv. 1-2). The angels of destruction are armed with the winds of woe and are ready to execute judgment. These four angels control the instruments of destruction throughout the whole earth: north, south, east, and west. They are prepared for their work of hurting (destroying) the earth. But, suddenly, John sees another Angel ascending from the east. He cries with a loud voice to the four angels in verse 1 and commands them to withhold their judgment (v. 2).

    This angel ascending up out of the east is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of the covenant. Who but the Angel of the covenant (The Messenger of the covenant - Mal. 3:1), could have the seal of the covenant? Who but Christ, who holds his people in his hands and keeps them by the power of his grace, could seal his servants? He is the Day Star and the Sun of Righteousness who arose in the east, from Judah, out of Zion. When he arose to seal his people, he brought light, life, salvation, and joy to us. There is healing beneath his wings (2 Peter 1:19; Mal. 4:2; Ps. 14:7). Christ has the seal of the covenant, which is the Spirit of God. As circumcision was the physical sign and seal of God's covenant with Abraham, the Holy Spirit, given to God's elect in regeneration, is the seal of the covenant of grace (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).

    It is Christ, our Mediator, the Angel of the covenant, who preserves this world from destruction in order to accomplish the salvation of God's elect (v. 3). The only thing holding back the judgment of God from this world is the mediatoral work of Christ. God's patience, longsuffering, and forbearance with this world is ‘to usward,’ and is for the salvation of his elect (2 Peter 3:9, 15). As God set his seal upon the houses of Israel when the destroying angel passed through Egypt (Ex. 12:23), so Christ has set his seal upon all the elect. As Aaron wore a signet upon his forehead which read, ‘Holiness To The Lord’ (Ex. 28:38), so Christ has set his sanctifying seal upon his people.

    If you are a believer, the seal of God is upon you. Judgment will surely come, but you have nothing to fear! The woes of this Book are against the wicked, persecuting world. No punishment from God will fall upon his chosen (1 Thess. 5:9). God punished the sins of his people in Christ, their Substitute, to the full satisfaction of his justice. Since Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, we cannot be condemned (Gal. 3:13; Rom. 8:1, 33-34). This sealing is one of the most precious things under heaven. The seal of God protects, preserves, and keeps us. It is the mark of God's ownership upon us. It cannot be broken. Well might we pray, ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart’ (S. of S. 8:6). God the Father sealed us with his decree of election (Jude 1). God the Son sealed us with his atoning blood (Heb. 10:10-14). God the Holy Spirit sealed us with his regenerating grace (Eph. 1:13-14).

    All God's elect will be saved to the praise of the glory of his grace (vv. 4-12)

    The opinions and speculations of men about these 144,000 are many, imaginary, and ridiculous. This number, like all the rest of the vision, is symbolical. It is a definite number used to describe an indefinite multitude. How are we to discover who they are? Simply look to the context. The 144,000 represent all of God's sealed ones throughout the whole earth (vv. 3-4), the whole ‘Israel of God,’ a great multitude of elect Jews and Gentiles, which no man can number, which shall be saved (v. 9). The twelve tribes of Israel which are named and the twelve thousand out of each tribe represent spiritual Israel, the church, the whole body of God's elect (Rom. 11:26). To suggest, as many do, that Jews, because they are Jews, physical descendants of Abraham, shall obtain God's mercy and grace, is to fly in the face of Holy Scripture. Grace does not come to men as a matter of physical heritage, but by spiritual heritage (John 1:12-13; Rom. 9:8).

    John tells us five things about this 144,000, five things about God's elect.

    1. They are a great multitude (vv. 4, 9).

    2. God's elect, and only God's elect, were redeemed by the blood of Christ (14:3).

    3. The elect are known in time by their conversion to Christ (14:4; John 10:3-4, 27-28; 1 Thess. 1:4-10).

    4. All the elect are sealed in grace, preserved and kept by God the Holy Spirit (vv. 3-4). ‘They shall never perish!’ And

    5. All God's elect, the entire 144,000 shall be saved (vv. 9-12). John saw them all, the whole, great, innumerable multitude, standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, holding palm branches in their hands, giving praise to God. What God has purposed, he will bring to pass!

    Not only will all God's elect be saved, they will all be saved through faith in Christ (vv. 13-14)

    Election is not salvation. It is unto salvation (2 Thess. 2:13). Redemption guarantees salvation. But redemption is not salvation. Salvation comes to sinners only through faith in Christ. This faith is as much a work of grace and gift of God as election and redemption (Col. 2:12; Eph. 2:8). And it is just as necessary. No one can be saved without personal faith in Christ. We are told two things about all who enter into heaven: (1.) They all come out of great tribulation. That refers to the temptations, trials, and persecutions of God's elect in this world (John 16:33; Acts 14:22). And (2.) they all have ‘Washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ They have placed their trust in the blood of Christ and have by faith obtained perfect righteousness in him (1 John 1:7, 9).

    The salvation of God's elect shall be a perfect, complete, eternal salvation

    This is seen in verses 15, 16, and 17. ‘Therefore,’ because they have been redeemed and justified through the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God sacrificed in their place, ‘are they before the throne.’ There they worship and serve him in spontaneous, glad, unceasing devotion of heart, and these redeemed ones in glory enjoy sweet, full, intimate communion and fellowship with God through Christ. That is the essence of heaven's glory and bliss. All of these things apply to all of God's elect. In heaven, we shall be in the immediate, eternal presence of our God and Savior (v. 15). Everything we want, need, and desire shall be supplied with unlimited fulness (v. 16). We shall be completely delivered from all sin, sorrow, hardship, and care (v. 17). Who could desire more? (Ps. 27:4; 17:15). God's salvation is perfect salvation!