Lindsey Campbell was my friend.
That's how he addressed me. My dear friend, that's the way
he called me. We chit-chat for a minute. Earlier this week when I received
a call that he had passed away, immediately my mind was racing
on Okay, what would be the arrangements? How would I change everything
so I can be there? Oh, I don't know if I can be
there. I don't know if I can make this work. I had a dear
friend one time tell me, we often get one chance to do the right
thing. So while I was just pretty well convinced I cannot work
this out, there's no way I can work this out, Michael calls
me and says, my mom wanted me to call you. As soon as he said that, I thought,
must be there. I need you to take care of the
closing comments at the gravesite. I said, okay, that's what we'll
do. So I get a call this morning from Todd and they found donors. Todd says, Marvin, I can't make
it. I need you to take that service. I'll tell you what I thought.
The lot is laid in the lap. and the whole disposing of it
is of the Lord. I'm gonna make a few comments
out of Revelation chapter seven. The next morning after I'd spoken
with Michael, this passage came to my mind. I want to just take
Revelation seven, and this is what I'm thinking about. Our departed brethren, we speak and knowing that they're
with the Lord. We know that from the scriptures. And in the book of Revelation,
if you've got your Bible with you, I want you to look at verse
13, Revelation 7, 13. Now let me just say, while you're
turning, let me tell you what has come about in this passage
of Scripture. The Lord is going to allow The
winds. Verse 1 says, Revelation 7, after
these things, I saw four angels standing on the four corners
of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth. You know,
we speak of the Spirit of God as being the wind. He blows us
the wind. This is not that. The winds here,
these four winds that are going to go forth are going to be that
which Almighty God allows to go forth these winds of deception,
deception that will be blown upon the earth. Almighty God orders all things. And whenever the Lord allows,
whatever goes through this earth, he does it to his glory and the
good of his people. But before these winds of deception,
are gonna be released by these angels. An angel, in verse two
says, ascended from the east, having the seal of a living God,
and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it
was given to hurt the earth and sea, saying, hurt not the earth,
neither the sea nor the trees, till we've sealed the servants
of our God in their foreheads. Almighty God is going to protect
His people, those that He's everlastingly loved, and they're not going
to be deceived. They're not going to be tossed
with every wind of doctrine, deception. God's going to protect
them. Well, they are sealed. They're protected. And Almighty
God, after sealing and protecting His people, The scripture says
in verse 9 of Revelation 7, John speaking, and he said, after
this, I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes and palms in their hands. Now here we behold this great
number, No man can number, God knows them. Man would be better
off trying to count the grains of dust upon this earth than
he would know those who are the Lord's. And here they are, they've
been sealed in their forehead and God has protected them, kept
them from deception, kept by the power of God from this era. They're not going to leave this
world tossed to and fro. And John is allowed to see this
throne standing there, clothed in white robes. And I began to
think on this passage as I looked over it, and I thought, God's
people are there. They're there. What are they
doing? There's so much that we don't
know. There's so much that we're left with. Ignorance. The Lord knows. But I looked at this passage
of scripture and I thought, here's a multitude. John sees them,
verse 9. They're from everywhere. And in verse 10, what are they
doing? Here's what they're doing, 10,
11, 12. They cried with a loud voice saying, salvation to our
God. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Our God. Our God. What's he doing? Which sitteth upon the throne
unto the Lamb. This is a God that this world
doesn't know. Our God rules. David, where's
your God? Our God's in heaven. What's he
doing? Whatever he's pleased to do. And verse 11 says that all the
angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders,
and the four beasts, and fell before the throne, their faces,
and worshiped God. I thought to myself, I know so
little about that. Worshipping God, we assemble
ourselves together, but we say we're going to a worship service.
Oh, how little I know. Verse 12 says, this is what they
were saying. Amen. So be it. glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever,
so be it. John's just looking at this.
He's beholding. This is where the departed saints
of God are now. If you want to know, where Brother
Lindsey is. You want to know where Brother
Don is? You want to know where they are? Right now, according
to these scriptures, the only authority that has any merit
to it whatsoever, what are they doing? They're standing before the throne. And they see it. And they know him. He knows them,
and here's what they're saying. Blessing and glory, wisdom, thanksgiving. Oh, thank you. Thank you that
I'm here. Honor, honor, the only honor
that is deserving Power and might be unto our God. What power do we have? We're
frail creatures of the dust. We're just here for a moment. Oh, but unto Him forever and
ever. And then John said, one of the
elders, verse 13, answered, saying unto me, now listen to this question. I thought, what a question. What
or who are these which are arrayed in white robes? Who are these? Who are these people? Who are these people standing
in white robes? Now, he's asking a question that
he's going to answer in just a moment. And this is the second
part of that question. And whence came they? Now, you
talk about a question. Now, here's a question. Who are
they, and where did they come from? That's what he's asking. Who are these people? The scripture says, verse 14,
answers out of complete submission to the one doing the asking.
And he says, sir, you know. Who are these that are standing
there in these white robes? And then that one that asking
that elder, said, these are they which came out of great tribulation
and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the lamb. Who are these people? I'll tell
you who they are. These are the elect of God, those that were chosen before
the foundation of the world, that Almighty God loved, loved
with an everlasting love, that though nothing was found
in them, according to His will, He chose to show mercy. Moses
asked Him, Exodus 33, 19, show me your glory. Show me your glory. Here is the
glory of God according to the Lord's answer. Here's his glory. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. And I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter nine to say this, so then it's
not of him that willeth, are of him that run, but of God that
showeth mercy. These, verse 14, are they which
came out of great tribulation. Great tribulation. What is this?
We're in it. We're in it right now. This is
this great tribulation of these afflictions and trials persecutions
of this world, all but the affliction from within, the fighting and
the warring within. The Lord told his disciples,
he said, you be hated of all men for my namesake. They came
out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They have robes that were not
of their making. This is the imputed robe of Christ's
righteousness. These are they that were chosen
of the Father and given to the Son, and those who the Son assured
to, who stood and answered the demand for the justice of
God, 2 Corinthians 5.21. He, the Father, hath made him
sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. These are the ones that the Spirit
of God came in the day of love across their paths through the
hearing of the gospel. called him power and grace, made
him willing in the day of his power. And the scripture says
they've come and they've had their robes washed by faith in
the blood of the Lamb. I've thought of this scripture
so many times, I thought they washed their robes white in the
blood of the Lamb. You know, this is the only place
you're ever gonna find that blood washes anything white. Oh, the preciousness of his blood,
that blood that is beheld by the Father, that blood that was
put on the doorpost there in Egypt. Almighty God said to Moses,
he told the people, you put the blood on the doorpost. When I
pass through, when I see the blood, I'm gonna pass over you. And Scripture says in verse 15,
and therefore, are they before the throne, these that God Almighty has everlastingly
loved, those that God chose to be there
with Him. What are they doing? I'll tell
you what they're doing. Therefore, are they before the
throne of God, and they serve Him, They worship him. Now this is something, just think
about what I'm about to read. They serve him, they worship
him day and night in his temple. We're so frail. I can't even,
I can't even try to pray and keep my mind constant. I catch
myself just so, where was I? I called myself praying. Let
me tell you what they're doing. Separated from the body of this
head that you just mentioned, separated from the very presence
of sin, standing in the very presence of God, they worship
day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. He'll put his tabernacle over
him. And Scripture says in verses
16, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun light on them nor any heat. There's not going to be anything
that's withheld from them that they need. What do they need?
I don't know. I don't know. But I can tell you this. there'll
be no need that it's not supplied. Verse 17, for the lamb, which
is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them. They're going to be fed by the Lord Jesus Christ. He who loved them, lived for
him, died for him. He who ever liveth to make intercession
for him. He who said, Father, I will,
that where I am, there they may be also. Here they are. They behold his glory. And the
scripture says, and when he feeds them, that is to tend to them,
to nourish them, and cherish them. Oh, we try to be a little encouragement
to each other, you know, and help each other and say, I'm
going to be praying for you. But the scripture says there,
the Lord himself is feeding them. And then it says, and shall lead
them into living fountains of water. That is, lead them, to
teach them, to show them or guide them in the revelation of the
living waters of God's mercy and grace. I'm the first to admit I don't
understand all that I'm reading, but I believe it. And then lastly, and God. shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes. Not an angel. Almighty God. God who spoke this world into
existence. God who says and it is. God himself
in absolute tenderness and compassion and mercy Scripture says she'll
wipe away their tears. You know, right now, here we
are, we're, we're hurting. I've, I've looked at and I've
listened to these things that have been said that were so tender
and they're so sweet. And I, I was, my heart was just
moved. And I watched you, I saw you,
you know, you couldn't hold back your emotions. We love Lindsey. We miss him, miss Don. These
men that I talk to all the time, I love them. I love them. I'm
not gonna say loved, I love them. I miss them. My heart breaks. Betty Groover told me one time,
a believer dies and this is our attitude. We rejoice with a tear
in our eye, but they're coming to town. and there won't be any
more tears, and God will wipe away right now this presence
of sin, this body of death, and we have anxiety, we're troubled
on every side, but oh, in that day, free from the very presence
of sin, never again, never again to know the occasion of weeping,
despair, or tribulation, Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Deliver
us, deliver us from the body of this death according to your
good pleasure, your glory, and our eternal good. Amen.