Revelation 7 commentary

REVELATIO 7 COMMETARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

Between the sixth and seventh seals is an interlude (an interruption in the scene) that

involves all of chapter seven. The seventh seal will be opened in chapter eight. In chapter

six we saw the saints under the altar (9-11) and a terrible judgment coming upon the earth

which was closed with the question, "Who shall be able to stand?" (12-17). In view of

this one might ask, "Will the saints on earth be able to stand and what will happen to the

souls under the altar?" John's interlude (a vision of two parts) answers these questions.

The saints on earth are sealed and those martyred are before the throne of God. Thus, the

first part of the interlude is to permit the sealing of the saints in order that they will be

able to endure the afflictions set forth in chapter six. The judgments seem to be altered so

that they will not hurt God's children. DAVID RIGGS

1

After this I saw four angels standing at the

four corners of the earth, holding back the

four winds of the earth to prevent any wind

from blowing on the land or on the sea or on

any tree.

BARES, “And after these things - After the vision of the things referred to in the opening of the sixth seal. The natural interpretation would be, that what is here said of the angels and the winds occurred after those things which are described in the previous chapter. The exact chronology may not be always observed in these symbolical representations, but doubtless there is a general order which is observed.I saw four angels - He does not describe their forms, but merely mentions their

agency. This is, of course, a symbolical representation. We are not to suppose that it would be literally fulfilled, or that, at the time referred to by the vision, four celestial beings would be stationed in the four quarters of the world for the purpose of checking and restraining the winds that blow from the four points of the compass. The meaning is, that events would occur which would be properly represented by four angels standing in the four quarters of the world, and having power over the winds.

Standing on the four corners of the earth - This language is, of course, accommodated to the prevailing mode of speaking of the earth among the Hebrews. It was a common method among them to describe it as a vast plain, having four corners, those corners being the prominent points - north, south, east, and west. So we speak now of the four winds, the four quarters of the world, etc. The Hebrews spoke of the earth, as we do of the rising and setting of the sun and of the motions of the heavenly bodies,

according to appearances, and without aiming at philosophical exactness. Compare the notes on Job_26:7. With this view they spoke of the earth as an extended plain, and as having boundaries or corners, as a plain or field naturally has. Perhaps, also, they used this language with some allusion to an edifice, as having four corners; for they speak also of the earth as having foundations. The language which the Hebrews used was in accordance with the prevailing ideas and language of the ancients on the subject.

Holding the four winds of the earth - The winds blow in fact from every quarter, but it is convenient to speak of them as coming from the four principal points of the compass, and this method is adopted probably in every language. So among the Greeks and Latins, the winds were arranged under four classes - Zephyrus, Boreas, Notus, and Eurus - considered as under the control of a king, Aeolus. See Eschenburg, Man. Class. Literally, section 78, compare section 108. The angels here are represented as “holding”

the winds - κρατο�ντας kratountas. That is, they held them back when about to sweep

over the earth, and to produce far-spread desolation. This is an allusion to a popular belief among the Hebrews, that the agency of the angels was employed everywhere. It is not suggested that the angels had raised the tempest here, but only that they now restrained and controlled it. The essential idea is, that they had plower over those winds, and that they were now exercising that power by keeping them back when they were about to spread desolation over the earth.

That the wind should not blow on the earth - That there should be a calm, as if the winds were held back.

Nor on the sea - Nowhere - neither on sea nor land. The sea and the land constitute the surface of the globe, and the language here, therefore, denotes that there would be a universal calm.

Nor on any tree - To injure it. The language used here is such as would denote a state of profound quiet; as when we say that it is so still that not a leaf of the trees moves.

In regard to the literal meaning of the symbol here employed there can be no great difficulty; as to its application there may be more. The winds are the proper symbols of wars and commotions. Compare Dan_7:2. In Jer_49:36-37 the symbol is both used and explained: “And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life.” So in Jer_51:1-2, a destroying wind is an emblem of destructive war: “I will raise up against Babylon a destroying wind, and will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land.” Compare Horace, Odes, b. i. 14. The essential ideas, therefore, in this portion of the symbol, cannot be mistaken. They are two:

(1) That at the period of time here referred to - after the opening of the sixth seal and before the opening of the seventh - there would be a state of things which would be well represented by rising tempests and storms, which if unrestrained would spread desolation afar; and,

(2) That this impending ruin was held back as if by angels having control of those winds; that is, those tempests were not suffered to go forth to spread desolation over the world. A suspended tempest calamity held in check; armies hovering on the borders of a kingdom, but not allowed to proceed for a time; hordes of invaders detained, or stayed in their march, as if by some restraining power not their own, and from causes not within themselves - any of these things would be an obvious fulfilling of the meaning of the symbol.

CLARKE, “And after these things - Immediately after the preceding vision.I saw four angels - Instruments which God employs in the dispensation of his

providence; we know not what.

On the four corners of the earth - On the extreme parts of the land of Judea,

called ��γη, the land, or earth, by way of eminence.

Holding the four winds - Preventing evil from every quarter. Earth - sea, nor on any tree; keeping the whole of the land free from evil, till the Church of Christ should wax strong, and each of his followers have time to prepare for his flight from Jerusalem, previously to its total destruction by the Romans.

GILL, “And after these things,.... After the opening of six of the seals of the sealed book, and after the demolition of Heathen deities, and of Heathen worship, and of Heathen magistrates, in the Roman empire, and the representation of these to John, he had the following vision; and which therefore does not refer to the preservation of the Christians, before and at the destruction of Jerusalem, which was under the first seal; nor to the security of the saints from the wrath of the Lamb, when it fell upon the Pagan worshippers, of all ranks and degrees, which was under the sixth seal, and was now over; but rather it respects an intermediate space of time between the sixth and seventh seal, as reaching from Constantine to Theodosius; for upon Constantine's being sole emperor, the church enjoyed great peace and tranquillity after the blustering storms of Pagan persecution ceased; and great numbers of God's elect were converted and sealed, and the winds of Heathen persecution were held, and blew no more, unless for a short time under the Emperor Julian; though the church was not free from the wind of error and heresy; and the storms of contention which arose about them, nor from the tempest of Arian persecutions, which were very grievous; wherefore this refers to what should be between the sixth and seventh seal, which brings on the seven trumpets: and now, before John sees that seal opened, a pause is made, and this vision is shown him, to fortify his mind, and all other saints, that are observers of these things, who by the opening of the following seal would see what judgments and plagues would come upon the empire, now become Christian, and what changes and revolutions would be made in it, and might fear that the church of God would be wholly swallowed up and lost; wherefore this vision is exhibited to show, that notwithstanding the devastations by the Goths and Vandals, and the rise, progress, and power of Mahomet, and the dreadful apostasy of the church of Rome, and all the miseries of it, and the plagues that should come upon the church for it; yet God would have throughout all this, and in, every age of time, a sealed number, a true church, hidden and secured, even until the seventh angel has sounded his trumpet, and time shall be no more, and the mystery of God will be finished.

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 trees. Four angels are mentioned, in allusion to the four spirits of the heavens, in Zec_6:5; and though the earth is not a plain square with angles, but round and globular, yet it is said to have four corners, with respect to the four points of the heavens; and though there is but one wind, which blows sometimes one way, and sometimes another, yet four are named with regard to the above points, east, west,

north, and south, from whence it blows. These are commonly called "the four winds of heaven", Dan_8:8; but here, of the earth, as in the Targum on Isa_11:12, and he shall

bring near the captivity of Judah, מארבע�רוחי�ארעא,�"from�the�four�winds�of�the�earth".�And�

such�things�as�are�chiefly�affected�with�winds�are�particularly�observed,�as�the�earth,�upon�which�

buildings�are�thrown�down�by�them;�and�the�sea,�in�which�ships�are�wrecked;�and�trees,�which�by�

the�violence�of�them,�are�blown�down,�and�torn�up�by�the�roots.�Some�by�these�angels�understand�

evil�angels,�who�are�sometimes�called�angels,�without�any�additional�epithet�to�distinguish�them,�

and�that�because�a�desire�of�hurting�seems�to�have�been�in�them,�as�well�as�a�power,�Rev_7:2;�and�

who�are,�in�every�part�of�the�world,�seeking�to�do�all�the�mischief�they�can;�and�may�be�said�to�

hold�the�winds,�not�in�a�literal�sense,�for�God�only�gathers�the�wind�in�his�fist,�and�holds�it�there,�

and�lets�it�loose�at�his�pleasure;�but�in�a�mystical�sense,�as�these�may�refer�to�the�word,�and�the�

ministers�of�the�word,�whose�progress�and�success�are�often�hindered�by�Satan�and�is�emissaries;�

and�some�particularly�understand�by�them�the�four�monarchies�of�the�Babylonian,�Persian,�

Grecian,�and�Roman;�others�the�four�emperors,�after�that�Dioclesian�and�Maximianus�had�

resigned,�as�Maximinus,�Galerius,�Maxentius,�and�Licinius;�others�Mahomet,�or�the�Turk,�in�the�

east,�who�hindered�the�Gospel�by�his�wars�and�devastations,�as�well�as�by�false�worship;�the�kings�

of�France�and�Spain�on�the�west,�by�fire,�and�faggot,�and�sword;�and�the�pope�in�the�south,�by�

bulls�and�excommunications;�and�the�empire�and�emperors�of�Germany�on�the�north,�by�public�

edicts;�or,�in�general,�all�the�Popish�tribe,�popes,�cardinals,�bishops,�priests,�monks,�and�friars,�by�

their�decrees,�anathemas,�sermons,�writings,�and�lying�miracles,�did�all�they�could�that�the�Gospel�

might�not�be�preached�neither�in�the�earth,�on�the�continent,�nor�in�the�sea,�or�in�the�islands�of�it;�

or�that�any�of�the�saints,�the�trees�of�righteousness,�who�lived�in�woods�and�mountainous�places,�

or�were�forced�to�fly�into�woods,�might�have�any�advantage�by�it.�But,�after�all,�rather�this�is�to�be�

understood�of�good�angels,�and�either�of�their�restraining�evil�angels�from�doing�mischief,�see�

Dan_10:13;�or�keeping�back�the�winds�of�false�doctrines�and�heresies�from�the�churches�of�Christ,�

in�the�several�parts�of�the�world;�or�rather,�and�which�is�the�true�sense,�of�their�holding�in�the�

storms�of�calamities�and�war�to�the�destruction�of�kingdoms,�provinces,�islands,�and�the�several�

inhabitants�of�them,�and�intends�a�general�peace�throughout�the�world;�see�Jer_49:36.�This�

mystical�way�of�speaking�seems�to�agree�with�the�notions�of�the�Jews,�who�speak�of�angels�

standing�at�the�gates�of�the�four�winds,ומפתחי�רוח�� "and�the�keys�of�the�wind�in�their�hands",�whose�

names�they�give�us�(x);�and�make�mention�ofמלאכי�רוחא�,�"the�angels�of�the�wind"�(y);�and�the�

Magi�among�the�Persians�call�the�angel�of�the�wind�"Bad",�or�"Badran"�(z).�

HERY, “Here we have, I. An account of the restraint laid upon the winds. By these winds we suppose are meant those errors and corruptions in religion which would

occasion a great deal of trouble and mischief to the church of God. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is compared to the wind: here the spirits of error are compared to the four winds, contrary one to another, but doing much hurt to the church, the garden and vineyard of God, breaking the branches and blasting the fruits of his plantation. The devil is called the prince of the power of the air; he, by a great wind, overthrew the house of Job's eldest son. Errors are as wind, by which those who are unstable are shaken, and carried to and fro, Eph_4:14. Observe, 1. These are called the winds of the earth, because they blow only in these lower regions near the earth; heaven is always clear and free from them. 2. They are restrained by the ministry of angels, standing on the four corners of the earth, intimating that the spirit of error cannot go forth till God permits it, and that the angels minister to the good of the church by restraining its enemies. 3. Their restraint was only for a season, and that was till the servants of God were sealed in their foreheads. God has a particular care and concern for his own servants in times of temptation and corruption, and he has a way to secure them from the common infection; he first establishes them, and then he tries them; he has the timing of their trials in his own hand.

JAMISO, “Rev_7:1-17. Sealing of the elect of Israel. The countless multitude of the Gentile elect.And — so B and Syriac. But A, C, Vulgate, and Coptic omit “and.”

after these things — A, B, C, and Coptic read, “after this.” The two visions in this chapter come in as an episode after the sixth seal, and before the seventh seal. It is clear that, though “Israel” may elsewhere designate the spiritual Israel, “the elect (Church) on earth” [Alford], here, where the names of the tribes one by one are specified, these names cannot have any but the literal meaning. The second advent will be the time of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, when the times of the Gentiles shall have been fulfilled, and the Jews shall at last say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” The period of the Lord’s absence has been a blank in the history of the Jews as a nation. As then Revelation is the Book of the Second Advent [De Burgh], naturally mention of God’s restored favor to Israel occurs among the events that usher in Christ’s advent.

earth ... sea ... tree — The judgments to descend on these are in answer to the martyrs’ prayer under the fifth seal. Compare the same judgments under the fifth trumpet, the sealed being exempt (Rev_9:4).

on any tree — Greek, “against any tree” (Greek, “epi�ti�dendron”: but “on the earth,”

Greek, “epi�tees�gees”).

PULPIT, “And after these things. Μετὰ τοῦτο , or, as some cursives read, µετὰ ταῦτα , is generally regarded as denoting the close of the sixth seal and the commencement of a new subject, interjected by way of episode between the sixth and seventh seals. But, even if not looked upon as an integral part of the revelations made under the sixth seal, the connection is so close that the two must be regarded practically as one. The incidents of the seventh chapter are evidently the complement of those narrated in the closing verses of the sixth. They take up the question with which that chapter closes, "Who is able to stand?" and afford comfort and help to those suffering Christians who were so sorely in need of a renewed assurance of the certainty of their final reward. It seems better, therefore, on the whole, to consider the sixth seal to extend to the end of Rev_7:1-17. Vitringa takes this view, which appears to be supported also by Wordsworth. Alford, while

separating Rev_7:1-17 from Rev_6:1-17, as "two episodes," remarks, "The great day of the Lord's judgment is not described; it is all but brought before us under the sixth seal, and is actually going on in the first of these episodes." I saw four angels. Of the nature of these angels we are told nothing. They are evidently ministers of God's will, and the mention of them following immediately upon the preceding description seems to connect the whole account more closely with Mat_24:29, Mat_24:30, where the angels gather the elect from the four winds. It does not seem probable that "evil angels" are meant as understood by some writers, since what they do is apparently done at the command of God. Standing on the four corners of the earth. That is, standing in the four opposite directions, and thus controlling all the earth (cf. Isa_11:12; Rev_20:8). The number four is the symbol of universality and of creation (see on Rev_5:9).Holding the four

winds of the earth (cf. Jer_49:36; Dan_7:2; Mat_24:31). The angels may have been the "angels of

the winds," just as in Rev_14:18 an angel has power over fire, and inRev_16:5 we read of the "angel of the waters." The winds have been interpreted in two ways, neither of which seems strictly correct. The first is to give a literal meaning (as Dusterdieck) to the winds, and to understand literal windstorms as part of the judgment upon the earth. The second method interprets the winds as symbols of the judgments of the first six seals, which are held in suspension, while the elect are sealed. The truth probably is that the winds, like the earthquake, the rolling up of the heaven as a scroll, etc., are part of the figurative description of the destruction of the world at the judgment day; which destruction, like that of Sodom, is delayed for the preservation of God's elect. That the wind

should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. Πᾶν δένδρον , "every tree," is

read in à , P, l, 36, Andreas, etc. The earth, the sea, the trees, are mentioned as things likely to be affected by the action of the winds; the two former, of course, embracing those things situated upon them, and the last being specially mentioned, perhaps, as a class of things which are peculiarly liable to destruction from wind. Wordsworth and others, interpreting symbolically, consider that the blasts of wind on the earth typify earthly powers, opposed to those of heaven, while the sea is emblematic of nations in a state of agitation against God, and the trees represent the great ones of this world. This interpretation, therefore, regards the objects mentioned as the enemies of God, which, by his command, are preserved from destruction and allowed to flourish in ease and apparent security, until the time of the sealing of God's servants has been accomplished. But it seems better to regard the winds as forming part of the general description by which God's judgment is foreshadowed. It is not unusual in the Bible for the wind to be mentioned in connection With destruction and judgment (cf. 1Ki_19:11; Job_1:19; Job_21:18; Job_30:15; Psa_1:4; Psa_147:18; Isa_11:15; Isa_27:8; Isa_32:2; Isa_41:16; Jer_22:22 : Dan_2:35; Dan_7:2).

1. The focus on the 4 angels;4 corners; 4 winds makes it clear the passage is dealing with the universality of what is happening. It is world wide and not merely local.

2. This is in contrast to the panic scene of the previous chapter. The four winds represent the retribution of God, but they are restrained until God has made provision for the protection of his people.

BARCLAY, “RESCUE AND REWARD

Rev. 7:1-3

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the

four winds of the earth so that the wind might not blow upon the earth, or upon the

sea, or against any tree. And I saw another angel going up from where the sun rises,

with a seal which belonged to the living God, and he shouted with a great voice to

the four angels to whom was given power to harm the earth and the sea: "Do not

harm the earth and the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God upon

their foreheads."

Before we deal with this chapter in detail, it is better to set out the general picture

behind it.

John is seeing the vision of the last terrible days aid in particular the great

tribulation which is to come, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this

time (Matt.24:21; Mk.13:19). In this coming tribulation there was to be a final

assault by every evil power and a final devastation of the earth. It is to play their

part in this devastation that the winds are waiting and from which for a little while

they are being held in check.

Before this time of terror and devastation comes, the faithful are to be sealed with

the seal of God in order that they may survive it. It is not that they are to be exempt

from it but that they are to be brought safely through it.

This is a terrible picture; even if the faithful are to be brought through this terrible

time, they none the less must pass through it, and this is a prospect to make even the

bravest shudder.

In Rev. 7:9 the range of the seer's vision extends still further and he sees the faithful

after the tribulation has passed. They are in perfect peace and satisfaction in the

very presence of God. The last time will bring them unspeakable horrors, but when

they have passed through it they will enter into equally unspeakable joy.

There are really three elements in this picture. (i) There is a warning. The last

unparalleled and inconceivable time of tribulation is coming soon. (ii) There is an

assurance. In that time of destruction the faithful will suffer terribly, but they will

come out on the other side because they are sealed with the seal of God. (iii) There is

a promise. When they have passed through that time, they will come to the

blessedness in which all pain and sorrow are gone and there is nothing but peace

and joy.

THE WIDS OF GOD

Rev. 7:1-3 (continued)

This vision is expressed in conceptions of the world which were the conceptions of

the days in which John wrote.

The earth is a square, flat earth; and at its four corners are four angels waiting to

unleash the winds of destruction. Isaiah speaks of gathering the outcasts of Judah

from the four corners of the earth (Isa.11:12). The end is come upon the four

corners of the earth in Ezekiel (Eze.7:2).

It was the belief of the ancient peoples that the winds which came from due north,

south, east and west were all favourable winds; but that those which blew diagonally

across the earth were harmful. That is why the angels are at the corners of the

earth. They are about to unleash the winds which blow diagonally. It was the

common belief that all the forces of nature were under the charge of angels. So we

read of the angel of the fire (Rev. 14:18) and the angel of the waters (Rev. 16:5).

These angels were called "The Angels of Service." They belonged to the very lowest

order of angels, because they had to be continually on duty and, therefore, could not

keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. Pious Israelites who faithfully observed the Law

of the Sabbath were said to rank higher than these angels of service.

The angels are bidden to restrain the winds until the work of sealing the faithful

should be completed. This idea has more than one echo in Jewish literature. In

Enoch the angels of the waters are bidden by God to hold the waters in check until

oah had built the ark (Enoch 66: 1, 2). In 2 Baruch the angels with the flaming

torches are bidden to restrain their fire, when Jerusalem was sacked by the

Babylonians, until the sacred vessels of the Temple could be hidden away and saved

from the looting of the invaders (2 Baruch 6: 4). More than once we see the angels

restraining the forces of destruction until the safety of the faithful has been made

secure.

One of the interesting and picturesque ideas of the Old Testament is that of the

winds as the servants and the agents of God. This was specially so of the Sirocco, the

dread wind from the south-east, with the blast like hot air from a furnace which

withered and destroyed all vegetation. Zechariah has the picture of the chariots of

the winds, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth (Zech.6:1-

5). ahum speaks of the Lord who has his way in the whirlwind (the Sirocco) and

the storm (ah.1:3). The Lord goes with the whirlwinds of the south (Zech.9:14).

The winds are God's chariots (Jer.4:13). God comes with his chariots like a

whirlwind (Isa.66:15). The wind is the breath of God (Jb.37:9-10). The wind rends

the mountains (1Kgs.19:11) and withers the grass (Isa.40:7; Isa.40:24) and dries up

the stream, the river and the sea (ah.1:4; Ps.18:15).

So terrible was the effect of the Sirocco that it gained a place in the pictures of the

last days. One of the terrors which was to precede the end was a terrible storm. God

would destroy his enemies as stubble before the wind (Ps.83:13). God's day would be

the day of the whirlwind (Am.1:14). The whirlwind of the Lord goes forth in its fury

and falls on the head of the wicked (Jer.23:19; Jer.30:23). The wind of the Lord, the

Sirocco, will come from the wilderness and destroy the fertility of the land

(Hos.13:15). God will send his four winds upon Elam and scatter the people

(Jer.49:36).

This is difficult for many of us to understand; the dweller in the temperate countries

does not know the terror of the wind. But there is something here more far-reaching

than that and more characteristic of Jewish thought, the Jews knew nothing of

secondary causes. We say that atmospheric conditions, variations in temperature,

land and mountain configurations, cause certain things to happen. The Jew ascribed

it all to the direct action of God. He simply said, God sent the rain; God made the

wind to blow; God thundered; God sent his lightning.

Surely both points of view are correct, for we may still believe that God acts through

the laws by which his universe is governed.

THE LIVIG GOD

Rev. 7:1-3 (continued)

Before the great tribulation smites the earth the faithful ones are to be marked with

the seal of God. There are two points to note.

(i) The angel with the seal comes from the rising of the sun, from the East. All

John's pictures mean something and there may be two meanings behind this: (a) It

is in the East that the sun, the supreme earthly giver of light and life, rises; and the

angel may stand for the life and the light that God gives his people even when death

and destruction are abroad. (b) It is just possible that John is remembering

something from the story of the birth of Jesus. The wise men come to Palestine

searching for the king who is to be born, for "We have seen his star in the East"

(Matt.2:2). It is natural that the delivering angel should rise in the same part of the

sky as the star which told of the birth of the Saviour.

(ii) The angel has the seal which belongs to the living God. The living God is a

phrase in which the writers of Scripture delight and when they use it, there are

certain things in their minds.

(a) They are thinking of the living God in contra-distinction to the dead gods of the

heathen. Isaiah has a tremendous passage of sublime mockery of the heathen and

their dead gods whom their own hands have made (Isa.44:9-17). The smith takes a

mass of metal and works at it with the hammer and the tongs and the coals,

sweating and parched at his task of manufacturing a god. The carpenter goes out

and cuts down a tree. He works at it with line and compass and plane. Part of it he

uses to make a fire to warm himself; part of it he uses to make a fire to bake his

bread and roast his meat; and part of it he uses to make a god. The heathen gods are

dead and created by men; our God is alive and the creator of all things.

(b) The idea of the living God is used as an encouragement. In the midst of their

struggles Joshua reminds the people that with them there is the living God and that

he will show his strength in their conflicts with their enemies (Josh.3:10). When a

man is up against it, the living God is with him.

(c) Only in the living God is there satisfaction. It is the living God for whom the soul

of the psalmist longs and thirsts (Ps.42:2). Man can never find satisfaction in things

but only in fellowship with a living person; and he finds his highest satisfaction in

the fellowship of the living God.

(d) The biblical writers stress the privilege of knowing and belonging to the living

God. Hosea reminds the people of Israel that once they were not a people, but in

mercy they have become children of the living God (Hos.1:10). Our privilege is that

there is open to us the friendship, the fellowship, the help, the power and the

presence of the living God.

(e) In the idea of the living God there is at one and the same time a promise and a

threat. Second Kings vividly tells the story of how the great king Sennacherib sent

his envoy Rabshakeh to tell Hezekiah that he proposed to wipe out the nation of

Israel. Humanly speaking, the little kingdom of Judah had no hope of survival, if the

might of Assyria was launched against it. But with Israel there was the living God

and he was a threat to the godlessness of Assyria and a promise to the faithful of

Israel (2Kgs.18:17-37).

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, “The four windsI. The events figuratively represented by the four winds. Different opinions have been expressed respecting these winds. Bishop Newton and other writers understand by them those Pagan persecutions which assailed the Christian Church prior to the time of Constantine, and which were removed when he took the Christian religion under his protection. The text evidently includes all winds that injure the Christian Church and impede true religion in the world; but Constantine only suspended one wind to let loose another, equally, if not more, injurious than the wind of persecution; I mean the winds of error, formality, earthly-mindedness, and general corruption. Mr. Jones, author of the history of the Waldenses, makes these winds to mean the influences of the Holy Spirit, which, he says, were withheld from the Church when she became the favourite of the state under Constantine. It is quite true that the influences of the Holy Spirit are frequently represented in Scripture by the figurative term “winds.” Still this cannot be the true meaning of the term “winds” in this passage, for this reason, the four angels are commanded to restrain these winds till the servants of God are sealed; whereas this sealing cannot be effected without the influences of the Spirit. What, then, are we to understand by the winds mentioned? I answer, two things:

1. Divine judgments. Wars, famine, pestilence, the overthrow of kingdoms, and the universal wreck of all earthly things. The particular judgments to which these winds refer are, I think, those mentioned in the sixth seal, at the close of the sixth chapter, and whose fearful operations are represented by the seven trumpets in the eighth chapter.

2. All events and influences unfavourable to the cause of Christ. The wind of persecution; the wind of false doctrine; the wind of delusion and wild fanaticism; the wind of temptation; the wind of infidelity; the wind of open profanity and blasphemy; the winds of affliction, adversity, and distress; by all of which the Church is frequently assailed. These things are called “winds,” because they produce

agitation and commotion—breaking the branches, blasting the fruits, and uprooting the trees of God’s spiritual vineyard. They are called “four” winds, to show their universality, their wide-spreading desolation. They are called winds of the “earth,” because earth is the scene of their operation—they are for ever excluded from heaven; their coming from the four cardinal points at once shows their violence, rage, and fury.

II. The agents to whom they are committed. This notion of angels ruling the winds is very ancient. Herodotus says it was held by the Persians; Eusebius says it was held by the Phoenicians; Pausanias says it was held by the Greeks; Tertullian says it was held by the Romans; Seneca and Virgil say it was held by the Gauls; and most of these people worshipped these ruling spirits. Some understand by the four angels four monarchies, the Babylonian, the Grecian, the Persian, and the Roman; but this cannot be, for at the time to which this passage refers, the monarchies will have long been forgotten, while existing monarchies will be the objects of this vengeance, and not the executioners of it. Others understand by these four angels four emperors, Maximinus, Galerius, Maxenfius, and Licinius, or their praetorian prefects; but the same objections stand against them as against the monarchies. Others think that four persecuting powers are meant. Others think four evil angels, or demons, are meant, who hold back the winds of the Spirit from blowing upon this valley of death, that the dry bones might live; or who are charged with destructive powers, as the messengers of an angry God; but as their work is first to restrain all antagonistic influences to the gospel, while it effects the high purposes of God, and then to execute the Divine vengeance at the day of Christ; and as these employments are nowhere ascribed to wicked angels, this cannot be the real meaning. These are four good angels. This appears first, from the fact that they are here represented as taking a part with the fifth angel in sealing the servants of God; also from their being entrusted with such an important post—restraining wicked spirits, persecuting men, antagonist influences, and Divine judgments, till grace has worked out its wonders. Then their attitude—standing—signifies that they have no settled dominion; that they are the movable ministers of God; that they are ready to do His pleasure.

III. The great Being who commands their postponement or suspension.

1. Bishop Newton, and several other writers both before and since his day, tell us that this angel was Constantine the Great, who, they say, brought light, protection, and deliverance to the Christian Church that had been greatly afflicted under the persecuting tyranny of the Pagan Roman emperors. As far as I can judge, there is not even the shadow of a reason for thinking that this angel was Constantine.

(1) The language applied to this angel is too sublime to refer to a fallen creature like Constantine.

(2) The events which this angel is said to control, and the magnificent work he is said to accomplish, are not the narrow and limited circumstances of one man’s life, but they stretch through ages; spread over kingdoms, continents, sea, and land.

(3) The character of Constantine differs widely from what we must believe was the real character of the angel referred to in this passage.

(4) The influences on true religion, which followed Constantine’s interference, were, in many respects, just the opposite to those which the angel in the text is said to produce. This angel not only suspends persecution and postpones judgments, but vital godliness greatly prospers, as is evident from the number that are said to be sealed. Besides, this prosperity of genuine religion is not for a

brief period, but it appears to extend through centuries. Now, is there anything analogous to this, which may be regarded as the result of Constantine’s interference? That some good resulted to the then existing and persecuted Church, from this interference, we do not deny. Persecution was suspended. Still we maintain that the evil accruing from this change preponderates; it brought her in contact with a secular power that tarnished her purity, beclouded her glory, enervated her native power.

2. Well, who is this Angel? Why, the Lord Jesus Christ, the uncreated Angel of the Covenant, to whom the figurative language of the text applies to the very letter. This Angel is described—

(1) By the point of His ascension. “And I saw another Angel ascending from the east.” This was literally true of Christ; He came from the east, and hence He is called the East, or, as it is commonly rendered, “the Day-spring from on high.” But His ascending from the east shows the favourable nature of His mission and character. The east is the great fountain of light, life, fruitfulness, purity, and joy; so this Angel, Christ, is called the Sun of Righteousness, that visits our world with healing beneath His wings. He is that bright, shining Sun, that never sets, but whose heavenly radiance always beams upon His Church, giving salvation, light, beauty, and joy.

(2) By credentials He bears. “Having the seal of the living God”; which refers, first, to His office as Mediator between God and man. This refers to a custom among the kings of the earth, who have their own confidential servants to whom they deliver certain seals of office. These seals of office are the influences of the Spirit without measure; authority to bestow them, procured by virtue of His atonement; energy, to carry all His plans into successful operation; and all power, both in heaven and in earth, to render all things, creatures, and events, subservient to His designs. But His having the seal of the living God goes further still. It refers to the dignity of His person, as the Son of God, as well as to the glory and credentials of His office, as the Saviour of the world. Having the seal of the living God—that is, having in His own nature the visible impress of deity, the authentic testimony, proof, and demonstration that He Himself was the living God, the brightness of His Father’s glory, and the express image of His person.

(3) By the supreme authority He assumes. “He cried with a loud voice,” the emblem of supreme authority and power; He commands or forbids as He pleases, and whatsoever He wills is done.

(4) By the command He gives. “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the trees.” No devastating wars, no raging persecutions, no fearful and wide-spreading judgments, must be permitted to hinder the cause of Christ. The contrary winds must sleep at the feet of their presiding angels, till the ark of salvation is filled with the whole family of God and safely moored in the peaceful bay of heaven.

IV. The reason assigned for their suspension. “Till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

1. The nature of it. To seal a person or thing is to set a mark upon it for a specific purpose. The term is frequently employed in the Scriptures to express the operations of grace, by which believers are separated from the world and made meet for heaven.

2. The agents of it. “We.” The work of salvation is of Christ from first to last.

3. The subjects of it. “Servants of God,” that is, true believers, those who serve God by obeying His commands and seeking His glory. They are sealed to serve Him here and to enjoy Him hereafter.

4. Visibility of it. “In their foreheads.”

5. The chief design of it. That believers should not be “hurt” by the fearful calamities that are predicted in the sixth seal, as speedily to fall upon the wicked. God marks them as His special property; and being thus sealed, they live under the special protection of His providence while here, and will meet with an effectual shelter in the great day of His wrath.

6. The extent of it. The question was once put to Christ, “Lord, are there few that shall be saved?” Here the question receives an answer which shows that there will be many, so that in this, as well as in all other things, Christ will have the pre-eminence.

(1) We have a specific number. Twelve thousand out of each tribe were sealed, making one hundred and forty-four thousand in the whole, which in prophetic language signifies completion and perfection.

(2) We have a general number. The whole assembly of the redeemed, including Jews and Gentiles, rises in splendid array to the apostle’s view.

7. The ultimate glory of it. “They stand before the throne, and before the Lamb.” (Wm. Gregory.)

God’s government of the world

I. God employs the highest order of celestial intelligences in the conduct of His government. Nowhere throughout immensity does He appear to act directly on matter and mind at all (Hos_2:21-22). The mere scientist accounts for the various objects and phenomena of the material world by what he calls blind forces or natural laws; I prefer ascribing all under God to the “angels standing on the four corners,” etc. A wonderful view of the universe, truly, we have here. True, a telescope opens to my vision world upon world and system upon system, until imagination reels at the prospect, and my spirit seems crushed with a sense of its own insignificance; but in these words I have a telescope by which I see the wide fields of air, the rolling planets, the minute and the vast, the proximate and the remote peopled and working, reaching in regular gradation from my little being up to the ineffable throne, and all under God.

II. God, in employing these agencies, enjoins on them a special regard for the interests of redeemed men in the world (verses 2, 3).

1. There is some method by which angels can aid man.

2. Man’s salvation is of paramount importance.

3. Service to the lowest is consonant with the highest greatness.

4. Man’s obligation is to seek the spiritual good of his fellows. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

A sketch of an impending judgment

I. The world exposed to judgment. Winds are the symbols of judgment (Jer_49:36-37; Dan_7:2). The four winds indicate the universality of the judgment. Conscience, Providence, and the Bible all point to this universal judgment.

II. The judgment entrusted to angels. Angels are the ministers of God. He employs them to execute His judgments.

1. They appeared amidst the terrors of Mount Sinai (Deu_33:2).

2. They appeared with our Saviour in the destruction of Jerusalem (Mat_24:30-31).

3. Angels have been frequently engaged in executing Divine judgment on this earth (Exo_12:22; 2Sa_24:16-17; 2Ki_19:35).

4. Angels are represented as active in the final day of retribution (Mat_13:39; Mat_13:41; Mat_25:31; 1Th_4:16). The Eternal Judge then, as now, will work through others.

III. The angels restrained by a mediator. Who is this angel? Who is represented in this particular case I know not. But I know that the Great Angel of the Covenant answers well this description. He came from the orient depths of glory with Divine credentials and with great earnestness, in order to stay the angels of retribution from executing their terrible commission. Our great Redeemer holds back the hand of the destroying angel, and the burden of His intercession is, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea,” etc. To Christ we owe the postponement of the judgment.

IV. The Mediator restraining because His work is unfinished.

1. There are men who are yet to receive the seal of God.

2. That the judgment is delayed until the number of the sealed ones is completed. (Homilist.)

The seal of the living God.

The angel’s seal, set upon God’s faithful servants, when hurtful winds are blowing in the Church militant

I. Notice some of those pernicious winds where with the Church of Christ is infested while here in a militant state.

1. There is the wind of open violence, persecution, and bloodshed.

2. Sometimes, and very frequently, the hurtful wind of error in doctrine is suffered to blow in the barn or field of the visible Church.

3. Another hurtful wind is the wind of strong delusions as to everlasting soul concerns; and this is consequential unto the former.

4. There is the wind of temptation that blows in the visible Church. This was a wind that blew hard on the glorious Head and Captain of our salvation (Mat_4:1-25.).

5. Another hurtful wind is the wind of profanity and open ungodliness.

6. All these winds are commonly followed with the winds of desolating judgments, such as sword, famine, and pestilence, whereby the wicked are turned off the stage of time into a miserable eternity.

II. Inquire who are those servants of God for whose sake the hurtful winds are restrained, that provision may be made foe their safety when they do actually blow.

1. The servants of God are such as “keep the commandments of God,” i.e.—

(1) They are holy persons; the “sanctified and preserved in Christ Jesus.” Or—

(2) As Durham observes, they “keep the commandments of God,” it is to be understood of a keeping the laws, ordinances, and institutions of Christ, in opposition to a set of men in the Antichristian Church, who, through their traditions, were making void the commandments of God.

2. The faithful servants of God are said to be such as “have the testimony of Jesus.” By the testimony of Jesus we are to understand the gospel of Christ, or the doctrine of faith in its purity, which only is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom_1:16).

III. Speak a little of the seal that is set upon the servants of God.

1. Who is He that seals them? It is Christ, the Great Angel that hath the seal of the living God.

2. What is implied in the sealing them?

(1) That He is their great owner and proprietor; for a man seals his own goods, that it may be known they are his.

(2) A seal is for distinction, to distinguish one man’s goods from another.

(3) A seal is for confirmation. The king’s seal appended unto a charter establishes and confirms it.

(4) A seal is sometimes for secrecy. We read of a book (Rev_5:1) which was sealed with seven seals because of the great secrets and hid mysteries contained in it. And so it may import that God’s people are His hidden ones, and that His secrets are imparted to them, and not to others.

(5) A seal is a badge of honour, love, and esteem. And so it implies that His servants are honourable persons, precious in His sight (Isa_43:4).

(6) A seal is for custody and preservation. So the saints and servants of God, they are “the preserved in Christ Jesus, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”

3. When and how are they sealed?

(1) From all eternity they were sealed with His electing and everlasting love.

(2) In their conversion and effectual calling they are sealed in their own persons with the image of the second Adam.

(3) They have a seal of blood set upon them in their redemption and justification; for, as you see (verse 14 of this chapter), “they have their garments washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.”

(4) They have the seal of the Spirit of promise set upon them (Eph_1:13).

4. But why are they said to be sealed in their foreheads? This may import two things.

(1) Their visible profession of Christ and their open owning of the Lord, and His way and cause in the time of the greatest opposition, when error and delusion and persecution was most rampant in the visible Church.

(2) Their being marked or sealed in the forehead implies that, in the time of common calamity, God will make such a visible difference between His own faithful servants and others, that he that runs may read, according to that (Mal_3:18).

IV. Inquire into the reasons why Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, will have His servants marked in their foreheads when the winds are to be let blow?

1. In so many words He will have them sealed, because they are His Father’s gift, “Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me,” and for the Father’s sake that gave them, He will have them sealed.

2. Because He hath bought them at a dear rate, even with the price of His precious blood, not with silver, or gold, or such corruptible things, etc.

3. He seals them because they believe in Him (Eph_1:18). “After that ye believed, ye were sealed,” etc.

4. He seals them because they love Him, so as to mourn for injury done Him (Eze_9:4).

5. He seals them because they are His faithful witnesses, that confess Him when others deny Him.

6. He seals them that they may not suffer hurt by the destroying winds that blow in the visible Church. They keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus; and therefore He will keep them in the hour of temptation, according to the promise (Psa_91:8; Psa_91:7). (E. Erskine, D. D.)

Pent-up judgment

I. Pent-up judgment. Righteousness produces judgment, and grace restrains it. Grace does not nullify or cancel judgment; it simply suspends it. The history of our earth is one of suspended judgment. Of this judgment, we may say that it is—

1. Slow. When it comes, it comes swiftly; but meanwhile it is not rash, nor precipitate. This slowness often deludes the sinner.

2. Silent. It makes no sign. The fermenting elements are noiseless. There are often no thunder-clouds, but a calm, blue sky.

3. Sure. It will not miss its mark, nor mistake its victim, nor forget its time. Its slowness and silence contribute to its certainty.

4. Terrible. The blow, when it comes, is overwhelming. The pent-up torrent, when it breaks its barrier, carries all before it. So God’s vengeance is infinitely terrible. Who can stand before it?

II. The sealing. In the chapter before us it is a Jewish multitude that is specially named as sealed; but as in verse 3 it is the “servants of God” that are said to be sealed, we may infer that by that expression both Gentile and Jew are meant. The sealing seems (as in Eze_9:1-11.) to intimate exemption from the earthly judgments of a particular time. I do not dwell on this further than to point out God’s care for His own in days of trouble—as in Noah’s days, in Lot’s days, in Ezekiel’s days, in the time of Jerusalem’s great siege. I would remind you of the ninety-first Psalm also, which is specially written for evil days.

III. The ingathering. It is not simply for temporal protection that God stays His judgments, but for salvation. A time of pent-up judgment is a time of ingathering. A time of judgment may also be so, but a time of suspended judgment still more so. For at such a time God is in earnest—in earnest in His grace, in earnest in His righteousness. His long-suffering is salvation; His patience is life eternal. He pities to the last. Judgment is His strange work. At such a time the gospel comes with peculiar power. (H. Bonar, D. D.)

The sealing of the elect

There is here revealed to us a Divine idea, and a Divine law of action, which is now advancing with perpetual energy, past, present, and to come.

I. God has a forekown number whom He will gather out unto Himself. The whole of the new creation sprung from, and surrounding, the second Adam in the kingdom of life eternal; the mystical Person of Christ, both the Head and the Body, all perfected by that which “every joint supplieth”; the true and eternal Vine, complete in all its symmetry from root to spray; the heavenly court, compassed about with ranks of angelic hosts; the order of patriarchs, and the multitude of saints, ascending to the Incarnate Son: all this Divine and glorious mystery of miraculous love and power stands in the foreknowledge of the Eternal, full, perfect, and accomplished.

II. The course of this world will run on until this foreknow number shall be gathered in. All things are for the elect’s sake. What is the history of the world but a history of man’s warfare against God? of our provocation, and of His patience?

III. Even now, while judgment is stayed, the Church in the midst of us is sealing God’s elect. The angel ascending from the east is a type of the ministry of angels and men knit together in one order of grace, to gather out the heirs of salvation. The visible polity of the Church, its stately ritual and public solemnities, its fasts and feasts, its chants and litanies, its missions and preachings, all the public order and movement which meets the eye and ear—all this is as the “net let down into the sea, which taketh of every kind, both good and bad.” But this is not the sealing of the elect. It is an inner work of grace, a choosing from among the chosen, a preparation for that day, when, upon the eternal shore, the angels “shall gather the good into vessels, and cast the bad away.”

1. The ultimate and true election of God is not collective but several, not of bodies but of persons. Born alone, alone we must live; alone repent, pray, fast, watch, persevere, and die; each one for himself “work out his own salvation,” and make his “calling and election sure.”

2. This mystery of election, as it is personal, so it is strictly consistent with our personal probation. God made man free, and elects him to and in the exercise of freedom, will, and power. And what is this seal of the living God, but the image of God renewed in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost; the likeness and the mind of Christ stamped upon us by a perfect regeneration; the inward reality of a saintly spirit wrought in us, either by a life of steadfast obedience or by a true repentance, by a persevering grace or by a perfect conversion?

IV. Let us try ourselves by some plain questions of self-examination.

1. What is our character? By this we mean the clear, conscious, and definite shape and direction which has been given to our whole spiritual nature. Surely it is no hard thing to find out whether we are living in any known sin or not; whether we are striving against temptation or not; whether we have mastery over our faults or our

faults over us; whether we desire the love of God or not; whether sin is to us a sorrow, and the very thought of holiness a delight; whether we are living for this world or for the next.

2. If we have not this higher character, what are our tendencies? Is sin losing hold, and the spirit of sanctity gaining power over us? Are our temptations weaker, and we stronger; our faults fewer, and our repentance deeper?

3. What is our habitual intention? The true self of sincere minds is that which speaks and aspires in their better moments. The lower level on which they move at other times is the way of their infirmity. As the resistance of the atmosphere stays the keenest arrow’s flight, and bends it to earth again, so the purest and directest intention is slackened by the gross thick airs of our daily life. Not to sink into a slower, earthlier motion is the portion of those who are lifted into a higher and heavenlier sphere, where the actings of the soul have nothing to resist them. In heaven “they rest not day nor night”; hut on earth the most unresting intention is overcome by weakness and weariness at last. It cannot always be conscious and actual; but that does not take away from its true and habitual reality. Let this, then, be your continual endeavour, to uphold and to prolong these higher intentions. Quicken and strengthen them by a life of prayer, by meditation, by habitual communion, by self-examination, by confession; by exercises of the heart, and by acts of faith, hope, and love. (Archdeacon Manning.)

All-saints’ day

First, then, man being compassed with a cloud of witnesses of his own infirmities, and the manifold afflictions of this life, had need of some light to show him the right way, and some strength to enable him to walk safely in it. And this light and strength is here proposed in the assistance of an angel. Which being first understood of angels in general, affords a great measure of comfort to us, because the angels are faithful and diligent attendants upon all our steps. But our security of deliverance is in a safer and a stronger hand than this; not in these ministerial and missive angels only, but in His that sends them, yea, in His that made them. This angel, which does so much for God’s saints, is by many expositors taken to be our Saviour Christ Himself. And will any man doubt of performance of conditions in Him? Will any man look for better security than Him who puts two, and two such, into the band, Christ and Jesus: an anointed King, able, an actual Saviour, willing to discharge not His, but our debt? This security, then, for our deliverance and protection, we have in this angel in our text, “I saw an angel,” as this Angel is Christ; but yet we have also another security, more immediate and more appliable to us. Besides this all-sufficiency of the Angel of the Covenant, Christ Jesus, we have for our security, in this text, “I saw an angel,” the servants of Christ too. This angel is indeed the whole frame and hierarchy of the Christian Church. So, then, to let go none of our assistants, our safety is in the Angel of the Covenant, Christ Jesus, radically, fundamentally, meritoriously. It is in the ministry of the angels of heaven invisibly; but it is in the Church of God, and in the power of His ministers there, manifestly, sensibly, discernibly. This addition is intended for a particular addition to our comfort; it is a particular endowment, or enlargement, of strength and power in this angel, that he comes from the east. Those angels which have had their sunset—their fall—they came from the east. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?” He had his begetting, his creation, in the east, in the light, and there might have stayed for any necessity of falling that God laid upon him. Take the angel of the text to be the Angel of

the Covenant, Christ Jesus, and His name is The East. Every way the gospel is an angel of the east. But this is that which we take to be principally intended in it, that, as the east is the fountain of light, so all our illumination is to be taken from the gospel. If thou suffer thy soul to set in a dark cloud of ignorance of God’s providence, or in a darker of diffidence of His performance towards thee, this is a turning to the west, and all these are perverse and awry. But turn to the east and to the angel that comes from thence, the ministry of the gospel of Christ Jesus in His Church. It is true thou mayest find some dark places in the Scriptures, yet fix thyself upon this angel of the east, the preaching of the Word, the ordinance of God, and thine understanding shall be enlightened, and thy belief established, and thy conscience unburthened. Our angel comes from the east, a denotation of splendour, an illustration of understanding and conscience, and there is more—he comes ascending. “I saw an angel ascend from the east,” that is, still growing more clear and more powerful upon us (1Sa_28:13). Take the angel to be Christ, and then His ascension is intended. But as this angel is the ministry of the gospel, God gave it a glorious ascent in the primitive Church, when as this sun ascended quickly beyond the reach of heretics and persecutors. Now to give way to this ascent of this angel in thyself, make the way smooth, find thou a growth of the gospel in thy faith, and let us find it in thy life. If thou find it not ascending it descends. If thou live not by it nothing can redeem thee, thou diest by it. “Of the living God.” The gods of the nations are all dead gods: either such gods as never had life—stones, and gold and silver—or such gods at best as were never gods until they were dead, for men that had benefited the world in any general invention, or otherwise, were made gods after their deaths, which was a miserable deification. If we seek this seal in the great Angel, the Angel of the Covenant, Christ Jesus: it is true He hath it, for “the Father hath committed all judgment to the Son.” Christ, as the Son of Man, executes a judgment, and hath a power, which He hath not but by gift, by commission, by virtue of this seal, from His Father. The servants of God being sealed in their foreheads in the sacrament of baptism, when they are received into the care of the Church, all those means which God hath provided for His servants, in His Church, to resist afflictions and temptations, are intended to be conferred upon them in that seal. This sealing of them is a communicating to them all those assistances of the Christian Church. Then they have a way of prevention of sin, by hearing; a way to absolution, by confession; a way to reconciliation, by a worthy receiving the body and blood of Christ Jesus. And these helps of the Christian Church thus conferred in baptism, keep open still, if these be rightly used, that other seal, the seal of the Spirit (Eph_1:13; 2Co_1:22). (John Donne, D. D.)

The servants of our God.—

The best service

I. We ought to be the active servants of our God. It is necessary for us to pray, and if we pray aright, it will make us active in going about doing good. Do not let us enter into the business of life solely an our own account; let us be servants in all we do on God’s account. How earnestly most business men seek opportunities of doing anything and everything to increase their trade and make it prosperous. Why do not we as Christians be equally earnest in attracting people to our churches and chapels? We may be co-workers with God. Your holy, charitable life and manners may melt the opposition of men who hate goodness and truth.

II. Then let us further be consistent servants of our God. The world watches us, waiting to see whether we are true or not. Don’t be pious in singing hymns, and impious in

something else. Be consistent. If you have faults, don’t rest until you get rid of them. Grow daily in grace, piety, and religion, like healthy plants, which grow in beauty day by day.

III. Be a free servant of our God. Don’t let any bad habits make you their prisoner. It is said that habit is second nature; and man is a bundle of habits. You know that when you walk across a field for the first time you make scarcely any impression on the grass. But if you go several times a day for a year you will make a beaten path. So one sin may not do you much injury, but it is the beginning of many. One drop of water from yonder hill soon dries up, but if it be followed by fresh drops every moment, by and by it scoops out a way through the hardest rocks, and becomes a rapid, gurgling stream, which dashes from stone to stone until it reaches the broad river. So these bad habits grow upon us and enslave us. “Blessed is he that overcometh.” The Lord God has promised that if any one ask Him, He will send His Holy Spirit into that man’s heart, and deliver him from all his bad habits.

IV. Be God’s servants, showing forth the beauty of holiness. Young man, you may not possess a titled name, but you may make yourself the embodiment of honour. You may not possess great wealth, but you may be known as one of the upright of the earth. When a beautiful woman dies, nobody mourns her; but when a woman who is beautiful in soul passes away, angels welcome her to glory and good men weep for her. Be beautiful in life. (W. Birch.)

EBC, “CONSOLATORY VISIONSSIX of the seven Seals have been opened by the "Lamb," who is likewise the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." They have dealt, in brief but pregnant sentences, with the whole history of the Church and of the world throughout the Christian age. No details of history have indeed been spoken of, no particular wars, or famines, or pestilences, or slaughters, or preservations of the saints. Everything has been described in the most general terms. We have been invited to think only of the principles of the Divine government, but of these as the most sublime and, according to our own state of mind, the most alarming or the most consolatory principles that can engage the attention of men. God, has been the burden of the six Seals, is King over all the earth. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Why do they exalt themselves against the sovereign Ruler of the universe, who said to the Son of His love, when He made Him Head over all things for His Church, "Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee;" "Rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies"?* Listening to the voice of these Seals, we know that the world, with all its might, shall prevail neither against the Head nor against the members of the Body. Even when apparently successful it shall fight a losing battle. Even when apparently defeated Christ and they who are one with Him shall march to victory. (*

Psa_2:7; Psa_110:7)

We are not to imagine that the Seals of chap. 6 follow one another in chronological succession, or that each of them belongs to a definite date. The Seer does not look forward to age succeeding age or century century. To him the whole period between the first and the second coming of Christ is but "a little time," and whatever is to happen in it "must shortly come to pass." In truth he can hardly be said to deal with the lapse of time at all. He deals with the essential characteristics of the Divine government in time, whether it be long or short. Shall the revolving years be in our sense short, these characteristics will nevertheless come forth with a clearness that shall leave man without excuse. Shall they be in our sense long, the unfolding of God’s eternal plan will only be again and again made manifest. He with whom we have to do is without beginning of

days or end of years, the I am, unchangeable both in the attributes of His own nature, and in the execution of His purposes for the worlds redemption. Let us cast our eyes along the centuries that have passed away since Jesus died and rose again. They are full of one great lesson. At every point at which we pause we see the Son of God going forth conquering and to conquer. We see the world struggling against His righteousness, refusing to submit to it, and dooming itself in consequence to every form of woe. We see the children of God following a crucified Redeemer, but preserved, sustained, animated, their cross, like His, their crown. Finally, as we realize more and more deeply what is going on around us, we feel that we are in the midst of a great earthquake, that the sun and the moon have become black, and that the stars of heaven are falling to the earth; yet by the eye of faith we pierce the darkness, and where are all our adversaries? Where are the kings and the potentates, the rich and the powerful of the earth, of an ungodly and persecuting world? They have hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and we hear them say to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?"

With the beginning of chap. 7 we might expect the seventh Seal to be opened; but it is the manner of the apocalyptic writer, before any final or particularly critical manifestation of the wrath of God, to present us with visions of consolation, so that we may enter into the thickest darkness, even into the valley of the shadow of death, without alarm. We have already met with this in chaps. 4 and 5. We shall meet with it again. Meanwhile it is here illustrated: -

"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree. And I saw another angel ascend from the sun-rising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great 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 shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand; of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Asher, twelve thou sand; of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Zebulon, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand (Rev_7:1-8)."

Although various important questions, which we shall have to notice, arise in connection with this vision, there never has been, as there scarcely can be, any doubt as to its general meaning. In its main features it is taken from the language of Ezekiel, when that prophet foretold the approaching destruction of Jerusalem: "He cried also with a loud voice in mine ears, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with fine linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side. . . . And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. . . . And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as Thou hast commanded me."1 Preservation of the faithful in the midst of judgment on the wicked is the theme of the Old Testament vision, and in like manner it

is the theme of this vision of St. John. The winds are the symbols of judgment; and, being in number four and held by four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, they indicate that the judgment when inflicted will be universal There is no place to which the ungodly can escape, none where they shall not be overtaken by the wrath of God. "He that fleeth of them," says the Almighty by His prophet, "shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. Though they dig into hell, thence shall Mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from My sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them."2 (1 Ezek. 9; 2 Amo_9:1-3)

In the midst of all this the safety of the righteous is secured, and that in a way, as compared with the way of the Old Testament, proportionate to the superior greatness of their privileges. They are marked as God s, not by a man out of the city, but by an angel ascending from the sun-rising, the quarter whence proceeds that light of day which gilds the loftiest mountain-tops and penetrates into the darkest recesses of the valleys. This angel, with his great voice, is probably the Lord Himself appearing by His angel. The mark impressed upon the righteous is more than a mere mark: it is a seal - a seal similar to that with which Christ was "sealed;"1 the seal which in the Song of Songs the bride desires as the token of the Bridegroom’s love to her alone: "Set me as a seal upon Thine heart, as a seal upon Thine arm;"2 the seal which expresses the thought, "The Lord knoweth them that are His.3 Finally, this seal is impressed on the forehead, on that part of the body on which the high-priest of Israel wore the golden plate, with its inscription, "Holiness to the Lord." Such a seal; manifest to the eyes of all, was a witness to all that they who bore it were acknowledged by the Redeemer before all, even before His Father and the holy angels.4 (1 Joh_6:27; 2 Son_8:3; 3 2Ti_2:19; 4Comp. Luk_12:8)

When we turn to the numbers sealed, every reader who reflects for a moment will allow that they must be symbolically, and not literally, understood. Twelve thousand out of each of twelve tribes, in all a hundred and forty and four thousand, bears upon its face the stamp of symbolism. It is more difficult to answer the question, Who are they? Are they Jewish Christians, or are they the whole multitude of God’s faithful people belonging to the Church universal, but indicated by a figure taken from Judaism?

The question now asked is of greater than ordinary importance, for upon the answer given to it largely depends the solution of the problem whether the author of the fourth Gospel and the author of the Apocalypse are the same. If the first vision of the chapter relating to those sealed out of the tribes of Israel speak only of Jewish Christians, and the second vision, beginning at Rev_7:9, of "the great multitude which no man could number," speak of Gentile Christians, it will follow that the writer exhibits a particularistic tendency altogether at variance with the universalism of the author of the fourth Gospel. Gentile Christians will be, as they have been called, an "appendix" to the Jewish-Christian Church; and the followers of Jesus will fail to constitute one flock all the members of which are equal in the sight of God, occupy the same position, and enjoy the same privileges. The first impression produced by the vision of the sealed is undoubtedly that it refers to Jewish Christians, and to them alone. Many considerations, however, lead to the wider conclusion that, under a Jewish figure, they include all the followers of Christ, or the universal Church. Some of these at least ought to be noticed.

1. We have not yet found, and we shall not find in any later part of the Apocalypse, a distinction drawn between Jewish and Gentile Christians. To the eye of the Seer, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is one. There is in it neither Jew nor Greek, barbarian, Scythian, bond, nor free. He recognizes in it in its collective capacity the Body of Christ,

all the members of which occupy the same relation to their Lord, and stand equally in grace. He knows indeed of a distinction between the Jewish Church, which waited for the coming of the Lord, and the Christian Church, which rejoiced in Him as come; but he knows also that when Jesus did come the privileges of the latter were bestowed upon those in the former who had looked onward to Christ’s day, and that they were arrayed in the same "white robe." Under all the six Seals, accordingly, embracing the whole period of the Gospel dispensation, there is not a single word to suggest the thought that the Christian Church is divided into two parts. The struggle, the preservation, and the victory belong equally to all. A similar remark may be made on the epistles to the seven churches, which unquestionably contain a representation of that Church the fortunes of which are to be afterwards described. In these epistles Christ walks equally in the midst of every part of it; and promises are made, not in one form to one member and in another to another, but always in precisely the same terms to "him that overcometh." It would be out of keeping with this were we now, when a similar topic of preservation is on hand, to be introduced to a Jewish-Christian as distinguished from a Gentile-Christian Church.

2. It is the custom of the Seer to heighten and spiritualize all Jewish names. The Temple, the Tabernacle, the Altar, Mount Zion and Jerusalem are to the embodiments of ideas deeper than those literally conveyed by them. Analogy therefore might suggest that this also would be the case with the word "Israel." Nay, it would even be the more natural so to use that word, because it is so often used in the same spiritual sense in other parts of the New Testament; "But they are not all Israel which are of Israel;" "And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."1 Nor need we be startled by that employment of the word tribes, which may seem to give more precision to the idea that Jewish Christians are designated by the term, for St. John in his peculiar way of looking at men, beheld "tribes" not only among the Jews, but among all nations: "and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him."2 In Rev_21:12, too, the "twelve tribes" plainly include all believers. (1 Rom_9:6; Gal_6:16; 2 Rev_1:7)

3. The enumeration of the tribes of Israel given in these verses is different from any other enumeration of the king contained in Scripture. Thus the tribe of Dan is omitted; and, contrary to the practice of at least the later books of the Old Testament, that of Levi is inserted; while Joseph also is substituted for Ephraim: and the order in which the twelve are given has elsewhere no parallel. Points such as these may appear trifling, but they are not without importance. No student of the Apocalypse will imagine that they are accidental or undersigned. He may not be able to satisfy either himself or others as to the grounds upon which St. John proceeded, but that there were grounds sufficient to the Apostle himself for what he did he will not for a moment doubt. One thing may, however, he said. If the changes can he explained at all, it must be by considerations springing out of the heart of the Christian community, and not out of any suggested by the relations of the tribes of Judaism to one another. Levi may thus be inserted, instead of standing apart as formerly, because in Christ Jesus there was no priestly tribe: all Christians were priests; Dan may he omitted because that tribe had chosen the serpent as its emblem! and St John not only felt with peculiar power the direct antagonism to Christ of " the old serpent the devil,"1 but had been accustomed to see in the traitor Judas, who had been expelled from the apostolic band, and for whom another apostle had been substituted, the very impersonation or incarnation of Satan2; Ephraim also may have been replaced by Joseph because of its enmity to Judah, the tribe out of which Jesus sprang; while Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, may head the list because it was the tribe in which Christ was born. (1Comp. Rev_12:9; 2 Joh_8:2)

4. Some of the expressions of the passage are inconsistent with the limitation of the sealed to any special class of Christians. Why, for example, should the holding back of the winds be universal? Would it not have been enough to restrain the winds that blew on Jewish Christians, and not the winds of the whole earth? And again, why do we meet with language of so general a character as that of Rev_7:3 : "till we shall have sealed the servants of our God"? This designation "servants" seems to include the whole number, and not some only, of God’s children.

5. If God’s servants from among the Gentiles are not now sealed, the Apocalypse mentions no other occasion when they were so. It is true that, according to the ordinary interpretation of the next vision, they are admitted to the happiness of heaven; but we may well ask whether, if the sealing be the emblem of preservation amidst worldly troubles, they ought not also, at one time or another, to have been sealed on earth.

6. The sealed are marked upon their foreheads, and in Rev_22:4 all believers are marked in a similar way.

7. We shall meet again this number of a hundred and forty-four thousand in chap. 14; and, while it can hardly be doubted that the same persons are on both occasions included in it, it will be seen that there at least the whole number of the redeemed is meant.

8. It is worthy of notice that the contrasts of the Apocalypse lead directly to a similar conclusion. St. John always sees light and darkness standing over against each other, and exhibiting themselves in a correspondence which, extending even to minute details, aids the task of the interpreter. Now in many passages of this book we find Satan not only marking his followers, but, precisely as here, marking them upon the "forehead;"* and it is impossible to resist the conclusion that the one marking is the antithesis of the other. But this mark is imprinted by Satan upon all his followers, and the inference is legitimate that the seal of the living God is in like manner imprinted upon all the followers of Jesus. (* Rev_13:16-17; Rev_14:9; Rev_16:2; Rev_19:20; Rev_20:4)

9. One more reason may be assigned for this conclusion. If Rev_7:4, with its "hundred and forty and four thousand out of every tribe of the children of Israel," is to be understood of Jewish Christians alone, the contrast between it and Rev_7:9, with its "great multitude, which no man can number, out of every nation, and of all tribes, and peoples, and tongues," makes it necessary to understand the latter of Gentile Christians alone. It will not do to say that the comprehensive enumeration of this verse may include Jewish as well as Gentile Christians. Placed over against the very definite statement of Rev_7:4, it can only, according to the style of the Apocalypse, be referred to persons who have come out of the heathen world in the fourfold conception of its parts. Now, whatever may be the precise interpretation of the second vision of the chapter, it is undeniable that it unfolds a higher stage of privilege and glory than the first. It will thus follow on the supposition now combated that at the very instant when the Apostle is said to be placing Gentile Christians in a position of inferiority to Jewish Christians, and when he is treating the one as simply an "appendix" to the other, he speaks of them as the inheritors of a far greater "weight of glory." St. John could not be thus in consistent with himself.

The conclusion from all that has been said, is plain. The vision of the sealing does not apply to Jewish Christians only, but to the universal Church. When the judgments of God are abroad in the world, all the Disciples of Christ are sealed for preservation against them.

Notwithstanding what has been said, the reader may still find it difficult to conceive that two pictures of the same multitude should be presented to us drawn on such entirely

different lines. What is the meaning of it? he may exclaim. What is the Seer s motive in doing so? The explanation is not difficult. An attentive examination of the structural principles marking the writings of St. John will show that they are distinguished by a tendency to set forth the same object in two different lights, the latter of which is climactic to the former, as well as, for the most part at least, taken from a different sphere. The writer is not satisfied with a single utterance of what he desires to impress upon his readers. After he has uttered it for the first time, he brings it again before him, works upon it, enlarges it, deepens it, sets it forth with stronger and more vivid coloring. The fundamental idea is the same on both occasions; but on the second it is the centre of a circle of wider circumference, and it is uttered in a more impressive manner. Want of space will not permit the illustration of this by an appeal either to the nature of Hebrew thought in general, or to the other writings of the New Testament which owe their authorship to St. John. It must be enough to say that the fourth Gospel bears deep and important traces of this characteristic, and that difficult passages in it not otherwise explicable seem to be solved by its application.* The main point to be kept in view is that the principle in question may be traced on many different occasions both in the fourth Gospel and in the Apocalypse. One of these has indeed already come under our notice in the case of the "golden candle sticks" and of the "stars" in Chapter I of this book. The two figures relate to the same object, but the second is climactic to the first, and it is taken from a larger field. The same principle meets us here. The second vision of chap. 7 is climactic to the first, and the field from which it is drawn is larger. The analogy, however, not of the golden candlesticks and of the stars only, but of many other passages of a similar kind, warrants the inference that both the visions relate to the same thing, although the aspect in which it is looked at is in each case different. Any difficulty therefore at first presented by the double picture disappears; while the peculiarity of structure exhibited not only helps to lead us to a Johannine authorship, but tends powerfully to establish the correctness of the interpretation now adopted. (*The writer has treated this subject at considerable length in The Expositor (2nd series, vol. 4)).

We are thus entitled to conclude that the hundred and forty-four thousand of this first consolatory vision represent not Jewish Christians only, but the whole Church of God, and that the number used is intended to represent completeness: not one member of the true Church is lost.* Twelve, a sacred number, the number of the patriarchs, of the tribes of Israel, and of the Apostles of Jesus, is first multiplied by itself, and then by a thousand, the sign of the heavenly in contrast with the earthly. A hundred and forty and four thousand is the result. (*Comp. Joh_17:12)

It need only further be observed - and the observations will help to confirm what has been said - that St. John did not himself count the number of the sealed. He heard the number of them (Rev_7:4). Already they were "a multitude which no man could number" (Rev_7:9). But He who telleth the innumerable stars that sparkle in the midnight sky, and who "bringeth out their host by number"* could number them. He it was who communicated the number to the Seer. (* Isa_40:26)

The second vision of the chapter follows: -

"After these things I saw, and, behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and of all tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throng and unto the Lamb. And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and

honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These which are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they? And I said unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun strike upon hem, nor any heat: for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their Shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rev_7:9-17)."

Upon the magnificence and beauty of this description it is not only unnecessary, it would be a mistake, to dwell. Words of man would only mar the sublimity and pathos of the spectacle. Neither is it desirable to look at each expression of the passage in itself. These expressions are better considered as a whole. One point indeed ought to be carefully kept in view: that the palms spoken of in Rev_7:9 as in the hands of the happy multitude are not the palms of victory in any earthly contest, but the palms of the Feast of Tabernacles, and that upon the thought of that feast the scene is moulded.

The Feast of Tabernacles, it will be remembered, was at once the last, the highest, and the most joyful of the festivals of the Jewish year. It fell in the month of October, when the harvest not only of grain, but of wine and oil, had been gathered in, and when, therefore, all the labors of the year were past. It was preceded, too, by the great Day of Atonement, the ceremonial of which gathered together all the sacrificial acts of the previous months, beheld the sins of the people, from their highest to their lowest, carried away into the wilderness, and brought with it the blessing of God from that innermost recess of the sanctuary which was lightened by the special glory of His presence, and into which the high-priest even was permitted to enter upon that day alone. The feelings awakened in Israel at the time were of the most triumphant kind. They returned in thought to the independent life which their fathers, delivered from the bondage of Egypt, led in the wilderness; and, the better to realize this, they left their ordinary dwellings and took up their abode for the days of the feast in booths, which they erected in the streets or on the flat roofs of their houses. These booths were made of branches of their most prized, most fruit-bearing, and most umbrageous trees; and beneath them they raised their psalms of thanks giving to Him who had delivered them as a bird out of the snare of the fowler. Even this was not all, for we know that in the later period of their history the Jews connected the Feast of Tabernacles with the brightest anticipations of the future as well as with the most joyful memories of the past. They beheld in it the promise of the Spirit, the great gift of the approaching Messianic age; and, that they might give full expression to this, they sent on the eighth, or great, day of the feast, a priest to the pool of Siloam with a golden urn, that he might fill it from the pool, and, bringing it up to the Temple, might pour it on the altar. This is the part of the ceremonial alluded to in Joh_7:37-39, and during it the joy of the people reached its highest point. They surrounded the priest in crowds as he brought up the water from the pool, waved their lulabs - small branches of palm trees, the "palms" of Rev_7:9 and made the courts of the Temple re-echo with their song, "With joy shall ye draw water out of wells of salvation."1

At night the great illumination of the Temple followed, that to which our Lord most probably alludes when, immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles spoken of in chap. 8 of the fourth Gospel, He exclaims, "I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."2 (1 Isa_12:3; 2 Joh_8:12)

Such was the scene the main particulars of which are here made use of by the apocalyptic Seer to set before us the triumphant and glorious condition of the Church when, after all

her members have been sealed, they are admitted to the full enjoyment of the blessings of God’s covenant, and when, washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed with His righteousness, they keep their Feast of Tabernacles.

A most important and interesting question connected with this vision has still to be answered. It may be first asked in the words of Isaac Williams. "It is whether all this description is of the Church in heaven or on earth." The same writer has answered his question by saying, "The fact is that, like the expression ‘the kingdom of heaven’ and many others of the same kind, it applies to both, and it is doubtless intended to do so - in fullness hereafter, but even here in part."1 The answer thus given is no doubt correct when the question is asked in the particular form to which it is a reply. Yet we have still to ask whether, granting it to be so, the primary reference of the vision is to the Church of Christ during her present pilgrimage or after that pilgrimage has been completed, and she has entered on her eternal rest. To the question so put, the reply usually given is that the Seer has the latter aspect of the Church in view. The redeemed are sealed on earth; they bear their "palms," and rejoice with the joy afterwards spoken of, in heaven. Much in the passage may seem to justify this conclusion. But a recent writer on the subject has adduced such powerful considerations in favor of the former view, that it will be proper to examine them.2 (1The Apocalypse, p. 126; 2Professor Gibson, in The Monthly Interpreter, vol. 2, p. 9)

Appeal is first made to Mat_24:13, a passage throwing no light upon the point. It is otherwise with many prophecies of the Old Testament next referred to, which describe the coming dispensation of the Gospel: "They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall He guide them;" "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces;" "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."l To passages such as these have to be added the promises of our Lord as to fountains of living waters even now opened to the believer, that he may drink and never thirst again: "Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a springing fountain of water, unto eternal life;" "Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."2 St. John, too, it is urged, teaches us to look for a Tabernacle Feast on earth3; while at the same time throughout all his writings eternal life is set before us as a present possession. Nor is this the case only in the writings of St. John. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we meet the same line of thought: "Ye are come" (not Ye shall come) "unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the first-born, who are enrolled in heaven."4 Influenced by these considerations, the writer to whom we have referred is led, "though not without some hesitation," to conclude that the vision of the palm-bearing multitude is to be understood of the Church on earth, and not of the Church in heaven. (1 Isa_49:10; Isa_25:8; Zec_14:16; 2 Joh_4:13-14; Joh_7:37-38; 3 Joh_1:14; 4 Heb_12:22-23)

The conclusion may be accepted without the "hesitation." The colors on the canvas may indeed at first appear too bright for any condition of things on this side the grave. But they are not more bright than those employed in the description of the new Jerusalem in chap. 21; and, when we come to the exposition of that chapter, we shall find positive proof in the language of the Seer that he looks upon that city as one already come down

from heaven and established among men. Not a few of its most glowing traits are even precisely the same as those that we meet in the corresponding vision of this chapter: "And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God; and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away."1 If words like these may be justly applied, as we have yet to see that they may and must be, to one aspect of the Church on earth, there is certainly nothing to hinder their application to the same Church now. The truth is that in both cases the description is ideal, and that not less so than the description of the terrors of the worldly at the opening of the sixth Seal Nor indeed shall we understand any part of the Apocalypse unless we recognize the fact that everything with which it is concerned is raised to an ideal standard. Reward and punishment, righteousness and sin, the martyrdoms of the Church and the fate of her oppressors, are all set before us in an ideal light. The Seer moves in the midst of conceptions which are fundamental, ultimate, and eternal The "broken lights" which partially illuminate our progress in this world are to him absorbed in "the true Light." The clouds and darkness which obscure our path gather themselves together to his eyes in "the darkness" with which the light has to contend. Descriptions, accordingly, applicable in their fullness to the Church only after the glory of her Lord is manifested, apply also to her now, when she is thought of as living the life that is hid with Christ in God, the life of her exalted and glorified Redeemer. For this conception the colors of the picture before us are not too bright.2 (1

Rev_21:3-4; 2Comp. on the general thought Brown, The Second Advent, chap. 6)

The relation in which the two visions of this chapter stand to one another may now be obvious. Although the persons referred to are in both the same, they do not in both occupy the same position. In the first they are only sealed, and through that sealing they are safe. Their Lord has taken them under His protection; and, whatever troubles or perils may beset them, no one shall pluck them out of His hand. In the second they are more than safe. They have peace, and joy, and triumph, their every want supplied, their every sorrow healed. Death itself is swallowed up in victory, and every tear is wiped from every eye.

Thus also may we determine the period to which both the sealing of believers and their, subsequent enjoyment of heavenly blessing belong. In neither vision are we introduced to any special era of Christian history. St. John has in view neither the Christians of his own day alone, nor those of any later time. As we found that each of the first six Seals embraced the whole Gospel age, so also is it with these consolatory visions. We are to dwell upon the thought rather than the time of preservation and of bliss. The Church of Christ never ceases to follow in the footsteps of her Lord. Like Him, when faithful to her high commission, she never ceases to bear the cross. The unredeemed world must always be her enemy; and in it she must always have tribulation. But not less continuous is her joy. We judge wrongly when we think that the Man of sorrows was never joyful He spoke of "My peace," "My joy."1 In one of His moments of deepest feeling we are told that He "rejoiced in spirit."2 Outwardly the world troubled Him; and huge billows, raised by its tempestuous winds, swept across the surface of His soul. Beneath, the unfathomed depths were calm. In communion with His Father in heaven, in the thought of the great work which He was carrying to its completion, and in the prospect of the glory that awaited Him, He could rejoice in the midst of sorrow. So also with the members of His Body. They bear about with them a secret joy which, like their new name, no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it As the friend of the bridegroom who standeth and heareth him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom s voice, so their joy is fulfilled.3

Nor does it ever cease to be theirs while their Lord is with them; and unless they grieve Him "lo, He is always with them, even unto the consummation of the age."4 The two visions, therefore, of the sealing and of the palm-bearing multitude embrace the whole Christian dispensation within their scope, and express ideas which belong to the condition of the believer in all places and at all times. (1 Joh_14:27; Joh_17:13; 2

Luk_10:21; 3 Joh_3:29; 4 Mat_28:20)

HAWKER, “Revelation 7:1-3

(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. (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, (3) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

This is a most sweet and interesting Chapter. Between the close of the events of the sixth seal, and before the seventh seal is opened, the Lord was graciously pleased, to manifest his watchful care over his Church and people, by sealing them. See that blessed scripture, Isa_27:3. A new state of things was now to arise. The heathen world, that is, the Roman Empire, and called the world, Rom_1:8; Col_1:6, was now under the sixth seal become Christian, that is, professing Christianity. A belief in Christ was now openly avowed. The Emperor himself, professed his faith in Christ. But amidst this national creed, deadly heresies were now arising to afflict the Church. Arius had now sprung up with his awful doctrine in denying the Godhead of Christ, though professing his belief in Christ. And under what a variety of different shades hath his heresy, from that hour to the present appeared, in what is called the Christian world? Christian only in name. Reader! pause and adore the Lord for his grace, in causing his Church to be sealed at such a period, as if to say, when errors of a more than ordinary nature are springing up, then the Lord will appear for his people, and have his servants know how secure they are, for he hath sealed them. And take one thought more with you on the subject. God the Spirit hath graciously caused this record of the Lord’s care over his Church to be handed down through all ages of his Church, as if to say, let this comfort the Lord’s people in perilous times, they are also sealed. For as the Lord watched over them then, so doth he now. And this one record, is in the place of a thousand arguments, to teach the Church these precious truths, Let men or devils rage, at one time more than another, nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal; the Lord knoweth them that are his, 2Ti_2:19. And the sealed servants of the Lord know also whose they are, and to whom they belong. For after that ye believed, saith the Holy Ghost by the Apostle, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, Eph_6:24.

By the four Angels which John saw, I am not inclined to think anything particularly is intended from their number. As there are four corners spoken of, and four winds, alluding to the several directions from whence the various winds blow, so it should seem probable, the four in number of Angels, only mean one for each department. But, by the other Angel so called, whom John saw ascending from the east, it is evident could mean none, but the Lord Jesus Christ; and though here called an Angel, or Messenger of the Covenant, as he is called, Mal_3:1. yet the office he is both there and here said to perform, could belong to none but God. Him hath God the Father sealed, Joh_6:27. And his office as God-Man Mediator, is to seal his people. Indeed, everything is here said of

him, implies it. His command to the four Angels prove it, being the head of all principality and power, and whom the Angels worship, Col_2:10; Heb_1:6. And his having the seal of the living God no less shows it, for who should have the seal or use it, but He who alone was found worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof, Rev_5:5. He who is the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his Person, and who upholds all things by the word of his power, Heb_1:2-3. And what a volume of the richest blessings, are included in this view of Christ sealing his people? I hope the Reader will indulge me, with mentioning a few of the gracious contents.

First. The Person sealing, is the great and leading point to be regarded in this account. And this, as hath before been observed, could be no other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is a very blessed consideration, connected with this view of Christ sealing his people. It was not to inform him, for all the names of his people are in his book of life. Luk_10:20; Isa_4:3; Php_4:3; Rev_21:27. And his flock must again pass under his hand. Jer_33:13. And all he hath received of his Father he hath undertaken for, Joh_6:37-38 and Joh_10:28. But the sealing of his people seems to have been with a special eye to their comfort. It is, as if the Lord had said, behold the love I have for you, I hereby acknowledge you for mine, Isa_43:1-7.

Secondly. Who they are that are sealed; namely, the servants of our God. Such, as the Lord by electing grace, chose from all eternity; and by sovereign grace, are called in time. They were once, when in the A dam-nature, servants of sin; but by regenerating grace, are brought into the family of God in Christ. And because from all eternity they were sons, they received in the fulness of time the call of adoption by the Holy Ghost, whereby they cry, Abba Father, Gal_4:6; Col_1:12-13.

Thirdly. This sealing of God, not only confirms whose they are, but their high privileges also Given by the Father, betrothed and redeemed by the Son, and regenerated by the Holy Ghost, they carry about with them, both the outward sign of their seal, and the inward testimonies in the effect of grace in the heart. For as seals are worn in sight, and rings on the finger, are tokens to bring to remembrance the friend or giver, so, the sealed soul makes manifest, by every suitable and becoming testimony, his love and attachment to Jesus. I have set the Lord (said one of old) always before me. He, is on my right hand, I shall not be moved, Psa_26:8. And the child of God desires, that Christ shall have the whole affections of the heart. The Lord Jesus, may be supposed to have all these things, and much more in view, when he called to his Church and said, Set me as a seal upon Mine heart, as a seal upon thine arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire, which have a most vehement flame, Son_8:6.

Fourthly. There is somewhat very, expressive, in what is said in the place of sealing, namely, in their foreheads, that is, it shall be open and not concealed. The world shall know whose they are. And although the marking here made, was intended as preparatory to very awful times coming on, yet, God would have his people known. Their seal shall be in their foreheads. Now, as the Arian heresy was then opening, and beginning to shed its baleful influence, and God would bring his redeemed out of great tribulation, (as verse the fourteenth showeth,) it should seem to be very plain, that this sealing took place chiefly, if not altogether, to guard against this most awful heresy, which however little thought of by some, and considered as of small moment with others, will be found a much greater apostasy, than the religion of the beast, or the false prophet. The Godhead of Christ is the whole bottom and foundation of the faith. The man that denies this, may as well relinquish all that belongs beside to Christianity, for there is nothing left worth retaining. And tremendously awful will be the state of all such at the last day. I would say to everyone, under this awful delusion, as Tertullian did to Marcion, whom he called the

Murderer of Truth; Spare said he, the only hope of the whole world! But blessed be God, the hand of man might sooner snatch the sun of the natural world from its orb, than take Jesus the Sun of Righteousness from the firmament of his scripture, by denying his Godhead, neither would the darkness of the former be half so great as the latter.

I need not dwell long on that part of those verses, by way of explaining, which speaks of not hurting the earth, or the sea, or the trees. These are well known to be figurative expressions. Winds imply wars. And the earth seas, and trees mean people. And the winds or wars, are said to be held until God hath secured his people. Thus, in the days of Noah, before the Ark was ready to, receive the Church, the fountains of the great deep were not broken up. These waters were restrained, as those winds are said to be held. But as soon as Noah and his family were housed in the Ark, the deluge followed, Gen_7:1-16. In like manner by Lot. Yea, to show the Lord’s watchful eye over his people, the Lord said to Lot, haste thee and escape thither, for I cannot do anything, till thou be come thither, Gen_19:22-25. Reader! depend upon it, the same is now, as much carrying on, as then. God’s care over his people, cannot for a moment cease. Sweetly the Holy Ghost saith by Peter, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you! 1Pe_5:7. Yea, the Lord saith by Moses, he loveth the people, all his saints are in his hand, Deu_33:3. The Church is engraven on the palms of his hands, her walls are continually before him, Isa_49:16. And it must be so. For God the Father hath given the Church to Christ. Jesus hath taken the Church into union with himself. He hath loved her with an everlasting love. He hath given himself for her, he hath died for her, he hath washed her in his blood, and the Holy Ghost hath sealed her to the day of redemption. One of the Prophets felt the strength of these blessed truths so forcibly, that under the impression he cried out, the Lord is good, a strong hold (or strength itself) in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him, Nah_1:7.

MEYER, “ THE MULTITUDE BEFORE THE THRONE

Rev_7:1-10

Before times of unusual trial God prepares for the safety of His people. See Gen_7:1; Gen_19:16; Exo_12:13; Eze_9:3-5; Mat_24:15-16. What a majestic conception this is and how comforting the thought that the winds are controlled by angels, and that the storms which sweep earth and heaven must obey the mandate of eternal love! God’s people are not always saved from trial, but they are kept safe in it. We are sealed when the divine likeness is stamped on our characters, Eph_1:13. Those that have that likeness also enjoy the earnest of heaven in their hearts, 2Co_1:21-22.

The definiteness of the number sealed indicates the perfectness and greatness of this first fruit sheaf of souls. If the first sheaf be so full and heavy, what will not the harvest be! See Rev_14:4. Beyond human count in number; representing every country under heaven; spotless in character; victorious in their conflict with evil; ascribing all glory to the Lamb as the result of His travail of soul. The tribe of Dan is omitted but perhaps reappears in Rev_21:12. Does this mean that some will be saved as by firebrands plucked from it by the grace of God?

KRETZMA, “The seventh chapter contains the description of a vision, by which the prophet was to be prepared for the events which were to follow the opening of the seventh seal. It shows in what way the Lord protects those whom He has chosen in the midst of the spiritual tribulations of

the latter times. A sin many other pictures, we are able to follow only the general trend of the thought and cannot, in the absence of prophetical explanation, make specific application to certain historical events. The seer writes: And after this I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, lest the wind blow upon the earth or upon the sea or upon any tree. Four angels are named according to the four cardinal points of the compass, thus signifying that the destruction which should be wrought upon the earth would be universal. Their intention seems to have been to destroy earth and sea and all that they contained, not only the unbelievers and godless, but also the believers, the elect of God. They were evil angels, and by withholding the winds from the earth they wanted to work harm for all creatures. The prince of this world has the purpose of hindering the growth and the course of the Gospel, and therefore he inspires false teachers to hold back the breath and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel.

But God promptly intervened: And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun having the seal of the living God, and he called with a mighty voice to the four angels to whom permission had been given to injure the earth and the sea, saying, Do not injure the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we shall seal the servants of our God on their foreheads. Here is comfort and encouragement for the believers of all times. From the east, from the source of light and life, a fifth angel appears, a servant of the most high God, perhaps the Messenger of the Covenant Himself, Mal_3:1. He bore the seal of the living God, which gave Him authority to carry out God's commands without hindrance. His word, therefore, as He called out to the four evil angels not to injure the earth and the sea and all they contained until they should be given further leave, was at once obeyed. With God's permission the evil angels are often enabled to work harm in the world, thus incidentally carrying out God's decrees of punishment; but they must stay their hands at the first word from Him. In this case God intended first of all to have His servants, His believers, His elect, to be sealed upon their foreheads, to bear in this conspicuous place the names of God and of the Lamb, Rev_14:1; Rev_22:4, to serve for their protection amid the spiritual afflictions of the last days, Mat_24:24. No man can pluck them out of His hand, Joh_10:28-29.

2

Then I saw another angel coming up from the

east, having the seal of the living God. He

called out in a loud voice to the four angels

who had been given power to harm the land

and the sea:

BARES, “And I saw another angel - Evidently having no connection with the four, and employed for another purpose. This angel, also, must have been symbolic; and all that is implied is, that something would be done as if an angel had done it.Ascending from the east - He appeared in the east, and seemed to rise like the sun.

It is not easy to determine what is the special significancy, if any, of the east here, or why this quarter of the heavens is designated rather than the north, the south, or the west. It may be that as light begins in the east, this would be properly symbolic of something that

could be compared with the light of the morning; or that some influence in “sealing” the servants of God would in fact go out from the east; or perhaps no special significance is to be attached to the quarter from which the angel is seen to come. It is not necessary to suppose that every minute thing in a symbol is to receive a complete fulfillment, or that there will be some particular thing to correspond with it. Perhaps all that is meant here is, that as the sun comes forth with splendor from the east, so the angel came with magnificence to perform a task - that of sealing the servants of God - cheerful and joyous like what the sun performs. It is certain that from no other quarter of the heavens would it be so appropriate to represent an angel as coming forth to perform a purpose of light, and mercy, and salvation. It does not seem to me, therefore, that we are to look, in the fulfillment of this, for any special influence setting in from the east as what is symbolized here.

Having the seal of the living God - Bearing it in his hands. In regard to this seal the following remarks may be made:

(a) The phrase “seal of the living God” doubtless means what God had appointed, or which he would use; that is, if God himself came forth in this manner, he would use this seal for these purposes. People often have a seal of their own, with some name, symbol, or device, which designates it as theirs, and which no other one has a right to use. A seal is sometimes used by the person himself; sometimes entrusted to a high officer of state; sometimes to the secretary of a corporation; and sometimes, as a mark of special favor, to a friend. In this case it was entrusted to an angel, who was authorized to use it, and whose use of it would be sanctioned, of course, wherever he applied it, by the living God, as if he had employed it himself.

(b) As to the form of the seal, we have no information. It would be most natural to suppose that the name “of the living God” would be engraven on it, so that that name would appear on anyone to whom it might be affixed. Compare the notes on 2Ti_2:19. It was customary in the East to brand the name of the master on the forehead of a slave (Grotius, in loco); and such an idea would meet all that is implied in the language here, though there is no certain evidence that there is an allusion to that custom. In subsequent times, in the church, it was common for Christians to impress the sign of the cross on their foreheads (Tertullian de Corolla; Cyrill. lib. vi. See Grotius). As nothing is said here, however, about any mark or device on the seal, conjecture is useless as to what it was.

(c) As to what was to be designated by the seal, the main idea is clear, that it was to place some such mark upon his friends that they would be known to be his, and that they would be safe in the impending calamities, There is perhaps allusion here to Eze_9:4-6, where the following direction to the prophet occurs: “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the people that sigh, and that cry, for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children, and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark.” The essential ideas in the sealing, in the passage before us, would therefore seem to be:

(1) That there would be some mark, sign, or token, by which they who were the people of God would be known; that is, there would be something which would answer, in this respect, the same purpose as if a seal had been impressed upon their foreheads. Whether this was an outward badge, or a religious rite, or the doctrines which they would hold and by which they would be known, or something in their spirit and manner which would characterize his true disciples, may be a fair subject of inquiry. It is not specifically designated by the use of the word.

(2) It would be something that would be conspicuous or prominent, as if it were impressed on the forehead. It would not be merely some internal sealing, or some designation by which they would be known to themselves and to God, but it would be something apparent, as if engraved on the forehead. What this would be, whether a profession, or a form of religion, or the holding of some doctrine, or the manifestation of a particular spirit, is not here designated.

(3) This would be something appointed by God himself. It would not be of human origin, but would be as if an angel sent from heaven should impress it on the forehead. If it refers to the doctrines which they would hold, they could not be doctrines of human origin; if to the spirit which they would manifest, it would be a spirit of heavenly origin; if to some outward protection, it would be manifest that it was from God.

(4) This would be a pledge of safety. The design of sealing the persons referred to seems to have been to secure their safety in the impending calamities. Thus, the winds were held back until those who were to be sealed could be designated, and then they were to be allowed to sweep over the earth. These things, therefore, we are to look for in the fulfillment of the symbol.

And he cried with a loud voice - As if he had authority to command, and as if the four winds were about to be let forth upon the world.

To whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea - Who had power committed to them to do this by means of the four winds.

CLARKE, “The seal of the living God - This angel is represented as the chancellor

of the supreme King, and as ascending from the east, απο�ανατολης��λιου, from the rising

of the sun. Some understand this of Christ, who is called ανατολη, the east, Luk_1:78.

Four angels, to whom it was given to hurt - Particular agents employed by Divine providence in the management of the affairs of the earth; but whether spiritual or material we know not.

GILL, “And I saw another angel,.... Not Constantine, who came from the eastern parts to the empire, with the true knowledge of God, and the authority of God to propagate it; and who repressed the four angels, or evil spirits, contention, ambition, heresy, and war, from doing the mischief they otherwise would; and sealed the saints, by giving them a platform of doctrine at the council of Nice, as Brightman and others think. But the uncreated angel, the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ; for who but he should have the privy seal of heaven, who is the angel of the great council, as the Septuagint render Isa_9:6 and who could speak in such an authoritative manner to the four angels, "saying, hurt not the earth", &c. but he who is the head of all principality and power? and who should seal the servants of the Lord, but he who has them in his hands, and keeps them by his power, so that none of them shall perish? And to him agrees all that follows:

ascending from the east; from Judea, from Zion, from whence Christ, as the salvation, or Saviour of Israel, came, Psa_14:7; and whose name is the east, as some

render Zec_3:8; he is the dayspring from on high, the sun of righteousness, who rose from the east, the place of the rising sun, and brought light, life, and joy to his people, when he came to seal them. Compare with this Eze_43:1.

Having the seal of the living God; having the impress of deity upon him, being the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image or character of his person; having a testimony, an authentic proof and demonstration of his being the Son of God, of his being the true and living God; as also a commission from God, as Mediator, being sealed by him; and having all power and authority from him, to seal and secure the people which were given unto him, and for which purpose he now came: to which may be added, that Christ has the Spirit, with his gifts and graces, without measure, by which the saints are sealed unto the day of redemption; and moreover has likewise the seal of the book of life, or of eternal election, in his hands; the elect are chosen in him, and the book of life, in which their names are written to eternal life, is in his keeping, and is therefore called the Lamb's book of life. The Jews speak (a) of the east gate of one of the palaces they suppose above, which they say is shut all the six days, and on the sabbath day is opened, and the governor of this palace has two ministers, one on his right hand, and one on his

left, and two seals in their hands, חו־תאם�חיים,�"the�seal�of�life",�and�the�seal�of�death,�and�all�

the�books�of�the�world,�before�them;�an,�some�are�sealed�to�life,�and�some�to�death,�with�which�

this�passage�may�be�compared.�They�speak�also�of�an�angel�that�presides�at�the�eastern�part�of�the�

heavens,�who�receives�the�prayers�of�the�Israelites,�whose�name�they�call�"Gazardia"�(b),�as�this�

same�angel�is�said�to�offer�up�the�prayers�of�the�saints,�Rev_8:3.�

And�he�cried�with�a�loud�voice�to�the�four�angelsAnd�he�cried�with�a�loud�voice�to�the�four�angelsAnd�he�cried�with�a�loud�voice�to�the�four�angelsAnd�he�cried�with�a�loud�voice�to�the�four�angels;�to�show�his�power�and�authority�over�them,�

they�being�his�creatures�and�ministers;�and�to�express�his�great�concern�for�his�people,�his�care�of�

them,�and�affection�for�them;�and�to�signify�the�danger�they�were�in�through�the�calamities�that�

were�coming�on,�should�they�not�be�sealed:�

to�whom�it�was�given�to�hurt�the�earth�and�the�seato�whom�it�was�given�to�hurt�the�earth�and�the�seato�whom�it�was�given�to�hurt�the�earth�and�the�seato�whom�it�was�given�to�hurt�the�earth�and�the�sea:�they�had�a�commission�from�God�to�let�loose�

the�winds,�or�to�bring�on�wars,�devastations,�calamities,�and�plagues,�of�various�sorts,�upon�the�

Roman�empire,�now�Christian;�and�on�the�seat�of�the�beast,�not�only�on�the�continent,�but�upon�

the�islands�also,�even�upon�all�the�nations,�tongues,�and�people�subject�to�the�see�of�Rome.�

HERY, “ An account of the sealing of the servants of God, where observe, 1. To whom this work was committed - to an angel, another angel. While some of the angels were employed to restrain Satan and his agents, another angel was employed to mark out and distinguish the faithful servants of God. 2. How they were distinguished - the seal of God was set upon their foreheads, a seal known to him, and as plain as if it appeared in their foreheads; by this mark they were set apart for mercy and safety in the worst of times. 3. The number of those that were sealed, where observe, (1.) A particular account of those that were sealed of the twelve tribes of Israel - twelve thousand out of every tribe, the whole sum amounting to a hundred and forty-four thousand. In this list the tribe of Dan is omitted, perhaps because they were greatly addicted to idolatry; and the order of

the tribes is altered, perhaps according as they had been more or less faithful to God. Some take these to be a select number of the Jews who were reserved for mercy at the destruction of Jerusalem; others think that time was past, and therefore it is to be more generally applied to God's chosen remnant in the world; but, if the destruction of Jerusalem was not yet over (and I think it is hard to prove that it was), it seems more proper to understand this of the remnant of that people which God had reserved according to the election of grace, only here we have a definite number for an indefinite.

JAMISO, “from the east — Greek, “the rising of the sun.” The quarter from which God’s glory oftenest manifests itself.

PULPIT, “And I saw another angel ascending from the east; from the rising of the

sun. Again no individual angel is particularized, though an archangel may be intended, as he has authority over the first four. He proceeds from that quarter whence comes light; and, like the Sun of Righteousness, he rises with healing in his wings; for his mission is to render secure the servants of God. Wordsworth thinks Christ, or a messenger from Christ, is meant—a view shared by Hengstenberg; Vitringa says the Holy Ghost; Victorinus, the Prophet Elijah. That this angel was of like nature with the first four appears probable from the words in Rev_7:3, "till we have sealed the servants of our God." Having the seal of the living God. The sealing instrument with which they seal God's servants. Of its nature we are told nothing beyond what is contained in Rev_7:3. He is specially referred to as "the living God," since, by this sealing, life is imparted. We have here the shorter expression, "the living God," not, as in all ether places of the Apocalypse, "him that liveth forever and ever" (see Rev_4:9; Rev_5:14; Rev_10:6; Rev_15:7). And he cried with a loud voice

to the four angels (cf. Rev_1:10; Rev_5:2; Rev_6:10) to whom it was given to hurt the earth

and the sea; that is, by letting loose the winds, as shown by Rev_7:1 and Rev_7:3. Bengel and Rinck, looking only at the immediate context, thought that the hurt was done by preventing the winds from blowing on the earth and cooling it in the scorching plagues which follow (Rev_8:7). The trees are not mentioned, being included in the earth; and this appears to indicate that the expression, "the earth, the sea, and the trees" (Rev_7:1 and Rev_7:3), signifies the world in general, without being intended to represent individual parts, as the great men, etc. (see on Rev_5:1).

3

"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees

until we put a seal on the foreheads of the

servants of our God."

BARES, “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea ... - Let the winds be restrained until what is here designated shall be done. These destroying angels were

commanded to suspend the work of destruction until the servants of God could be rendered secure. The division here, as in Rev_7:1, of the “earth, the sea, and the trees,” seems to include everything - water, land, and the productions of the earth. Nothing was to be injured until the angel should designate the true servants of God.Till we have sealed the servants of our God - The use of the plural “we” seems to

denote that he did not expect to do it alone. Who were to be associated with him, whether angels or human beings, he does not intimate; but the work was evidently such that it demanded the agency of more than one.

In their foreheads - See the notes on Rev_7:2; compare Eze_9:4-5. A mark thus placed on the forehead would be conspicuous, and would be something which could at once be recognized if destruction should spread over the world. The fulfillment of this is to be found in two things:

(a) In something which would be conspicuous or prominent - so that it could be seen; and,

(b) In the mark being of such a nature or character that it would be a proper designation of the fact that they were the true servants of God.

CLARKE, “Till we have sealed the servants of our God - There is manifestly an allusion to Eze_9:4 here. By sealing we are to understand consecrating the persons in a more especial manner to God, and showing, by this mark of God upon them, that they were under his more immediate protection, and that nothing should hurt them. It was a custom in the east, and indeed in the west too, to stamp with a hot iron the name of the owner upon the forehead or shoulder of his slave.

It is worthy of remark that not one Christian perished in the siege of Jerusalem; all had left the city, and escaped to Pella. This I have often had occasion to notice.

GILL, “Saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,.... That is, as yet, for their commission was not contradicted, nor taken away by Christ; and at the time appointed, at the blowing of the several trumpets, they let loose the winds, and let in the Goths, Hans, and Vandals, the Saracens and Turks into the empire, and after that poured out the vials of God's wrath upon the Romish antichrist: this retarding of them was but in appearance, that there might be an opportunity to show to John what care would be taken all along of the church of Christ, and true servants of the living God:

till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads; the servants of sin, Satan, and the beast of Rome, were took no notice nor care of; they were the persons to be hurt by the winds, signified by the earth, sea, and trees, even idolaters, small and great; but "the servants of our God", who serve him with grace in their hearts, from a principle of love, in the exercise of faith, without servile fear, and with reverence and godly fear, in righteousness and true holiness, and with a view to his glory; and are worshippers of him in spirit and in truth, being followers of the Lamb, whithersoever he goes; and so are the servants of his God, and their God; the sealing of them does not design the sealing of them with the seal of election, this was done in eternity; nor with the seal of the Spirit, which is common to all the saints in all ages; but it denotes the hiding and concealing, and so securing the saints amidst all the calamities of the empire, and throughout the whole time of the Romish apostasy, from first to last; and respects

the time when the church fled into the wilderness, and was hid, and nourished with the hidden manna, for a time, and times, and half a time, Rev_12:14. Christ set a mark upon them, as was upon the houses of the Israelites, when the destroying angel passed through Egypt, and destroyed the firstborn in it; and as was upon the foreheads of those that sighed and cried in Jerusalem, when orders were given to slay young and old, Exo_12:23. Christ will have a people in the worst of times; he knows who are his, and he will take care of them; he has his chambers of protection to hide them in, till the indignation is over past: the sealers, "we", are either Father, Son, and Spirit, who are all jointly concerned for the welfare of the eject; or Christ and his ministering angels that attend him, whom he employs for the good and safety of the heirs of salvation: the seal with which these are sealed is the seal of the living God, the foreknowledge, love, care, and power of God; and the name of God, even Christ's Father's name, and their Father's name, in their foreheads; the new name of children of God, by and under which they are known and preserved by him: and this is said to be "in their foreheads", in allusion to servants, who used to be marked in their foreheads; hence they are called by Apuleius (c) "frontes literati"; and by Martial, a servant is called "fronte notatus" (d): but then these were such who had committed faults, and this was done by way of punishment (e); wherefore it can hardly be thought that the servants of God should be sealed, in allusion to them: but rather with reference to the mitre on the high priest's forehead, as some think; or it may be to Eze_9:4, and shows, that though these persons were hid and concealed from men, they were well known to God and Christ; nor were they ashamed to make a public and open confession of Christ before men, as did the true and faithful witnesses of Christ, the Waldenses and Albigenses, in the midst of the greatest darkness of Popery, and of danger from men; and who seem to be chiefly intended.

JAMISO, “Hurt not — by letting loose the destructive winds.till we have sealed the servants of our God — parallel to Mat_24:31, “His

angels ... shall gather together His elect from the four winds.” God’s love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way of judgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Gen_19:22). Israel, at the eve of the Lord’s coming, shall be found re-embodied as a nation; for its tribes are distinctly specified (Joseph, however, being substituted for Dan; whether because Antichrist is to come from Dan, or because Dan is to be Antichrist’s especial tool [Aretas, tenth century], compare Gen_49:17; Jer_8:16; Amo_8:14; just as there was a Judas among the Twelve). Out of these tribes a believing remnant will be preserved from the judgments which shall destroy all the Antichristian confederacy (Rev_6:12-17), and shall be transfigured with the elect Church of all nations, namely, 144,000 (or whatever number is meant by this symbolical number), who shall faithfully resist the seductions of Antichrist, while the rest of the nation, restored to Palestine in unbelief, are his dupes, and at last his victims. Previously to the Lord’s judgments on Antichrist and his hosts, these latter shall destroy two-thirds of the nation, one-third escaping, and, by the Spirit’s operation through affliction, turning to the Lord, which remnant shall form the nucleus on earth of the Israelite nation that is from this time to stand at the head of the millennial nations of the world. Israel’s spiritual resurrection shall be “as life from the dead” to all the nations. As now a regeneration goes on here and there of individuals, so there shall then be a regeneration of nations universally, and this in connection with Christ’s coming. Mat_24:34; “this generation (the Jewish nation) shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled,” which implies that Israel can no more pass away before Christ’s advent, than Christ’s own words can pass away (the same Greek), Mat_24:35. So exactly Zec_13:8, Zec_13:9; Zec_14:2-4, Zec_14:9-21; compare Zec_12:2-14; Zec_13:1, Zec_13:2. So also Eze_8:17, Eze_8:18; Eze_9:1-7, especially Eze_9:4.

Compare also Eze_10:2 with Rev_8:5, where the final judgments actually fall on the earth, with the same accompaniment, the fire of the altar cast into the earth, including the fire scattered over the city. So again, Rev_14:1, the same 144,000 appear on Zion with the Father’s name in their forehead, at the close of the section, the twelfth through fourteenth chapters, concerning the Church and her foes. Not that the saints are exempt from trial: Rev_7:14 proves the contrary; but their trials are distinct from the destroying judgments that fall on the world; from these they are exempted, as Israel was from the plagues of Egypt, especially from the last, the Israelite doors having the protecting seal of the blood-mark.

foreheads — the most conspicuous and noblest part of man’s body; on which the helmet, “the hope of salvation,” is worn.

PULPIT, “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees . Hurt not, by loosing the four winds, as stated on Rev_7:2. The destruction prepared for the guilty world is not allowed to fall until God's elect have been gathered in, and preserved free from danger (cf. Mat_24:31, where immediately after the appearance of the Son of man, his elect are gathered from the four winds). (For the signification of the earth, the sea, and the trees, see on Rev_7:1 and Rev_7:2.) Till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. The angel associates himself with the first four, as being on an equality with them in this work, although he alone is stated to possess the seal (Rev_7:2). Of the nature of the sealing nothing more is indicated. The forehead is naturally mentioned as being the most conspicuous part of man, as well as that which we are accustomed to regard as the noblest and most vital part. The idea may be compared with that in Eze_9:4,Eze_9:6. It is remarkable, too, that the word in Ezekiel rendered "mark" is the name of the Hebrew letter tau, of which the ancient form was a cross (cf. the sign of the cross in baptism; alsoRev_3:12, "I will write upon him the Name of my God... and my new Name;" and Rev_14:1, "Having his Father s Name written in their foreheads"). "The servants of our God," says Bengel, is a title which especially belongs to holy men in Israel (cf. Gen_1:17; Deu_32:36; Isa_61:6). Those who hold the preterist view believe that the Christians who escaped the destruction of Jerusalem are indicated by this expression. The sealed are probably these referred to by our Lord in Mat_24:22, Mat_24:24, Mat_24:31, as "the elect."

OTES

1. Delay judgement until the people of God are prepared. In

70 A.D. the saints escaped to Pella before the Romans

attacked. Lot escaped from Sodom before the wrath of God

fell. The sealing was a mark of possession, and a pledge

of security and a token of redemption.

2. In Ezek. 9:1ff God's people are sealed with a mark on

the forehead.

THE TRUMPETS of the angels foretell mankind's calamities, both physical and spiritual.

But before the beginning of these, St. John sees an angel conferring a mark upon the

foreheads of the sons of the New Israel (Rev. 7:1-8). "Israel" is the Church of the New

Testament here. The marks symbolize selection and blessed protection. This vision brings

to mind the Sacrament of Chrismation, during which the "mark of the gift of the Holy

Spirit" is conferred upon the brow of the newly baptized. It brings to mind the sign of the

cross, which protects "against the foes." People who are not protected by the blessed

mark suffer harm from the "locust" that has emanated from the bottomless pit, i.e., from

the devil's power (Rev. 9:4). The prophet Ezekiel describes the same imprint on the

righteous citizens of ancient Jerusalem before it was taken by the Chaldean forces. Then,

as well as now, the mysterious mark was placed with the purpose of saving the just from

the fate of the impure (Ezek. 9:4). At the counting by name of the twelve tribes of Israel

(Rev. ch. 7), the tribe of Dan was purposely omitted. Some see in this the indication that

the antichrist came from this tribe. This thought is based on the enigmatic words of the

Patriarch Jacob regarding the future descendants of Dan: "a serpent on the way, a viper

by the path" (Gen. 49:17).

Thus, the present vision serves as an introduction to the subsequent description of the

persecution of the Church. The measuring of the temple of God in the eleventh chapter

has the same meaning as the marking of the sons of Israel: the preservation of the

children of the Church from evil. The temple of God, like the Woman clothed in

sunshine, and the city of Jerusalem are different symbols of the Church of Christ. The

basic thought of these visions is that the Church is Holy and is dear to God. God allows

the persecutions for the sake of achieving moral perfection of the faithful but protects

them from enslavement by evil and from the same fate as the godless.

The four angels standing at the four corners (used to designate the four directions) were

holding the four winds of the earth (the four winds of judgment--conquest, war, famine,

and death--as in 6:1-8 and as seen from the word "hurt" in 7:2-3). (Compare Jer. 49:36-

38; 51:1-2). They were given to hurt the earth and the sea, but another angel ascending

from the sunrising (from the direction of the morning light; suggests a message of cheer

and encouragement), having the seal of the living God, said, "Hurt not the earth, neither

the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God in their

foreheads." The seal symbolizes ownership and consequent protection. (See Ezek. 9:6; 2

Tim. 2:19; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). Hence, God's people will not be affected by the

forthcoming judgments as will the people of the world. (See Rev. 9:4). DAVID RIGGS

4

Then I heard the number of those who were

sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

BARES, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed - He does not say where he heard that, or by whom it was communicated to him, or when it was done. The material point is, that he heard it; he did not see it done. Either by the angel, or by some direct communication from God, he was told of the number that would be sealed, and of the distribution of the whole number into twelve equal parts, represented by the tribes of the children of Israel.

And there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel - In regard to this number, the first and the main question is, whether it is meant that this was to be the literal number, or whether it was symbolical; and, if the latter, of what it is a symbol:

I. As to the first of these inquiries, there does not appear to be any good reason for doubt. The fair interpretation seems to require that it should be understood as symbolical, or as designed not to be literally taken; for:

(a) The whole scene is symbolical - the winds, the angels, the sealing.

(b) It cannot be supposed that this number will include all who will be sealed and saved. In whatever way this is interpreted, and whatever we may suppose it to refer to, we cannot but suppose that more than this number will be saved.

(c) The number is too exact and artificial to suppose that it is literal. It is inconceivable that exactly the same number - precisely twelve thousand - should be selected from each tribe of the children of Israel.

(d) If literal, it is necessary to suppose that this refers to the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. But on every supposition this is absurd. Ten of their tribes had been long before carried away, and the distinction of the tribes was lost, no more to be recovered, and the Hebrew people never have been, since the time of John, in circumstances to which the description here could be applicable. These considerations make it clear that the description here is symbolical. But,

II. Of what is it symbolical? Is it of a large number, or of a small number? Is it of those who would be saved from among the Jews, or of all who would be saved in the Christian church - represented as the “tribes of the children of Israel?” To these inquiries we may answer:

(1) That the representation seems to be rather that of a comparatively small number than a large one, for these reasons:

(a) The number of itself is not large.

(b) The number is not large as compared with those who must have constituted the tribes here referred to - the number twelve thousand, for example, as compared with the whole number of the tribe of Judah, of the tribe of Reuben, etc.

(c) It would seem from the language that there would be some selection from a much greater number. Thus, not all in the tribes were scaled, but those who

were sealed were “of all the tribes” - Wκ�πάσης�φυλ[ς ek�pasēs�phulēs; that is, out

of these tribes. So in the specification in each tribe - Wκ�φυλ[ς�]ούδα,�Ρουβbν ek�

phulēs�Iouda, Roubēn, etc. Some out of the tribe, to wit, twelve thousand, were

sealed, It is not said of the twelve thousand of the tribes of Judah, Reuben, etc., that they constituted the tribe, but that they were sealed out of the tribe,

as a part of it preserved and saved. “When the preposition Wκ ek, or “out of,” stands after any such verb as sealed, between a definite numeral and a noun of multitude in the genitive, sound criticism requires, doubtless, that the numeral should be thus construed as signifying, not the whole, but a part taken out” (Elliott, i. 237). Compare Exo_32:28; Num_1:21; 1Sa_4:10. The phrase, then, would properly denote those taken out of some other and greater number - as a portion of a tribe, and not the whole tribe. If the reference here is to the church, it would seem to denote that a portion only of that church would be sealed.

(d) For the same reason the idea would seem to be, that comparatively a small portion is referred to - as twelve thousand would be comparatively a small part of one of the tribes of Israel; and if this refers to the church, we should expect to find its fulfillment in a state of things in which the largest proportion would not be scaled; that is, in a corrupt state of the church in which there would be many professors of religion, but comparatively few who had real piety.

(2) To the other inquiry - whether this refers to those who would be sealed and saved among the Jews, or to those in the Christian church - we may answer:

(a) that there are strong reasons for supposing the latter to be the correct opinion. Long before the time of John all these distinctions of tribe were abolished. The ten tribes had been carried away and scattered in distant lands, never more to be restored; and it cannot be supposed that there was any such literal selection from the twelve tribes as is here spoken of, or any such designation of twelve thousand from each. There was no occasion - either when Jerusalem was destroyed, or at any ether time - on which there were such transactions as are here referred to occurring in reference to the children of Israel.

(b) The language is such as a Christian, who had been by birth and education a Hebrew, would naturally use if he wished to designate the church. Compare the notes on Jam_1:1. Accustomed to speak of the people of God as “the twelve tribes of Israel,” nothing was more natural than to transfer this language to the church of the Redeemer, and to speak of it in that figurative manner. Accordingly, from the necessity of the case, the language is universally understood to have reference to the Christian church. Even Prof. Stuart, who supposes that the reference is to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, interprets it of the preservation of Christians, and their flight to Pella, beyond Jordan. Thus interpreted, moreover, it accords with the entire symbolical character of the representation.

(c) The reference to the particular tribes may be a designed allusion to the Christian church as it would be divided into denominations, or known by different names; and the fact that a certain portion would be sealed from every tribe would not be an unfit representation of the fact that a portion of all the various churches or denominations would be sealed and saved. That is, salvation would be confined to no one church or denomination, but among them all there would be found true servants of God. It would be improper to suppose that the division into tribes among the children of Israel was designed to be a type of the sects and denominations in the Christian church, and yet the fact of such a division may not improperly be employed as an illustration of that; for the whole church is made up not of any one denomination alone, but of all who hold the truth combined, as the people of God in ancient times consisted not solely of any one tribe, however large and powerful, but of all combined. Thus understood, the symbol would point to a time when there would be various denominations in the church, and yet with the idea that true friends of God would be found among them all.

(d) Perhaps nothing can be argued from the fact that exactly twelve thousand were selected from each of the tribes. In language so figurative and symbolical as this, it could not be maintained that this proves that the santo definite number would be taken from each denomination of Christians. Perhaps all that can be fairly inferred is, that there would be no partiality or preference for one more than another; that there would be no favoritism on account of the

tribe or denomination to which anyone belonged; but that the seal would be impressed on all, of any denomination, who had the true spirit of religion. No one would receive the token of the divine favor because he was of the tribe of Judah or Reuben; no one because he belonged to any particular denomination of Christians. Large numbers from every branch of the church would be sealed; none would be sealed because he belonged to one form of external organization rather than to another; none would be excluded because he belonged to any one tribe, if he had the spirit and held the sentiments which made it proper to recognize him as a servant of God. These views seem to me to express the true sense of this passage. No one can seriously maintain that the writer meant to refer literally to the Jewish people; and if he referred to the Christian church, it seems to be to some selection that would be made out of the whole church, in which there would be no favoritism or partiality, and to the fact that, in regard to them, there would be some something which, in the midst of abounding corruption or impending danger, would designate them as the chosen people of God, and would furnish evidence that they would be safe.

CLARKE, “I heard the number of them which were sealed - In the number of 144,000 are included all the Jews converted to Christianity; 12,000 out of each of the twelve tribes: but this must be only a certain for an uncertain number; for it is not to be supposed that just 12,000 were converted out of each of the twelve tribes.

GILL, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed,.... And therefore could be sure of the exact number, which did not depend upon his sight, and telling them, in which some mistake might have been made, but he heard the number expressed:

and there were sealed an hundred and forty, and four thousand: which is a square number arising from twelve, the square root of it, being just twelve times twelve thousand; and may denote their being the true and genuine offspring of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, holding their doctrine, and being built on their foundation; see Rev_21:14; and these were

of all the tribes of the children of Israel; not that these were all Jews in a literal sense, for the time of their conversion in great numbers is not yet come. Dr. Goodwin thinks these sealed ones design the believers of the Greek and Armenian churches, and his reasons are not despicable; but this is to limit and restrain them to a particular part of the church of Christ; whereas they take in all the saints within this long tract of time, even all that are the true Israel of God, who are Jews inwardly, of what nation, kindred, tongue, and people soever; and is a certain and determinate number for an uncertain and indeterminate one; and only intends a large number of persons known to God and Christ; see the Apocrypha:

"Arise up and stand, behold the number of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;'' (2 Esdras 2:38)

JAMISO, “Twelve is the number of the tribes, and appropriate to the Church: three by four: three, the divine number, multiplied by four, the number for world-wide extension. Twelve by twelve implies fixity and completeness, which is taken a thousandfold in 144,000. A thousand implies the world perfectly pervaded by the divine; for it is ten, the world number, raised to the power of three, the number of God.of all the tribes — literally, “out of every tribe”; not 144,000 of each tribe, but the

aggregate of the twelve thousand from every tribe.

children — Greek, “sons of Israel.” Rev_3:12; Rev_21:12, are no objection, as Alford thinks, to the literal Israel being meant; for, in consummated glory, still the Church will be that “built on the foundation of the (Twelve) apostles (Israelites), Jesus Christ (an Israelite) being the chief corner-stone.” Gentile believers shall have the name of Jerusalem written on them, in that they shall share the citizenship antitypical to that of the literal Jerusalem.

PULPIT, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed. The description of the actual operation of sealing is omitted (cf. Eze_9:1-11., where it is also omitted). And there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand. Omit "and there were." This number—the square of 12 multiplied by 1000—is typical of a large and perfect number. No one has ever said that the number should be taken literally; and there are evident reasons why it could not be so intended. We have, therefore, to inquire what is its symbolical signification. The number 12 is always typical, in the Apocalypse and elsewhere, of a complete and perfect number. It is formed of 4 multiplied by 3. Four is generally representative of the created universe, and 3 of the Godhead (see Rev_5:9). 4 plus 3, that is 7; and 4 multiplied by 3, that is 12, indicate a perfect number—a number which includes and embraces everything. And thus 12 multiplied by 12 denotes the most exhaustive and perfect completion. The number 1000 is generally used to denote a large and complete, but somewhat uncertain, number (cf. Rev_14:1; Rev_20:2; Rev_21:16, etc.). Thus the square of 12 multiplied by 1000 has the signification of a large number not definitely fixed, but nevertheless perfect; that is to say, not omitting a single one of those who should be included in the number. We are therefore taught that at the judgment day, before the destruction of the world is allowed to take place, a large number, consisting of those who have proved themselves to be God's servants, will be preserved and set apart; and that, although the number may be large, yet it will be perfect, not one of those who are worthy to be selected being overlooked or forgotten. This number subsequently is increased, being included in the "great multitude which no man could number" of Rev_7:9, and which is formed by the whole company of the redeemed. Of all the tribes of the

children of Israel. The Authorized Version here appears to give the correct sense of πᾶς , "every." The number is made up not necessarily by an equal number from each tribe, but by a number from the twelve tribes viewed as a whole. As explained above, the number one thousand, though signifying "completeness," is not a definite number. Here, as elsewhere, it is the spiritual Israel which is signified. In support of this view, we may remark:

(1) The constant use in the Apocalypse of the terms" Israel," "Jew," "Jerusalem," etc., in the spiritual sense; and it seems scarcely credible that the writer of the book, who throughout insists on the fulfilment in the Christian religion of all things Jewish, should in this place, for no apparent reason, deliberately make a distinction between Jew and Gentile. The terms are constantly used to denote the spiritual Israel, the spiritual Jerusalem, etc., except where allusion is made to some historical fact, as in Rev_2:14; Rev_5:5; Rev_22:16; Rev_15:3 (cf. Jews, Rev_2:9 andRev_3:9; Israel, Rev_21:12; J

erusalem, Rev_3:12 and Rev_21:2, Rev_21:10; Babylon, Rev_14:8; Rev_16:19; Rev_17:5; Rev_18:2, Rev_18:10, Rev_18:21; Sodom and

Egypt, Rev_11:8;Euphrates, Rev_9:14; Rev_16:12; Sion, Rev_14:1; Jezebel, Rev_2:20; David, Re

v_3:7; Gentiles, Rev_11:2).

(2) The improbability of the omission of the tribe of Dan, if the literal Israel were meant.

(3) The general testimony of ancient commentators, which is the view of those who appointed this passage for use in the Liturgy on All Saints' Day. Some, however, have considered that the hundred and forty-four thousand are distinct from, and not included in, the multitude of verse 9. They believe the former indicates the converted from among the Jews, and the latter those saved from the Gentiles. Thus Bengel, Dusterdieck, Ebrard, Grotius, etc. But it may be remembered that in Rev_14:3, Rev_14:4, the hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed from the earth and from among men is not confined to Jews. By other commentators the number has been thought to denote converts in the age of Constantine, etc.

KRETZMANN, “Note that the tribe of Judah is mentioned first, since the fourth son of Jacob became the bearer of the Messianic promise and the forefather of the Messiah. After an interval, during which the sealing is supposed to have taken place, the total number of those that were sealed with the protective mark of God is announced. John did not do the counting himself, but only heard the number, for only the Lord knows them that are His. It is evidently a collective, stereotyped number, intended to include all those that belong to the true Israel, to the congregation of the believers, of all tongues and nations. The enumeration of the tribes is also made simply to get the number twelve, in accordance with the ancient way of figuring. It is for this reason that Joseph is substituted for Ephraim, and that Dan is omitted; Lev. is mentioned with the rest, because in the Church of Christ there is no distinctive priesthood, but all belong to the royal priesthood. The seal of the Lord was placed upon the definite number of those whom He had chosen unto eternal life.

BARCLAY, “THE SEAL OF GOD

Rev. 7:4-8

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four

thousand were sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah

twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; of the tribe of

Gad, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand; of the tribe of

aphtali, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand; of the tribe of

Simeon, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; of the tribe of

Issachar, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand; of the tribe of

Joseph, twelve thousand; of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand.

Those who are to be brought safely through the great tribulation are sealed upon

their foreheads. The origin of this picture is very likely in Eze.9. In Ezekiel's picture,

before the final slaughter begins, the man with the inkhorn marks the forehead of

those who are faithful and the avengers are told that none so marked must be

touched (Eze.9:1-7).

The idea of the king's seal would be very meaningful in the East. Eastern kings wore

a signet ring whose seal was used to authenticate documents as really coming from

the king's hand and to mark that which was the king's personal property. When

Pharaoh appointed Joseph his prime minister and representative, he gave him his

signet ring in token of the authority which had been delegated to him (Gen.41:42).

So Ahasuerus gave his signet ring, first to Haman and then, when Haman's wicked

schemes were unmasked, to Mordecai (Esth.3:10; Esth.8:2). The stone which shut

Daniel into the lion's den was sealed (Dn.6:17), as was the stone with which the Jews

sought to make the tomb of Jesus secure (Matt.27:66).

Very commonly a seal indicated source or possession. A merchant would seal a

Package of goods to certify that it belonged to him; and the owner of a vineyard

would seal jars of wine to show that they came from his vineyard and with his

guarantee.

So here the seal was a sign that these people belonged to God and were under his

power and authority.

In the early church this picture of sealing was specially connected with two things.

(a) It was connected with baptism which was regularly described as sealing. It is as

if, when a person was baptized, a mark was put upon him to show that he had

become the property and the possession of God. (b) Paul regularly talks about the

Christian being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The possession of the Holy

Spirit is the sign that a man belongs to God. The real Christian is marked out by the

seal of the Spirit which enables him to have the wisdom and the strength to cope

with life in a way beyond the attainment of others.

THE UMBER OF THE FAITHFUL

Rev. 7:4-8 (continued)

There are certain quite general things to be noted here which will greatly help

towards the interpretation of this passage.

(1) Two things are to be said about the number 144,000. (a) It is quite certain that it

does not stand for the number of the faithful in every day and generation. The

144,000 stands for those who in the time of John are sealed and preserved from the

great tribulation which at that moment was coming upon them. In due time, as we

see in Rev. 7:9, they are to be merged with the great crowd beyond all counting and

drawn from every nation. (b) The number 144,000 stands, not for limitation but for

completeness and perfection. It is made up of 12 multiplied by 12--the perfect

square--and then rendered even more inclusive and complete by being multiplied by

1,000 This does not tell us that the number of the saved will be very small; it tells us

that the number of the saved will be very great.

(ii) The enumeration in terms of the twelve tribes of Israel does not mean that this is

to be read in purely Jewish terms. One of the basic thoughts of the ew Testament

is that the Church is the real Israel, and that the national Israel has lost all its

privileges and promises to the Church. Paul writes: "He is not a real Jew who is one

outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew

who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not

literal. His praise is not from men but from God" (Rom.2:28-29). "ot all who are

descended from Israel belong to Israel," says Paul (Rom.9:6-7). If a man is Christ's,

then is he Abraham's seed and an heir according to the promise (Gal.3:29). It is the

Church which is the Israel of God (Gal.6:16). It is Christians who are the real

circumcision, those who worship God in the spirit, who rejoice in Christ Jesus and

who have no confidence in the flesh (Php.3:3). Even if this passage is stated in terms

of the twelve tribes of Israel, the reference is still to the Church of God, the new

Israel, the Israel of God.

(iii) It would be a mistake to place any stress on the order in which the twelve

tribes are given, because the lists of the tribes are always varying in their order. But

two things stand out. (a) Judah comes first, thus supplanting Reuben, who was the

eldest son of Jacob. That is simply explained by the fact it was from the tribe of

Judah that the Messiah came. (b) Much more interesting is the omission of Dan. But

there is also an explanation of that. In the Old Testament Dan does not hold a high

place and is often connected with idolatry. In Jacob's dying speech to his sons, it is

said: "Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's

heels, so that his rider falls backward" (Gen.49:17). In Judges the children of Dan

are said to have set up a graven image (Judg.18:30). The golden calves, which

became a sin, were set up in Bethel and in Dan (1Kgs.12:29). There is more. There

is a curious saying in Jer.8:16: "The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; at

the sound of the neighing of their stallions the whole land quakes. They come and

devour the land and all that fills it." That saying came to be taken as referring to

Antichrist, the coming incarnation of evil; and it came to be believed among the

Jewish Rabbis that Antichrist was to spring from Dan. Hippolytus (Concerning

Antichrist 14) says: "As the Christ was born from the tribe of Judah, so will the

Antichrist be born from the tribe of Dan." That is why Dan is missed out from this

list and the list completed by the including of Manasseh, who is normally included

in Joseph.

OTES

1. If this is taken literally then this is a small drop in the bucket of the Jews and is a very pessimistic picture of how many of them are saved. Better to take it as symbolic of the total number of the saved. It is the complete people of God of both OT and NT. It is the Israel of God in its totality. It is 12 times 12 times 1000 == 144,000. The 12 tribes times the 12 apostles equals all the people of God.

Literally it is a small number but symbolically it is enormous.2. Dan is not here and this is an embarrassment to those who take this literally, for in Ezek. 48:1 Dan is the first to get land in the millennial kingdom. There was a tradition the the anti-christ would come from this tribe.3. There are the two groups here, the 144,000 and the great multitude of v.9. Some say the first are Christian Jews and the other Gentile Christians. Pieters: "The first group represents the true believers on earth while they are still subject to the storms of divine judgement that break over the world; while the second group symbolizes the believers who asre already in heaven...The two groups, then, are, respectively, The chruch Militant and The Church Triumphant." Richardson: "The church universal, all Christians, are sealed and their safety assured. Not one member of the true church is lost. Again the saints of both the Old and New Testaments are indicated by the multiple twelve. There is no distinction here between the Jew and the Gentile." Swete: " The Israel of the first vision is coextensive with the whole church...The two visions depict the same body, under widely different conditions." Beckwith: says the 144000 are the whole body of the church. Charles: It is believers not from literal Israel but from the spiritual Israel. Milligan: They include all the followers of Christ, or the universal church.In chapter 14 the `144000 are again refered to and there it is clear they are the whole people of God. Satan brands all his people 13:16-17, 14:9, 16:2, 19:20, 22:4 and so why not see all of God's people have his brand? Summers says the Book of Rev. often gives one picture and then a second of the same thing with a stronger and more vivid color. Here he portrays 144000 as the total people of God. All are sealed and protected, both Jews and Gentiles, from the judgement to fall on the world. The number represents absolute completeness, not one member of the body of believers is lost. The second vision of the great multitude does not need sealing for they are already out of the world and its judgement and in the presence of God. So the whole people of God are first pictured on earth as the Israel of God sealed, and then pictured as the whole people of God in heaven victorious.

Revelation 7:4; 14:1

John L. Kachelman, Jr.

Introduction:

I. Our Bibles are opened to an amazing section of John's vision. 4 angels

stand at the 4 corners of the earth ready to send God's wrath upon sinful

man. As they begin they are suddenly stopped with a command to wait until

the saved are protected with a seal on their forehead. The number sealed was

144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. These are to receive the blessings of

heaven (v. 15-17). As John surveys this great multitude he is asked, "Who

are these?" That is the focus of our present study.

II. The 144,000 of Rev 7 & 14 have caused great discussion.

1. Especially the Jehovah's Witness sect emphasizes this number. In fact, the

entire doctrinal system of the Jehovah Witnesses is founded upon the

144,000 being a literal number. If you have ever read their literature or

talked at length with them you know this is true.

2. The fact of this number a topic of debate ought to motivate all believers to

study it with intensity. We have an obligation to know what is meant and

how it applies to us today (1 Peter 3:15).

Body:

I. A brief discussion of the Jehovah Witness' doctrine based upon this

number.

A. Chas T. Russell prophesied that in 1914 the world would end with

Armageddon being fought. Before Armageddon destroyed the world Christ

was to return and take the 144,000 to heaven. Following Armageddon the

saintly dead would be resurrected and enjoy a renewed earth (New

Paradise). This second group, not taken to heaven, would be called "the

Great Multitude." Those living on earth would form the Kingdom of Christ.

B. Although Russell's prophecy failed, the error of his prophecy continues.

1. Regarding the 144,000 - "These are the only ones whom Jehovah God

takes to heaven with His Son. All others who gain life in His new world will

live in Paradise restored here on earth" (1958).

2. The 2 groups are supposedly found in Rev 7:4, 9. The "heavenly class"

will be the 144,000 and the "earthly class" is called "the Great Multitude."

3. To offer the illusion of Scriptural support John 10:16 is cited. The "other

sheep" are supposed to be the Great Multitude on earth. Such is destroyed

with the last phrase "one flock," not two!

C. Such twisting of Scripture is effective in stirring confusion. What is a

simple picture is thus distorted!

II. The Jehovah Witness' interpretation is error as the following points will

show. If it can be shown that the 144,000 and Great Multitude are not 2

distinct groups but only one, the error will be clear!

A. They are both before the Throne and the throne is in heaven!

1. Rv 7:15, 17 - the Great Multitude is before the throne; Rv 14:3 the

144,000 before the throne.

2. Rv 7: 15 - the Great Multitude serve him before the throne in the Temple.

The Temple is in heaven (Rv 11:19); the throne is in heaven (Rv 4:2). How

can the Great Multitude serve in heaven if the Jehovah Witness' doctrine is

correct?

3. Thus, both serve God in heaven, before the throne, and in the Temple -

they are the same group!

B. The Great Multitude is dressed in "white robes" (7:9, 13, 14).

1. But the 144,000 are also clothed in white robes (Rv 22:14).

2. Thus, all who have their robes washed in the blood of Christ will enter

into heaven. There is thus only ONE group not 2!

C. To claim there are 2 groups of saved saints contradicts Scripture.

1. John 10:16 - does not teach 2 groups, but one!

2. Ephesians 2:15,16; 4:4; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13 - all unite in

stating there is only ONE group of saved believers!

3. If there is a heavenly group and an earthly group then Ephesians 4:4 is

wrong! Instead of one there must be two!

D. If the Great Multitude is NOT in heaven they are lost!

1. Rv 22:15 - One is either "within" or "without," in heaven or eternally lost!

There is no other alternative.

2. Note: Jehovah Witnesses say the "new city" will be on the "new earth." If

you are on the earth you will be "without." But 22:3 tells us where this city

is found -- where God's throne is (in heaven)!

E. A literal 144,000 demands acceptance of absurdities with other symbols

in Rv 7 and 14.

1. The Jehovah Witnesses want to pick and choose what is literal and what is

symbolic. But it just cannot be reasonable!

2. If one symbol is literal, all must be literal!

a. Rv 7 - 4 corners of the world; seal on the forehead; physical Israel alone

saved in heaven; only 12,000 from every tribe; the tribe of Dan is excluded.

b. Rv 14 - virgin Jewish men are the only ones able to be saved in heaven.

3. No reasonable person expects all to be literal. Why then expect the

144,000 to be literal unless you are trying to twist Scripture to fit a

preconceived doctrine?

F. A doctrine of 2 different groups ignores the Scriptural teaching about the

establishment of the Kingdom.

1. The Jehovah Witnesses claim that Christ is not reigning and will not reign

until His Kingdom is established on earth with the Great Multitude.

2. But Acts 2:30 states that when Christ ascended He began to reign as a

King!

3. If the Bible is true, and Christ began His reign on Pentecost Acts 2, then

the Jehovah Witness' doctrine is false!

III. A suggested explanation of the 144,000.

A. Rv 7 is describing 2 different actions and not two different groups.

1. 7:4 - John "heard" the number and in 7:9 he "saw" the group. The 2 are

the same.

2. How would you describe a mass of 144,000? It would be impossible to

count them. The only one who would know is God.

3. Such happened to John - he first heard the number and then saw the

multitudes. Only one group not 2!

4. Such a meaning is correct - in heaven the occupants will be from ALL

nations (21:26) as described in 7:9.

B. The numerical symbolism is a definite number for an indefinite number.

1. 12 stands as a symbol of God's people - 12 tribes of Israel represented

ALL of God's covenant people, even though the tribe of Dan is omitted. A

multiplication would express all of God's saved, not one was missing.

2. 10 stands for completeness and 10 x 10 represented total complete ness --

nothing lacking.

3. Thus 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10 is a way of simple stating that all of God's

saved believers were present -- none were missing!

C. When viewed as symbolic, and not literal, this number unites with the

other symbols in Rv 7 and 14 to provide cheer and comfort for struggling

saints.

1. It reveals the care of God for all who obey Him.

2. It shows that God provides for His church in spite of this world's

tribulations.

3. In the end God and His children who remained devoted to God's will and

refuse to compromise with sin will stand victorious over Satan. All faithful

will be saved, none will be missing!

Conclusion:

I. The Scriptures teach there are only two groups in the spiritual realm -- the

saved and the lost. This is a tragic point to contemplate if you are among the

unsaved. It is a beautiful fact if you have been washed pure in the blood of

the Lamb.

II. One of the worse facts about a literal 144,000 as advocated by the

Jehovah Witnesses is that they have an "earthly hope." How terribly sad!

(Colossians 1:5).

Copyright 1998 by John L. Kachelman, Jr. may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.

In verses 5-8 Ephraim and Dan are not mentioned among the listing of the twelve tribes.

Levi (who received no land inheritance) and Joseph (his two sons, Ephraim and

Manasseh, are normally listed) are included in the list. Perhaps Ephraim is not listed

because it introduced calf and Baal worship (1 Kings 11:26; 12:25-33) and Dan left its

habitation and inheritance and went into idolatry (Judges 18). No one can be certain as to

why they were omitted. DAVID RIGGS

5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe

of Gad 12,000,

BARES 5-8, “Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand - That is, a selection was made, or a number sealed, as if it had been made from one of the tribes of the children of Israel - the tribe of Judah. If the remarks above made are correct, this refers to the Christian church, and means, in connection with what follows, that each portion of the church would furnish a definite part of the whole number sealed and saved. We are not required to understand this of the exact number of twelve thousand, but that the designation would be made from all parts and branches of the church as if a selection of the true servants of God were made from the whole number of the tribes of Israel. There seems to be no particular reason why the tribe of Judah was mentioned first. Judah was not the oldest of the sons of Jacob, and there was no settled order in which the tribes were usually mentioned.

The order of their birth, as mentioned in Gen. 29–30, is as follows: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin. In the blessing of Jacob, Gen. 49, this order is changed, and is as follows: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin. In the blessing of Moses, Deut. 33, a different order still is observed: Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Asher; and in this last, moreover, Simeon is omitted. So, again, in Ezek. 48, there are two enumerations of the twelve tribes, differing from each other, and both differing from the arrangements above referred to: namely, in Eze_48:31-34, where Levi is reckoned as one, and Joseph as only one; and in Ezek. 48:1-27, referring to the division of the country, where Levi, who had no heritage in land, is omitted, and Ephraim and Manasseh are counted as two tribes (Prof. Stuart, ii. 172, 173).

From facts like these it is clear that there was no certain and settled order in which the tribes were mentioned by the sacred writers. The same thing seems to have occurred in the enumeration of the tribes, which would occur, for example, in the enumeration of the several States of the American Union. There is indeed an order which is usually

observed, beginning with Maine, etc., but almost no two writers would observe throughout the same order; nor should we deem it strange if the order should be materially varied by even the same writer in enumerating them at different times. Thus, at one time it might be convenient to enumerate them according to their geographical position; at another, in the order of their settlement; at another, in the order of their admission into the Union; at another, in the order of their size and importance; at another, in the order in which they are arranged in reference to political parties, etc. Something of the same kind may have occurred in the order in which the tribes were mentioned among the Jews. Perhaps this may have occurred also of design, in order that no one tribe might claim the precedence or the pre-eminence by being always placed at the head of the list. If, as is supposed above, the allusion in this enumeration of the tribes was to the various portions of the Christian church, then perhaps the idea intended to be conveyed is, that no one division of that church is to have any preference on account of its locality, or its occupying any particular country, or because it has more wealth, learning, or numbers than others; but that all are to be regarded, where there is the true spirit of religion, as on a level.

There are, however, three specialties in this enumeration of the tribes which demand a more particular explanation. The number indeed is twelve, but that number is made up in a special manner:

(1) “Joseph” is mentioned, and also “Manasseh.” The matter of fact was, that Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh Gen_48:1, and that these two sons gave name to two of the tribes, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. There was, properly speaking, no tribe of the name of Joseph. In Num. 13 the name Levi is omitted, as it usually is, because that tribe had no inheritance in the division of the land; and in order that the number twelve might be complete, Ephraim and Joseph are mentioned as two tribes, Num_13:8, Num_13:11. In Num_13:11 the writer states expressly that by the tribe Joseph he meant Manasseh - “Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh,” etc. From this it would seem that, as Manasseh was the oldest Gen_48:14, the name Joseph was sometimes given to that tribe. As Ephraim, however, became the largest tribe, and as Jacob in blessing the two sons of Joseph Gen_48:14 laid his right hand on Ephraim, and pronounced a special blessing on him Gen_48:19-20, it would seem not improbable that, when not particularly designated, the name Joseph was given to that tribe, as it is evidently in this place. Possibly the name Joseph may have been a general name which was occasionally applied to either of these tribes. In the long account of the original division of Canaan in Josh. 13–19, Levi is omitted, because he had no heritage, and Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned as two tribes. The name Joseph in the passage before us Rev_7:8 is doubtless designed, as remarked above, to refer to Ephraim.

(2) In this list Rev_7:7 the name of Levi is inserted among the tribes. As already remarked, this name is not commonly inserted among the tribes of the children of Israel, because that tribe, being devoted to the sacerdotal office, had no inheritance in the division of the country, but was scattered among the other tribes. See Jos_14:3-4; Jos_18:7. It may have been inserted here, if this refers to the Christian church, to denote that the ministers of the gospel, as well as other members of the church, would share in the protection implied by the sealing; that is, to denote that no class in the church would be excluded from the blessings of salvation.

(3) The name of one of the tribes - Dan - is omitted; so that by this omission, and the insertion of the tribe of Levi, the original number of twelve is preserved. There have been numerous conjectures as to the reason why the tribe of Dan is omitted here, but none of

the solutions proposed are without difficulty. All that can be known, or regarded as probable, on the subject, seems to be this:

(a) As the tribe of Levi was usually omitted in an enumeration of the tribes, because that tribe had no part in the inheritance of the Hebrew people in the division of the land of Canaan, so there appear to have been instances in which the names of some of the other tribes were omitted, the reason for which is not given. Thus, in Deut. 33, in the blessing pronounced by Moses on the tribes just before his death, the name Simeon is omitted. In 1 Chr. 4–8 the names of Zebulun and Dan are both omitted. It would seem, therefore, that the name of a tribe might be sometimes omitted without any particular reason being specified.

(b) It has been supposed by some that the name Dan was omitted because that tribe was early devoted to idolatry, and continued idolatrous to the time of the captivity. Of that fact there can be no doubt, for it is expressly affirmed in Jdg_18:30; and that fact seems to be a sufficient reason for the omission of the name. As being thus idolatrous, it was in a measure separated from the people of God, and deserved not to be reckoned among them; and in enumerating those who were the servants of God, there seemed to be a propriety that a tribe devoted to idolatry should not be reckoned among the number This will account for the omission, without resorting to the supposition of Grotius, that the tribe of Dan was extinct at the time when the Apocalypse was written - a fact which also existed in regard to all the ten tribes; or to the supposition of Andreas and others, that Dan is omitted because Antichrist was to spring from that tribe - a supposition which is alike without proof and without probability. The fact that Dan was omitted cannot be supposed to have any special significancy in the case before us. Such an omission is what, as we have seen, might have occurred at any time in the enumeration of the tribes.

In reference to the application of this portion of the book Rev_7:1-8, or of what is designed to be here represented, there has been, as might be expected, a great variety of opinions. From the exposition of the words and phrases which has been given, it is manifest that we are to look for a series of events like the following:

(1) Some impending danger, or something that threatened to sweep everything away - like winds that were ready to blow on the earth.

(2) That tempest restrained or held back, as if the winds were held in check by an angel, and were not suffered to sweep over the world.

(3) Some new influence or power, represented by an angel coming from the east - the great source of light - that should designate the true church of God - the servants of the Most High.

(4) Some mark or note by which the true people of God could be designated, or by which they could be known - as if some name were impressed on their foreheads.

(5) A selection or election of the number from a much greater number who were the professed, but were not the true servants of God.

(6) A definite, though comparatively a small number thus designated out of the whole mass.

(7) This number taken from all the divisions of the professed people of God, in such numbers and in such a manner, that it would be apparent that there would be no partiality or favoritism; that is, that wherever the true servants of God were found, they would be sealed and saved.

These are things which lie on the face of the passage, if the interpretation above given is correct, and in its application it is necessary to find some facts that will properly correspond with these things.

If the interpretation of the sixth seal proposed above is correct, then we are to look for the fulfillment of this in events that soon succeeded those which are there referred to, or at least which had their commencement at about that time; and the inquiry now is, whether there were any events that would accord properly with the interpretation here proposed: that is, any impending and spreading danger; any restraining of that danger; any process of designating the servants of God so as to preserve them; anything like a designation or selection of them from among the masses of the professed people of God? Now, in respect to this, the following facts accord so well with what is demanded in the interpretation that it may be regarded as morally certain that they were the things which were thus made to pass in vision before the mind of John. They have at least this degree of probability, that if it were admitted that he intended to describe them, the symbols which are actually employed are those which it would have been proper to select to represent them:

I. The impending danger, like winds restrained, that threatened to sweep everything away, and to hasten on the end of the world. In reference to this, there may have been two classes of impending danger - that from the invasion of the northern hordes, referred to in the sixth seal Rev. 6, and that from the influx of error, that threatened the ruin of the church:

(a) As to the former, the language used by John will accurately express the state of things as it existed at the period supposed at the time of the sixth seal - the series of events introduced, now suspended, like the opening of the seventh seal. The idea is that of nations pressing on to conquest; heaving like tempests on the borders of the empire; overturning everything in their way; spreading desolation by fire and sword, as if the world were about to come to an end. The language used by Mr. Gibbon in describing the times here referred to is so applicable, that it would seem almost as if he had the symbols used by John in his eye. Speaking of the time of Constantine, he says, “The threatening tempest of barbarians, which so soon subverted the foundations of Roman greatness, was still repelled, or suspended on the frontiers” (i. 362). This language accurately expresses the condition of the Roman world at the period succeeding the opening of the sixth seal; the period of suspended judgments, in order that the servants of God might be sealed. See the notes on Rev_6:12-17. The nations which ultimately spread desolation through the empire hovered around its borders, making occasional incursions into its territory; even carrying their arms, as we have seen in some instances, as far as Rome itself, but still restrained from accomplishing the final purpose of overthrowing the city and the empire, The church and the state alike were threatened with destruction, and the impending wrath seemed only to be held back as if to give time to accomplish some other purpose.

(b) At the same time there was another class of evils which threatened to sweep like a tempest over the church - the evils of error in doctrine that sprang up on the establishment of Christianity by Constantine. That fact was followed with a great increase of professors of religion, who, for various purposes, crowded into a church patronized by the state - a condition of things which tended to do more to destroy the church than all that had been done by persecution had accomplished. This effect was natural; and the church became filled with those who had yielded themselves to the Christian faith from motives of policy, and who, having no true spiritual piety, were ready to embrace the most lax views of religion, and to yield themselves to any form of error. Of this period, and of the effect of the conversion of Constantine in this respect, Mr. Gibbon makes the following remarks, strikingly illustrative of the view now taken of the meaning of this passage: “The hopes of wealth and honors, the example of an emperor, his exhortations, his irresistible smiles, diffused conviction among the venal and obsequious crowds which usually fill the apartments of a palace. The cities which

signalized a forward zeal, by the voluntary destruction of their temples, were distinguished by municipal privileges, and rewarded with popular donatives; and the new capital of the East gloried in the singular advantage, that Constantinople was never profaned by the worship of idols. As the lower ranks of society are governed by imitation, the conversion of those who possessed any eminence of birth, of power, or of riches, was soon followed by dependent multitudes. The salvation of the common people was purchased at an easy rate, if it is true that, in one year, twelve thousand people were baptized at Rome, besides a proportionable number of women and children, and that a white garment, with twenty pieces of gold, had been promised by the emperor to every convert” i. 425).

At a time, therefore, when it might have been supposed that, under the patronage of a Christian emperor, the truth would have spread around the world, the church was exposed to one of its greatest dangers - that arising from the fact that it had become united with the state. About the same time, also, there sprang up many of those forms of error which have spread farthest over the Christian world, and which then threatened to become the universal form of belief in the church. Of this class of doctrine were the views of Arius, and the views of Pelagius - forms of opinion which, there were strong reasons to fear, might become the prevailing belief of the church, and essentially change its character. About this time, also, the church was passing into the state in which the papacy would arise - that dark and gloomy period in which error would spread over the Christian world, and the true servants of God would retire for a long period into obscurity.

“We are now but a little way off from the commencement of that noted period - obscurely hinted at by Daniel, plainly announced by John the twelve hundred and sixty prophetic days or years, for which preparations of a very unusual kind, but requisite, doubtless, are made. This period was to form the gloomiest, without exception, in the annals of the world the period of Satan’s highest success, and of the church’s greatest depression; and lest she should become during it utterly extinct, her members, never so few as then, were all specially sealed. The long night passes on, darkening as it advances; but the sealed company are not visible; they disappear from the Apocalyptic stage, just as they then disappeared from the observation of the world; for they fled away to escape the fire and the dungeons of their persecutors, to hide in the hoary caves of the earth, or to inhabit the untrodden regions of the wilderness, or to dwell beneath the shadow of the Alps, or to enjoy fellowship with God, emancipated and unknown, in the deep seclusion and gloom of some convent” (The Seventh Vial, London, 1848, pp. 27, 28). These facts seem to me to show, with a considerable degree of probability, what was designated by the suspense which occurred after the opening of the sixth seal - when the affairs of the world seemed to be hastening on to the Treat catastrophe. At that period the prophetic eye sees the tendency of things suddenly arrested; the winds held back, the church preserved, and a series of events introduced, intended to designate and to save from the Treat mass of those who professedly constituted the “tribes of Israel,” a definite number who should be in fact the true church of God.

II. The facts, then, to which there is reference in checking the tendency of things, and sealing the servants of God, may have been the following:

(a) The preservation of the church from extinction during those calamitous periods when ruin seemed about to sweep over the Roman world. Not only as a matter of fact was there a suspension of those impending judgments that seemed to threaten the very extinction of the empire by the invasion of the northern hordes (see the notes on Rev. 6), but there were special acts in favor of the church, by which these fierce barbarians appeared not only to be restrained from destroying the church, but to be influenced by

tenderness and sympathy for it, as if they were raised up to preserve it when Rome had done all it could to destroy it. It would seem as if God restrained the rage of these hordes for the sake of preserving his church; as if he had touched their hearts that they might give to Christians an opportunity to escape in the impending storm. We may refer here particularly to the conduct of Alaric, king of the Goths, in the attack on Rome already referred to; and, as usual, we may quote from Mr. Gibbon, who will not be suspected of a design to contribute anything to the illustration of the Apocalypse. “At the hour of midnight,” says he (vol. ii. pp. 260, 261), “the Salarian Gate was silently opened, and the inhabitants were awakened by the tremendous sound of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the imperial city, which had subdued and civilized so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and Scythia. The proclamation of Alaric, when he forced his entrance into the vanquished city, discovered, however, some regard for the laws of humanity and religion. He encouraged his troops boldly to seize the rewards of valor, and to enrich themselves with the spoils of a wealthy and effeminate people; but he exhorted them at the same time to spare the lives of the unresisting citizens, and to respect the churches of the apostles Peter and Paul as holy and inviolable sanctuaries.

While the barbarians roamed through the city in quest of prey, the humble dwelling of an aged virgin, who had devoted her life to the service of the altar, was forced open by one of the powerful Goths. He immediately demanded, though in civil language, all the gold and silver in her possession; and was astonished at the readiness with which she conducted him to a splendid hoard of massy plate, of the richest materials and the most curious workmanship. The barbarian viewed with wonder and delight this valuable acquisition, until he was interrupted by a serious admonition, addressed to him in the following words: ‘These,’ said she, ‘are the consecrated vessels belonging to Peter; if you presume to touch them, the sacrilegious deed will remain on your conscience: for my part, I dare not keep what I am unable to defend.’ The Gothic captain, struck with reverential awe, despatched a messenger to inform the king of the treasure which he had discovered; and received a peremptory order from Alaric, that all the consecrated plate and ornaments should be transported, without damage or delay, to the church of the apostle.

From the extremity, perhaps, of the Quirinal hill, to the distant quarter of the Vatican, a numerous detachment of the Goths, marching in order of battle through the principal streets, protected, with glittering arms, the long train of their devout companions, who bore aloft on their heads the sacred vessels of gold and silver; and the martial shouts of the barbarians were mingled with the sound of religious psalmody. From all the adjacent houses a crowd of Christians hastened to join this edifying procession and a multitude of fugitives, without distinction of age or rank, or even of sect, had the good fortune to escape to the secure and hospitable sanctuary of the Vatican” In a note Mr. Gibbon adds: “According to Isidore, Alaric himself was heard to say, that he waged war with the Romans, and not with the apostles.” He adds also (p. 261), “The learned work concerning the City of God was professedly composed by Augustine to justify the ways of Providence in the destruction of the Roman greatness. He celebrates with special satisfaction this memorable triumph of Christ; and insults his adversaries by challenging them to produce some similar example of a town taken by storm, in which the fabulous gods of antiquity had been able to protect either themselves or their deluded votaries.”

We may refer here, also, to that work of Augustine as illustrating the passage before us. In book i. ch. 2, he defends this position, that “there never was war in which the conquerors would spare them whom they conquered for the gods they worshipped” - referring particularly to the sacking of Troy; in chapter 3 he appeals to the example of Troy; in chapter 4 he appeals to the sanctuary of Juno, in Troy; in chapter 5 he shows

that the Romans never spared the temples of those cities which they destroyed; and in chapter 6 he maintains that the fact that mercy was shown by the barbarians in the sacking of Rome, was “through the power of the name of Jesus Christ.” In illustration of this he says, “Therefore, all the spoil, murder, violence, and affliction, that in this fresh calamity came upon Rome, were nothing but the ordinary effects following the custom of war. But what was so unaccustomed, that the savage nature of the barbarians should put on a new shape, and appear so merciful that it would make choice of great and spacious churches to fill with such as it meant to show pity on, from which none should be baled to slaughter or slavery, in which none should be hurt, to which many by their courteous foes should be conducted, and out of which none should be led into bondage; this is due to the name of Christ, this is due to the Christian profession; he that seeth not is blind; he that seeth and praiseth it not is unthankful; he that hinders him that praiseth it is mad” (City of God, p. 11; London, 1620). Such a preservation of Christians; such a suspension of judgments, when all things seemed to be on the verge of ruin, would not be inappropriately represented by winds that threatened to sweep over the world; by the staying of those winds by some remarkable power, as by an angel; and by the special interposition which spared the church in the tumults and terrors of a siege, and of the sacking of a city.

(b) There may have been a reference to another class of divine interpositions at about the same time, to designate the true servants of God. It has been already remarked, that from the time when Constantine took the church under his patronage, and it became connected with the state, there was a large accession of nominal professors in the church, producing a great corruption in regard to spiritual religion, and an extended prevalence of error. Now the delay here referred to, between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals, may have referred to the fact, that during this period the true doctrines of Christianity would be vindicated and established in such a way that the servants of God would be “sealed” and designated in contradistinction from the great mass of the professed followers of Christ, and from the numerous advocates of error. From that mass a certain and definite number was to be sealed - implying, as we have seen, that there would be a selections, or that there would be something which would discriminate them from the multitudes as the true servants of God. This is represented by an angel coming from the east: the angel representing the new heavenly influence coming upon the church; and the coming from the east - as the east is the quarter where the sun rises - denoting that it came from the source and fountain of light - that is, God. The “sealing” would denote anything in this new influence or manifestation which would mark the true children of God, and would be appropriately employed to designate any doctrines which would keep up true religion in the world; which would preserve correct views about God, the way of salvation, and the nature of true religion, and which would thus determine where the church of God really was.

If there should be a tendency in the church to degenerate into formality; if the rules of discipline should be relaxed; if error should prevail as to what constitutes spiritual religion; and if there should be a new influence at that time which would distinguish those who were the children of God from those who were not, this would be appropriately represented by the angel from the east, and by the sealing of the servants of God. Now it requires but a slight knowledge of the history of the Roman empire, and of the church at the period supposed here to be referred to, to perceive that all this occurred. There was a large influx of professed converts. There was a vast increase of worldliness. There was a wide diffusion of error. Religion was fast becoming mere formalism. The true church was apparently fast verging to ruin. At this period God raised up distinguished people - as if they had been angels ascending from the east - who came as with the “seal of the living God” - the doctrines of grace, and just views of spiritual

religion - to designate who were, and who were not, the “true servants of God” among the multitudes who professed to be his followers.

Such were the doctrines of Athanasius and Augustine - those great doctrines on which the very existence of the true church has in all ages depended. The doctrines thus illustrated and defended were suited to make a broad line of distinction between the true church and the world, and this would be well represented by the symbol employed here - for it is by these doctrines that the true people of God are sealed and confirmed. On this subject compare Elliott, i. 279-292. The general sense here intended to be expressed is, that there was at the period referred to, after the conversion of Constantine, a decided tendency to a worldly, formal, lax kind of religion in the church; a very prevalent denial of the doctrine of the Trinity and of the doctrines of grace; a lax mode of admitting members to the church, with little or no evidence of true conversion; a disposition to attribute saving grace to the ordinances of religion, and especially to baptism; a disposition to rely on the outward ceremonies of religion, with little acquaintance with its spiritual power; and a general breaking down of the barriers between the church and the world, as there is usually in a time of outward prosperity, and especially when the church is connected with the state.

At this time there arose another set of influences well represented by the angel coming from the east, and sealing the true servants of God, in illustration and confirmation of the true doctrines of Christianity - doctrines on which the spirituality of the church has always depended: the doctrines of the Trinity, the atonement, the depravity of man, regeneration by the agency of the Holy Spirit, justification by faith, the sovereignty of God, and kindred doctrines. Such doctrines have in all ages served to determine where the true church is, and to designate and “seal” the servants of the Most High.

(c) This process of “sealing” may be regarded as continued during the long night of papal darkness that was coming upon the church, when error would abound, and the religion of forms would be triumphant. Even then, in places obscure and unknown, the work of sealing the true servants of God might be going forward - for even in those times of gloomy night there were those, though comparatively few in number, who loved the truth, and who were the real servants of God. The number of the elect was filling up, for even in the darkest times there were those who loved the cause of spiritual religion, and who bore upon them the impress of the “seal of the living God.” Such appears to have been the intent of this sealing vision: a staying of the desolation that, in various forms, was sweeping over the world, in order that the true church might be safe, and that a large number, from all parts of the church, might be sealed and designated as the true servants of God. The winds that blowed from all quarters were stayed as if by mighty angels.

A new influence, from the great source of light, came in to designate those who were the true servants of the Most High, as if an angel had come from the rising sun with the seal of the living God, to impress it on their foreheads. A selection was made out of a church filling up with formalists, and in which the true doctrines of spiritual religion were fast fading away, of those who could be designated as the true servants of God. By their creed, and their lives, and their spirit, and their profession, they could be designated as the true servants of God, as if a visible mark were impressed on their foreheads. This selection was confined to no place, no class, no tribe, no denomination. It was taken from the whole of Israel, in such numbers that it could be seen that none of the tribes were excluded from the honor, but that, wherever the true spirit of religion was, God was acknowledging these tribes - or churches - as his, and there he was gathering a people to himself. This would be long continued, until new scenes would open, and the eye would rest on other developments in the series of symbols, revealing

the glorious host of the redeemed emerging from darkness, and in countless numbers triumphing before the throne.

CLARKE, “Of the tribe of Juda, etc. - First, we are to observe that the tribe of Levi is here mentioned, though that tribe had no inheritance in Israel; but they now belonged to the spiritual priesthood. Secondly, That the tribe of Dan, which had an inheritance, is here omitted; as also the tribe of Ephraim. Thirdly, That the tribe of Joseph is here added in the place of Ephraim. Ephraim and Dan, being the principal promoters of idolatry, are left out in this enumeration.

GILL, “Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand,.... Judah is mentioned first, because Christ sprung from that tribe, and the pure worship of God was preserved in it; and that itself was preserved a distinct tribe until the coming of Shiloh; its name signifies "praise God", Gen_29:35; and shows, that it becomes all the sealed ones, all true believers, and every member of the church of God, to praise him for all favours and blessings, temporal, spiritual, and eternal.

Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand; Reuben was Jacob's firstborn, but by his sin he lost the honour and privilege of birthright, and therefore is mentioned after Judah, who prevailed above him and the rest of his brethren; his name signifies "see the Son", Gen_29:32; and shows that the Son of God is to be looked unto for righteousness, life, and salvation, by all that expect to be saved, and to him does the true church look for eternal life and happiness.

Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand; his name signifies a "troop", Gen_30:11, and may denote that there would be a numerous company of saints and faithful witnesses during the time of sealing, and amidst all the troubles and afflictions that would attend the church and people of God, and who in the issue would be conquerors, and more than conquerors, through Christ; see Gen_49:19.

JAMISO 5-8, “Judah (meaning praise) stands first, as Jesus’ tribe. Benjamin, the youngest, is last; and with him is associated second last, Joseph. Reuben, as originally first-born, comes next after Judah, to whom it gave place, having by sin lost its primogeniture right. Besides the reason given above (see on Rev_7:2), another akin for the omission of Dan, is, its having been the first to lapse into idolatry (Jdg_18:1-31); for which same reason the name Ephraim, also (compare Jdg_17:1-3; Hos_4:17), is omitted, and Joseph substituted. Also, it had been now for long almost extinct. Long before, the Hebrews say [Grotius], it was reduced to the one family of Hussim, which perished subsequently in the wars before Ezra’s time. Hence it is omitted in the fourth through eighth chapters of First Chronicles. Dan’s small numbers are joined here to Naphtali’s, whose brother he was by the same mother [Bengel]. The twelve times twelve thousand sealed ones of Israel are the nucleus of transfigured humanity [Auberlen], to which the elect Gentiles are joined, “a multitude which no man could number,” Rev_7:9 (that is, the Church of Jews and Gentiles indiscriminately, in which the Gentiles are the predominant element, Luk_21:24. The word “tribes,” Greek, implies that believing

Israelites are in this countless multitude). Both are in heaven, yet ruling over the earth, as ministers of blessing to its inhabitants: while upon earth the world of nations is added to the kingdom of Israel. The twelve apostles stand at the head of the whole. The upper and the lower congregation, though distinct, are intimately associated.

PULPIT, “Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. There are various lists of the tribes in the Old Testament, no two of which present the same names in the same order. It does not seem probable that any special design underlies the selection and arrangement here. First, with regard to the selection, we observe that Dan and Ephraim are omitted, the number being completed by inserting Levi, Joseph, and Manasseh. Although Ephraim and Manasseh are sometimes inserted instead of Joseph and Levi, and sometimes omitted, there seems only one example of a list in which any one of the others is omitted, viz. that in Deu_33:1-29., where no mention is made of Simeon. It has been thought that Simeon was purposely passed over by Moses on account of his ill conduct (see Gen_34:1-31.)—conduct for which, unlike Levi, he afterwards made no sufficient atonement. This has led many commentators (Hengstenberg, Wordsworth, etc.) to conclude that Dan finds no place here because of the idolatrous worship of the tribe (Jdg_18:1-31.). Many ancient writers (Bede, Andreas, etc.) account, somewhat similarly, for the omission by supposing that, in accordance with a very commonly received opinion, antichrist would arise from this tribe—an opinion probably originated by a comparison of the "serpent" ofGen_49:17 with Rev_12:9; Rev_20:2. A third group, amongst whom are Ebrard, Dusterdieck, De Wette, Grotius, referring to an ancient Jewish tradition that the tribe of Dan had become extinct, and relying on the omission of this tribe in 1 Chronicles 4-7.—though Hushim (1Ch_7:12) may be the sons of Dan (see Gen_46:23)—believe that the children of Dan no longer existed, and were therefore omitted. In the insertion of the name Manasseh (i.e. "Forgetting") Bengel sees an intended allusion to the omission of Dan, who is, he thinks, omitted for some mysterious reason. Ewald believes that St. John wrote ∆ΑΝ , and that MAN., the abbreviated form of "Manasses," was substituted by error; and he appeals to manuscripts 9, 13, which, however, have "Dan" in place of "Gad." Moreover, Irenaeus, Origen, Arethas, have "Manasseh," and state plainly that Dan was omitted. It is certainly curious in connection with this conjecture that, if it were true, that is to say, if "Dan" should be read in place of "Manasseh," we should have a more intelligible order of arrangement. In that case, speaking generally, the elder sons would come first, the younger last; all the pairs of brothers are kept together (only that, in the case of the six brothers, there is a division into two lots); Judah naturally is placed first before Reuben, owing to the prominent place held by him in the Apocalypse in connection with our Lord. The order would then be—

Sons of Leah.—Juda, Reuben Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zabulon

Sons of Zilpah.—Gad, Aser

Sons of Bilhah.—Nepthalim, [Dan,]

Sons of Rachel.—Joseph, Benjamin

Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. As remarked above, Judah probably precedes Reuben from the greater importance he would possess in the mind of the writer of the Apocalypse, who continually exalts Christ, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev_5:5). Of the tribe of

Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

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from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe

of aphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh

12,000,

GILL, “Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand,.... "Asher", which the Septuagint pronounce "Aser", as here, signifies "blessed", Gen_30:13; as all the sealed ones are, blessed with all spiritual blessings, with grace here, and glory hereafter.

Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand; the name of this tribe signifies "wrestlings", Gen_30:8; and may design the wrestlings of saints, both with God in prayer, and with their enemies, sin, Satan, and the world, and also their strivings together for the faith of the Gospel.

Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand; this word signifies "forgetting", Gen_41:51; and shows that the followers of Christ should forget the things that are behind, their sinful lusts and pleasures, the onions and garlic in Egypt, and their former company and acquaintance, their own people, and their father's house, and all their labours and sufferings for the sake of Christ.

SBC, “The Servants of God Sealed.I. The passage from the book of Revelation selected as the Epistle for All Saints’ Day, while it carries our thought onward to the glories of the world to come, is a most striking reminiscence of old Hebrew history. The constitution of the twelve tribes, the names of the sons of Jacob, come into view once more, as it were, on the threshold of eternity, even as the memory of childhood often grows wonderfully fresh again when an old man is about to pass into the other world.

II. We must not fail to notice the great comfort contained in the word "sealed." The expression seems clearly to imply two things: first, that those who bear this seal are recognised by God as belonging to Him; and secondly, that they are safe. As regards the safety of the saints, it is difficult for us to imagine any being endowed with free-will and subject to moral responsibility to be exempt from the possibility of failing; but if we were to follow speculation in such a matter, it would lead to no results. It seems to be clearly revealed to us that part of the blessedness of the saints will consist in their security.

III. Look at the broad, general fact that in the enumeration before us the tribe of Dan is omitted. Of what does this remind us? Surely of this: that in the great gathering of the saints at the last some who have had rich opportunities will not be there. Even in the course of Christian Church history hitherto, communities which were once full of hope have been quite or almost obliterated, just as rivers which in their earlier course flowed full and strong have been lost and become feeble in the sands. And as with communities,

so with separate souls: those who have been equal in privilege will not be together in the end.

IV. Asher was an obscure and insignificant tribe, yet of Asher, as well as of Joseph, or Benjamin, or Judah, were sealed twelve thousand. Spiritual blessings do not depend on earthly fame and greatness, or on any questions of mere numerical proportion.

J. S. Howson, Our Collects, Epistles, and Gospels, p. 161.

PULPIT, “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. (For the insertion of Manasses and the omission of Dan, as well as the order of the names of the tribes, see on Rev_7:5)

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from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe

of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar

12,000,

GILL, “Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand,.... The name of this tribe signifies "hearing", Gen_29:33; and such an hearing as is attended with obedience; and denotes the spiritual and practical hearing of the Gospel by those who hear, and understand, and believe, and practise what they hear, and yield the obedience of faith unto it.

Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand; this name signifies "joined", Gen_29:34; and denotes, that these sealed ones were not only joined one to another in love and holy fellowship, but to Christ, and were one spirit with him, and were members of his body, flesh, and bones, and cleaved to him with full purpose of heart.

Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand; the interpretation of this name is "hire" or "reward", Gen_30:18; and may design those rewards of grace which God bestows upon his faithful servants, in times of tribulation.

PULPIT, “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. Though Levi was excluded in the partition of the earthly Canaan, he is included among the partakers of the heavenly Canaan.

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from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the

tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of

Benjamin 12,000.

GILL, “Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand,.... Which signifies "dwelling", Gen_30:20; and was the tribe in which Christ had his dwelling, and where he much conversed; and may denote his gracious inhabitation, as well as that of God the Father, md of the Spirit, among the saints and sealed ones.

Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand; whose name signifies "adding", Gen_30:24; and may intend the additions both of numbers, and of gifts and graces to the churches of those times.

Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand; this word signifies "the Son of the right hand", Gen_35:18; showing, that these sealed ones are as a signet on God's right hand, and are as near and dear unto him as a man's right hand is to him; see Psa_80:17. Now twelve thousand out of each tribe make just the number of a hundred forty and four thousand, Rev_7:4; the tribe of Dan is not mentioned, it may be because of the apostasy of that tribe, one of Jeroboam's golden calves being set up there; showing that God had no sealed ones of that sort, and instead of him Levi is reckoned; though that tribe had no part in the division of the land of Israel, yet had a part in Christ, and is therefore mentioned in this mystical account. Nor is the name of Ephraim used, it may be for the same reason; there having been a great defection in that tribe from the pure worship of God, and instead of him the name of Joseph appears.

PULPIT, “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, Ephraim is omitted, while Manasses is inserted. Wordsworth considers that this is on account of the rebellions character of the tribe of Ephraim (see 1Ki_12:25; Isa_7:9, Isa_7:17; Hos_5:1-15., etc.). But Ephraim is sometimes identical with Joseph (cf. Psa_78:67; Eze_37:16), who here finds a place among the twelve.

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After this I looked and there before me was a

great multitude that no one could count, from

every nation, tribe, people and language,

standing before the throne and in front of the

Lamb. They were wearing white robes and

were holding palm branches in their hands.

BARES, “After this - Greek,” After these things” - Μετe�τα�τα Meta�tauta: that is,

after I saw these things thus represented I had another vision. This would undoubtedly imply, not only that he saw these things after he had seen the sealing of the hundred and forty-four thousand, but that they would occur subsequently to that. But he does not state whether they would immediately occur, or whether other things might not intervene. As a matter of fact, the vision seems to be transferred from earth to heaven - for the multitudes which he saw appeared “before the throne” Rev_7:9; that is, before the throne of God in heaven. The design seems to be to carry the mind forward quite beyond the storms and tempests of earth - the scenes of woe and sorrow - the clays of error, darkness, declension, and persecution - to that period when the church should be triumphant in heaven. Instead, therefore, of leaving the impression that the hundred and forty-four thousand would be all that would be saved, the eye is directed to an innumerable host, gathered from all ages, all climes, and all people, triumphant in glory. The multitude that John thus saw was not, therefore, I apprehend, the same as the hundred and forty-four thousand, but a far greater number the whole assembled host of the redeemed in heaven, gathered there as vistors, with palmbranches, the symbols of triumph, in their hands. The object of the vision is to cheer those who are desponding in times of religious declension and in seasons of persecution, and when the number of true Christians seems to be small, with the assurance that an immense host shall be redeemed from our world, and be gathered triumphant before the throne.I beheld - That is, he saw them before the throne. The vision is transferred from earth

to heaven; from the contemplation of the scene when desolation seemed to impend over the world, and when comparatively few in number were “sealed” as the servants of God, to the time when the redeemed would be triumphant, and when a host which no man can number would stand before God.

And, lo - Indicating surprise. A vast host burst upon the view. Instead of the comparatively few who were sealed, an innumerable company were presented to his vision, and surprise was the natural effect.

A great multitude - Instead of the comparatively small number on which the attention had been fixed.

Which no man could number - The number was so great that no one could count them, and John, therefore, did not attempt to do it. This is such a statement as one would make who should have a view of all the redeemed in heaven. It would appear to be a number beyond all power of computation. This representation is in strong contrast with a very common opinion that only a few will be saved. The representation in the Bible is, that immense hosts of the human race will be saved; and though vast numbers will be lost, and though at any particular period of the world hitherto it may seem that few have been in the path to life, yet we have every reason to believe that, taking the race at large, and estimating it as a whole, a vast majority of the whole will be brought to heaven. For the true religion is yet to spread all over the world, and perhaps for many,

many thousands of years, piety is to be as prevalent as sin has been; and in that long and happy time of the world’s history we may hope that the numbers of the saved may surpass all who have been lost in past periods, beyond any power of computation. See the notes on Rev_20:3-6.

Of all nations - Not only of Jews; not only of the nations which, in the time of the sealing vision, had embraced the gospel, but of all the nations of the earth. This implies two things:

(a) That the gospel would be preached among all nations; and,

(b) That even when it was thus preached to them they would keep up their national characteristics.

There can be no hope of blending all the nations of the earth under one visible sovereignty. They may all be subjected to the spiritual reign of the Redeemer, but still there is no reason to suppose that they will not have their distinct organizations and laws.

And kindreds - φυλfν phulōn. This word properly refers to those who are descended

from a common ancestry, and hence denotes a race, lineage, kindred. It was applied to the tribes of Israel, as derived from the same ancestor, and for the same reason might be applied to a clan, and thence to any division in a nation, or to a nation itself - properly retaining the notion that it was descended from a common ancestor. Here it would seem to refer to a smaller class than a nation - the different clans of which a nation might be composed.

And people - λαfν laōn. This word refers properly to a people or community as a

mass, without reference to its origin or any of its divisions. The former word would be used by one who should look upon a nation as made up of portions of distinct languages, clans, or families; this word would be used by one who should look on such an assembled people as a mere mass of human beings, with no reference to their difference of clanship, origin, or language.

And tongues - Languages. This word would refer also to the inhabitants of the earth, considered with respect to the fact that they speak different languages. The use of particular languages does not designate the precise boundaries of nations - for often many people speaking different languages are united as one nation, and often those who speak the same language constitute distinct nations. The view, therefore, with which one would look upon the dwellers on the earth, in the use of the word “tongues” or “languages,” would be, not as divided into nations; not with reference to their lineage or clanship; and not as a mere mass without reference to any distinction, but as divided by speech. The meaning of the whole is, that persons from all parts of the earth, as contemplated in these points of view, would be among the redeemed. Compare the notes on Dan_3:4; Dan_4:1.

Stood before the throne - The throne of God. See the notes on Rev_4:2. The throne is there represented as set up in heaven, and the vision here is a vision of what will occur in heaven. It is designed to carry the thoughts beyond all the scenes of conflict, strife, and persecution on earth, to the time when the church shall be triumphant in glory - when all storms shall have passed by; when all persecutions shall have ceased; when all revolutions shall have occurred; when all the elect - not only the hundred and forty-four thousand of the sealed, but of all nations and times - shall have been gathered in. There was a beautiful propriety in this vision. John saw the tempests stayed, as by the might of angels. He saw a new influence and power that would seal the true servants of God. But those tempests were stayed only for a time, and there were more awful visions in reserve

than any which had been exhibited - visions of woe and sorrow, of persecution and of death. It was appropriate, therefore, just at this moment of calm suspense - of delayed judgments - to suffer the mind to rest on the triumphant close of the whole in heaven, when a countless host would be gathered there with palms in their hands, uniting with angels in the worship of God. The mind, by the contemplation of this beautiful vision, would be refreshed and strengthened for the disclosure of the awful scenes which were to occur on the sounding of the trumpets under the seventh seal. The simple idea is, that, amidst the storms and tempests of life - scenes of existing or impending trouble and wrath - it is well to let the eye rest on the scene of the final triumph, when innumerable hosts of the redeemed shall stand before God, and when sorrow shall be known no more.

And before the Lamb - In the midst of the throne - in heaven. See the notes on Rev_5:6.

Clothed with white robes - The emblems of innocence or righteousness, uniformly represented as the raiment of the inhabitants of heaven. See the notes on Rev_3:4; Rev_6:11.

And palms in their hands - Emblems of victory. Branches of the palm-tree were carried by the victors in the athletic contests of Greece and Rome, and in triumphal processions. See the notes on Mat_21:8. The palm-tree - straight, elevated, majestic - was an appropriate emblem of triumph. The portion of it which was borne in victory was the long leaf which shoots out from the top of the tree. Compare the notes on Isa_3:26. See Eschenberg, Manual of Class. Literally, p. 243, and Lev_23:40; “And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees,” etc. So in the Saviour’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem Joh_12:12-13 - “On the next day much people took branches of palm-trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna.”

CLARKE, “A great multitude - This appears to mean the Church of Christ among the Gentiles, for it was different from that collected from the twelve tribes; and it is here said to be of all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues.Clothed with white robes - As emblems of innocence and purity. With palms in

their hands, in token of victory gained over the world, the devil, and the flesh.

GILL, “After this I beheld,.... What follows is a distinct vision from the preceding one, and is not a continuation of that, as if the sealing of the Jewish believers was designed by the former, and the sealing of the Gentiles in this latter; whereas in this vision there is no mention made of sealing, nor was there, or will there be any need of it in the time it refers unto; and which is not the time of the Reformation; nor when the vials began to be poured out upon the seat of the beast; for though there were great numbers converted in many nations, kindreds, people, and tongues, yet not in all; nor do the characters of this great multitude, and the happiness they shall enjoy, seem to suit with persons in a state of mortality and imperfection, Rev_7:14; wherefore many interpreters understand this vision of the saints in heaven: but it rather respects the millennium state, or thousand years' reign of Christ with his saints on earth, with which all that is here said agrees; compare Rev_7:14 with Rev_20:4; and Rev_7:15 with Rev_22:3; and Rev_7:16 with Rev_21:4. And the design of this vision is to show to John, and every diligent observer, that after the seventh seal is opened, the trumpets are

blown, and the vials poured out; during which time there will be a number sealed that will profess Christ; and at the close and winding up of all things, in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, Christ will descend, and all the saints with him; their bodies will be raised, and the living saints changed, and make one general assembly, who are shown to John here, as in Rev_21:9; to relieve his mind, and support his spirits, in a view of the calamities ushered in by the opening of the seventh seal.

And lo, a great multitude, which no man could number; which design all the elect of God in the new Jerusalem church state, the bride, the Lamb's wife, or the new Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven; these will appear to be a great multitude, not in comparison of the inhabitants that shall have dwelt upon earth, nor of the professors of religion in one shape or another; for, with respect to each of these, they are but a few, a seed, a remnant, a little flock; but as considered in themselves, and so they are many who are ordained to eternal life, whose sins Christ has bore, for whom his blood has been shed, and whom he justifies, and who are called by his grace, and are brought to glory; and who make up such a number as no man can number: God indeed can number them, but not man; for they are a set of particular persons chosen by God, and redeemed by Christ, and who are perfectly and distinctly known by them; their number and names are with them; their names are written in the Lamb's book of life; and God and Christ can, and do call them by their name; and when they were given to Christ, they passed under the rod of him that telleth them; and he will give an exact account of them, of every individual person, another day. But then they are not to be numbered by men; and they will be

of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, and therefore must consist both of Jews and Gentiles; these were not all nations, &c. but "of" all nations, some of all nations; and such God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, and the Spirit calls; God has not chosen all the Jews, but a remnant, according to the election of grace, nor all the Gentiles, but has taken out of them a people for his name; and so Christ has redeemed, by his blood, some out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation, of Jew and Gentile: and hence the Gospel has been sent into all the world, and to all nations, for the gathering of these persons out of them; and when they are all gathered in, they will all meet together in the new Jerusalem church state, and make up the body here presented to view.

Stood before the throne and before the Lamb; the throne of God, and of the Lamb, will be in the midst of the new Jerusalem church; the tabernacle of God will be with men, and he will dwell, among them; and before the presence of his glory will all the saints be presented; and the Lamb will then present to himself his whole church, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; and they will behold his glory, and see him as he is: and as they are described before by their number, and their descent, so here by their position and situation, and, as follows, by their habit and attire,

clothed with white robes; agreeably to their princely and priestly characters: it was usual for princes and noblemen to be arrayed in vestures of linen, as Joseph was in Pharaoh's court; and the Jewish priests wore garments of linen, in their daily ministry and service; and in the thousand years' reign the saints will appear to be kings and priests, Rev_5:10; and accordingly will be clothed as such: and this may also be expressive of their entire freedom from sin by the blood of Christ, Rev_7:14; and their complete justification by his righteousness, which is sometimes compared to white raiment, and is called fine linen, clean, and white; and likewise their spotless purity and

holiness, sanctification in them being now perfect, which was before imperfect: and these robes may also design their shining robes of glory and immortality; for they will now be clothed upon with their house from heaven, and will have put off mortality and corruption, and have put on immortality and incorruption, and appear with Christ in glory; for such will be the then state of things:

and palms in their hands; or branches of palm trees, as in Joh_12:13 as an emblem of their uprightness and faithfulness, which they had shown in the cause of Christ, even unto death, the palm tree being a very upright tree, Jer_10:5; or of their bearing up under a variety of pressures and afflictions, by which they were not cast down and destroyed, but bravely stood up under them, and were now come out of them; the palm tree being of such a nature, as is reported, that the more weight is hung upon it, the higher it rises, and the straighter it grows; see Psa_92:12; and chiefly as an emblem of victory and triumph over their enemies, as sin, Satan, the world and death, which they had been struggling with, in a state of imperfection, but were now more than conquerors over them; the palm tree is well known to be a token of victory. So Philo the Jew (f) says,

the palm tree is συµβολον�νικης, "a symbol of victory". Conquerors used to carry palm tree

branches in their hands (g): those who conquered in the combats and plays among the Greeks, used not only to have crowns of palm trees given them, but carried branches of it in their hands (h); as did also the Romans in their triumphs; yea, they sometimes wore "toga palmata", a garment with the figures of palm trees on it, which were interwoven in it (i): and hence here palms are mentioned along with white garments; and some have been tempted to render the words thus, "clothed with white robes", and "palms on their sides"; that is, on the sides of their robes (k). The medal which was struck by Titus Vespasian, at the taking of Jerusalem, had on it a palm tree, and a captive woman sitting under it, with this inscription on it, "Judaea capta", Judea is taken. And when our Lord rode in triumph to Jerusalem, the people met him with branches of palm trees in their hands, and cried, Hosanna to him. So the Jews, at the feast of tabernacles, which they kept in commemoration of their having dwelt in tents in the wilderness, carried "Lulabs", or palm tree branches, in their hands, in token of joy, Lev_23:40; and in like manner, these being come out of the wilderness of the world, and the tabernacle of God being among them, express their joy in this way; See Gill on John 12:13.

HERY, “A general account of those who were saved out of other nations (Rev_7:9): A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. Though these are not said to be sealed, yet they were selected by God out of all nations, and brought into his church, and there stood before the throne. Observe, [1.] God will have a greater harvest of souls among the Gentiles than he had among the Jews. More are the children of the desolate than of the married woman. [2.] The Lord knows who are his, and he will keep them safe in times of dangerous temptation. [3.] Though the church of God is but a little flock, in comparison of the wicked world, yet it is no contemptible society, but really large and to be still more enlarged.

III. We have the songs of saints and angels on this occasion, Rev_7:9-12, where observe,

1. The praises offered up by the saints (and, as it seems to me, by the Gentile believers) for the care of God in reserving so large a remnant of the Jews, and saving them from infidelity and destruction. The Jewish church prayed for the Gentiles before their conversion, and the Gentile churches have reason to bless God for his distinguishing

mercy to so many of the Jews, when the rest were cut off. Here observe, (1.) The posture of these praising saints: they stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, before the Creator and the Mediator. In acts of religious worship we come nigh to God, and are to conceive ourselves as in his special presence; and we must come to God by Christ. The throne of God would be inaccessible to sinners were it not for a Mediator. (2.) Their habit: they were clothed with white robes, and had palms in their hands; they were invested with the robes of justification, holiness, and victory, and had palms in their hands, as conquerors used to appear in their triumphs: such a glorious appearance will the faithful servants of God make at last, when they have fought the good fight of faith and finished their course. (3.) Their employment: they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb. This may be understood either as a hosannah, wishing well to the interest of God and Christ in the church and in the world, or as a hallelujah, giving to God and the Lamb the praise of the great salvation; both the Father and the Son are joined together in these praises; the Father contrived this salvation, the Son purchased it, and those who enjoy it must and will bless the Lord and the Lamb, and they will do it publicly, and with becoming fervour.

JAMISO, “no man — Greek, “no one.”of all nations — Greek, “OUT OF every nation.” The human race is “one nation” by

origin, but afterwards separated itself into tribes, peoples, and tongues; hence, the one singular stands first, followed by the three plurals.

kindreds — Greek, “tribes.”

people — Greek, “peoples.” The “first-fruits unto the Lamb,” the 144,000 (Rev_14:1-4) of Israel, are followed by a copious harvest of all nations, an election out of the Gentiles, as the 144,000 are an election out of Israel (see on Rev_7:3).

white robes — (See on Rev_6:11; also Rev_3:5, Rev_3:18; Rev_4:4).

palms in ... hands — the antitype to Christ’s entry into Jerusalem amidst the palm-bearing multitude. This shall be just when He is about to come visibly and take possession of His kingdom. The palm branch is the symbol of joy and triumph. It was used at the feast of tabernacles, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when they kept feast to God in thanksgiving for the ingathered fruits. The antitype shall be the completed gathering in of the harvest of the elect redeemed here described. Compare Zec_14:16, whence it appears that the earthly feast of tabernacles will be renewed, in commemoration of Israel’s preservation in her long wilderness-like sojourn among the nations from which she shall now be delivered, just as the original typical feast was to commemorate her dwelling for forty years in booths or tabernacles in the literal wilderness.

PULPIT, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number; after

these things, I saw, and behold a great multitude, etc. Here, as in Rev_7:1, a fresh phase of the vision occurs. indicated by µετὰ ταῦτα , "after these things;" but not, perhaps, commencing (as so many writers think) an entirely new and disconnected vision. It is the immediate prelude to the opening of the seventh seal (see on Rev_8:1). Rev_6:1-17. recounts the terrors of God's judgments on the wicked, and especially those of the final judgment; but lest the godly should be dismayed and ask, "Who is able to stand" (Rev_6:17) on that great day? it is revealed that the faithful are first selected and preserved. This occupies the first eight verses of Rev_7:1-17. But all is not yet quite ready for the opening of the seventh and last seal. There is, besides those sealed on the last day,

an innumerable company with whom the former are joined in one body; and a glimpse is afforded of their conjoint adoration and of that supreme bliss which is entered upon, but not described, under the seventh seal. The "great multitude which no man could number" includes, therefore, the hundred and forty-four thousand of Rev_7:4. They have escaped the terror of the final judgment of the world (see Rev_7:3), but have formerly experienced tribulation (seeRev_7:14). Of all nations,

and kindreds, and people, and tongues; out of every nation and [all] tribes and peoples and tongues. The classification, as in Rev_5:9, is fourfold, symbolical of completeness in matters of creation (see on Rev_5:9; Rev_4:6, etc.). Stood before the throne, and before the

Lamb; standing before, etc. We are carried back to the description given inRev_4:1-4 and Rev_5:6-

11. Clothed with white robes; arrayed in (Revised Version). See

on Rev_4:4 and Rev_6:2 for white—the emblem of victory and righteousness. And palms in their hands.Φοίνιξ , "palm," occurs in the New Testament only in this place and in Joh_12:13. Trench states that no symbol of heathen origin is used in the Apocalypse; and he connects the palm-bearing multitude with the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Wordsworth and Hengstenberg take the same view; and there is much to be said in favour of it, though Alford and others connect the image rather with the Greek and Roman sign of victory. In the first place, the word is used by St. John in Joh_12:13, where doubtless it is connected with the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Secondly, the use of such an image would more naturally occur to one so familiar with Jewish customs and ritual as the writer of the Apocalypse; and, moreover, the idea commemorated by this feast—that of the enjoyment of rest and plenty, the possession of the promised Canaan after toil and delay—is peculiarly applicable to the condition of those here described. Thirdly, the idea seems carried on in the mind of the writer, and referred to in Joh_12:15 in the words, "shall spread his tabernacle over them" (see Revised Version).

BARCLAY, “THE GLORY OF THE MARTYRS

Rev. 7:9-10

After this I saw, and, behold, a great crowd, so great that none could count its

number, drawn from every race and from all tribes and peoples and tongues,

standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and palms

in their hands. And they shouted with a great voice: "Salvation belongs to our God,

who is seated upon the throne and to the Lamb."

Here we have the beginning of the vision of the future blessedness of the martyrs.

(i) There is encouragement. There is coming upon the faithful a time of terror such

as the world has never seen; and John is telling them that, if they endure to the end,

the glory will be worth all the suffering. He is setting out how infinitely worthwhile

it is in the long run to accept everything involved in the martyrdom which fidelity

must undergo.

(ii) The number of the martyrs is beyond all counting. This may well be a memory

of the promise that God made to Abraham that his descendants would one day be as

the number of the stars in the heavens (Gen.15:5), and as the sand of the seashore

(Gen.32:12); at the last the number of the true Israel will be beyond all reckoning.

(iii) John uses a phrase of which he is very fond. He says that God's faithful ones

will come from every race and tribe and people and tongue (compare Rev. 5:9; Rev.

11:9; Rev. 13:7; Rev. 14:6; Rev. 17:15). H. B. Swete speaks of "the polyglot

cosmopolitan crowd who jostled one another in the agora or on the quays of the

Asian sea-port towns." In any Asian harbour or market-place there would be

gathered people from many lands, speaking many different tongues. Any evangelist

would feel his heart afire to bring the message of Christ to this assorted crowd of

people. Here is the promise that the day will come when all this motley crowd of

many nations and many tongues will become the one flock of the Lord Christ.

(iv) It is in victory that the faithful finally arrive in the presence of God and of the

Lamb. They appear, not weary, battered and worn, but victorious. The white robe is

the sign of victory; a Roman general celebrated his triumph clothed in white. The

palm is also the sign of victory. When, under the might of the Maccabees, Jerusalem

was freed from the pollutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, the people entered in with

branches and fair boughs and palms and psalms (2Macc.10:7).

(v) The shout of the triumphant faithful ascribes salvation to God. It is God who

has brought them through their trials and tribulations and distresses; and it

is his glory which now they share. God is the great saviour, the great

deliverer of his people. And the deliverance which he gives is not the

deliverance of escape but the deliverance of conquest. It is not a deliverance

which saves a man from trouble but one which brings him triumphantly

through trouble. It does not make life easy, but it makes life great. It is not

part of the Christian hope to look for a life in which a man is saved from all

trouble and distress; the Christian hope is that a man in Christ can endure

any kind of trouble and distress, and remain erect all through them, and

come out to glory on the other side.

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, “A great multitude, which no man could number.The saints in heaven

I. What John saw and heard.

1. A great multitude of all nations. When John was on earth he saw but few believers. The Church was like a lily in a field of thorns—lambs in the midst of wolves; but now quite different—thorns are plucked away—the lilies innumerable. Every country had its representatives there—some saved out of every land. All were like Christ, and yet all retained their different peculiarities.

2. Their position. They stood before the throne; yea, nearer than the angels, for they stood round about. This marks their complete righteousness. In Christ they stand, not in themselves. Nearer than angels; the angels have only creature-righteousness—these have on Creator righteousness. If you are ever to be near God, you may come freely to Him now. Why keep so far away?

3. Their dress—white robes and palms. They have all the same dress, there is no difference. It is the garment of Christ. Awakened persons are sometimes led to cry, “O that I had never sinned!” but here is something better than if you had never sinned.

4. Their song. The substance of it. Salvation. They give God all the glory. The effect of it: it stirs up the hearts of the angels (verses 11, 12). How do you feel when you hear of others being saved and brought nearer to God than you? Do you envy and hate them, or do you fail down and praise God for it?

II. Their past history. Two particulars are given. Each had a different history; still in these two they were alike.

1. They had washed their robes. You think to go to heaven by your own decency, innocency, attention to duties. Well, you would be the only such one there: all are washed in blood.

2. They came out of great tribulation. Every one that gets to the throne must put their foot upon the thorn. The way to the crown is by the Cross. We must taste the gall if we are to taste the glory. Go round every one in glory; every one has a different story, yet every one has a tale of suffering. One was persecuted in his family, by his friends and companions; another was visited by sore pains and humbling disease, neglected by the world; another was bereaved of children. Mark, all are brought out of them. It was a dark cloud, but it passed away: the water was deep, but they have reached the other side. Not one of them blames God for the road He led them—“Salvation” is their only cry.

III. Future history.

1. Immediate service of God. Here we are allowed to spend much of our time in our worldly callings. We shall spend eternity in loving God, in adoring, admiring, and praising God. We should spend much of our present time in this.

2. Not in the wilderness any more. At present we are like a flock in the wilderness, our soul often hungry, and thirsty, and sorely tried. Learn to glorify Him in the fires, to sing in the wilderness. This is the only world where you can give God that glory.

3. Father, Son, and Spirit will bless us. (R. M. McCheyne.)

Humanity in heaven

I. Humanity in heaven form one vast community. This fact implies—

1. The marvellous success of the gospel.

2. The impartiality of the gospel.

3. The socialising power of the gospel.

II. Humanity in heaven are distinguished in position. “Stood before the throne.” This indicates—

1. The highest service.

2. The highest honour.

3. The highest integrity.

III. Humanity in heaven are glorious in appearance.

1. Perfectly sinless. “White robes.”

2. Completely triumphant. “Palms.”

IV. Humanity in heaven are delightful in employment. Singing is worship in its perfect form. The song is—

1. Redemption in its theme.

2. Grateful in its purpose.

(1) To God as the author of salvation.

(2) To the Redeemer as the medium of salvation.

3. Enthusiastic in its spirit.

4. Contagious in its effect.

V. Humanity in heaven are perfect in bliss.

1. Freedom from all evil.

(1) No more sin.

(2) No more suffering.

(3) No more sorrow.

2. Enjoyment of all good.

(1) Divine service.

(2) Divine fellowship.

(3) Divine care. (B. D. Johns.)

The saints in heaven

There is no good reason why this graphic picture of the heavenly land should be in our hands except for some practical purpose. The Bible is a practical book. The Bible comes to put the seen where it belongs, and give the unseen a chance to get hold of us, lest, in wilful near-sightedness, we miss altogether the eternal realities with which lies our chief concern. Linger in the vestibule we must for a time, but how? With faces averted from the cathedral entrance, indifferent to what lies beyond, or intent upon the grander thing that lies before us, for whose revelation we wait with expectant heart? In this picture—

(1) Heaven is nothing if it be not realistic. It has a local habitation as well as a name. So had it to all Bible-men of faith. How real to them i

(2) Again, what catholicity in heaven! Of the covenant mercies of the Jewish tabernacle it was hard for a Gentile to get a glimpse; to sit down as one of the true Israel was his only as by reluctant concession to an alien. But this exclusiveness lingers not even to cast a shadow. No barrier of race nor of high or low, of early or late, intervenes to hinder that they come into that high fellowship of God-like catholicity.

(3) But, though so catholic, there is a discrimination of character which makes them one, which also gives to heaven an air of exclusiveness. They are white-robed, all of them, and not one robe made white by any process save one. The fact and the manner of it are both significant. There are no notes of discord in the song they sing—no praises but of One and the efficacy of His atoning blood, Rejecting Christ as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, be it by Jew or Gentile, is turning away from Him who opens and no man shuts, shuts and no

man opens. It is to reject the only means of blanching character to snowy whiteness, the only condition of sin’s forgiveness.

(4) Note the contrasts to their former condition. (H. C. Haydn, D. D.)

The human population in heaven

I. Its numbers are too great for calculation.

1. A reproof to all sectarianism.

2. An encouragement to all Christly work.

3. A response to all philanthropic desires.

4. An attestation of benevolent Creatorship.

II. Its variety includes all the races of mankind.

1. Our highest aim should be to become true men.

2. Our highest love should be for men.

III. Its gloriousness transcends all description.

1. Their position.

2. Their attire.

3. Their blessed rest.

IV. Its engagements are rapturous in devotion. “Salvation” includes restoration from ignorance to true knowledge, from impurity to holiness, from bondage to soul liberty, from selfishness to benevolence, from materialism to genuine spirituality, from the reign of wrong to the reign of right. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

The redeemed in glory

I. The redeemed in heaven are exceedingly numerous.

1. We might infer from some passages of Scripture that very few persons would be saved.

2. We might infer from the present aspect of society that very few persons would be saved.

II. The redeemed in heaven are greatly diversified.

1. The society of heaven will be greatly diversified. From all ranks and conditions in life.

2. The service of heaven will be greatly diversified.

III. The redeemed in heaven are highly exalted.

1. They have access to the throne of God.

2. They have fellowship with the Lamb of God.

IV. The redeemed in heaven are perfectly happy.

1. Perfectly holy.

2. Perfectly safe. (J. T. Woodhouse.)

The redeemed in heaven

I. The great number of the redeemed. It is in the highest degree probable that the number of the redeemed will finally exceed the number of the lost. For consider—

1. The vast number of children that die.

2. The predictions of Scripture, that a time is coming when the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

3. Jesus Christ is represented as ultimately to be a conqueror.

II. The extensive variety of the redeemed. Every geographical barrier which now separates people from people will be swept away; every national antipathy will be extinguished, and every denominational peculiarity will be at an end.

III. The beautiful appearance of the redeemed. The white robe is an emblem of the moral purity which characterises the redeemed in heaven. Faith in Christ is the grand and the only specific for moral purification. Its efficacy is the same for men of all generations and of all climes.

IV. The delightful song of the redeemed. The glories of God, as displayed in the works of His hand, will furnish the occasion of growing wonder and delight. Then, too, we believe that mysteries of Providence will be disclosed. And yet, glorious as will be the discoveries that God will afford of His works in creation, and of His ways in providence, it will still be “salvation” that will be the keynote of rejoicing to the Church triumphant. And who will be the objects of their praise? God and the Lamb. (Charles Hargreaves.)

The great multitude

The vision of pent-up judgment begins this chapter; then the sealing and the ingathering. Our text is the result of the ingathering, as seen in heaven.

I. The numbers. “A great multitude, which no man could number.” The three thousand at Pentecost were a large number, but this is greater. The hundreds and thousands, both in Judea and throughout the Gentile world, at Corinth, Rome, Ephesus, Philippi, and other places, were specimens of the great ingathering; but here we have the aggregate, the summing-up of all. Like Israel, they cannot be numbered for multitude; they are like the stars of heaven, or the sand which is by the sea-shore.

II. The nationalities. Every people furnishes its quota to this great assembly; every tribe has its representatives here; every region, every colour, every language, every kingdom, every people, every age and century. It is the general assembly and Church of the first-born. Here all nationalities meet in one great heavenly nationality, without jealousy or distrust; all one in Him who redeemed them by His blood.

III. The posture. “Standing before the throne, and before the Lamb.” They “stand.” It is the posture of triumph and honour; “having done all, they stand” (Eph_6:18). Not bowed down, nor kneeling, nor prostrate, their erect posture indicates the high position to

which they have been brought; and especially is this honour apparent when we see them standing “before the throne, and before the Lamb,” in the very presence of the King.

IV. The raiment. They are “clothed with white robes.”

1. It is the raiment of heaven (Mar_16:5; Joh_20:12; Act_1:12).

2. It is the raiment of purity and perfection.

3. It is the raiment of triumph. It is given to him that overcometh (Rev_3:5).

4. It is the festal dress. At the marriage-supper this is the raiment provided; the bride sits down at the table in the King’s pavilion “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white” (Rev_19:8).

V. The Badge. They had “palms in their hands.” The palm is the symbol of gladness and of victory. Here it is specially used in reference to the feast of tabernacles, the gladdest of all Israel’s festivals (Lev_23:40). The true feast of tabernacles, the memorial of our desert sojourn and earthly pilgrimage ended for ever, the saints shall celebrate in the New Jerusalem. The days of their mourning shall be ended; their everlasting joy begun.

VI. The shout. They “cry with aloud voice, Salvation to our God that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (H. Bonar, D. D.)

What they wear and do in heaven

I. How shall i begin by telling you of the number of those in heaven? One of the most impressive things I have looked upon is an army. Standing upon a hillside you see forty thousand or fifty thousand men pass along. You can hardly imagine the impression if you have not actually felt it.

II. Their antecedents—“of all nations, and kindreds and tongues.” Some of them spoke Scotch, Irish, German, English, Italian, Spanish, Tamil, Burmese. I suppose, in the great throng around the throne, it will not be difficult to tell from what part of the earth they came. In this world men prefer different kinds of government. The United States want a Republic. The British Government needs to be a Constitutional Monarchy. Austria wants Absolutism; but when they come up from earth, they will prefer one great monarchy—King Jesus ruler over it.

III. The dress of those is heaven. It is white! In this world we had sometimes to have on working-day apparel. Bright and lustrous garments would be ridiculously out of place sweltering amid forges, or mixing paints, or plastering ceilings, or binding books. When all toil on earth is past, and there is no more drudgery, and no more weariness, we shall stand before the throne robed in white. On earth we sometimes had to wear mourning apparel—black scarf for the arm, black veil for the face, black gloves for the hands, black band for the hat. But when these bereavements have all passed and no more sorrow to suffer, we shall put off this mourning and be robed in white.

IV. The symbols they carry.

V. The song they sing. In this world we have secular songs, nursery songs, boatmen’s songs, harvest songs, sentimental songs; but in heaven we will have taste for only one song, and that will be the song of salvation from an eternal death to an eternal heaven, through the blood of the Lamb that was slain. (T. De Witt Talmage.)

Heaven

I. The redeemed of the Lord is their station above: brought not merely to the same world in which their Saviour dwells, to the same kingdom, to its metropolis, to the palace, to the Court, but into the very presence chamber of the King, and stationed before His throne. Not that throne of grace before which on earth they bowed in penitence, brokenness of heart will then for ever pass away; not the throne of judgment around which they will gather at the last day, they will have passed from that; but the throne of glory—to behold God “face to face”—to “see him as He is”—not merely by an intellectual apprehension, but by the eyes of the glorified body. They “stood before the throne”; a word importing holy confidence, consciousness that they are welcome.

II. The appearance of this multitude.

1. Clad in “white robes” importing their complete justification and acceptance with God. We have only to look at the scene before us to see the indispensable necessity of the Divinity of Christ, to constitute the efficacy of the atonement. These two stand or fall together. If there be an atonement for sin, it must of necessity make way for as clear a display of Divine justice as well as mercy, in the salvation of the redeemed, as if they had suffered the penalty of their transgressions in their own proper person, and had sunk under their guilt down to the lowest hell. There must be an equivalent by the atonement, whatever it be. I do not mean a money equivalent; but there must be a moral equivalent. It would be no atonement if a way were not made for the manifestation of Divine justice, as clear and as impressive as it would have been if the whole redeemed had sunk under the chains of their transgressions. Look, then, to the redeemed, and think of countless myriads washed in the blood of the Lamb; and who must that Lamb be but, in another view of His nature, the Son of God, equal with the Father? But the expression imports another thing with respect to the redeemed: their entire sanctification. Their robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb; their sanctification is effected by the work of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is granted through the mediation of Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit uses as the means of our sanctification the great truths presented in the atoning sacrifice of the Cross; and therefore our sanctification is effected by the blood of Christ, as well as our justification.

2. “Palms in their hands.” Heaven will be the sweeter for the power of contrast. We, in the enjoyment of victory, shall think of the conflict.

III. The number—“a multitude which no man can number.” Add these things together—the fruits of the Father’s eternal love, of the Son’s redeeming work, and the Spirit’s sanctification; think of the answer of the prayers of the righteous in every age who have wrestled with God for the outpouring of His Spirit: and then say whether the multitude will not be greater than can be numbered.

IV. Their variety—“of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” Various are the systems of Church polity, and the rites and the ceremonies and the usages, that distinguish and divide Christians now; and, alas! not merely for poor human nature, but for poor renewed nature—the party spirit, the bitterness, the strife, to which these differences give rise! But one heaven shall contain them all. Why cannot we be more one now since we shall certainly be one hereafter?

V. Their occupation. They are “before the throne.” They are presented to us in an act of praise. The adoration of God, the service of God, fellowship with God, will be the felicity of the redeemed. We must never let drop that idea. We are to see God; “His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face.” We shall see God in Christ. Such appears to

be our eternal occupation, mingled with the other occupations in which we engage. Just look at the theme of their praise—“salvation.” If salvation be little thought of on earth, it is much thought of in heaven; if it is the lowest in men’s pursuits here, it is the highest in their enjoyments there. Think of the object of their praises: not only “God,” but “the Lamb.” What an argument for the Divinity of Christ!—that in the heavenly world He is presented as occupying the same seat of dignity, surrounded with the same worshippers, receiving the same homage as the Father! Look at the harmony of their praise. Iris one song. Yes, we shall be harmonised in heaven, if we are not upon earth. Notice, lastly, the rapture of their praise—“they sing with a loud voice.” Hosannahs will be changed into hallelujahs. And that sung not with dulness, as we too often now worship God; not with coldness, as if our praises came from lips of ice; no, but with rapture of hearts too full to hold their bliss. The song will never cease and never tire. I have a question to ask you: Will you be there? Will you join that multitude? Will you swell that choir and anthem? (J. A. James.)

A glimpse of the redeemed in glory

I. Who are there?

1. “A multitude.” The region is not solitary. Once it was. The period was when God was all in all. There was the throne, and the great I AM sat upon that throne. But there was no world beneath it, and no multitude before it. And even after the sons of God were made, it was long before any of our race was there. When Abel found himself before the throne, he found no human comrade there. But thus it is not now. There is “a multitude”—so many, as to give the region a friendly look of terrestrial brotherhood—so many, that the affinities and tastes which still survive will find their counterparts—so many, that every service will be sublimed, and every enjoyment heightened, by the countless throng who share it.

2. A mighty multitude. “A great multitude, which no man could number.” Not a stinted few—not a scanty and reluctant remnant; but a mighty host-like God’s own perfections, an affluent and exuberant throng—like Immanuel’s merits, which brought them there, something very vast, and merging into infinity.

3. A miscellaneous multitude. “Of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” For many ages one nation supplied most of the inhabitants. But Jesus broke down the partition wall; and since His gospel went into all the world, all the world has contributed its citizens to the New Jerusalem. All kindreds and people are there—men of all aptitudes and all instincts—men of all grades and conditions. And there, suffused with sanctity, and softened into perfect subjection, we may recognise the temperament or the talent which gave each on earth his identity and his peculiar interest. Blended and overborne by the prevailing likeness to the Elder Brother, each may retain his mental attributes and moral features; and in the dimensions of their disc, and the tinting of their rays, the stars of glory may differ from one another.

4. A multitude who once were mourners. “These are they which came out of great tribulation.” To live in a world like this was itself a tribulation—a world of distance from God—a world of faith without sight—a world of wicked men; but they have come out of that tribulation. To have had to do with sin was a terrible tribulation—from the time that they were first convinced of it, all along through the great life-battle, contending with manifold temptations—contending with their own carnality

and sloth, their pride and worldly-mindedness, their unruly passions and sinful tempers: but they have come out of that tribulation also.

5. And they are a multitude who shall form an eternal monument of the Redeemer’s grace and power. Such are the human inhabitants of heaven.

II. But what is it that they do there?

1. They celebrate a victory. They have “palms in their hands.” They are “overcomers.”

2. They serve God. Adoration at the throne, activity in the temple—the worship of the heart, the worship of the voice, the worshiper the hands—the whole being consecrated to God—these are the service of the upper sanctuary. Here a week will often see us weary in well-doing; there they are drawn on by its own deliciousness to larger and larger fulfilments of Jehovah’s will. Here we must lure ourselves to work by the prospect of rest hereafter: there the toil is luxury, and the labour recreation—and nothing but jubilees of praise, and holidays of higher service, are wanted to diversify the long and industrious “Sabbath of the skies.”

3. They see God. “He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them;” or, as in Rev_22:4, “They see His face.”

4. They follow the Lamb. “The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters.” Even in heaven something of the mediatorial economy survives. Even where they see God, they follow the Lamb, and a close and conspicuous relation continues to subsist betwixt the Redeemer and His ransomed. He remains the Leader of His blood-bought company; and whilst He prescribes their occupation, He is the immediate source of their blessedness.

5. And—just to complete the glance—there are some things which there they never do. They do not want, they do not weary, and they do not weep. (James Hamilton.)

The redeemed in heaven

I. The text presents the redeemed in heaven as forming one blessed and glorious society. Man is formed for society, which not only furnishes some of his sweetest enjoyments, but is necessary to call forth the powers of his mind. Without it the best purposes of his being would be defeated; the benevolent principles of his nature would be rendered useless. His pleasures, from having no kindred soul to share them, would cease to please. Hence society is eagerly sought as essential to our happiness; but the pleasures which it is fitted to yield are greatly impaired by a variety of disagreeable circumstances, arising out of the imperfection of the present state. But it is otherwise with the society of heaven. There the honey is without the sting, and the rose without the thorn, and attachment and intercourse without any detraction or alloy. Their opportunities of intercourse are ample, and the pleasures which flow from it are of the purest kind. Here it is with difficulty that we can select from the crowd a few with whom we are disposed to unite in intimate fellowship; hut there are to be found all the great and the good who ever existed in the universe of God. Their intercourse is free and unreserved. The caution and concealment which we often find it necessary to observe in our correspondence with one another, are, amongst them, altogether unknown. One common principle of sympathy is diffused throughout the whole; and whatever each has to communicate finds a response in every bosom, and awakens a reciprocal emotion in every soul. Their attachment for one another is also sincere and ardent.

II. In the text the redeemed in heaven are represented as a society of vast amount. Heaven is not to be viewed as a thinly peopled country, or a place of narrow and confined dimensions, containing only a few inhabitants. We are taught to conceive of it as a large and extensive empire, teeming everywhere with a happy and active population. When we think of the number who, during the long period of the Old Testament dispensation, lived and died in the faith of the Messiah to come—and of the still greater number who, since His coming, have believed in Him to the saving of the soul—the whole, taken collectively, will be found to be a countless multitude. To those who are now in the world of glory we must add the multitude who shall believe in the Son of God ere the gospel dispensation comes to a close; and then, who shall be able to calculate their amount?

III. In the text the redeemed in heaven are represented As collected from the varieties of the human race. Heaven is not the destined dwelling-place of any one class only of the human race. The gospel reveals a common salvation, and opens a path to heaven for all the diversities of the human race. Many have already “come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and have sat down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven”; and every day is adding to their number. No power shall prevent the universal diffusion of the gospel when “the time to favour Zion, even the set time, is come.” Scepticism and infidelity shall find a grave. Pagan superstition shall pass away as the mist which rolls up the mountain’s side disappears before the rising glory of the summer morn. Then “all the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Him: for the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He is the Governor among the nations.” He shall take to Himself His great power and reign.

IV. In the text the redeemed in heaven are represented as in the immediate presence of their God and Redeemer. Even in this dark and distant world the people of God enjoy His gracious presence. To them He manifests Himself as He doth not unto the world. He blesses them with the knowledge of His character, and with a sense of His love; but here they see Him only obscurely. They see Him through the medium of His Word and ordinances, as in a mirror, darkly. It is otherwise in heaven. There He gives displays of His glory, of which the Shekinah, the bright shining cloud in which He appeared of old in the holy of holies, was but a faint and feeble emblem. There He is beheld, not in the dim vision of faith, but clearly, as with our bodily organs we behold the sun shining in the firmament. Even in heaven it is true, that as to His essence, God will be for ever unseen and unknown. But there He manifests Himself by such external tokens as show that He is near. The beams of His glory are so diffused over all that happy land, that all its inhabitants have the clear and intimate perception of His presence, and a full and distinct consciousness of abiding in it. They feel themselves to be walking continually in the brightness of His face!

V. The text represents the redeemed in heaven as distinguished by spotless holiness. From all that was imperfect in their character here below; from all that was wrong in their temper or disposition; from all that was feeble in their love and devotion; from all that was displeasing to the view of others, they are entirely and for ever freed. They appear “without fault before the throne of God.”

VI. In the text the redeemed in heaven are represented as enjoying the honours and bliss of a triumph. (D. M. Inglis.)

Society in heaven

1. There is nothing which is so distressing to an earnest man as the thought which sometimes rises in his mind, that here we are bound together in families and nations; that after death all such relations cease; that all becomes individual and solitary. If St. John’s teaching is true, this teaching is false. The multitude that no man can number is a society. Their robes have become white, because every stain of selfishness has been washed from them by the blood of the Lamb. Their palms show that they have gotten the victory over those causes which have destroyed the unity of kindreds and nations here. There is no dull uniformity, no single tongue: but all is harmonious amidst diversity. In that company the one word which is connected with the Divine name is Salvation; salvation from the curse that men have made for themselves.

2. The sight of this multitude from every nation and kindred must have been a lesson to the missionary of that day, may be a lesson to the missionary of this, tending to abate his pride, but also—why do I say but, why not therefore:—his despair. He sometimes tries to console himself with thoughts of God’s mercy to those who are ignorant, and have had no means of knowing better. But then he sees that the heathens among whom he goes are actually brutalised and corrupted; no tolerance of their religion can make that fact less appalling to him. And then, when he thinks how few can ever hear his preaching, how few can understand the sounds he utters, he begins to doubt if God has not deserted His own world. But it is not so. His converts may be few. He may have little power of making himself intelligible. But He of whom the missionary speaks, He who has sent him, has His ways of making Himself intelligible, has His ways of bringing people of every nation, and tongue, and clime, through much tribulation, to knowledge of the Lord who died for them and is ever with them, to a knowledge of His Father and their Father.

3. I am aware how easily a captious bystander, knowing nothing of the real anguish of a missionary, or of his real inspiration, may turn what I have said into an argument why he may be indifferent to the work, seeing it will be performed without him. In hours of unutterable sorrow, voices of consolation have come to you, you knew not from whence. In times of temptation, when your souls were balancing on the edge of a precipice, some old sentence has been brought back to you from the field of sleep, some house or tree has served to pour forth strange warnings or encouragements. Why may not those whispers have been borne from those who spoke them of old to the ear, not as now to the heart? Why may not elder patriots and martyrs be echoing Christ’s own words in the ears of their brothers, in lonely dungeons which no friend in the flesh can approach, at the stake when no visible smile may greet them, when God’s name is used to condemn them—“Be faithful unto death, He will give you the crown of life.” And why may not these same be the teachers and evangelists of the lands for which they wept and bled below?

4. There is one thought more in connection with this subject which I dare not suppress. In the calendar of a great part of Christendom All Saints’ Day is followed by All Souls’ Day. We may remember that the angels of God rejoice over one sinner that repents, because God rejoices. We may be sure that He, without whom a sparrow does not fall to the ground, does not lose sight of a soul which He has made. We may be sure, therefore, that all saints care for all souls. Their affections, their powers of sympathy and blessing, are not limited as ours are by circumstances of time and space. They are limited only by that love of God, the height and depth and length and breadth of which they are as incapable of measuring as we are, but which flows forth to them, and in them, and through them everlastingly. (F. D. Maurice, M. A.)

The great multitude

It is a refreshing thing to look away for a moment from the strife and uncharitableness of human systems and conclusions, each disposed to narrow heaven within its own pale and party, and to behold “a multitude, such as no man could number,” entering by the gate into the everlasting city. But whilst we may justly rejoice in being able to appeal from human judgment to Divine, in having the authority of Scripture for not only assigning vast capacity to heaven, but for regarding it as the home of an interminable throng, we are to take heed that we lower not the conditions of admission, as though the entrance must be easy, because a great multitude shall be there. The great, the solemn truth remains, that “there shall enter into the city nothing which defileth,” “neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” And a glance at the context should suffice to keep down any rising thought that, because there shall be “a great multitude” in heaven, and, therefore, perhaps, numbers whom their fellow-men never expected to be there, some may find admission who have taken no pains to secure so great a blessing. So far from there being anything for you to reckon upon, ye who are not striving after a moral fitness for heaven, in the alleged vastness of the multitude which is to occupy heaven, there is much to admonish and warn you: if ye know nothing of the “great tribulation,” of the warfare with “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” ye may forfeit your places: but those places will not stand empty: “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham”; and He will not be reduced through the want of faithful disciples to the admitting into His presence the rebellious and unclean. Yea, and over and above there being a warning to us in the fact that heaven shall be peopled to the full, even should we ourselves come short of the inheritance, is it not an animating thing to be told of all “nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,” as contributing to the occupancy of the majestic abode? Oh, glorious society which shall thus be gathered from all ages, all ranks, all countries! There is beauty in diversity, there is majesty in combination. Even now it is felt to be an ennobling, inspiriting association, if the eminent of a single Church, the illustrious of a solitary country, be gathered together in one great conclave. How do meaner men flock to the spot; with what interest, what awe, do they look upon persons so renowned in their day; what a privilege do they account it if they mingle awhile with sages so profound, with saints so devoted; how do they treasure the sayings which reach them in so precious an intercourse. And shall we think little of heaven when we hear of it as the meeting-place of all that hath been truly great, for of all that hath been truly good; of all that hath been really wise, for of all that hath yielded itself to the teachings of God’s Spirit, from Adam to his remotest descendant? But it is not merely as asserting the vastness of the multitude which shall finally be gathered into heaven that our text presents matter for devout meditation. We are not to overlook the attitude assigned to the celestial assembly, an attitude of rest and of triumph, as though there had been labour and warfare, and the wearied combatants were henceforward to enjoy unbroken quiet. “They stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” Not that by repose we are to understand inactivity, for Scripture is most express on the continued engagement of every faculty of a glorified saint in the service of the Creator and Redeemer. The great multitude stand before the throne—the attitude implying that they wait to execute the commands of the Lord; and they join in a high song of praise and exultation, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” No idleness then, though there is perfect repose. But rest, as opposed to anything that is painful or toilsome in employment—repose, as implying that

there shall never again be weariness, exhaustion, difficulty, or danger, notwithstanding that there shall be the consecration of the whole man to the work of magnifying the Lord. What an attractive, what an animating view of heaven is that of its being a state of repose, as contrasted with our present state of warfare and toil—the white robe in place of the “whole armour of God”; the palm in place of the sword in the hand. For—let the course of the Divine dealings with any member of the Church be the very smoothest that is compatible with a state of probation, still, compassed about as we all are with infirmity, called upon to do many things to which we are naturally disinclined, which we can neither perform without painful effort nor omit without sinful neglect; exposed to temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil—indeed it were hard to understand how any believer could often be other than “weary and heavy laden.” It is not that he would give up the service of God, but that he would be able to serve God without weariness. It is not that he would be released from the struggle with corruption, but that he would have no corruption to struggle with, the final touches of sanctification having been given, so that he is “without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.” And such a state of repose awaits us in heaven. There is another distinguishing feature of the heavenly state which may be gathered from our text. You cannot fail to observe that, though the great multitude is collected from all nations and tribes, there is perfect concord or agreement; they form but one company and join in one anthem. The redeemed are to constitute one rejoicing company. Nay, and the representation may almost be said to go beyond this. How are they to constitute this one company, associated by close ties, and joining in the same song, unless they are to know one the other hereafter? When Christ speaks of many as coming from the east and the west, He speaks also of their sitting down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. But this were apparently no privilege, unless they are to know these patriarchs. It argues a heart still bound up in selfishness, if it be little to us that, admitted into heaven, we are to be freed from all petty bounds and distinctions, and to form part of one close but countless community. The soul should be stirred within us as we think of patriarchs, and prophets, and priests, and kings—of apostles, confessors, and martyrs; of the illustrious, not by earthly achievements which too often dazzle by a false glare; but the illustrious in the fight of faith—and not only of the illustrious whose names go down in Christian biography, the precious legacy of age to age; but of that unknown, that unremembered multitude, the good, the godly, of successive generations, who, in the quiet privacies of ordinary life, have served their God and their Redeemer—for “he,” saith Christ, “that overcometh shall inherit all things”—oh, I say, the soul should be stirred within us as we think of such an assembly, and hear ourselves invited to join it, and are told that we may have the friendship of each and every one in the interminable gathering. (H. Melvill, B. D.)

All saints

Is not this a strengthening, elevating thought—this of that countless multitude which wilt one day stand before the throne? How often we are tempted to be out of all heart. The worlds seems so strong, and the Church seems so weak—Christianity itself almost a failure, unable to enlist the affections of men, at least of the men of this generation, impotent to contest the battle-field of the earth with the powers which are arrayed against it. Put away from you thoughts like these. They are the pleas of our indolence, the outcomings of our unbelief. They may be few here or few there! but let them all be gathered into one, and they will constitute an innumerable company. God would not be satisfied with less. He will have no solitudes, no vacant thrones in heaven, but infinite multitudes to be sharers in His blessedness, to declare to all creation and through all

eternity the wondrous counsels of His love. And then what thoughts arise in the heart as we contemplate not the numbers only, but the quarters from which all these will have been gathered—from “all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” Those who were divided here by all which could divide, who were separated from one another by immense distances of time, of space, of culture—barbarians to one another here—yea, those who were kept asunder by far sadder barriers than these, those who misunderstood, perhaps mutually anathematised one another, shall yet, being one in Christ, one in their faith and love to Him, stand together before the throne, and exchange the long alienations and miserable discords of earth for the blessed concords of heaven. Think, too, from other points of view, what a marvellous company will that be! Think of all that will be there, and—awful thought!—of all that will not be there. Not there many who have walked in the full blaze of gospel light, who, knowing much, have loved not at all; whose places, therefore, for there were places for them if they had shown themselves worthy of them, shall know them not; while there will be found in that wondrous company not a few who, amid much darkness, superstition, and error, have been true to the central truth of all, have clung to Jesus with full affiance of heart; and when it shall be inquired with something of wonder why this one or the other is so near to the throne, “He loved much,” or “She loved much,” will be the key and explanation of all. (Abp. Trench.)

The saved a great multitude

Looking through a large library the other day, I came upon an old collection of tracts, printed some two hundred years ago, and one of them, written by an Oxford professor, bore the wonderful title, “Moral reflections upon the number of the elect, proving plainly that not one in a hundred thousand, probably not one in a million, from Adam to our time, shall be saved.” (W. Baxendale.)

Salvation to our God … and unto the Lamb.

The song of the Church in heaven and on earth

The work of redemption by Christ fills the Church in heaven and earth with wonder, gratitude, and joy; “Salvation to God, and to the Lamb.” God Himself rejoices in the work of redemption. When He made the world, He rested, and was refreshed—all was very good; when the scheme of His providence shall be wound up, He will rejoice in all His works; but He delights more in the work of redemption than in those of creation and providence; for these are only subservient to this illustrious display of Himself. The saints in heaven and on earth rejoice in the work of redemption, and praise God for it: “Salvation to God and to the Lamb.” They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb; the wonders of creation, and providence, and grace. On earth the saints praise God with many imperfections. How can they sing the Lord’s song in strange land? But they sing in faith, in hope, with sincerity, and with true gladness of heart. The same principle which influences the saints in heaven to rejoice in the increase of their own number, operates in the saints on earth, when Sion breaks forth on the right hand and on the left. They rejoice, therefore, when they hear that the Word of the Lord runs and is glorified over all the earth. The holy angels rejoice in the salvation of sinners by the Lamb (verse 11). God reveals as much of His plan of grace towards sinners of Adam’s family to the angels as fills them with wonder and love. They rejoice in this work, because they rejoice in God Himself as the author of it. The joy of angels in relation to

the work of the redemption of sinners is continually upon the increase. They rejoice in the additions dally made to the glory of Christ—in the new crowns set on His head, the new victories of His grace over Satan and sin—the now evidences of the Divinity of His religion—and with the Church shall sing a new song, when nations are born at once, and a people in a day! The work of redemption is a proper foundation for joy. In heaven they sing for ever of it; on earth, all who know it admire and adore God who hath abounded in it in all wisdom and prudence. It is the chief of His ways. The work of salvation by Christ gives wonderful displays of God, and therefore is a foundation of joy and wonder. In this stupendous work of redemption God is seen as a God of infinite mercy. His mercy flows in the atonement of His Son, for He is a just God, as well as merciful, and a Saviour. The salvation of sinners greatly exalts the character of the Saviour. Each person in the Godhead has His own distinct part in salvation and His own distinct glory. The glory belongs to the eternal Three, but the Lamb is the chief subject of praise by the Church. (The Christian Magazine.)

The worship of heaven

Heaven’s worship is the worship of praise. Prayer Is not offered there. The ordinance, “Every one that asketh receiveth,” does not extend to heaven. Heaven’s tenants are always receiving; but they receive everything without asking. The spiritual discipline of asking is not needed in heaven. Complaint is not heard there; deprecation is not heard there; intercession is not heard there. God’s attributes are celebrated in chant and song. If the spirits in heaven were disembodied there would still be worship; but it would be silent worship—worship in affection; worship in volition. But if corporeal form shelter human souls there, and the faculty of utterance be given to those forms, surely that faculty must be consecrated to the purposes of devotion. There are bodies, and there is utterance. The praise of heaven is common—not solitary. There are no mere listeners there—all worship. And this praise is melodious. It is not praise in common speech, or ordinary language. There is music as well as voice. There are harmony and melody. The celestial congregation do not speak praise—they sing praise. It is known to all, moreover, that the worship of heaven is neither localised nor limited to seasons. There is incessant worship. The worship of the Paradise regained corresponds with the worship of the Paradise lost. All the ground is hallowed; every day is a holy day; every hour a season of worship; and worship is always in season. Is it possible for us men ever to be engaged in this worship? What are the qualifications of redeemed men for the worship of the skies? Capacity, qualification even for the worship of the skies, is involved in all that constitutes your salvation; involved in your new birth; involved in the position which you occupy as justified before God; involved in your sanctification.

1. A saved man has a capacity for the worship of heaven in his personal holiness, and in the knowledge of God with which that holiness is associated. Born with a sinful nature, and going astray from the beginning of life, he could not always see God in himself. Conscience then was smarting; but the wound is healed. Memory was then burdened with a load of transgression; but that load is taken away. Sin in various forms had dominion in that heart; but the dominion of sin is for ever destroyed.

2. Glorified saints have ability to worship in ever increasing knowledge of God; for in all celestial objects God is seen, and seen in those objects more and more.

3. The saved in heaven are capable of celestial worship through the influence over them of superior spirits. Before redeemed men rank angels and seraphs; and rising above them are thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. All these worship,

and they excite, and they encourage the saved man to worship. To be silent would be to imprison his own heart, and to fetter his own mind.

4. The serenity, the peace of mind which characterises the redeemed is another element of power for worship. The peace of God—that quietness of soul which, as you know, is essential to the highest worship, to adoration and to praise—keeps their hearts and minds; and there is no confusion of mind, no perturbation of soul. The troubled sea is an emblem of an unpardoned soul; but a sea of glass is a symbol of the glorified spirit. Understanding, reason, imagination, conscience, emotion, will, are all in their place, performing with accuracy and vigour the functions assigned to them. Here is no intellectual dulness or obliquity, no misguided or misplaced affection. The harp is strung and tuned, every string perfect, and the tension complete. The voice is strong, and sweet, and clear: there is no harshness, no lack of melody.

5. The equal development of every spiritual faculty and grace increases the capacity for worship. Inequality in our spiritual development is a great hindrance to worship. Here we often see narrow minds, feeble hearts, weak faith, fickle love, wavering hope, or broken utterance. In heaven the development is like that of a full-blown flower, or of perfectly ripe fruit.

6. Conscious identity is another element of power. Into the “I am,” and the “I was,” the glorified Christian fully enters; and the contrasts prompt him to worship. “I was,” he says, “in danger—I am safe. I was a criminal—I am a righteous child. I was a sufferer—I am now without a tear, without a sigh. I was poor—I have now an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.”

7. They have qualification also in the knowledge of all things with which they need to be acquainted. Many a matter that we have here called a mystery will there be fully explained.

8. A mighty power in worship is that of love—the love of gratitude and the love of complacency. We mean a deep sense of obligation to God, and a thorough joy in God. (S. Martin, D. D.)

Revelation 7:13-14

What are these which are arrayed in white robes.

What and whence are these?

I. Concerning the bright spirits in heaven—whence came they? “These are they which came out of great tribulation.”

1. They were then like ourselves, for, in the first place, they were tried like others.

(1) The saints now glorified were not screened from sorrow. I saw to-day a number of lovely flowers; they were as delightful in this month of February as they would have been in the midst of summer; but I did not ask, “Whence came they?” I know very well that they were the products of the conservatory; they had not been raised amid the frosts of this chill season, else they had not bloomed as yet. But when I look upon God’s flowers blooming in heaven, I understand from the voice of inspiration that they enjoyed no immunity from the chill breath of grief; they were made to bloom by the master hand of the Chief Husbandman, in all their glory, amid the adversities and catastrophes which are common to men.

(2) They were not even screened from temptation. To the child of God, temptation to sin is a greater grievance than the suffering of pain. Storms on any sea are to be dreaded; but a whirlwind raised by Satan on the black sea of corruption is horrible beyond conception. Yet, do not say you cannot enter heaven because you are tempted, for all those snow-white bands attained their glorious standing through much temptation, as well as through much affliction.

(3) They were men who as keenly felt trial and temptation as we do. Good men, because they are good, are not the less sorrowful when their beloved ones are taken from them: gracious men are not by grace petrified so as to despise the chastening of the Lord. Jacob mourned for Rachel, and David for Jonathan. Peter wept bitterly, and Paul had continual heaviness. Tribulations abounded and afflictions were multiplied to the first disciples, and we wrong both themselves and us if we dream that it was easier for them to suffer than for us. I grant you that they possessed a secret something which enabled them to endure, but that something was not homeborn in their nature any more than it is in ours. They were fortified by a secret strength which they found at the throne of God in prayer, a patience which the Holy Ghost wrought in them, and which He is equally ready to work in us.

2. The saints who are now in heaven needed trial like others. To what end do men need tribulation? We reply, they often require it to arouse them; and yonder saints who serve God day and night in His temple, once slept as do others, and needed to be bestirred. They required adversity to educate them into complete manhood, for they, too, were once babes in grace. They needed tribulation, moreover, that they might be made like their Saviour.

3. The children of God who are in heaven in their trials had no other support than that which is still afforded to all the saints.

4. If there was any difference between those saints and ourselves, it lay in their enduring superior tribulations, for “these are they that came out of great tribulation.”

II. What are these? The reply was, “They have washed their robes,” etc.

1. All those in heaven were sinners, for they all needed to wash their robes.

2. All who are in heaven needed an atonement, and the same atonement as we rely upon. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Not one of them became white through his tears of repentance, not one through the shedding of the blood of bulls or of goats.

3. The saints in heaven realised the atonement in the same way as we must do. The act which gave them the virtue which lies in the atonement was the act of faith. There is nothing to do, and nothing to feel, and nothing to be, in order to forgiveness; we have but to wash and the filth is gone.

III. Now, what of all this? Why, first of all, we must not draw the conclusion that trouble and temptation are any argument that a man will get to heaven. I add a caution. I would, however, have you learn that no amount of trial which we have to suffer here, if we are believers in Jesus, should lead us to anything like despair, for however trouble may encompass us to-day, those in heaven came through as great a tribulation, and why may not we? (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Whence come the saints?

“Whence came they?” Heaven, then, itself has a retrospect as well as a fruition. Heaven itself is a sequel and a consequence as well as a fact, and a present. Heaven is an arrival; heaven is a development; heaven is a result, in one aspect, however infinite its capacities of attainments beyond. “Whence came they?” Then they were somewhere before. These same persons, different as they are, transfigured as they are from anything that we see, yet were once here. We have seen such persons; we have talked with some of them. The dark river was known not to them, and it was no unmaking and remaking of them to us. “Whence came they?” They came from this earth, and they are perfected. But the question as It is answered in the context has a fuller meaning than this—it pre-supposes this, and passes on. “From earth,” of course is the answer, but from earth how conditioned and how used? Heaven is a sequel and a consequence—a consequence of what sort of earth? Heaven is a consummation, though never itself to be consummated. Then of what experience is it the consummation? He calls it two things: two only—pain and purification. “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes.” The simplicity, the brevity of the answer may surprise us? “Whence came they?” We might have expected in answer, From every possible variety of condition, private or public, humble or conspicuous, adverse or prosperous; wealth and length of days, or else sickness, privation, distress, and woe. Not so. The kind of earth from which they came was one and but one. “These are they that came out of great tribulation.” Pain, then, is the common feature of the earth, of which the terminus is heaven. It is a thought which has exercised Christian people, and we cannot wonder at it. If those who wear the white robes came out of great tribulation, what prospect is there for me to whom tribulation is an experience unknown? The question ought to press upon us. It is easy to say, You cannot force, you need not invite, and you must not simulate pain. If pain does not come the fault is not yours. Pain may be on its way—you must bear it when it comes. This is true, but it is not all the truth. If life smiles on you personally, if it supplies your abundant needs, if its occupations are pleasant, if its friends are many, if its bereavements are few and far between; if, therefore, you cannot affect not to be happy, it is plain that as regards yourself, the only two questions on this head can be—Are you thankful? and Are you kind? Do you receive your blessings from God, and do you share them generously with men? But much more than this. The compass of pain is not thus limited. If neither bodily pain nor mental is yours, we go on to ask, What of spiritual? Is it no pain to feel myself so sinful, that when I would do good evil is present with me; when I would feel the wonderful love there is no response; when I would mount up into the heaven, which is God’s, I faint, and fall back into the dreamy world where God is not? But while spiritual pain is one kind, one ingredient of the great tribulation, there is another—the purely unselfish pain: the pain which looks upon the animate creation groaning in travail, and travails in pain with it; the pain which looks on this anguished England, with food not enough, and work not enough for its toiling millions; feels, too, with the foolish misled dupes of the so-called sympathy or philosophy which leads them on to quagmires and quicksands unfathomable. Yes, there is an unselfish as well as a spiritual tribulation; and I think some of the white-robed in heaven have come out of it. So, then, pain is one of the two earths out of which heaven is made. Now for the other. We have called it in one word, purification. They washed their robes down here and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Purification: the being made white; Oh, who shall give me that for this black thing, this spotted, sullied, sordid blackening which is all around me? I feel it, I am ashamed, I am unhappy. Oh, for the whiteness, oh, for purification. Is it a name; is it a dream; or is it a reality? These white-robed ones in heaven, they have it; nay, they had it down here. So then justification, which is in other words the forgiveness of sins, sets in motion sanctification, which is purification, too.

But, lastly, we would bid you all ask, are you in process of purification? “Who can say,” a Scriptural writer asks, “Who can say I have made my heart clean? I am pure from my sin?” (Dean Vaughan.)

Final blessedness of the saints

I. The previous condition of the persons here presented to John’s notice. One unacquainted with God’s ways, or with the history of our race, would have been, perhaps, ready to conclude that, in their journey hither, their path had been strewed with flowers and gladdened with perpetual sunshine. This we ourselves would be apt to desire. But the ways of God are not as our ways, nor His thoughts as our thoughts. The zeal of saints for the truth of God; their opposition to the sinful practices which abounded around them; their diligence in the cultivation of holy affections; and their zeal in the discharge of private and public duties—all standing forth in marked contrast with the maxims and customs of a world lying in wickedness—have ever exposed them to innumerable trials, to reproaches, and sufferings. In addition to the causes of tribulation which we have now specified as the peculiar lot of the Christian, I mention farther the remains of sin within him.

II. The means by which they have attained their present state.

III. This blessedness of which these saints are represented as partakers. (James Clayson.)

The worshippers in the heavenly temple

I. The temple here spoken of. It is a heavenly temple; a holy place, standing not on this perishable world, but on the everlasting hills of heaven. All other temples have been erected by man, but this temple has been built by Jehovah Himself, to be the eternal dwelling place of His Church, and the seat of His own glorious throne. The most glowing descriptions that language can convey, and the most exalted conceptions to which our imaginations can reach, fall infinitely short of that dazzling splendour which fills the courts of the living God. The world which we inhabit, though defiled by sin and under the curse of God, has yet so much beauty and magnificence in it, that we are often delighted and astonished as we contemplate its scenes. What, then, must be the glory of that world which has never felt the polluting touch of sin, which was prepared before the foundations of the earth were laid? Happy are they who dwell in such a templet Blessed is the man who is but a doorkeeper in such a house!

II. The happy beings who are the worshippers in this splendid temple.

1. The former condition of these worshippers.

(1) It was an earthly condition. They were not, like the angels, always in this house. They were natives of an apostate world.

(2) Their condition, too, was a sinful one. There is not one among them who was not a transgressor while on earth, and who has not to this very hour a remembrance of his guilt.

(3) They were also in an afflicted condition. Many of them came here out of a state of peculiar distress and suffering.

2. Their present condition.

(1) It is a state of peace, a state of freedom from pain and sorrow. The billows of adversity which once filled them with fear still swell and rage, but they are all raging far beneath them, and can never again toss them with their waves.

(2) It is also a state of purity. “They have washed their robes,” etc. They were indeed continually contracting fresh defilement as long as they remained on earth, and were constrained to wash again and again in the same fountain that cleansed them at first; but if this fountain had left the unpardoned guilt of only one sin upon their souls, that one sin would have disqualified them for the pure services of the habitation of God, and have barred for ever its sacred doors against them. This free and full pardon of sin is not, however, the only blessing which the heavenly worshippers have obtained through the blood of the Lamb. The same fountain that freed them from the guilt of sin, washed away sin itself, and freed them from its power. Not that they were at once brought into this state of perfect purity. Years passed away before some of them were completely sanctified, and made meet to minister among the saints in light; and they were all harassed to their dying hour, in a greater or less degree, with the struggling corruptions of their evil hearts. But sin could not follow them beyond the grave.

(3) The state of these worshippers in the temple of God is one of triumph. They have “palms in their hands.”

3. The greatness of their number. Satan does not number among his subjects all the inhabitants of our globe. The Redeemer has a people on the earth. Who can tell how many an humble Christian has been travelling to the land of rest, while almost all around him, and even the honoured instrument that first turned his soul to God, have been ignorant of his faith?

Lesson:

1. The gospel of Christ does not promise to its followers any exemption from the calamities of life.

2. How great is the contrast between the present and the future condition of the followers of Jesus!

3. A loud call to self-examination. (C. Bradley, M. A.)

White robes

I. The white robes of innocence. The devil stains our souls. The world, too, stains them. Alas! we stain them by our own folly and fault.

II. The white robes of promise. These are the baptismal robes.

III. The white robes of cleansing. God gives us not one start alone in life; He gives us many. We make our promises, and we break them. But God never bids us give up hope. Try to do better. Lift up your hearts.

IV. The white robes of victory. It will not always be striving here. It will not always be staining our robes and cleansing them anew, and then, alas! staining them once more. If we persevere, we shall win. It is not failing to succeed which is so bad, but failing to try. And all who try, however feeble they may be, however often they may give in to the forces against them, shall at the last “stand … clothed with white robes,” etc. (J. E. C. Welldon,

M. A.)

The human population in heaven

I. Their earthly life was marked by great trial.

1. This should teach us contentment under our trials.

2. This should inspire us with magnanimity under our trials.

II. Their celestial circumstances are pre-eminently glorious.

1. Their appearance.

2. Their employment.

3. Their companionship.

4. Their blessedness.

III. The difference between the earthly and heavenly condition is attributable to Christ.

1. They were originally polluted.

2. The self-sacrifice of Christ has a purifying influence.

3. Their cleansing by this influence had taken place when on earth. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

The sainted in heaven

I. The beings to whom attention is directed. They were not the unfallen, in other words, the natives of that better country: they were redeemed human spirits. They were born of human parentage, and nursed upon a human breast. Their first expression on coming into existence was a wail, and their last, perhaps, a groan. And between those periods they had known their share of human suffering. If they had suffered, they had also sinned. No lingerers on the margin of wrong, no prodigals of a day, they had wandered into a far country, and theirs had been the alienation of years. And, if they had sinned, they had repented under the influence of the Holy Ghost; their hearts had turned in longing towards their Father’s house. Nor had their experience ended here. Young Christians, in the first joy of forgiveness, are apt to think heaven very near to them—that the celestial shores will soon loom upon their view. In passing through a Christian career, there are trials to be endured, Men were they “of whom the world was not worthy.” Into their labours we have entered. The harvests of their life we reap. “They came out of great tribulation.” Again, they went to heaven by the way of death.

II. Their position and glorious appearance.

1. They are before the throne of God. The meaning of the throne of God we know not. Heaven is said to be His throne, and earth His footstool. The presence of His infinite nature is diffused throughout all things; but, purged from the grossness of earth, the glorified have a more vivid sense of His presence than is given us. Then notice their glorious appearance: “Clothed in white robes”

(1) As being typical of their parity. No evil is there lurking within the blessed, and they shrink not beneath the Divine scrutiny.

(2) White robes are significant of triumph.

(3) White robes are significant of rest. The man who has laboured throws aside the garments worn in toil, and puts on others in which to repose. In this world, the condition of the Christian is not that of rest but of labour.

III. The employment of the redeemed. A very natural thought is that contained in the line of the American poet, when, speaking of a departed friend, he says: “Day after day we think what she is doing.” The rest of heaven is not that of death, but of infinite life. The repose of the redeemed does not consist in cessation from employ, but rather in the constant prosecution of congenial labour. Multiform will be the character of life in heaven.

1. There will be social life. There the golden chain of love will link all souls together, binding them to the throne of God. There a feeling of common love will flow through every heart. All will be at home.

2. There will be an intellectual life. The glory of man is his mind. To cultivate this stands among the highest duties of the present life. The present is the infancy of our being, but there is before us a majestic maturity.

3. The employment of heaven will be religious. In this, more than even his intellectual nature, man is capable of unlimited improvement. Even in this life no bounds can be set to faith, and hope, and love, so will it be in the future. Oh, it overwhelms us to think of the position of unfallen spirits, our brain grows dizzy from the height, our eyes dazzle in the excess of glory. Yet is there no altitude where created being now stands, but what man may attain to in the upward career of his moral progress, and for ever; and for ever will he continue to advance through the infinitudes of his nature’s possibilities. (S. Clarke.)

The blessed state of the redeemed

I. The condition out of which the redeemed have come.

1. They came out of a state of tribulation. “Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.”

(1) Disease, perhaps, sows its poisonous seeds in his frame.

(2) Death bereaves him of those who were the desire of his eyes.

(3) Adverse providences involve him in disappointment and indigence; the malice of men, in vexation and disgrace; and his own errors and imprudence in inextricable difficulties.

(4) Existence itself may become a burden through a complication of calamities.

(5) It is generally thought, however, that there is here an allusion to those sorrows which are peculiar to Christians. Like Stephen, they winged their way from martyrdom to the presence of God.

2. They came out of a state of impurity. The earth on which they dwelt is one wide scene of disobedience and rebellion against the Majesty of the universe. The taint of moral pollution adheres to all its intelligent inhabitants, and introduces disorder into its very frame.

II. The means by which the redeemed have been advanced to glory.

1. By washing their robes, and making them white in the blood of the Lamb, they acquired a title to be before the throne.

2. By washing their robes, and making them white in the blood of the Lamb, they acquired a meetness to be before the throne. They are freed from their inability to love and enjoy God; they are blessed with an incipient and growing meetness for heaven.

III. The nature of the felicity to which they are exalted.

1. They are raised to an exalted station. Those before the throne of God witness His glory in its brightest manifestations, and enjoy the most intimate communion with the Father of their spirits. The near sight which they obtain of God gives them more distinct apprehensions of His nature—produces more complete assimilation to His image, and fills with livelier joy. The servants who stood in the presence of Solomon must have caught something of the wisdom of their master; and those who are before the throne of God, cannot fail to advance in everything heavenly and divine.

2. They are engaged in the most exalted employments.

3. They are freed from all the infirmities, imperfections, and sufferings of the present life.

4. They make continual advances in the knowledge and enjoyment of God. (J. Kirkwood, M. A.)

All Saints’ Day a witness of grace

Putting aside those festivals in the Church’s year which speak to us of the life and death of our Blessed Lord, there is no festival so sublime as that which we keep to-day. We commemorate to-day, not the life of any one servant of God, but the life and example of all; of those whose very names we know not, save that we know that they are written in the Book of Life. There is a threefold lesson which speaks to all of us through this festival.

1. The lesson of faith. Especially is this a festival which tells of faith, inasmuch as, above all others, it bridges over the gulf which separates this world from the world beyond the grave. This life is to the future state what the bud is to the flower, the blade in the ear to the full corn. This is a truth of especial importance to us to-day, when we commemorate the faithful dead, whose warfare is accomplished. For it teaches us that there is a real fellowship between them and us; that their relation to us is not done away by death; that their souls are not sleeping idly; that they are living more truly, and in a nobler sense, than we ourselves. In this world, men of noble birth desire—and a right feeling it surely is—to keep the brightness of their name untarnished, not to disgrace the title which their fathers bore. “My ancestors,” such an one will say, “were brave and pure; they helped to vindicate liberty; I will try to be not less brave, not less upright, not less generous and true, than they.” Canst thou remember this, O Christian, and forget of what spiritual lineage thou art come? so noble, so pure, so ancient, that by its side the noblest title of this world is but of yesterday? that thou art of the communion of God’s saints, and they thy fathers and ancestors in the faith? Canst thou remain cowardly, remembering that they were brave?

2. But again, the doctrine of this festival is a witness for Christian endurance. It is difficult not to feel sad when we think what multitudes of our fellow-creatures are living sordid burdened lives, whose earthly course seems little else than a constant round of suffering and care. Yet let us observe, that wherever a ray of light shines in on this mystery of suffering, it is from the blessed thought of a life unseen. Or, take the case of one, whose life is often burdened by a consciousness of sin—who finds himself compassed with infirmity; who is often wearied of this constant struggle against besetting sins, “Oh, blessed day,” such an one may well say, “when this strife shall cease; when God in His pardoning mercy shall make me to become that which I long and pray to be.”

3. But again, this blessed festival, inasmuch as it thus throws rays of brightness on the sorrows of earth, teaches us a lesson of final perseverance and spiritual joy. We need to remember that in the dreariest November, the gloomiest days of the decaying year, there still stands out a festival of summer gladness, telling of that meeting beyond the grave, where no parting shall ever mar the unity of perfect love; that gathering on the eternal shore, as when the apostles beheld on the shore of the Lake of Galilee the presence of their risen Lord. (J. S. Bartlett, M. A.)

All Saints’ Day

We are not the first travellers; we are followers of those who have inherited the promises; and, far as the eye can reach, there is one long line of precursors all looking back to assure us that the proposed path is the right. Shall it then be questioned, that the greatest confirmation for faith is to be obtained from the memories of the worthies who have tried and verified the Christian religion? If there were a flaw in its proofs, it must have been long ago detected: if there were forgery in its documents, it must have been long ago exposed. And now how mighty are the external evidences of Christianity—evidences which the labours and events of centuries have piled up as an impregnable bulwark. It is enough for my private conviction, that Christianity is eighteen hundred years old. But this only applies generally to the truth of Christianity. Suppose me convinced of its truth, then how is my faith strengthened by the memory of those who have gone before me to heaven? We reply at once, that whatever man’s theoretical persuasion that Christianity is from God, there will be nothing like a practical exhibition of its energy to prevail on him to put faith in its disclosures. The great object of Christianity is to induce me to throw aside all dependence on my own moral strength, and to trust implicitly to the merits of a surety. If I will, indeed, do this, I shall find myself strengthened for conflict with my own evil nature, and at last made more than a conqueror over sin and the grave. Yet there may be misgiving, and if we were the first to put the promises to the proof, we might almost be pardoned for hesitating ere we dared take them to ourselves. The very greatness of the thing promised, and the smallness of the condition prescribed, might cause us to question whether we had not been deceived in concluding the Bible divine. And, therefore, oh, for the history of men who have made the experiment, and proved by experience that believers in Christ gain all which is promised! Here it is that we are vastly advantaged by being followers instead of forerunners in the Christian course. You cannot show me a promise in the Bible of whose fulfilment I cannot bring you evidence in the registered experience of some believer in Christ. Does the promise refer to support in affliction? Then what is that voice that rolls in upon us from the caves of the earth, where the persecuted have taken refuge—“God is a very present help,” a most “strong tower” to all who flee to Him for refuge? Is the promise that of immortality—glorious announcements that entrance shall be ministered

abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our God and Saviour? Indeed, you may tell me that no biography can exhibit the fulfilment of this promise. I cannot track the burning flight of the emancipated spirit delivered from the flesh, and launched into immortality. We own this. But, nevertheless, we can show you that these promises have sustained men in the very hour of dissolution. And though this does not show you that the promises are made good after death, yet proving them accomplished up to the very moment at which our inspection must cease, proving that they die not when everything that has not in it the breath of immortality does die, we call it nothing better than evasion, if you would plead the want of evidence of its fulfilment, because we cannot with our eyes of sense pierce the deep secrets of futurity. Now, hitherto we have spoken only of that confirmation of faith which is derivable from the experience of the righteous whom we this day commemorate; but let us now briefly consider how we may be strengthened also in patience; for those who are “clothed in white robes” are they who “came out of great tribulation.” The fact that afflictions have been the portion of the faithful should remove all surprise that we ourselves have to wrestle with sorrow; the fact that God hath not forsaken the faithful, but brought good out of evil, should scatter all fears that we may be left to perish in our distress. And what will they reply if we ask them whether they regret what they suffered for Christ, or whether, if they had to live over again, they would wish to pass through the same painful discipline? Oh! for melodious sounds in which to syllable their answers. The harshness of human speech ill suits the music of their whispers. They tell you with one voice, one peal of grateful acknowledgment, that the “sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory” revealed in them. (H. Melvill, B. D.)

Saints made from sinners

Professor Hy. Drummond addressing a meeting, said that as he walked through the city that morning, he had noticed a cloud like a pure snow-white bank resting over the slums. Whence came it? The great sun had sent down its beams into the city, and the beams had gone among the puddles, even the nauseous puddles and drawn out of them what they needed, and taken it aloft, and purified it, and there it was, above the city a cloud as white as snow! “And God,” said the professor, “can make His saints, who walk in white, out of material equally unfavourable; He can make a white cloud out of a puddle, He can make saints out of the most depraved.” (J. H. Jowett, M. A.)

These are they which came out of great tribulation.—

The ministration of suffering

Let us, in some few points, contrast suffering on earth with its fruits in heaven.

1. Earthly suffering seems to come either as a vengeance or as a calamity upon men. It is still a surprise until we have been long wonted to it. But the heavenly side, as disclosed in the apocalyptic vision, shows that suffering ordinarily comes neither as a vengeance nor as a calamity; for, although we may understand that God sometimes employs suffering for purposes of punishment, yet such an employment of it is special. Suffering is intercalated upon the course of nature, and is part of a universal experience. Storms may be most destroying, overflowing the land, tearing up foundations, sweeping away bridges, and submerging harvests; but this result of storms is exceptional. The fall of rain and the sweep of winds are part of the economy

of mercy. It is not for destruction, but for benefit. And so sufferings may, at times, in the hands of God, be punitive, but ordinarily they are not. Suffering is intended to make us let go of things that are lower, and to rise a grade higher. Here it seems as if God were angry; but in heaven it is seen that He was dealing in mercy. Here it seems as if great disaster had overwhelmed us; but there the breaking of the cloud over us appears as the waters of a bath from which we shall emerge purer, cleaner, and more manly.

2. Suffering seems to some contrary to the course of nature; an interruption and violation of natural order; but the revelation of the effects of suffering upon the future state shows that it is in accordance with the course of nature. It would seem rational to suppose that God built the enginery of the human mind for happiness; that the way of growth ought not to be through bafflings; that men should not find their stability by overthrow, and their liberty by restraint. At first view everything apparently tends towards freedom and full development. Men fail to see, however, that while there is one tendency toward liberty, there is another toward restraint. If anything can be shown by the indications and facts of nature, it is that man never grows to a man’s full estate without the ministration of suffering; and that suffering is a part of nature, or it could not be universal.

3. The contrast between the earthly appearance of suffering as something that weakens and beats us down, and the glorious light of the heavenly side is very striking; for while on earth suffering seems, in all its immediate tendencies, to take away from man, it is, in point of fact, adding to him. It seems to beat him down; but when we look forward to the full disclosure, we find that it is building him up. While the storm pelts, men shrink. While the thunder sounds, they slink down. While the tempest rages, it is as if they were ruined. But when the violence abates a little, they begin to lift up their head, and to perceive that it was not all dark, that it was not all thunder, that it was not all beating, that there was an element of good in it; and gradually they learn the sweet bounty and benefit that God meant to bestow upon them by afflictions.

4. The seeming cruelty of much of suffering, and the unnaturalness of it, are contrasted with great relief with this vision of the final state of those who have suffered in this world. The fatherliness and benevolence of suffering does not appear in its mere earthly relations. In heaven it is clearly pictured. There we see what it has wrought out. Human nature is very much like some elements of vegetation. In tapioca, one of the most harmless of all articles of food, there is one of the most deadly of all poisons. But the poison is of such a volatile nature, that when it is subjected to heat it escapes, and leaves only the nutriment of the starch. I think that the heart of man originally is full of poison, but that, when it is tried by affliction, little by little the poison, the rancour, the virus exhales, and leaves all the rest wholesome indeed.

5. Earthly suffering seems to weaken, to discourage them, and to destroy them; but the fact is, that it does not really destroy or weaken them. That part in us which suffering weakens is usually that very part which ought to be weakened. The great trouble in turning flax into thread or cloth is caused by that which gives the green plant its very power; for when the flax is growing, it needs two things—one is its ligneous or woody structure, and the other is its gluten. But when it has grown enough, and man wants it to make garments, to furnish the queen in the palace and the peasant in the cottage, he must get rid of these two things. And how is the flax separated from them? It is plucked and thrown into the field, that, under the

influence of repeated rains and dews, the wood may rot; then the flax is taken and put through the brakes, until every particle of the stiffness and strength that it had is destroyed, and all but the stringy fibres can be shaken to the winds; then it is subjected to certain chemical processes by which the gluten is taken away; and not till then is it in a proper condition to be carried to the spinning-wheel and the loom, and manufactured into materials for use. So it is with men. There are a great many qualities which they need up to a certain point, but which beyond that are a disadvantage to them. We need a given amount of self-will and independence; but after these qualities have been carried to a certain point, the necessity for them measurably ceases, and there must be superinduced on them opposite qualities. For man is made up of contraries. He is to be as firm as iron, and as yielding as silk; he is to be persevering, and yet most ready to give up; he is to be as steadfast as a mountain, and yet easy to be entreated; he is to abhor evil, and yet to love with an ineffable love; he is to be courageous, and yet to have that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Certain qualities, when they have served their purpose, must give place to opposite qualities. Afflictions, under the supervision of Divine Providence, are working out in those that are exercised thereby beneficent results; so that suffering, while it seems frequently to be wasting and destroying men, is only wasting and destroying that part of them which they are better without than with.

6. Suffering on earth seems to set men apart from their fellows. Sometimes it puts them into obscurity. It is an experience full of solitude, voluntary and yet inevitable. Every heart knows its own bitterness. There is a delicacy in grief often. And though sometimes it is clamorous and vocal, oftener it is silent. But there is a process quietly going on, though it may not be apparent, by which those who seem to be separated in the present shall in the future be gathered together by sorrow. Those that weep apart on earth shall joy together in heaven. Those who in their sorrows are cast out from the sympathies of their fellow-men shall be gathered into the fellowship and sympathy of the heavenly host. This separation and disintegration are only apparent. Really, it is a preparation for fellowship in the world to come. (H. W. Beecher.)

The memory of grief and wrong

Whether a race of finite and imperfect beings could have been trained for any worthy end, or have reached a state of conscious happiness, without the ministry of suffering, we are not competent to say. Whether this be the case or not, it is certain that very many of our happiest experiences, and of our best frames of mind and traits of character, are to be traced, if not to the direct agency, at least to the memory, of grief and wrong. I might remind you, in the first place, that the lowest degradation into which a human being can sink is a state in which there is no retentiveness, nay, hardly a transient consciousness, of painful emotion. Let a child, born in sin, be cast in very infancy upon the bleak world, without shelter, education, or guidance, exposed to the pelting of the elements, spurned and buffeted at every hand’s turn, that child becomes in his very infancy almost invulnerable to every outward influence, and incapable of feeling neglect or injury, but in this process he grows up an absolute brute. He is incapable of attachment and of gratitude. Gentleness cannot tame him, nor can severity awe him. As the frozen limb must be made sensitive to pain, before it is capable of healthy circulation or free motion, the first step towards making him happy will be to unseal the fountain of sorrow. He must weep before he can enjoy. Take next the ease of one who has fallen into loathsome degradation from a favoured and happy early lot. That fall was not without frequent and severe suffering, probably not without full as much wrong received as committed. But

the degraded being has lost his sensibility. Rags, hunger, blows, the alms-house, the prison-cell, have become congenial; and the traces of every new hardship or infliction are like those of the arrow in the air. Nor yet can you excite penitence or remorse by any moral representation, however pungent or attractive, of the evil and misery of guilt or the loveliness of virtue. You must go back to the days of innocence—to the earliest steps in the evil path. You must awaken the remembrance of obsolete wrong and sorrow. You must recall the prodigal’s first wretched pilgrimage from the father’s house. Let us pass now to experiences that lie more within our own sphere of consciousness, and, first, to domestic happiness. We can hardly be aware how much of the joy, how much of the purity and tenderness, of our home relations springs from the very events which we most dread, or from the shadow or apprehension of them. Two young hearts are plighted to each other in the most fervent love, and enter on their united life under the most prosperous auspices and with the highest hopes. Let everything answer to their anticipations—let their life flow on without grief or fear, and their love is either suddenly exhaled, or gradually frittered away. They grow mutually intolerant of their necessary differences of taste, opinion, and feeling. If they remain without mutual discord or dislike, it is through the negative power of passive good nature, while the heart-ties are all the while growing weaker, so that their dissolution would be more and more slightly and transiently felt. But, with their first weighty cares or solicitudes, they are drawn into an intimacy of feeling closer than they had ever imagined before. A similar view presents itself with regard to our religious characters. Could those of us, who are endeavouring to live in the fear of God and the love of Christ, trace back the growth of the religious life in our hearts, we should find that, while the germ was there before care or sorrow had taken strong hold upon us, yet in many instances its first decided development and rapid increase were in connection with pain, perplexity, or grief. It was the clouding over of earthly prospects, that opened to us a clear and realising view of heaven. It was the failure of fond hopes that sealed our determination to lay up treasures where hope cannot fail. It was the falling away of objects of our most confident dependence, that cast us upon the Most High as our only enduring refuge and support. I have spoken of the sheltered scenes of home, and of the interior life of the soul. In the outward relations of society, we are equally indebted to the ministry of affliction. How many are the pure and virtuous friendships, now sources of unalloyed gladness and improvement, which had their commencement in a common grief, or in a burden of solicitude or sorrow, which one, whom previously we had not known how to prize, hastened to bear with us, or we with him! In old age we can also trace the genial influence of sorrow. As the cloud, that has flashed its angry lightnings and poured its desolating showers, retreats fringed with gold and crimson, and spanned with the glorious bow of God’s unchanging promise, so do the griefs that have been the heaviest and the most cheerless, when they lie in the remote horizon of the past, glow with celestial radiance and Divine beauty. As the aged Christian looks back on the conflicts and sorrows of earlier years, every cloud has its rainbow, every retreating storm dies away in whispers of peace. It is the softened, painless memory of trial and of grief that feeds the spirit of patient, cheerful resignation, reconciles the soul to dissolution as it draws near, and sustains the willingness to depart, the desire to be with Christ. I have spoken chiefly of the sorrows that come to us by the direct appointment of Providence. Are there any of us who can look back on wrong and injury done to us by our fellow-men? Even this, if we were wise, we would not wish to forget. Far more noble is it to remember in full and yet forgive, to retain our sensitiveness unimpaired, and yet to take the offending brother to our hearts as if he had done us no wrong. Thus only can we make the wounds of carelessness, unkindness, envy or malice, permitted, though not wrought by Providence, coincide in their blessed ministry with the griefs that flow from the hand of God. Thus do we turn our enemy into

a benefactor, by making him the unconscious instrument of calling out in our hearts traits more elevated, Christlike, Godlike, than without his agency we could have put into exercise. Finally, the connection in which our text stands leads us to extend the benign ministry of sorrow to the world where sorrow is unknown. The frequent trials of the present state, its disappointed hopes, defeated plans, withered joys, may, far along in the heavenly life, supply the term of comparison, reveal the measure of our happiness, quicken the flow of adoring gratitude, and sustain a full consciousness of the felicity in which we are embosomed. (A. P. Peabody.)

Why the heavenly robes are white

I. What did these white robes mean?

1. The white robes show the immaculate purity of their character. White signifies perfection; it is not so much a colour as the harmonious union and blending of all the hues, colours, and beauties of light. In the characters of just men made perfect we have the combination of all virtues, the balancing of all excellences, a display of all the beauties of grace. Are they not like their Lord, and is He not all beauties in one?

2. By “white robes we also understand the fitness of their souls for the service to which they are appointed; they were chosen before all worlds to be kings and priests unto God, but a priest might not stand before the Lord to minister until he had put on his appointed linen garments; and therefore the souls which have been taken up to heaven are represented in white robes to show that they are completely fitted for that Divine service to which they were ordained of old, to which the Spirit of God called them while they were here, and in which Jesus Christ leads the way, being a Priest for ever at their head.

3. “White robes” also signify victory. I should think that in almost every nation white has indicated the joy of triumph. True, the Romans adopted purple as their imperial colour, and well they might, for their victories and their rule were alike bloody and cruel; but the Christ of God sets forth His gentle and holy victories by white: it is on a “white cloud” that He shall come to judge the world, and His seat of judgment shall be “the great white throne.”

4. White is also the colour of rest. Well may the redeemed be thus arrayed, for they have finally put off the garments of toil and the armour of battle, and they rest from their labours in the rest of God.

5. Chiefly, white is the colour of joy. Almost all nations have adopted it as most suitable for bridal array, and so therefore these happy spirits have put on their bridal robes, and are ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb.

II. How did they come by those white garments?

1. Those characters were not so pure, or, in other words, those garments were not so white by nature. They are washed, you see, and therefore they must once have been stained. Original sin has stained the character of all the sons of Adam. Do not think of one saint who has gone to his reward above as being in any way different in nature from yourselves; they were all men of like passions with us, men who had within them the same tendencies to sin. But it might be suggested that perhaps they came to their rest by a cleaner way than that which now lies before us. Possibly there was something about their surroundings which helped them to keep their garments white. No, it was not so; they passed along the road of tribulation, and that

tribulation was not of a less trying kind than ours. Their road was just as miry as ours, and perhaps even more so. How this ought to assist us to feel that albeit our pathway is one in which we meet with innumerable temptations, yet inasmuch as all the glorified have come up white and clean from it, by virtue of the atoning blood, even so shall we.

2. Their garments came to be white through a miracle of grace, because they came through the great tribulation, where everything tended to defile them. I do not think that the text refers to some one great persecution, but to the great conflict of the ages in which the seed of the serpent perpetually molests and oppresses the seed of the woman. The enmity takes all sorts of shapes, but from the beginning even until now it is in the world. Now the white robed ones had come out of that continuous and general conflict uninjured: like the three holy children who came out of the furnace with not so much as the smell of fire upon them. Some of them had been slandered: men of the world had thrown handfuls of the foulest mud upon them, but they washed their robes and made them white. Others of them had come out of remarkable temptations from men and devils; they were tried by the most defiling of temptations, but they overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and were delivered from every polluting trace of the temptation by the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice. It was by the operation of the blood of Christ, and by nothing else, that the glorified saints were made clean.

3. Some of the trials of the saints are evidently intended, by those who are the instruments of them, to make them sin. Tribulation has a tendency to create, even in good men, new sins: sins into which they have never fallen before. “Brother,” thou sayest, “I shall never repine against God.” How knowest thou that? Thou sayest, “I have never done so unto this hour.” Art thou not in health and strength? Why, then, shouldst thou murmur? But suppose the Lord were to strip thee of all these things, O man, I fear me thou mightest murmur as others have done. In some men tribulation works a very fierce temptation to distrust.

4. So, too, great trials are wonderfully apt to reveal the weakness of our graces and the number of our infirmities. Spiritual storms make a man discover what utter weakness he is, and then he is wise to fly to the blood of the Lamb. Oh, what a sweet restorative is found in the atoning sacrifice!

III. What lesson comes out of this?

1. I would say to you, first, meditate on it. A sight of Christ in His agony is a wondrous sure for our agonies.

2. But the chief thing is this—in all times of tribulation the great matter is to have the blood of Christ actually applied to the soul. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The sufferings of the redeemed

God’s Word does not conceal, but, on the contrary, rather forewarns, that the road to Heaven is one of trial. Christ prepared His people for the highway thither being hedged with tribulation. “Beloved,” says St. Peter, “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice.” These trials are the ladder-steps by which the immortal spirits in this vision attained their bliss. We can almost imagine ourselves listening to their varied testimony. “God laid me,” would be the experience and retrospect of one, “on a bed of sickness. I was living a life of

engrossing worldliness. I was taking my health as a thing of course. I had no thought of death. He who gave me the abused talent stretched me on a couch of pain. Year after year I was familiarised with the dim night-lamp—the sleepless vigils—the aching head. But He allured me into the wilderness that He might speak comfortably unto me. I now praise Him for it all. Through the chinks of the battered earthly tabernacle were admitted the first rays of the heavenly glory. In the solitary night-watches my lips were first tuned for the heavenly song.” “I was reposing in the sunshine of earthly prosperity,” would be the testimony of another. “The fabled horn of plenty exhausted its ample stores in my lap. Riches increased; ah! I set my heart upon them; my closet, my Bible, my family, were sacrificed in the demon scramble. At an unexpected moment the crash came—the whole fabric of a lifetime (the golden fabric) fell to the ground. Seated amid empty coffers, and dismantled walls, and blighted hopes, I was led to bring the perishable into emphatic contrast with the eternal. I too thank my God for it all. But for that simoom-blast which swept over ms, burying the hoarded treasures of a vain existence, I would have died the fool that I lived.” “I was an idolater of my family,” another would tell. “I was leaning too fondly and tenderly on some cherished prop—some gourd in the earth-bower of my happiness. The prop gave way—the gourd withered. But as some gentle spirit (be it that of husband, or wife, or child, or brother, or sister) winged its flight to the realms of glory, It brought me, as I was never before, into near and holy contact with the Unseen. The tie snapped on earth bound ms to the throne of God. These thorns inserted in the earthly nest drove me to the wing, and suffered me not to stay my flight until I had reached the golden eaves of the heavenly home!” (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)

The richer flowerings of character caused by trial

It is said that gardeners sometimes, when they would bring a rose to richer flowerings, deprive it for the season of light and moisture. Silent and dark it stands, dropping one faded leaf alter another, and seeming to go down patiently to death. But when every leaf is dropped, and the plant stands stripped to the uttermost, a new life is even then working in the buds, from which shall spring a tender foliage and a brighter wealth of flowers. So, often in celestial gardenings, every leaf of earthly joy must drop before a new and divine bloom visits the soul.

Character formed by tribulation

I saw a beautiful vase, and asked its story. Once it was a lump of common day lying in the darkness. Then it was rudely dug out and crushed and ground in the mill, and then put upon the wheel and shaped, then polished and tinted and put into the furnace and burned. At last, after many processes, it stood upon the table, a gem of graceful beauty. In some way analogous to this every noble character is formed. Common clay at first, it passes through a thousand processes and experiences, many of them hard and painful, until at length it is presented before God, faultless in its beauty, bearing the features of Christ Himself. Spiritual beauty never can be reached without cost. The blessing is always hidden sway in the burden, and can be gotten only by lifting the burden. Michael Angelo used to say, as the chippings flew thick from the marble on the floor of his studio: “While the marble wastes the image grows.” (J. R. Miller, D. D.)

Tribulation ministers to manhood

You may in the conservatory rear the trailing vine or rear the tropical plant, but put into it hardy English oak, Or the tall Norwegian pine, and they, within the conservatory, would die—their life is exposure. Give them the heaven, the wind of heaven in their branches; give them the dew and the rain of heaven on their leaves: give them the great spacious earth beneath into which they can send their roots in search of moisture, and in search of strength; and they will live, and become things of beauty and joy for ever. So let man in the grace, and by the strength of God, face life; stand in front of it, with all its trouble, with all its tempest, with all its sorrow, with all its suffering! The tribulation will work patience, make the more of a man of him, make him the more able to stand in the presence of God as a servant approved. (A. M. Fairbairn, D. D.)

GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, “The Redeemed

After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.—Rev_7:9-10.

1. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia end with the third chapter of the Apocalypse. The

fourth and fifth chapters describe two great acts of worship. In the fourth chapter God is worshipped

as the Creator. The four Cherubim, or Living Creatures, representing all created life, are seen in

perpetual adoration of their Maker. The four-and-twenty Elders—the patriarchs of the Old Covenant

and the apostles of the New—fall down before the throne and worship God, saying, “Worthy art

thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honour and the power: for thou didst create

all things.”

The fifth chapter introduces the great work of redemption. The Lamb appears in the midst of the

throne, typical of the eternal Son, the Redeemer of the world. As He takes the Book of Doom from

His Father’s hands, the four Living Creatures and the four-and-twenty Elders fall down before Him

and sing a new song, the song of the redeemed. The angel chorus pours forth its chant of

thanksgiving to the Lamb, and every creature in heaven and earth and sea joins in the act of

adoration.

Then at the ninth verse of the seventh chapter this second great act of worship enters on a new

stage. The congregation, which hitherto has been drawn from the twelve tribes of Israel, is now

seen to be a great multitude which no man can number, and it is taken from every nation upon the

earth.

2. The redeemed are at worship. Where are they? They are in heaven, no doubt. But heaven is not

to be identified with the world to come. Life before the throne God says Swete is life wherever

spent, if it is dminated by a joyful consciousness of the Divine Presence and Glory. And he adds

that the present picture must be correlated with hat of chapters 21. and 22.

The text suggests, first, the number of the redeemed; second, their variety; and thin, their unity—

their unity being seen (1) in their position or standing; (2) in their character; (3) in their feeling; and

(4) in their occupation.

I

The Number of the Redeemed

1. “A great multitute, which no man could number.” It is a vision. But St. John had some material to

work upon. Says Harnack, “The vigour and the variety of the forms already assumed by Christianity

in these quarters are shown by the seven epistles to the Churches in the Johannine Apocalypse, by

the whole tenor of the book, and by the Ignatian Writings.”

Tacitus, the careful Roman historian, in writing of the persecution of the Christians, under Nero in 64

a.d., says of their number that they were a huge multitude—“ingens multitudo.” The expansion of

Christianity in the first years of its existence is one of the marvels of history. When it first began to

be preached it was ridiculed and lampooned by the ablest satirists of the day. Every foul crime was

charged upon its followers. The believers in the Christ were tortured, mutilated, thrown to wild

beasts. Yet in spite of everything the church grew, grew and increased rapidly in numbers and in

power.

Seventy years after the founding of the very first Gentile church in Syrian Antioch, Pliny wrote in the

strongest terms about the spread of Christianity throughout remote Bithynia, a spread which in his

view already threatened other cults through out the province. Seventy years later still the Paschal

controversy reveals the existence of a Christian federation of churches, stretching from Lyons to

Edessa, with its headquarters situated at Rome. Seventy years later again, the Emperor Decius—

the fierce persecutor—declared he would sooner have a rival emperor in Rome than a Christian

bishop. And are another seventy years had passes, the cross was sewn upon the Roman

colours.1 [Note: H. T. Sell, Studies in Early Church History, 150.]

2. But the vastness is the outcome of faith much more than of sight. In another place St. John states

the impression which the physical eye receives: “We are of God, and the whole world lieth in

wickedness.” The eye of faith is the eye of that God who invited Abraham to go out into the evening

and count the number of the stars. It is the eye of that Christ of God who planted the mustard seed

which grew into a great tree.

As their praise was erst not of men but of God, so now their number is known not to men but to

God. “So many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore

innumerable.” “I beheld,” says St. John: and you with your eyes, I with mine (please God!) shall yet

behold.1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, The Face of the Deep, 31.]

3. The text is an answer at last to the question, “Are there few that be saved?” Were we to answer

that question by sight we should probably answer it quite otherwise, our judgment being formed

partly from the state of our own heart, and partly from what we see around us. With our own heart

we cannot be too stern. To it Christ’s answer is addressed, “Strive ye to enter in.” With our

neighbour we cannot perhaps be too lenient. In any case our neighbour has a right to ask, “Who

made thee a judge or a divider over us?” We do not know enough to form a judgment.

Who made the heart, ’tis He alone

Decidedly can try us;

He knows each chord, its various tone,

Each spring, its various bias.

Then at the balance let’s be mute,

We never can adjust it;

What’s done we partly may compute,

But know not what’s resisted.2 [Note: Robert Burns.]

It is recorded of Daniel Webster that he was travelling in a then uninhabited part of Western

America which is now covered by great and populous cities. As he and a friend were exploring that

vast solitude, Webster suddenly lowered his head and seemed to listen.

“What are you doing?” inquired his friend.

“I am listening for the tramp of the coming millions!” replied Webster, his face aglow with confidence

in the future greatness of his country.

II

The Variety

1. The variety is as great as the number. What a distance St. John has travelled! It is a long way for

his feet from the shores of Galilee to the isle that is called Patmos; but how much father for his

heart, from his hope for the seed of Abraham to this assurance of all nations and tongues! There is

nothing that some men seem so sure about as the limitation of our Lord’s outlook. It is true He was

not sent in His lifetime on earth but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But it was Christ, and

not St. Paul, that enabled St. John to see the variety of the redeemed.

2. Every nation, and every variety of individual in every nation, every variety of gift and ministry—

singers in choirs, nurses and doctors, visitors of the sick, priests, prophets, pastors, missioners,

Bible-women, mothers, daughters—“I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” These are of the

redeemed now. They do not need to wait for death to find their place in St. John’s majestic vision.

“For all the saints who from their labours rest”—yes, certainly, for Livingstone and Gordon and

Shaftesbury, for Lawrence and Martyn and Duff and Grenfell—but also for the saints who are still

bearing the burden and heat of the day. O blessed union, fellowship Divine! “Next to the presence of

God and the Lamb,” says Hort, “the highest blessing is the presence of them who follow the Lamb

whithersoever He goeth.”

3. What an encouragement it is to the missionary! “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,

saith the Lord of hosts.” We are only now realizing that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the

communication of the love of God to the hearts of men; that Christianity is a spiritual power and

impulse stirring all that is great and noble in the soul, not only making righteousness a dream, but

also making it a dream realized in hearts transformed into the image of God. Christianity is

indigenous in every land and among every race because Christianity is the love of God out-flowing

to men—and than primal feeling of love every race knows. But it is only in this last generation that

we have realized it. In times of strife Christianity was thought of as a system which put iron in the

blood. When we pierced down to the heart of Christianity, felt its throb again, realized that it was the

love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, then the way opened out for the sending of

the gospel to the heathen world, and the nations were moved at its approach, as if they, too, were

prepared for its coming.

There never has been a day of opportunity like this in the history of the Church and the world. The

way is open; the door is open; the hearts of the nations are open. Will the Churches rise to the great

call which summons them? Will they, failing to obey Christ, and failing to communicate Him,

themselves lose Him? Is the element of the heroic still vigorous in Christianity? Does Christ still stir

the hearts of His people so that they are willing to die for Him?

“A people is upon thee loving death as thou lovest life,” was the message of the Mohammedan of

old to his enemy. Is there still in Christendom the spirit which loves death for Christ’s sake? If there

be, then in this, the great day of opportunity, the tide of the world’s destiny will be turned towards

the Lord Jesus Christ. And it will be turned. For the Spirit is still in the midst of the Church, and until

the end adoring lips will cry—

“Now let me burn out for God.”1 [Note: N. Maclean, Can the World be Won for Christ?

174.]

In the early days of New Zealand history, Governor (afterwards Sir) George Grey was walking, on a

lovely Sunday afternoon, with Bishop Selwyn. They entered a tent, followed by a messenger

bearing dispatches which had just arrived. One letter to the bishop brought the news of the death of

Siapo, a Loyalty Islander, who had become a Christian, and was being educated at Auckland under

the bishop’s supervision. Overcome with grief, Selwyn burst into tears. Then turning to the

Governor, he exclaimed, “Why, you have not shed a single tear!” “No,” replied Grey, “I have been so

wrapped in thought that I could not weep. I have been thinking of the prophecy that men of every

race were to be assembled in the kingdom of heaven. I have tried to imagine the joy and wonder

prevailing there at the coming of Siapo, the first Christian of his race. He would be glad evidence

that another people of the world had been added to the teaching of Christ.” “Yes, yes,” said Selwyn,

“that is the true idea to entertain; I shall weep no more!”

III

The Unity

The multitude that no man can number is a Society. Their robes have become white because every

stain of selfishness has been washed from them by the blood of the Lamb. Their palms show that

they have gotten the victory over those causes which have destroyed the unity of kindreds and

nations here. There is no dull uniformity, no single tongue: all is harmonious amidst diversity. Here,

some have glorified power to the destruction of meekness; some have pretended that meekness is

incompatible with strength. There, all give glory to Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb.

Here, men who are sealed in the Name of God have thought that they glorified that Name most by

declaring His damnation of His enemies or theirs. In that company, the one word which is connected

with the Divine Name is salvation—salvation from the curse that men have made for themselves.

“All nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.”—Never, since Babel, a unison; no longer,

since the first Christian Pentecost, an inevitable discord: for ever and ever, a harmony. Babel

dissolved the primitive unison into discord: Pentecost reduced the prevalent discord to contingent

harmony, but reclaimed it not into unison. Unison is faultless: harmony is perfect. On earth the

possibility of harmony entails the corresponding possibility of discord. Even on earth, however,

whoever chooses can himself or herself keep time and tune: which will be an apt prelude for

keeping eternity and tune in heaven.1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, The Face of the

Deep, 231.]

A Canadian bishop has lately described what he saw and heard one night. He and some friends

were on one side of a great Canadian river; a company of Christian Indians on the other. As the

Englishmen gazed into the falling fire they heard a hymn across the river. This was succeeded by a

hush. The song of the Red men across the water drew out a song from them, and that touched the

Indians to a prayer whose measured tones just reached them across the water. O sweet

communion of saints! “What was the river between?” asks the bishop. What, indeed? On one side

there rose prayers and praises in the language of Milton and Shakespeare, of saints and sages; on

the other, in words borrowed by the wild hunters from the glee of the waterfall or from the sighing of

the pinewood. Yet once again the whole earth seemed to be “of one language and of one lip.” Out

from the darkness there rose not a mere picture—a reality. Not the white Christ, with the blood-

drops trickling down; but the living Christ, radiant and mighty. The harp of language with its myriad

chords rang out through the starry silence. Not the Indian and the English only. Not one language

was quite absent from the chorus. No longer Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. “All nations, and

kindreds, and people, and tongues.”1 [Note: Archbishop Alexander, Verbum Crucis,

126.]

Principal D. W. Simon illustrates (Twice Born, 194) the unity and diversity of the redeemed by

quotations from the hymns of the world. First of all he shows how widespread is the acceptance of a

hymn like “Rock of Ages.” Our English hymn-books, he goes on, teem with translations from the

German, with translations from the Latin, with translations from the Greek—“Jesus! Thy boundless

love to me” (German); “Jesus! Thou joy of loving hearts!” (Latin); “O happy band of pilgrims”

(Greek). It is an illustration that might be worked out easily and with much effect.

1. They are one in their Position or Standing—“standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

Once they were “strangers and foreigners”; now they are “fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the

household of God.” Once they were far off; now they are made nigh. Once they were afraid to draw

near; now they have access with boldness. “Happy are thy men,” said the Queen of Sheba to

Solomon, “which stand continually before thee.” Happy are they who stand before the throne and

before the Lamb. It is this that marks the difference between the first vision and the second,

between the worship of the Creator and the worship of the Redeemer. They who worship the

Creator veil their faces with their wings; every one of the redeemed, however vast their number and

various, is made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Longings for pardon, for rest, for peace are met by the simple acceptance of this Saviour, whose

blood speaks peace to the conscience and whose love brings rest to the heart. So powerful is this

sprinkled blood that it can carry a sinner into the holiest of all to hold communion at the Mercy-seat

with a reconciled God and Father. “One touch of this cleansing blood seals the soul for service.” Its

voice—like the sound of the waves on the shore—is ever speaking peace in a believer’s ear,

“sometimes loudly, sometimes less clearly, but always speaking.” “If a believer can do without the

blood he is a backslider.” “At the Bush Moses was forbidden to draw nigh, but afterwards on the

Mount he went up into the very presence of God. What made the difference? At the Bush there was

no sacrifice.”1 [Note: Reminiscences of Andrew A. Bonar, 134.]

2. In Character—“arrayed in white robes.” The white robes, we are afterwards told, are the

righteous acts of the saints. They are an exchange for the “filthy rags” of selfishness and

selfrighteousness. If still here, they may not be wholly white; but even here He sees them in their

shield, and looks upon them in the face of His anointed, and He sees no iniquity in Jacob and no

perverseness in His Israel. And yet it is no hollow, fictitious righteousness. Their will consents. They

themselves have washed their own robes—only they have not washed them in their own blood; they

have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

It is related of Queen Victoria that one day she visited a paper-mill, the owner of which showed her

through the works, and, not knowing who she was, took her, among other places, into the rag-room.

When she saw the filthy rags, out of which the paper is made, she exclaimed, “How can these ever

be made white?” “Ah, lady!” was the reply, “I have a chemical process of great power, by which I

can take the colour even out of these rags!” Before she left, the owner discovered that she was the

Queen. A few days after, the Queen found lying upon her writing-desk some of the most beautifully

polished writing-paper she had ever seen. On each sheet were stamped the letters of her name,

and her likeness. There was also a note from the mill-owner, asking her to accept a specimen of the

paper, with the assurance that every sheet was manufactured out of the dirty rags she had seen.

3. In Feeling—“and palms in their hands.” Archbishop Trench will have it that it is a feeling of joy.

For the Apocalypse, he says, moves altogether in the circle of sacred imagery; all its symbols and

images are derived from the Old Testament. And so he refers to the Feast of Tabernacles, when

with branches of palm trees the people rejoiced before the Lord seven days. But the Seer of the

Apocalypse was certainly familiar with the palm as a symbol of victory. And perhaps the two ideas

are not so far apart. If it was joy, it was the joy of a great triumph, triumph over the world, the flesh,

and the devil; the joy of being more than conquerors through Him that loved them. In the presence

of Christ has always been fulness of joy, downward from the time in which “your father Abraham

rejoiced to see my day.”

It is more natural to think that the mention of the palms here, together with the expression

in Rev_7:15, “He that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them,” is intended to

indicate that the redeemed are represented as keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. At that feast not

only was it the custom for the faithful to dwell in booths or tents, but also in the festal solemnities to

carry in their hands palm branches with myrtles and willows, in fulfilment of the charge

in Lev_23:40 : “Ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees,

and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook.” These palm branches, or lulabs, as they were

called, were borne in procession by the worshippers on each of the seven days of the solemnity,

when they accompanied the priest to the pool of Siloam, as he went to draw water from thence, to

bring it to the Temple and pour it out by the altar. So this great multitude which St. John sees bear

palms in their hands when the Lamb is about to lead them to no earthly fountain or pool, but to

“living fountains of waters.” This view seems also to obtain a further confirmation from the fact that

the thought of the tabernacle feast is not unknown to the prophets of the Old Testament in

connexion with the future of the Church of God, e.g., Zec_14:16. It was not merely that this feast

formed the most joyous of all the festive seasons of Israel; it was rather that it was the “feast of

ingathering,” a sort of harvest home, and was thus regarded as pointing forward to the final harvest

when Israel’s mission should be completed, and all nations should be gathered unto the Lord.

The Feast of Tabernacles commences five days after the Day of Atonement and lasts seven days.

Its observance is commanded in the Mosaic Law (Lev_23:34), and its purpose is there explained as

to commemorate the way in which the Israelites dwelt in booths (sukkoth) during their journey

through the wilderness.

Every Jew who owns a court or garden is required to erect a booth, or something more or less

equivalent, and to dwell in it—or at least have meals in it—while the feast lasts. In order that the

character of the original booth may as far as possible be retained, the modern counterpart is very

lightly constructed. It “must not be covered with fixed boards and beams or with canvas, but with

detached branches of trees, plants, flowers, and leaves, in such a manner that the covering is not

quite impenetrable to wind and rain, or starlight.” The booths are adorned with garlands, flowers,

and the like.

In the Synagogue the ancient and original character of the celebration as a Harvest Festival—the

“Feast of Ingathering,” or thanksgiving for the gathered produce of the fields and gardens—is made

prominent in various ways. The Synagogue itself is decorated with plants and fruits; and there are

the palm-branch processions. The worshipper takes the palm-branch (lulab) in the right hand, and

the ethrog or citron (fixed in a metal receptacle) in the left, reciting as he does so the following

blessings:

(1) Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us with Thy

commandments, and commanded us to take up the palm-branch.

(2) Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast preserved us alive, sustained

us, and brought us to enjoy this season.

These are lifted up during the recitation of the Hallel (Psalms 113-118) in morning prayer. At the end

of the Musaf or “Additional” prayer, a procession is formed, and the worshippers with the citron and

palm-branch, make a circuit while certain prayers called “Hosannas” (Hosha’anoth) are recited.

The joyous character of the festival finds its fullest expression on the seventh day, the popular name

of which is Hosha’na Rabba (“The great Hosanna”). It is so called because the exclamation

“Hosanna,” and the “Hosanna-processions” are much more frequent than on the preceding six days.

Seven processions take place round the whole Synagogue, a separate “hosanna” hymn being sung

each time.

At the completion of the processions, the worshippers being now in their places, the lulab is laid

aside and the willow-bunch taken up, and a few more poetical pieces are said. All join in the

messianic hymn beginning “A voice brings glad tidings, brings glad tidings, and says.” Then with the

utterance of a petition for forgiveness of sins each shakes or strikes the willow-bunch on the desk

before him till its leaves fall off, and throws it away.1 [Note: W. O. E. Oesterley and G. H.

Box, The Religion and Worship of the Synagogue, 397, 401.]

4. In Occupation—“they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation.” Their occupation is worship, of

course. All their life is worship. St. John cannot conceive any one of the redeemed otherwise

occupied than in worshipping, whether he is in the home, or the field, or the market-place. But the

special form of the worship that attracts his attention is praise. Their great cry is a song, and there is

no discord in it. Every person of every tribe has a voice and sings in harmony with all the rest.

Their cry is the acknowledgment that their salvation—the salvation which they now taste—is due not

to themselves, but to their God and to the Lamb. The salvation here must be taken in its most

comprehensive sense, including every deliverance—from the curse of law, from the power of sin,

and from the perils of life. This is “the voice of rejoicing and salvation which is in the tabernacles of

the righteous,” when the Lord, who is their strength and song, “has become their salvation.”

Salvation to our God, our salvation is unto, is wholly due to, our God. “Salvation belongeth unto the

Lord”: it is all His, from first to last; every step of the way, and its termination. Yes, self-confidence,

self-righteousness, self-exaltation, vanity, there, in heaven, in God’s presence, will be as impossible

as they are natural and common here.e The “great multitude which no man could number” of the

ransomed and saved, standing in heaven “before the throne” of God, join with one voice in ascribing

solely to Him and to the Lamb the praise of their salvation. And the Angels, “in whose presence,”

while earth lasted, “there was joy over every sinner,” one by one, “who repented,” may well rejoice,

with a joy accumulated and intensified, over the final ingathering of all who have been saved. Most

of all, well may they echo the ascription of all glory to God and to the Lamb. Amen, even so; it is

indeed He who hath kept us from our fall; it is indeed He who hath brought you back from yours!

1 [Note: C. J. Vaughan, Lectures on the Revelation of St. John, 192.]

What are these lovely ones, yea, what are these?

Lo these are they who for pure love of Christ

Stripped off the trammels of soft silken ease,

Beggaring themselves betimes, to be sufficed

Throughout heaven’s one eternal day of peace:

By golden streets, thro’ gates of pearl unpriced,

They entered on the joys that will not cease,

And found again all firstfruits sacrificed.

And wherefore have you harps, and wherefore palms,

And wherefore crowns, O ye who walk in white?

Because our happy hearts are chanting psalms,

Endless Te Deum for the ended fight;

While thro’ the everlasting lapse of calms

We cast our crowns before the Lamb our Might.1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, Poetical

Works, 212.]

OTES

Phil Ware writes of his experience:The warm moist air fogged my glasses, unknown smells enveloped me, and I was engulfed by the crescendoing noise of the street. We walked down the alleyway and onto the already crowded main street. We made our way to an off-street cafŽ and sat down. For breakfast, we ordered a scrambled egg mixed in with stir-fried chicken, hot green peppers and rice. In

Bangkok less than thirty hours and on our way to church, we decided our systems needed a jump-start on the day. A little later, we entered a church building full of happy and excited people. They came from all over Bangkok. As the service progressed, we were thrilled to find we knew nearly all of the songs. Most were contemporary praise songs, with a couple of old hymns and a few distinctively Thai songs in the mix. We listened to a message from God’s Word spoken in Thai and translated into English. Then visitors were introduced - people of every skin color, from 11 different countries, and every continent except Antarctica. We greeted one another, sang a closing song, and were dismissed. People stayed around most of the afternoon napping, working on projects, visiting, studying, and playing games. Late in the afternoon, a young man confessed his faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and was baptized. He gave a short testimony on how he was giving up his superstitions and amulets, trusting in Jesus as Lord and wanting the Holy Spirit to help him lead his life.

The fellowship and praise transcended cultural, racial,

and language boundaries. I remember this day as a taste of heaven. The fellowship and praise transcended cultural, racial, and language boundaries. We shared a connection deeper than the things that so often isolate us from each other. Barriers were not torn down, they were simply lost in the presence of Christ. What made this Sunday special was that it was not a special Sunday - this was not a worldwide conference or seminar, we were just believers on our way to different places brought together by our love for God and his people. Today, as I once again listened to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. give his “I Have a Dream” speech, I was reminded about the dream Jesus showed to John on the island of Patmos. John saw a vision of heaven in which people from every race, tribe, nation, and language were joined together around the throne shouting praises to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10). On a hot muggy Sunday in Bangkok, Thailand, my son and I got to taste a bit of that dream coming true. The memory of that little taste of heaven makes yearn for the day when it is fully true. It energizes me to the task of making Jesus’ dream, and final words, come true in our generation:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

KRETZMANN, “Here is a scene of victory and triumph: After this I saw, and, behold, a great multitude which no man was able to count, out of every nation and from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white garments and palms in their hands. Here is the antitype of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Christian Church in the vestments of victory, ready to celebrate the joyous festival of the final entrance into glory. When the end of all tribulation will be at hand and the Kingdom of Glory will be revealed, then the innumerable multitude of the blessed, from every nation and tribe and people and language will be assembled before the throne of God. There they will stand, erect, confident, triumphant. For they will not appear in the garments of their own righteousness, but in the white vestments of the righteousness of Christ imputed to them by faith, Isa_61:10. In their hands they will hold palms, tokens of joy and of victory, all in honor of the Lord and of the Lamb, Psa_16:11.

John heard also their hymn of praise: And they shouted with a mighty voice, saying, Salvation to our God, that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb. Here is the great chorus of the saints in bliss, not that of a quiet anthem, but that of a mighty shout, breaking forth from innumerable hearts that are filled with emotion. They ascribe their salvation, the bliss which they enjoyed, altogether and alone to God the Father, whose counsel of love prepared the salvation of the world, and to the Lamb, whose vicarious suffering earned salvation for the world. It is the eternal "All Glory Be to God on High" that here is brought out, the hymn of praise which will rise with unabated power, world without end.

When the praise of God is sung, the angels cannot remain silent: And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living beings, and fell down before the throne upon their faces and worshiped God, saying, Amen, praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever, Amen. As in chap. 5:11, the angels are pictured as surrounding the throne and the elders and the cherubs, a great cloud of witnesses of the heavenly bliss. When the doxology of the perfected saints had come to an end, these blessed spirits took up the refrain and, with irrepressible ecstasy, enlarged upon it. With their Amen they agreed to the song of the elect, for it is one Spirit that lives in the congregation of Christ and in the hosts of the heavenly halls. As they praised the Lord before the opening of the seals, so their voices are raised in glorious harmony now that the fate of mankind has been unfolded. The divine wisdom was shown in the means devised by the Triune God to redeem fallen mankind; the divine power and might brought about the deliverance of mankind through the instrumentality of the Savior; and so thanksgiving, praise, and glory must be given to Him by the multitude of the perfected believers in bliss, by the hosts of heaven, throughout all eternity. This is most certainly true.

CHARLES SIMEON, “THE WORSHIP OF HEAVENRev_7:9-12. 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.

IN the book of the Revelations of St. John there is more spoken of heaven than in all the inspired

volume besides. But so greatly are the circumstances diversified, that, though the subject be ever

so often brought under our review, it will always be found to wear a different aspect, and to afford

fresh matter for profitable consideration. Indeed so important are those different circumstances, that

we should suffer a great loss, if we did not successively fix our attention upon them as they arise.

The passage before us might afford us a just occasion for entering into the subject at large;

because we behold here the worship both of the saints and angels: but we prefer noticing some

particulars which distinguish this individual passage; and for that purpose shall set before you under

one head the worship of heaven, and then the instruction to be derived from it.

Let us notice, then,

I. The worship of heaven—

We behold it here,

1. As commenced by the glorified saints—

[There was of them “a multitude which no man could number, out of all nations, and kindreds, and

people, and tongues.” Previous to this period the Gospel had spread throughout all the Roman

empire, and more especially if we consider the time spoken of as being after the accession of

Constantine to the imperial throne, and to the Christian faith. The sealing of the hundred and forty-

four thousand is supposed to refer to the peaceful state of the Church at that period. Doubtless,

during the three first centuries of the Christian era, incalculable numbers of souls had embraced the

faith, and been exalted to glory: and those added to all that had been found faithful to their God

under the Mosaic dispensation, and to all the Lord’s “hidden ones,” whether infant or adult, in every

nation under heaven from the beginning of the world, must have gradually swelled the number to a

multitude countless as the sands upon the sea-shore.

These all “stood before the throne, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” Perhaps the

robes, as well as the palms, were emblems of triumph: or they might denote their perfect purity,

being cleansed from all their guilt in the fountain of Christ’s blood, and washed also from all

defilement by the sanctifying efficacy of his Spirit. We are told this indeed in the verses immediately

following our text: “Who are these that are arrayed in white robes? These are they who have

washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [Note: ver. 13, 14.].” The palms

in their hands proclaim them victors in the spiritual warfare. Whilst on earth, they sustained many

and arduous conflicts: but they overcame their enemies, and “were more than conquerors through

him who loved them.”

But do they trace in any respect their salvation either to their own strength or goodness? No, not in

any degree: they all without exception ascribe their “salvation to God,” as the great Original, from

whose wisdom, and goodness, and power it has proceeded; and “to the Lamb,” who purchased it

for them through his own most precious blood. This is their one unvaried song: and they sing it “with

a loud voice,” as glorying in a salvation so dearly bought, and so freely given.]

2. As continued by the angelic hosts—

[The situation of the angelic hosts is worthy of particular attention: they are round about the throne

indeed, as well as the redeemed; but in an exterior circle, and more remote from the common

centre; for they are “round about the elders and the four beasts.” They, though spotless, have but a

creature-righteousness, whilst the redeemed, though guilty, possessed the righteousness of the

Creator himself; and therefore are counted worthy of a nearer access to him than the angels are

able to attain.

Nor is their attitude less worthy of remark; for they, though sinless, “fell upon their faces before the

throne,” accounting no posture too humiliating for creatures however exalted, whilst occupied in the

worship of their God.

Unable to join in the song of the redeemed as applicable to themselves who have never fallen, they

yet add their hearty “Amen” to all that the redeemed have uttered, acknowledging that all possible

praise is due to God and to the Lamb for such marvellous displays of their power and grace. At the

same time they vie with the saints in all suitable expressions of adoration and love to their

beneficent Creator; viewing with exquisite delight all the Divine perfections as visible in the works of

creation, and as exhibited with yet brighter splendour in the stupendous mysteries of redemption.

Every term whereby they can evince their gratitude, they accumulate, with an ardour which no

words can adequately express; and then add again their “Amen,” as concentrating in itself all that

with the utmost efforts of their nature they are able to convey.]

Slight as is this view of the heavenly worship, it will suffice for the present occasion, if we duly

attend to,

II. The instruction to be derived from it—

It will be found well calculated to teach us,

1. Our obligations—

[If we call to mind the faculties with which we are endowed, so far superior to all other creatures,

and inferior to the angels alone, we shall see that we also have reason to adore our God for the

blessings of our creation, as well as the angels themselves. And for the wonders of redemption, we

are altogether on a par with those who are already before the throne. The same stupendous efforts

have been made for us, as for them. For us was God’s co-equal and co-eternal Son sent into the

world, as well as for them. For us He lived, and died, and rose again, as well as for them. To us is

salvation offered, as freely as ever it was for them; and for us it shall be alike effectual too, if only

we embrace it as they did. The only difference between them and us is, that they are put into

possession of that which is kept in reserve for us, against the time ordained of the Father for us to

possess it. We have the same aid afforded to us that was effectual for them; and the very instant

the work of grace is perfected in us, we shall be summoned to the very place that is now occupied

by them, and to all eternity shall unite with them in the same blessed employment of singing praises

to God and to the Lamb.

We can conceive somewhat of their obligations: let us then in theirs view and acknowledge our

own also.]

2. Our duties—

[The robes of the redeemed are emblematic of their purity, as the palms in their hands are of the

victories which they gained. But how did they attain their purity? By continued applications of the

blood and Spirit of Christ to their souls. And how did they gain their victories, but by fighting manfully

in the strength of Christ? Behold then how we must be occupied whilst sojourning here below. We

must day and night wash in the fountain that was once opened for sin and for uncleanness: our very

holiest services, no less than our grossest abominations, must be purged from guilt by the blood of

Christ. At the same time we must mortify the whole body of sin by the influence of the Spirit of

Christ: the one labour of our life must be to grow up into the Saviour’s image, and to “purify

ourselves, even as he is pure.” But whilst striving after these things we shall have many conflicts to

maintain: we have enemies to encounter both without and within; and we must fight manfully

against them all; nor ever for a moment relax our efforts, till Satan and all his hosts are for ever

“bruised under our feet.” It was not by mere inactive wishes that any of the saints in glory triumphed,

but by warring a good warfare. And in like manner must we also “fight a good fight, and finish our

course, and keep the faith” even to the end, if ever we would attain “the crown of righteousness that

fadeth not away.”]

3. Our encouragements—

[Which among the heavenly hosts did not once feel the same discouragements that we experience?

But God in his tender mercy carried on and perfected his work in their souls: and he is equally

willing to accomplish in us also all the good pleasure of his goodness, if we will look to him, and

commit our cause into his gracious hands. He will not leave us or forsake us, any more than he

forsook and abandoned them: and “in our weakness is he willing to perfect his own strength,” as

much as he ever did in theirs. There is no trial to which we can be subjected, that was not

experienced by them in their day; nor was there any succour afforded to them, that shall not be

dispensed to us also in the hour of need. They in their day envied those who had gone before them,

as you do them: and in a little time will others arise to envy you, when your warfare shall be finished,

and your blessedness be complete. Remember that “He who sitteth on the throne” is as much

interested for you as ever he was for them; and that “the Lamb” is as tender over you as ever he

was over them. Only rest on a promise-keeping God, and he will never fail you. He has promised

that “none shall pluck you out of his hands” but that he will preserve you unto his “heavenly

kingdom:” and “faithful is He who hath called you; who also will do it.”]

NOTES

"A great multitude that no one could count." This, of course, is the fulfillment of God's

promise to His servant Abraham:

(Genesis 22:17) I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous

as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore ...

Centuries after God said this the promise is fulfilled and the church, Abraham's

descendants, is before the throne of God and she is a great multitude, more than anyone

can count.

I have to ask you this evening: are you going to be part of that multitude, that crowd

beyond number standing before the throne of God?

I tried to imagine this past week what it would be like to be part of that kind of crowd.

How exciting, how wonderful that will be. Last night I went to a Brewers baseball game.

There was a big crowd because the Brewers played against the Yankees - the announcer

said there were 38,000 fans in attendance. In heaven, we will be part of a crowd beyond

number, a crowd that is excited and screaming and enthusiastic. Can you imagine the

excitement, the enthusiasm, the joy of being part of such a large crowd?

Just before our text, in verses 4-8, the Apostle John numbers off that crowd. He mentions

each of the 12 tribes of Israel and from each of those 12 tribes there are 12,000: 12 X

12,000 for a total of 144,000. This sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? On the one

hand we are told it is a crowd beyond number; on the other hand we are told the crowd

numbers 144,000. In the Hebrew language the number 12 is the number of wholeness and

completion. And John repeats it twice. In heaven there will be 12 X 12,000 people. This

tells us something about that great multitude before the throne of God that no one could

count. It will be complete. Not one person will be missing. John is telling us that before

the throne of God not a single true member of the church will be missing, all will be

there, none will be left out.

All around us we see walls, barriers, and labels separating people from people. Race,

skin-color, language, nationality, political persuasion, income, class level, sex,

geography, profession, education - all of these can be barriers which separate people from

people.

In the church there is no room for such barriers. In the community of the church we don't

separate people according to skin-color, nationality, sex, profession, or anything else.

And in heaven, before the throne of God, none of those barriers exist anymore.

There will be many suprised people in heaven because they will see people they never

expected to see there.

I dreamed death came to me one night

and heaven's gates flew open wide.

With kindly grace St. Peter came and

ushered me inside.

There to my astonishment were friends

I had known on earth,

Some I had labeled as unfit

and some of little worth.

Indignant words flew to my lips:

Words I could not set free,

For every face showed stunned surprise --

No one expected me.

Great multitude. This in contrast to the specific number of each tribe. It would be impossible to list a number of each of the tribes of the Gentile world and so they are just described as a vast multitude that could not be numbered. All agree that this is a very hard passage to interpret. There are many views as to who these people are. Gabelein says they are not the church in glory but Gentiles on the earth during the millennium. Some feel they are Christians who died in the first century in persecution. Some say they are the same as the 144000. Some that they are the tribulation saints. It is clear that the great commission will be fulfilled and people will be in heaven from everywhere on earth. All tongues will be in heaven and not just Hebrew or Greek or English. It will not be a Babel, however, for all will understand each other.

After these things (he now reveals the second part of the interlude scene), John sees a

great multitude which no man could number out of every nation and from every tribe,

people and tongue. Jehovah's Witnesses try to teach that these are the saved who inherit

the earth and the 144,000 are those who receive heaven. However, the 144,000 are those

on earth who are sealed and the great multitude are those souls with God who had come

out of the great tribulation (6:9; 7:13-14). Furthermore, the expression, "before the

throne" is used both of the great multitude (7:9) and later in the heavenly setting of the

144,000 (14:1-5). The white robes of the great multitude are symbolical of holiness, and

justification (3:4-5; 6:11; 7:14), and the palms suggest a joyful, festive occasion (Lev.

23:40; John 12:13). They cried with a loud voice saying "Salvation to our God, who

sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb" (an expression of praise and gratitude to both

God and Christ for the salvation provided). They are followed by angels who fell before

the throne on their faces and worshiped God with a sevenfold praise similar to that given

to the Lamb in 5:12. The angels stood around the throne, as well as the elders (4:4) and

the four living creatures (4:6-8), which again shows that this occurred in heaven and is

not something that is to occur on earth. DAVID RIGGS

EVERY NATION ETC.1. George Gray, the governor of New Zealand and Bishop Selwyn received a message that Siapo was dead. Selwyn burst into tears, but the governor did not. Selwyn turned to him and said, "You have not shed a tear?" "No. I have been thinking of the prophecy that men of every roce were to be assembled in the kingdom of heaven. I have tried to imagine the joy and wonder prevailing there at the coming of Siapo, the first Christian of his race. He would be glad evidence that another people of the world had been added to the teaching of Christ." "Yes, Yes!" said Selwyn, "that is the true idea to entertain; I shall weep no more."

White RobesRe 3:4* Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.Re 3:5* He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.Re 3:18* Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

Re 4:4* Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.Re 6:11* Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.Re 7:9* After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,Re 7:13* Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?"Re 7:14* I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.Re 19:14* And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses.When Daniel saw the vision of the Ancient of Days he saw him clothed in white.Da 7:9* As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire.Jesus was wearing white when he was transfigured.Mt 17:2* And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light.Mt 28:3* His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.Mr 9:3* and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them.Lu 9:29* And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white.In the dictionary of similes there are more refering to white than to any other.White as snow, as a moonlit sail, as necks of swans, as lime, as a diamond, as a dove, as a flock of sheep, as a ghost, as a sheet, as salt, as light, as a brides gown, as ivory, as pearl, as soap, as chalk, as cotton, as teeth, as clouds, as lilies, as foam, and as milk.

A. W. MarshallWhite as the whitest foam of the sea,

That tosses its waves under fervent shies,Or a feather dropped from an angel's wingAs it leaned over the walls of paradise.

Behold a host, arrayed in white,Like thousand snow-clad mountains bright,With palms they stand-Who are this bandBefore the throne of light?Lo, these are they, of glorious fame,Who from the great affliction came,And in the flooodOf Jesus's bloodAre cleansed from guilt and blame.Now gathered in the holy placeTheir voices they in whorship raise,Their anthems swellWhere God does dwellMid angels songs of praise.

Spurgeon says these robes speak of purity, of joy, and of rest. The first two most all see but the idea of rest is unique with him. He writes, "If a man desired to do a day's work in this poor grimy world, a snow-white garment would hardly suit him, for it would soon be stained and soiled. Hence the garments of toil are generally of another color, more fitted for a dusty world. The day of rest, the day of Sabbatic joy and pleasure, is fittingly denoted by white garments. Well may the redeemed be thus arrayed, for they have finally put off the garments of toil and the armour of battle, and they rest from their labors in the rest of God."

There is no longer any stain of sin, for all has been cleansed by the blood of Christ. The Greek word here refers to an outer garment, worn for dignity and grace, as well asfor beauty. These white garments of perfection symbolize that that all beleivers areready and able to enter the presence of God.

The palm branches in their hands gives the imagery of The Feast Of Tabernacles, which is the most joyest feast of the year in Judaism. They celebrated their deliverance from Egypt, and so here they celebrate deliverance out of the world into the promised land of heaven. The persecuted victims are now the perfected victors.

10

And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation

belongs to our God, who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb."

BARES, “And cried with a loud voice - Compare Zec_4:7. This is expressive of the greatness of their joy; the ardor and earnestness of their praise.

Salvation to our God - The word rendered “salvation” - σωτηρία sōtēria - means

properly “safety, deliverance, preservation”; then welfare or prosperity; then victory; then, in a Christian sense, deliverance from punishment and admission to eternal life. Here the idea seems to be that their deliverance from sin, danger, persecution, and death, was to be ascribed solely to God. It cannot be meant, as the words would seem to imply, that they desired that God might have salvation; but the sense is, that their salvation was to be attributed entirely to him. This will undoubtedly be the song of the released forever, and all who reach the heavenly world will feel that they owe their deliverance from eternal death, and their admission to glory, wholly to him. Prof. Robinson (Lexicon) renders the word “victory” here. The fair meaning is, that whatever is included in the word “salvation” will be due to God alone - the deliverance from sin, danger, and death; the triumph over every foe; the resurrection from the grave; the rescue from eternal burnings; the admission to a holy heaven - victory in all that that word implies will be due to God.

Which sitteth upon the throne - notes on Rev_4:2.

And unto the Lamb - notes on Rev_5:6. God the Father, and He who is the Lamb of God, alike claim, the honor of salvation. It is observable here that the redeemed ascribe their salvation to the Lamb as well as to Him who is on the throne. Could they do this if he who is referred to as the “Lamb” were a mere man? Could they if he were an angel? Could they if he were not equal with the Father? Do those who are in heaven worship a creature? Will they unite a created being with the Anointed One in acts of solemn adoration and praise?

CLARKE, “Salvation to our God - That is, God alone is the author of the salvation of man; and this salvation is procured for and given to them through the Lamb, as their propitiatory sacrifice.

GILL, “And cried with a loud voice,.... To show the strength of their affection, and the greatness of their joy, and how sensible they were of the favour they enjoyed, and how hearty they were in the following ascription of glory to God, and the Lamb.

Saying, salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb; by "salvation" is meant, not only temporal salvation, and those many deliverances, which God had wrought for them, and particularly in bringing them out of great tribulation, Rev_7:14; but spiritual and eternal salvation, which is the salvation of the soul, and is owing to the free grace of God, and the blood of Christ; and the sense is, that God and the Lamb are the sole authors of it, and the glory of it ought to be given to them, and to no other: God the Father, who sits upon the throne, resolved upon it in his eternal purposes and decrees, and contrived and formed the scheme of it in the council of peace, and he made sufficient provision for it in the covenant of grace; and as he from eternity appointed his Son to be his salvation to the ends of the earth, so in the fulness of time he sent him to be the Saviour of the world, and delivered him up for all his people, unto death itself, and spared him not, but awoke the sword of justice against him, and sheathed it in him; and since he had such a concern in salvation, the glory of it in right belongs to him: and the Lamb, the Son of God, he engaged to do the will and work of God, and from everlasting became the surety of the better testament; and in time he came to seek and to save lost sinners, and he is become the author of eternal salvation to them; his own arm has brought it, and it is in him, and no other, even a salvation from sin, Satan, the law, the world, hell, and death, and wrath to come; and it will be the employment of the saints, both in the new Jerusalem church state, during the thousand years' reign, and in heaven to all eternity, to ascribe the glory of all this, not to themselves, to their merits and works of righteousness, or to any creature whatever, but to God and the Lamb only.

JAMISO, “cried — Greek, “cry,” in the three oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic. It is their continuing, ceaseless employment.Salvation — literally, “THE salvation”; all the praise of our salvation be ascribed to

our God. At the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, the type, similarly “salvation” is the cry of the palm-bearing multitudes. Hosanna means “save us now”; taken from Psa_118:25, in which Psalm (Psa_118:14, Psa_118:15, Psa_118:21, Psa_118:26) the same connection occurs between salvation, the tabernacles of the righteous, and the Jews’ cry to be repeated by the whole nation at Christ’s coming, “Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

PULPIT, “And cried with a loud voice; and they cry, etc. The present tense

expresses the unceasing nature of their occupation (Alford). Saying, Salvation to our

God; that is, "The praise and honour due for our salvation belongs to God, since he is the

Cause of our salvation." Note the similarity to the "Hosanna" of the palm-bearing multitude

of the Feast of Tabernacles (see Joh_12:13; 2 Macc. 10:6, 7; Psa_118:25). Which sitteth

upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. To the Triune God, and to the Lamb (see

on Rev_4:2; cf. Rev_5:13; Rev_12:10).

Baldinger writes, "The whole movement of the Appocalypse reveals the psychology

of a finished literary product. It never overtaxes one set of emotions. The writer

kno;ws when the tension shoud be relieved and where the restful scene and cheering

song should occur. So here, haveing dedscribed the dark things of the six seals, and

before he opens the seventh with its trumpets and thunder, he pauses for a vision of

glory land."

11

All the angels were standing around the

throne and around the elders and the four

living creatures. They fell down on their faces

before the throne and worshiped God,

BARES, “And all the angels stood round about the throne - notes on Rev_5:11.And about the elders - notes on Rev_4:4.

And the four beasts - notes on Rev_4:6. The meaning is, that the angels stood in the outer circle, or outside of the elders and the four living creatures. The redeemed, it is manifest, occupied the inner circle, and were near the throne, though their precise location is not mentioned. The angels sympathize with the church redeemed and triumphant, as they did with the church in its conflicts and trials, and they now appropriately unite with that church in adoring and praising God. They see in that redemption new displays of the character of God, and they rejoice that that church is rescued from its troubles, and is now brought triumphant to heaven.

And fell before the throne on their faces - The usual position of profound adoration, Rev_4:10; Rev_5:8.

And worshipped God - notes on Rev_5:11-12.

CLARKE, “All the angels, etc. - As there is joy in the presence of God among these holy spirits when one sinner repents, no wonder that they take such an interest in the gathering together of such innumerable multitudes who are fully saved from their sins.

GILL, “And all the angels stood round about the throne,.... The holy and elect angels, even all of them, the ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, the innumerable company of them, who are represented in the same position; See Gill on Rev_5:11;

and about the elders, and the four beasts; the churches and ministers; yea, round about the great multitude before mentioned, the camp of the saints, and the beloved city; whose guardians they will be, and to whom they will always be ministering spirits.

And fell before the throne on their faces: in token of submission and reverence:

and worshipped God; by celebrating the perfections of his nature, and ascribing to him the glory of all his works.

HERY, “Here is the song of the angels (Rev_7:11, Rev_7:12), where observe, (1.) Their station - before the throne of God, attending on him, and about the saints, ready to serve them. (2.) Their posture, which is very humble, and expressive of the greatest reverence: They fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God. Behold the most excellent of all the creatures, who never sinned, who are before him continually, not only covering their faces, but falling down on their faces before the Lord! What humility then, and what profound reverence, become us vile frail creatures, when we come into the presence of God! We should fall down before him; there should be both a reverential frame of spirit and a humble behaviour in all our addresses to God (3.) Their praises. They consented to the praises of the saints, said their Amen thereto; there is in heaven a perfect harmony between the angels and saints; and then they added more of their own, saying, Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. Here, [1.] They acknowledge the glorious attributes of God - his wisdom, his power, and his might. [2.] They declare that for these his divine perfections he ought to be blessed, and praised, and glorified, to all eternity; and they confirm it by their Amen. We see what is the work of heaven, and we ought to begin it now, to get our hearts tuned for it, to be much in it, and to long for that world where our praises, as well as happiness, will be perfected.

JAMISO, “The angels, as in Rev_5:11, in their turn take up the anthem of praise. There it was “many angels,” here it is “all the angels.”stood — “were standing” [Alford].

PULPIT, “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders

and the four beasts; were standing G the four living beings. (For a consideration of

the positions here indicated, see onRev_5:11.) The throne in the centre with the four living beings was surrounded by the elders, having the Lamb in the midst, between the throne and the elders. Forming a circle round the whole were the angels. (On the elders as representing the Church, and the four living creatures as symbolical of creation, see

on Rev_4:4, Rev_4:6.) And fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped

God. As in Rev_5:14 and Rev_11:16, Rev_11:17, praise is accompanied by adoration and

worship.

BARCLAY, “

THE PRAISE OF THE AGELS

Rev. 7:11-12

And all the angels stood in a circle round the throne and the elders and the four

living creatures, and they fell upon their faces before the throne, and worshipped

God, saying:

"So let it be. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and

power and strength belong to our God for ever and for ever. Amen."

The picture is of a series of great concentric circles of the inhabitants of heaven. On

the outer ring stand all the angels. earer the throne are the twenty-four elders; still

nearer are the four living creatures; and before the throne are the white-robed

martyrs. The martyrs have just sung their shout of praise to God and the angels

take that song of praise and make it their own. "So let it be," say the angels; they

say "Amen" to the martyrs' praises. Then they sing their own song of praise and

every word in it is meaningful.

They ascribe blessing to God; and God's creation must always be blessing him for

his goodness in creation and in redemption and in providence to all that he has

created. As a great saint put it: "Thou hast made us and we are thine; thou hast

redeemed us and we are doubly thine."

They ascribe glory to God. God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords;

therefore, to him must be given glory. God is love but that love must never be

cheaply sentimentalized; men must never forget the majesty of God.

They ascribe wisdom to God. God is the source of all truth, the giver of all

knowledge. If men seek wisdom, they can find it by only two paths, by the seeking of

their minds and by waiting upon God--and the one is as important as the other.

They offer thanksgiving to God. God is the giver of salvation and the constant

provider of grace; he is the Creator of the world and the constant sustainer of all

that is in it. It was the cry of the psalmist: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget

not all his benefits" (Ps.103:2). Shakespeare said that it was sharper than a serpent's

tooth to have a thankless child. We must see to it that we are never guilty of the

ugliest and the most graceless of sins, that of ingratitude.

They ascribed honour to God. God is to be worshipped. It may be that sometimes

we come to think of him as some one to be used; but we ought not to forget the

claims of worship, so that we not only ask things from him but offer ourselves and

all we have to him.

They ascribe power to God. God's power never grows less and the wonder is that it

is used in love for men. God works his purposes out throughout the ages and in the

end his kingdom will come.

They ascribe strength to God. The problem of life is to find strength for its tasks, its

responsibilities, its demands. The Christian can say: "I will go in the strength of the

Lord."

There is no greater exercise in the life of devotion than to meditate on the praise of

the angels and, to appropriate to ourselves everything in it.

If the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents, what can they do to express their joy over this vast multitude? The next verse shows 7 different kinds of praise, which means perfect and complete praise in every aspect. We see the angels are fellow worshipers, for they to have in some way benefited from the work of Christ in redeeming man. The whole universe was disrupted by sin, and its defeat is a victory for the whole universe--Col. 1:20.

12

saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom

and thanks and honor and power and strength

be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

BARES, “Saying, Amen - See the notes on Rev_1:7. The word “Amen” here is a word strongly affirming the truth of what is said, or expressing hearty assent to it. It may be uttered, as expressing this, either in the beginning or end of a sentence. Thus, wills are commonly commenced, “In the name of God, Amen.”Blessing, and glory, ... - Substantially the same ascription of praise occurs in

Rev_5:12. See the notes on that verse. The general idea is, that the highest kind of praise is to be ascribed to God; everything excellent in character is to be attributed to him; every blessing which is received is to be traced to him. The order of the words indeed is changed, but the sense is substantially the same. In the former case Rev_5:12 the ascription of praise is to the Lamb - the Son of God; here it is to God. In both instances the worship is described as rendered in heaven; and the use of the language shows that God and the Lamb are regarded in heaven as entitled to equal praise. The only words

found here which do not occur in Rev_5:12 are thanksgiving and might - words which require no particular explanation.

CLARKE, “Saying, Amen - Giving their most cordial and grateful assent to the praises attributed to God and the Lamb.Blessing, and glory, etc. - There are here seven different species of praise

attributed to God, as in Rev_5:12 (note).

GILL, “Saying, Amen,.... As approving and confirming what the great multitude of men had said in Rev_7:10; in ascribing the glory of salvation to God, and the Lamb: the angels, though they have no part in it themselves, yet highly approve of it as right and just, that men should give the glory of it where it is due.

Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. Here a seven fold praise is given to God by the angels, as to the Lamb, in Rev_5:12, and in words much the same they rightly ascribe blessing to God, who is blessed in himself, and is the source of all blessedness to his creatures, angels and men. And also "glory"; the glory of his divine perfections, who is the God of glory; and of all his works of nature and providence, and especially of the salvation of men by Christ. "And wisdom"; he being the only wise God, whose wisdom is to be seen in all the works of creation, and in the government of the world, and in nothing more than in the scheme of redemption by the Son of God: "and thanksgiving": for all mercies and favours, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, enjoyed by angels, or by men: "and honour"; which is due to him from all his creatures, as he is the Creator of them; and from all his children, as he is their Father; and from all his servants, as he their master: "and power": which he has exerted, in making all things out of nothing, in supporting the whole universe in its being, and in saving and preserving his own people: "and might"; or "strength", he being the almighty God, the strength of Israel, and the rock of ages, in whom is everlasting strength; and the praise and ascription of all this, the angels wish to be given him by themselves and others, to all eternity; and as desiring that so it might be, and as believing that so it would be, they add their to it.

JAMISO, “Greek, “The blessing, the glory, the wisdom, the thanksgiving, the honor, the power, the might [the doxology is sevenfold, implying its totality and completeness], unto the ages of the ages.”

PULPIT, “Saying, Amen. In Rev_5:14 the four living creatures respond "Amen" to the

praises uttered by the angels; here, in response to the praise offered by the redeemed in Rev_5:10, the angels utter "Amen," preparatory to joining in the universal

adoration. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and

power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. The blessing, etc.; that

is, "all blessing," etc. (see on Rev_4:11). The terms of the ascription are the same as those in Rev_5:12, except that we have here εὐχαριστία , "thanksgiving," substituted for πλοῦτος , "riches" (see on Rev_5:12). The sevenfold character of the ascription of praise denotes its universal and all-embracing character (see on Rev_1:4; Rev_5:1).

13

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in

white robes--who are they, and where did they

come from?"

BARES, “And one of the elders - See the notes on Rev_4:4. That is, as there understood, one of the representatives of the church before the throne.Answered - The word “answer,” with us, means “to reply to something which has

been said.” In the Bible, however, the word is not infrequently used in the beginning of a speech, where nothing has been said - as if it were a reply to something that might be said on the subject; or to something that is passing through the mind of another; or to something in the case under consideration which suggests an inquiry. Compare Isa_65:24; Dan_2:26; Act_5:8. Thus it is used here. John was looking on the host, and reflecting on the state of things; and to the train of thought passing through his mind the angel answered by an inquiry as to a part of that host. Prof. Stuart renders it accosted me.

What are these which are arrayed in white robes? - Who are these? The object evidently is to bring the case of these persons more particularly into view. The vast host with branches of palm had attracted the attention of John, but it was the object of the speaker to turn his thoughts to a particular part of the host - the martyrs who stood among them. He would seem, therefore, to have turned to a particular portion of the immense multitude of the redeemed, and by an emphasis on the word these - “Who are these” - to have fixed the eye upon them. All those who are before the throne are represented as clothed in white robes Rev_7:9, but the eye might be directed to a particular part of them as grouped together, and as having something special in their position or appearance. There was a propriety in thus directing the mind of John to the martyrs as triumphing in heaven in a time when the churches were suffering persecution, and in view of the vision which he had had of times of darkness and calamity coming upon the world at the opening of the sixth seal. Beyond all the scenes of sorrow and grief, he was permitted to see the martyrs triumphing in heaven.

Arrayed in white robes - See the notes on Rev_7:9.

And whence came they? - The object is to fix the attention more distinctly on what is said of them, that they came up out of great tribulation.

CLARKE, “One of the elders answered - A Hebraism for spoke. The question is here asked, that the proposer may have the opportunity of answering it.

GILL, “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me,.... This elder was not the Apostle Peter, as some Popish interpreters have thought; and still less Pope Silvester, who lived in the times of Constantine; be is much more likely, according to others, to be Constantine himself, the first of the elders, or the chief magistrate when the church sprung out of its troubles, and enjoyed rest and peace; though some have thought of the prophet Isaiah, since many things said by this elder are to be found in his prophecy; compare Rev_7:14; with Isa_1:18; but it is needless to inquire who the particular person was; it is enough to say, that he was one of the four and twenty elders about the throne, one that belonged to the church, perhaps the same as in Rev_5:5; who, in a visionary way, is represented as accosting John upon the above sight. The word "answered" is a common Hebraism of the New Testament, which is often used when nothing goes before, to which a return is made; and only signifies here, that the elder opened his month, began to speak, and called to John, and said as follows:

what are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? This he said, not as being ignorant of them, or of the reason of their being clothed in this manner, nor of the place and state from whence they came, as appears by the account afterwards given of them by him; but to stir up John to take more notice of them, as being a body of men that were worthy of observation and contemplation, and were worth his while to consider well who they were, and from whence they came; and also to try him whether he knew them or not, and to bring him to a confession of his ignorance; and that he might have an opportunity of giving him some hints about them, which might be useful to him, and to the churches, and for the explanation of this vision, and other parts of this prophecy.

JAMISO, “answered — namely, to my thoughts; spoke, asking the question which might have been expected to arise in John’s mind from what has gone before. One of the twenty-four elders, representing the Old and New Testament ministry, appropriately acts as interpreter of this vision of the glorified Church.What, etc. — Greek order, “These which are arrayed in white robes, WHO are they?”

PULPIT, “And one of the elders answered. The elder speaks because he is typical of

the Church, concerning which the exposition which he delivers is to be made (see on Rev_4:4). Where an explanation is made of visions which refer to the Church, the active part is taken by the elders, while angels introduce visions of which the signification is unexplained (cf. Rev_5:2; Rev_7:1,Rev_7:2; Rev_8:1-13.; Rev_10:1, Rev_10:3, etc.;

and Rev_5:5). Saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes?

and whence came they? The elder questions that he may teach (Bede).

BARCLAY, “WASHIG FROM SI

Rev. 7:13-14

And one of the elders said to me: "Do you know who these are who are clothed in

white robes and where they came from?" I said to him: "Sir, you know." He said to

me: "These are they who are coming out of the great tribulation, and who have

washed their robes, and have made them white through the power of the blood of

the Lamb."

One thing is to be noted before we go on to deal with this passage in detail. The King

James Version generalizes the meaning by translating: "These are they who came

out of great tribulation." But the Revised Standard Version correctly translates:

"These are they who came out of the great tribulation." The seer is convinced that

he and his people are standing at the end time of history and that that end time is to

be terrible beyond all imagining. The whole point of his vision is that beyond that

terrible time glory will follow. It is not tribulation in general of which he is speaking

but of that tribulation which Jesus foretold when he said, "In those days there will

be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God

created until now, and never will be" (Mk.13:19; Matt.24:21). owadays we read

this passage as speaking about tribulation in general and in that sense find it very

precious; and we are right to read it so because the promises of God are for ever. At

the same time it is right to remember that originally it referred to the immediate

circumstances of the people to whom John was writing.

This passage has two pictures which are very common in the Bible. We first look at

these pictures separately and then we put them together in order to find the total

meaning of the passage.

The great crowd of the blessed ones are in white robes. The Bible has much to say

both about white robes and about soiled robes. In the ancient world this was a very

natural picture, for it was forbidden to approach a god with robes which were

unclean. The picture was still further intensified by the fact that often when a

Christian was baptized he was dressed in new white robes. These robes were taken

to symbolize his new life and to soil them was the symbolic way of expressing failure

to be true to the baptismal vows.

Isaiah says: "We have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds

are like a polluted garment" (Isa.64:6). Zechariah sees the high priest Joshua

clothed in filthy garments and hears God say: "Remove the filthy garments from

him... Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with

rich apparel" (Zech.3:1-5). In preparation for the receiving of the commandments

from God, Moses orders the people wash their garments (Exo.19:10,14). The

Psalmist prays to God to wash him thoroughly from his iniquity, to purge him with

hyssop, to wash him until he is whiter than snow (Ps.51:1-7). The prophet hears the

promise that the sins which are as scarlet will be as white as snow and those that

were red like crimson will be as wool (Isa.1:18). Paul reminds his people in Corinth

that they have been washed and sanctified (1Cor.6:11).

Here is a picture which is present all through scripture, of the man who has stained

his garments with sin and who has been cleansed by the grace of God. It is of the

greatest importance to remember that this love of God does not only forgive a man

his stained garments, it makes them clean.

THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

Rev. 7:13-14 (continued)

This passage speaks of the blood of the Lamb. The ew Testament has much to say

about the blood of Jesus Christ. We must be careful to give this phrase its full

meaning. To us blood indicates death, and certainly the blood of Jesus Christ speaks

of his death. But to the Hebrews the blood stood for the life. That was why the

orthodox Jew never would--and still will not--eat anything which had blood in it

(Gen.9:4). The blood is the life and the life belongs to God; and the blood must

always be sacrificed to him. The identification of blood and life is not unnatural.

When a man's blood ebbs away, so does his life. When the ew Testament speaks

about the blood of Jesus Christ, it means not only his death but his life and death.

The blood of Christ stands for all Christ did for us and means for us in his life and

in his death. With that in our minds let us see what the ew Testament says about

that blood.

It is the blood of Jesus Christ which is cleansing us from all sin (1Jn.1:7). It is the

blood of Jesus Christ which makes expiation for us (Rom.3:25), and it is through his

blood that we are justified (Rom.5:9). It is through his blood that we have

redemption (Eph.1:7), and we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ as of

a lamb without blemish and without spot (1Pet.1:19). It is through his blood that we

have peace with God (Col.1:20). His blood purges our conscience from dead works

to serve the living God (Heb.9:14).

There are four ideas here, the first being the main idea from which the others

spring.

(i) The main idea is based on sacrifice. Sacrifice is essentially something designed to

restore a lost relationship with God. God gives man his law; man breaks that law;

that breach of the law interrupts the relationship between God and man; and

sacrifice is designed to atone for the breach and to restore the lost relationship. The

great work of Jesus Christ in his life and in his death is to restore the lost

relationship between God and man.

(ii) This work of Christ has something to do with the past. It wins for man

forgiveness for past sins and liberates him from his slavery to sin.

(iii) This work of Christ has something to do with the present. It gives a man here

and now, upon earth, in spite of failure and of sin, a new and intimate relationship

with God, in which fear is gone and in which love is the bond.

(iv) This work of Christ has something to do with the future. It frees a man from the

power of evil and enables him to live a new life in the time to come.

THE SAITS WHO HAVE WASHED THEIR ROBES I THE BLOOD OF THE

LAMB

Rev. 7:13-14 (continued)

Let us now unite the two ideas of which we have been thinking. The blessed ones

have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Let us try

to express as simply as possible what that means.

The white robes always stand for two things. They stand for purity, for the life

cleansed from the taint of past sin, the infection of present sin and the attack of

future sin. They stand for victory, for the life which has found the secret of

victorious living. Put at its very simplest, this means that the blessed ones have

found the secret of purity and the secret of victory in all that Jesus Christ did for

them in his life and in his death.

ow let us try to see the meaning of in the blood of the Lamb. There are two

possibilities.

(i) It may mean in the power of the blood of the Lamb or at the cost of the blood of

the Lamb. This would then be a vivid way of saying that this purity and victory

were won in the power and at the cost of all that Jesus did for men in his life and in

his death.

(ii) But it may be even more probable that the picture is to be taken literally; and

that John conceives of the blessed ones as having washed their robes in the blood

which flows from the wounds of Jesus Christ. To us that is a strange and perhaps

even repulsive picture; and it is paradoxical to think of robes becoming white when

washed in the scarlet of blood. But it would not seem strange to the people of John's

day; to many of them it would be literally familiar. The greatest religious force of

the time was the Mystery Religions. These were dramatic religions which by deeply

moving ceremonies offered to men a rebirth and a promise of eternal life. Perhaps

the most famous was Mithraism, at whose centre was the god Mithra. Mithraism

had its devotees all over the world; it was the favourite religion of the Roman army

and even in Britain there are relics of the chapels of Mithra where the Roman

soldiers met for worship. The most sacred ceremony of Mithraism was the

taurobolium, the bath of bull's blood. It is described by the Christian poet

Prudentius. "A trench was dug, over which was erected a platform of planks, which

were perforated with holes. Upon this platform a sacrificial bull was slaughtered.

Below the platform knelt the worshipper who was to be initiated. The blood of the

slaughtered bull dripped through on to the worshipper below. He exposed his head

and all his garments to be saturated with blood; and then he turned round and held

up his neck that the blood might trickle upon his lips, ears, eyes and nostrils; he

moistened his tongue with the blood which he then drank as a sacramental act. He

came out from this certain that he was renatus in aeternum, reborn for all eternity."

This may sound grim and terrible to us; but in the last analysis it is not the picture

which matters but the truth behind the picture. And the great and unchanging truth

is that through the life and death of Jesus Christ, there has come to the Christian

that purity and victory which he could never achieve for himself.

CHRIST'S SACRIFICE AD MA'S APPROPRIATIO

Rev. 7:13-14 (continued)

One thing in this passage remains to be noted, and it is of the first importance. It is

said of the blessed ones that "they washed their robes and made them white in the

blood of the Lamb."

Here is symbolically laid down man's part in his own salvation; the blessed ones

washed their own robes. That is to say, the act of man's redemption is Christ's, but

the effect is not passive and man has to appropriate it. There might be available to a

man all the apparatus to cleanse his garments, but it remains ineffective until he

uses it for himself.

How does a man avail himself of the sacrifice of Christ?

He does so through penitence. He must begin with sorrow for his sin and the desire

for amendment. He does so through faith. He must believe with all his heart that

Christ lived and died for us men and for our salvation, and that his sacrifice is

mighty to save. He does so through using the means of grace. The Scriptures will

awaken his penitence and his faith and kindle his heart; prayer will keep him ever

close to Christ and daily increase his intimacy with him; the Sacraments will be

channels through which by faith renewing grace will flow to him. He does so

through daily loyalty and vigilance and living with Christ.

Whence came the armies of the sky, John saw in vision bright?Whence came their crowns, their robes, their palms, Too pure for mortal sight? From desert waste, and cities full, From dungeons dark, they've come,And now they claim their mansion fair, They've found their long-sought home.

HAWKER 13-17, “(13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are

these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? (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. (15) 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. (16) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. (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.This is as beautiful and interesting a part as any, of the whole vision. We may suppose, that the mind of John was wrapt up in the most profound meditation, as he looked on, and heard, and stood, like one amazed, at what he saw. One of the Elders, therefore, interpreting by John’s looks, that he longed to enter into a perfect apprehension of the whole, put the question to him, which John perhaps would himself, had he presumed, have ventured to ask: What are these things which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they? And the Elder, answering his own question, for John and the Church’s information, is most gracious. And is, if I mistake not, in direct reference to the Church of God in the Last particularly at the time now coming on And though I do not presume to suppose, yea, I think the contrary, but that the Church in all ages may be referred to; yet, as this vision was given in a very particular manner, for the comfort of the Church then, when the seventh seal should open, I do conceive, that those here mentioned, as coming out of great tribulation, were those gathered more especially froth the Eastern part of the world, from among the dominions under Mahometan delusion, and had a primary respect to them.

And, I will venture to go further, under an humble hope, that I do not err in the relation, and say, that now in the day in which I am writing these observations, even in the day and year of our Lord God April 1, 1816, I do well remember the return of a godly man from the Turkish dominions, during the late war, who had formerly been a member of the Church of God to which I belong, and having been called into Egypt, there, found other godly persons, sent upon a similar occasion of war, with himself; and who, having formed meetings together for sacred worship, had the pleasure to find some from among the inhabitants of that city, who came and joined their services. A plain proof, that God’s people are scattered; and, that Jesus hath his people, whom he is calling from the East as well as the West, and the North, and the South. And, oh! what a multitude will arise, from all those different corners of the earth, at the last day, when Jesus shall send his angels to call them. home! Though they are now separated by distant seas and climes, though diversified by customs and manners; yet Christ, the desire of his people in all nations, hath in all nations a people that serve him: and of all these it will be found, that as the Father hath given them to his Son, so all shall come to him; and nothing shall separate the members from the glorious Head of his body the Church, who filleth all in all.

I must not trespass too largely, but otherwise the subject is as extensive as it is great, and as interesting as it is beautiful. The Elder that put the question to John, answered it himself. He gives an account of their persons, their former state, their present felicity, with the source of all their happiness in Christ, and the everlasting home of blessedness, to which they are brought, in the service of God and the Lamb, forever. If the Reader will indulge me with few outlines, I hope the Lord may make them profitable.

First. They are said to have come out of great tribulation. Though it may be safely said, that the Church of Christ, in all ages, more or less, come out of great tribulation; for Christ himself hath made it a mark of Sonship, that in the world his disciples shall have

tribulation; while in him they have peace; Joh_16:33. yet those times which followed the sealing, between the sixth and seventh seals, were eminently marked with persecutions. The history of the Church, which relates to us the dreadful ravages made by the sword of the false prophet and his followers at that time, Most plainly prove it. And indeed, what was the sealing of the hundred and forty and four thousand intended for, but as the Lord’s token of love to his Church, before the coming on of those persecutions? Reader! mark then, this first feature in the Latin’s people. They have come, out of great tribulation Every child of God knows somewhat of this, if not from the open persecution of the world, yet, from the plague of his own heart. It is blessed to know the tribulation from this quarter, in order to endear Christ. Till we know somewhat of our own wretchedness, we think lightly of his righteousness.

Secondly. They are said to have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Reader! I pray you, mark well what is here said. They come out of great tribulation. But, that was no cause of their acceptance before God. They had white robes, and palms in their hands. But the former were not made White by their washing, nor the latter put into their hands for their victory. No washing of their’s, no sacrifice, no blood of bulls, or of goats; no merits, no works of their’s, which they had done; not an atom of their’s contributed to it: but it was the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, in which their robes were washed; and therefore that is, for that very cause, and that alone, they were before the throne of God, and served him in his temple day and night.

And under this particular, I beseech the Reader to remark yet further, that it is their robes which they are said to have washed. Not their sins only, but their robes, that is, their very best things, or a man’s robes are his best things. And what may we suppose is implied in their best things, but their best prayers, their best deeds, their most holy services, their Lord’s day robes, their ordinance robes, their sacramental robes their holy conversation robes. All need washing. All must be washed and made white, in the blood of the Lamb, or all become offensive before God. Nothing but the blood of the Lamb, can make holy before God, neither any but the Person and righteousness of the Lord Jesus justify in God’s sight. It is in Him and Him only, the Church of God find access here in grace or hereafter in glory. He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, Eph_1:6.

Thirdly. Let our next view of this sweet subject be, to contemplate the blessed consequences which follow. Having looked at them in their Persons, being washed, being sanctified, being justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God; let us hear the Elders account to John of the blessedness of their station, 1Co_6:11. They are before the throne of God. They have the immediate enjoyment of God and the Lamb. Here it is in grace. Above it is in glory. Here, they enjoy that presence by faith. There, in sight. Here, in part. There, in a fulness of joy at God’s right hand forevermore.

Moreover, they are described in their service of God before his throne night and day. We know not what the blessedness of such services consist in. We must be endowed with the faculties of the redeemed in glory, to speak of their employments. But we can, in some measure, conceive, what glory must continually pour in upon the soul, when no fleshly corruptions, any longer arise to interrupt spiritual pleasure. We can, and do now at times, for a short moment, when grace is in lively exercise, feel ourselves as in the suburbs of heaven, in contemplating God and the Lord. Sweet and precious, though rare and short, those holy seasons are. But what must it be, when the disembodied spirit of a redeemed regenerated child of God, shall join the spirits of just men made perfect, and is fully some not by faith, but by sight, to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to God the judge of the Judge of all?

Fourthly. The Elder added another information, by way of heightening to John ’s view the unspeakable blessedness of the redeemed; namely, that He that sitteth on, the throne, shall dwell among them. God’s presence among his people is the superlative degree of all happiness and glory. Even here on earth, it is the sweetner of all blessings. Where Jesus is there is blessedness. No blessing void of him can be called a blessing. Hence, for the want of Christ it is, that so many aching hearts are in fine houses while on the contrary, where Jesus is, however poor and humble, the Lord brings all blessedness with him. And what then must it be in heaven, where the immediate presence of God and the Lamb, forms the very heaven to the soul When John heard a great voice out of heaven, speaking of peculiar blessedness to the Church, it was to say, behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people; and God himself shall be with them, and be their God! Rev_21:3.

Fifthly. The blessedness of their state is further described, in their being forever exempt from hunger and thirst, and a complete freedom from sickness, or the pressure of the sun’s heat. They are brought into that happy climate, where none of the inhabitants shall any longer say I am sick, for the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity, Isa_33:24. It is blessed here upon earth, to have tasted the heavenly manna, even Christ’s body the bread of life, spiritual hunger is then satisfied with Christ. And when the Lord Jesus gives of the water of life freely, this becomes in the spirit, a well of water springing up to everlasting life. The child of God which daily feeds upon Jesus, will hunger no more after the empty, unsatisfying husks of this world. But in heaven, what unspeakable felicity must it be, to have Christ for our portion, and to live upon him forever!

Sixthly. There is somewhat peculiarly sweet and endearing in this whole account, in calling the Lord Jesus the Lamb. There can be no doubt, but that the personal glory of the Lord Jesus, is intended by it. The Holy Ghost delights in holding up to the Church the Person of her Lord. The inherent holiness of Christ, and the personal purity of Christ, in that pure portion of our nature, taken into union with the Godhead; underived as it was from all created power, possesseth in itself an holiness infinitely beyond the holiness of Angels. For though the Angels which are Elect Angels, are kept from sinning, yet this is by election. Their nature, without that electing and preserving grace, being in itself necessarily changeable, as all created excellence must be, would be necessarily subject to fall. And that they do not fall, is wholly to be ascribed to election. For those Angels which were not Elect, have fallen. And hence it is said, God putteth no trust in his servants, and even his Angels he chargeth with folly; that is, with a weakness capable of sinning, Job_4:18. But Christ in that holy portion of human nature, he took into union with himself, is said to be holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; that is, higher than Angels, being the uncreated Word, Heb_7:26; Joh_1:1.

It is on this account, if I do not greatly mistake, that the Holy Ghost so often dwells in this Book on this expression, when speaking of Christ in calling him the Lamb. And there are numberless beauties in the name, as it concerns the Lord’s Church and People. To mention only a few. First. It hath a sweet and sacred allusion to God the Father’s decree, when Christ in our nature, was set up from everlasting. Hence he is called in this Book, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Rev_13:8. And hence also in reference to the same, the names of his people are said to be written, in the Lamb’s book of life, Rev_21:27.

Secondly. Through all the old Testament scripture, when the Holy Ghost speaks of the Lord Jesus, under the meekness and gentleness of his character, it is as the Lamb. Hence

by the Prophet, he is said to have been led as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth, Isa_53:7. And no less in the New Testament dispensation, God the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of his servant John the Baptist, calls upon the Church to behold him, under this endearedness of character. For looking upon Jesus as he passed, he said; Behold; the Lamb of God! which taketh away the sins of the world, Joh_1:29-36.

Thirdly. God the Holy Ghost never loseth sight of the same, by way of holding up to the Church’s view, the personal holiness of the Lord, for when Jesus returned to his exalted state, still it is the Lamb. He, who was, and is the Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world; was, and is the Lamb as had been slain, which John saw, in the midst of the throne, Rev_5:6. And now again in this vision, as in the midst of the throne, feeding the Church, leading them to living fountains of waters, and wiping away all tears from their eyes.

Reader! do not too hastily pass away from those views. The subject is too precious, too blessed to be so treated. Methinks I should like to dwell upon it forever. Lord the Spirit! I would say, give me grace to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Let my soul gaze upon him by faith, and feed on him in spirit, as my passover sacrificed for my sins. That while Jesus Seeds my soul, my soul may feast upon his blood and righteousness, and as Jesus hath said, he that eateth me, shall live by me, Joh_6:57.

One view of Christ, as the Lamb in the midst of the throne, is so blessed, so gracious, and so delightful, for the faithful to meditate upon, that I would very earnestly, and very affectionately recommend it to every true follower of the Lord, as an effectual antidote against the poisonous breath of those men, who think lightly of our Lord, in this present Christ-despising generation. I mean, in that his being in the midst of the throne, must imply his Godhead. What can Christ be in the midst of the throne, and yet not God? Is there a hardened mind upon earth, so desperately bent to allow the one, and yet deny the other. Oh! how will such men turn into everlasting paleness, and an horrible dread overwhelm them, when they shall see our Jesus in the midst of the throne, where he now is, and the heavens passing away before his presence with a great noise, and the earths and all that is in it, burnt up.

Oh! the blessedness to God’s people. Your God, your Jesus, is in the midst of the throne. And to you it is a throne of grace, where you are sure to obtain mercy and grace, to help in all time of need. It is to you a throne of justice also, where the Lamb is in the midst. For he hath satisfied justice, answered all the demands of the law, silenced all the accusations of Satan against his people, and reigns and rules: in his throne of righteousness, to see: all the merits of his blood, completely answered in blessings to his Church and people. And to you it is a throne of glory, for the Lord that gives grace, will give glory; and it is Christ’s own glory which is concerned: to see, that the travail of his soul shall be satisfied, for in bringing many sons to glory, it behoved Jesus, as the Captain of our salvation, to be made perfect through suffering: Reader! shall you and I go to this throne, now Jesus is in the midst of it? Every way, and in every direction, it is open to poor sinners, behind and before, for Christ the Lamb slain is in the midst of the throne.

And how he feeds his people, here in grace, and there in glory; surely, every regenerated child of God cannot but know. Himself is the whole of our food. By faith, at his house, at his table, in ordinances and means of grace, all spiritual partakers truly eat of his flesh, and drink of his blood. And they find, by soul experience, what the Lord hath said, that his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed. Joh_6:55. And wherefore should it be questioned? If animal life is supported day by day, from the sustenance received in

the bread which perisheth with using, shall it be thought incredible, that spiritual life is kept up and maintained, in constant supplies of grace and strength, from the bread of life which is Jesus himself, in the continued communications the Lord makes of himself to his people. Precious Lamb of God, that art in the midst of the throne! do thou, while giving out glory to thy redeemed above, feed with grace thy Church below. For surely, Lord, they are equally dear to thee, by every tye which can make them so, by thy Father’s gift, thine own purchase, the conquest of thy Spirit over them in regeneration, and their surrender of themselves to thee, as thine, since thou hast made them willing in the day of thy power!

SBC, “Who are Saints?

I. Notice what we certainly do not mean when we speak of men being saints of God. (1) I find no warrant for believing that the asceticism which appears to have so strange a charm for some minds is pleasing to God, and I find a great deal to convince me that it is even contrary to the spirit of Christian liberty. (2) As self-imposed pain, or discomfort, or poverty does not in any way make a man a saint, so neither is it necessary that there should be any pain or discomfort required of us at all I say it is not necessary; I do not say more. Suffering, even for Christ’s sake, does not make a man a saint, but saintliness will make any man brave enough to suffer. (3) Mere blamelessness does not make a saint of Christ.

II. Who, then, is the true saint? Our text will lead us to the right answer. (1) First, the saints have passed through great tribulation. The first element of saintliness is sorrow for sin; the truest tribulation is that which remorseful grief for sin occasions. (2) The second element in this sanctity is this: that along with shame and sorrow for sin there should be also faith in the Saviour of sinners, for these saints had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (3) The third element in this saintliness is a spirit of devotion. They are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple, not with a formal, ascetic devotion which trusts to times and places too exclusively. But surely there can be no true sanctity without the spirit of prayer, and that spirit of prayer cannot be kept alive without the frequent act of prayer also.

A. Jessopp, Norwich School Sermons, p. 139.

KRETZMANN, “An interesting conversation is now reported by John: And there answered one of the elders, saying to me, These that are clothed in white robes, who are they and whence came they? Undoubtedly the elder saw the interest and the curiosity of John depicted on his face, and intended to stimulate this interest and direct it into the right channels. Therefore he pointed to the great multitude of the white-robed saints, asking, not concerning their number, but regarding their origin and character.

John's answer showed the eagerness of his heart: And I said to him, Sir, thou knowest. It was the respectful address of the inferior to one whom he regarded as his superior. See Eze_37:3. He received the information which he sought: And he said to me, These are they that have come out of the great distress, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The great distress was the period of persecution and martyrdom to which reference had been made in chap. 6:11. These people had overcome, they had conquered, they had been faithful unto death, and therefore the Lord had rescued them, had brought them to the haven of eternal safety. There was no merit on their part in this transaction, for all their righteousness were as filthy rags in the sight of God, Isa_64:6. But all the filth of their own garments had been washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which cleanses us from all sins, Isa_1:16;1Jn_1:7. The white robes are the righteousness of Jesus Christ which they received through the means of grace, to which

they clung unto the end.

The blessed state of the elect saints is further described: For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple, and He that sits upon the throne shall overshadow them. For this reason, not for any merit on their part, but because they accepted the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the white garment of His perfect merit, the perfected saints occupy that place of glory and honor before the throne of God. They are not only new creatures, but they are priests before God, performing the work of their worship before Him in all eternity, without ceasing, since the difference between day and night will then be eliminated. And just as the Shechinah, the cloud of the covenant, hovered over the Tabernacle and over the mercy-seat in the Old Testament with intimate care, thus the presence of God will overshadow the elect in heaven, in order to be united with them in intimate fellowship and to satisfy them with the rich gifts of His house, Psa_36:9; Isa_49:10.

And still more will pertain to the bliss of heaven: They shall no more hunger or thirst, nor shall there strike them the sun or any heat, for the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, will be their Shepherd and will direct their way to fountains of living waters; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. These assertions are made with the greatest emphasis. For those that are gathered before the throne of the Lamb hunger and thirst, the time of distress and affliction, are past forever, Isa_49:10. He that has mercy on them shall lead them; even by the springs of water shall He guide them. Never again will the burning rays of the sun, never again will the scorching heat of affliction make their spirits weary. For Jehovah Himself, the Lamb that occupies with the Father the very midst of the heavenly throne, will be the Shepherd that will guide them to the rich pastures of the heavenly blessings; He Himself will lead them beside the still waters of eternal life. He Himself is the bread, the manna, and the water of life, Joh_4:14-15; Joh_6:35; Joh_7:38. He it is that satisfies all hunger and thirst forever. What they have received here on earth in the means of grace, Isa_55:1, they now obtain in richest, endless measure as they see God face to face, as they are partakers of the glory which the Savior gained for them by His redeeming work. Never again will there be a cause for tears in the heavenly home. The last tear that may have remained on their eyelashes, due to the pains of death or martyrdom, will be wiped away, without a trace to show their former misery, Isa_25:8. That is the wonderful, the certain future that awaits the persecuted Church of God when the doors of eternity open. Oh, that this glorious comfort were living in the heart of every believer!

Summary

In the sealing of the servants of God, whose typical number is given, in the scene presenting the countless multitude praising the Lord, in the chorus of the angels, and in the description of the bliss of the saints in heaven the prophet offers the best and most lasting comfort to all believers in all afflictions of this life.

14

I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said,

"These are they who have come out of the

great tribulation; they have washed their

robes and made them white in the blood of the

Lamb.

BARES, “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest - The word “sir” in this place -

κύριέ kurie, “lord” - is a form of respectful address, such as would be used when speaking

to a superior, Gen_43:20; Mat_13:27; Mat_21:30; Mat_27:63; Joh_4:11, Joh_4:15, Joh_4:19, Joh_4:49; Joh_5:7; Joh_12:21; Joh_20:15. The simple meaning of the phrase “thou knowest” is, that he who had asked the question must be better informed than he to whom he had proposed it. It is, on the part of John, a modest confession that he did not know, or could not be presumed to know, and at the same time the respectful utterance of an opinion that he who addressed this question to him must be in possession of this knowledge.And he said unto me - Not offended with the reply, and ready, as he had evidently

intended to do, to give him the information which he needed.

These are they which came out of great tribulation - The word rendered

“tribulation” - θλίψις thlipsis - is a word of general character, meaning “affliction,” though

perhaps there is here an allusion to persecution. The sense, however, would be better expressed by the phrase great trials. The object seems to have been to set before the mind of the apostle a view of those who had suffered much, and who by their sufferings had been sanctified and prepared for heaven, in order to encourage those who might be yet called to suffer.

And have washed their robes - To wit, in the blood of the Lamb.

And made them white in the blood of the Lamb - There is some incongruity in saying that they had made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and the meaning therefore must be, that they had cleansed or purified them in that blood. Under the ancient ritual, various things about the sanctuary were cleansed from ceremonial defilement by the sprinkling of blood on them - the blood of sacrifice. In accordance with that usage, the blood of the Lamb - of the Lord Jesus - is said to cleanse and purify. John sees a great company with white robes. The means by which it is said they became white or pure is the blood of the Lamb. It is not said that they were made white as the result of their sufferings or their afflictions but by the blood of the Lamb. The course of thought here is such that it would be natural to suppose that, if at any time the great deeds or the sufferings of the saints could contribute to the fact that they will wear white robes in heaven, this is an occasion on which there might be such a reference.

But there is no allusion to that. It is not by their own sufferings and trials, their persecutions and sorrows, that they are made holy, but by the blood of the Lamb that had been shed for sinners. This reference to the blood of the Lamb is one of the incidental proofs that occur so frequently in the Scriptures of the reality of the atonement. It could be only in allusion to that, and with an implied belief in that, that the blood of the Lamb could be referred to as cleansing the robes of the saints in heaven. If he sheds his blood merely as other people have done; if he died only as a martyr, what propriety would there have been in referring to his blood more than to the blood of any other martyr? And what influence could the blood of any martyr have in cleansing the robes of the saints in heaven? The fact is, that if that were all, such language would be

unmeaning. It is never used except in connection with the blood of Christ; and the language of the Bible everywhere is such as would be employed on the supposition that he shed his blood to make expiation for sin, and on no other supposition. On the general meaning of the language used here, and the sentiment expressed, see the Heb_9:14 note and 1Jo_1:7 note.

CLARKE, “Sir, thou knowest - That is, I do not know, but thou canst inform me.Came out of great tribulation - Persecutions of every kind.

And have washed their robes - Have obtained their pardon and purity, through the blood of the Lamb.

Their white robes cannot mean the righteousness of Christ, for this cannot be washed and made white in his own blood. This white linen is said to be the righteousness of the saints, Rev_19:8, and this is the righteousness in which they stand before the throne; therefore it is not Christ’s righteousness, but it is a righteousness wrought in them by the merit of his blood, and the power of his Spirit.

GILL, “And I said unto him, sir, thou knowest,.... John replies in a very humble, modest, and respectful manner, to the elder, calling him "sir", according to the usage of the eastern people; and it is observable, that this word is much used in his Gospel, and more than in any other book; see Joh_4:11. Some copies, and the Complutensian edition, read, "my Lord"; and so do the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions. John confesses his ignorance, and ascribes knowledge to the elder, and desires information of him; for the sense is, that the elder knew who they were, and from whence they came, but he did not, and therefore desires that he would inform him; and so the Arabic version renders it, "and my Lord, thou art more learned"; that is, than I am, and therefore instruct me, as he accordingly did;

and he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation: seeing this company designs all the elect of God, that ever were, are, or shall be in the world; "the great tribulation", out of which they came, is not to be restrained to any particular time of trouble, but includes all that has been, is, or shall be; as all the afflictions of the saints under the Old Testament; from righteous Abel to Zechariah; and all the troubles of the people of God in the times of the Maccabees, Heb_11:35; all the persecutions of the Christians by the Jews, at the first publication of the Gospel; and the persecutions under the Roman emperors, both Pagan and Arian; and the cruelties and barbarities of the Romish antichrist, during the whole time of the apostasy; and particularly the last struggle of the beast, which will be the hour of temptation, that will come upon all the world; and in general all the afflictions, reproaches, persecutions, and many tribulations of all the saints, and every member of Christ in this world, who in the new Jerusalem church state will be come out of them; which supposes them to have been in them, and yet were not overwhelmed by them, and lost in them; but, by divine support and assistance, waded through them, and were now quite clear of them, and never more to be annoyed with them; see Rev_21:4.

And have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; not in the blood of bulls and goats, which could not take away sin; nor in their own blood, their sufferings for Christ, on which they did not depend, knowing there is no comparison between them, and the glory revealed in them; nor in any works of righteousness done by them, which are imperfect and filthy, and need washing; but in the blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all sin. The "robes" which they washed in his blood may either design themselves, their consciences, which this blood purges from dead works; or their outward conversation garments, which have their spots, and need continual washing; or else the robe of righteousness, and garments of salvation, or their justification, which is by the blood of Christ, Rom_5:9. The act of washing from sin, by the blood of Christ, is sometimes ascribed to Christ himself, as in Rev_1:5; but here to the saints, and designs the concern which faith has in the blood of Christ, which deals with it for justification, peace, and pardon, for the removing of sin from the conscience, and for cleansing from all impurity, both of flesh and Spirit: and the effect of this is, that their robes were "made white"; that is, that they were freed from all sin, were without fault before the throne, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. This shows that these persons had no trust in themselves, or dependence on their own merits, and works of righteousness, but wholly trusted to, and depended on the blood and righteousness of Christ; which is the only way to come out of tribulation, and enter the kingdom.

JAMISO, “Sir — Greek, “Lord.” B, C, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic versions, and Cyprian read, “My Lord.” A omits “My,” as English Version.thou knowest — taken from Eze_37:3. Comparatively ignorant ourselves of divine

things, it is well for us to look upward for divinely communicated knowledge.

came — rather as Greek, “come”; implying that they are just come.

great tribulation — Greek, “THE great tribulation”; “the tribulation, the great one,” namely, the tribulation to which the martyrs were exposed under the fifth seal, the same which Christ foretells as about to precede His coming (Mat_24:21, great tribulation), and followed by the same signs as the sixth seal (Mat_24:29, Mat_24:30), compare Dan_12:1; including also retrospectively all the tribulation which the saints of all ages have had to pass through. Thus this seventh chapter is a recapitulation of the vision of the six seals, Rev_6:1-17, to fill up the outline there given in that part of it which affects the faithful of that day. There, however, their number was waiting to be completed, but here it is completed, and they are seen taken out of the earth before the judgments on the Antichristian apostasy; with their Lord, they, and all His faithful witnesses and disciples of past ages, wait for His coming and their coming to be glorified and reign together with Him. Meanwhile, in contrast with their previous sufferings, they are exempt from the hunger, thirst, and scorching heats of their life on earth (Rev_7:16), and are fed and refreshed by the Lamb of God Himself (Rev_7:17; Rev_14:1-4, Rev_14:13); an earnest of their future perfect blessedness in both body and soul united (Rev_21:4-6; Rev_22:1-5).

washed ... robes ... white in the blood of ... Lamb — (Rev_1:5; Isa_1:18; Heb_9:14; 1Jo_1:7; compare Isa_61:10; Zec_3:3-5). Faith applies to the heart the purifying blood; once for all for justification, continually throughout the life for sanctification.

SBC, “We owe very little debt to those who take this out of the grand signification, and say that it belongs to the "multitudes" of Constantine, or the "Constantine age." I would far rather keep to the simple ideas of my childhood, and see in it nothing but a beautiful description of the saints in heaven. Now of all these beautiful words perhaps the most

important, certainly the most instructive, is the word "therefore." For this is what we want to know, not, Are they happy? or, What do they? All that we may leave. There is no doubt about that. But why are they there? How did they come there? This is the question which concerns us.I. And so I ask, Where in the sentence does "therefore" come? I observe that it comes after two things: "tribulation" and "washing," but directly and strictly only after "washing." We might disconnect the latter part of the sentence from the "tribulation," but we could not separate it from the "washing." The order might be that the "tribulation" leads to the "washing," and the "washing" leads to the glory. But it could not be the "tribulation" without the "washing," though it might be the "washing" without the "tribulation." Never think that affliction takes anybody to heaven. It very often conducts further from it. Affliction may lead to the fountain, and the fountain is in the road to the throne. If you go to the fountain, you will at last find yourself before the throne. But "tribulation," whatever it be, saves no one. Only "the washing the robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb" ever does that.

II. It is very easy to misunderstand that word "tribulation." It sounds like something so very severe. But what I wish to point out is this: that the text does not say that the experience of saints must be very bitter, or the pain very intense. The word used is "friction," the rubbing which goes to make the fine polish or the exquisite edge. And it amounts to this: "These are they which came out of the refining processes of great friction." And what Christian has not friction?—the friction of his two natures clashing; the friction of his besetting sins; the friction of some character in the world with whom he has to do; the friction of some daily duty; the friction of a constant uneasiness; the friction of some weary trial, some continual sore. If there be no more, there is that. And that at least must be. It may not be of many sorts, or it may not be of great importance; but we have it twice—in St. Paul’s exhortation to the Churches of Asia Minor and the elder’s testimony to St. John—"We must through much friction"—it is the same word—"We must through much friction enter into the kingdom of God." It may be a comfort to some who have no overwhelming griefs, but who have abundance of wearing, harassing vexations, that even in that they may fulfil the condition.

III. But if the "tribulation" be the inevitable accompaniment, the cleansing is the essential and the primary cause of all saintship. For then has the "tribulation" done its work, when it has humbled and emptied the heart to such a sinking sense of sin as drives it to the fountain of the cross of Jesus. "They washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." In the great temple of nature and truth; in the holy places of His handiwork; in the holiest of holies, in His Church, by day, after our feeble power, and by night, when we glorify God by our resting; in the sunshine of the consciousness of saints and the shadows of pain and impotence, we serve God; and this service of ours goes up acceptably through the very same perfume and the same incense of Jesus which makes the service of angels acceptable. And He who is present there is present here; and they know that we have Him, and we know that they have Him. They are perfect reflectors; we are imperfect reflectors. And these, the service, and the presence, and the image, are to be for ever and for ever; and they make "the communion of the saints."

J. Vaughan, Sermons, 14th series, p. 101.

RWP, “I say (eirēka). Perfect active indicative of eipon, “I have said.” “To the Seer’s

mind the whole scene was still fresh and vivid” (Swete) like kekragen in Joh_1:15 and

eilēphen in Rev_5:7, not the so-called “aoristic perfect” which even Moulton (Prol. p.

145) is disposed to admit.

My lord (Kurie�mou). “An address of reverence to a heavenly being” (Vincent), not

an act of worship on John’s part.

Thou knowest (su�oidas). “At once a confession of ignorance, and an appeal for

information” (Swete), not of full confidence like su�oidas in Joh_21:15.

They which come out of the great tribulation (hoi�erchomenoi�ek�tēs�thlipseōs�tēs �

megalēs). Present middle participle with the idea of continued repetition. “The martyrs

are still arriving from the scene of the great tribulation” (Charles). Apparently some great crisis is contemplated (Mat_13:19.; Mat_24:21; Mar_13:10), though the whole series may be in mind and so may anticipate final judgment.

And they washed (kai�eplunan). First aorist active indicative of plunō, old verb, to

wash, in N.T. only Luk_5:2; Rev_7:14; Rev_22:14. This change of construction after hoi �

erchomenoi from hoi�plunēsantes to kai�eplunan is common in the Apocalypse, one of

Charles’s Hebraisms, like kai�epoiēsen in Rev_1:6 and kai�planāi in Rev_2:20.

Made them white (eleukanan). First aorist active indicative of leukainō, to whiten,

old verb from leukos (Rev_7:13), in N.T. only here and Mar_9:3. “Milligan remarks that

robes are the expression of character and compares the word habit used of dress” (Vincent). The language here comes partly from Gen_49:11 and partly from Exo_19:10, Exo_19:14. For the cleansing power of Christ’s blood see also Rom_3:25; Rom_5:9; Col_1:20 : Eph_1:7; 1Pe_1:2; Heb_9:14; 1Jo_1:7; Rev_1:5; Rev_5:9; Rev_22:14. “The aorists look back to the life on earth when the cleansing was effected” (Swete). See Phi_2:12. for both divine and human aspects of salvation.

In the blood of the Lamb (en�tōi�haimati�tou�arniou). There is power alone in the

blood of Christ to cleanse from sin (1Jo_1:7), not in the blood of the martyrs themselves. The result is “white,” not “red,” as one might imagine.

PULPIT, “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest; and I say unto him, My

lord (Revised Version). The expression denotes the utmost respect and reverence, which afterwards induce the seer to worship the angel (see Rev_19:10; Rev_22:8). The structure of this part of the vision recalls Eze_37:3, "And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest"

(cf. Zec_4:2, Zec_4:4, Zec_4:5; Joh_12:21). And he said to me, These are they which

came out of great tribulation; which come out of the great tribulation (Revised

Version). The repeated article is especially emphatic. The question arises What is "the great tribulation" referred to? Probably all the tribulation which has been passed through by the redeemed, all that which pertained to the life though which they have passed. This tribulation is now completed and past, and is therefore referred to as "the great tribulation." "These are they which have passed through the great tribulation of their life on earth." This is the view taken by Alford. Dusterdieck refers the expression to the last great trial of the saints before the coming of the Lord. Some point to particular persecutions as the reference intended, and others consider that "the last great trial to be expected under the seventh

seal" is meant. And have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of

the Lamb; and they washed, etc. That is, during their past life, while they were

experiencing the great tribulation, they washed their robes (cf. Rev_3:4,Rev_3:5, where those who have "not defiled their garments" and those "that overcome" are to be clothed in white). Those that overcome and are undefiled, therefore, are those who have washed themselves in the blood of the Lamb, through which only their victory is possible or effective. Arethas, Bede, De Lyra, consider that the robes are washed of those who have endured martyrdom, and that they are washed in the blood of the Lamb, because it is the blood of his members.

GTB. “The Noble Army of MartyrsAnd he said to me, These are they which come out of the great tribulation, and they

washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.—Rev_7:14.

The Revelation of St. John is a magnificent spectacular prophecy. It sets forth great principles in bold and brilliant pictures. It uses the bitter experiences which befell Christian hearts in dreadful persecutions, as the means of showing forth the Divine providence and purpose of deliverance. With the blood of present martyrdoms for a symbol, it depicts the struggle and woe of a world at strife. And with the white light shining in the Christian faith, it shows forth the blessed consummation of victory, the triumph of the Christ. It is one of the most stirring of writings. It moves the heart because it is so filled with the pathos and the tragedy of those days of bloody persecution in which it was written. “Without tears,” says Bengel, “it was not written; without tears it cannot be understood.” It is a set of dazzling pictures, “wherein,” says Herder, the great poettheologian, “are set forth the rise, the visible existence, and the general future of Christ’s Kingdom, in figures and similitudes of His first coming to terrify and to console.”

In the passage which stands as the text, we have one of our glimpses of the victory which in those days of tribulation and anguish must have seemed so very remote and hard to believe. The innumerable throng in white robes, with palms in their hands, wear and bear the symbols of triumph. They stand forth in the din and clash of the contending forces depicted in this book, the happy participants in the glory and the purity of the victorious Lamb. Their white robes mean holiness. Their waving palms mean victory. The two symbols standing together set forth the triumph of holiness. That is the burden of the whole book. It is the glorious message which shines down to us from all these stormy pictures. The victory of the good, the end of strife in the purification of the world—this is the great thought poured out of the heart of that mystic utterance of the beloved Apostle. Victory through struggle and tribulation—that is the outcome of the world and the creation, prophesied in this vision of the multitude in white robes.

But the form and suggestions of the vision bring to the mind not alone the victory, but the means as well. In the very thought of a victory, there is also the thought of a battle. Winning comes only of striving. The creation is to make its way to this victory through struggle. And the same thought which carries the mind to the consummation of toil and suffering carries it back also to the weariness and the pain and the conflict out of which that end has been wrought. “Lo, a great multitude, clothed in white robes, and with palms”—“These are they which come out of the great tribulation.” There is a long look ahead in these words. But there is also a long look backward, as they, in one sentence, not only forecast the future but sum up the past.1 [Note: J. C. Adams, The Leisure of God, 219.]

It is told of Robert Burns that he could never read the closing verses of this chapter without tears. It is no wonder. The poet is a man of larger heart, of broader and keener sympathy than other men, and with a corresponding power of expression. What all men feel he feels more, and can express better. All of us feel that in this and like words of the Holy Book, something in our hearts is met; a something which we may never have been

able to define or utter—a faint vision of blessedness—a belief that at some time, we know not when, in some world or region we know not where, the brightest of those things which the soul can desire or conceive is possible to Man_1:2 [Note: J. Laidlaw, Studies in the Parables, 271.]

I

The Tribulation

1. Perhaps a more literal rendering of the original Greek would be “friction,” the rubbing which goes to make the fine polish, or the exquisite edge. And so we might render the text: “These are they which come out of the refining processes of great friction.” But the translator’s word “tribulation” is both apt and striking. Its original meaning is full of interest. It is derived from the tribula or tribulum which was used to crush the straw and separate the grain from the chaff. In its spiritual application it means chastening, the purification of the desires, the removal, through discipline of the soul, of what mars its progress, and the power of assimilating fresh influences of good. There are different kinds of tribulation. It may be the crushing on the wheel, or the stake of fire, or the slow, patient application of daily trials. It may be sheer savagery, or it may be the mere wear and tear of common life, some crushing burden, some hidden struggle against temptation, or grinding care, or sad bereavement, such as may possibly come, or it may be some slight misunderstanding, or misrepresentation, or the weariness and painfulness of commonest details.

I remember often, when a boy in my father’s barn, turning round by the handle of the fanners the big wooden fan inside, which by its motion created an artificial wind, blowing away, from the confused mixed stuff from the threshing-floor poured into its funnel, the chaff and broken bits of straw, and passing through the clean, assorted grain in a heap by itself. This instrument is very ancient in its form and use. It is a legacy from the Romans, and was called by them tribulum. It is from the Latin name of this instrument that our English word tribulation comes. The early Christians compared a trial or trouble to a passing through the tribulum or fanners, in order that by it their nature might be winnowed, that they might be sifted as wheat, and all their chaff blown away; and therefore they called it a tribulation when it had that effect. They said that “we must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdom of God”; and they were taught that this was not an evil but a good, that sanctified affliction to the believer was gain and not loss. It was a tribulation that separated the precious from the vile, that purified the nature of the believer, but preserved himself unhurt for the heavenly garner.1 [Note: H.

Macmillan, The Touch of God, 150.]

2. But the text. speaks of the great tribulation. So it is not the general sorrow and perplexity of human life that is referred to here; we must not compare this text with such passages as that in which Eliphaz, the Temanite, tells us that “man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” It is the tribulation which Christ foretold as the immediate result of His coming, the prospect of which was before Him from the first, making Him speak of His mission as one not of peace but of a sword, and which, in almost His last discourse in Jerusalem, He declared would be wider and greater than the world had ever known before. To the early disciples it took the form of persecution; and to this the text immediately refers, with this a great part of the Book of the Revelation is concerned.

The writer had lived through a period, perhaps more than one period, of persecution and martyrdom. He had seen the powers of this world employing all their resources to quench the light of Christ, and exterminate the hated sect which bore His name. He had seen or heard of dear friends slaughtered, Paul beheaded, Peter crucified, all or nearly all his fellow-apostles done to death, and a host of less known believers sacrificed to Rome’s

fury and Rome’s lust. He had lived through days which it is difficult for us to imagine, when every Christian, in a sense, died daily, and when nearly every Christian household, like Egypt of old, had at least one dead: and he had watched them calmly facing all these terrors, and holding fast the faith with courage and patience which never faltered, and dying with triumphant hope when their hour came. He had seen all this, and now he looks up, and for a moment the veil of the unseen is drawn aside, and he has a vision of these once suffering saints in their glory, wearing the white robes of spotless souls, and waving the palm branches of victory. They have conquered in the earthly fight and received their reward, and they now serve God day and night in the inner temple. St. John speaks of them as a multitude which no man can number, out of all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues, all of whom had come out of great tribulation and been perfected, like the Master Himself, by their sufferings.

Christ came not to send peace on earth but a sword; against the restless and resistless force of the new religion the gates of hell should not prevail. But polytheism could not be dethroned without a struggle; nor mankind regenerated without a baptism of blood. Persecution, in fact, is the other side of aggression, the inevitable outcome of a truly missionary spirit; the two are linked together as action and reaction. To the student of ancient history all this will appear intelligible, perhaps even axiomatic. “The birth-throes of the new religion must needs be agonizing. The religion of the civilized world was passing through Medea’s cauldron.” Out of the cauldron there would come a new world, but not without fire and blood. Persecution, in short, is no mere incident in the life of the Church which might possibly have been avoided. Not so do we read either history or Christianity. Persecution rather was the necessary antagonism of certain fundamental principles and policies in the Empire of Cæsar and the Kingdom of Christ.

By a sure instinct the Church discerned in the death of the martyr the repetition, not the less real because faint, of the central Sacrifice of Calvary. “As we behold the martyrs,” writes Origen, “coming forth from every Church to be brought before the tribunal, we see in each the Lord Himself condemned.” So Irenæus speaks of the martyrs as “endeavouring to follow in the footsteps of Christ,” and of St. Stephen, as “imitating in all things the Master of Martyrdom.” In the early Church the imitation of Christ, as a formal principle in ethics, played but a secondary part, so far, at any rate, as the average member was concerned. The martyrs and confessors alone were thought of as actually following and imitating Jesus; they alone were the “true disciples” of the Master. It was enough for the servant that he should be as his Lord.1 [Note: H. B. Workman, Persecution in the Early Church, 21,

51.]

3. It is impossible, however, to confine the application of the text to the martyrs of the first century. The Seer beheld “a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and people and tongues”; and he may have viewed as one great tribulation all the distresses that afflict the Christian generations. Just as the ten thousand lamps in a huge city blend their upcast rays into the cloud of red mist which invests it at nightfall, so the sorrows of Christ’s servants in all ages gather themselves into one great lurid mass before the view of the Seer. It is from the world’s great storm-centre of violence and whirling wrath that the children of light emerge into victory. “The great tribulation.” Common causes give rise to it. The stress and pain of the individual disciple is not peculiar to his own lot, but is part of a whole.

Some epochs may be marked by violent forms of persecution and distress, but in every age hostile tempers work against the outward happiness and well-being of Christ’s followers. The hounded apostle of the first century and the uncompromising confessor of the last stand beneath the same eclipse. There is under every form of government the

same prejudice against the plain, pure ethic of Jesus Christ, the same tendency to pitiless rancour, the same sensibility to pain in the victims, the same subjection to death. This hostile temper works in one age by the engine of physical torture, and in another by sneer, slander, and social ostracism. The hot, bitter springs from which tears come are the same in all ages, and never run quite dry. That which the Seer here describes is a specific, undivided, palpitating pain running through the frame of Christ’s mystical body, filling up in all ages that which is behind of His sufferings.

It is quite the usual thing in the world for saintly men to be persecuted. It has been, as it were, agreed between God and His servants on one part, and the devil and his own on the other part, that the latter should persecute the former; that the good should suffer and be tortured, that the wicked should exercise upon them their malice, and that as long as they live in the world these should triumph, the others weep, and that after a short time all things be reversed. Let the wicked now raise up false testimonies, crushing them with affronts; let them be cast into prisons, exiled, covered with miseries as by a mantle; let them be loaded with all the misfortunes that can be devised, until they end this life by a sad death; all, all will be in the end the fulfilment of the arrangement assented to very long ago between the ancient serpent and man: “She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” There is no need to fill pages with examples. It suffices for my purpose to say that no one can meditate on the life of any saintly man without discovering something of this, and in many of them a great deal; indeed, this fact has come to be so widely acknowledged that we ourselves do not hold a saint to be so who does not pass through all this.1 [Note: F. J. de Siguenza, The Life of Saint Jerome (ed. 1907), 374.]

4. The imagery of this book seems to suggest that the stages of the tribulation are so ordered that it achieves the ends of a great spiritual discipline. The convulsions which rend the earth are one and all determined by movements before the throne of God in heaven. The saints are sealed ere the restless forces of destruction rush forth upon their errands, and the trials which are to prove high qualities take place under the eye of a watching God and amidst the ministries of His messengers. The distracted world is not a sheer anarchy of diabolism, as the sufferers might be tempted to think. The Sovereignty in heaven directs the path of the storms, and the storms do not break till the elect of God are made ready for their ordeals. The appointed cycles of tribulation test the faithful as they tested Job in the ancient days. Scenes of disquiet and calamity cannot work the spiritual havoc one might fear, making religious faith all but impossible. Innumerable hosts come forth out of the great tribulation. It is indeed the very discipline that prepares God’s people for their triumph. As needful is it that the children of light before the throne should be tried and perfected by their keen and manifold distresses, as that they should be washed from their sins in the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. It is because their fidelity has been verified in the struggles of the past that they are before the throne, to the praise and glory of Him who redeemed them. They are welcomed with tenderness and fostered with exquisite care because of all that through which they have passed. The waving of the palm branches would have been mere pantomime, and the ringing jubilations an empty stage-chorus, apart from the stress, conflict, and vicissitude over which the Lord’s people have triumphed.

The Rev. J. W. Dickson of St. Helens supplies the following among the obiter dicta dropped by Dr. Paton during his lectures at the Institute at Nottingham:—“When Richard Baxter was told that he would have a glorious reward because he had suffered so much in the cause of Christ, he replied that he didn’t want any reward other than a little more persecution. He was not weary, but willing to have more of it, if God willed it. He gloried in tribulation, like Paul, and panted for more of it, resolutely assured that no foe

could work anything upon him other than the will of God desired and permitted.”1 [Note: John

Brown Paton, by his Son (1914), 362.]

Presumably for most of us tribulation rather than ease constructs the safe road and the firm stepping-stone. Better to be taught with thorns of the wilderness and briars, than on no wise to be taught. Better great tribulation now than unexampled tribulation hereafter.

Good Lord, to-day

I scarce find breath to say:

Scourge, but receive me.

For stripes are hard to bear, but worse Thy intolerable curse;

So do not leave me.

Good Lord, lean down

In pity tho’ Thou frown;

Smite, but retrieve me:

For so Thou hold me up to stand

And kiss Thy smiting hand,

It less will grieve me.

“Tribulation,” that is, sifting: sifting reclaims and releases good from bad, while aught of good remains. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, The Face of the Deep, 235.]

II

The Triumph

1. They all come out of the great tribulation. Now they celebrate their triumph. Every one of them carries the palm of victory. Some reminiscence of the Feast of Tabernacles perhaps lies in the background of the picture. The Jews were accustomed to observe that season of rejoicing by putting up triumphal arches, camping out upon the tops of their houses in arbours of evergreens and waving branches of trees, thus testifying to their joy at escaping from the hand of Pharaoh, and from the terrible plagues which had blasted the country of their sojourn. This vision assures the exiled Seer that the life beyond the veil is a festival of victory. He had perhaps been tempted to look upon himself and his companions in tribulation as defeated, crushed, fatally discredited, and overthrown. But the victims of a pagan persecuting Imperialism are now seen to be victors, and they ascribe their salvation to God and to the Lamb, who Himself conquered sublimely at the cross in His apparent overthrow. They have risen above those judgments of wrath which a retributive Providence let loose for a time upon the world to desolate the adversaries of Christ’s Kingdom. They have triumphed over unseen hosts, leagued together against God’s elect and the cause they had at heart. Through faith they have prevailed against the wrath of Antichrist, and the great pagan empires are led captive to adorn their triumph. They have proved stronger than their own frailties in all the distresses appointed for the testing of their fidelity. By their contemporaries they were counted as filth and offscouring. They left the world as defeated men, unpitied as they were thrown to the wild beasts, scoffed at as the sword fell upon them; but they reappear in the realms of light “more than conquerors.”

The palm, among many of the ancient nations, was an emblem of victory. Hence its branches were used to adorn triumphal processions. The general whose victories the triumph was intended to celebrate carried a small branch of it in his hand, and was thus recognized as a conqueror. Therefore when the redeemed are described as having “palms in their hands,” we are reminded that they were once soldiers who were not ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, but fought manfully under His banner, and by the strength of His arm completely conquered every enemy. The saints on earth indeed are warring the same warfare in which these glorified beings were engaged, and are continually obtaining victories in it; but then they must wait till all the days of their warfare are accomplished before they can have the triumphal chariot and the palm. The soldier never triumphs till the war is ended, and the enemy completely subdued. The saints in heaven have finished the painful conflict, and are now gone up for their reward to Jehovah’s temple.

In the spiritual realm there is no such thing as absolute and conclusive victory. We must not imagine that Adèle Kamm spent her latter years in undisturbed tranquillity and peace. Like an Alpine climber, who before he can reach the topmost peak must make his toilsome way along the edge of a precipice, she had to strain every nerve in order to keep her footing. It is not surprising to learn that she had to fight many a hard and lonely conflict, and though she nearly always managed to meet her visitors with a smile, yet when night came, and she was alone, the almost intolerable suffering would sometimes wring from her bitter tears. Either from stoicism or pride she would hide this feeling from those whom she did not know well; and she never spoke of it to those who depended on her brave example for inspiration. On the 9th of November 1909 she wrote to Miss Schlumberger:

“If you only knew, Lily, how strange it seems to me to have to struggle to live, when all the time I feel an irresistible longing to be with Jesus Christ. From month to month He becomes more wonderfully attractive to me, His Light seems more radiant, His words more living and deeper in meaning, and I feel so trustful, so happy, so joyful, that it is with real difficulty that I make myself stay here when I want to fly away, to throw off the burden of this suffering body, and to penetrate into that mysterious Beyond, to enter fully into the wonder of that intense Divine Love! Still, I am a very ordinary mortal, and it has been my habit ever since I was a child to put duty before inclination, and this view of things helps me more than I can say at this critical moment. Duty first! Those are my orders! and I must stick to my post and not neglect anything for that; I believe that I can live for a good while longer if only I am brave.”1 [Note: A Living Witness: The Life of Adèle Kamm (1914), 165, 169.]

2. Those who came out of the great tribulation are arrayed in white robes. Their attire, as well as the palms they carry, proclaim their victory. White robes suggest that they are in the act of triumph, and occupied in a scene of rejoicing. And in this respect also their robes have been “washed and made white.” In their unredeemed condition they were captives, not conquerors; slaves, not kings; rebels, not priests; miserable victims, not rejoicing sons. But now all this is changed. Heaven rejoices over them as the lost found and the dead come to life, and they share in the joy. But it is all founded on the blood of the Redeemer. No doubt their rest after toil and their bliss after pain are augmented by the past of their own history, yet the ground of all their joy and triumph is the blood of Christ. They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and for the testimony of Jesus. It was given them even when they suffered for His sake, and they were made more than conquerors through Him that loved them.

Often when generals have returned from battle they and the warriors have been clothed in white, or have ridden upon white horses. True, the Romans adopted purple as their

imperial colour, and well they might, for their victories and their rule were alike bloody and cruel; but the Christ of God sets forth His gentle and holy victories by white; it is on a “white cloud” that He shall come to judge the world, and His seat of judgment shall be “the great white throne.” Upon a “white horse” He shall ride, and all the armies of heaven shall follow Him on white horses. Lo, He is clothed with a “white” garment down to the feet. Thus has He chosen white as the symbolic colour of His victorious kingdom, and so the redeemed wear it, even the newly born, freshly escaped out of the great tribulation, because they are all of them more than conquerors. They wear the victor garb and bear the palm which is the victor symbol.1 [Note: C. H. Spurgeon.]

(1) White suggests the immaculate purity of character of the redeemed. White signifies perfection; it is not so much a colour as the harmonious union and blending of all the hues, colours, and beauties of light. In the characters of just men made perfect we have the combination of all virtues, the balancing of all excellences, a display of all the beauties of grace. Are they not like their Lord, and is He not all beauties in one? Here a saint has an evident excess of the red of courage, or the blue of constancy, or the violet of tenderness, and we have to admire the varied excellences and lament the multiform defects of the children of God; but up yonder each saint will combine in his character all things that are lovely and of good report, and his garments will be always white to indicate completeness, as well as spotlessness of character.

What a miracle of grace! Yon clouds that walk in brightness beside the noonday sun transformed, transfigured by the marvellous processes of Nature from the briny sea, and the brimming river, and the standing pool, and the swampy meadow, and the foul marsh; but more marvellous the transformation when those who were sinners once walk in white beside the dazzling whiteness of the King of kings, and before the blaze of that great white throne on which He sits.2 [Note: J. Laidlaw, Studies in the Parables, 277.]

(2) These white robes of victory and purity are also the uniform of service. A uniform usually signifies service; the soldier’s and the sailor’s uniform speaks of the particular service in which they are engaged. The nurse’s mantle, the scholar’s gown, the priest’s robes, all speak of special work. These are clothed after a special manner, and their distinctive clothing signifies honourable and responsible service. Their uniform is the sign of their responsibility, their clothes are symbols of their high calling. In the very beginning of this book, in its opening vision, which is a revelation of the Head of the Church, the risen Son of Man, even He, too, is revealed as specially clothed in the royal uniform of His Heavenly occupation. He is girt about the breasts with a girdle—that is to say, He is a Priest on active service. He is also a King, ruling from His throne in justice and in truth. He is the risen, glorious, acting Priest-King. His clothing symbolizes His office and His work. So, too, do those garments of the saints, those blood-washed garments of white. They mean honour, victory; yes, but also service. Therefore are they before the throne and serve Him. They are clothed for their Heavenly work. Thus, then, is it with the Church in Heaven, and that, too, is the calling of the Church below. We are called in Christ Jesus to co-operation in His vineyard, to understand His purpose, and to carry out His plans.

In “Sartor Resartus” Carlyle lays hold practically of this truth, and with his great imagination on bold wing, and with his wonderful humour coruscating and breaking out into lambent flame, he speaks of many things as clothes, and of the significance of clothes as seen in a great many things, and urges that however a man is clothed, such garments only mean responsibility and service. Rank, and honour, and titles, these are clothes in the thought of the great thinker. Social station, reputation, and privilege, these are a kind of clothing, or uniform, too. The judge’s office, the prophet’s calling, the king’s

throne, what are they all but symbols and garments? And so we speak about men being clothed with honour, clothed with authority, or clothed with power. And going off on the eagle wing of his magnificent imagination and sweeping through great circles of truth, he speaks even of Nature herself—wonderful and glorious Nature—tripping forth in all the beauty of her summer raiment, or austere in her winter garments, as the time-vesture of God. But all such dress symbolizes something, and most of it calls to service and means responsibility. Apply this truth anywhere and you will find it true, but it is especially true in regard to the spiritual calling and honour conferred by Christ on Christian people. We are redeemed, honoured, crowned—for what? For enjoyment, for self-satisfaction, for indulgence, even refined and selfish indulgence in connection with religion? Never. We are redeemed, honoured, crowned, to serve.1 [Note: D. L. Ritchie, Peace the Umpire, 162.]

(3) White is also the colour of joy. Almost all nations have adopted it as most suitable for bridal array, and therefore these happy spirits have put on their bridal robes, and are ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Though they are waiting for the resurrection, yet are they waiting with their bridal garments on, waiting and rejoicing, waiting and chanting their Redeemer’s praises, for they feast with Him till He shall descend to consummate their bliss by bringing their bodies from the grave to share with them in the eternal joy.

One of Dr. Paton’s former students, who took notes of his lectures, gives examples of his teaching on the great themes of the ministry. Speaking of heaven, the doctor said: “Fellowship with God—that is heaven. The full consummation of what we know of heaven will be in heaven only; but heaven is not to be limited to the future life. Heaven is the perfect development and fulness of what we have the beginning of here. The fulness of joy and service and blessedness of what is in heaven, I know here and now in some measure. In part, but it is a part only. If we haven’t heaven here, we shall not have heaven yonder. Christ is now at the right hand of God, and I am walking in fellowship with Him here now. And He has called me, by faith, up into fellowship with Him yonder. I see only darkly, but then I shall see fully and unveiled. The veil gets thinner and thinner day by day. Heaven is simply the perfection and fulness of what I have here. Heaven can give me no more, and I don’t want heaven to give me more. It has been a great mistake of evangelical preaching to put all joy in the future world. It is not so. It is not ‘the sacrifice of this world to the next.’ It is the opposite. It is the great heaven—the eternal world—that has come down to us. Heaven has sacrificed itself for this world. Heaven was in Calvary, or it was nowhere. Suffer with Christ now, and you reign with Him now. The more I suffer, the more I reign with Him now. We are born here into life eternal—and thus into that promised heaven. But heaven is not our due because we suffer: it is a gracious gift of God.”1 [Note: John Brown Paton, by his Son (1914), 368.]

3. How came they by their robes? “They washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Their robes were white, like the white and glistering raiment of Christ when He was transfigured. The robes express their condition, as a purple robe expresses royalty, or filthy garments a condition of sin and misery. But it was not in love, or in any moral quality or virtue, that those robes were made white; it was in the blood of the Lamb. The figure of a washing, even of garments, in blood, is indeed a very strong one. In some Eastern countries of old, men who were oppressed with a sense of sin actually plunged their bodies into a stream or bath of animal blood, that their souls might be cleansed. But from such gross literalness we turn away. But let us never turn away from the truth which underlies the figure of garments made white by being washed in precious blood. There is cleansing for the soul in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus.

Now this is a material image which is used in the text, but of course no little child among us needs to be told that it is in some spiritual sense it must be understood. It is not in the literal sense that we are to understand these words. The human blood of Christ sprinkled upon us would not make our raiment white; and though it did, that would not bring us to heaven. Probably the Roman soldier who pierced the Saviour’s side with his cruel spear, would be (in the literal sense) sprinkled with His precious blood: but that would not save him: he remained, spiritually, after that exactly what he had been before. To have our robes made white in the blood of the Lamb means two things. It means that our sins are pardoned for the sake of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. And it means that our souls are made holy by the blessed Spirit Christ sent after He left this world. And there are two reasons why only those thus washed in the blood of Christ can be always before the throne of God. One is, They alone have a right to be there. The other is, They alone are fit to be there, and to be happy there.

One night, during that terrible winter in the Crimean War, Duncan Matheson, the evangelist, was returning, weary and sad, from Sebastopol to his poor lodgings in the old stable at Balaklava. He had laboured all day with unflagging energy, and now his strength was gone. He was sickened with the sights he had seen, and was depressed with the thought that the siege was no nearer an end than ever. As he trudged along in the mud knee-deep, he happened to look up and noticed the stars shining calmly in the clear sky. Instinctively his weary heart mounted heaven-ward in sweet thoughts of the “rest that remaineth for the people of God,” and he began to sing aloud the well-known scriptural verses:

How bright these glorious spirits shine!

Whence all their white array?

How came they to the blissful seats

Of everlasting day?

Lo! these are they from suff’rings great,

Who came to realms of light,

And in the blood of Christ have wash’d

Those robes which shine so bright.

Next day was wet and stormy, and when he went out to see what course to take, he came upon a soldier standing for shelter below the verandah of an old house. The poor fellow was in rags, and all that remained of shoes upon his feet were utterly insufficient to keep his naked toes from the mud. Altogether he looked miserable enough. The kind-hearted missionary spoke words of encouragement to the soldier, and gave him at the same time half a sovereign with which to purchase shoes, suggesting that he might be supplied by those who were burying the dead. The soldier offered his warmest thanks, and then said: “I am not what I was yesterday. Last night, as I was thinking of our miserable condition, I grew tired of life, and said to myself, Here we are, not a bit nearer taking that place than when we sat down before it. I can bear this no longer, and may as well try and put an end to it. So I took my musket and went down yonder in a desperate state about eleven o’clock; but as I got round the point, I heard some person singing, ‘How bright these glorious spirits shine,’ and I remembered the old tune and the Sabbath School where we used to sing it. I felt ashamed of being so cowardly, and said, Here is some one as badly off as myself, and yet he is not giving in. I felt he had something to make him happy of which I was ignorant, and I began to hope I too might get the same happiness. I

returned to my tent, and to-day I am resolved to seek the one thing.” “Do you know who the singer was?” asked the missionary. “No,” was the reply. “Well,” said the other, “It was I”; on which the tears rushed into the soldier’s eyes, and he requested the Scripture-reader to take back the half-sovereign, saying, “Never, sir, can I take it from you, after what you have been the means of doing for me.”1 [Note: J. Macpherson, Life and Labours of Duncan Matheson, 70.]

(1) Mere tribulation will not necessarily make the robes white. Tribulation, or affliction, or oppression—call it which you will—is overruled by a miracle of Divine grace so as to benefit the believer, but in and of itself it is not the cleanser but the defiler of the soul. Affliction of itself does not sanctify anybody, but the reverse. Afflictions of themselves arouse to an unwonted energy the evil which is in us, and place us in positions where the rebellious heart is incited to forsake the Lord. This will be seen if we consider the matter closely. The great tribulation is, under some aspects of it, a sin-creating thing, and if the victorious ones had not perpetually gone to the blood they would never have had their garments white. It was that alone that made and kept them white; they were familiar with the atonement and knew its cleansing power.

(2) It is the blood of the Lamb that washes out the stains and makes the garments white. How often did the martyrs have their garments stained and soiled when enduring a violent death in the arena; but in the very act of shedding their blood they became identified with Christ and so entered into the fruits of His victory. Robes that are washed in the blood would be expected to come out red; why should the result be so unlike the process? Because the process of sacrifice which makes me pure must leave no trace of itself. The blood which washes out my stains would, if perpetuated, be itself a stain. There can be no cross in my completed life. There is a shadow in its dawn, but not in its day. There is a struggle in faith; there is a struggle in hope; but there is no struggle in love. There are some cures which leave a scar; the disease is gone, but the red mark is left which tells of pain. Not all blood washes white. There are struggles in which I conquer, but from which I yet come down with the shrunk sinew; the battle is over, but, even in the daybreak, the wound remains. I have won the fight, but I have lost youth’s elastic spring; I halt upon my thigh. But the cross of Christ leaves on me no print of the nails. It heals its own scar. It dries its own blood. It wipes its own tears. It not only redeems, it restores my soul. It has no after-effects—no lameness, no sight of men like trees walking. There is no sense of langour, no feeling of soreness, no memory of pain. The cross of yesterday becomes the crown of to-day; the thorn of my winter is made the flower of my spring. The heart’s bleeding is staunched when law is one with love.

(3) Each individual in the triumphal throng had to perform his part in cleansing his robes. They washed their own robes and made them white. Faith is a fact embedded deep in their history, for it links their present blessedness with their past experience. All-important and blessed record! We are not told where they were born, where they died, or in what style they lived, whether in royal palace or smoky hovel; whether in their natural characters they were brilliant or humble, wise or foolish. This only is recorded, and this of them all—they believed on Jesus; they trusted to His cross; they came guilty to the fountain which was opened there, and out of it they went, washed and white, to heaven. If anything in the experience of the redeemed on earth be meant beyond this, it is their renewed and continual application to His blood for the pardon and cleansing of every day. Washed once for all and in one sense clean every whit, they need yet daily to wash the feet from the soil of sin that cleaves to them through time. And it is characteristic of Christ’s redeemed ones that the nearer they get to heaven the more completely they depend on the atoning death of Christ; in all the world none but Christ, and in Christ nothing that absorbs them so much as “him crucified.”

While to those who are without, the necessary, the meritorious death of Christ remains the stumbling-block and stone of offence, the chosen point of attack, ever openly assaulted, ever secretly undermined, to those who are within, the Stone thus set at nought and rejected is still the head of the corner; it is still the tried stone, the sure foundation, the Rock whereof Faith speaks, “Set me upon it for it is higher than I,” Love’s sure, abiding Pillar of remembrance, whereon Love’s secret is written and graven with a pen of iron for ever. To them who believe Christ is precious.… The death of Christ is that which most powerfully attracts the heart of man to God, and this because it is the strongest proof of love. Love kindles and calls forth love; “We count that,” says John of Wessel, “to be the most lovable which we know to be the most loving.” The love of Christ has achieved the greatest things, and hence must produce the most powerful effects; it has displayed the greatest devotedness, and consequently must possess the strongest attractive power.1 [Note: Dora Greenwell, The Covenant of Life (ed. 1898), 47.]

CHARLES SIMEO 14-17, “THE FELICITY OF THE GLORIFIED SAINTS

Rev_7:14-17. 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.

THE more light and knowledge God has communicated to us, the more ready shall we be to

confess our ignorance, and to receive instruction from those who are qualified and appointed to

teach us. Unsanctified knowledge indeed will puff us up with conceit; but that which comes from

God, will lead us to God with deeper humility. The Apostle John was distinguished above all the

Apostles by special tokens of his Master’s favour; insomuch that he was called “the Disciple whom

Jesus loved.” Nor was he less distinguished by the multitude of revelations that were given to him.

In the chapter before us he records a vision which he had of the heavenly world, wherein he saw all

the hosts of heaven, and heard the anthems which they sang before the throne of God. Being

interrogated by one of the celestial choir respecting the persons whom he had seen, Who they

were? and, Whence they had come? he modestly declined offering any opinion of his own; and, in

hopes of obtaining information from him, confessed the superior intelligence of this divine

messenger. The desired information was immediately imparted: he was told, in the words we have

just read, Whence they came; How they came thither; and The nature and extent of their felicity.

Taking this therefore as the distribution of our subject, we shall shew, respecting the glorified saints,

I. Whence they came—

[Perhaps the persons whom the Apostle saw, were those who had suffered martyrdom for the sake

of Christ [Note: Rev_6:9-11.]. But “it is through much tribulation that every one must enter into the

kingdom of heaven.” Persecution indeed does not rage equally at all times, or affect all in an equal

degree: but “all who will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer it.” It is necessary that they should

endure it, not only to prove the sincerity of their faith, but to accomplish, in many other respects, the

gracious purposes of God towards them. Besides, there are numberless other troubles, which are

peculiar to the true Christian, and are more afflictive than the most cruel persecution. The

temptations of Satan are often like fiery darts that pierce the soul, and inflame it with a deadly

venom. The body of sin and death, which even the most exalted saints carry about with them to the

latest hour of their lives, often drew from the Apostle tears and groans, which his bitterest enemies

never could extort. He could rejoice and glory in the sufferings which they inflicted; but a sense of

his indwelling corruptions broke his spirit, and humbled him in the dust. There is yet another source

of tribulation, which, when opened, overwhelms the soul with inexpressible anguish. The hidings of

God’s face were the chief ingredient of that bitter cup, which so distressed our adorable Saviour,

that his “soul was sorrowful, even unto death.” Nor are any of his followers so highly privileged, but

they at times cry out by reason of dereliction, and feel a grief too big for utterance. Hence then may

it be said of all that are in heaven, That they came thither through much tribulation; or, as it is

spoken by the prophet, That “the third part, the chosen remnant, are brought through the fire

[Note: Zec_13:9.].”

But as they are a remnant only who partake of that glory, while by far the greater part are left to

perish in their sins, it will be proper to inquire,]

II. How they came thither—

[Though tribulation is the way to heaven, and, when suffered for the sake of Christ, is the means of

advancing us to higher degrees of glory, or, as the Apostle says, “worketh out for us a far more

exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” yet is it by no means meritorious in the sight of God: if our

trials were ever so great, ever so long continued, and ever so patiently endured, they would not

expiate our guilt, or purchase the remission of one single sin. Nor is repentance, however deep, at

all more available for the removal of our guilt. As well might the Ethiopian hope to change his

complexion, or the leopard to wash away his spots in water, as we to cleanse our souls from the

stains they have contracted, even though we could bathe them in rivers of tears. But though neither

the tears of penitence, nor the blood of martyrdom, can avail for the washing of our robes, “there is

a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness,” a fountain in which “sins of a crimson dye may be

made white as snow.” The blood of the Lamb of God was shed for this very purpose, and is ever

effectual for this end. And if we could ask of every saint that is in heaven, How came you hither?

Whence had you this white robe? there would be but one answer from them all; all without

exception would acknowledge that “their own righteousnesses were as filthy rags;” and that they

“washed them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This is noticed in the text as the express reason of

their being exalted to glory; they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb; therefore are they

before the throne of God. And, if ever we would go thither, we must go in the same way, and “be

found in Christ, not having our own righteousness, but his.”

That we may be stirred up to seek a participation of their privileges, let us consider,]

III. The nature and extent of their felicity—

While we are in this world we can form but very inadequate conceptions of what is passing in

heaven. But respecting the glorified saints the text informs us, that,

1. They serve God—

[Heaven is not a scene of inactivity, but of constant diligence in the service of God. As God dwelt

visibly in the temple, and the chambers of the priests surrounded him on every side; and as the

priests ministered before him in white garments, all in their courses attending upon him by day and

by night, so he is represented as seated on his throne in heaven; and all his saints being made

priests unto him, they surround his throne clothed in white robes, and minister unto him, not in

rotation, but all together, with incessant watchfulness. They once were prevented by their infirmities,

and by the very necessities of nature, from glorifying him so continually as they would have wished;

but now their powers are enlarged, and they can serve him without weariness and without

distraction. Now also they have a freedom from every thing that could at all abate their happiness in

his service. When they were in the flesh they had many wants yet unsupplied, and many trials that

were grievous to flesh and blood. If they had lost their desire after earthly things, yet they hungered

and thirsted after God, and felt many painful sensations by reason of their distance from him. But

now every trial is removed: the sun of persecution no longer lights on them; nor do the fiery darts of

Satan any longer wound their souls [Note:Rev_21:3-4.]. Hence their services are unintermitted, and

their happiness is unalloyed.]

2. God serves them—

[Both the Father and Christ delight to minister to their happiness. The Father has long “pitied them,

as a parent pities” his dear afflicted infant; and, rejoicing with them in the termination of their trials,

now “wipes the tears from their eyes,” and receives them to his everlasting embraces. The Lord

Jesus too, who, though on his throne, is yet “as a Lamb that has been slain,” delights to minister

unto them [Note: Luk_12:37.]. Once, as the great Shepherd of the sheep, he sought them out, and

brought them home on his shoulders rejoicing, and fed them in green pastures, and made them to

lie down beside the still waters. The same office does he still execute in heaven, where his widely

scattered flock are collected, as “one fold under one Shepherd [Note:Joh_10:16].” There he feeds

them in far richer pastures than they ever saw below, and “leads them from the streams, to the

living fountains” of consolation and bliss. Incessantly does he give them brighter discoveries of all

the Divine perfections as harmonizing, and as glorified, in their salvation; and incessantly does he

refresh them with the sweetest tokens of his love, and the most abundant communications of his

joy.]

Infer—

1. How patient should we be in all our tribulations!

[Tribulation is but the way to our Father’s house: and can we repine at the difficulties of the way, if

we only consider whither it is leading us? Besides, while every trial brings us nearer to our journey’s

end, it leaves one trial less to be endured. “Be patient, then, and hope to the end.”

2. How earnest should we be to obtain an interest in Christ!

[Nothing but his blood can cleanse us from sin; nor can we ever be admitted to the marriage-supper

without a wedding garment. Let us go then to the fountain; let us wash and be clean.]

3. How diligent should we be in seeking heaven!

[Will not the blessedness of heaven repay us? Will it not be time enough to rest when we get

thither? Let us then press forward with all our might.]

GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, “The Noble Army of Martyrs

And he said to me, These are they which come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their

robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.—Rev_7:14.

The Revelation of St. John is a magnificent spectacular prophecy. It sets forth great principles in

bold and brilliant pictures. It uses the bitter experiences which befell Christian hearts in dreadful

persecutions, as the means of showing forth the Divine providence and purpose of deliverance.

With the blood of present martyrdoms for a symbol, it depicts the struggle and woe of a world at

strife. And with the white light shining in the Christian faith, it shows forth the blessed consummation

of victory, the triumph of the Christ. It is one of the most stirring of writings. It moves the heart

because it is so filled with the pathos and the tragedy of those days of bloody persecution in which it

was written. “Without tears,” says Bengel, “it was not written; without tears it cannot be understood.”

It is a set of dazzling pictures, “wherein,” says Herder, the great poettheologian, “are set forth the

rise, the visible existence, and the general future of Christ’s Kingdom, in figures and similitudes of

His first coming to terrify and to console.”

In the passage which stands as the text, we have one of our glimpses of the victory which in those

days of tribulation and anguish must have seemed so very remote and hard to believe. The

innumerable throng in white robes, with palms in their hands, wear and bear the symbols of triumph.

They stand forth in the din and clash of the contending forces depicted in this book, the happy

participants in the glory and the purity of the victorious Lamb. Their white robes mean holiness.

Their waving palms mean victory. The two symbols standing together set forth the triumph of

holiness. That is the burden of the whole book. It is the glorious message which shines down to us

from all these stormy pictures. The victory of the good, the end of strife in the purification of the

world—this is the great thought poured out of the heart of that mystic utterance of the beloved

Apostle. Victory through struggle and tribulation—that is the outcome of the world and the creation,

prophesied in this vision of the multitude in white robes.

But the form and suggestions of the vision bring to the mind not alone the victory, but the means as

well. In the very thought of a victory, there is also the thought of a battle. Winning comes only of

striving. The creation is to make its way to this victory through struggle. And the same thought which

carries the mind to the consummation of toil and suffering carries it back also to the weariness and

the pain and the conflict out of which that end has been wrought. “Lo, a great multitude, clothed in

white robes, and with palms”—“These are they which come out of the great tribulation.” There is a

long look ahead in these words. But there is also a long look backward, as they, in one sentence,

not only forecast the future but sum up the past.1 [Note: J. C. Adams, The Leisure of God,

219.]

It is told of Robert Burns that he could never read the closing verses of this chapter without tears. It

is no wonder. The poet is a man of larger heart, of broader and keener sympathy than other men,

and with a corresponding power of expression. What all men feel he feels more, and can express

better. All of us feel that in this and like words of the Holy Book, something in our hearts is met; a

something which we may never have been able to define or utter—a faint vision of blessedness—a

belief that at some time, we know not when, in some world or region we know not where, the

brightest of those things which the soul can desire or conceive is possible to Man_1:2 [Note: J.

Laidlaw, Studies in the Parables, 271.] I

The Tribulation

1. Perhaps a more literal rendering of the original Greek would be “friction,” the rubbing which goes

to make the fine polish, or the exquisite edge. And so we might render the text: “These are they

which come out of the refining processes of great friction.” But the translator’s word “tribulation” is

both apt and striking. Its original meaning is full of interest. It is derived from

the tribulaor tribulum which was used to crush the straw and separate the grain from the chaff. In its

spiritual application it means chastening, the purification of the desires, the removal, through

discipline of the soul, of what mars its progress, and the power of assimilating fresh influences of

good. There are different kinds of tribulation. It may be the crushing on the wheel, or the stake of

fire, or the slow, patient application of daily trials. It may be sheer savagery, or it may be the mere

wear and tear of common life, some crushing burden, some hidden struggle against temptation, or

grinding care, or sad bereavement, such as may possibly come, or it may be some slight

misunderstanding, or misrepresentation, or the weariness and painfulness of commonest details.

I remember often, when a boy in my father’s barn, turning round by the handle of the fanners the big

wooden fan inside, which by its motion created an artificial wind, blowing away, from the confused

mixed stuff from the threshing-floor poured into its funnel, the chaff and broken bits of straw, and

passing through the clean, assorted grain in a heap by itself. This instrument is very ancient in its

form and use. It is a legacy from the Romans, and was called by them tribulum. It is from the Latin

name of this instrument that our English word tribulation comes. The early Christians compared a

trial or trouble to a passing through the tribulum or fanners, in order that by it their nature might be

winnowed, that they might be sifted as wheat, and all their chaff blown away; and therefore they

called it a tribulation when it had that effect. They said that “we must through many tribulations enter

into the Kingdom of God”; and they were taught that this was not an evil but a good, that sanctified

affliction to the believer was gain and not loss. It was a tribulation that separated the precious from

the vile, that purified the nature of the believer, but preserved himself unhurt for the heavenly

garner.1 [Note: H. Macmillan, The Touch of God, 150.]

2. But the text. speaks of the great tribulation. So it is not the general sorrow and perplexity of

human life that is referred to here; we must not compare this text with such passages as that in

which Eliphaz, the Temanite, tells us that “man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” It is

the tribulation which Christ foretold as the immediate result of His coming, the prospect of which

was before Him from the first, making Him speak of His mission as one not of peace but of a sword,

and which, in almost His last discourse in Jerusalem, He declared would be wider and greater than

the world had ever known before. To the early disciples it took the form of persecution; and to this

the text immediately refers, with this a great part of the Book of the Revelation is concerned.

The writer had lived through a period, perhaps more than one period, of persecution and

martyrdom. He had seen the powers of this world employing all their resources to quench the light

of Christ, and exterminate the hated sect which bore His name. He had seen or heard of dear

friends slaughtered, Paul beheaded, Peter crucified, all or nearly all his fellow-apostles done to

death, and a host of less known believers sacrificed to Rome’s fury and Rome’s lust. He had lived

through days which it is difficult for us to imagine, when every Christian, in a sense, died daily, and

when nearly every Christian household, like Egypt of old, had at least one dead: and he had

watched them calmly facing all these terrors, and holding fast the faith with courage and patience

which never faltered, and dying with triumphant hope when their hour came. He had seen all this,

and now he looks up, and for a moment the veil of the unseen is drawn aside, and he has a vision

of these once suffering saints in their glory, wearing the white robes of spotless souls, and waving

the palm branches of victory. They have conquered in the earthly fight and received their reward,

and they now serve God day and night in the inner temple. St. John speaks of them as a multitude

which no man can number, out of all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues, all of whom had

come out of great tribulation and been perfected, like the Master Himself, by their sufferings.

Christ came not to send peace on earth but a sword; against the restless and resistless force of the

new religion the gates of hell should not prevail. But polytheism could not be dethroned without a

struggle; nor mankind regenerated without a baptism of blood. Persecution, in fact, is the other side

of aggression, the inevitable outcome of a truly missionary spirit; the two are linked together as

action and reaction. To the student of ancient history all this will appear intelligible, perhaps even

axiomatic. “The birth-throes of the new religion must needs be agonizing. The religion of the

civilized world was passing through Medea’s cauldron.” Out of the cauldron there would come a

new world, but not without fire and blood. Persecution, in short, is no mere incident in the life of the

Church which might possibly have been avoided. Not so do we read either history or Christianity.

Persecution rather was the necessary antagonism of certain fundamental principles and policies in

the Empire of Cæsar and the Kingdom of Christ.

By a sure instinct the Church discerned in the death of the martyr the repetition, not the less real

because faint, of the central Sacrifice of Calvary. “As we behold the martyrs,” writes Origen, “coming

forth from every Church to be brought before the tribunal, we see in each the Lord Himself

condemned.” So Irenæus speaks of the martyrs as “endeavouring to follow in the footsteps of

Christ,” and of St. Stephen, as “imitating in all things the Master of Martyrdom.” In the early Church

the imitation of Christ, as a formal principle in ethics, played but a secondary part, so far, at any

rate, as the average member was concerned. The martyrs and confessors alone were thought of as

actually following and imitating Jesus; they alone were the “true disciples” of the Master. It was

enough for the servant that he should be as his Lord.1 [Note: H. B. Workman, Persecution

in the Early Church, 21, 51.]

3. It is impossible, however, to confine the application of the text to the martyrs of the first century.

The Seer beheld “a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and of all

tribes and people and tongues”; and he may have viewed as one great tribulation all the distresses

that afflict the Christian generations. Just as the ten thousand lamps in a huge city blend their

upcast rays into the cloud of red mist which invests it at nightfall, so the sorrows of Christ’s servants

in all ages gather themselves into one great lurid mass before the view of the Seer. It is from the

world’s great storm-centre of violence and whirling wrath that the children of light emerge into

victory. “The great tribulation.” Common causes give rise to it. The stress and pain of the individual

disciple is not peculiar to his own lot, but is part of a whole.

Some epochs may be marked by violent forms of persecution and distress, but in every age hostile

tempers work against the outward happiness and well-being of Christ’s followers. The hounded

apostle of the first century and the uncompromising confessor of the last stand beneath the same

eclipse. There is under every form of government the same prejudice against the plain, pure ethic of

Jesus Christ, the same tendency to pitiless rancour, the same sensibility to pain in the victims, the

same subjection to death. This hostile temper works in one age by the engine of physical torture,

and in another by sneer, slander, and social ostracism. The hot, bitter springs from which tears

come are the same in all ages, and never run quite dry. That which the Seer here describes is a

specific, undivided, palpitating pain running through the frame of Christ’s mystical body, filling up in

all ages that which is behind of His sufferings.

It is quite the usual thing in the world for saintly men to be persecuted. It has been, as it were,

agreed between God and His servants on one part, and the devil and his own on the other part, that

the latter should persecute the former; that the good should suffer and be tortured, that the wicked

should exercise upon them their malice, and that as long as they live in the world these should

triumph, the others weep, and that after a short time all things be reversed. Let the wicked now raise

up false testimonies, crushing them with affronts; let them be cast into prisons, exiled, covered with

miseries as by a mantle; let them be loaded with all the misfortunes that can be devised, until they

end this life by a sad death; all, all will be in the end the fulfilment of the arrangement assented to

very long ago between the ancient serpent and man: “She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in

wait for her heel.” There is no need to fill pages with examples. It suffices for my purpose to say that

no one can meditate on the life of any saintly man without discovering something of this, and in

many of them a great deal; indeed, this fact has come to be so widely acknowledged that we

ourselves do not hold a saint to be so who does not pass through all this.1 [Note: F. J. de

Siguenza, The Life of Saint Jerome (ed. 1907), 374.]

4. The imagery of this book seems to suggest that the stages of the tribulation are so ordered that it

achieves the ends of a great spiritual discipline. The convulsions which rend the earth are one and

all determined by movements before the throne of God in heaven. The saints are sealed ere the

restless forces of destruction rush forth upon their errands, and the trials which are to prove high

qualities take place under the eye of a watching God and amidst the ministries of His messengers.

The distracted world is not a sheer anarchy of diabolism, as the sufferers might be tempted to think.

The Sovereignty in heaven directs the path of the storms, and the storms do not break till the elect

of God are made ready for their ordeals. The appointed cycles of tribulation test the faithful as they

tested Job in the ancient days. Scenes of disquiet and calamity cannot work the spiritual havoc one

might fear, making religious faith all but impossible. Innumerable hosts come forth out of the great

tribulation. It is indeed the very discipline that prepares God’s people for their triumph. As needful is

it that the children of light before the throne should be tried and perfected by their keen and manifold

distresses, as that they should be washed from their sins in the fountain opened for sin and

uncleanness. It is because their fidelity has been verified in the struggles of the past that they are

before the throne, to the praise and glory of Him who redeemed them. They are welcomed with

tenderness and fostered with exquisite care because of all that through which they have passed.

The waving of the palm branches would have been mere pantomime, and the ringing jubilations an

empty stage-chorus, apart from the stress, conflict, and vicissitude over which the Lord’s people

have triumphed.

The Rev. J. W. Dickson of St. Helens supplies the following among the obiter dicta dropped by Dr.

Paton during his lectures at the Institute at Nottingham:—“When Richard Baxter was told that he

would have a glorious reward because he had suffered so much in the cause of Christ, he replied

that he didn’t want any reward other than a little more persecution. He was not weary, but willing to

have more of it, if God willed it. He gloried in tribulation, like Paul, and panted for more of it,

resolutely assured that no foe could work anything upon him other than the will of God desired and

permitted.”1 [Note: John Brown Paton, by his Son (1914), 362.]

Presumably for most of us tribulation rather than ease constructs the safe road and the firm

stepping-stone. Better to be taught with thorns of the wilderness and briars, than on no wise to be

taught. Better great tribulation now than unexampled tribulation hereafter.

Good Lord, to-day

I scarce find breath to say:

Scourge, but receive me.

For stripes are hard to bear, but worse Thy intolerable curse;

So do not leave me.

Good Lord, lean down

In pity tho’ Thou frown;

Smite, but retrieve me:

For so Thou hold me up to stand

And kiss Thy smiting hand,

It less will grieve me.

“Tribulation,” that is, sifting: sifting reclaims and releases good from bad, while aught of good

remains. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless,

afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised

thereby.”1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, The Face of the Deep, 235.] II

The Triumph

1. They all come out of the great tribulation. Now they celebrate their triumph. Every one of them

carries the palm of victory. Some reminiscence of the Feast of Tabernacles perhaps lies in the

background of the picture. The Jews were accustomed to observe that season of rejoicing by

putting up triumphal arches, camping out upon the tops of their houses in arbours of evergreens

and waving branches of trees, thus testifying to their joy at escaping from the hand of Pharaoh, and

from the terrible plagues which had blasted the country of their sojourn. This vision assures the

exiled Seer that the life beyond the veil is a festival of victory. He had perhaps been tempted to look

upon himself and his companions in tribulation as defeated, crushed, fatally discredited, and

overthrown. But the victims of a pagan persecuting Imperialism are now seen to be victors, and they

ascribe their salvation to God and to the Lamb, who Himself conquered sublimely at the cross in His

apparent overthrow. They have risen above those judgments of wrath which a retributive

Providence let loose for a time upon the world to desolate the adversaries of Christ’s Kingdom.

They have triumphed over unseen hosts, leagued together against God’s elect and the cause they

had at heart. Through faith they have prevailed against the wrath of Antichrist, and the great pagan

empires are led captive to adorn their triumph. They have proved stronger than their own frailties in

all the distresses appointed for the testing of their fidelity. By their contemporaries they were

counted as filth and offscouring. They left the world as defeated men, unpitied as they were thrown

to the wild beasts, scoffed at as the sword fell upon them; but they reappear in the realms of light

“more than conquerors.”

The palm, among many of the ancient nations, was an emblem of victory. Hence its branches were

used to adorn triumphal processions. The general whose victories the triumph was intended to

celebrate carried a small branch of it in his hand, and was thus recognized as a conqueror.

Therefore when the redeemed are described as having “palms in their hands,” we are reminded that

they were once soldiers who were not ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, but fought

manfully under His banner, and by the strength of His arm completely conquered every enemy. The

saints on earth indeed are warring the same warfare in which these glorified beings were engaged,

and are continually obtaining victories in it; but then they must wait till all the days of their warfare

are accomplished before they can have the triumphal chariot and the palm. The soldier never

triumphs till the war is ended, and the enemy completely subdued. The saints in heaven have

finished the painful conflict, and are now gone up for their reward to Jehovah’s temple.

In the spiritual realm there is no such thing as absolute and conclusive victory. We must not imagine

that Adèle Kamm spent her latter years in undisturbed tranquillity and peace. Like an Alpine climber,

who before he can reach the topmost peak must make his toilsome way along the edge of a

precipice, she had to strain every nerve in order to keep her footing. It is not surprising to learn that

she had to fight many a hard and lonely conflict, and though she nearly always managed to meet

her visitors with a smile, yet when night came, and she was alone, the almost intolerable suffering

would sometimes wring from her bitter tears. Either from stoicism or pride she would hide this

feeling from those whom she did not know well; and she never spoke of it to those who depended

on her brave example for inspiration. On the 9th of November 1909 she wrote to Miss

Schlumberger:

“If you only knew, Lily, how strange it seems to me to have to struggle to live, when all the time I

feel an irresistible longing to be with Jesus Christ. From month to month He becomes more

wonderfully attractive to me, His Light seems more radiant, His words more living and deeper in

meaning, and I feel so trustful, so happy, so joyful, that it is with real difficulty that I make myself

stay here when I want to fly away, to throw off the burden of this suffering body, and to penetrate

into that mysterious Beyond, to enter fully into the wonder of that intense Divine Love! Still, I am a

very ordinary mortal, and it has been my habit ever since I was a child to put duty before inclination,

and this view of things helps me more than I can say at this critical moment. Duty first! Those are

my orders! and I must stick to my post and not neglect anything for that; I believe that I can live for a

good while longer if only I am brave.”1 [Note: A Living Witness: The Life of Adèle Kamm

(1914), 165, 169.]

2. Those who came out of the great tribulation are arrayed in white robes. Their attire, as well as the

palms they carry, proclaim their victory. White robes suggest that they are in the act of triumph, and

occupied in a scene of rejoicing. And in this respect also their robes have been “washed and made

white.” In their unredeemed condition they were captives, not conquerors; slaves, not kings; rebels,

not priests; miserable victims, not rejoicing sons. But now all this is changed. Heaven rejoices over

them as the lost found and the dead come to life, and they share in the joy. But it is all founded on

the blood of the Redeemer. No doubt their rest after toil and their bliss after pain are augmented by

the past of their own history, yet the ground of all their joy and triumph is the blood of Christ. They

overcame by the blood of the Lamb and for the testimony of Jesus. It was given them even when

they suffered for His sake, and they were made more than conquerors through Him that loved them.

Often when generals have returned from battle they and the warriors have been clothed in white, or

have ridden upon white horses. True, the Romans adopted purple as their imperial colour, and well

they might, for their victories and their rule were alike bloody and cruel; but the Christ of God sets

forth His gentle and holy victories by white; it is on a “white cloud” that He shall come to judge the

world, and His seat of judgment shall be “the great white throne.” Upon a “white horse” He shall

ride, and all the armies of heaven shall follow Him on white horses. Lo, He is clothed with a “white”

garment down to the feet. Thus has He chosen white as the symbolic colour of His victorious

kingdom, and so the redeemed wear it, even the newly born, freshly escaped out of the great

tribulation, because they are all of them more than conquerors. They wear the victor garb and bear

the palm which is the victor symbol.1 [Note: C. H. Spurgeon.]

(1) White suggests the immaculate purity of character of the redeemed. White signifies perfection; it

is not so much a colour as the harmonious union and blending of all the hues, colours, and beauties

of light. In the characters of just men made perfect we have the combination of all virtues, the

balancing of all excellences, a display of all the beauties of grace. Are they not like their Lord, and is

He not all beauties in one? Here a saint has an evident excess of the red of courage, or the blue of

constancy, or the violet of tenderness, and we have to admire the varied excellences and lament

the multiform defects of the children of God; but up yonder each saint will combine in his character

all things that are lovely and of good report, and his garments will be always white to indicate

completeness, as well as spotlessness of character.

What a miracle of grace! Yon clouds that walk in brightness beside the noonday sun transformed,

transfigured by the marvellous processes of Nature from the briny sea, and the brimming river, and

the standing pool, and the swampy meadow, and the foul marsh; but more marvellous the

transformation when those who were sinners once walk in white beside the dazzling whiteness of

the King of kings, and before the blaze of that great white throne on which He sits.2 [Note: J.

Laidlaw, Studies in the Parables, 277.]

(2) These white robes of victory and purity are also the uniform of service. A uniform usually

signifies service; the soldier’s and the sailor’s uniform speaks of the particular service in which they

are engaged. The nurse’s mantle, the scholar’s gown, the priest’s robes, all speak of special work.

These are clothed after a special manner, and their distinctive clothing signifies honourable and

responsible service. Their uniform is the sign of their responsibility, their clothes are symbols of their

high calling. In the very beginning of this book, in its opening vision, which is a revelation of the

Head of the Church, the risen Son of Man, even He, too, is revealed as specially clothed in the royal

uniform of His Heavenly occupation. He is girt about the breasts with a girdle—that is to say, He is a

Priest on active service. He is also a King, ruling from His throne in justice and in truth. He is the

risen, glorious, acting Priest-King. His clothing symbolizes His office and His work. So, too, do those

garments of the saints, those blood-washed garments of white. They mean honour, victory; yes, but

also service. Therefore are they before the throne and serve Him. They are clothed for their

Heavenly work. Thus, then, is it with the Church in Heaven, and that, too, is the calling of the

Church below. We are called in Christ Jesus to co-operation in His vineyard, to understand His

purpose, and to carry out His plans.

In “Sartor Resartus” Carlyle lays hold practically of this truth, and with his great imagination on bold

wing, and with his wonderful humour coruscating and breaking out into lambent flame, he speaks of

many things as clothes, and of the significance of clothes as seen in a great many things, and urges

that however a man is clothed, such garments only mean responsibility and service. Rank, and

honour, and titles, these are clothes in the thought of the great thinker. Social station, reputation,

and privilege, these are a kind of clothing, or uniform, too. The judge’s office, the prophet’s calling,

the king’s throne, what are they all but symbols and garments? And so we speak about men being

clothed with honour, clothed with authority, or clothed with power. And going off on the eagle wing

of his magnificent imagination and sweeping through great circles of truth, he speaks even of

Nature herself—wonderful and glorious Nature—tripping forth in all the beauty of her summer

raiment, or austere in her winter garments, as the time-vesture of God. But all such dress

symbolizes something, and most of it calls to service and means responsibility. Apply this truth

anywhere and you will find it true, but it is especially true in regard to the spiritual calling and honour

conferred by Christ on Christian people. We are redeemed, honoured, crowned—for what? For

enjoyment, for self-satisfaction, for indulgence, even refined and selfish indulgence in connection

with religion? Never. We are redeemed, honoured, crowned, to serve.1 [Note: D. L. Ritchie,

Peace the Umpire, 162.]

(3) White is also the colour of joy. Almost all nations have adopted it as most suitable for bridal

array, and therefore these happy spirits have put on their bridal robes, and are ready for the

marriage supper of the Lamb. Though they are waiting for the resurrection, yet are they waiting with

their bridal garments on, waiting and rejoicing, waiting and chanting their Redeemer’s praises, for

they feast with Him till He shall descend to consummate their bliss by bringing their bodies from the

grave to share with them in the eternal joy.

One of Dr. Paton’s former students, who took notes of his lectures, gives examples of his teaching

on the great themes of the ministry. Speaking of heaven, the doctor said: “Fellowship with God—

that is heaven. The full consummation of what we know of heaven will be in heaven only; but

heaven is not to be limited to the future life. Heaven is the perfect development and fulness of what

we have the beginning of here. The fulness of joy and service and blessedness of what is in

heaven, I know here and now in some measure. In part, but it is a part only. If we haven’t heaven

here, we shall not have heaven yonder. Christ is now at the right hand of God, and I am walking in

fellowship with Him here now. And He has called me, by faith, up into fellowship with Him yonder. I

see only darkly, but then I shall see fully and unveiled. The veil gets thinner and thinner day by day.

Heaven is simply the perfection and fulness of what I have here. Heaven can give me no more, and

I don’t want heaven to give me more. It has been a great mistake of evangelical preaching to put all

joy in the future world. It is not so. It is not ‘the sacrifice of this world to the next.’ It is the opposite. It

is the great heaven—the eternal world—that has come down to us. Heaven has sacrificed itself for

this world. Heaven was in Calvary, or it was nowhere. Suffer with Christ now, and you reign with

Him now. The more I suffer, the more I reign with Him now. We are born here into life eternal—and

thus into that promised heaven. But heaven is not our due because we suffer: it is a gracious gift of

God.”1 [Note: John Brown Paton, by his Son (1914), 368.]

3. How came they by their robes? “They washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of

the Lamb.” Their robes were white, like the white and glistering raiment of Christ when He was

transfigured. The robes express their condition, as a purple robe expresses royalty, or filthy

garments a condition of sin and misery. But it was not in love, or in any moral quality or virtue, that

those robes were made white; it was in the blood of the Lamb. The figure of a washing, even of

garments, in blood, is indeed a very strong one. In some Eastern countries of old, men who were

oppressed with a sense of sin actually plunged their bodies into a stream or bath of animal blood,

that their souls might be cleansed. But from such gross literalness we turn away. But let us never

turn away from the truth which underlies the figure of garments made white by being washed in

precious blood. There is cleansing for the soul in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus.

Now this is a material image which is used in the text, but of course no little child among us needs

to be told that it is in some spiritual sense it must be understood. It is not in the literal sense that we

are to understand these words. The human blood of Christ sprinkled upon us would not make our

raiment white; and though it did, that would not bring us to heaven. Probably the Roman soldier who

pierced the Saviour’s side with his cruel spear, would be (in the literal sense) sprinkled with His

precious blood: but that would not save him: he remained, spiritually, after that exactly what he had

been before. To have our robes made white in the blood of the Lamb means two things. It means

that our sins are pardoned for the sake of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. And it means that our souls are

made holy by the blessed Spirit Christ sent after He left this world. And there are two reasons why

only those thus washed in the blood of Christ can be always before the throne of God. One is, They

alone have a right to be there. The other is, They alone are fit to be there, and to be happy there.

One night, during that terrible winter in the Crimean War, Duncan Matheson, the evangelist, was

returning, weary and sad, from Sebastopol to his poor lodgings in the old stable at Balaklava. He

had laboured all day with unflagging energy, and now his strength was gone. He was sickened with

the sights he had seen, and was depressed with the thought that the siege was no nearer an end

than ever. As he trudged along in the mud knee-deep, he happened to look up and noticed the stars

shining calmly in the clear sky. Instinctively his weary heart mounted heaven-ward in sweet

thoughts of the “rest that remaineth for the people of God,” and he began to sing aloud the well-

known scriptural verses:

How bright these glorious spirits shine!

Whence all their white array?

How came they to the blissful seats

Of everlasting day?

Lo! these are they from suff’rings great,

Who came to realms of light,

And in the blood of Christ have wash’d

Those robes which shine so bright.

Next day was wet and stormy, and when he went out to see what course to take, he came upon a

soldier standing for shelter below the verandah of an old house. The poor fellow was in rags, and all

that remained of shoes upon his feet were utterly insufficient to keep his naked toes from the mud.

Altogether he looked miserable enough. The kind-hearted missionary spoke words of

encouragement to the soldier, and gave him at the same time half a sovereign with which to

purchase shoes, suggesting that he might be supplied by those who were burying the dead. The

soldier offered his warmest thanks, and then said: “I am not what I was yesterday. Last night, as I

was thinking of our miserable condition, I grew tired of life, and said to myself, Here we are, not a bit

nearer taking that place than when we sat down before it. I can bear this no longer, and may as well

try and put an end to it. So I took my musket and went down yonder in a desperate state about

eleven o’clock; but as I got round the point, I heard some person singing, ‘How bright these glorious

spirits shine,’ and I remembered the old tune and the Sabbath School where we used to sing it. I felt

ashamed of being so cowardly, and said, Here is some one as badly off as myself, and yet he is not

giving in. I felt he had something to make him happy of which I was ignorant, and I began to hope I

too might get the same happiness. I returned to my tent, and to-day I am resolved to seek the one

thing.” “Do you know who the singer was?” asked the missionary. “No,” was the reply. “Well,” said

the other, “It was I”; on which the tears rushed into the soldier’s eyes, and he requested the

Scripture-reader to take back the half-sovereign, saying, “Never, sir, can I take it from you, after

what you have been the means of doing for me.”1 [Note: J. Macpherson, Life and Labours

of Duncan Matheson, 70.]

(1) Mere tribulation will not necessarily make the robes white. Tribulation, or affliction, or oppression

—call it which you will—is overruled by a miracle of Divine grace so as to benefit the believer, but in

and of itself it is not the cleanser but the defiler of the soul. Affliction of itself does not sanctify

anybody, but the reverse. Afflictions of themselves arouse to an unwonted energy the evil which is

in us, and place us in positions where the rebellious heart is incited to forsake the Lord. This will be

seen if we consider the matter closely. The great tribulation is, under some aspects of it, a sin-

creating thing, and if the victorious ones had not perpetually gone to the blood they would never

have had their garments white. It was that alone that made and kept them white; they were familiar

with the atonement and knew its cleansing power.

(2) It is the blood of the Lamb that washes out the stains and makes the garments white. How often

did the martyrs have their garments stained and soiled when enduring a violent death in the arena;

but in the very act of shedding their blood they became identified with Christ and so entered into the

fruits of His victory. Robes that are washed in the blood would be expected to come out red; why

should the result be so unlike the process? Because the process of sacrifice which makes me pure

must leave no trace of itself. The blood which washes out my stains would, if perpetuated, be itself a

stain. There can be no cross in my completed life. There is a shadow in its dawn, but not in its day.

There is a struggle in faith; there is a struggle in hope; but there is no struggle in love. There are

some cures which leave a scar; the disease is gone, but the red mark is left which tells of pain. Not

all blood washes white. There are struggles in which I conquer, but from which I yet come down with

the shrunk sinew; the battle is over, but, even in the daybreak, the wound remains. I have won the

fight, but I have lost youth’s elastic spring; I halt upon my thigh. But the cross of Christ leaves on me

no print of the nails. It heals its own scar. It dries its own blood. It wipes its own tears. It not only

redeems, it restores my soul. It has no after-effects—no lameness, no sight of men like trees

walking. There is no sense of langour, no feeling of soreness, no memory of pain. The cross of

yesterday becomes the crown of to-day; the thorn of my winter is made the flower of my spring. The

heart’s bleeding is staunched when law is one with love.

(3) Each individual in the triumphal throng had to perform his part in cleansing his robes. They

washed their own robes and made them white. Faith is a fact embedded deep in their history, for it

links their present blessedness with their past experience. All-important and blessed record! We are

not told where they were born, where they died, or in what style they lived, whether in royal palace

or smoky hovel; whether in their natural characters they were brilliant or humble, wise or foolish.

This only is recorded, and this of them all—they believed on Jesus; they trusted to His cross; they

came guilty to the fountain which was opened there, and out of it they went, washed and white, to

heaven. If anything in the experience of the redeemed on earth be meant beyond this, it is their

renewed and continual application to His blood for the pardon and cleansing of every day. Washed

once for all and in one sense clean every whit, they need yet daily to wash the feet from the soil of

sin that cleaves to them through time. And it is characteristic of Christ’s redeemed ones that the

nearer they get to heaven the more completely they depend on the atoning death of Christ; in all the

world none but Christ, and in Christ nothing that absorbs them so much as “him crucified.”

While to those who are without, the necessary, the meritorious death of Christ remains the

stumbling-block and stone of offence, the chosen point of attack, ever openly assaulted, ever

secretly undermined, to those who are within, the Stone thus set at nought and rejected is still the

head of the corner; it is still the tried stone, the sure foundation, the Rock whereof Faith speaks,

“Set me upon it for it is higher than I,” Love’s sure, abiding Pillar of remembrance, whereon Love’s

secret is written and graven with a pen of iron for ever. To them who believe Christ is precious.e

The death of Christ is that which most powerfully attracts the heart of man to God, and this because

it is the strongest proof of love. Love kindles and calls forth love; “We count that,” says John of

Wessel, “to be the most lovable which we know to be the most loving.” The love of Christ has

achieved the greatest things, and hence must produce the most powerful effects; it has displayed

the greatest devotedness, and consequently must possess the strongest attractive power.1 [Note:

Dora Greenwell, The Covenant of Life (ed. 1898), 47.]

OTES

1. John says I don't know, you tell me. 2. John sees a future of great tribulation for the saints, but he sees beyond this for thier victory, and that it is worth anything it cost to be loyal to Christ, even if it cost your life. This would be of great encouragement to Christians in tribulation. Chrsitians go through the great tribulation, but they escape the wrath of God that falls on thosewho created the great tribulation. 3. Evangelist Duncan Matheson in the terrible winter of the Crimean War, saw so much tragedy and he looked up to the stars and wrote this song-How bright these glorious spirits shine! Whence all their white array?How came they to the blissful state Of everylasting day? Low! These are they from suff'rings great, Who came to realms of light, And in the blood of Christ have wash'd Those robes which shine so bright.4. Because they Savior shed His blood

To wash away my sin; Bathed in that pure and precious flood, Behold me white and clean!5. "There is a legend of a rich man seeking entry into heaven. As he stood at the gate, an angel asked him to give the password. The finely dressed gentlemen replied, "I have contributed generously to the church. My morality is beyond dispute. Every where I am respested among man. Surely I have earned a place in heaven." But the angel answered: "That is not the password. You cannot enter." As the famous benefactor was turned away, another man of distinguished appearance knocked on heaven's door. Challenged by the angel to give the password, he replied. "I have served the Lord as a minister of the cloth. I have performed great works of righteousness in His name. Renowed institutions have honored me with their highest degrees. I deserve heaven's favor." But the angel answered. "That is not the password. You do not know the King." No sooner was the man cast out than an old woman approached the gate.' Her body was bowed from many years of toil. But there was a twinkle in her eye and a shine on her face. Asked by the angel to give the password, she lifted up her hands nad started to sing: The blood, the blood, is all my plea. Hallelujah! It cleanseth me! Hallelujah! It cleanseth me! Immediately the gates of pearl swing open, and as the dear spirit entered into the celestial city, the choirs of heaven joined in singing her song. The theology of this old story may be over simplified, but the point can't be missed. When all is asid, we only claim to heaven is the blood of Jesus Christ. Here is the password into the Presence of God, now and forever. My lasting joy and comfort here Is Jesus death and blood; I with this pastport can appear Before the Throne of God. Admitted to the realms of bliss, I then shall see Him as He is, Where countless pardoned sinners meet Adoring at His feet. Christian Renatus Von Zingendorf

One of the elders speaks, asking John, "What are these which are arrayed in white

robes, and whence came they?" John did not know, but he was certain that the elder

knew. The elder answered, "These are they which came out of the great tribulation..."

The "great tribulation" here is the one that took place under the world wide

persecution (not fully identified until the 13th chapter) in John's day. It was "world

wide" because this great multitude with the white robes were of "all nations, and

kindreds, and people, and tongues" (vs. 9). They are the same ones with "white

robes" who cry for the avenging of their blood (6:9-11). They had been put to death

for their faith, had gained the victory, and are now before the throne. They had

washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. By Christ's

blood the saint is washed from his sins (Rev. 1:5), redeemed (Rev. 5:9-10; 1 Pet.

1:18-19), given remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), has constant cleansing as he

continually complies with the conditions (1 John 1:7-9), and is able to overcome

(Rev. 12:11). DAVID RIGGS

15

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 spread his

tent over them.

BARES, “Therefore are they before the throne of God - The reason why they are there is to be traced to the fact that the Lamb shed his blood to make expiation for sin. No other reason can be given why anyone of the human race is in heaven; and that is reason enough why any of that race are there.And serve him day and night in his temple - That is, continually or constantly.

Day and night constitute the whole of time, and this expression, therefore, denotes constant and uninterrupted service. On earth, toil is suspended by the return of night, and the service of God is intermitted by the necessity of rest; in heaven, as there will be no weariness, there will be no need of intermission, and the service of God, varied doubtless to meet the state of the mind, will be continued forever. The phrase, “to serve him in his temple,” refers undoubtedly to heaven, regarded as the temple or holy dwelling-place of God. See the notes on Rev_1:6.

And he that sitteth on the throne - God. See the notes at Rev_4:2.

Shall dwell among them - σκηνώσει skēnōsei. This word properly means, “to tent,

to pitch a tent”; and, in the New Testament, to dwell as in tents. The meaning here is, that God would dwell among them as in a tent, or would have his abode with them. Perhaps the allusion is to the tabernacle in the wilderness. That was regarded as the special dwelling-place of God, and that always occupied a central place among the tribes of Israel. So in heaven there will be the consciousness always that God dwells there among his people, and that the redeemed are gathered around him in his own house.

Prof. Stuart renders this, it seems to me, with less beauty and propriety, “will spread his tent over them,” as meaning that he would receive them into intimate connection and union with him, and offer them his protection. Compare Rev_21:3.

CLARKE, “Therefore - Because they are washed in the blood of the Lamb, are they before the throne - admitted to the immediate presence, of God.And serve him day and night - Without ceasing; being filled with the spirit of

prayer, faith, love, and obedience.

Shall dwell among them - He lives in his own Church, and in the heart of every true believer.

GILL, “Therefore are they before the throne of God,.... See Gill on Rev_7:9; not because of their great tribulations, but because they were brought through them, and out of them, by the grace and power of God; nor because of their robes, or conversation garments, but because those were washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb; or because of the blood of the Lamb, and their justification, pardon, and cleansing by it:

and serve him day and night in his temple; not in any material temple, but in the new Jerusalem, the general assembly and church of the firstborn, the temple of the living God; for in this state there will be no material temple, or place of worship, but God and the Lamb will be the temple thereof, Rev_21:22; nor will there be any night there, Rev_22:5; wherefore this phrase, day and night, only denotes the constancy and uninterruption of their service, there being nothing to obstruct them in it, or break them off from it, as now; in allusion to the priests and Levites, who were, one or other of them, night or day in the service of the temple: and the service of these persons in the new Jerusalem state will not lie in attending on the word and ordinances, or in the ministration of them, as in the present state; but in praising God, singing Hallelujahs to him, adoring the perfections of his nature, and admiring his wonderful works of providence and grace, and ascribing the glory of salvation to him, and to the Lamb; and this their service will be the glorious liberty of the children of God. Hence the Ethiopic version renders it, "and they praise him day and night"; this will be the employment of the saints in the millennium state, and to all eternity:

and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them; or "tabernacle over them"; for the tabernacle of God shall be now among men, and he will dwell among the saints; they shall enjoy his presence, and have the most intimate communion with him; it will appear most manifest that he is their covenant God, and they are his covenant people; and he will be a tabernacle, not only of inhabitation, but of protection for them; and the name of this city, this new Jerusalem, will be "Jehovah Shammah", the Lord is there.

JAMISO, “Therefore — because they are so washed white; for without it they could never have entered God’s holy heaven; Rev_22:14, “Blessed are those who wash their

robes (the oldest manuscripts reading), that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city”; Rev_21:27; Eph_5:26, Eph_5:27.before — Greek, “in the presence of.” Mat_5:8; 1Co_13:12, “face to face.”

throne ... temple — These are connected because we can approach the heavenly King only through priestly mediation; therefore, Christ is at once King and Priest on His throne.

day and night — that is, perpetually; as those approved of as priests by the Sanhedrim were clothed in white, and kept by turns a perpetual watch in the temple at Jerusalem; compare as to the singers, 1Ch_9:33, “day and night”; Psa_134:1. Strictly “there is no night” in the heavenly sanctuary (Rev_22:5).

in his temple — in what is the heavenly analogue to His temple on earth, for strictly there is “no temple therein” (Rev_21:22), “God and the Lamb are the temple” filling the whole, so that there is no distinction of sacred and secular places; the city is the temple, and the temple the city. Compare Rev_4:8, “the four living creatures rest not day and night, saying, Holy,” etc.

shall dwell among them — rather (Greek, “scenosei�ep'�autous”), “shall be the

tabernacle over them” (compare Rev_21:3; Lev_26:11, especially Isa_4:5, Isa_4:6; Isa_8:14; Isa_25:4; Eze_37:27). His dwelling among them is to be understood as a secondary truth, besides what is expressed, namely, His being their covert. When once He tabernacled among us as the Word made flesh, He was in great lowliness; then He shall be in great glory.

PULPIT, “Therefore are they before the throne of God. That is, because they have

been washed, and have their robes made white, they are before the throne (cf. Eph_5:25-27, "Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it,G

that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle," etc.). And

serve him day and night in his temple. As described in Rev_4:8, Rev_4:11; Rev_5:8-

14; Rev_7:12; Rev_11:15, etc. Temple ( ναός ) is here, as in Rev_3:12, the "dwelling place, the shrine, of God, i.e. heaven. Thus are the redeemed made "pillars" in his temple

(Rev_3:12). And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them; shall

spread his tabernacle over them (Revised Version). The same verb that occurs in Joh_1:14; Rev_12:12; Rev_13:6; Rev_21:3. The allusion (not an uncommon one with St. John) is to the Shechinah which overshadowed the mercy seat. God's presence among them, co-dwelling with them, is the happiness of his people (of. Joh_17:24, "Father, I will that they also be with me," etc.; 1Jn_3:2, "We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is ").

BARCLAY, “THE SERVICE I THE GLORY

Rev. 7:15

That is why they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his

temple; and he who sits upon the throne will spread the covering of his glory over

them.

Those who have been faithful will have the entry into the very presence of God.

Jesus said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt.5:8).

There is a very significant fact hidden here. Serving God day and night was part of

the task of the Levites and the priests (1Chr.9:33). ow those who are before the

throne of God in this vision are, as we have already seen in Rev. 7:9, drawn from

every race and tribe and people and tongue. Here is a revolution. In the earthly

Temple in Jerusalem no Gentile could go beyond the Court of the Gentiles on pain

of death. An Israelite could pass through the Court of the Women and enter into the

Court of the Israelites, but no further. Beyond that was the Court of the Priests,

which was for priests alone. But in the heavenly temple the way to the presence of

God is open to people of every race. Here is a picture of heaven with the barriers

down. Distinctions of race and of status exist no more; the way into the presence of

God is open to every faithful soul.

There is one other half-hidden fact here. In Rev. 7:15 the King James Version has it

that he who sits upon the throne shall dwell among them. That is a perfectly correct

translation, but there is more in it than meets the eye. The Greek for to dwell is

skenoun (GS4637), from skene (GS4633) which means a tent. It is the same word

as is used when John says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us

(Jn.1:14). The Jews always connected this with a certain Hebrew word which was

somewhat similar in sound although quite unrelated in meaning. This was the word

shechinah (compare HS7931), the visible presence of the glory of God. Usually

that presence took the form of a luminous cloud. So when the Ten Commandments

were given, "the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it

six days.... And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on

the top of the mountain" (Exo.24:16-18). It was the same with the Tabernacle. The

cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the

tabernacle. Moses could not enter into the Tabernacle because of the glory of the

Lord. This was the cloud which guided the Israelites by day and the fire that guided

them by night (Exo.40:34-38). At the dedication of Solomon's temple the glory of the

Lord filled it so that the priests could not enter (2Chr.7:1-3).

Skenoun (GS4637) always turned the thoughts of a Jew to shechinah (compare the

Hebrew verb, shakan, HS7931, to dwell): and to say that God dwelt in any place

was to say that his glory was there.

This was always so for a Jew, but as time went on it became more and more so. The

Jews came to think of God as increasingly remote from the world. They did not even

think it right to speak of him as being in the world; that was to speak in terms which

were too human; and so they took to substituting the shechinah (compare

HS7931), for the name of God. We read Jacob's words at Bethel: "Surely the Lord

is in this place" (Gen.28:16); the Rabbis changed that to: "The shechinah (compare

HS7931) is in this place." In Habbakuk we read: "The Lord is in his holy temple"

(Hab.2:20); but the later Jews said: "God was pleased to cause his shechinah

(compare HS7931) to dwell in the temple." In Isaiah we read: "My eyes have seen

the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isa.6:5); the later Jews altered it to: "Mine eyes have

seen the shechinah (compare HS7931), of the King of the world."

o Jew would hear the word skenoun (GS4637) without thinking of shechinah;

and the real meaning of the passage is that God's blessed ones would serve and live

in the very sheen of his glory.

It can be so on earth. He who faithfully works and witnesses for God has always the

glory of God upon his work.

MACLARE,”‘THREE TABERNACLES’Joh_1:14; Rev_7:15; Rev_21:3

The word rendered ‘dwelt’ in these three passages, is a peculiar one. It is only found in the New Testament-in this Gospel and in the Book of Revelation. That fact constitutes one of the many subtle threads of connection between these two books, which at first sight seem so extremely unlike each other; and it is a morsel of evidence in favour of the common authorship of the Gospel and of the Apocalypse, which has often, and very vehemently in these latter days of criticism, been denied.

The force of the word, however, is the matter to which I desire especially to draw attention. It literally means ‘to dwell in a tent,’ or, if we may use such a word, ‘to tabernacle,’ and there is no doubt a reference to the Tabernacle in which the divine Presence abode in the wilderness and in the land of Israel before the erection. In all three passages, then, we may see allusion to that early symbolical dwelling of God with man. ‘The Word tabernacled among us’; so is the truth for earth and time. ‘He that sitteth upon the throne shall spread His tabernacle upon’ the multitude which no man can number, who have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb; that is the truth for the spirits of just men made perfect, the waiting Church, which expects the redemption of the body. ‘God shall tabernacle with them’; that is the truth for the highest condition of humanity, when the Tabernacle of God shall be with redeemed men in the new earth. ‘Let us build three tabernacles,’ one for the Incarnate Christ, one for the interspace between earth and heaven, and one for the culmination of all things. And it is to these three aspects of the one thought, set forth in rude symbol by the movable tent in the wilderness, that I ask you to turn now.

I. First, then, we have to think of that Tabernacle for earth. ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt, as in a tent, amongst us.’

The human nature, the visible, material body of Jesus Christ, in which there enshrined itself the everlasting Word, which from the beginning was the Agent of all divine revelation, that is the true Temple of God. When we begin to speak about the special presence of Omnipresence in any one place, we soon lose ourselves, and get into deep waters of glory, where there is no standing. And I do not care to deal here with theological definitions or thorny questions, but simply to set forth, as the language of my text sets before us, that one transcendent, wonderful, all-blessed thought that this poor human nature is capable of, and has really once in the history of the world received into itself, the real, actual presence of the whole fulness of the Divinity. What must be the kindred and likeness between Godhood and manhood when into the frail vehicle of our humanity that wondrous treasure can be poured; when the fire of God can burn in the

bush of our human nature, and that nature not be consumed? So it has been. ‘In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.’

And when we come with our questions, How? In what manner? How can the lesser contain the greater? we have to be content with the recognition that the manner is beyond our fathoming, and to accept the fact, pressed upon our faith, that our hearts may grasp it and be at peace. God hath dwelt in humanity. The everlasting Word, who is the forthcoming of all the fulness of Deity into the realm of finite creatures, was made flesh and dwelt among us.

But the Tabernacle was not only the dwelling-place of God, it was also and, therefore, the place of Revelation of God. So in our text there follows, ‘we beheld His glory.’ As in the tent in the wilderness there hovered between the outstretched wings of the silent cherubim, above the Mercy-seat, the brightness of the symbolical cloud which was expressly named ‘the glory of God,’ and was the visible manifestation of His real presence; so John would have us think that in that lowly humanity, with its curtains and its coverings of flesh, there lay shrined in the inmost place the brightness of the light of the manifest glory of God. ‘We beheld His glory.’ The rapturous adoration of the remembrance overcomes him, and he breaks his sentence, reckless of grammatical connection, as the fulness of the blessed memory floods into his soul. ‘That glory was as of the Only Begotten of the Father.’ The manifestation of God in Christ is unique, as becomes Him who partakes of the nature of that God of whom He is the Representative and the Revealer.

And how did that glory make itself known to us? By miracle? Yes! As we read in the story of the first that Christ wrought, ‘He manifested forth His glory and His disciples believed upon Him.’ By miracle? Yes! As we read His own promise at the grave of Lazarus: ‘Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ But, blessed be His name, miracle is not the highest manifestation of Christ’s glory and of God’s. The uniqueness of the revelation of Christ’s glory in God does not depend upon the deeds which He wrought. For, as the context goes on to tell, the Word which tabernacled among us was ‘full of grace and truth,’ and therein is the glory most gloriously revealed.

The lambent light of stooping love that shone forth warning and attracting in His gentle life, and the clear white beam of unmingled truth that streamed from the radiant purity of Christ’s life, revealed God to hearts that pine for love and spirits that hunger for truth, as no others of God’s self-revealing works have done. And that revelation of the glory of God in the fulness of grace and truth is the highest possible revelation. For the divinest thing in God is love, and the true ‘glory of God’ is neither some symbolical flashing light nor the pomp of mere power and majesty; nor even those inconceivable and incommunicable attributes which we christen with names like Omnipotence and Omnipresence and Infinitude, and the like. These are all at the fringes of the brightness. The true central heart and lustrous light of the glory of God lie In His love, and of that glory Christ is the unique Representative and Revealer, because He is the only Begotten Son, and ‘full of grace and truth.’

Thus the Word tabernacled amongst us. And though the Tabernacle to outward seeming was covered by curtains and skins that hid all the glowing splendour within; yet in that lowly life that was lived in the body of His humiliation, and knew our limitations and our weaknesses, ‘the glory of the Lord was revealed; and all flesh hath seen it together’ and acknowledged the divine Presence there.

Still further the Tabernacle was the place of sacrifice. So in the tabernacle of His flesh Jesus offered up the one sacrifice for sins for ever. In the offering up of His human life in continuous obedience, and in the offering up of His body and blood in the bitter Passion of the Cross, He brought men nigh unto God.

Therefore, because of all these things, because the Tabernacle is the dwelling-place of God, the place of revelation, and the place of sacrifice, therefore, finally is it the meeting-place betwixt God and man. In the Old Testament it is always called by the name which our Revised Version has accurately substituted for ‘tabernacle of the congregation,’ namely ‘tent of meeting.’ The correctness of that rendering and the meaning of the name are established by several passages in the Old Testament, as for instance, ‘There I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee, and there I will meet with the children of Israel.’ So in Christ, who by His Incarnation lays His hand upon both, God touches man and man touches God. We who are afar off are made nigh, and in that ‘true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man’ we meet God and are glad.

‘And so the word was flesh, and wrought

With human hands the creed of creeds,

In loveliness of perfect deeds.’

The temple for earth is ‘the temple of His body.’

II. We have the Tabernacle for the Heavens.

In the context of our second passage we have a vision of the great multitude redeemed out of all nations and kindreds, ‘standing before the Throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands.’ The palms in their hands give important help towards understanding the vision. As has been often remarked, there are no heathen emblems in the Book of the Apocalypse. All its metaphors move within the circle of Jewish experiences and facts. So that we are not to think of the Roman palm of victory, but of the Jewish palm which was borne at the Feast of Tabernacles. What was the Feast of Tabernacles? A festival established on purpose to recall to the minds and to the gratitude of the Jews settled in their own land the days of their wandering in the wilderness. Part of the ritual of it was that during its celebration they builded for themselves booths or tabernacles of leaves and boughs of trees, under which they dwelt, thus reminding themselves of their nomad condition.

Now what beauty and power it gives to the word of my text, if we take in this allusion to the Jewish festival! The great multitude bearing the palms are keeping the feast, memorial of past wilderness wanderings; and ‘He that sitteth on the throne shall spread His tabernacle above them,’ as the word might be here rendered. That is to say, He Himself shall build and be the tent in which they dwell; He Himself shall dwell with them in it. He Himself, in closer union than can be conceived of here, shall keep them company during that feast.

What a thought of that condition-the condition as I believe represented in this vision-of the spirits of the just made perfect, ‘who wait for the adoption, to wit, the resurrection of the body,’ is given us if we take this point of view to interpret the whole lovely symbolism. It is all a time of glad, grateful remembrance of the wilderness march. It is all a time in which festal joys shall be theirs, and the memory of the trials and the weariness and the sorrow and the solitude that are past shall deepen to a more exquisite poignancy of delight, the rest and the fellowship and the felicity of that calm Presence, and God Himself shall spread His tent above them, lodge with them, and they with Him.

And so, dear brethren, rest in that assurance, that though we know so little of that state, we know this: ‘Absent from the body, present with the Lord,’ and that the happy company who bear the palms shall dwell in God, and God in them.

III. And now, lastly, look at that final vision which we have in these texts, which we may call the Tabernacle for the renewed earth.

I do not pretend to interpret the scenery and the setting of these Apocalyptic visions with dogmatic confidence, but it seems to me as if the emblems of this final vision coincide with dim hints in many other portions of Scripture; to the effect that some cosmical change having passed upon this material world in which we dwell, it, in some regenerated form, shall be the final abode of a regenerated and redeemed humanity. That, I think, is the natural interpretation of a great deal of Scriptural teaching.

For that highest condition there is set forth this as the all-sufficing light upon it. ‘Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them.’ The climax and the goal of all the divine working, and the long processes of God’s love for, and discipline of, the world, are to be this, that He and men shall abide together in unity and concord. That is God’s wish from the beginning. We read in one of the profound utterances of the Book of Proverbs how from of old the ‘delights’ of the Incarnate Wisdom which foreshadowed the Incarnate Word ‘were with the sons of men.’ And, at the close of all things, when the vision of this final chapter shall be fulfilled, God will say, settling Himself in the midst of a redeemed humanity, ‘Lo! here will I dwell, for I have desired it. This is My rest for ever.’ He will tabernacle with men, and men with Him.

We know not, and never shall know until experience strips the bandages from our eyes, what new methods of participation of the divine nature, and new possibilities of intimacy and intercourse with Him may be ours when the veils of flesh and sense and time have all dropped away. New windows may be opened in our spirits, from which we shall perceive new aspects of the divine character. New doors may be opened in our souls, from out of which we may pass to touch parts of His nature, all impalpable and inconceivable to us now. And when all the veils of a discordant moral nature are taken away, and we are pure, then we shall see, then we shall draw nigh to God. The thing that chiefly separates man from God is man’s sin. When that is removed, the centrifugal force which kept our tiny orb apart from the great central sun being withdrawn, we shall, as it were, fall into the brightness and be one, not losing our sense of individuality, which would be to lose all the blessedness, but united with Him in a union far more intimate than earth can parallel. ‘The Tabernacle of God shall be with men, and He will tabernacle with them.’

Do not let us forget that this highest and ultimate hope that is held forth here, of the union and communion, perfect and perpetual, of humanity with God, does not sweep aside Jesus Christ. For through all eternity the Everlasting Word, the Christ who bears our nature in its glorified form, or, rather, whose nature in its glorified form we shall bear, is the Medium of Revelation, and the Medium of communication between man and God.

‘I saw no Temple therein,’ says this final vision of the Apocalypse, but ‘God Almighty and the Lamb,’ and these are the Temples thereof. Therefore through eternity God shall tabernacle with men, as He does tabernacle with us now through Him, in whom dwelleth as in its perennial habitation, ‘all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.’

So we have the three tabernacles, for earth, for heaven, for the renewed earth; and these three, if I may say so, are like the triple division of that ancient Tabernacle in the wilderness: the Outer Court; the Holy Place; the Holiest of all. Let us enter into that

outer court, and abide and commune with that God who comes near to us, revealing, forgiving, in the person of His Son, and then we shall pass from court to court, ‘and go from strength to strength, until every one of us in Zion appear before God’; and enter into the Holiest of all, where ‘within the veil’ we shall receive splendours of revelation undreamed of here, and enjoy depths of communion to which the selectest moments of fellowship with God on earth are shallow and poor.

OTES

Everywhere in heaven one is in the temple. Heaven is a place of service without suffering--the crown without the cross. All Christians will be in full time service, and be God ordained priests. Even the Gentiles not allowed in the temple in OT are now part of the priesthood.

Verses 15-17 describe the blessings the victorious received. They are before the

throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. God shall "dwell among

them" (KJV), "spread his tabernacle over them" (ASV); they have His protection

and receive His blessings. They possess peace and joy; every want is given and every

sorrow is healed. The Lamb shall feed them ("be their shepherd" ASV) and guide

them to fountains of water of life. Since these have just come out of the great

tribulation, we conclude that these are the blessings the faithful receive after death

in the place of comfort (Luke 16:22-26), paradise (Luke 23:43), in the presence of

Christ (Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8). They here await the end of all things at which time

their physical bodies will be raised (John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:52-53; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)

and at which time they will receive the new heaven and new earth, the heavenly

Jerusalem, or the holy city (2 Pet. 3:10-14; Rev. 21 & 22). DAVID RIGGS

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ever again will they hunger; never again will

they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat.

BARES, “They shall hunger no more - A considerable portion of the redeemed who will be there, were, when on earth, subjected to the evils of famine; many who perished with hunger. In heaven they will be subjected to that evil no more, for there will be no want that will not be supplied. The bodies which the redeemed will have - spiritual bodies 1Co_15:44 - will doubtless be such as will be nourished in some other way than by

food, if they require any nourishment; and whatever that nourishment may be, it will be fully supplied. The passage here is taken from Isa_49:10; “They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them.” See the notes on that passage.Neither thirst any more - As multitudes of the redeemed have been subjected to

the evils of hunger, so have multitudes also been subjected to the pains of thirst. In prison; in pathless deserts; in times of drought, when wells and fountains were dried up, they have suffered from this cause - a cause producing as intense suffering perhaps as any that man endures. Compare Exo_17:3; Psa_63:1; Lam_4:4; 2Co_11:27. It is easy to conceive of persons suffering so intensely from thirst that the highest vision of felicity would be such a promise as that in the words before us - “neither thirst anymore.”

Neither shall the sun light on them - It is hardly necessary, perhaps, to say that the word “light” here does not mean to enlighten, to give light to, to shine on. The Greek

is πέσr pesē - “fall on” - and the reference, probably is to the intense and burningheat of

the sun, commonly called a sunstroke. Excessive heat of the sun, causing great pain or sudden death, is not a very uncommon thing among us, and must have been more common in the warm climates and burning sands of the countries in the vicinity of Palestine. The meaning here is, that in heaven they would be free from this calamity.

Nor any heat - In Isa_49:10, from which place this is quoted, the expression is ׁשרב�

shaaraab, properly denoting heat or burning, and particularly the mirage, the excessive

heat of a sandy desert producing a vapor which has a striking resemblance to water, and which often misleads the unwary traveler by its deceptive appearance. See the notes on Isa_35:7. The expression here is equivalent to intense heat; and the meaning is, that in heaven the redeemed will not be subjected to any such suffering as the traveler often experiences in the burning sands of the desert. The language would convey a most grateful idea to those who had been subjected to these sufferings, and is one form of saying that, in heaven, the redeemed will be delivered from the ills which they suffer in this life. Perhaps the whole image here is that of travelers who have been on a long journey, exposed to hunger and thirst, wandering in the burning sands of the desert, and exposed to the fiery rays of the sun, at length reaching their quiet and peaceful home, where they would find safety and abundance. The believer’s journey from earth to heaven is such a pilgrimage.

CLARKE, “They shall hunger no more - They shall no longer be deprived of their religious ordinances, and the blessings attendant on them, as they were when in a state of persecution.Neither shall the sun light on them - Their secular rulers, being converted to

God, became nursing fathers to the Church.

Nor any heat - Neither persecution nor affliction of any kind. These the Hebrews express by the term heat, scorching, etc.

GILL, “They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more,.... The words are taken out of Isa_49:10, and will be true in a literal and corporeal sense. Now the saints are often in hunger and thirst, then they shall be so no more; and in a mystical and spiritual sense, there will be no famine of the word; for though there will not be the outward

ministration of the word, as now, the substance of it will be enjoyed, to full satisfaction; nor will there be any uneasy desires after spiritual things, and much less any hungerings and thirstings, or lusting after carnal, sensual, and earthly things.

Neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat; not the sun of persecution, see Mat_13:6; nor the heat of Satan's temptations, or his fiery darts; nor of any fiery trial, or sore affliction; nor of the divine displeasure, or any fearful sense and apprehension of it; nor of toil and labour, called the burden and heat of the day, from all which they will be now free.

HERY, “They are happy in their freedom from all the inconveniences of this present life. [1.] From all want and sense of want: They hunger and thirst no more; all their wants are supplied, and all the uneasiness caused thereby is removed. [2.] From all sickness and pain: they shall never be scorched by the heat of the sun any more. (4.) They are happy in the love and guidance of the Lord Jesus: He shall feed them, he shall lead them to living fountains of waters, he shall put them into the possession of every thing that is pleasant and refreshing to their souls, and therefore they shall hunger and thirst no more. (5.) They are happy in being delivered from all sorrow or occasion of it: God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. They have formerly had their sorrows, and shed many tears, both upon the account of sin and affliction; but God himself, with his own gentle and gracious hand, will wipe those tears away, and they shall return no more for ever; and they would not have been without those tears, when God comes to wipe them away. In this he deals with them as a tender father who finds his beloved child in tears, he comforts him, he wipes his eyes, and turns his sorrow into rejoicing. This should moderate the Christian's sorrow in his present state, and support him under all the troubles of it; for those that sow in tears shall reap in joy; and those that now go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.

JAMISO, “(Isa_49:10).hunger no more — as they did here.

thirst any more — (Joh_4:13).

the sun — literally, scorching in the East. Also, symbolically, the sun of persecution.

neither ... light — Greek, “by no means at all ... light” (fall).

heat — as the sirocco.

PULPIT, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the

sun light on them, nor any heat; shall the sun strike upon them (Revised Version).

The passage is evidently founded uponIsa_49:10 (cf. the punishment of the fourth vial, Rev_16:8).

BARCLAY, “THE BLISS OF THE BLESSED

Rev. 7:16-17

They will not hunger any more, nor will they thirst any more; the sun will not fall

on them, nor any heat; because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will be

their shepherd, and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe

away every tear from their eyes.

It would be impossible to number the people who have found comfort in this

passage in the house of mourning and in the hour of death.

There is spiritual promise here, the promise of the ultimate satisfying of the hunger

and the thirst of the human soul. This is a promise which occurs again and again in

the ew Testament, and especially in the words of Jesus. "Blessed are those who

hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt.5:6). Jesus

said: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger; and he who

believes in me shall never thirst" (Jn.6:35). "Whoever drinks of the water that I

shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a

spring of water welling up to eternal life" (Jn.4:14). Jesus said: "If any one thirst, let

him come to me and drink" (Jn.7:37). God has made us for himself, as Augustine

said, and our hearts are restless till they rest in him. As the hymn has it:

O Christ, in thee my soul has found, And found in thee alone, The peace, the joy, I

sought so long, The bliss till now unknown.

ow none but Christ can satisfy, one other name for me! There's love, and life,

and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in thee.

But it may well be that we should not entirely spiritualize this passage. In the early

days many of the Church's members were slaves. They knew what it was to be

hungry all the time; they knew what thirst was; they knew what it was for the

pitiless sun to blaze down upon their backs as they toiled, forbidden to rest. Truly

for them heaven would be a place where hunger was satisfied and thirst was

quenched and the heat of the sun no longer tortured them. The promise of this

passage is that in Christ is the end of the world's hunger, the world's pain, and the

world's sorrow.

We do well to remember that John found the origin of this passage in the words of

Isaiah: "They shall not hunger or thirst; neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite

them; for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will lead

them" (Isa.49:10). This is a supreme example of an Old Testament dream finding its

perfect fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

THE DIVIE SHEPHERD

Rev. 7:16-17 (continued)

Here is the promise of the loving care of the Divine Shepherd for his flock.

The picture of the shepherd is something in which both the Old and ew Testament

delight.

"The Lord is my shepherd," begins the best loved of all the psalms (Ps.23:1). "O

Shepherd of Israel," begins another (Ps.80:1). Isaiah pictures God feeding his flock

like a shepherd, holding the lambs in his arms and carrying them in his bosom

(Isa.40:11). The greatest title that the prophet can give to the Messianic king is

shepherd of his people (Eze.34:23; Eze.37:24).

This was the title that Jesus took for himself. "I am the good shepherd,"

(Jn.10:11,14). Peter calls Jesus the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls (1Pet.2:25),

and the writer to the Hebrews speaks of him as that great shepherd of the sheep

(Heb.13:20).

This is a precious picture in any age; but it was more meaningful in Palestine than it

can ever be to those who live in cities. Judaea was like a narrow plateau with

dangerous country on either side. It was only a very few miles across, with on one

side the grim cliffs and ravines leading down to the Dead Sea and on the other the

drop to the wild country of the Shephelah. There were no fences or walls and the

shepherd had to be ever on the watch for straying sheep. George Adam Smith

describes the eastern shepherd. "With us sheep are often left to themselves; I do not

remember to have seen in the East a flock without a shepherd. In such a landscape

as Judaea, where a day's pasture is thinly scattered over an unfenced track, covered

with delusive paths, still frequented by wild beasts, and rolling into the desert, the

man and his character are indispensable. On some high moor, across which at night

hyenas howl, when you met him sleepless, far-sighted, weather-beaten, armed,

leaning on his staff, and looking out over his scattered sheep, every one on his heart,

you understand why the shepherd of Judaea sprang to the front in his people's

history; why they gave his name to their king, and made him the symbol of

Providence; why Christ took him as the type of self-sacrifice."

Here we have the two great functions of the Divine Shepherd. He leads to fountains

of living waters. As the psalmist had it: "He leads me beside still waters" (Ps.23:2).

"With thee is the fountain of life" (Ps.36:9). Without water the flock would perish;

and in Palestine the wells were few and far between. That the Divine Shepherd leads

to wells of water is the symbol that he gives us the things without which life cannot

survive.

He wipes the tear from every eye. As he nourishes our bodies so he also comforts

our hearts; without the presence and the comfort of God the sorrows of life would

be unbearable, and without the strength of God there are times in life when we

could never go on.

SBC, “"No More" and "More.".There are four things asserted here:—

I. All need is supplied: "They shall hunger no more, for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them." (1) Look at the source of the supply. This is sixfold: (a) love which passeth knowledge; (b) power to which nothing is hard; (c) wisdom Divine and infinite; (d) providence minute and universal; (e) oneness of feeling without check; (f) closeness of relationship. (2) Mark the character of the supply. This is in harmony with the source. The source is love, and the supply is generous. It is well sustained, suitable, varied, acceptable, and grateful to the recipient.

II. All desire gratified. There are four qualities clothing this gratification of desire. (1) It is pure, unselfish; (2) it is full, nothing left to be given; (3) it is wholesome and invigorating; (4) it is Divine, of a godly sort.

III. All trouble prevented. It is impossible for trouble to befall us when God places Himself between us and grief.

IV. All sadness taken away and kept away. Then—(1) weep not for the dead who have died in the Lord; (2) shrink not from a rapid approach to immortality; (3) make not heaven your god, or going to heaven your goal and your end, but remember, nevertheless, that God has heaven prepared for you; (4) praise your Saviour, to whom you owe heaven and every good.

S. Martin, Comfort in Trouble, p. 224.

The Divine Shepherd gives us nourishment for our bodies and comfort for our hearts. With Jesus Christ as Shepherd nothing can happen to us which we cannot bear.

Christians were often poor and so even if not being persecuted they knew the pain of hunger and thirst and of being in the hot sun without relief. They did not have the comforts of life as we do, for many were slaves and had to work in the hot sun. This hope would not mean as much to the Christian today in Alaska who could wish for more and hotter sun.

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For the Lamb at the center of the throne will

be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs

of living water. And God will wipe away every

tear from their eyes."

BARES, “For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne - notes on Rev_5:6. He is still the great agent in promoting the happiness of the redeemed in heaven.

Shall feed them - Rather, shall exercise over them the office of a shepherd - ποιµανεt�

poimainō. This includes much more than mere feeding. It embraces all the care which a

shepherd takes of his flock - watching them, providing for them, guarding them from danger. Compare Psa_23:1-2, Psa_23:5; Psa_36:8. See this fully illustrated in the notes on Isa_40:11.

And shall lead them unto living fountains of waters - Living fountains refer to running streams, as contrasted with standing water and stagnant pools. See the notes on Joh_4:10. The allusion is undoubtedly to the happiness of heaven, represented as fresh and everflowing, like streams in the desert. No image of happiness, perhaps, is more vivid, or would be more striking to an Oriental, than that of such fountains flowing in sandy and burning wastes. The word “living” here must refer to the fact that that happiness will be perennial. These fountains will always bubble; these streams will never dry up. The thirst for salvation will always be gratified; the soul will always be made happy.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes - This is a new image of happiness taken from another place in Isaiah Isa_25:8, “The Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.” The expression is one of exquisite tenderness and beauty. The poet Burns said that he could never read this without being affected to weeping. Of all the negative descriptions of heaven, there is no one perhaps that would be better adapted to produce consolation than this. This is a world of weeping - a vale of tears. Philosophers have sought a brief definition of man, and have sought in vain. Would there be any better description of him, as representing the reality of his condition here, than to say that he is one who weeps? Who is there of the human family that has not shed a tear? Who that has not wept over the grave of a friend; over his own losses and cares; over his disappointments; over the treatment he has received from others; over his sins; over the follies, vices, and woes of his fellow-men?

And what a change would it make in our world if it could be said that henceforward not another tear would be shed; not a head would ever be bowed again in grief! Yet this is to be the condition of heaven. In that world there is to be no pain, no disappointment, no bereavement. No friend is to lie in dreadful agony on a sick-bed; no grave is to be opened to receive a parent, a wife, a child; no gloomy prospect of death is to draw tears of sorrow from the eyes. To that blessed world, when our eyes run down with tears, are we permitted to look forward; and the prospect of such a world should contribute to wipe away our tears here - for all our sorrows will soon be over. As already remarked, there was a beautiful propriety, at a time when such calamities impended over the church and the world - when there was such a certainty of persecution and sorrow - in permitting the mind to rest on the contemplation of these happy scenes in heaven, where all the redeemed, in white robes, and with palms of victory in their hands, would be gathered before the throne. To us also now, amidst the trials of the present life - when friends leave us; when sickness comes; when our hopes are blasted; when calumnies and reproaches come upon us; when, standing on the verge of the grave, and looking down into the cold tomb, the eyes pour forth floods of tears - it is a blessed privilege to be

permitted to look forward to that brighter scene in heaven, where not a pang shall ever be felt, and not a tear shall ever be shed.

CLARKE, “The Lamb - The Lord Jesus, enthroned with his Father in ineffable glory.Shall feed them - Shall communicate to them every thing calculated to secure,

continue, and increase their happiness.

Living fountains of water - A spring in the Hebrew phraseology is termed living water, because constantly boiling up and running on. By these perpetual fountains we are to understand endless sources of comfort and happiness, which Jesus Christ will open out of his own infinite plenitude to all glorified souls. These eternal living fountains will make an infinite variety in the enjoyments of the blessed. There will be no sameness, and consequently no cloying with the perpetual enjoyment of the same things; every moment will open a new source of pleasure, instruction, and improvement; they shall make an eternal progression into the fullness of God. And as God is infinite, so his attributes are infinite; and throughout infinity more and more of those attributes will be discovered; and the discovery of each will be a new fountain or source of pleasure and enjoyment. These sources must be opening through all eternity, and yet, through all eternity, there will still remain, in the absolute perfections of the Godhead, an infinity of them to be opened! This is one of the finest images in the Bible.

God shall wipe away - In the most affectionate and fatherly manner, all tears from their eyes - all causes of distress and grief. They shall have pure, unmixed happiness. Reader, this is the happiness of those who are washed from their sins. Art thou washed? O, rest not till thou art prepared to appear before God and the Lamb.

If these saints had not met with troubles and distresses, in all likelihood they had not excelled so much in righteousness and true holiness. When all avenues of worldly comfort are shut up, we are obliged to seek our all in God; and there is nothing sought from him that is not found in him.

GILL, “For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne,.... See Rev_5:6; not before the throne, as the great multitude are said to be, Rev_7:9; nor round about it, as the angels in Rev_7:11; but in the midst of it, being equal to him that sits upon it; sitting on the same throne with him, and having the same power and authority, he

shall feed them as a shepherd his flock; for this Lamb is a Shepherd, and this great multitude are his flock; whom he will feed in this state, not by his ministers, word, and ordinances, as now; but in person, and with the rich discoveries of himself, and of his love, signified by a feast, by new wine in his Father's kingdom, and his own, and by eating and drinking at his table, in the kingdom appointed by him to his followers; and hence it is they shall never hunger more: or "shall rule them", as the Vulgate Latin version renders it; for the same word signifies "to feed", and "to rule", as a king rules his subjects; Christ will now be visibly King of saints, and King over all the earth, and will reign before his ancients gloriously; and, in these days of his, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely under his power and protection:

and shall lead them unto living fountains of water; by "water" is meant the grace, love, and free favour of God in Christ, that pure river of water of life, which proceeds from the throne of God, and of the Lamb, from divine sovereignty; and with which the saints in this state shall be sweetly and fully solaced and refreshed; and hence they shall never thirst more: and this is said to be "living", because not only refreshing and reviving, but because it will last for ever; the love of God is from everlasting to everlasting; and it is signified by "fountains", to denote the abundance of it, even as it will be perceived and enjoyed by the saints now; for these waters will not be only up to the ankles, and knees, but a broad river to swim in, which cannot be passed over; and hither will Christ lead his people, which is, one branch of his office as a Shepherd; and which shows his care of them, and affection for them.

And God shall wipe away all tear, from their eyes; or "out of their eyes", as the Alexandrian copy reads; see Isa_25:8. The sense is, that that which is now the occasion of tears will cease, as the sin and corruptions of God's people, which now are the cause of many tears; as also Satan's temptations, the hidings of God's face, and the various afflictions of this life, and the persecutions of the men of the world; there will be no more of either of these; all will be made to cease; see Rev_21:4; and in the room of them full and everlasting joy will take place, Isa_35:10. Mr. Daubuz thinks, that the whole of this chapter belongs to the sixth seal, and that the promises in it are such as were to be accomplished at the opening of the seventh, and do not belong to the millennium state; but had their fulfilment in the times of Constantine, who he supposes is the angel that came from the east, who restrained the persecutors of the church, and introduced a general peace in church and state; and as he came with the seal of the living God, which he understands of the cross of Christ, he put upon his standard, and on the shields of his soldiers, so he sealed the servants of God on their foreheads with it, by allowing them to make a public profession of a crucified Christ, and by protecting them in that profession, even men of all nations, Jews and Gentiles; and particularly he thinks the innumerable palm bearing company may design the council of Nice, gathered by him, which consisted of the representatives of the whole Christian church in the several nations of the world, who had great honour, freedom, and immunities conferred upon them; and that the angels are the Christian magistrates, submitting to the Christian religion, and defending the church, which was now come out of the great tribulation of Heathen persecution, and had temples and places of public worship opened for them; in which they had full liberty to serve the Lord continually, without interruption; and were secure from all affliction and persecution, and were filled with joy and gladness; and the Lamb, by the means of Constantine, as Christ's vicar and servant, he declared himself to be, fed and protected the church in peace and quietness; all which are accomplished during the rest, or "silence", under the next seal; and which I should very readily agree to, since this interpretation carries on the thread of the prophetic history without any interruption, were it not for the description of the palm bearing company, both as to quantity and quality, and the declaration of the happy state of those come out of great tribulation, which I think cannot be made to suit with any imperfect state of the church on earth, without greatly lowering the sense of the expressions used; however, if anyone prefers this exposition to what is given, I am not much averse unto it.

JAMISO, “in the midst of the throne — that is, in the middle point in front of the throne (Rev_5:6).feed — Greek, “tend as a shepherd.”

living fountains of water — A, B, Vulgate, and Cyprian read, (eternal) “life’s fountains of waters.” “Living” is not supported by the old authorities.

PULPIT, “For the Lamb which is in the midst-of the throne shall feed

them; shall be their Shepherd. Compare the description of the position of the Lamb

given in Rev_5:6. The position here indicated is the same as that there described. The Lamb is between the throne and those surrounding it, towards the middle of the throne. Christ is

set forth in the character of Shepherd, as in Joh_10:11and Joh_21:16. And shall lead

them unto living fountains of waters; and shall guide them unto fountains of

waters of life (Revised Version). "Of life" is an addition to the passage as found in Isaiah

(cf. Joh_7:37-39, where the expression is used of the Holy Spirit). And God shall wipe

away all tears from their eyes. A reference to the tribulation of verse 14.

RWP, “In the midst (ana�meson). In Rev_5:6 we have en�mesōi�tou�thronou as the

position of the Lamb, and so that is apparently the sense of ana�meson here as in

Mat_13:25, though it can mean “between,” as clearly so in 1Co_6:5.

Shall be their shepherd (paimanei�autous). “Shall shepherd them,” future active of

poimainō (from poimēn, shepherd), in Joh_21:16; Act_20:28; 1Pe_5:2; Rev_2:27;

Rev_7:17; Rev_12:5; Rev_19:15. Jesus is still the Good Shepherd of his sheep (Joh_10:11, Joh_10:14.). Cf. Psa_23:1.

Shall guide them (hodē�gēsei�autous). Future active of hodēgeō, old word (from

hodēgos, guide, Mat_15:14), used of God’s guidance of Israel (Exo_15:13), of God’s

guidance of individual lives (Psa_5:9), of the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Joh_16:13), of Christ’s own guidance here (cf. Joh_14:4; Rev_14:4).

Unto fountains of waters of life (epi�zōēs�pēgas�hudatōn). The language is like that

in Isa_49:10; Jer_2:13. Note the order, “to life’s water springs” (Swete) like the Vulgate

ad vitae fontes aquarum, with emphasis on zōēs (life’s). For this idea see also Joh_4:12,

Joh_4:14; Joh_7:38.; Rev_21:6; Rev_22:1, Rev_22:17. No special emphasis on the plural here or in Rev_8:10; Rev_14:7; Rev_16:4.

And God shall wipe away (kai�exaleipsei�ho�theos). Repeated in Rev_21:4 from

Isa_25:8. Future active of exaleiphō, old compound, to wipe out (ex), off, away, already in

Rev_3:5 for erasing a name and in Act_3:19 for removing the stain (guilt) of sin.

Every tear (pān�dakruon). Old word, with other form, dakru, in Luk_7:38, Luk_7:44.

Note repetition of ek with ophthalmōn (out of their eyes). “Words like these of Rev_7:15-

17 must sound as a divine music in the ears of the persecuted. God will comfort as a mother comforts” (Baljon).

GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, “The Lamb as a Shepherd

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.—Rev_7:17.

1. The seventh chapter of the Apocalypse contains the vision of the “multitude which no man could

number,” which is among the most familiar and most highly treasured passages in the book. The

meaning of the vision stands little in need of explanation; its value is not to be enhanced by

exposition. It speaks straight to the heart of every Christian. The picture of the Church triumphant,

drawn “out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues,” offering the praise of heaven

to God and the Lamb; the question, “Who are these?” and its answer; the description of their

privileges as the flock shepherded by the Lamb, the people of God’s own care—these things speak

for themselves. It is one of the many beautiful glimpses of the heavenly life which St. John gives us

in this book of celestial visions. For a moment the veil is drawn aside, and we see the white-robed

ones who have passed through great tribulation to their rest and reward. The figures used are

suggestive of perfect and uninterrupted joy. The toils and pains and weariness of our mortal life

have no place in the “land of pure delight.” Hunger and thirst are unknown. There is no want or

unsatisfied desire. No sleep is needed, for the day’s work never tires, and the night is bright and

animated as the day. The sunlight never burns, and there is no hot fever in the blood. The eyes are

never dim with sorrow, for all tears are wiped away, and the purest and deepest longing of the

religious soul is realized, for He whom they have loved dwells among them, and they do always

behold His face.

2. The passage from which the text is taken is to a great extent made up of citations from the Old

Testament. Isaiah furnishes St. John with his imagery and his language. “They shall not hunger nor

thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them,

even by the springs of water shall he guide them” (Isa_49:10), and “the Lord God will wipe away

tears from off all faces” (Isa_25:8). But the quotation is wonderfully elevated and spiritualized in the

New Testament vision; for instead of reading, as the Original does: “He that hath mercy on them

shall lead them,” we have here, “the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their

shepherd,” and instead of their being led merely to “the springs of water,” here we read that He

leads them to “fountains of waters of life.”

I

The Lamb’s Place of Honour

1. Not in the confines of heaven, not on its distant borders, does the Lamb stand who shall pasture

the redeemed. In the very centre and seat of power He has His place: He is the Lamb in the midst

of the throne. There are few grander pictures in the Bible than St. John’s conception of the heavenly

Kingdom. It is like one of those drawings by Doré of the Paradise of Dante, in which there is circle

within circle of wheeling angels. That is the kind of vision which St. John had of glory, as if from its

utmost and dim verge it were filled with ranks and choirs; and as the circles drew nearer and nearer

to the centre, they were composed of nobler and more glorious beings. In the very centre of that

mighty confluence was a throne—it was the throne of the immortal and eternal God. And in the very

centre of the throne, standing in front of it, there was a Lamb. And not any angel from distant rank or

choir; not even the flaming cherubim or glowing seraphim—not these, but the Lamb in the midst of

the throne shall feed them. That means that the redeemed shall be fed not only gently, but by one

who stands in the place of sovereign power. None can gainsay Him there; none can with-stand Him;

none can contest His access to green pastures. The Lamb who feeds them is in the midst of the

throne—the sceptre of universal power is His now.

All the universe and its forces are being administered for purposes of redemption. The Lamb rules

and He rules as the Lamb. How calming to feel this, to look up from the turmoil of this visible, flaring,

and lying world—from the shows and shams and the tinted scene of the theatre; from all in life that

startles and appals, to Him who sits above it all. From Him all things proceed, and to Him they

return in circular flow. The shadows are all passing; the reality is behind. Nothing lasts; our trials are

all hasting away to oblivion; let the wind rave as it will, we look at the Christ who abides. How small

all our conflicts and ambitions seem to be, how transient and easily borne our sorrows, when we

look up as John looked from the rock and the wild waters to the serene King, against whose

changeless purpose all the waves of time and circumstance break in vain.1 [Note: W. R. Nicoll,

The Lamb of God, 50.]

2. The first words which St. John ever heard of Jesus were words that described Him as a Lamb.

When he was a disciple of the Baptist, drinking in inspiration from that stern teacher, he had heard

these words fall from the Baptist’s lips, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the

world.” The Apostle was a young man then, aflame with eager hope, and the words of the Baptist

sank deep into his heart—so deep that through all his after years he loved to think of Jesus as the

Lamb. What experiences St. John had had, and what a vast deal he had suffered when he came to

write this Book of Revelation! Life and the world were different to him now from what they had been

in the desert with the Baptist. Yet in Revelation some seven-and-twenty times John repeats the

sweet expression “Lamb of God”—the first words he had ever heard of Christ. Christ in heaven to-

day is the very Christ who walked by the banks of Jordan. Here it is the Lamb “in the midst of the

throne.” Here, in the glory, it is the Lamb slain, as in Isaiah it had been a lamb led to the slaughter.

And we feel at once that not all the height of heaven, or all the inconceivable grandeurs of God’s

throne, have changed the nature or the love of Him who was pointed to beside the Jordan.

Somehow, we are prone to think that our Saviour in the glory must be different from what He was

long ago. We know that He is no longer rejected and despised, and we know that the body of His

humiliation has been glorified, until insensibly we transfer these changes from His outward nature to

His heart, as though death and resurrection had altered that. So do we conceive Christ as far away

from us, separated from the beating of the human heart; glorious, yet not so full of tender

brotherhood as in the days of Capernaum and Bethany. That error is combated by the vision of the

Lamb in heaven. Purity, gentleness, and sacrifice are there. The wrath of the Lamb grows terrible

just as we remember that that wrath is love rejected and despised. And in the last Judgment, when

the Lamb shall be our judge, it will not be the majesty of God that will overwhelm us; it will be that

we are face to face, at last, with the love and with the sacrifice of Christ.

The wrath of the Lamb must be a wrath that can be justified. It is not, like so much of the anger of

this world, unreasonable, hasty, and vindictive. It is the wrath of the Lamb, most gentle, most pitiful,

most merciful, most long-suffering. Some have said that the wrath of the Lamb must be terrible

because it is love turned to anger. There is no fire, it has been said, like the sheen of a dead

affection; no enemy like one that has once been a friend. “To be wroth with one we love doth work

like madness in the brain.” But while this is true of men, we cannot affirm it in the same way about

Christ, because this very excess of resentment and passion is often an infirmity and a sin. We may

say that in Christ, as the flame of love is purer and stronger, so the flame of anger may be; but we

cannot say that anything in His anger is passionate or vindictive. The truth pressed on us is that we

shall have no defender when the Lamb ceases to plead for us. No one is so abundant in the

resources of mercy and patience, and when His resources are exhausted, on whose shall we fall

back?1 [Note: W. R. Nicoll, The Lamb of God, 115.]

Every fibre in Dean Church’s frame quivered with righteous passion against the cynical indifference

to cruelty and wrong which dominated London “Society” at the time of the Bulgarian agitation. He

saw a moral judgment at work, sifting the people. Freedom, righteousness, the honour of England,

the belief in the Divine government of the world, all were at stake in the momentous issue. He found

himself beset on all sides by a political and social temper which was worldly, godless, immoral, and

he flamed with prophetic wrath. The wrath of one so sensitive, so delicate, so appreciative, so

balanced, so wise, was like nothing else that I have ever known. Its heat was so utterly devoid of

mere personal interest; it was the heat of moral judgment, of sheer holiness—the heat of the

Apocalypse.1 [Note: H. Scott Holland, Personal Studies, 234.] II

The Lamb as Shepherd

1. Christ is the Lamb, and He is the Shepherd—that suggests not only that the sacrificial work of

Jesus Christ is the basis of all His work for us on earth and in heaven, but the very incongruity of

making One who bears the same nature as the flock to be the Shepherd of the flock is part of the

beauty of the metaphor. It is His humanity—His continual manhood—all through eternity and its

glories, that makes Him the Shepherd of perfected souls. They follow Him because He is one of

themselves, and He could not be the Shepherd unless He were the Lamb. All Christ’s shepherding

on earth and in heaven depends, as do all our hopes for heaven and earth, upon the fact of His

sacrificial death. It is only because He is the “Lamb that was slain” that He is either the “Lamb in the

midst of the throne,” or the Shepherd of the flock. And we must make acquaintance with Him in the

character of “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” before we can either follow

in His footsteps as our Guide or be compassed by His protection as our Shepherd.

This beautiful multitude in Heaven will be led by “the Lamb.” Very meek must they be whom the

Lamb shall lead: very pure, not to shame Him who is without blemish and without spot: very

innocent, to be made one flock with Him.2 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, The Face of the

Deep, 238.]

Before the creation of the world we were destined to be His flock, and He was appointed to be our

Shepherd. Even if mankind had not strayed away from the paths of righteousness, the relation of

shepherd and flock would have existed. But having so strayed He took our earthly form upon Him to

arrest our wanderings and to lead us back to the fold. Jesus is our Shepherd, not only during our

earthly pilgrimage, but also through eternity. “He ever liveth” to be our loving Master and Friend. “I

will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” In the many

mansions of the Father’s house the flock of the redeemed shall hunger no more, neither shall they

thirst any more, neither shall the sun smite them, nor any heat; for their Good Shepherd, Jesus, who

hath mercy on them, shall feed them and lead them to fountains of living waters, and God Himself

shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.1 [Note: A. F. Mamreov, A Day with the Good

Shepherd, 84.]

Beyond the human region, out among those Eternities and Immensities where Carlyle loved to

roam, there is that which loves and seeks. This is the very essence of Christian faith. The Good

Shepherd seeketh the lost sheep until He finds it. He is found of those that sought Him not. Until the

search is ended the silly sheep may flee before His footsteps in terror, even in hatred, for the

bewildered hour. Yet it is He who gives all reality and beauty even to those things which we would

fain choose instead of Him—He alone. The deep wisdom of the Cross knows that it is pain which

gives its grand reality to love, so making it fit for Eternity, and that sacrifice is the ultimate secret of

fulfilment. Truly those who lose their life for His sake shall find it. Not to have Him is to renounce the

possibility of having anything: to have Him is to have all things added unto us.2 [Note: J.

Kelman, Among Famous Books, 322.]

How fair and green yon blessed field

Beyond dark Jordan’s flood reveal’d!

Eternal waters from the Rock

Fall ever for that happy flock;

The Shepherd Lamb with endless care

Among them moves and guides them there.

Yet we who tread the desert still

Share even now that Shepherd’s skill;

The sands indeed around are spread,

The sun beats heavy overhead,

But where He leads us, there is traced

A long Oasis through the waste.

Our Elim still beside us moves,

With brimming wells and shadowing groves;

The mystic Rock is aye at hand

To cool and water all the land;

The Lord’s green footsteps now create

Heaven’s foretaste in our pilgrim state.

Then let us live as those who know

Eternal joys begun below;

Staff, shield, and sword, we need them yet,

For foes and traitors still beset;

But aye let harps and songs abound;

“We’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground.”1 [Note: H. C. G. Moule, In the House of

the Pilgrimage, 13.]

2. The ministry of the Good Shepherd does not close when He has brought back a lost sheep to the

fold, and the wilderness is not the only scene of its activities. In the unknown land into which our

friends pass, and from which no messages come back to us, redeemed souls still need His guiding

hand. They are not left to explore for themselves the mysteries of the strange world into which they

have gone, and to discover its riches. He tends His own there just as graciously as in this hard,

bleak sphere of peril and distress. They have faded from our view, old and young alike, and we can

do nothing more to help them. But they are still under the eye and the hand of the Good Shepherd.

He who guided the outgoings of His first disciples amidst the hills of Galilee and by the lake shore,

through the plains of Samaria and in the highlands of Judæa, will guide the quests of the celestial

life. The hand that multiplied the bread on earth will minister the mystic manna. The holy feet that

went before the disciples will lead into the pathways of the living fountains. The old pastoral

fellowship is re-established. He will give of the best things of His Kingdom on high just as freely as

He made the disciples share every blessing of His own lot upon earth. The life to come will be

infinitely varied, and the Lord Himself will show the way into the mysteries of its manifold

blessedness. “He shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life.”

The rendering “unto fountains of waters of life” is more literal than that of the A.V.; still more literally

we might render, “unto life’s water-springs”; the emphasis is strongly on the word “life.” In

chap. Rev_22:1, the water of life is as a river “proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

In comparison with the passage in Isaiah (“even by the springs of water shall he guide them”) the

thought has taken a more distinctly spiritual meaning: the middle term will be found in the teaching

of Jesus; cf. Joh_4:14, “The water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing

up unto eternal life”; also Joh_7:38.1 [Note: C. Anderson Scott.]

The Lamb will tend His people as a shepherd tends his flock (the word translated “feed” in the A.V.

has this force), and will lead them to the springs of the water of life. The Twenty-third Psalm rises at

once to our minds. The Lord who was David’s shepherd (Psa_23:2), who was the Good Shepherd

who sought and brought home the lost for whom He died (Luk_15:4; Joh_10:11), does not forget

the shepherd’s work in heaven. He who made His people to drink of the brook in the way

(Psa_110:7), who gave to those who came to Him the water which alone would quench their thirst,

leads them now to the springs of the living water, and makes them drink of the river of His pleasures

(Psa_36:8). Significantly enough the springs of this living water are in the throne itself. Ezekiel saw

the stream issuing forth from the Temple (Eze_48:1), but in the city where there is no temple we are

carried to the very throne of God, to find the well-spring of every gladness. In this emblem of the

water we have another allusion to the Feast of Tabernacles. Among the ceremonies observed at the

feast was that of drawing water; the priest drew a vessel of water from the brook of Siloam, and

poured it out in the temple-court by the altar of burnt offering, and the people sang the words, “With

joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isa_12:3). Here the Lamb, who is also the High

Priest, leads His people to the springs of the water of life.2 [Note: W. B. Carpenter, The

Revelation, 104.]

3. Of old the Good Shepherd made His flock to lie down in green pastures; He led them beside the

still waters. These were the far-off streams, but now they have reached the well-head of all; they

have come to living waters of life; and more than waters, to fountains. What a pathetic and

ennobling summary of life is the old Eastern saying, “In the morning, mountains: in the evening,

fountains!” And here it is in its highest fulfilment. Think of these spirits as now far up in the heights of

glory! They lie down and drink deep of the very innermost fountain, where life—God’s life—pours

itself, fresh and full, into their very being. This is more than even sonship, it is the life Divine that

breathes and beats beneath the sonship. This is more than service, this makes the heart burn in

sacrifice, and the lips break forth in song. This is more than subjection, this elevates not only before

but to the throne of God. It is life, fountain life, the well of life springing up in them from the Divine

fountain into everlasting life. Now, indeed, they comprehend with all saints the length and the

breadth, the depth and the height; now they know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge, and

are filled with all the fulness of God.

Dr. Schaff’s old friend Godet wrote to him in 1892 a loving letter of farewell, in which he said: “God

has already blessed us both, and the 103rd Psalm should be our psalm. Farewell, my dear old

faithful friend. Again let me repeat to you one of the last words of Tholuck. One of his old students

was visiting him and recalled that he had once said that when one was old and feeble, one must put

oneself into the arms of the Good Shepherd to be brought home by Him. Tholuck looked at him

without seeming to understand, and then he spoke these words, ‘Ein alter müder Mann, ein guter

treuer Hirte’ (An old tired man, a good faithful Shepherd). That which was true for our dear teacher

is now true for us. Let us rest our tired heads and hearts, often bruised, upon the Good Shepherd.

The nearer one comes to the end, the more one is inclined to look back to the beginning and that

with a deep feeling of humble thanks. I have eighty years behind me; this is goodness enough, and

each new day I regard as a donum superadditum. Happy are we who are able to look peacefully

behind and ahead, thanks to the blood which flowed for us and the Holy Spirit who will keep us to

the end and in the communion of our glorified Brother and Saviour.”1 [Note: D. S. Schaff, The

Life of Philip Schaff, 448.]

III

God as Comforter

1. The last touch in this picture sets forth the Eternal God as the Comforter of His saved people.

“And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Through all earthly vicissitudes He had been

their light and salvation, illuminating their gloom, turning their mourning into joy, and appointing

them beauty for ashes. It is an old relationship that He resumes and consummates. Not only is He

the object of worship upon the throne; He comes nearer still to the redeemed multitude, healing all

the smarts of earth, and dispersing the last memory of pain. The great tribulation leaves no scar or

tear-stain upon the ransomed universe. The description reaches completeness in this exquisite and

comprehensive promise. We can imagine a man placed under sunlit skies, breathing the

exhilarating air of a new-created world, looking forth upon domains of unshadowed beauty, secure

against privation and distress, welcomed into rare and gladdening fellowships, and yet sighing at

some plaintive memory of the past, or chilled by the uprising of a bygone trouble. But these final

words of the text leave no room for such forebodings. In winning and gentle friendship, God comes

to each spirit of the redeemed from among men, and sweetens every hidden spring of bitterness

and distress. We may be tempted to think that there are tragic and haunting memories which will

steal into the high and holy place. Some griefs are so vast and mysterious that they threaten to

make us pensive amidst the angels. It is difficult to see how some distresses can be obliterated, for

no finite ministry can conjure them into oblivion. But the things impossible to the uttermost human

sympathy and gentleness are possible to God. When God puts His hand upon the fountain of mortal

tears, the fountain is sealed up for ever.

The eldest of the three [Ladies of Sorrow] is named Mater Lachrymarum, Our Lady of Tears. She it

is that night and day raves and moans, calling for vanished faces. She stood in Rama, where a

voice was heard of lamentation—Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted.

She it was that stood in Bethlehem on the night when Herod’s sword swept its nurseries of

Innocents, and the little feet were stiffened for ever which, heard at times as they trotted along floors

overhead, woke pulses of love in household hearts that were not unmarked in heaven. Her eyes are

sweet and subtle, wild and sleepy, by turns; oftentimes rising to the clouds, oftentimes challenging

the heavens. She wears a diadem round her head. And I knew by childish memories that she could

go abroad upon the winds, when she heard the sobbing of litanies, or the thundering of organs, and

when she beheld the mustering of summer clouds. This Sister, the elder, it is that carries keys more

than Papal at her girdle, which open every cottage and every palace. She, to my knowledge, sat all

last summer by the bedside of the blind beggar, him that so often and so gladly I talked with, whose

pious daughter, eight years old, with the sunny countenance, resisted the temptations of play and

village mirth, to travel all day long on dusty roads with her afflicted father. For this did God send her

a great reward. In the spring-time of the year, and whilst yet her own spring was budding, He

recalled her to Himself. But her blind father mourns for ever over her; still he dreams at midnight

that the little guiding hand is locked within his own; and still he wakens to a darkness that

is now within a second and a deeper darkness. This Mater Lachrymarum also has been sitting all

this winter of 1844–45 within the bedchamber of the Czar, bringing before his eyes a daughter (not

less pious) that vanished to God not less suddenly, and left behind her a darkness not less

profound. By the power of the keys it is that Our Lady of Tears glides, a ghostly intruder, into the

chambers of sleepless men, sleepless women, sleepless children, from Ganges to the Nile, from

Nile to Mississippi. And her, because she is the first-born of her house, and has the widest empire,

let us honour with the title of “Madonna.”1 [Note: De Quincey, Suspiria De Profundis

(Works, xiii. 365).]

2. What need that God should wipe away the tears when the Lamb has led to the living waters?

Would not joy follow as a matter of course? If our hunger and thirst have been taken away, if our

eyes have already rested on the sparkling fountains, surely God need not interpose to dry our tears;

will not Nature do that? No. One’s first joy is not brought back by restoring one’s first surroundings.

Grief itself robs us of something; it breaks the elastic spring. The child cries after it has ceased to be

hurt. The hurt has put it in the valley, and the painlessness cannot at once lift it to the mountain.

Someone must put right the spring, must restore the capacity for joy. The fountains in vain will

sparkle if the heart has lost its shining. And so, this one ray, the tenderest of the heavenly vision—

one bar, the sweetest of the heavenly music—marks the close of the text. It reminds us of perhaps

the noblest passage in Handel—the Dead March in “Saul.” When the music surges free and

escapes all gloom in the great burst of joy after the funeral wail, then at its highest there comes in a

tremulous minor strain which makes the glorious vision of the swelling triumph more heroic and

exultant as we see it through tears. Another touch could not be added to the vision; but it can be

made more thrilling and pathetic by a hint of the “great tribulation” that is gone, by flashing it for a

moment and unexpectedly through the dimming tears once so sad and familiar; and that touch is

given in the words which close this vision, which, beginning with tribulation, ends with tears, but

leaves the whole space between calm and undimmed. The mighty Hand that bore away their sins,

and led them in royal majesty, touches them with more than a mother’s yearning. “And God shall

wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Tribulation gone from their steps; sin washed out of their

hearts; now all the fountains of their tears are dried up. Truly the right hand of the Lord hath done

valiantly in its mighty deeds of salvation; but this, its last touch of ineffable pity, moves us to the

uttermost with the tenderness as well as the omnipotence and infinitude of love Divine.

Meanwhile to us, as we look up to that vision, is given the sweet pain of noble tears, and we feel

rising within us the longing desire of the Great Dreamer, who in his vision followed the pilgrims from

the City of Destruction to the City of the New Jerusalem, till he saw them “go in at the gate. And

after that they shut up the gates; which, when I had seen, I wished myself among them.”

A great sorrow after a time becomes idealized. It presses at first with overpowering weight, but

gradually it rises till it becomes a thing of contemplation on which we can dwell with calmness, and

which leaves a mellowing influence behind. One has seen the dew, bequeathed by the darkness,

weigh down the flowers’ heads, but sunlight relieves the pressure, dries up the tears, and leaves

only their memory in refreshment and fragrance.1 [Note: John Ker, Thoughts for Heart and

Life, 125.]

What will be the complete rest to which we are aspiring when all the history of the world is wound up

and God is all in all! What retrospects of home repose, and wanderings here and there, of earthly

histories wrought out and consummated! How can we conceive of a complete joy if those we love

are not there with us? I dare hardly turn my eyes this way. It is like the beginning of an agony to

think of Eternal separation; it seems as if it would fill Eternity with tears. What is that view of Truth

that will wipe all tears away? What that consent to the Divine Rectitude which cannot permit a

diminished joy even when the wicked are silent in darkness? I need help for such thoughts as these

—God bring all we love safe within that circle of glory. God grant we may have no loves on earth

that will not be everlasting.2 [Note: Letters of James Smetham, 140.]

The summer of 1826 was, I believe, the hottest and driest in the nineteenth century. Almost no rain

fell from May till August. I recollect the long-continued sultry haze over the mountains of Lorne, Loch

Etive daily a sea of glass, the smoke of kelp-burning ascending from its rocky shores, and the

sunsets reflecting the hills of Mull and Morven in purple and crimson and gold. I can picture a sultry

Sunday in that year in the quaint, rudely furnished, crowded parish church, then beside the manse,

and the welcome given to the sublime imagery of the Apocalypse in the words which formed the

text: “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made

them white in the blood of the Lamb. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither

shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.”1 [Note: A. Campbell Fraser, Biographia

Philosophica, 17.]

And now, all tears wiped off from every eye,

They wander where the freshest pastures lie,

Through all the nightless day of that unfading sky!2 [Note: Horatius Bonar.]

OTES

1. There is only one shepherd in heaven. Under-shepherds have one function in time,

and that is to lead men to loyalty to this Shepherd who will lead them for all eternity. This implies there will be the unknown to yet be learned. We will need a guide to explore all that God has for us in eternity. We will not be able on our own to discover all that is there.2. Here is a great paradox-a lamb who becomes the shepherd of the sheep. As a lambhe understands what it is to be a part of the flock. He took on our very nature and therefore he can be the wisest of shepherds.It is my sweetest comfort, Lord, And will for ever be, To muse upon the gracious truth Of thy humanity.

Oh, joy! There sitteth in our flesh, Upon a throne of light,One of a human mother born, In perfect Godhead bright!

For ever God, for ever man, My Jesus shall endure'And fixed on Him, my hope remains Eternally secure.3.

SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER1. Adam Clarke, "These eternal living fountains will make an infinite variety in the enjoyments of the blessed." "...every moment will open a new source of pleasure, instruction, and improvement; they shall make an eternal progression into the fulness of God. And as God is infinite, so his attributes are infinite; and throughout infinity more and more of those attributes will be discovered, and the discovery of each will be a new fountain or source of pleasure and enjoyment." It will be an eternal adventure.2. Spurgeon wrote, "While he is guiding, he points out to his people the secret founts and fresh springs which as yet they have not tasted. /As eternity goes on, I have no doubt that the Saviour will be indication fresh delights to his redeemed. "Come hither," saith he to his flock, "here are yet more flowing streams." He will lead them on and on, by the century, ayem, by the chiliad, from glory unto glory, onward and upward in growing knowledge and enjoyment. Continually will he conduct his flock to deeper mysteries

and higher glories. Never will the inexhaustible God who has given himself to be the portion of his people ever be fully kno;wn, so that there will eternally be sources of freshness and new delight, and the Shepherd will continue to lead his flock to these living fountains of water. He will guide them,From glory unto glory' that ever lies before Still widening, adoring, rejoicing more and more,Still following where he leadeth, from shining field to field, Himself our goal of glory, Revealer and Revealed.

3. F.B Meyer wrote, " Jesus leads us from one fountain to anoither, from one well to the next; always deeper into the heart of heaven, always further towards the very centre of all things, which is God. We shall always be satisfied; but our capacity will constantly enlarge, and it will become necessary to give us fuller manifestations, according to his own promise John 17:26.4. See progress in Hevnabc.wpsGOD WIPES AWAY ALL TEARS1. This is clearly the final state, for in the millennium there is still sin and sorrow.