Having seen the beginning of the “Time Out” before the opening of the seventh seal in Part 1, which guarantees the sealing of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, John’s vision continues:
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb’” (Rev 7:9-10).
As I write this blog on New Year’s Day 2022, at a time when everyone I know agrees that 2021 is best left in the trash heap and that we need to move on to a more positive existence, I am struck by two things:
- Memorize and exclaim repeatedly that salvation belongs to God Almighty and to Jesus, not to any government; and
- Rally all believers in perfect unity with God, Jesus, and each other; a cry that the world could be attracted to before it is too late for them, so that the world will know that God loves them as much as he loves us (John 17:23).
“And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen’” (Rev 7:11-12).
There is no power on earth that can even perceive, let alone surpass, the all-powerful and all-loving Almighty God! And there is no better time to be in perfect unity with him:
“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Rev 7:13-14).
So the “Time Out” is to receive the martyrs murdered in the great tribulation, before the seventh seal is opened. It is fascinating that these saints were undoubtedly abused horribly, and it is likely that their bodies and clothes were dark with blood and dirt. Yet once they met Jesus, they used his blood, which was also red like any other human, to wash their garments for appearing before him in sparkling white!
The elder speaking to John in his vision offers three conclusions which undoubtedly apply to all who have been and will be persecuted for Christ’s sake:
- “’Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.’”
- “’They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.’”
- For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (Rev 7:15-17).
This brings me to tears of joy, that God allowed me to write this at the entrance to a new year after one of the worst years ever, which ended for us in Colorado with an extremely severe drought, punctuated in the last few days by a horrendous wildfire nearby that burned a thousand homes in a matter of hours.
The great tribulation here on earth will be far worse.
But through perfect unity with God and the Lamb, it will end wonderfully, with each of us standing before God and the Lamb as they wipe away our tears.
I look forward to celebrating with you and with Jesus when that comes about.
The “Time Out” is over. Now, buckle up for the opening of the seventh seal – hurry back!