Amen. Take your Bibles tonight and turn with me back to the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 7. The seventh chapter to me is one of the most interesting, most intriguing passages in all of the book of Revelation. There's a number of things about it that are very significant. And we can get caught up in all the details. I think it is interesting that it is one of the most highly sought after and debated passages in all of the book of Revelation. And the reason being is everybody wants to claim the 144,000. If there's anything about the book of Revelation anybody wants to be, it's the 144,000. And so, they are known as the Jehovah's Witnesses. The 144,000, that's it. There's going to be 144,000. By the way, I don't know if you know this or not, but if you are a good moral person, you and the average Jehovah's Witness have the same destiny, the ground. Only 144,000 of them are going to go to what they consider heaven or bliss. And so, unless you're one of those, It doesn't matter how good you were or how faithful you were as a Jehovah's Witness, you're going to the ground. And if you weren't one of them, unless you really were an abomination, that's where you're going to. They're known as the 144,000 Mormon elders. They're a very special group in the Mormon church. There's 144,000 that are claimed by the Mormon church as well. There are some who take this and even in Christian circles make it an interpretive model. And this 144,000, somehow the language is misconstrued to be that they are Christians, they're the church. But I want to remind you tonight that I'm taking a very literalist approach to the book of Revelation. It has a purpose, it has a purpose now, it has a purpose future. And so the language is what the language is, and it says exactly what it means. And so that's what we're gonna try and understand when we look at this tonight. But can I tell you the focus of this chapter is not 144,000? The focus of this chapter is God. And it is stunning to us that as we are going to stop, and literally that's what this chapter does, it really is a parentheses in the chronological unfolding of this book. The book is unfolding chronologically, and we'll see that. But this now becomes a parentheses in the middle of the judgment. And it's done on purpose, with purpose, and in fact, we're gonna see a very interesting interaction as one of the elders who's gathered around the throne asks of John, Who are these people and where did they come from? And the interesting thing is, John has no idea, but the guy asking the question does. And so the question is asked, the questions are asked for the purpose of revelation. You're watching this and you're seeing this and you're understanding this, but do you really know what this means? And he says, sir, you know. No, I don't, but you know, so tell me. And he says, that's why I'm asking you, because you need to know. And he gives them an answer. And the reason that this is so important is because this passage shows us, in the midst of the greatest judgment of God, that he is a God who never forgets mercy. One of the questions that is debated about the book of Revelation and this saga known as the Tribulation is, does anybody get saved in the Tribulation? This passage of Scripture is going to show us not just who people get saved, but the greatest revival that man has ever known happens during the tribulation. Because in the rest of the revivals that at least we know of and that we can give record of, we had some idea of how many people get saved. The number in this crowd is innumerable. And so it's a very, very interesting passage of Scripture. But again, I want to remind us that as we look at the seventh chapter, that it is part of the whole purpose of the book. And the purpose of the book is not just a fearful warning. It is a faithful encouraging. This book is intended to encourage us. And that's what this chapter is intended to do. So you follow along. And I'm actually going to take us back to the end of chapter 6 before we begin, because chapter 7 begins with, after this. It's been a while, and so you might be saying, after what? And so I want you to see after what. And so look at the end of the chapter. Verse 15 of chapter 6, then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful. and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountain, calling to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and they ask this question, and who can stand? It is a question that echoes through the chambers of eternity. Who can stand? It's a question that echoes through the chambers of John's own heart. And thus, we are going to be given an answer, an answer that doesn't come to us in a chronological flow. It actually is going to be an answer when we look at the details that actually is going to step us out of the unfolding scene of the tribulation, and it's going to encapsulate the whole of the judgment of God before it is intensified in what we'll see in chapters 8 and 9. And it's almost as though God is saying, I know as you are given insight into what is about to come, that what is going on in your heart is, who is going to stand? Who is going to survive? Is there going to be mercy? And it's almost as though God in the unfolding of this saga says, now before we go any further, there's something I want you to know. There's something I want you to see. There's something you need to understand. And it really is in this parentheses that we are going to see the purpose of God in the judgment. After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. So let me stop. Have we already seen the wind, a picture of God's judgment, blow on the earth, on the sea, and against the trees? If you remember back to chapter 6, that's exactly what we have seen. And that's why I say this is a parentheses. It actually takes us back now to before that actually happened. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun with the seal of the living God. And he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea. Remember, there were four angels in the unfolding six judgments that we have already seen. We saw that four of them were grouped together in the carrying out of the wrath of God. These are the four angels that are being spoken of. And he speaks to those angels and he is speaking to them now before they actually carry it out. And he called with a loud voice to the four angels who have been given power to harm earth and sea saying, do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of the sealed. 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed. 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben. 12,000 from the tribe of Gad. 12,000 from the tribe of Asher. 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali. 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh. 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon. 12,000 from the tribe of Levi. 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar. 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun. 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph. 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. We'll come back to that. But that is an unusual listing. There are people that should be in that listing who aren't there. There are people in that listing who normally aren't there. Namely the Levites and Joseph. And after this I looked and behold, terms of revelation. 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, crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Let me stop. At the end of chapter 6, what did we see belonged to these same two figures, the one on the throne and to the Lamb? It's the day of their judgment, and it's their judgment that is coming. And here in the midst of this parentheses, we see that the ones who are judging are the ones who also own salvation. 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. Why? Because this incredible mixed multitude of redeemed people declared the glories of their salvation and the angels just fall down and worship God. Saying, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, Who are these clothed in white robes? And from where have they come? I said to him, Sir, you know. 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. How does that work? 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 any more. 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." Oh the glories of the mercies of God. So I don't want to bore you with the details. But there is almost nothing in this chapter that is insignificant. So I'm going to do my best in a timely fashion to unpack it for us, because I know the brain can only take in what the seat can endure. So look first at the ceiling of the 144,000. Now I'll try to prove that as we go through this passage. The sealing of 144,000 Jews. What is the purpose of the Revelation? What is the purpose then of the Tribulation within the Revelation? What is the purpose of this redemptive picture within the Tribulation within the Revelation? This book is uniquely to reveal That Jesus Christ is just that. That Jesus is the Messiah of Israel. It is uniquely designed in comforting the church, in giving us a picture that Israel will recognize Jesus as Messiah. And so within this picture, we see a unique thing. We see this 144,000. As we understand who they are, I want you to then just walk through the passage with me and understand, first of all, the restraining of judgment. The restraining of judgment. You see that in verses 1 through 3, ending with this statement saying, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. So coming out of this cry, who is able to stand, John then sees these four angels ready to unfold the wrath of God in judgment upon the earth. It's a terrible, terrifying scene. These angels are the instruments to execute God's judgment in 8.2. But they're also the instruments of God to withhold judgment. The judgment here is impending. That is the tension that builds in these first three verses. It's ready to be unfolded, but God is holding it back. Can I tell you that that is the picture then of what God is doing in time as well as in the tribulation? We get to this scene and time hasn't ended. It's just the next epic, if you will, of the unfolding story of redemptive history. We're still in time, and so what God does in time there, we must understand that God also does in time here. In fact, King James uses the language, he which now led us, or he which restrains, or he who holds back, and it is referring to the Holy Spirit, and it says that come the end of the church age, he who is now restraining will be taken out of the way. There is an ongoing active work of the Holy Spirit in time today that God is literally mitigating His just wrath on men. That is exactly what Peter refers to in 2 Peter 3.9 when he says, God is not slack concerning His promise. The promise of His judgment. But His long-suffering to us were not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. We are living in an age that is marked by the merciful restraining of the judgment of God for gospel purposes. There ought to be an urgency in that for us. That we function in this time of the patience of God for the purpose of gospel work. We're going to see a clear picture of it here in the tribulation. That even a time that is known as a time of God's wrath, a time that is marked as a tribulation time or a time of trouble, and we see that the agency of that trouble at the end of chapter 6 is God Himself. It is God who brings the wrath, by the way. It's not Satan. It's not the false prophet. It's not the Antichrist. They are merely pawns in the hand of a sovereign God. God is the one who is meeting out His judgment for His purposes, and His purposes are redemptive. His purposes are redemptive. And so this judgment is impending. It's like it's brewing and now just being held back as though there is a dike that is restraining the inevitable overflow of a cresting river. about to be poured out. But prior to that, before any of the judgments of the tribulation ever get underway, God will save. God will set apart, and God will protect 144,000. And the reason, I don't know the reason, other than it's connected to the 12 tribes of Israel. There are going to be 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will become convinced of the Messiahship of Jesus, and they will boldly declare the gospel. And there is a connection between verses 1 through 8 and verses 9 and following that tells us as we look at this vast throng that come out of the tribulation, but are from every nation, that the gospel agency that God uses are these 144,000 witnesses. And so God is setting them apart to declare the gospel for the purpose of redemption in the tribulation. Notice what he says here about this impending judgment. He speaks of the four corners of the earth. It doesn't mean the world is square. He is literally speaking of all of the earth. If you will, much like we would say, of the directions on our compass. North, south, east, and west. Maybe the most valuable thing you'll learn tonight is do you know that that's where news comes from? North, east, west, and south, that's why we call it the news. There you go, that's free, no charge for that. But it's supposed to cover all four corners of the earth. But it speaks of global authority and activity under God's sovereignty. What is coming is going to be globally cataclysmic. No one is going to escape. There's not going to be a corner of the earth where they can go and hide. There's not going to be a high place or a low place. They're going to call for the mountains to hide them. The mountains will not listen. Because the mountains are under God's authority. The word here, holding back or restraining, is an interesting Greek word, krateo. It's strong in its meaning. It means to grasp, to seize, to restrain. This is not a passive word. This is an active word that God is saying, hold back. It's almost as though there is work in keeping back this judgment. God is literally not passively giving men time. God is actively restraining His wrath for the purpose of redemption. It stresses power and ability in relation to a job to be done. He speaks into the four winds and it relates to the restraint and the judgments that will come on the entire globe of the four corners of the globe. The wind is symbolized, really, not just throughout Scripture, but throughout prophetic Scripture. Jeremiah 49, Jeremiah 51, 2 Samuel 22, prophetic passages, wind is symbolized there to be a picture of divine judgment. And so, so that no wind should blow on the earth points to the purpose of restraint. I don't want any judgment yet. Because there's something that is important that must happen in order for judgment to accomplish its purpose. I believe that then this expression, the four winds, actually then is referring to the whole of tribulation judgment. And thus, this is something that's happening before the beginning of all of that judgment. And so we see the restraint, but then I want you to see the raising of a remnant. Notice the messenger. John sees another angel and one who is superior with authority. Not necessarily in might or purpose, but he has authority. This one rises up from the sun and he speaks with authority. Imagine now, these four angels who have been given authority by the one who has opened the scroll to go and destroy the earth. And there rises up this other angel and he says, not yet. It's a pretty powerful figure. It says that this one is having the seal of the living God. A very significant word. It means, literally, to make an imprint in wax. That's literally what the word means. He's having the seal of God. We mentioned it before when we looked at sealing the scroll, and we saw that it was often done as a sign of authority with a signet ring. But here, it really involves three dynamics with regard to its usage in business transactions. It often showed a completed transaction had occurred. And so, for the 144,000, it was their personal redemption. When they are sealed, it's not some extra-biblical idea of salvation that they did not get saved and they come and just womb-bang and get sealed on the forehead. The forehead is actually a picture of identification. Remember where the children of Israel were supposed to put the law. They were to bind it around their hands and they were to bind it on their forehead. Why? That was an indication that it had filled their whole person. And so the ceiling on the forehead is an indication that there is a redemptive purpose that has been accomplished that marks them in a completed transaction as a possession. Secondly, it was a mark of identification or ownership. A brand, if you will. These became the servants of God and of God's people. Thirdly, this mark was a mark of protection or security. Remember, we'll see it a little bit more, but you see the mark of the beast in the forehead. And people then were free to carry out transactions and business. Why? Because they had a mark that identified them as being in a certain economy. Understand, this is a mark that identifies these people in the midst of that economy as belonging to God. Those are three things. That us being sealed by the Holy Ghost in redemption, in our day, ought to understand that that's what our salvation really means. That we have personal redemption, meaning He purchased us, and because of that we have identification and ownership, we belong to Him, and in that we have His protection to do what He has said, security to carry out His purposes, and thus we ought to live missionally because of who we are in Him. That's what salvation's all about. And so when you take all those implications and you put them together in this idea of a seal in this account, there's no question that what happens with these 144,000 is nothing other than salvation. God saves these 144,000. They're redeemed, identified by their owner, and commissioned to do His work under His protection. That's literally what it means. redeemed, identified by their owner, commissioned to do his work, and under his protection. And so you see then his position, one of authority, but then notice his priority. He called with a loud voice, and so it stresses the urgency of what must first take place. God here puts a premium on mercy in the midst of judgment. This is a priority. Even in such a dramatic event as the unfolding of the tribulation of God at the end of time, he says that what takes priority in the midst of that is the mercy of God. Let's remember then, with the rapture of the church, there is no voice among men for God. The church is gone. Throughout history there has always been a voice from God among men, a remnant of believers. The tribulation cannot go on without the raising up of a new remnant. And the spiritual vacuum left by the rapture will quickly be filled by this work of God to bring these 144,000 Jews to Christ. We'll talk about what that means in a little bit. Notice he says, don't harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees, the very judgments that we see in chapter six. And so he sets it aside, but notice he says, until. So understand, it's temporary. The judgment is coming, but it's coming with a purpose. Then notice, thirdly, his people. Look at verse four, and I heard the number of the sealed. 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. And he walks us through this listing of the tribes, 12,000 from 12 tribes that give us 144,000. There is no question, unless we do linguistic gymnastics, that these are Jews. There's no question. So what does the sealing mean then? What are the implications of the sealing? The sealing guaranteed their physical and spiritual protection. God has a job for them to do. Can you imagine being the ones called to be gospel announcers in that environment? There has never been, never will be a harsher environment in which to declare the gospel than that one. Let me ask you a question. Do you believe that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes? If ever you question the power of the gospel to work in the hearts of men, look at this passage of Scripture. For in this environment, in the midst of the animosity and deception, hatred, war, dissension, people hating God, people hating one another, There are people who are redeemed by nothing more than the power of the gospel. We should be encouraged that if it can happen then, surely it can happen now. They are sealed, guaranteeing their physical and spiritual protection. Notice the fact that judgment is suspended until the sealing occurs, which indicates the sealing was done as a means of protection. We're going to do this first, before all of this happens. But then, we see these 144,000 again. They are survivors of the tribulation. Listen to Revelation 14. Then I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the Lamb and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. They survived the whole tribulation. The great throng who put their faith in Christ because of their witness don't. But these do. And so the ceiling was for their protection. But not just protection against physical death and assault. But remember that this is an age of apostasy and deception from the beast. and that these are protected spiritually from that apostasy and deception. They're called his servants, literally bond servants, those who are bound to Christ in an ownership relationship. They're going to be serving God really as evangelists in this tribulation period. And I want you to notice the intentional language that comes then in chapter seven in verse nine, for it says, after this I looked, and behold, the language there is intentionally given to us to make a connection to this group of 144,000, and then what is coming next, where he calls in revelatory terms for us to see, know, and understand this great crowd. And really what he is doing is establishing a revelatory connection between them as witnesses and as the result of their witnessing. And so we're going to see these witnesses, and then we're going to be encouraged to see, is their work going to be fruitful? Are they really going to be able to accomplish anything? And the answer is, oh, yes. Oh, yes. So who are they? They are Jews. What is their specific task? to reach the people of Israel. But in doing so, they will accomplish God's purposes for Israel throughout all time. God called Israel to be a people to bear his name and to show his glory to the nations. God's purposes with Israel were not just to save a people for his name and those would be the only ones. It was to have a people for his name who would reflect his glory and display his greatness to the nations. One of the things that happened with Israel is it become more and more and more reprobate as we get down to the minor prophets is that they see their status as elite and they really call for God to judge and destroy the nations even though they were living the same way as the nations. They missed their purpose. Do you know where that becomes clearest? It becomes clearest in the book of Jonah. Here is one who should have been passionate about the glory of God that would have driven him to go to the heathen nations and declare to them that God is a God of mercy and instead he wants God to be a God of wrath. And so you have a disobedient prophet. He reflects the heart of the entire nation. As we see this picture here, we're not just going to see that God is going to use this time to show Israel who Jesus is, but to show Israel who, through Jesus, they are. And as they go as evangelists to the nation of Israel, you will see that somehow, dynamically, what happens is Israel is used by God in this tribulation era to bring the gospel to the rest of the world. We have many questions that we could just speculate at. How will they be saved? There's no one here to witness to them. Well, just think just for a few seconds about a couple of possibilities, and they're just possibilities. The internet is not going to stop at the rapture. It thrills me to think that there will be people who will listen to messages like this after I am gone. Praise God for the internet. But more importantly than that, the word of God's not going with us in the rapture. Imagine if it happened tonight and they walked in here and said, wow, wait a minute. Why are all those books open to that page? Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. And so I don't know the actual means that God will use to get to them the Word of God, but I know this, that God will get to them the Word of God. And that God will use His Holy Spirit through the Word of God to bring them to faith. And then God will use these witnesses to declare the Word of God to the rest of the tribulation world. Ultimately, how will it be done? It'll be done by the work of the Holy Spirit. Honestly, as you look at the listing, I've studied and studied, gone and read, and really all I've found is speculation. I do not know. I don't know why Levi is included here. Other than this is a very, very spiritual purpose rather than the purpose of inheritance. Because if you'll remember in the listing before, they're the priestly tribe and therefore they had no inheritance. So something in the dynamic of the tribes has changed. Why do we have a mention of Joseph here instead of Ephraim? Normally it's Manasseh and Ephraim and both are mentioned since they both received an equal portion of territory along with the rest of the tribes. I don't know. It's one of those things I want answered for me. And then why is Dan omitted? And that's the one over which there's the most speculation. Many say, aha, that's our clue, now we know. The Antichrist comes from the tribe of Dan, he's not mentioned. That's because he's where the Antichrist comes from. There's a problem with that, however. We know that the Danites will receive a portion of the land during the Millennial Kingdom. Ezekiel 48.1, Dan heads the list of the tribes as the inheritance is divided out to them. So there's still things for us to learn. I want us to close then by looking at the latter part of this chapter. Because I want us to move from beyond the merciful act of God in having witnesses, the incredible mercy of God in salvation. And as we do, I want us to understand with appreciation the nature of this salvation, but I want us to understand the nature of our salvation. For this is a comfort to us. What we see salvation do for them in setting them out of their circumstances in time, salvation does for us. The God who gives them this gift is the same God who gives us the same gift. This has been an incredible comfort to me. So notice, secondly, the salvation of a great multitude. See the persons saved in verse 9. It's a marvel. He uses this word, behold. It's a Greek word that is used here in a very specific way in an imperative saying, see, look, look with understanding. It's used as a demonstrative particle to arrest our attention. Stop being distracted. Don't look at anything else. It's almost the expression that says, look at me. Only it's saying, look at that. Fix your eyes. I want your attention to rest on something. And it's calling us to a marvel. Not a marvel that there's some great crowd that is saved, but the marvel of salvation. This passage is calling us to look again with a renewed sense of marveling at the glories of our salvation. The marvel is that in such a time as this, God's mercy is equally manifest. And He will save people. And He will fully save people the way He has always saved people. The connection of after these things is truly a connection back to the 144,000. And so, if you will, that's the means. God is going to use faithful witnesses. that He has set aside for His purpose as bondservants to declare His gospel. And then notice the multitude. It's a great multitude that no one could number. So think of the number there, innumerable. Not only will men be saved, but their number will be beyond human computation. This is an incredible outpouring of the grace of God in redemptive purpose. Notice their nationalities. They're from every nation. From all tribes, so if you will, go to every nation, go within every nation, look at the breakdown of the tribes. And they're from every tribe. then go within every tribe, if you will, and every people group within every tribe, and then even within the tribes, a breakdown in every languages. And what God is saying, that His redemptive purpose is going to be accomplished through all people. Hear me, friend. The gospel cannot be thwarted. The gospel cannot be stopped. Then see their new location. They are standing before the throne and before the lamb. Notice, if you will, down in verse 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 shelter them with his presence. It's an interesting statement. Because how did they get there? The question that we'll answer later in the book. But listen to Revelation 20 in verse 4, it says, They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Daniel 12 says this at that time shall arise Michael the great prince who has charge of your people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered. Everyone whose name shall be found written in the book and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. The reality of it is these are people who, due to the witness of 144,000, come to faith in Christ and then are slaughtered for their faith. This is not an easy time to believe. In fact, the indication is that by the time we get to the end, of all of these who are innumerable, and so you can imagine how big that is, and I don't know how big that is, Only 144,000 survived. Everyone else who professes faith in Christ is put to death. So as you imagine the massive multitude, imagine the massive slaughter. And thus it gives you the sense of what these next verses mean. For they really are facing Sorrow. Tribulation. Terror. Horror. But we see them marked here by their noble condition. They're clothed in white robes. I ask the question, how does that happen? How do you wash white robes in red blood and end up with them being white robes? That tells me this. It's symbolic. One, they are clothed, something has been put on them. And what has been put on them has left them in a position of being pictured as white or pure. And the reason they are white or pure is because that which identifies them or clothes them has been washed in the blood of the Lamb. And so they are redeemed ones. This actually is a picture of not just redemption, but of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Remember what Paul said when he said, he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God didn't just clean us up. God didn't just wipe our slate clean. In salvation, God went beyond just justifying us as though he put us at neutral standing. It's not just as if I never sinned. It's just as if I always did right. For in redemption, God buys us back and then He imputes to our account the righteousness of His Son so that we are accepted in the Beloved. This is a picture of the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. They're able to stand before God and be seen as pure because they have on their account the redemptive work of Jesus. And thus, they're able to stand before the throne. Thus, they're able to be before God. And not just be there. Be welcomed there. What are the palm branches about? I can't take a whole lot of time, but it's a picture of natural praise. That's really what it's about. Just as they wave the palm branches before Jesus on Palm Sunday, They actually are going to wave them before God and the Lamb as a symbol of their praise. In other words, they're saying, we're here because of them. But then I want you to hear the anthem, their praise for salvation. Verse 10 says that they are crying out. It means to cry aloud, only here it's not a cry of horror, it's a cry of praise, of joy, of jubilation over their salvation. It's a John word. This is a word that's used in John's gospel when proclaiming the person of Christ. Crying out and saying are both here in the present tense and really are probably used as a means of characterizing their lives. This is what their life is declaring. Salvation belongs to our God. We are here because of what God did. We are here because of who God is. We're here because of what God is doing. And when they cry out that way and rightly acknowledge where salvation comes from, the angels cannot help but fall down. You know what's amazing to me? The angels know something. You know when the angels fall down? They fall down whenever they realize that if God can do that, He's awesome. For you see, they understand the depths of our lostness. They understand the depths of our depravity. and to see people standing with the righteousness of Christ declaring that salvation belongs to our God, having imputed to them the righteousness of Christ, the angels say, what an amazing God. Do you realize that that ought to be the heart cry of everyone who comes to understand salvation? If God could do that, he is amazing. If God could save me, he is awe-inspiring. The glories of our redemption cause them to cry out. And so in verse 12, they cry out, Amen. Let it be. We agree. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Do you realize? that this now is the statement of what happens in the unfolding of the wrath of God? Why will God bring tribulation to the earth? So that people recognize him as blessed and glorious and wise and worthy of thanks and honorable and powerful and mighty forever and ever. And so seven attributes that capture the nature of our God that is to be revealed in the work that He will do in His world. And so we see the clarification then as this unique conversation happens between John and this elder. Who are they? Where do they come from? They are believers. who come by way of witnesses from Israel from the four corners of the globe during the tribulation. John, as you see the terror that will unfold upon the earth, you must understand that it is for the redemptive purposes of God so that people will come to know Him for who He really is. Notice then as I close, what is said about the salvation that they receive. Verse 15 says, therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. I'm not gonna go any further than that. But I want you to think at least, you are not going to be bored in heaven. It's not just going to be a song service. There's going to be service, service that is done day and night. So we will serve God. I don't know what we'll do for God, but you and I are going to serve God in heaven, so we won't be bored. The good news is you won't get tired either. Now we say, man, I'm working day and night. Usually it's a statement of the fact that we're getting weary. We won't get weary there. The expression there of his temple really is speaking significantly of his presence And so we are working in His presence, and in the presence of He who sits on the throne. Notice that unique statement. He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. The word really is their tabernacle. It is that He will shelter them about with His presence. And so what you see is safety, comfort from the elements, and escape from what was besetting them. God says, when I get you to heaven, I am going to shelter you from everything that has beset you. What are those things? They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them. What does that mean? That these people really, literally faced not having food, not having drink, and not having shelter. That's what their conditions were like. God says, when I get you here, that will never happen again. Why? For the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.