It's good to have you with us today as we spend 15 minutes around the Word of God preaching Christ in all His fullness to men and women in all their need. And this is Leslie Curran saying hello and welcome in the Saviour's name to our Gospel broadcast. I'm glad you're joining us today and here to let the Bible speak is the Reverend John Greer. It is my great privilege to address you once again. I pray that as you tune in today you will be helped, you will be instructed, you will be given light and understanding concerning spiritual things. It's so important that men and women, that young people take time to consider their soul, that they take time to think about eternity, about leaving this world, going out to meet God as we all will. And therefore, we need God's Word to prepare us, to direct us, to guide us concerning these very issues of life and death and dying and going into God's eternity. And I trust that today the Lord will write His Word in your heart. In Revelation chapter 7 and verse 15, the opening words are these, Therefore are they before the throne of God. Notice here a reference to the throne of God. In the book of Revelation there are more references to God's throne than there are in the rest of the New Testament altogether. This frequent reference to the throne is a reminder to us of the great theme of the book of Revelation. The theme is that of the victory and the triumph of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And when we come to think here about the throne of God, we find that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who is associated with that throne. He is the one who brings his people to it, to stand before it, to gather around it, because he is in the very midst of that throne. He says in chapter 3, verse 21 of Revelation, will I grant to sit with me in my throne. So there is this intimate connection between Christ and his people and the throne. And here we read these words, therefore are they before the throne of God. What is the emphasis? Before the throne. That's a particular position. It's designed to convey certain truths about the great company who will finally be gathered into glory with Jesus Christ. And when we think about these words, therefore are they before the throne, we notice here first of all that they are before the throne as a justified people. Now you will find that in this book of Revelation As I said, the word throne is referred to many, many times, and it's found in different little phrases. On the throne, round about the throne, out of the throne, in the midst of the throne, and as it is here, before the throne. Actually, ten times this phrase is used, before the throne. And we find that it's used here of people, of people who once lived in this world, of sinners who once were found in the nations of this earth. But now they are before the throne of God. And the thought here is that they're before that throne that is marked by holiness, by purity, by perfection. Which means that since they are before the throne, They are therefore a justified people. The only way that they can be before the throne of God and be accepted there as they are is through being justified by God's grace and through the merit of Jesus Christ. Notice how these words commence. Therefore are they before the throne of God. So there's a connection with previous words and In verse 14 we have these other words that pave the way for this great statement. Verse 14 says, These are they which come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Then it says, Therefore are they before the throne of God. So you can see the connection between being washed in the blood of Christ and being before the throne. You can see the connection, therefore, between being justified and the death of Jesus Christ through the shedding of his own precious blood. We are shown in Scripture everywhere that the shed blood of Christ satisfies the justice and the wrath of God. And since that is the case, since Christ has made satisfaction for sin, and has dealt with the guilt of all those for whom he died, they are therefore able to stand before God in this acceptable manner, justified, declared righteous through the merits of Jesus Christ. In Romans 5 verse 9, we read these words, justified by his blood. In Romans 3 verse 25, We are told that Christ came into this world to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. The emphasis over and over again is upon the blood of Jesus Christ. You see, the blood sacrifice satisfies or appeases the wrath of God. The blood shed is the life given. And God ordained that the life of the Saviour would be given in the shedding of His blood to make satisfaction and to pay all the debt owed by God's people for sin. And therefore, since these people, these who are saved, are before the throne, this means that they have this acceptance in the presence of the absolute holiness of God. They are before the throne forever. They have eternal and unbroken acceptance before the throne. They are therefore in that position in eternal justification. Another reference is Revelation 14 verse 5, speaking of the same people and their same position. It says, they are without fault before the throne of God. again before the throne and it is sinners saved by grace who are in view and they are said to be without fault, which means that they are accepted before the throne, accepted in the presence of divine holiness. This is justification. Justification is based upon the perfect righteousness of Christ. It is based upon His suffering and His obedience. It is based upon the shed blood of Calvary. And therefore, we are being taught so clearly that sinners had this acceptance before the throne of God because of the death of Jesus Christ. And the thought here is very important, this particular thought about their justification, that is, it took place before they left this world. It says, These are they which come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white. in the blood of the Lamb. And the thought here is that before they left this world, they had this union with Christ and this transaction done. And their robes were washed and made white. And those two expressions, washed and made white, are in a certain grammatical form in the New Testament Greek language. The words indicate that they washed their robes and they made them white at some point in the past. Which means that they were justified and accepted through the merits of the blood of Christ in this life before going to stand before the throne. So they are brought to stand before the throne because of that great transaction that occurred in this life. Here you are shown that there is in this life, in this world and by faith alone in the merits of Christ alone, that you may have the hope of acceptance at the throne of God. Therefore, you must come to Christ and you must trust Him and His atoning blood to make you clean, to give you a perfect standing with God that your sin would be removed and you would indeed know that blessed position of being able one day to stand before the throne of God. So these words do speak of their eternal justification. But they also speak of their eternal consolation. To be before the throne is to enjoy the consolation that such a position brings. Now notice in verse 14, the previous verse again, these words, these are they which came out of great tribulation. Now, all of God's people experience tribulation, but they will leave that tribulation behind and enter into the consolations of the redeemed before the throne. They will enjoy everlasting service. It says here that they are before the throne and serve him day and night in his temple. There is no idleness in heaven. Oh yes, there is rest in the sense of the glorified will serve the Lord constantly and continually. That will be a consolation to them because in this life the service of the believer is limited, it's often interrupted. Those who love the Lord lament that they do so little for God. But they will have the consolation in heaven of continual service. There is also everlasting satisfaction. Verse 16 goes on to say, They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. One of the marks of a child of God is a hunger and a thirst after the Lord. Lesser are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are told in Matthew 5 and verse 6. You see, the believer cannot be satisfied with worldly, carnal things, but has an appetite, a hunger, a thirst for the things of God and for the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it will be until that individual reaches heaven. Then the child of God will have the everlasting satisfaction of being filled, full of God and Christ. with none of the infirmities and none of the limitations of this life. They will hunger and thirst no more. They will be perfectly satisfied in Christ as they see him in glory and are with him in glory. There's also everlasting safety. It says in verse 16, Neither shall the sun lighten them, nor any heat. In the Bible, often the sun and the heat are used as symbols of trials and tribulations. Again, the child of God will be beyond that as he's gathered home to heaven and he will be with Christ forevermore. Everlasting shepherding, it says here in verse 17, for the lamb which is the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them on to living fountains of waters. Here's the work of the shepherd, to lead the sheep, to carry them onwards to in joy forever throughout eternity, all that is laid up for them in glory. What a great prospect. Will you be before the throne? Oh my friend, seek Christ today. Come and trust the Savior. And thank God as you do so, you will be saved and the Lord will bring you into everlasting glory. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak, coming from Ballymoney, County Antrim. We count it a privilege to bring the gospel of Christ to you in all its biblical fullness, and I trust you've enjoyed today's program. If you've been challenged, encouraged, or helped in any way, we'd like to hear from you. Our mailing address is Let The Bible Speak, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT 53 6PE. Let The Bible Speak, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT 53 6PE. Thank you for listening today. Don't forget that we're on air here each weekday morning, Monday to Friday. So do remember to join us at this same time as we let the Bible speak.