Revelation 7:9-17; Tribulation Saints

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Revelation 7:9-17 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 aboutthe 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, beunto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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. 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. 

There is recorded a great awakening where multitude of souls were saved during the 7-year tribulation. Amidst calamity and destruction, there was a great spiritual awakening.

MacArthur tells us a chronology of revivals, “There have been many times of great response to the gospel throughout history, including the church’s birth on the Day of Pentecost, the Reformation, the Reformation in Europe in the sixteenth century, and the Great Awakening in America in the eighteenth century. During those powerful movements of God’s saving grace, thousands came to faith in Jesus Christ. It has ever been the prayer of God’s people that God would bring in such great harvests of souls,  and often He has answered. But there is coming in the future a worldwide  response to the gospel that will far exceed any other in history and maybe all others combined. It will sweep the globe in just a few short years and produce a vast multitude of redeemed people from all the nations, making it the greatest movement of God’s saving power the world will ever see. Anticipation of that great “revival” is consistent with  the fact that God is  a merciful, gracious God who  is by nature  a Savior and desires people to be saved.”[1]

Nearer our time, there was the spiritual revival in China and South East Asia under the ministry of Dr. John Sung who died in 1944. Hundreds of thousands were saved before the outbreak of the Second World War. We recount the Bible-Presbyterian church founding leaders were saved during the revival of Dr. John Sung.  Dr. SH Tow comments, “John Sung was like any other preacher, his preaching was not better than Andrew Gih, one of his contemporary but the difference is that men and women were wailing in tears of repentance and made restitution for their sins. John Sung preaching against sin and it resonates in the hearts of  the people who came  to hear,  they came to seek God.”

Our passage gives to us the worship in heaven for this group of blessed saints saved during the most difficult time in human history.

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…

They were arrayed with their white robes, washed by the blood Christ. They who have endured much also were blessed with much.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 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.

Hunger and thirst were a part of their lot on earth. The Great Tribulation was a time of extreme hostile physical condition under the regime of the Anti-Christ. Now they enjoyed the bliss of heaven, fed by the Lamb. And there was no need to weep for all the afflictions that plagued them were now a time of the past.

MacArthur said well, “This comforting promise of further provision is drawn from and almost identical to the words of Isaiah 49:10. As they experienced the horrors of the Tribulation, these sufferers of the Great Tribulation had endured hunger, thirst, and scorching heat as the sun beat down on them, a phenomenon which will occur in the Tribulation  (16:9). But all the tormenting physical and spiritual elements of earthly life they will experience no longer, but rather will enjoy eternal satisfaction, for the Lamb in the center of the throne (cf. 5:6) will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life;  and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.  The picture of God as the Shepherd of His people is one of the most beloved and common in the Old Testament (cf. Ps.23; 80:1; Isa. 40:11; Ezek. 34:23),  and Jesus is depicted as the Shepherd of His people in the New Testament (John 10:11ff.; Heb.  13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4). Interestingly, the other three uses of poimaiō[shepherd) in Revelation (2:27; 12:5; 19:15; “rule” or “shepherd” in all three cases) reveal Christ in a destroying mode, crushing sinners with a rod of iron, as in Psalm 2:9.  The Great Shepherd will guide His flock to springs of the water of life (cf. 21:6; 22:1, 17). He will also wipe every tear from their eyes (cf. 21:4; Isa. 25:8), for in heaven there will be no pain, sorrow, or suffering to cause them.”[2]

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish fromthe way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed areall they that put their trust in him. 

Amen.

[1]MacArthur New Testament Commentary, – The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Revelation 1-11.

[2]Ibid.