REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 7.15
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The
Apocalypse)
Chapter
Seven
A
Parenthetical Chapter:
Judgment
Suspended
(Verse 15)
Therefore are
they [stand] 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.
The word, therefore, relates to the multitude, cleansed and purified by the
blood of the Lamb, who now stand and serve the Lord Jesus Christ day and night
in God's Temple.
They [stand] before the Throne of God
1. Standing in His Temple
a. The word stand or standing is
implied and used in some translations to refer back to the positions in which
the multitudes (cf., Revelation 7:9, 11), symbolically represent Temple priests.
b. Before; indicating they are face to
face.
(They) serve Him day and night in His temple
2. Serving Him (Greek, Hautou), i.e., since it is God's Throne, they are
serving the One to Whom the Throne belongs.
a. To serve (Greek, latreuō) is
an honor to render service as
a minister in worshipping God at His Throne.
i. In a priestly manner:
Those
who are martyred believers will serve Him as priests and render their
privileged service as worshippers in the immediate presence of God.
Romans 12:1b - …that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service.
Even
though this verse applies to the present believer, in the heavenly arena, it
will be applicable in a new capacity.
ii. In a continuous manner
Since there is no day and night in Heaven,
the indication, day and night, is an
idiomatic way to indicate a continuous duty or occupation in His Temple.
During the Millennial
Kingdom, there will be a Temple where no sacrifices are made, yet only praising
and worshiping the Lord God Almighty will be their required rendered service.
1. He
is sitting
He that sitteth on the throne
He (Greek, ow-tos'), meaning the other one,
points to Jesus Christ. During the Old Testament era, the Temple and Tabernacle
priests were constantly busy standing and making animal sacrifices.
However, since
Jesus Christ became the once-and-for-all sacrificial Lamb Who made the
atonement for the sins of mankind, His work and the sacrificial system are over
and complete, thus allowing Him to sit on the right hand of God in a seated
position as a High Priest.
3. Security: He is living among us
2. Jesus
is dwelling
He…shall dwell among them
The word dwell in Greek is skēnoō, taken from
the root word skēnē, which means tent. Literally:
"He that sittenth on the throne
shall spread His tent over them." The same word is used when Jesus, in
His physical body (a tent made of flesh), lived among us during His earthly
ministry.
Also
coming from the root word skēnē is skēnos meaning a tabernacle, skēnoō, to encamp or reside, and skēnōma, figuratively, God's Tabernacle or our
body as the residence of the Holy Spirit. The entire concept is: God is dwelling
among us.
There are several times in the Bible when God
dwelt among men:
1. In the Garden
a. God spoke to Adam directly
Genesis 2:16 – The LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
b. God walked in the Garden
Genesis 3:8 - And they heard the voice
of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day.
2. During the wilderness and wandering experiences
Exodus 21:31 - And the LORD went before
them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.
3. In the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple
Exodus 25:8 - Let them make for Me a Sanctuary, so that I may live among them.
2 Chronicles 7:1b, 3 - And the glory of the LORD
filled the Temple…And…all the children of
Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of
the LORD upon the House, they bowed themselves
with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised
the LORD.
a. In His flesh during the earthly ministry of
Jesus
John 1:14 - And the Word (i.e., Christ) was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, (and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
4. In our bodies
1 Corinthians 3:16 - Know ye not that ye are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
5. During the Millennium
Revelation 20:6 - Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and
of Christ, and shall reign with Him
a thousand years.
6. In Eternity, He will be a permanent dwelling
among us Revelation 21:3 - And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 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.
7. Only those who remain faithful will gain entry
into the presence of God and be in fellowship with Him. In giving The Beatitudes, Jesus promised:
Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
(Verse 16)
They shall hunger no more *, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
This was also prophesied in the Old
Testament:
Isaiah
49:10 - 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.
So, as they stand before the Throne of
God, the fulfillment of Isaiah is reiterated to the multitudes:
1. No longer will they experience hunger
in their destitute struggle for daily bread
John
6:35a - And Jesus said unto them, I am the
bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger.
2. No longer will they experience thirst
John
6:35b - …and he that
believeth on Me shall never thirst.
John 14:14b - The water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life.
3. No longer will the sun or heat be on
them
a. The sun is a symbol of government
b. The heat is a symbol of persecution
and suffering
1
Peter 1:7 - That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
*Footnote: Hunger etc., no more are double
negatives in English. When one uses a double negative, it cancels itself,
however, the expression when used in Greek makes this an imperative and
presents a stronger idea that these things will never happen, insinuating they
had hungered and thirsted.
As you read through the conditions
during the Tribulation
1. The water had turned to blood
2. They had a lack of food since no one
could buy and sell. Not having the mark of the beast, caused them to beg or
steal
a.
Sun and heat are symbols of persecution
and suffering, soon to cease
Hence, all future indications of the Great Tribulation will never be
repeated (similar to the flood experience in Genesis, God's promise not to destroy
the earth again by water). The Lord as the
Great Shepherd will sustain and provide complete protection, satisfaction,
and shelter with every good thing:
Psalm
36:8 - They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
Psalm 65:4 - How happy
is the one You choose and bring near to live
in Your courts! We will be satisfied with
the goodness of Your house, the holiness of
Your Temple.
Revelation 21:4 - And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away.
(Verse 17)
For the Lamb which is amid 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 Lamb
The Lamb is referencing the Lamb of
God. The word Lamb in Greek is arnion or lambkin – A pet lamb. Man's fellowship with
God will resume as once did in Eden during the pre-curse.
Jesus Christ, the Lamb will accomplish three
things:
1. Feed them
The
word feed is poimainō
meaning to tend as in shepherding, taken from the root word poimēn
– A shepherd. Nourishment for everyone's bodies emanates from the divine
Shepherd Himself. Everyone will receive everlasting satisfaction.
2. Lead them
Lead, as in showing the way or guiding someone.
Fountains of living (from the verb to
live) water (by way of raining water), life's water springs.
3.
Wipe away all their tears
Wipe
means to erase, blot out or obliterate.
Thus they will weep no more. Every tear from their eyes will permanently be wiped
away - Another beneficial blessing.
The curses originally placed upon man
and woman (cf. Genesis 3:16-19) are lifted and life's toil, sufferings, trials,
and tribulations are forever terminated.
The LORD is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing.
(Psalm 23:1, ISV)
Jeremiah once said:
Jeremiah
17:7-8 - Blessed is the
man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For He shall be as a tree planted
by the waters, and that
spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but
her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought,
neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Closing Thoughts
Chapter 7 reveals that in the hour
before His Second Coming, countless souls will accept Jesus Christ as Saviour
and be saved by His redeeming grace.
The message for those separated from
the raptured Church and who have been faithful unto death during the Great
Tribulation will stand before the Throne and worship the true God continually.
They will be resting from their labors and commended for their faithfulness.
They will have harps of God, sing upon the sea of glass, and reign with Jesus
Christ forever.
These are those who have pressed toward
the mark of the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ (cf. Philippians 3:14).
However, God's grace will not cease as
long as time (in human terms) continues to exist - For God warns:
___ Flee from the wrath to come (cf.
Matthew 3:7)
___
All who are heavy laden come to Christ and
He will give thee rest (cf. Matthew 11:28)
The next study, Chapter 8, continues the
Great Tribulation Period. The opening of the Seventh Seal will introduce the
seven trumpet judgments. These judgments will continue from Chapters 8 through
11. Please read ahead.
QUESTIONS:
1. In what capacity do the multitudes serve God?
2. Explain how God dwells among us.
3. What do the sun and heat represent?
4. How does Jesus act as a Shepherd?
5. How does Jesus act as a High Priest?
6. How does the Lamb operate in the future?
7. How does God extend His grace throughout the Tribulation?
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