oh, when collage is going, my neice lives on campus so I have a spare bed room..she also relies on family when the dorms are closed..
I'm gonna be heading to the beach within the next few weeks. How about we carve about an hour or so when I head down there?
Revelation 6 - The First Six Seals A. The first four seals of the scroll bring four horsemen. 1. (1-2) The white horse brings a man of conquest. Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. a. I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals: From the previous chapter, we understand this scroll is the history and destiny of mankind and creation, and only Jesus - the Lamb - has the right to loose the seals on this scroll of the culmination of history. i. If the scroll details the culmination of history, then these things must happen before the scroll is opened. This is not the fulfillment of history itself, but the preparation for it. The actual culmination will be detailed in Revelation 19. ii. “It is worthy of remark that the opening of the seals is not merely a declaration of what God will do, but is the exhibition of a purpose then accomplished; for whenever the seal is opened, the sentence appears to be executed.” (Clarke) b. And I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” Each seal is associated with a living creature (zoa, one of the cherubim of Ezekiel 1 and 10) who calls out “come” (or, it could be translated “go forth”) to each horseman. c. Behold, a white horse: Some - perhaps they take their interpretive clues more from cowboy movies than from the Bible - believe the rider on the white horse is Jesus. Jesus does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16. But this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus. i. He rules (a crown was given); he rules with a bow, not a sword; and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule, as described in the following verses, show this is not the reign of Jesus. ii. “The whole context and character of these seals absolutely forbid our thinking of this rider being the Lord Jesus, as so many affirm. His reign shall not bring war, famine, and strife in its train.” (Jennings) iii. Here we reach an interpretive crossroads of the Book of Revelation. You can tell much about how a person understands this book and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history believe that this rider is Jesus, the apostles, or the Roman emperors. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, often account this rider to be the antichrist. d. He went out conquering and to conquer: This final satanic dictator over men will be the more terrible than all previous dictators were. He will rule over men as a false Messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God, in the pattern of Nimrod, his first predecessor. He is the one often called the antichrist. i. The idea of a satanic dictator over men goes back all the way to Nimrod, the ruler over Babel in Genesis 10:8-14, where it says he was a mighty hunter before the Lord. This has the sense that he was a mighty hunter of men, and that he did this offensively in the face of God. e. Today’s political and social scene is certainly set for the emergence of such a political leader. All that waits is for the Lord to allow it in His timing after He takes His church from this earth. i. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) ii. Significantly, the first seal opened brings this dictator to prominence. We understand that the seventieth week of Daniel 9 begins when this dictator will confirm a covenant with [the] many, referring to the Jewish people. iii. Many wonder if these four horsemen of Revelation 6 are connected with the seventieth week of Daniel and the great tribulation itself, or with the course of history up until that time. This initial emergence of the antichrist, connected with what we know about this leader from Daniel 9 shows that these four horsemen are connected with Daniel’s seventieth week and the great tribulation.
2. (3-4) The red horse brings war and conflict. When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. a. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth: This rider doesn’t need to bring war and destruction. All he needs to do is take peace from the earth. Once this peace - God’s gift to man - is taken, men rush in with war and destruction. i. Peace between men and nations is a gift from God. It is not the natural state of relations between men. b. And it was granted: This authority is granted to the horseman. This is, directly or indirectly, the judgment of God. c. That people should kill one another: We live in the age of war and conflict. Since World War II, there have been more than 150 wars of one kind or another on the earth, and at and given time there may be some three dozen armed conflicts taking thousands of lives yearly. The nations of the world often spend more than $1 trillion on military expenditures a year. 3. (5-6) The black horse brings scarcity and inequity. When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” a. A black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand: The scales symbolize the need to carefully measure and ration food. This speaks of a time of scarcity. b. A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius: These prices are about twelve times higher than normal. It means that it would cost a day’s wage to buy the ingredients for a loaf of bread. This describes “a time of famine when life will be reduced to the barest necessities.” (Walvoord) i. We often see great famine in the world today, yet fewer people suffer from hunger today than 100 years ago. However, understanding the ecological balance, it would not take much to plunge many into the kind of scarcity and inequity mentioned here. c. Do not harm the oil and the wine: Yet, the nicer things will be available for those who can afford them. There will still be the oil and the wine that should not be harmed. 4. (7-8) The pale horse brings death. When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. a. A pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death: This last rider shows that there will be a tremendous death toll from the dictatorship, war, famine and other calamities described by the previous three horsemen. i. Our century has seen hundreds of millions killed by dictators, war, and famine. Yet this will pale in comparison to the death toll coming in the wake of this ultimate dictator. No wonder Jesus said of this time For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21) b. Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill: Power is given to the horseman, and given by God. Though all hell is breaking loose on the earth, God is very much in control. He still holds the scroll and opens the seals.
B. The fifth and sixth seals of the scroll are opened. 1. (9-11) The fifth seal brings forth the cry of the martyrs. When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. a. I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God: That these souls are under the altar emphasizes that their life blood was poured out as an offering to God. The idea is drawn from Leviticus 4:7: And he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of the burnt offering. b. Who had been slain for the word of God: It is probably best to see this as the cry of all martyrs for God’s truth, not merely believers persecuted by the coming world leader, the first horseman of Revelation 6:1-2. c. And they cried with a loud voice: These souls in heaven cry out for vengeance (until You judge and avenge our blood). We usually don’t think of God’s people crying out for vengeance, but they make their cry to God, and leave the matter with Him. i. When God’s people are persecuted, He will set it right. It isn’t wrong for God’s people to ask Him to do what He promised to do. So the blood of Abel cried out from the ground for vengeance (Genesis 4:10), as did the blood of unavenged murders in the land of Israel (Numbers 35:33). d. It was said to them that they should rest a little while longer: These saints are instructed to wait. How long do they wait? Until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. This may mean that they should wait until all God’s appointed martyrs are killed. i. Or, because the words the number of are supplied by the translators, not the text, it may mean that they wait until the character of the remaining martyrs on earth is perfected and complete. It is the way that you live that makes you a martyr, not the way that you die.
2. (12-17) The opening of the sixth seal brings cosmic disruption. I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” a. A great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth: In the Bible, celestial disturbances are often connected with the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah and Jesus Himself all describe such things. i. A passage from Zephaniah is an example: The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. (Zephaniah 1:14-16) ii. Or, as in Joel 2:10-11: The sun and moon grow dark, and stars diminish their brightness . . . for the day of the Lord is great and terrible; who can endure it? iii. Those who regard these events as history have to spiritualize them. One example is Adam Clarke, who says this great earthquake is “A most stupendous change in the civil and religious constitution of the world. If it refer to Constantine the Great, the change that was made by his conversion to Christianity might be very properly represented under the emblem of an earthquake.” b. The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth: It is best to regard these pictures as real, but poetic. John isn’t using technically precise scientific language, but he simply describes what he saw. c. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves: All people are equally brought low by God’s wrath. The judgment is all the more profound because it is the wrath of the Lamb. i. “It is the wrath of love, the wrath of sacrificial love which, having done the absolute utmost for us and our salvation, tells us as nothing else could the certainty with which evil awaits its doom at the hand of God.” (Torrance) d. Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne: They hide not only from the terror of the judgments, but from the face of Him who sits on the throne. “What sinners dread most is not death, but the revealed presence of God.” (Swete) C. Observations: How do the seals fit in God’s prophetic plan? 1. There are many different opinions, but it seems best to say that the seals, trumpets, and bowls that will be described later are not strictly sequential events. Chronologically, the trumpets do not follow the seals and the bowls do not follow the trumpets. a. The first six seals are “a summary of the judgments distributed over the whole book; a brief summary of what will occur in ‘the day of the Lord,’ up the time of His actual Apocalypse or Unveiling in chapter 19.” (Bullinger) b. That span begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (the first seal) and it concludes with the revealing of the face of Him who sits on the throne (the seventh seal). 2. Do the seals represent conditions immediately before the end, or more general conditions prevailing over a more extended period, up until the return of Jesus? a. There is a sense in which we can say that the they represent both - dictators, war, famine, death and persecution have been familiar throughout all history, but not to the magnitude and severity with which they will be present in the Great Tribulation. b. “The wars and famines predicted in the second and third seals are not unfamiliar events in the history of the world, but never before since the time of Noah has a judgment so devastating been consummated as to destroy one-fourth of the earth’s population at one stroke.” (Walvoord) c. As far as the seals are concerned, they will be an intense amplification of “business as usual.” God will give mankind over to his fallen nature - and more! i. This is not the case with some of the trumpet and bowl judgments of later chapters. They are completely unique manifestations of God’s judgment. 3. The sixth seal concludes with a valid question: Who is able to stand? Only the believer can stand before this great judgment, the one who is justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. a. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. (Romans 5:1-2) b. I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. (1 Corinthians 15:1) c. Testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. (1 Peter 5:12) d. The believer can stand in the face of this great wrath of God because Jesus already bore the wrath the believer deserved.
Revelation 4 Which reminds me, I love The Revelation Song. [video=youtube;CWj19qj9SCU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWj19qj9SCU[/video] While I'm on the Newsboys... [video=youtube;zMrnTxNKDds]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMrnTxNKDds[/video]
Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils, the ruler of the demons. Matthew 12:25-37 Matthew 12:25-37 (New King James Version) Matthew 12:25-37 25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. The Unpardonable Sin 31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. A Tree Known by Its Fruit 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart[a] brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Reading Luke at the moment. But It sent me to Matthew. Here is another good one. The Sign of Jonah 38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. 43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
"Reading Luke at the moment. But It sent me to Matthew. Here is another good one." Quote OLTL yeah.. Matthew, Mark, Luike and some of John cover a lot of the same ground in regards to Jesus and his teachings..it is easy to take off and follow a worm hole, so to speak..oh, context is everything
Revelation 7 - The 144,000 and the Great Multitude A. The 144,000. 1. (1-3) Holding back judgment until the servants of God are sealed. After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” a. Four angels standing at the four corners of the earth: The phrase four corners of the earth is an ancient (and sometimes modern) equivalent to the idea of “the four points of the compass.” The idea is that these angels effect the entire earth. b. Holding the four winds of the earth: These winds are a destructive force of God’s judgment, as they often are in the Old Testament. i. Hosea 13:15 gives an example: Though he is fruitful among his brethren, and east wind shall come; the wind of the Lord shall come from the wilderness. Then his spring will become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up. ii. The four winds of the earth may refer back to the four horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8, after the pattern of Zechariah 6:1-8. In that passage, four chariots with horses of the same colors of Revelation 6:1-8 go out to all the earth, and are called the four spirits of heaven. Spirits in that passage translates the Hebrew word ruach, which can also be translated winds. c. Another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: Another angel has a seal, and he seals the people of God. In the ancient world, such seals were familiar. A king or a property owner could use a seal to show ownership or authenticity. d. Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads: These servants of God will receive a protective seal on their forehead, containing God’s name in some manner (Revelation 14:1). i. In Ezekiel 9, a similar protective seal is given to the righteous before Jerusalem is judged. The seal is the Hebrew letter tau (“t,” as in the shape of a small cross). e. The servants of our God: We are not told what exactly their service is, but the 144,000 are sealed for a specific and unique purpose. However, the general idea of being sealed is not limited to them. i. Jesus was sealed. He said God the Father has set His seal on Him. (John 6:27) ii. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a down payment of our eventual total redemption. Paul wrote: God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) iii. This sealing of the Holy Spirit belongs to every believer when they are saved: having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. (Ephesians 1:13) iv. The sealing of the Holy Spirit is meant to be both a comfort and a challenge to us. We are comforted in that it assures us that we belong to Him. We are challenged by it to depart from all evil and identify ourselves with the One we belong to: Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:19) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
2. (4-8) The number of those sealed. And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed. a. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: This is their general identification. They are of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Ethnically, they are Jewish, and there are 144,000 of these chosen ones. b. Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed: This is their specific identification. The 144,000 are divided among the 12 tribes of Israel. Though only God may know their tribal ancestry, there are 12,000 from each tribe. c. The omission of the tribe of Dan: Why is Dan left out? Some think it is because Dan is the tribe of the Antichrist, based on Daniel 11:37 and Jeremiah 8:16. This may or may not be the case, but without doubt, Dan was the tribe which introduced idolatry into the nation of Israel (Genesis 49:17; Judges 18:30). i. There is a wonderful redemption for the tribe of Dan. Dan is the first tribe listed in Ezekiel’s millennial role call of the tribes (Ezekiel 48). d. The slighting of the tribe of Ephraim: This tribe is referred to, but only indirectly. The tribe of Joseph is mentioned, but Joseph was represented by two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. Since the tribe of Manasseh is mentioned, by elimination, the tribe of Joseph must mean the tribe of Ephraim - who is listed, but not by name. i. Why is Ephraim slighted? Perhaps it is because the tribe of Ephraim was also associated with great idolatry (Hosea 4:17). e. It is often claimed that this list must be purely symbolic because it is “irregular.” But what is a “regular” listing of the tribes? i. There are not less than 20 different ways of listing the tribes of Israel in the Old Testament, including one that omits the tribe of Dan (1 Chronicles 4-7). ii. Just because a list is different doesn’t mean it is fanciful symbolism. It is proper to regard each of these lists as legitimate, and to consider that each specific variation serves a purpose, meaning to emphasize something.
3. Who are these 144,000? a. Many different groups have claimed to be the 144,000. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses said their entire group was, until they surpassed 144,000 in number. Now they say that the 144,000 are only a select group of Witnesses who go to heaven. i. Most scholars either regard the 144,000 as the church or as converted Jews, who are still identified as Israelites in some manner. ii. It is an important issue. If they are symbol of the church, then the church is definitely in the Great Tribulation, but sealed for survival through the Great Tribulation. b. Some facts about the 144,000 from Revelation 7 and Revelation 14 give us insight regarding their identity. i. They are called the children of Israel (Revelation 7:4). ii. Their tribal affiliation is specific (Revelation 7:4-8). iii. They seem to be protected and triumphant through the period of God’s wrath, meeting with Jesus at Mount Zion at His return (Revelation 14:1). iv. They are celibate (Revelation 14:4). v. They are the beginning of a greater harvest (Revelation 14:4). vi. They are marked by integrity and faithfulness (Revelation 14:5). c. Taken together, these facts make it difficult to say that the 144,000 are a symbolic picture of the church. i. Israel is a term never specifically applied to the church in the New Testament, and never by any Christian until 160 a.d. ii. Their tribal affiliation is emphatic and known to God. Even if God only knows it, there is absolutely no reason to regard their tribal affiliation as symbolic, not literal. iii. It is difficult to imagine the entire church surviving through the tribulation without martyrdom, and remaining celibate through the period, something that was never required for the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 7:1-6). iv. If the 144,000 are a symbol of the entire church, what greater harvest are they the beginning of? d. It is best to see the 144,000 as specifically chosen Jewish believers in Jesus, protectively sealed throughout the tribulation as a sign. i. They are the beginning harvest of the salvation of Israel (Romans 11:1; Romans 11:26; Matthew 23:37-39). ii. “They are not a part of the Church proper; for their repentance comes too late for that. They are a superaddition to the Church - a supplementary body - near and precious to Christ, but made up after the proper Church has finished its course.” (Seiss)
B. The Great Multitude. 1. (9-10) More worship at the throne of God. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” a. A great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues: The diversity here is evidence that the Great Commission will be fulfilled before the end, even as Jesus promised (Matthew 24:14). i. Because John knew they came from different nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, we know that there will be differences among people in heaven, just as there is on earth. We will not all be the same. We will be individuals. ii. “I suppose as he looked at them he could tell where they come from. There is individuality in heaven, depend upon it. Every seed will have its own body. There will sit down in heaven not three unknown patriarchs, but Abraham - you will know him; Isaac, you will know him; and Jacob, you will know him. There will be in heaven not a company of persons, all struck off alike so that you cannot tell who is who; but they will be out of every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue.” (Spurgeon) b. Standing before the throne and before the Lamb: Again, John sees everything in heaven in reference to the throne of God. “This is a peculiar subject of their joy: that God has a throne, that he sits upon it, and that he ruleth over all things, and all things do his bidding. The central thought of heaven, then, is divine sovereignty.” (Spurgeon) c. Clothed with white robes: These robes remind us not only of the covering righteousness of Jesus, but also of priestly service. “They are arrayed for holy service, and arrayed at once, for they wear white robes fitted for their priestly service.” (Spurgeon) d. The palm branches remind us of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (John 12:12-16), where Jesus was also praised as Savior and King. The word Hosanna means “save now!” i. Palm branches were emblems of victory. It shows this great multitude celebrates a great victory. “The palm, the ensign of triumph, indicates most certainly a conflict and conquest. As on earth palm would not be given if not won, we may conclude that the Lord would not have distributed the prize unless there had been a preceding warfare and victory . . . From the very fact that the glorified carry palms, we may infer that they did not come from beds of sloth, or gardens of pleasure, or palaces of peace, but that they endured hardness, and were men trained for war.” (Spurgeon) e. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Having an emblem of righteousness (white robes), they worship God for salvation. They recognize that God is the source of salvation, and no one else. Salvation isn’t something we achieve, it is something God gives. i. Sometimes believers on earth take their salvation almost for granted. This isn’t true of this great multitude in heaven.
Thanks for asking. I've drawn closer to the Lord over these past 8 months. Been saved for over 25 years, though.
