Revelation 7:9. After this.-
I thought I would read this familiar and very precious passage once more as so many of our number have gone home to heaven during the past few weeks. There has been a great flight of the Lord's doves upward to the heavenly dovecotes lately. We will think of them as we read these well-known words:-«After this»-
Revelation 7:9. I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Their purity is indicated by the white robes in which they were clothed, and possibly also their royal priesthood, while their victory over all their foes is typified by the palms which they held in their hands. Montgomery was right when he wrote,-
«Palms of glory, raiment bright,
Crowns that never fade away,
Gird and deck the saints in light,
Priests, and kings, and conquerors they.»
Revelation 7:10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb.
They all sing one song, and it is the same song that we sing on earth, «Salvation to our God.» They know nothing up in heaven of any salvation by the works of the law or by human merits. Oh, no! they sing, «Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.»
Revelation 7:11-12. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the 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, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
You see that all the glory is given to God; man is lost sight of, humanitarianism has no place of honour in heaven, though many, nowadays, make so much of it here on earth. It is unto Father, Son, and Spirit, unto the one only Creator, Saviour, Inspirer that the angels ascribe «blessing, end glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,.... for ever and ever.»
Revelation 7:13-17. 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 fountain of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
This is a vision of the heavenly life above. I want you to keep the last two verses in your minds, for we shall presently meet with very similar expressions in a place where, perhaps, you would scarcely have expected to find them, and there you will see that those expressions are used concerning the heavenly life below as here they are used concerning the heavenly life above. Turn to the Book of the prophet Isaiah, the 49 th chapter, and there you will read a passage which brings us back to earth, it takes us from the Lamb in the midst of the throne in heaven to the Lamb amidst the despising and rejecting sons of men, It is our Lord Jesus Christ who is here speaking:-Isaiah
This exposition consisted of readings from Revelation 7:9-17; and Isaiah 49:1.