ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN
Opening Prayer
Lord, truly salvation belongs to our God.
Read REVELATION 7
144,000 Sealed
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’[a]
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b]
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]”
Footnotes:
a Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10
b Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10
c Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever” (Rev. 7:12).
John does not always write chronologically. In chapter 6 we read of disasters befalling the earth, including the destruction of the mountains and islands (Rev. 6:14), but here we read that God’s servants are to be “sealed” prior to any destruction on earth (3). Our God is faithful. His mark is a sign of his love for his own. Victory will be ours, for “Salvation belongs to our God” (10). The 144,000 are God’s Jewish servants, a reminder that God has grafted us into the family tree as one people of God, of every description known to mankind.
As God’s people, we are called to undergo the cost, whatever it may be, even though the ultimate victory is ours. Immediately after emerging from complex spinal surgery, I didn’t particularly feel that I was God’s victorious servant; however, God’s people through prayer, nightly vigils and social-media messages of encouragement showed me in a new way just how strong the church can be. The church has been given the privilege of serving and praying, to do “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). These servants serve day and night (15). Am I God’s servant, or am I expecting to be served by God and his church all the time?
What a reward awaits God’s servants: heavenly shelter, no more hunger or thirst ever, no scorching sun or freezing cold to torment them, being led like sheep by Jesus to springs of living water, no more tears—imagine that! Leaders, where are you leading the sheep entrusted to you? Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15). No wonder multitudes bow before the one who is worthy, the one who has saved us from never-ending torment. This means we can live as those given white robes instead of stained rags, being changed from glory to glory.
Apply
Serve and pray. How often do I share in the prayer life of my church? Am I a servant? Do I joyfully serve God (without reward) in his presence?
Closing prayer
Lord, I can scarcely wait for the day when I participate in the most profound worship experience ever—in heaven with all of the redeemed.
Book and Author Intros
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.