Week 49, Day 5
December 9, 2022 Scripture: Revelation 7 “Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 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. 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 spread his tent over them. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”” (Revelation 7:13–17) We are in full apocalyptic mode now. Which means we need to read carefully and think about the imagery of the text not literally but with an understanding that the colors, animals, numbers all are representations of something greater and significant. For instance, the 144,000. There are religions that view the 144,000 as a literal number of those who are saved. I will say as kindly as possible, that’s wrong. Here’s what I’ve studied and feel convicted it is: 12 is a number that is used throughout the Bible as a representation of God’s people. We have the 12 sons of Israel, becoming the 12 tribes of Israel. You could say “the sons of Israel” or “the 12 sons of Israel” and you would know that it meant more than just the sons, and also that it was representative of all of Israel. Jesus had 12 disciples, further emphasizing the number 12 as an identification with the followers of God. 144,000 is a multiple of 12. It represents God’s people Now we have the number that is quite a bit larger than 12. The greater the number, the more significant the meaning or greater the imagery and meaning is to intensified. 144,000 becomes representative of All of God’s people. Moments later in the text it says, ““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 in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”” (Revelation 7:9–10) Basically, if you can’t count them all, use a number that represents them all. 144,000 does just that. The folks have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, and it’s turned them white! White is not necessarily only purity, it’s a color of victory in Revelation as well. Those who stand, those who have a place in the great multitude, have been tried and tested and shown faithful to God. Being washed in the Lamb’s blood is a sign of their own trials and struggles. But most of all, it is a sign for us all that we are to trust in Christ’s blood to deliver us from evil and the threats against us. This all culminates into a victory cry: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And all creation praises, “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Let us praise God. He is with us, in the middle of all the churches, holding us all together. May we continue in the midst of great trials to show ourselves faithful, washed by the blood of the Lamb. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
Categories
All
|