Revelation 7
Four angles restrainedverses 1-3
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the
four corners of the earth – holding the four winds of the earth
that the wind should not blow on the earth
sea – any tree
And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea
saying
Hurt not the earth – neither the sea
nor the trees – till we have SEALED
the SERVANTS of our God in their foreheads
Sealing of the witnesses from tribes of Israelverses 4-8
And I heard the number of them which were SEALED
and there were SEALED an hundred and forty and four
thousand of all tribes of the children of Israel
Of the tribe of Judah were SEALED twelve thousand
Reuben were SEALED twelve thousand
Gad were SEALED twelve thousand
Asher were SEALED twelve thousand
Naphtali were SEALED twelve thousand
Manasseh were SEALED twelve thousand
Simeon were SEALED twelve thousand
Levi were SEALED twelve thousand
Issachar were SEALED twelve thousand
Zebulun were SEALED twelve thousand
Joseph were SEALED twelve thousand
Benjamin were SEALED twelve thousand
Tribulation saints worship in heavenverses 9-10
After this I beheld – and – lo – a great multitude
which no man could number of all nations – kindreds
people – tongues – stood before the throne
and before the Lamb – clothed with white robes
and palms in their hands
and cried with a loud voice – saying
Salvation to our God which sits on the throne
and to the Lamb
Angels worship in heavenverses 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 worshiped God
saying – Amen
blessing – glory – wisdom – thanksgiving
honor – power – might
be to our God forever and ever
AMEN
Conversation between John and eldersverses 13-14
And one of the elders answered – saying to me
What are these which are arrayed in white robes?
and whence came they?
And I said unto him
Sir – you know
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
Life of Tribulation saintsverses 15-17
THEREFORE are they before the throne of God
and serve HIM day and night in HIS temple
and HE that sits 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 fountains of waters
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 Say, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (4972 “sealed” [sphragizo] means in order to mark a person or thing, to confirm authenticate, place beyond doubt, make known, stamp of approval, or accredit as a faithful servant, ownership and security)
DEVOTION: The first three and a half years are over. Now we enter the time of the last three and half years which make up the Great Tribulation. The judgment intensifies during these last three and a half years.
Before the last half of the Tribulation period starts there is an event that happens that shows that the LORD is still trying to reach those who were not taken in the Rapture of the Church.
We have a list of those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit on their foreheads to be bee witnesses during this time period. They are all Jewish believers or Tribulation saints. They are sealed on their forehead to confirm that they are followers of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
All believers in the Church Age were sealed by the Holy Spirit at the time of their conversion as a engagement ring to prove that they were going to be part of the Bride of Christ.
Remember that God established a plan before the foundation of the earth and HE continues to work HIS plan. HE is never taken by surprise. HE has never had to adjust HIS plan. There has never been a plan B for God.
Too often we can feel that God doesn’t know what HE is doing because we would do things differently. We are wrong. HE is omniscient and we are not. HE is eternal and we are not.
We need to keep reminding ourselves that HIS plan is perfect. HE has every detail worked out even the salvation of those who are in this time period in history.
HE gives everyone an opportunity to make a decision to follow Jesus Christ. Every person who rejects Jesus Christ will have no excuse when they appear before the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennial time period.
CHALLENGE: We are sealed by the Holy Spirit to serve the LORD in this time period in God’s plan. We will not usually face the same challenges as those during the Tribulation period but we will still be accountable for our service.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the LAMB, clothed with with robes, and palm in their hands. (1100 “tongues” [glossa] means language, a distinct people group, ecstatic language, utterance, or the organ of speech)
DEVOTION: During this seven year time period there are many who become believers. The 144,000 witnesses from the eleven tribes of Israel are sealed by the Holy Spirit to preach salvation to all who will listen.
This includes many who were Jews who were waiting for the Messiah to come but didn’t think that Jesus Christ was the one. Now they have people from their nation witnessing to them about the Messiah and they become believers.
Also every nation is represented by those who are saved during the Tribulation time period. People who finally recognize Jesus as the Messiah will stand before the throne in heaven. Jesus will be sitting on the throne.
HE will give those who have believed white robes to wear and palms to hold in their hands. These will be what they will need to worship HIM properly in heaven.
This will begin a great worship service that will involve the singing of songs. Those who became believers will sing. Those who are representing the children of Israel in the Old Testament saints will sing. Those who are representing the New Testament saints will sing. Also the angels who stayed true to the LORD will sing. It will be the biggest sang service ever heard.
That is why we need to sing with all our hearts at each church service we attend. We have to practice. Remember that everyone will sing on key in heaven. That is my only hope!!!
CHALLENGE: So we will have all three groups of saints present to sing praise to the LORD!! Also the angels will be singing with us!!
: 14 And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (4150 “washed” [pluno] means to wash any object not the human body, to clean, to cleanse by agitating or rubbing in water, launder, or to wash off dirt)
DEVOTION: Throughout the history of the Bible we find that God showed Adam what was necessary for him to offer to the LORD as a sacrifice. The LORD offered Adam and Eve the coat or skin of an animal that was sacrificed to clothe them as they left the Garden of Eden.
They taught their sons, Cain and Abel, what they needed to sacrifice to please the LORD. Only Abel sacrificed an animal to shed its blood before the LORD. Cain only offered the fruit of the ground which he knew was wrong but he didn’t care.
All the Old Testament saints knew they had to offer a blood sacrifice for their sins. Jesus Christ offered HIMSELF as the final blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. During the Tribulation they knew that they had to depend on the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the cleansing of their sins.
Throughout history all the saints either had to look back or forward to the blood sacrifice of the Lamb or Jesus Christ. We as individuals had to look at HIS sacrifice for our sins.
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Christ did it all on the cross for the entire human race that was willing to accept HIS sacrifice for their sins. Anyone who confessed HIM and repented of their sins is going to be in heaven for eternity. All those who reject HIM will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: I can’t wait to sing on key with all those who are presently receiving the devotionals because they are followers of Jesus Christ. That might be the first time I will meet most of you.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. (2738 “heat” [kauma] means a burn, a glow, heat of fever or scorching wind)
DEVOTION: This chapter deals with the sealing and recovery of the saints of the Great Tribulation that lasted seven years right after the Rapture of the church. These tribulation saints are given white robes and palms in their hands. They are going to serve God in the temple day and night. They are going to sing praises to God and to the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
Before they are given their robes and palms, they will have to witness that Jesus Christ was the Messiah to all those living in the Tribulation period. The people will not like their witness. Many will kill these witnesses. However, there are many people who become followers of the Messiah during the Tribulation. It is stated that every nation and tribe and people are represented in the saints of the Tribulation. We know that only Jewish witnesses will start the group of Tribulation saints.
There is suffering while we are here on this earth. There is hunger. There is thirst. There is the intense heat of the sun. There is scorching winds. All of these will end. There will be no more hunger. There will be no more thirst. There will be no more intense heat of the sun as the presence of the LORD will light the New Jerusalem. There will be no more scorching winds or deserts.
The LORD promised that HE would meet all our needs here on earth. In heaven there will be no hunger or thirst. All our needs will be met there as well. Some of the things that we think we need are sun light and heat.
In the winters of Western New York, we can get some really cold days. However, in other parts of the world it gets colder than here. We have visited Alaska many times and some of their days are a lot colder than our days here. One individual we met has been to Antarctica where it is really cold.
This author doesn’t like temperatures over eighty degrees. There is one of my brother-in-laws that likes temperatures that high and higher. Each of us has their ideal temperature they would like but once eternity starts the choice is not going to be ours any longer. The choice is made here and now for eternity.
In heaven we will not have to be concerned about a scorching wind or being burned. There will be just the right temperature every day for eternity. Those without Christ will spend eternity in a place that is called the lake of fire. This is the final place for those who are without Christ. The choice we can give our loved ones is a place without too much heat and a place with a lot of heat. Are we giving them this choice today? Our witness to them is important.
CHALLENGE: Those who have had many opportunities before the Tribulation states will be in the group that wants the rocks to fall on them or hide them from God. Pray that those in this group don’t include family and friends. Work to that end. Warn them!!!
:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (1813 “wipe away” [exaleipho] means 1 to anoint or wash in every part. 1a to besmear: i.e. cover with lime (to whitewash or plaster). 2 to wipe off, wipe away. 2a to obliterate, erase, wipe out, blot out. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: Do you remember the advertisement for the baby shampoo that promised “no more tears”? Evidently they claimed that, if you got the soap into your eyes, it would not cause tears (we never found that this was so). But the idea of not having any more tears is such an appealing one that we wanted to know if this claim was true.
When is the last time you cried tears of emotion? At the death of someone you loved (I had tears at the death of my father when I realized that all of our parents were now dead)? After being diagnosed with a physical disease or complication? When you found out that you were being laid off from work? God made us emotional beings so that we could fully express and feel love, but we all go through times of sadness and hurt.
What is interesting in this verse is the contrasting effects of water. On the one hand, it is the substance that composes our tears. On the other hand, Jesus claims to be source of the living water. He is ultimately the source and basis of our lives. Because He provides living water, He is the one who is able to cleanse up and get rid of all our tears. There will be a day when we will so be in awe of His presence that we will not have any sad thoughts anymore and no more tears. We will still have our emotions, but now they will all be fixed on the One in whom we hope.
Obviously, there is only one who is capable of such a feat. Satan comes to accuse and destroy us, and wants us to have more and more tears. Once His defeat on this earth is final, then the tears that he has caused will be a thing of the past. Jesus’ final victory and judgment for sin is the hope of living a life of joy in His presence.
CHALLENGE: Does something have you down today? Don’t try to go it alone, but share it with another believer who can pray for you. Then think about all Jesus did in order to save you, and this will help. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Tribulation saintsverses 9-10
Worshiped Godverse 11
Sangverse 11
Blessing – glory – wisdom
thanksgiving – honor – power
strength belong to our God
For ever and ever
Angels, elders and four beastsverse 11-12
Templeverse 15
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 2, 3, 10-12, 15, 17
Seal of the living Godverse 2
Sealed the servants of our Godverse 3
Throneverses 9, 10, 15
Worshiped Godverse 11
God for ever and eververse 12
God shall wipe away all tearsverse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Lambverses 9, 10, 14, 17
Feed believers
Lead believers
Living fountains of water
Blood of the Lambverse 14
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Four angels holding four windsverses 1, 2
Another angel having seal of the living Godverse 2
All the angelsverse 11
Four beasts [Seriphim]verse 11
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nationsverse 9
Kindredverse 9
Peopleverse 9
Tonguesverse 9
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Seal on foreheadsverses 2-8
Servantsverse 3
Salvationverse 10
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
144,000 of all tribes of Israelverses 4-8
Judah
Reuben
Gad
Asher
Naphtali
Manasseh
Simeon
Levi
Issachar
Zebulun
Joseph
Benjamin
(Dan not mentioned)
Eldersverses 11, 13
Church (New Testament people of God)
Eldersverses 11, 13
Last Things (Future Events)
Vast crowd – too great to countverse 9
Standing in front of the throneverse 9
Clothed in white robesverses 9, 13
Held palm branchesverse 9
Cried with a loud voice
Salvation to our Godverse 10
Came out of the Great Tribulationverse 14
Washed their robes
Made white in the blood of the Lamb
Before the throne of Godverse 15
Serve
Hunger no moreverse 16
Thirst no more
Lamb will feed themverse 17
Lamb will lead them
God will wipe away all tears
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QUOTES regarding passage
The number of the sealed (τον ἀριθμον των ἐσφραγισμενων [ton arithmon tōn esphragismenōn]). Accusative case object of ἠκουσα [ēkousa] and genitive of the perfect passive articular participle of σφραγιζω [sphragizō]. He did not see the sealing or count them himself, but only heard. A hundred and forty and four thousand (ἑκατον τεσσερακοντα τεσσαρες χιλιαδες [hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliades]). Symbolical, of course, and not meant to be a complete number of the sealed (or saved) even in that generation, let alone for all time. The number connotes perfection (Alford), 12×12×1000=a hundred and forty-four thousands (χιλιαδες [chiliades], 5:11). Nominative absolute, not agreeing in case either with ἀριθμον [arithmon] (accusative) or ἐσφραγισμενων [esphragismenōn] (genitive). So as to the case of ἐσφραγισμενοι [esphragismenoi]. Out of every tribe of the children of Israel (ἐκ πασης φυλης υἱων Ἰσραηλ [ek pāsēs phulēs huiōn Israēl]). There are two opposite views here, one taking the sealed as referring only to Jews (either actual Jews as a remnant or just Jewish Christians), the other including Gentiles as well as Jewish Christians, that is the true Israel as in 2:9; 3:9ff. and like Paul in Galatians and Romans. This is the more probable view and it takes the twelve tribes in a spiritual sense. But in either view there remains the difficulty about names of the tribes. The list is not geographical, since Levi is included, but Dan is omitted and Manasseh put in his place, though he as the son of Joseph is included in Joseph. Irenaeus suggested that Antichrist was expected to come from the tribe of Dan and hence the omission here. There are various lists of the tribes in the O. T. (Gen. 35:22f.; 46:8ff.,; 49; Ex. 1:1ff.; Num. 1:2; 13:4ff.; 26:34; Deut. 27:11f.; 33:6ff.; Josh. 13–22; Judges 5; 1 Chron. 2–8; 12:24ff.; 27:16ff.; Ezek. 48) and given in various orders. In 1 Chron. 7:12 both Dan and Zebulon are omitted. Joseph is given here in place of Ephraim. The distribution is equal (12,000) to each tribe. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 7:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press)
7:4–8. John heard the names of 12 tribes with 12,000 from each tribe … sealed and thus protected. The 12 tribes are not “lost” as some contend.
Attempts have been made to identify the 12 tribes here with the church, mostly to avoid the implication that this is literally Israel. The fact that specific tribes were mentioned and specific numbers from each tribe were indicated would seem to remove this from the symbolic and to justify literal interpretation. If God intended these verses to represent Israel literally, He would have used this means. Nowhere else in the Bible do a dozen references to the 12 tribes mean the church. Obviously Israel will be in the Tribulation, and though men do not know the identification of each tribe today, certainly God knows.
Much speculation has arisen about why the tribe of Dan is omitted. Joseph and one of his two sons, Manasseh, are listed, but Ephraim, Joseph’s other son, is omitted. Thus if Dan were included, there would have been 13 tribes. According to J.B. Smith, Scripture contains 29 lists of the tribes of Israel in the Old and New Testaments and in no case are more than 12 tribes mentioned (A Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 130). The tribe omitted was usually Levi, from which the priesthood came. Inasmuch as it is normal to have only 12 and not 13 tribes, the omission of Dan is not significant. Perhaps Dan was omitted here because it was one of the first tribes to go into idolatry (Jud. 18:30; cf. 1 Kings 12:28–29). However, Dan is mentioned in Ezekiel 48:2 in the millennial land distribution.
The most important fact taught here is that God continues to watch over Israel even in the time of Israel’s great distress. There is no justification whatever for spiritualizing either the number or the names of the tribes in this passage, to make them represent the church. (Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 949). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
It is important that we contrast the two groups of people described in this chapter.
|
7:1–8 |
7:9–17 |
|
Jews |
Gentiles from all nations |
|
Numbered—144,000 |
Not numbered, nor could be |
|
Sealed on earth |
Standing in heaven before God |
While we are not told explicitly in Scripture that the 144,000 Jews are God’s special witnesses, and that the Gentile host is saved through their ministry, this appears to be a logical deduction; otherwise, why are they associated in this chapter? The parallel with Matthew 24:14 also indicates that the 144,000 will witness for the Lord during the Tribulation. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 590). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
7:4 One hundred and forty-four thousand. A missionary corps of redeemed Jews who are instrumental in the salvation of many Jews and Gentiles during the Tribulation (vv. 9–17). They will be the firstfruits of a new redeemed Israel (v. 4; Zec 12:10). Finally, Israel will be the witness nation she refused to be in the OT (see notes on Ro 11:25–27). every tribe of the sons of Israel. By sovereign election, God will seal 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes, promising His protection while they accomplish their mission. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Re 7:4). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, &c.] And therefore could be sure of the exact number, which did not depend upon his sight, and telling them, in which some mistake might have been made, but he heard the number expressed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty, and four thousand; which is a square number arising from twelve, the square root of it, being just twelve times twelve thousand; and may denote their being the true and genuine offspring of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, holding their doctrine, and being built on their foundation; see ch. 21:14 and these were of all the tribes of the children of Israel; not that these were all Jews in a literal sense, for the time of their conversion in great numbers is not yet come. Dr. Goodwin thinks that these sealed ones design the believers of the Greek and Armenian churches, and his reasons are not despicable; but this is to limit and restrain them to a particular part of the church of Christ; whereas they take in all the saints within this long tract of time, even all that are the true Israel of God, who are Jews inwardly, of what nation, kindred, tongue, and people soever; and is a certain and determinate number for an uncertain and indeterminate one; and only intends a large number of persons known to God and Christ; see 2 Esdras 2:38. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 739). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
There are those who are sealed to defy the totality of Satan’s secular dominion. They are drawn from the various tribes of Israel. John says, And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of alt the tribes of the children of Israel. There were 12.000 from the tribes of Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali. Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, and Benjamin. Dan and Ephraim are missing from the list. In Old Testament history, both of those tribes were prominent for their connection with idolatry. Perhaps in a coming day they take the lead in hailing the Beast as Messiah. Israel’s tribal divisions are no longer known. But God knows them, and in a coming day he will see to it that each of the appropriate tribes is equally represented in the sealing. Joseph provides us with an illustration. He could seat his brethren in proper order around the festive board and select his full brother, Benjamin, for a worthy portion. It was no problem to him, although it greatly astonished them (Gen. 43:33–34). The Lord knows what Israel’s tribal divisions are.
Those sealed will go unscathed through the Great Tribulation. They will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the Beast and a constant reminder to the devil that, while millions may bow to his will, God still has him on a leash and says to him, “Thus far and no farther.” The mobilized armies of the earth will not be able to touch a hair of the heads of these sealed ones. The concentration camps and torture chambers of the Beast’s fearful inquisition will leave them unscathed. The fire will not kindle upon them, nor will the smell of smoke be on their garments. The floods will not be able to drown them. The secret police will have dossiers as thick as prison walls, but they will be unable to harm them. The seal of God rests upon them, and they are saved and secured, come what may. They will be a living proof to the devil that not only is his secular power strictly limited by divine decree, but in the end he cannot win. If he cannot conquer these, then he cannot possibly win in the end. No matter how many millions he liquidates in his insane rage, he is obviously under the control of God.
So then, the 144,000 are sealed to defy the totality of Satan’s secular dominion. They are a reminder to him that every knee does not bow to him and that God is sovereign and in invincible control. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary (Re 7:4–12). Kregel; WORDsearch Corp.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
The seal on their foreheads symbolizes protection and ownership and God’s intention to protect the 12 tribes that are mentioned, much as He protected Noah from the Flood, Israel from the plagues of Egypt, and Rahab and her household in Jericho. (Dallas Theological Commentary)
JUST DO SOMETHING by Kevin DeYoung (Moody Press)
The most important decision we face is the daily decision to live for Christ and die to self. (p. 63)
We should put aside the passivity and the perfectionism and the quest for perfect fulfillment and get on with our lives. (p. 63)
Statement 1: God guides us by His invisible providence at all times.
Statement 2: God can speak to His people in many different ways, guiding them with their conscious cooperation. (p. 64)
Statement 3: In those last days, God has spoken to us by His Son. (p. 65)
Statement 4: God continues to speak to us by His Son through His Spirit in the Scriptures.
Hebrews operates under the assumption that the Son’s speaking takes place through the Spirit in the Scriptures. (p. 66)
Statement 5: Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us, nor should we expect HIM to. (p. 68)
Many mature cessationists like Poythress who believe that certain gifts have ceased will also be quick to add, “But God surprises us nonetheless.” And many mature charismatics like Gee who emphasize the continuing nature of all the gifts will also be quick to add, “But the Scriptures alone are our sure guide.” There are still differences between the two positions, but both end up in similar places: God can use extraordinary means, but they are, by definition, out of the ordinary and not to be expected. (p. 74)
Submission to authority does not mean being entirely passive and agreeing with everything that the person in authority says or suggests – it is certainly not that way when we are submissive to the authority of an employer or of government officials (we can certainly differ with our government and still be subject to it), or even of the authority of the officers in the church (we can be subject to them even though we may disagree with some of their decisions).(p. 467, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem)
One of the last interviews I did with Chuck Colson, back when we started “BreakPoint this Week” as a weekly interview program on radio, was with Ravi Zacharias. I began that interview apologizing for all the times I had plagiarized him throughout the years, probably many times without even knowing it.
Though I’ve since become much more sensitive about identifying sources, Ravi’s teaching was profound for me. He was someone I cut my teeth on, a lifeline really, when my faith was undergoing an intellectual awakening. Somewhere in college I came to realize that Christianity wasn’t just something you did, and it wasn’t even just something you felt. Even more (though certainly not less) than a personal relationship with Christ, I was realizing that the Christian faith was, in fact, true. From Ravi, I began to understand the extent to which you could not only think about faith, but actually think with faith.
Of course, that was the stated mission of Ravi’s life and ministry: to help thinkers believe and believers think. I was among the believers he helped to think.
Ravi and Chuck Colson had a very special relationship. Chuck deeply respected Ravi’s unbelievable ability to communicate. I spent hours listening to recorded talks from Ravi, over and over again, enraptured by just how vastly applicable Christian truth is to real life.
Ravi is a real-life example of what Paul told the men of Athens, that God places us in particular times in history. Ravi emerged at a time when many needed to see that faith could be deep, connected to the existential challenges of life while not only answering the skeptics and cynics, but challenging their assumptions and conclusions.
Ravi also seemed to have a great respect for Chuck Colson. When Prison Fellowship and the Colson Center lost our giant of a founder, Ravi’s wonderful tributes for Chuck were so kind, and a few years later, Ravi spoke for the 2017 Wilberforce Conference along with several members of the RZIM team. Ravi’s support is among the many ways God provided for the Colson Center in the years since Chuck passed.
When I heard the news yesterday that Ravi had died, I reached out to a friend, one of the many that Ravi really poured into, mentoring and building, who is part of the growing and dynamic team of apologists, speakers, and authors at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He told me that he was struggling to imagine a Ravi-less world.
I know that struggle. In 2012, when Chuck Colson passed away, many of us struggled to imagine a world without Chuck’s strong and stable voice of moral authority. God graciously gives us leaders like Chuck and Ravi, and we are better because of them. Yet, there will be a world without them.
Chuck and Ravi were giants, not only for me but for many others, who needed to know if Christianity could really stand up to the world of ideas and the challenging assaults of culture. In different ways, with different points of emphasis, different abilities, different back stories, they were able should show us it can. Christian faith can take the shots of skeptics, cynics, and cultural forces and still emerge as true and beautiful and good. It’s worth mentioning they both had amazing personal stories of God’s grace. Chuck, of course, came to faith in the midst of political scandal, and Ravi in the midst of personal despair.
Losses like this remind us that Christianity is not ultimately a set of abstract truths, but the true Story of the world that precedes us and survives us. Certain characters in the story are elevated by God’s grace and His choosing. They run the race, and then the baton gets passed to the next generation.
That so many wonderful people are already in place at RZIM and ready to run is a tribute to Ravi’s life and ministry. At the same time, I know the feeling they must have, since there’s no such thing as filling shoes like his. Instead, to paraphrase Isaac Newton, we stand on his shoulders, seeing further because of his stature.
As for Ravi, his thoughtful and so-well-articulated faith is now sight. Still, as immense as his life and influence were, it’s only getting better for him. Or as C.S. Lewis put it, it was only “the cover and the title page: now at last (he is) beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” Publication date: May 20, 2020
Hannah dedicates Samuel to the service of the Lord.
INSIGHT
We rarely give God sufficient thanks and praise for the things He does for us, and we rarely give Him adequate worship for who He is and for His significant answers to prayer.
By contrast, notice Hannah’s song of thanksgiving. She prays earnestly for a child, and when the Lord gives her one, she expresses her gratitude in full-blown poetic praise. Her response is fitting for the gift. (Quiet Walk)
INEVITABLE DEDUCTIONS
He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 5:23
What has the Son of God done to me by coming into this world? What difference has He made? Now it seems to me that there are certain inevitable deductions, and here they are.
My relationship to God is determined solely and entirely and absolutely by Jesus Christ. If you tell me that you believe in God, I say to you that it is of no value if you do not believe in Christ. I say again with Martin Luther, “I know of no God save Jesus Christ.”
“He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.” All things have been committed to Him. You cannot know God without Jesus Christ. “Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsover the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). I cannot know God as my Father apart from the Son. I would have no forgiveness of sins if He, the Son of God, had not come and if He had not died for me on the cross. But because He has, I know my sins are forgiven. He and He alone can give me life anew; He imparts to me His own life, and He makes me a child of God. He came to do that, and He has done it. My eternal destiny is determined solely by my relationship to Him. I assure you in the name of God and of the Bible that when you come to the great day of judgment—for it is coming; we all have to die and meet God—I solemnly assure you that you will have only one question to answer. You will not be asked about the good you have done, or about your learning and knowledge, or about your political party; none of these things will matter. There is only one question, which is: “What think ye of Christ?”
A Thought to Ponder: I cannot know God as my Father apart from Christ, the Son.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 141-142, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Righteous Man
“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” (1 John 3:7)
There is an old spiritual song that has the phrase “ev’ry body talkin’ ‘bout heav’n ain’t goin’ there.” That’s a good summary statement of biblical truth—and worth repeating. As our text puts it, the righteous man does righteousness. But there is more to this principle.
A Righteous Man Knows He Is Righteous: As a young man, King David was very conscious of his righteousness. David knew that he had “clean hands,” that he “kept the ways of the LORD,” and that he had neither “done wickedly” nor “departed” from God. David was also careful to put the “judgments” and the “statutes” of God out in front of his thoughts. “Therefore,” he said, “hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness” (Psalm 18:20-24).
A Righteous Man Loves Righteousness: The opening stanza of the majestic Psalm 119 makes this statement: “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways” (Psalm 119:2-3). The apostle John is even more succinct: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3).
A Righteous Man Resolves to Live Righteously: “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A forward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person” (Psalm 101:2-4).
Those who long to be with God long to be like God.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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