The great harvest has been brought in—the great multitude standing before the throne in white robes and with palm branches. “They celebrated/worshipped,” says Nehemiah 8:18 at the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles after the return from the Babylonian exile. These wore white robes, just like the martyrs under the altar when the fifth seal is broken.1 Those who are sealed from Israel, the 144.000 stood before the tribulation. The multitude has passed through it, however, whether or not they were killed as martyrs. Prophetic picture after picture. ‘Slide’ after ‘slide’! ‘Even passing through death, He will take you up into His bosom; praise Him for ever, Amen’, a Dutch hymn says. Psalm 68:19-20 “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.” Deliverance from death and also even through death. Psalm 23:4 and 6 (ESB) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Heaven rejoices with sevenfold, perfect worship. John will see the Church as he has never seen her. He sees them not as sacrificial lambs, oppressed, struggling with sin, sick and miserable, and subject to death, the Church under the cross, the struggling and the suffering Church. No, he sees them in all their glory. Who are they? It is so breath-taking that he does not dare to say so himself. He will shortly be asked by one of the elders, one of the angelic leaders/generals: “Who are these?” And then John will say: “My lord, you know.” You say it. I can hardly believe that the Church will one day be like this.
The multitude of human beings that no one can count shout with strong voices of victory: “Salvation belongs to our God.” And also the ‘myriads of angels’ and the ‘elder’ and ‘living creatures’ shout their sevenfold worship to our God. Just as the ‘other angel’ (the Angel of the Lord?) in chapter 7:2A had spoken of the servants of our God2—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator of Heaven and earth, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Israel and us may call ‘our Father, which art in Heaven’ in our prayers, but also: my Father, Abba.3 The Church extols God’s grace. Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.4 Our full armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9) with its breastplate of righteousness and shield of faith and love has salvation as a helmet,5 the hope of salvation, the helmet of salvation.6 1 Peter 1:9-11 “for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.”7
Awaiting the great day of the resurrection, when spirit, soul and body, joined together in total newness, will live for ever for God when all things are restored. “…that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom Heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago.”8
The Heavenly beings, the myriads of myriads of angels and celestial beings exalt God for everything that He is. When they see the Lamb’s redeeming work in human people who are saved and made into a Kingdom and priests to serve our God, they exalt Him in awe sevenfold, with the words:9 “power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing.“ This time seeing these 144.000 sealed Jews from every tribe they worship sevenfold the Father and the Son with virtually the same words: “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might.”
‘He, who did not consider ‘equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness’, now receives worship and honour from all who are in Heaven.’10 We can now already falteringly join our songs of worship and praise to theirs. So let’s do that right now!
• Palm branches were already waved on earth when the Saviour entered Jerusalem,11 according to the Lord’s command.12 That is to happen ‘when you enter the (Promised) land’,13 not in the wilderness or the desert. Only then is there great joy, with a very loud voice!14
Bible References:
1.Revelation 6:11 2.Revelation 7:2 3.Matthew 6:9-13; Romans 8:15; Isaiah 64:8 4.1 Thessalonians 5:9 5.1 Thessalonians 5:8 6.Ephesians 6:17 7.1 Peter 1:9–10 8.Acts 3:21 9.Revelation 5:12 10.Philippians 2:5–11 11.John 12:13 12.Leviticus 23:40 13.Leviticus 23:10 14.Ezra 3:10–13; 2 Chronicles 20:19
