Who Can Stand? The Church!, Part 2 (Revelation 7:9-17) Series

Last week, we worked our way through the first vision of Revelation 7, which describes the sealing of the 144,000, from the 12 tribes of Israel. I argued that this was a vision of the church. Israel, is the church. The church, is Israel. I gave a few arguments in support of this, but I left out the most obvious, and straightforward one.

In the Book of Revelation, what we see repeatedly is an interplay between what John hears, and what he sees. And this interplay helps us understand what we are reading. We've seen this interplay once already in Revelation, in chapter 5. So let's turn there, and remind ourselves how this works (NRSV Updated, no reason) :

5 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed[a] with seven seals, 2 and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4 And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

So in verse 5, John hears the angel telling him to look, and see the Lion.

Then, in verse 6, we read this:

6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

When John looks, though, he sees a Lamb, slaughtered, with all the fullness of the Spirit.

We maybe wonder, how can a lion, look like a lamb? But the question we are supposed to ask ourselves is this: How can a lamb, be a lion? And as we think about this, what we realize is that Jesus became a conquering lion, by being a sacrificial lamb. Seeing Jesus as the Lamb, helps us understand what it means, that Jesus is a Lion.

So what John sees, helps us understand what he hears. And we find the same type of thing in Revelation 7. Let's reread verses 1-8:

(1) After this, I saw four angels,

standing at the four corners of the earth,

holding/controlling the four winds of the earth,

in order that wind couldn't blow upon the earth, nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree,

(2) and I saw another angel,

ascending from the rising of the sun (the East),

having the seal of the living God,

and he cried out with a great voice to the four angels-- to the ones whom it was given to them to harm the earth and the sea--, saying,

"Don't harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees, until we seal the slaves of our God upon their foreheads,"

(4) and I heard the number of the ones being sealed-- 144,000--

being sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

(5) from the tribe of Judah: 12,000 being sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben: 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad: 12,000,

from the tribe of Asher: 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali: 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh: 12,000,

from the tribe of Simeon: 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi: 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar: 12,000,

from the tribe of Zebulun: 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph: 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjaim: 12,000 being sealed.

In verse 4, John hears the number of the sealed-- 144,000. And we wondered, who exactly are these 144,000?

Then, we read this, in verse 9-10:

(9) After these things, I saw,

and LOOK! A great crowd!,

which no one was able to number,

from every nation and tribe and people and tongue,

standing before the throne and before the Lamb,

being dressed in white robes,

and [with] palm branches in their hands,

(10) and they are crying out with a great voice, saying,

"Salvation/deliverance [belongs] to our God-- to The One Seated Upon the Throne and to The Lamb--

So what John heard in the first vision, is that there are 144,000 sons of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe. And then what he sees, is a vast crowd, far beyond number, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, who worship the One Seated Upon the Throne and the Lamb.

So what he hears, is Israel in all its fullness, and completeness, and perfection. And what he sees, is the church. But he's not seeing the church on earth. He's seeing the church triumphant, in God's heavenly throne room. They are dressed in the promised white robes. They have palm trees, to celebrate victory. And what are they doing? We are told, first of all, that they are standing. "Standing before the throne and before the Lamb."