Brother Mike Ministries

The many days of Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011!  
***
ETERNAL LIFE: No Longer Possible!! ***

Whoso keeps the commandment shall feel no evil: and a wise man's heart discerns [will know] both time and judgment - Ec. 8:5

Revelation 7:13-17
More on the Great Multitude!
By Brother Mike (3-16-20; 47 minutes)
   

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they ?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. 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 .
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them .
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat
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


INTRODUCTION    

In this study of Revelation 7:13-17, we continue on the subject of the Great Multitude. We will see, once again, that the Great Multitude are those who came out of the Great Tribulation from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011. Then, we will be told that this Great Multitude have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, which makes us wonder if this Great Multitude did something to save themselves. Did they? Just what does it mean that they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb? I thought salvation was all of God!   

Furthermore, we will be told that because this Great Multitude have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. Is this speaking about them serving God in a physical temple on earth built by men? Exactly what is God's temple? And, why is this Great Multitude said to serve God day and night in this temple?  

Then, we will be told that because this Great Multitude was eternally saved, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. Why is it that they will neither hunger nor thirst anymore? And, what does it mean that neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat?   

Finally, we will be told that God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes? What does this mean? Does it mean that they will no longer shed tears of joy, or sadness, in heaven because God will wipe all their tears away?   

The answers to all these previous questions and more with respect to verses 13-17 of Revelation 7 will be revealed in this study.   

Now, may our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, lift us above all worldly concerns to be able experience a piece of heaven in a dry wilderness so that we might grow in grace and in the truth, amen. 


Revelation 7:13
:   

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they ?

In this verse, we first read, And one of the elders answered. Since we learned back in Revelation 4:4 that the elders in heaven are the elect who are in heaven, the elder who answered is one of the elect in heaven. This elect person in heaven answered, saying unto the apostle John, What [better translated, Who] are these which are arrayed in white robes? And, whence came they? The ones in white robes, of course, are the Great Multitude which no man could number that were mentioned back in verse 9 of our previous study . If you will remember, these are those who were clothed in white robes, and had palms in their hands. So, here, the apostle John is being asked by an elect person in heaven, who is this Great Multitude which no man could number who are clothed in white robes? And, the answer we will find in the next verse, but, for now, let's notice that this Great Multitude are arrayed or clothed in white robes. We already learned in our previous study that their white robes signify that they are eternally saved individuals whose sins have been paid for, and who have had the righteousness or holiness of Christ accounted to them.  

But, let's now focus in on the fact that they are arrayed in these white robes. This word arrayed, or we could translate it, clothed is a participle in the Greek that is in the Perfect Tense . This means that when our verse says that the Great Multitude are arrayed or clothed in white robes, it is really saying that they were arrayed or clothed sometime in the past, which has resulted in their still being arrayed or clothed in the present. And, because the fact that they were clothed or arrayed in white clothes at some time in the past means that they were eternally saved at some time in the past, we are being taught by the Greek language that this Great Multitude were saved in the past with the result being that they are still saved in the present. To put it another way, this Great Multitude were clothed (saved) in the past, which has resulted in their still being clothed (saved) in the present. So, because of their salvation in the past, they are still saved in the present. Do you see how the Greek language in this verse supports the doctrine of eternal security (once saved, always saved). No, you cannot see all this in the English translation of our verse, but, in the Greek language in which the book of Revelation was originally written, the doctrine of eternal security is clearly supported in our verse: that this Great Multitude are clothed or arrayed in white robes not only reveals that they were once saved in Christ Jesus, but it also reveals that because they were once saved, they do remain saved, for salvation in Christ Jesus is eternal. You cannot lose your salvation unless, of course, you were never truly saved to begin with. And, unfortunately, there are a lot of people who think they were saved, but the truth is that they never really were so that on the Last Day of judgment, it will appear as though many people had lost their salvation as they are cast into the fire when in reality they did not actually lose their salvation, but they were never truly saved at all. And, so it is with all those who remain in all the churches of our day. They have not obeyed Christ's command to depart out from their churches, but they have been blinded to remain in them, which are now all under the wrath of God ever since May 21, 1988 when judgment began with the house of God (see Why leave all churches ). They all think that they have been saved, or are being saved, but they have all been fed a strong delusion so that they should believe a lie (2Thessalonians 2:11).  

Now, before moving onto our next verse, we should also mention that when our verse says that this Great Multitude are arrayed or clothed in white robes, the participle clothed or arrayed is not only in the Perfect Tense of the Greek as just previously discussed, but it is also in the Passive Voice of the Greek language. This means that the Great Multitude were passive in the matter of having been arrayed or clothed with the result that they are still clothed. Thus, we are being taught that this Great Multitude were passive in the matter of their eternal salvation. They did not cloth themselves with eternal salvation and keep themselves clothed with it, but they were clothed and kept clothed with it by God while they were passive in the matter. Hence, in that this Great Multitude are arrayed or clothed in white robes not only supports the doctrine of Eternal Security, namely that one cannot lose his salvation if he has truly been saved, but it also supports the teaching that eternal salvation is all of God. He saved us, and He keeps us saved from start to finish. It is all His doing! O yes, we did come to a point when we may have consciously chose or made a decision for Christ, but, if we are truly saved, that was only a result of His first choosing and drawing us to be clothed with His salvation. Remember what we read in Ephesians 2,  

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us ,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus :
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God :
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them .  


Revelation 7:14

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. 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

Here, the apostle John had just been asked by an elder in heaven (by an elect person in heaven), [Who] are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? That is, who is this Great Multitude which are arrayed or clothed in white robes? And, where did they come from? And [John] said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to [John], These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Thus, we learn just who this Great Multitude is; they are those who came out of Great Tribulation. Literally, the Greek reads that they are those who came out of the Great Tribulation. It is not just any tribulation that they came out of, but it is the Great Tribulation spoken of in Matthew 24 where we read, 

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be .  

And, the reason it was a tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be is because it was a tribulation wherein eternal salvation through any church came to an end. Never before in the history of the world had salvation so vanished away from the peoples of the world. Yet, we read in verse 22 of Matthew 24,  

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened .  

That is, except those days of the Great Tribulation from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011 be shortened to May 21, 1988 to September 7, 1994 when the Latter Rain began and a Great Multitude began to be saved outside of all the churches during the remainder of the Great Tribulation from September 7, 1994 to May 21, 2011 through organizations like Family Radio and other ministries not under the authority of any church, no flesh would have any longer been eternally saved in Jesus Christ, for judgment had begun with the house of God by removing the Holy Spirit and salvation from their midst from May 21, 1988 to September 7, 1994 so that the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, Satan Himself could then be revealed by taking his seat of rulership in all the churches to lead them all into false gospels and teachings with all power and signs and lying wonders to their eternal destruction (see Who is the Antichrist or Man of Sin? And, listen to 2Thessalonians 2:1-11 - The Man of Sin! ). As we read in 2Thessalonians 2, 

8 And then shall that Wicked [Antichrist or Man of Sin who is Satan] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming :
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders ,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved .
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness

And, so it is that judgment began with the house of God by the Great Tribulation of eternal salvation having been removed from the midst of the churches, and by Satan's deception unto eternal damnation to all those who have remained in the churches; who have not obeyed Christ's command to depart out (see Why leave all churches?). But, even though God brought judgment upon all the churches during the Great Tribulation by removing eternal salvation from their midst, he still saved a Great Multitude outside of the churches during the 2nd part of the Great Tribulation, and this is that Great Multitude that the apostle John saw in his vision.  

But, now, our verse continues by saying that this Great Multitude have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Notice how it says that they, the Great Multitude, washed their robes and made them white. It sounds as though they saved themselves. How are we to understand this? We previously had learned that it was God who clothed them in white robes while they were completely passive in the matter, but now we find that they are not passive, but active as they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb as if they did something to save themselves. How can this be explained? Let's look at John 1:12-13. There, we read,  

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name :
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God .

Notice how the scripture first states, But as many as received Him, and then this is further explained as, even to them that believe on His name. Thus, we see that to receive Christ is one and the same as to believe on His name. Once again, it sounds as though one must do something to become the sons of God or to become saved, namely to receive Him or believe on His name. But, then, we read, Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. That is, they were not born as the sons of God, or saved, because they received Him or believed on Him, for we are told that it was not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. In other words, they did not become saved as the sons of God because they willed to or made a choice for Christ, but they became saved as the sons of God because of God. Indeed, salvation is all of God and not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man. It is God alone who saves, and then, as a result, one receives Him and believes on his name. 

Likewise, when our verse says that the Great Multitude washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, they did this as a result of their salvation, and not as the cause of their salvation. In fact, that they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb is a figure of speech to mean that they believed on Him and repented, for they did not physically wash their robes and make them white in the blood of Christ as who could wash anything in red blood and make it white? But they spiritually washed their robes and made them white in Christ's blood through faith or belief in Him with repentance, and that faith or belief with repentance did not originate from them, but it was granted to them as a gift from God. As we read in Ephesians 8-9, 

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God . . . 

And, it is God who grants repentance as seen in Acts 11, 

Ac 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life

Therefore, salvation did not come to the Great Multitude in our verse because they washed their robes and made them white with repentance in the blood of the Lamb, but it came to them as a gift of God, and this gift of salvation resulted in their faith through which they washed their robes, and made them white (they repented) in the blood of the Lamb because through the gift of their faith with repentance their sins had been paid for, and Christ's righteousness or holiness had been accounted to them through His death and resurrection. The point I am trying to make is simply this: we don't come to salvation because we believe or do something; we come to salvation by the gift of God that He imparts to His elect freely upon hearing the Word of God. As we read in Romans 10, 

Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God

Yes, God imparted faith to His elect as they heard the gospel, and this faith that became their faith in Christ washed their robes and made them white (they repented) in the blood of the Lamb. So, then, their faith came not by their own will or choice, but by the gift of God through the hearing or reading of the Word of God. Thus, salvation is all of God; He clothed us in white robes; He made us righteous and holy, and He continues to make us righteous and holy by His own right hand; all glory to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, forever and ever, amen. 


Revelation 7:15

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them

In the previous verse we learned that the Great Multitude were saved out of the Great Tribulation, and they had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is, as a result of having been eternally saved, they repented of their sins and made themselves white (holy) in the blood of Jesus Christ (in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on their behalf). And, now, because of these things are they before the throne of God just as anyone who has been saved stands before the throne of God whether they are still on this earth, or whether they are now in heaven. Up until this Great Multitude were saved, they had no relation to the throne of God, but now that they are saved, they spiritually stand before the throne of God whether they are still here on this earth, or whether they have passed on from this earth into heaven. 

Yet, not only is this Great Multitude that was eternally saved out from the Great Tribulation spiritually before the throne of God, but we are told that they serve Him day and night in His temple. And, in that they serve Him day and night, we are immediately alerted to the fact that this Great Multitude of saved people must still be on earth; otherwise, they would not be serving Him day and night, for there is no night in heaven as we read in Revelation 22, 

Re 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever

And, again, we read of heaven in Revelation 21, 

Re 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there

Thus, because we are taught that there is no night in heaven, the day and night in which this Great Multitude serve Christ must be the day and night which we are now experiencing on earth ever since Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011. So, the context of our verse is during Judgment Day ever since May 21, 2011 when this Great Multitude that came out of the Great Tribulation are here now serving Christ before His throne while they are yet on earth. Indeed, many of us are a part of this Great Multitude so that right now we are before the throne of God, and we are serving Him day and night in Christ Jesus as our verse declares. 

Now, we are told that this Great Multitude serve God day and night in His temple. This is not referring to a physical temple building as many falsely teach, but to Jesus Christ Himself. Remember what we read in John 2, 

18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things ?
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days ?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body .   

And, again, we read, 

Re 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it

Thus, we see that the temple is the body of Christ, and so our verse is saying that this Great Multitude serve God in His temple, which is in Christ. In fact, every one of us who are saved and so in Christ are now serving Him in His temple. We are even called the very body of Christ in 1Corinthians 12 where we read, 

1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular

And, since we are the body of Christ, we are His temple as we read in 1Corinthians 3, 

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you

So, not only do we serve Christ in His temple here on earth, but we are His temple and the Spirit of God dwells in us. Nevertheless, although we now serve God in His temple, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will do so in a much more intimate way once these bodies have been transformed on the Last Day into glorious bodies in which we will serve God in His glorious temple, which is our new bodies, for all eternity. 

But, now, our verse continues and states, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. And, this is a promise not only to this Great Multitude who came out of the Great Tribulation, but to all who are saved in Christ Jesus, for we read in Matthew 28,  

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost :
20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

So, right up to the end of the world, Christ promises to be with us. And, if He is with us while we are on earth, how much more will He be with us in heaven,   

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known .  

And, what does the scripture say about His being with us in heaven? We read in Revelation 21, 

Re 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God


Revelation 7:16

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat .

Here, we are told that this Great Multitude that were saved during the Great Tribulation just previous to when Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011 shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. This is not teaching that they would never again hunger for physical food or physical water while they are yet on this earth during Judgment Day ever since May 21, 2011, for we all do yet hunger for physical food and physical water at times, but it is teaching that all those who were saved during the Great Tribulation will no longer hunger and thirst for the eternal salvation of their souls, for their souls were eternally saved in Christ Jesus by May 21, 2011, and so never again will they hunger and thirst for the eternal salvation of their souls. Nevertheless, they will still hunger and thirst for the eternal salvation of their bodies as this will not take place until the Last Day of Judgment Day. But, after this, in heaven, they will never hunger or thirst for anything as they will then be completely made full in every respect. 

Now, our verse continues, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. The sun represents Christ as we can see in Malachi 4,

Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun [Sun] of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall

Obviously, the Sun [Sun] of righteousness is a reference to Christ, the Son [Son] of righteousness so that the Sun [Sun] is clearly used to symbolize Christ Himself. Other verses revealing the sun symbolizing Christ are such verses as Revelation 1, 

Re 1:16 And he [Christ] had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength

And, we read in Revelation 10, 

Re 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel [Christ] come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire . . . 

Thus, we see that the sun symbolizes Christ. And, so, when our verse says, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, we are being taught that neither shall Christ light or fall on them, nor any heat. Can you see it now? We are being taught that Christ will not fall on this Great Multitude who were eternally saved out of the Great Tribulation in the sense that He will not bring judgment upon them, nor any heat. This is due to Christ having paid for their sins and accounting His righteousness to them so that they are no longer under the wrath or judgment of Christ, for they are holy in the eyes of God. All others who were not eternally saved by May 21, 2011 are under the judgment of Christ as there is no longer any possibility for their eternal salvations, and they shall burn up in the heat of the Lake of Fire to be made manifest on the Last Day of Judgment Day that we are now in. 


Revelation 7:17
:  

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

In this final verse of Revelation 7, we are given the reasons why this Great Multitude that came out of the Great Tribulation shall neither spiritually hunger or thirst anymore, and why Christ will no longer bring judgment on them, for, we are told, the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters. Thus, we see that this Great Multitude shall never spiritually hunger or thirst anymore; nor have Christ judge them because Christ who saved them will, from now on, spiritually feed them and lead them unto living fountains of waters. The idea of there being fountains of waters is that there is an abundance of waters. And, since the food and waters that Christ feeds them are the Word of God, this Great Multitude will have an abundance of the Word of God from which to eat, for Christ once said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). And, of course, because this Great Multitude had been eternally saved by the forgiveness of sins, and through the righteousness of Christ working in them and through them, their favorite food has become the Word of God forever. It not only saved them, but it is leading them to righteousness eternal in the new heaven and earth to be made manifest on the Last Day wherein there is no suffering or sorrow, no sadness or pain, and no death, but glory, joy, and righteousness for all eternity, amen.  

Finally, our verse ends with this: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And, this not only applies to this Great Multitude which came out of the Great Tribulation, but it applies to all of God's elect as well. Indeed, in heaven, all of our sadness and sorrows will be no more as we read in Isaiah 65,  

Isa 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind

Yes, none of those things that brought us pain, sorrow, and sadness will be remembered in the new heaven and earth, but, instead, we will be filled with glory, joy, and righteousness forever. Come Lord Jesus, amen. 


SUMMARY & CONCLUSION 

In this study of Revelation 7:13-17, we looked a little more at the Great Multitude that came out of the Great Tribulation from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011. We saw that they had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and, with respect to having done this, we asked the question, does this mean that they did something to save themselves? And, we concluded that it did not. Rather, it meant that because they had been eternally saved by God through the hearing of His Word, they had been gifted with faith and repentance so that, in that they had washed their robes and made them white (in that they had believed and repented) was due to God having had eternally saved them first. They had not believed and repented to become eternally saved, but they had been eternally saved, which brought about their belief and repentance. Thus, they did not do anything to save themselves, but they washed their robes and made them white (they believed in Christ and repented) because God first saved them. 

Then, because this Great Multitude had been eternally saved with the result that they believed and repented (they washed their robes and made them white), we saw that they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. They are not serving God in a physical temple built by the hands of men, but they are serving God in Christ as Christ's body is the temple, and the temple is this Great Multitude who are of the elect. Furthermore, this Great Multitude are serving God day and night because they are still on earth ever since May 21, 2011 where there is still day and night taking place.  

Next, we learned that because this Great Multitude was eternally saved, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. They shall hunger and thirst no more does not mean that they will never hunger and thirst for physical food and physical water as long as they are yet on earth, but it means they will never again hunger and thirst for the spiritual food of eternal salvation because they already had been eternally saved in Christ Jesus, and, as a result, Christ will now make sure that they are spiritually fed the Word of God for all eternity unto the fulfillment of their eternal lives. And, in that the sun shall never light or fall on them, nor any heat means that Christ will no longer ever fall upon them in judgment, and they are no longer subject to the burning heat of the Lake of Fire in which all unsaved people will be cast on the Last Day of the Judgment Day that we are now in. 

Finally, because this Great Multitude had been eternally saved, we learned that God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. This, we learned, will take place in heaven when all sadness, sorrow, grief, and pain will be wiped away from their memories, and from the memories of all the elect, to experience only glory, joy, and righteousness forevermore. 


Now, with that, may the LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

© Copyright 2010-2020

5:1-7
5:8-14
6:1-6
6:7-11 
6:12-13
6:14-17
7:1-9
7:9-12 
7:13-17
8:1-6
8:7-9 
8:10-13

aaaaaaaaaaaaiii