Thanks, Radha.
So all the talks have been recorded.
If you've missed any, you can follow up on our website.
You should have received a link recently.
Ralph sent that around, which is helpful to us all.
So let's hear God's word to us.
We're going to start at Revelation chapter 1 through to the end of the chapter.
Revelation. Sorry, did I say chapter 1?
Chapter 7. Thank you.
After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea,
or on any tree.
Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God.
He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea.
Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.
Then I heard the number of those who were sealed.
144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
From the tribe of Judah, 12,000 were 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 Ishikar, 12,000.
From the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000.
From the tribe of Joseph, 12,000.
From the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.
After this I looked.
And there before me was a multitude that no one could count.
From every nation, tribe, people and language.
Standing before the throne and before 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.
All the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures.
They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God saying.
Amen.
Praise and glory.
And wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength.
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.
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 shelter them with his presence.
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 centre of the throne will be their shepherd.
And he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Right now as we sit, as we listen, as we read your word.
Right now heaven is singing in praise.
Salvation to our God.
Father, we want to know your salvation.
We want every person here.
And every person in our families.
In our community.
To know the salvation of God.
And so we pray that you would give us a vision afresh.
Of all that you have done.
Amen.
So that we may be filled with hope and encouragement.
To share that salvation with others.
Please do that work amongst us.
We ask for nothing less.
And it's for your glory.
And your honour.
And your praise.
Amen.
Well, I had begun with great confidence.
Walking up Mangerton in Kerry was easy as far as I was concerned.
I had spotted a few other walkers in the distance.
So felt I was rather safe.
But once at the top, it started to rain.
And then the winds started blowing.
And then the clouds came down.
I continued on.
But the wind got stronger.
The visibility less.
And then I had one of those terrible thoughts.
As the cloud just cleared for just a moment.
There to my left hand side was this sheer drop.
Johnny.
You're not going to make it.
I didn't like to admit it.
But I was struggling.
I began to doubt that I would actually get down to the bottom.
Now perhaps that's how you feel about the Christian life.
You wonder if you're going to make it through.
Am I going to get to that eternal glory?
The struggles we face.
The trials we go through.
Are like a storm.
The winds blowing.
And we begin to have this terrible thought.
I'm not sure I'm going to get through this.
Well that's why we have chapter 7 of Revelation.
Because it will show us that if we are Christians.
And for anybody who puts their trust in Christ.
Then not even suffering.
Not even sin.
And not even Satan.
Will be able to destroy.
Our salvation.
In fact we're going to discover.
That because of God.
Our salvation.
Is absolutely secure.
Because that's the song of heaven isn't it?
Do you see it there in verse 10?
Salvation belongs.
To our God.
God secures.
Our salvation.
So as we go through.
Chapter 7.
We're going to look at three big themes.
Secure.
In our suffering.
Secure.
On judgment day.
And secure.
For eternity.
Secure in suffering.
Secure in judgment.
And secure.
In eternity.
So first.
Secure.
In suffering.
Look at verse 1.
After this.
Well.
After what?
Well.
In chapter 6.
We learn that Christians.
Go through times.
Of terrible suffering.
But now.
As we venture into chapter 7.
John sees something else in his vision.
That Christians will be kept.
In.
Their suffering.
You see.
Chapter 6.
And chapter 7.
Look at the same event.
But from a different perspective.
If you wanted to write a heading over chapter 6.
You could say struggles.
And over chapter 7.
You could write security.
So two things are going to help us understand.
Our security.
First.
Oddly.
You might think.
Suffering is promised.
Let's read verse 1.
After this I saw four angels.
Standing at the four corners of the earth.
So these are angels.
God's servants.
Who have all authority.
Over the whole world.
What are they doing?
Well.
They're holding back the four winds of the earth.
To prevent any wind from blowing on the land.
Or on the sea.
Or on any tree.
Now these four winds.
Are not good.
They are devastating.
It leads to terrible destruction.
And relentless death.
I think these four winds.
Are actually a reference back.
To the four horsemen.
That we saw in chapter 6.
Let's remind ourselves of them.
Just turn back to chapter 6.
Verse 2.
The four horsemen describe the suffering that comes.
That's unleashed.
Verse 2.
I looked and there before me was a white horse.
Its rider held a bow.
That's a weapon of war.
And was given a crown.
And he rode out as a conqueror.
Bent on conquest.
Then verse 4.
Another horse came out.
A fiery red one.
Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth.
And to make people kill each other.
To him was given a large sword.
And then verse 5.
Middle of verse 5.
We see there was a black horse.
Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
And I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures saying.
A kilogram of wheat for a day's wages.
And three kilograms of barley for a day's wages.
It was extortion.
And do not damage the oil and the wine.
And there wasn't much left.
And then in verse 8 we read.
That there was a pale horse.
Its rider was named Death.
And Hades, the place of death.
Was following close behind him.
And they were given power over a quarter of the earth.
To kill by sword, famine and plague.
And by the wild beasts of the earth.
You see the message of chapter 6 there is that Christians are to expect times of suffering.
And that's the point of chapter 7 at the beginning.
The four winds will bring about the same effect.
Look what the other angel says in chapter 7 and verse 2.
The middle of verse 2.
The angel called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given, what?
Power to harm the land and the sea.
Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees.
You see this is the experience of life.
This side of the return of Jesus.
We will go through times of suffering.
Now I know you know one another and you know people's stories.
And I know some of your stories.
And some of you here have experienced upheaval in your own countries.
War.
Some of you amongst your families have experienced violent bloodshed.
Some economic injustice.
And for us all sadly the deaths of loved ones.
You see when these winds blow.
They can knock us down.
And we begin to ask.
Where are you God?
Why are you allowing this?
Don't you care?
It shakes our salvation to the very core.
And we wonder.
Am I going to make it through?
All this suffering.
Has God abandoned me?
Doesn't he love me?
Is he giving up on me?
And in our moments of grief and pain.
We have this terrible thought.
I'm not going to make it.
Well thankfully.
That's not the only thing we see.
Because not only is suffering promised.
But salvation is protected.
You see verse 1.
We've got this picture of the four winds of destruction coming.
Which is about to be unleashed on the world.
But before it does happen.
Let's read verse 2 again.
Then something happens.
I saw another angel coming up from the east.
Having the seal of the living God.
He called out in a loud voice to the other four angels.
Who had been given power to harm the land and the sea.
Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees.
Don't harm the world.
Until we put a seal on the foreheads.
The servants of the servants of our God.
This is the command of heaven.
It's saying we need to protect the servants of God.
We need to secure the Christians.
The suffering is going to come.
It will be experienced.
But through it all.
Your salvation will be protected.
That protection is symbolised.
Verse 3.
With a seal on your forehead.
A name will be put on your forehead.
To mark you out as belonging to God.
Look what God has already said to his church.
Have a look back in chapter 3.
Verse 12.
As we think about this mark.
This name that is given to his people.
Chapter 3.
Verse 12.
In the middle of verse 12 we read.
God says to his people.
I will write on them the name of my God.
And the name of the city of my God.
The new Jerusalem.
Which is coming down out of heaven from my God.
And I will also write on them my new name.
Go back to chapter 7.
It reads like an addressed envelope.
It's like God has tattooed an address on your forehead.
Stamped on your head.
Name.
God's son.
God's daughter.
What's your address?
The city of God.
The new Jerusalem.
You're going to get there.
Of course it's not a real stamp.
It's not a real tattoo.
It's symbolism to say that God has put his seal of ownership on his servants.
He knows who belongs to him.
Each one of his people is identifiable.
Each one is secure with their God given identity.
You see God has his name on his children.
He knows who belongs to him.
And he will keep you.
He will not forget you.
He will never leave you.
In fact, not one of God's servants will ever be forgotten.
That's what we have in verse 4, don't we?
Read with me verse 4.
Then I heard the number of those who were sealed.
We have revealed 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
Now, we're not to make the same mistake as the Jehovah Witnesses who take this as a literal 144,000 people
who are somehow going to reach paradise and it's just them and then everybody else is kind of left to something else.
no it's symbolism for all the people of God
this is a picture of the true Israel
the true children of Abraham
those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
you see the important thing to notice is
this is a full and complete number
verse 5
from the tribe of Judah
12,000 were sealed
from the tribe of Reuben
12,000 and they were sealed
and from the tribe of God
12,000 and they were sealed
and so on
in other words
not one of God's people is forgotten
they are all accounted for
there is a definite amount
and they are all named and known by God
not one is missing
you see if you are trusting in Christ today
you are part of that great number
you are known
and not forgotten
you are sealed by God
protected forever
we get another glimpse of this
if you just scoot on a little bit
to chapter 14 verse 1
where again there is another vision
as we go through Revelation
we see that it is the same scene
repeated over and over and over again
but from different perspectives
and new information
so chapter 14
in his vision
verse 1
I looked
and there before me was the Lamb
who stands for Jesus Christ
standing on Mount Zion
that is the new heavens
the new Jerusalem
and with him
144,000
who are they?
they had his name
and his father's name
written on their foreheads
now let's be clear
what we're looking at
in this first part of chapter 7
is not a promise of protection
from suffering
it's a promise of protection
for salvation
got to underline that
mark that one
this is not a promise of protection
from suffering
it's a promise of protection
for salvation
you see no matter what is thrown at us
no matter how bad it gets
no matter the depth of our suffering
or the length of our suffering
no matter how weak you feel
or how helpless you feel
no matter what storm you may be in right now
or what storm may come upon your life
you are secure
listen
to the promise of God to you today
nothing
and no one
not even suffering
can destroy your salvation
you
are
secure
so we are secure in suffering
and we are secure
on judgment day
chapter 6
ends with a terrifying account
of what to expect
on judgment day
Christ
is going to return
and we read chapter 6
verse 15
then the kings of the earth
the princes
the generals
the rich
the mighty
and everyone else
including you and me
both slave and free
all will be there
hidden caves
and among the rocks
of the mountains
they call to the mountains
and the rocks
fall on us
and hide us
from the face of him
who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the land
for the great day
of their wrath
has come
and who
can withstand it
you see
when
when justice comes
no one
will be able
to stand against
God's judgment
no one has the power
to withhold it
and push it back
no one
is able
to escape it
now that makes us
ask the question
how am I going to be
on judgment day
answer that for yourself
right now
how will you be
on judgment day
well the good news is
we can be secure
when justice
falls
first
we can stand
before God
as judgment falls
we are shown
something else
look at verse 9
chapter 7
verse 9
after this
I looked
and there before me
was a great multitude
that no one could count
from every nation
tribe
people
and language
what are they doing
can you see
where they are
standing
before the throne
and before the lamb
they are standing
in praise
around the throne
look at verse 9
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
it seems
they have escaped
the wrath
of God's judgment
rather than fear
there is joy
instead of panic
there is
confidence
now this isn't
just one or two
lucky ones
who kind of
managed to slip
through the net
no
look what verse 9
says
I looked
and there before me
was a
great multitude
that no one
could count
now this great
number
is not
different
to the
144,000
that we've just
looked at
they are the same
people
servants of God
whose salvation
is secure
in the first picture
the people are
numbered
a sign of
completeness
in the second picture
the people are
unnumbered
a sign of
vastness
now John
the author
of Revelation
does this
all the time
although the
image changes
it's talking
about the same
thing
we've seen
that already
when he talked
about the four
horsemen
and then the
four winds
let me give you
another example
if you look
back just at
chapter 5
and verse 5
chapter 5
verse 5
Jesus
is described
as a victorious
lion
a triumphant
lion
but then in the
immediate verse
after
Jesus is
described as a
slain
lamb
so which one
is he
is he a lion
or is he a
lamb
well he's both
two pitchers
one person
so that's what
I think is going
on here in
chapter 7
we have
a numbered
people
and we have
an unnumbered
people
in other words
the number
of people
who escape
God's judgment
is both
full
on the one
hand
and far
reaching
on the other
hand
includes people
from the
four corners
of the earth
from every
nation
tribe
people
and language
God has
saved many
people
a multitude
that no one
can count
and they are
secure on the
day of judgment
they are
secure
in their
salvation
but how
how are they
secure
why are they
singled out
as being
secure
well because
they have
been washed
by Jesus
look at
verse 13
then one
of the elders
asked me
these in
white robes
this great
number from
every nation
tribe
people in
language
who are they
where did
they come
from
how did
they get
to be
here
I answered
sir
you know
you
you tell
me
and he
said
these are
they who
have come
out of the
great
tribulation
well what's
the great
tribulation
well it's
the time
of suffering
that God's
people go
through from
the resurrection
of Jesus
to the
return of
Jesus
that time
frame between
the resurrection
and the
return
is the
great
tribulation
or sometimes
referred to
as the
end times
now the
church
Christians
in every
age and
time
go through
this time
of suffering
that's what
we've been
looking at
in chapter
six
the four
horsemen
the four
winds
the military
conquest
the wars
we see
going on
in the
world
the violent
bloodshed
we see
all around
us
the economic
injustice
as people
live without
food
the relentless
death
one day
after another
and on top
of all of
that Christians
face opposition
and persecution
now as we go
through this
tribulation
as we go
through these
times of
sufferings
we can be
tempted
to give up
and to give
in
we can
fail
to live
for Jesus
we can
fall into
sin
we can
grumble
and complain
we can
even
curse
God
and say
I've
had
enough
and what
happens
then
what will
happen to
you then
on the
day of
judgment
will I
stand
confidently
before
God
or will
I be
like the
people
that's
mentioned
there
running
and hiding
will my
sin
destroy
my
security
well let
me
reassure
you
that even
in the
mess and
the
brokenness
of our
life
we
are
secure
here's
how
let's
read
verse 13
again
one of
the elders
asked me
these in
white robes
who are
they
where did
they come
from
and I
answered
sir
you know
and he
said these
are they
who have
come out
of the
great
tribulation
well how
did they
come through
that
well they
have washed
their robes
and made
them white
in the
blood of
the lamb
you see
sin
stains
it spoils
and
it
and it
soils
it
leaves
us
dirty
and
filthy
and
unacceptable
to
god
we
are
a
stench
that
must be
removed
from god
like a
workman
who's been
clearing the
sewage pipes
all day
and then
trying to
gain access
to a fine
dining
restaurant
oh
no way
no thank
you
but if
that worker
went home
and had
his shower
scrubbed
hosed
and cleaned
went to
his wardrobe
and put
on his
brand new
clothes
then he
would be
welcome
to eat
and drink
and feast
well if we
are to be
sure of a
welcome from
god
rather than
face the
wrath of
god
we need
to be
clean
not a
shower
kind of
clean
but a
deep
spiritual
clean
and how
does that
cleaning
happen
well we're
told in
verse 14
they washed
their robes
and made
them white
in the
blood of
the lamb
when we
talk about
the blood
of the
lamb
we're
talking about
the lamb
who was
slain
Jesus
Christ
who died
on the
cross
for you
and for
me
as
Jesus
died
he was
taking
my
sin
Jesus
was
stained
he was
spoiled
he was
soiled
for me
and in
its place
he gives
me his
sinless
purity
Jesus
was judged
for me
so that
I might
be
welcomed
in
Jesus
took
my
filthy
robes
my
sin
and gave
me
his
pure
white
robes
his
sinless
perfection
so when
God
looks at
me
his
child
he sees
the purity
of Christ
you see
here's the
point
if I
have trusted
Jesus
for salvation
then my
sin is
dealt
with
and when
the day
of judgment
comes
I will be
kept secure
you see
no matter
what
your
sin
is
and as
you sit
there and
you think
back over
your life
no matter
how great
and often
your sin
no matter
how public
or private
no matter
the weight
of your guilt
or shame
it is
all
dealt
with
once
cleaned
by Jesus
your past
sin
will never
stain
your present
sin
will never
spoil
your future
sin
will never
soil
on the day
of judgment
you
are
secure
listen to the
promise of
God to you
today
nothing
and no one
not even
your sin
can destroy
your salvation
you are
secure
so secure
in suffering
secure
in judgment
and secure
for eternity
you see
as we
journey
our life
towards
eternity
as we
go through
our times
of suffering
as we
walk through
the storms
of life
as we
sin
and as we
fail
in the
midst
of that
and we
do
God
still
knows
his
people
and he
will
ensure
that all
who
trust
in him
are
secure
for
eternity
isn't that
what it
says
in verse
15
therefore
because of
what God
has done
in Christ
therefore
they are
before the
throne of
God
and serve
him day
and night
in his
temple
because of
all that
God has
done
they
are
before
the throne
no
questions
no doubts
no ifs
or maybes
absolute
rock
solid
guaranteed
assurance
they
are
before
the throne
of God
two
things
help us
see this
God's
promise
look here
at what
God
will
do
look what
he's
promised
his
people
end of
verse
15
he
will
shelter
them
verse
17
he
will
be
their
shepherd
he
will
lead
them
he
will
wipe
away
tears
you see
salvation
is never
based on
what I
promise
to do
for God
God
I promise
I'll do
this
I promise
I won't
do this
again
I promise
I'm
going to
be
better
I promise
I'm
it's
never
based on
what I
promise
to do
for God
salvation
is always
grounded
in what
God
promises
to do
for me
that's
why they
burst out
in song
salvation
belongs
to me
no
salvation
belongs
to
our
God
it's
his
to give
not
mine
to earn
that's
why
the
whole
of
heaven
joins
in
praise
verse
12
amen
praise
glory
and
wisdom
and
thanks
and
honor
and
power
and
strength
be to
our
God
forever
and
ever
amen
only
God
can
achieve
our
salvation
it's
something
I receive
not because
of my
wisdom
or power
or because
of your
worthiness
and strength
it's all
of God
his wisdom
his strength
so we can
stand before
God
with humble
confidence
because we
are depending
not on our
power
but on
his promises
to me
but not
only his
promise
we also
have his
presence
we will
be secure
because
God will
be present
with us
look at the
end of verse
15
and he
who sits
on the
throne
will
shelter
them
with his
presence
his
presence
means
that
nothing
will
ever
harm
us
again
verse
16
never
again
will
they
hunger
never
again
will
they
thirst
the
sun
will
not
beat
down
on
them
nor
any
scorching
heat
in
fact
not
even
Satan
can
harm
us
or
separate
us
from
God
why
verse
17
because
the
lamb
at the
centre
of the
throne
will
be
their
shepherd
you
know
right
now
today
this
week
in
this
age
of
tribulation
in
which
we
live
Satan
is
actively
against
Christ
and
his
church
he
doesn't
like
you
his
aim
is
to
disrupt
and
destroy
it's
a
real
battle
but
because
the
lamb
Jesus
Christ
is at
the
centre
of
the
throne
he
rules
over
all
things
and
all
people
and
he
will
keep
us
and
he
will
shelter
us
and
he
will
protect
us
in
our
salvation
now
and
for
all
eternity
Satan
Satan's
days
are
numbered
and
one
day
all
suffering
will
be
gone
all
sin
will
be
gone
and
Satan
will
be
banished
forever
and
in
their
place
Jesus
will
shepherd
us
how
look at
the end
of verse
17
he
will
lead
us
to
springs
of
living
water
and
God
will
wipe
every
tear
from
our
eyes
so
we
can
stand
before
God
with
humble
confidence
because
we
are
depending
not
on
our
power
but
God's
promised
presence
with
us
Carigoline
Baptist
Church
listen
to
God's
word
to you
today
if
you
are a
Christian
maybe
you are
not a
Christian
here
today
but
if
you
trust
in
Christ
nothing
no
one
not
suffering
not
sin
not
Satan
will be
able to
destroy
your
salvation
you are
secure
forever
you are
secure
forever
let's
pray
our
father
god
you
know
our
story
you
know
our
life
you
know
the
things
that
we
suffer
you
know
the
sins
that
weigh
upon
us
and
you
know
the
way
in
which
Satan
gets
at
us
and
yet
we
remind
ourselves
today
that
in
the
midst
of
all
of
that
storm
our
name
is
known
by
you
have
written
your
name
on
us
you
will
never
forget
us
we
are
safe
and
secure
in
your
salvation
now
tomorrow
and
forever
and
ever
so
we
say
thank
you
thank
you
father
god
thank
you
lord
jesus
christ
thank
you
holy
spirit
for
your
work
in
our
life
we
praise
you
in
jesus
name
amen
well
we're
going
to
sing
i
think
we're
just
finding
that
as
we
go
through
revelation
we
just
have
to
sing
we
have
to
join
in
with
all
of
heaven
and
we
can
say
confidently
blessed
assurance
jesus
is
mine