#DailyDevotion When The Saints Go Marching In

DailyDevotion When The Saints Go Marching In

Rev 7:9-12  After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  (10)  and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  (11)  And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  (12)  saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

This is the second time the end of the world, the Last Day, is described in the book of Revelation. The first being 1:7. This particular one confuses people because it is done with the sixth seal and not the seventh. The seventh seal just introduces the third time the history of the world and its end is described.

So this chapter starts with a symbolic representation of the whole Church which is Israel, 12,000 from every tribe, 144,000. But then we get to verse 9 and we get a more real presentation of who is there, the fulfillment of the mystery of Christ, Eph 3:6 “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” It was revealed in the prophets, Isa 49:6 “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

So here we see the fulfillment of that mystery. People of every nation, tribe, people and language gathered out from the great tribulation which started at Christ’s death. They are gathered around the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has taken away the sins of the world. He has clothed us in white robes which is his righteousness credited to us through faith in him and his works.

As true Christians they cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” There is no salvation apart from God or from the Lamb. Any contribution we think we do towards our salvation is cast aside. There can be only One who saves us, that One is God and the Lamb, who is One with him. As sinful human beings, our flesh is always trying to get its two cents of credit. The New Man, in Christ Jesus, seeks no such credits. He knows his salvation is due only to Jesus. Jesus gets all the praise. Jesus gets all the glory. Only his grace, free gift, and favor can save us. It is only the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus, the Lamb, is then magnified, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Jesus is there with the Father in the center, being magnified with Father. This is a consistent theme in Revelation. The Father is praised. Then the Lamb is praised with the same glory. They are praised together for they are One.

Let us then cast aside every good work, deed, action, thought and confession which we think attributes anything to our salvation and give thanks and praise now as we will when we are gathered together here in chapter seven and praise the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ as he who has saved us.

Gracious and merciful Father, grant us pure and clean hearts so that we may rightly praise you and your Son Jesus Christ as our salvation alone and no one and nothing else, now and when we are gathered to you around your throne. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.