Back to the Future (Part 10)

Revelation chapter 6 leaves us with a haunting question from the lips of those defiant against the judgment of God, "Who is able to stand?" This question implies several things, first that this judgment comes from a vengeful God who delights in the destruction of all humanity. And second, that this God is not a merciful God. And yet as you read this book, the opposite is clearly seen. Even in judgment, God gives humanity ample time to repent of their wickedness and chose to follow and obey Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. So it should not surprise us that when we read chapter 7, John will take a moment to answer the question proposed by the rebels, to revel the truth about the character of God. It is in this chapter that John will introduce us to two groups of people who have experienced God's mercy and are able to stand with the victorious Lamb in triumph.

The first group is described as being 144,000 witness, all made of of Jewish descent. We see that they have been chosen by God to be His witnesses on earth; a clear act of mercy on the part of God. They will testify of God's salvation, and also warn humanity of the wrath of God. It seems they will all suffer death for their work, but in death they will overcome the evil one. The second group of people are clearly all the Gentiles who will come to know Christ as Savior during the tribulation (9-17). They have died for the faith (14), and yet they stand with the Lamb as victorious warriors for the faith. You see, all humanity falls with in those two groups, Jew or Gentile. Paul states that the Gospel is for both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 1:16). And even in an environment of great judgment and suffering, many will still be given an opportunity to choose to align themselves with Christ by faith and obedience to God's way of salvation. Those who reject will have no footing to claim that this God was too unfair or too tough on them. Sin demands death, and for those who chose to live a life of sin, then the payment for that attitude must be death (Rom. 6:23). When you chose to side with Christ, you can always guarantee a less stressed life. Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.