February 10 - Through the Tribulation

February 10 – Through the Tribulation
Revelation 7:13-17

“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 spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

The first question from the elder seems rhetorical and John responds with a response that tells us only the elder knows the answer. And he does.

The word tribulation comes from the Greek ‘thlipsis’ which means, in essence, pressure. Notice that this group … the multitude … did not avoid the tribulation, they came through it.

In John 16:33, the word ‘thlipsis’ translates as trouble. “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has overcome the pressure, the trouble, the tribulation. While this doesn’t always fix the issues that we face, it certainly puts them into perspective.

Then the elder tells John that their robes were made white by washing them in blood. While literally that doesn’t make sense,

In Exodus 19, the Lord wanted to meet with the people of Israel. He commanded Moses in Exodus 19:10 to have the people come to be consecrated and to wash their clothes. In Exodus 19:14, Moses has them do this several days in a row to prepare for the Lord.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that we do not do this consecrating and cleansing ourselves. We are washed, we are sanctified and we are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Only through Jesus Christ can we be cleansed and can we receive the white robes to stand before the throne.

There is a tenfold blessing for those who have come through the great tribulation. I would choose to head through the tribulation for any one of these blessings, but God offers them all to us! If you want to see further explanation for these blessings, check out the scripture passages following each.
1. Before the throne of God (Rev. 3:21)
2. Serve him day and night in his temple (Rev. 3:12)
3. He will spread his tent over them (Tent is translated as tabernacle – Leviticus 26:11-13)
4. Never again will they hunger (Rev. 2:7)
5. Never again will they thirst (Rev. 22:17)
6. The sun will not beat upon them (Rev. 22:23)
7. No scorching heat. (Believers were often burned at the stake. This wouldn’t happen again. Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego came out of the fire, because angels protected them. Daniel 3:27 speaks further …)
8. The Lamb will be their shepherd (John 10:14)
9. He will lead them to springs of living water (Psalm 23)
10. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Isaiah 25:8)

Amen!