Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Will Life With God Look Like? | New Testament | Revelation 7

Episode Date: October 31, 2023

Revelation gives us a glimpse into what is happening in heaven and what will happen on earth. Do you feel comforted or frightened by the idea of God's coming on earth? Tanya shares the secrets to life with God according to Revelation 7. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Revelation 7

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. What technological advancement has happened in your lifetime that changes the way you do life? My mom still hangs sheets out on a clothesline. I can't even imagine trying to time my laundry with a good weather day and a clothesline. But my kids can't believe I open my emails. They can't fathom checking, opening, and responding to something. think as ancient as an email when Snapchat is such a better opportunity.

We've seen lots of advancements, but researchers of our era argue that the internet supersedes all of them. The way people did life before and the way they do life after are dramatically different. No matter how life-changing these technological advancements are, the big idea of revelation is that God's kingdom coming to earth absolutely changes everything. When heaven comes to earth, no evil or suffering stands between God and His people. Revelation shows us what is happening in heaven that will happen on earth. Jesus is enthroned in heaven and will be enthroned on earth. Satan is defeated in heaven and will be defeated on earth.

Revelation is answering our questions. What is life with God going to look like? How do we experience this kind of life? with God today. Let's start by talking about the first question. What is life with God going to look like? From Revelation chapter 7, that's where we are today. It goes like this. Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow in the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels who had been given power to harm land and see weight.

Don't harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of the servants. And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God. 144,000 were sealed. So let's talk about what John sees. Well, John sees the wind from the four corners of the earth being held back by four angels. This is like a frozen scene in a movie where John stops the action for a moment to let us catch a glimpse of what God is doing in history. From all four corners of the earth, people are being brought in. What about what John hears?

He hears that 144,000 are sealed. For the original audience, this would have evoked a military roll call or a census. and the people who make up this rule call are the descendants of Abraham. They are the fulfillment of God's promise to make Abraham's descendants more numerous than he could imagine. And the numbers 12 times 12 times 1,000 will, they represent the 12 tribes multiplied by the thousandth for completion. What God says he will do will be done in completion.

So how do we experience this heavenly scene on earth? Well, first, the gospel goes out to all corners of the earth to bring people into faith. And secondly, from Ephesians 113, when you believe you are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Okay, let's continue Revelation 7. After this, I saw a vast crowd, too great to count from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands, and they were shouting with a great roar.

Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne and from the lamb. Okay, so when we read this passage in Revelation 7, we probably have the same question that's articulated in verse 13, where one of the elders asks, who are those clothed in white? Where did they come from? And verse 14 answers, these are the ones who died. in the Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb and made them white.

And then there's this big word, therefore, if you could see my computer screen right now, you would see that that word is in bold face. So imagine it that way in your mind, the word, therefore in bold. Therefore, and John describes what it will be like for these people, this multitude. therefore they will never again be hungry or thirsty they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun for the lamb on the throne will be their shepherd he will lead them to springs of life-giving water and god will wipe every tear from their eyes okay we're done with all of the reading out of revelation seven part but let's ask ourselves one more time what does john see well he sees an uncountable

multitude from all nations. He sees those who have had their robes washed white by the blood of the lamb. He sees those who live in the perfect contentment and safety of their shepherd. He sees those whose tears are wiped away forever. What does John hear? Well, he hears a continuous worship service of all of those people with their different voices praising the Lamb. So the great multitude of Revelation 7, well, it gives us great hope. It also gives us direction on how we can live today. We should pursue now what we will enjoy when Jesus returns. If we're going to be part of a crowd that covers all corners of the earth,

worshiping God together, why would we choose to only be with people who are just like us today? If we are going to be literally in front of the source of living water when Christ returns, why would we try to fill ourselves with lesser things than him today? If we are going to be comforted by the Lamb on the throne who will wipe our tears with his hands one day, why would we not turn to him to comfort our anxious minds and hearts today? In Psalm 31, when David was suffering mentally and physically, he prayed, O Lord, I have come to you for protection. Don't let me be disgraced.

Save me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me. Rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection. A fortress where I will be safe. David turned to God in his time. time of deep and literal need and ask God to rescue him to be his rock and provide a fortress. We don't know exactly the tangible ways that God answered David's needs in the moment.

But we know that God did answer. God came to earth to be David's rescuer. He became the rock of his salvation. God answered with the cross. Friends, this is how much God loves us. Do you have the assurance that you have been washed with the blood of the lamb? If so, what keeps you from engaging in a community of believers who are different, also the same, but also different from you?

What stands in the way of you and the comforts of the throne? We know that things in this life are really hard. We have relational things going on all the time. We have small and big failures that we have to deal with. We have sickness and disease in ourselves and our loved ones. And honestly, as soon as we get through one, we might just be getting started with another. But these things can be our therefore. We experience these things.

Therefore, we come to Jesus knowing he will bring all this to the end one day. Because we know perfection and wholeness is only found in him. and we lean on him to be our rock, our rescuer, our refuge, and our fortress.