A Great Multitude

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 

saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
   Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
   So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 7:11-14 

The Wedding Day Has Arrived

   This is all just too wonderful for words; the bride and the bridegroom are finally together.  After all these years of separation and longing for closer fellowship, it has happened.  Now The Church is there where Jehovah Himself will be with them.

   It is so fitting that All the angels stood around the throne ... saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 

  Would we expect less than that the elders and the four living creatures, would fall on their faces before the throne and say: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

   The writer is asked by one of the twenty-four elders, who are these that are dressed in white robes, and where do they come from.  The answer given is; I do not know, but you do.  The elder answered, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

  These are the saints, which throughout the ages have overcome torture in a time of great tribulation and are now worshipping at the throne of God.   But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 20:5.  This statement clearly tells us that we do not "go to heaven" when we die!

  Why do modern Christians think that Christians of other ages should have undergone torture and persecution, but, we, the modern generation will bypass the tribulation at the end of time?  The Bible distinctly says that Christians will still be on earth during the great tribulation.

  These are the ones who...washed their robes implies a certain element of responsibility for each individual to have his robes washed.   Even though Christ does the cleansing, the onus lies with each person individually to ask for it.  It sounds like a good argument against the teaching of absolute predestination. Jehovah will not force people to repent, neither did He decide beforehand who would and who would not believe.  This is always the choice of the human.

The Blessings of Heaven

   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 dwell among them.

   “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 

   “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." 7:15-17

  There, those who are dressed in white with the Lamb as the Shepherd (AS) will have ultimate comfort.  No more hunger, no more thirst, no more tears and no more working in the burning sun. 

   All those whose names are in the Book of Life, on the day of judgment, will be before the throne of God.  Christians will serve Him 24/7; I wonder, though, if we will have eight hours shifts.   In any case, temple service to Jehovah will be continuous.  The benefits are out of this world:

• Those who serve shall never hunger anymore. This promise is the antitheses of the great famine that will be coming at the end of time. see 6:6, http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-black-horse-pale-horse.html 

• They shall never thirst anymore. This promise obliterates the curse of the third bowl of wrath. see 16:4-7. http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-third-trumpet-and-third-bowl.html 

• the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat.  This promise cancels the curse of the fourth bowl of wrath.  Extreme heat and worse sunburns will become more prevalent in the last days perhaps due to the thinning of the ozone layer.  see 16:8-9.    http://ikefehr1939.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-fourth-trumpet-and-fourth-bowl.html

   for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.  This is when the first part of the 23rd Psalm really takes on meaning. 

   And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Babylon, that great city which we studied has killed so many saints throughout history, and the ones left behind have shed oceans of tears.  Terminal illness has torn families apart and what can the ones who are left behind do, but weep?  Praise Jehovah, there is a promise, given by One who cannot lie, and that promise is, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.