They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom . . .belong to our God

Rev. 7:1-12 NLT  

   1 Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 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 sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”

   4  And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: . . .

   9  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. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne  and from the Lamb!” 

   11  And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor  and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

John saw awesome things in his vision that Christ gave. He was shown it all in connection with a message that Christ wanted written down for His churches to know across the millenia to hold the church strong. The words repeatedly made it seam to these first century believers, as well as all ages since, that Christ was about to fulfill the vision and return at any time. In fact, the teaching lessons of Christ when He walked the earth often were to advise people to be ready for God at a moment's notice or less. He wants us to be living our lives ready for Him to appear.

A new round of strong signs are about to be unleashed by more of God's angels but they must wait until one of them places a seal upon the forehead of God's people.  A strange identity is given for they are called 144,000, 12x12, a symbolic concept to the early Christians and former Jewish believers. Some say this means the completed people of God, all who were God's people at that point in time alive on the other. Others say it means an actual number of very unique completed Jewish Christians who have been designated by God and supernaturally empowered to teach and witness during this time of terrible testing and the rise and fall of the Anti-Christ until the end. Either way, we can tell from their description that they are supernaturally purified. We know from scripture that such purification can only come through the Holy Spirit taking up residence within believers in Christ. Thus, whoever they are to be, they are ones God calls and uses for a mission at a point in time. Are you ready to be called and used for God in this point of time?

Next we see the vast crowd that came from all the people of the world throughout the age of God's Church. Could this mean that all believers have been removed from earth and are present before the Lamb singing this song of Praise? Yet, in the passage we shall soon consider there are believers yet on the earth. The most exciting point for me in verses 9-12 is that this vast number of people were singing with one voice and were agreed in the4ir expressions of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. There were no bickering arguments, disagreements, struggles for determine who is more in control than whom else, as we sometimes see among churches today. There was unabashed joy and unity together among God's people. Are you ready to be that united together with God's people? Are you willing to humble self and embrace service to others as your primary purpose in living for Christ? Can you see yourself in verses 9-12?
Your servant in Christ's Love
Dan
drdanelliott@gmail.com