Revelation 7:15
15 Therefore[dia][touto] are they[eisi] before[enopion] the throne[thronos] of God,[theos] and[kai] serve[latreuo] him[autos] day[hemera] and[kai] night[nux] in[en] his[autos] temple:[naos] and[kai] he that sitteth[kathemai] on[epi] the throne[thronos] shall dwell[skenoo] among[epi] them.[autos] KJV-Interlinear
15
"For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him
day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His
tabernacle over them. NASB
These believers will come
into heaven in untold numbers, and over a very short time period. Namely just a few years,
and under three and a half years to be more precise.
At some point you should
become aware of the tremendous horror that will be unfolding on the earth
during this time of tribulation.Later in
this study, the Bible will describe the horrors as continual, relentless, and
unending without pause.
Today we see disasters
come and go.One year we might become
aware of a disaster, and then a few years later, another disaster comes along.
We read about them, see the highlights on the news, but for most of us, they
are just events that occur somewhere else in the world, and the impact on us
soon leaves our thoughts as other things in life take over our attention.
But during this time in
the future, which most folks do not now give much credence to, there will be
folks who will live all over the world, who will be caught up in the most
horrendous period of all of human history.
They will live in, live through, and experience firsthand, untold
horrors, and for these folks who are in heaven, they will actually die.
Just
a quick note here. We have already studied that one-fourth of
the worlds population will die because of Satan’s
attempted utopia.Later we will see that
one-third, of the worlds population will die in the
judgments and horrors that will come in the last half of the Tribulation.
Do some quick math. If
the population was 100 and one-fourth died, that would leave 75. If then, one-third die, that will leave
50.So, during the seven year period,
prior to the Second Advent of Christ, a full one-half of the worlds population, will die. Everyone will be affected. This includes both believers and unbelievers.
When Christ returns at
the Second Advent, then the remaining fifty percent will die almost instantly
when His foot touches the earth. Only a hand full (of mature believers in
hiding, and some in Jerusalem), will survive to be rescued by Christ, and they
will go into the Millennium to repopulate the world.
The actual numbers of
these groups are unknown to us.But if
all of this were to begin to happen now, then there are only seven billion
people to fit into the calculations, less the living believers taken at the
rapture of course.
But if all of these
events do not occur for another century, then the total population could very
well number over fifty billions of people.
In either case, the world will be one huge mess, needless to say.
Our verse says, ‘for this
reason.’And that means these people are
in heaven for only one reason, and that is because they believed in Christ. Because Christ came in the First Advent and
went to the Cross in our behalf, and purchased salvation for us, then by means
of faith, these people are saved.
The future of this world
is not a good one.It is set in
scripture, written down in the Divine Decrees, and cannot be changed. Even if you thought that you could go out and
convince people to repent, even if you could create miracles and gain the
attention of millions, all of that and more, would not be enough to change the
course of history, which lies before us.
People will ignore the
future just as they ignore the past.People
will pursue the world, and ignore their spiritual destiny. And, whether all of this occurs in the very
near future, or in the distant future, whether you and I are alive at the
Rapture, or whether it occurs long after we have left this world, should make
no difference to each of us, as we have the knowledge and the information, and
the opportunity to prepare ourselves, right now, for our own personal eternity.
That is what is important
to each of us.Getting ready for our own
eternity, because it is coming, regardless of what plans you might have for
this weekend, or plans you might have for your own future in this world.
These people will worship
and be before the Throne of Christ, day and night forever. And that simply means,
eternal life.
The tabernacle (dwelling
place) of God is in heaven.At various
times a temporary dwelling place was provided for on this earth, but when the
new heaven and earth (new universe) comes into existence, then God will dwell
everywhere and in everyone simultaneously.
There will be no further need for a separate temple or a tabernacle.
The tabernacle spread
over each and every person is their (our) eternal security.
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