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In Rev 7:14 we read, "And I said unto him,
Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb." This passage along with passages in Matt. 24 are
used by many today to promote premillennial theories
of the second coming of Christ. These theories propose
that there will be a literal 7 years of tribulation
on this earth immediately prior to the time Christ
comes back to earth and reigns on his throne in Jerusalem
for 1000 years. As is the case with many passages in
Revelation, the true meaning of this passage is found
in its spiritual fulfillment, not the physical.
Once again all we really have to do in order to
understand this passage is follow the pattern God
established in the Old Testament. In the time of Moses,
the children of Israel were held as slaves in Egypt.
They were in great "physical" tribulation. God provided
them a way of escape from this great tribulation of physical
slavery by crossing the Red Sea. The same
is true for us today, except today we are escaping
great "spiritual" tribulation.
One concept which we must understand is that for a
person to be in a state of sin is to be in "spiritual"
slavery. John 8:32-34 says, "And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free. They
answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in
bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made
free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."
Those who are committing sin are in the bondage of sin.
Obedience to the truth will make us free from that
"spiritual" bondage. We are made free from the bondage
or tribulation of sin by crossing our Red Sea which is
the blood of Christ.
That is precisely what Rev. 7:14 says. Those who have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb have come out of great tribulation. They
have left the bondage of sin and crossed over into a
place of spiritual freedom. Those who have washed their
robes in the blood of the Lamb are free from sin because
the blood of Christ has cleansed them. They have escaped
the bondage of sin.
I sometimes wonder today if we have not lost sight of
the tragedy of rejecting Christ and living a life
of sin. The pleasures of sin are glamorized all around
us. People do not seem to see the need for Jesus,
but actually they are living in the most tragic
situation imaginable. They are living in great
"spiritual" tribulation. But, thanks be to God that He
has provided a way of escape by going down into the
waters of baptism and coming out free from the "spiritual"
tribulation of sin just as the Israelites passed through
the waters of the Red Sea and were freed from great
"physical" tribulation.
Please notice how the drawing below illustrates that a
person moves from the spiritual tribulation of sin by
crossing the Red Sea of the blood of Christ, thereby
entering into God's spiritual kingdom where his sins
are forgiven.
Study Pages
Home Page
Lesson 1 -Pattern used to Study Revelation
Lesson 2 - Holy City - The Bride of Christ
Lesson 3 - Parallel comparison of Israel and the Church
Lesson 4 - Mount Sinai/Mount Zion
Lesson 5 - The 144,000
Lesson 6 - The 1000 Year Reign
Lesson 7 - Armageddon
| Revelation Study Pages | Eden To Eden | Read Revelation for Christians Today | Ordering Information | Law of Knowledge of Good and Evil | Revelation Graphics | Benton Church of Christ | Home Page |
