Revelation
7:14 KJV
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.
The bulk of the chapter is a
description of this numberless group who have been saved though enduring great
tribulation. I take this to be speaking especially of the Great Tribulation.
Those who are saved through it are without question an amazing bunch. The times
will be so severe and the afflictions exacted upon the converts so great that
to stand for Christ through it will be a feat of grace that defies human
explanation.
But both Gill and Barnes
suggest that the phrase may be speaking as well of those countless souls who
have come to believe upon Christ in all ages. There has been affliction upon
the faithful believer since the days of Cain and Abel. Those who have suffered
at the hands of pagans and those who have suffered at the hands of their own
brethren are equally a testimony of the grace of God. That we have numberless
examples of men and women who were so persuaded that God is and He is worthy as
to endure tribulations rather than deny Him is the chiefest of evidences that
God has ministered in their hearts.
There is a blessed comfort for
those who have endured such great tribulation; the Lamb Himself will be their
minister.
What glories will be theirs
whose faith refuses to stray from Christ though they are sorely tried.
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