July 4: Affirming His Grace.
HIS SCEPTER.
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion.--Revelation 14:1
There are no celebrations like the celebration of freedom and deliverance. In the United States, the Fourth of July, Independence Day, is an occasion of great festivities. But I was amazed when I saw century-old photos of a massive crowd celebrating the Fourth of July, 1918 in Paris. The French were celebrating the official end of the war, expecting a victorious outcome that was still four months away. Thousands of Parisians took to the streets to watch the parade of the American soldiers.
Yet nothing we have experienced on this earth can compare with the joyful celebration of the victory of the Lamb described in Revelation 14. John looks and catches a vivid scene, unparalleled in the final book of the Bible: "Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1). The number of the complete spiritual Israel that was introduced in Revelation 7:4 is the same number as the group that is now standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion; not one has been lost in the final tribulations. Revelation 14:1 is the only time that Mount Zion is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Throughout the Bible, Mount Zion was the center of the rule of the kingdom of God (see Psalm 2:6, 48:1, 2), and was the place that pointed to the ultimate delivery of His people (Isaiah 52:7; 59:20). Also, in the New Testament Zion represents the final victory of Jesus and those who trust in Him (Romans 9:33; Hebrews 12:22; 1 Peter 2:6). Now the Lamb is standing victorious as the triumphant King in Zion, and His very own are with Him forever. The Lamb is triumphant over evil, and we, the redeemed, gather around Him to celebrate, because His victory has purchased our freedom! This portrait of Jesus comforted and sustained the people of the first century and it still comforts us more than two thousand years later when we face difficulties. We know how the story ends: Jesus wins! Start celebrating now!
My Response:________________________________________________________
HIS SCEPTER.
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion.--Revelation 14:1
There are no celebrations like the celebration of freedom and deliverance. In the United States, the Fourth of July, Independence Day, is an occasion of great festivities. But I was amazed when I saw century-old photos of a massive crowd celebrating the Fourth of July, 1918 in Paris. The French were celebrating the official end of the war, expecting a victorious outcome that was still four months away. Thousands of Parisians took to the streets to watch the parade of the American soldiers.
Yet nothing we have experienced on this earth can compare with the joyful celebration of the victory of the Lamb described in Revelation 14. John looks and catches a vivid scene, unparalleled in the final book of the Bible: "Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1). The number of the complete spiritual Israel that was introduced in Revelation 7:4 is the same number as the group that is now standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion; not one has been lost in the final tribulations. Revelation 14:1 is the only time that Mount Zion is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Throughout the Bible, Mount Zion was the center of the rule of the kingdom of God (see Psalm 2:6, 48:1, 2), and was the place that pointed to the ultimate delivery of His people (Isaiah 52:7; 59:20). Also, in the New Testament Zion represents the final victory of Jesus and those who trust in Him (Romans 9:33; Hebrews 12:22; 1 Peter 2:6). Now the Lamb is standing victorious as the triumphant King in Zion, and His very own are with Him forever. The Lamb is triumphant over evil, and we, the redeemed, gather around Him to celebrate, because His victory has purchased our freedom! This portrait of Jesus comforted and sustained the people of the first century and it still comforts us more than two thousand years later when we face difficulties. We know how the story ends: Jesus wins! Start celebrating now!
My Response:________________________________________________________
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