Bible Studies

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The Letters
Revelation 7:9-17 – Shepherd’s Blood

Key Verses: (NCV)

• 9: “After the vision of these things I looked, and there was a great number of people, so many that no one could count them. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth. They were all standing before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes, and holding palm branches in their hands.” – God’s grace and the salvation offered through Jesus Christ is available to everyone.
  
  
• 13: “Then one of the elders asked me, ‘who are these people dressed in white robes? Where did they come from?’” – One of the unexpected aspects of Jesus as the Messiah was the opening of the kingdom of Heaven to the entire world; not just for a small collection of “chosen ones.”
  
  
• 14: “…And the elder said to me, ‘These are the people who have come out of the great distress. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” – Lives, filled with sin, are purified by Christ in order that they can stand in holiness before the throne of God.
  
  
• 16-17: “Those people will never be hungry again, and they will never be thirsty again. The sun will not hurt them, and no heat will burn them, ¹⁷because the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of water that give life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – All the pain and suffering of life will be erased. Fulfillment and eternal life is offered through Jesus Christ.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Will you be wearing a white robe? This image reveals that more people than anyone can count will be standing before the throne of God worshipping Him. Do you imagine yourself among this throng? How are you going to insure that you are one of the many? Should this be a goal or objective for your life? Should you be taking the proper steps or living the proper life-style? What could cause your exclusion to the multitude standing before the throne of God worshipping Him?
  
  
• Are you in distress? Is everyone? Does this phrase indicate that the crowd is composed only of those who have suffered persecution or martyrdom? Must your faith be tested and your beliefs persecuted prior to your entrance into heaven? (Remember that this letter was written to early Christians who were being greatly persecuted for their faith.) Or is the “great distress” simply an expression or image of life in general? Are the struggles of life and our separation from God due to sin considered to be the ordeal through which we must all endure? Does this provide too pessimistic of an outlook to life? Or does it give sustaining hope in order to persevere and persist through anything you might face?
  
  
• What is your view to life? What image do you see as you gaze out of your life’s window to the world around you? Is it a cloudy, rainy day filled with hopelessness or despair? Or do you see flowers blooming in the embrace of a radiant sun? From where does this type of optimistic outlook to life come? Is it from the understanding and hope that you are assured eternal life through your faith in Christ? With this promise before you, why would you waste a single moment in despair?
  
  
• Are you hungry or thirsty? As your Good Shepherd, are you allowing Him to guide, protect, and feed you in all situations of your life? Have you fully accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as a personal sacrifice for your sins? Has your robe been made white by His blood? Does His victory over the grave give you hope and assurance of your own victory over death? What green pastures does He have in store for you?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

With our faith and belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have become a different people. With the memory of the cross firmly in our hearts, we can now focus strictly on the Resurrection as the basis for all hope in the world. We are a Resurrection People. Our futures are assured. What we face in this life, the joy as well as the despair, are mere stepping stones to the glorious eternal life available through Christ. In our daily life, as we listen for our Good Shepherd’s voice, we will find that all thirst and hunger will be fulfilled and that He will lead us daily to the springs that provide sustenance, hope, love, and eternal life.

FUMC Devotionals

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