John was greatly awed by the vision that Jesus showed him. In the centre was the throne with Father God seated and the Lamb of God standing, surrounded by all the angels (Revelation 5:11) – a huge number of divine servants. With them are the four seraphs which guard the throne and lead worship; and the representatives of all God's people. The scene is set for worship. Their posture changes. Those presented before the throne are no longer standing (Revelation 7:9), but flat on their faces as the weight of the glory of God overwhelms them.

The suffering church is absorbed in worshipping their Saviour. They offered a cascade of praise which echoed that of the angels in Revelation 5:11-14, and started with the Amen which affirmed their endorsement of the angelic chorus. They proclaimed that the Lord is their God, and that He must be glorified by all His creation and all who have welcomed His salvation. That praise is as unending as the many-splendoured attributes of God. He is infinitely wonderful and the only Person who can continue to consume our worship for ever, and the only Person whose character and creation/salvation work will never fail to excite the adoration of His people.

The elders saw the countless people in white robes. They knew the answer to their own question but in John's vision he was personally drawn in as one of the elders asked the identity and birthplace of the suffering church. John's contribution was short, effectively saying, 'You tell me'. So the elder explained that they had been tested severely for their faith but had overcome; they had proved faithful. But it was not by their own efforts; they had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They had trusted that the blood of Jesus was a sufficient sacrifice for their sins, and in His strength, they had endured (James 1:12).

However this tribulation may be played out towards the end of history, we already see the church under pressure from reckless humanists who have created a Godless agenda for Western thinking: and everywhere, Christless religion is trying to prove that human beings can be acceptable to God by keeping rules in their own strength. By contrast, the church knows it is sinful and needs to be cleaned by the Saviour's blood; knows it is weak and needs the Saviour's strength; knows it is considered foolish while relying on the Saviour's wisdom; knows it has no honour and accepts the world's shame while seeking to honour the Saviour; knows it has no glory in the eyes of the world but rejoices in the glory of its Saviour. No wonder the praise is unending: those despised by the world are exalted by the Saviour. Do not seek great things for yourself (Jeremiah 45:5), let any honour come for the Lord on the final day. Until then stand firm (Ephesians 6:10).