Lesson 3, Jan 2023 - Revelation 7,8 and 9

Restraint on the Earth and 144,000 are sealed. 7:1-9

King James Version (Chapter 7)

7 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.6  Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7  Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.8  Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand.Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Revelation 7

The actions that are being described here have never taken place before, on the earth. Do not let anybody try to tell you this is a done deal already. It has not yet happened. It is limited in time to the timetable of God’s Word. As we get ready to read of the sealing of 144,000 Jews, four angels stop the carnage on behalf of those who need to be sealed of God. A fifth angel orders them with a loud voice, to “stop!” His command is to momentarily stop the judgment while God puts his seal upon the 12 tribes minus Ephraim and Dan.

Ephraim was Joseph’s son from Egypt. Both tribes were instrumental in bringing idolatry into Israel. Manasseh, the other son is included in this list as a representative of the tribe of Joseph. V. 4- 8. Another multitude appears with praise. Their identity is in verse 14. Their struggle on earth was so severe that tears followed them into heaven.

7:1-8 – The Sealing of the 12 Tribes

A. The wind is put on hold! 7:1

Nothing moves until God accomplishes his purpose. It took four angels to complete the task of keeping the wind off the earth, sea, and trees. This is the calm before the storm. The 3 most evident places of the action of wind

B. Judgment by the Horsemen is halted. 7:2,3

The 5th angel has a voice like a megaphone. He stops the damage before the sealing takes place and it stays halted until it is done. Just as Satan’s number will be in the people of Earth’s foreheads, so will these 144 thousand Jewish evangelists have God’s seal in their foreheads. Vs.3. Compare with Ephesians 1:13. God is taking special steps to preserve this number of people because of the nature of judgment involved. God is also taking special steps to momentarily preserve the earth, sea, and trees.

Matthew 24:21, 22 – “For then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days are shortened, there should be no flesh saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

C. God’s seal is put on 144,000 Jewish foreheads, not Jehovah Witnesses. 7:4-8

In the Old Testament, the Levites were usually left out of the list of 12 because of their position as priests, but now they are included as Dan and Ephraim are left from the list.

7: 9-17 This is the Multitude without number.

These people are not the church but are representative of those who are saved during the Great Tribulation. It appears that even though there is great wickedness, and judgment on the earth, an uncountable multitude will make it into heaven through salvation in Jesus Christ.

A. The Identity of the Multitude. 7:9-14

King James Version (Chapter 7)

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 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

1. An innumerable company of nations, kindred’s, people groups, languages, and were standing before the Lamb of God: He only was the one worthy to open the Book/Scroll. 9

2. They were noisy: Loud voices saying “Salvation to our God who sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb.” 10

3. Angels and Elders are still where it is happening. 11

4. More Blessing is given to the Lord

5. One of the elders-vs.14 ”14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.”

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Re 7:14.

B. The Provision for the Multitude. 7:15-17

King James Version (Chapter 7)

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

1. They are before the throne and the Lord dwells among them. 7:15

2. They shall not hunger any more, nor shall they be affected by the Sun or heat. 7:16

3. They are fed by the Lamb. They are led to living fountains of waters. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 7:17

Why will there be tears?

By the description of the provisions, what can we discern about the trials of the tribulation saints?

REVELATION 8

THE SEVENTH SEAL

The last six seals are in Chapter’s 6 and 7. They are 6 seals of progressive despair for the people of Earth during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation period, Daniel’s 70th week.

Recap:

1stseal- The white horse and rider going forth to conquer…the anti- Christ

2ndseal- The seal of bloodshed takes peace from the earth, killing each other.

3rdseal- Famine drives prices to a day’s wages per bushel.

4thseal- This is the seal of the corpse, the death rider. Scavengers kill humans. The death toll could hit over a Billion.

5thseal- The tribulation martyrs are revealed. People will be saved during the Tribulation.

6thseal- The seal of anarchy is opened and releases the mother of all earthquakes, and huge changes in the sky.

At this point as chapter 7 features the sealing of the 144 thousand Jewish witnesses, more Tribulation martyrs are revealed and a halt is ordered in heaven for the sealing and the revealing.

8:1-6

King James Version (Chapter 8)

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Revelation 8:1

Heaven goes silent for a half hour: The other seals are rather noisy. This ½ hour pause is measured in anticipation of the dreadful things yet to occur. If the previous chapters were not enough, this is horrible. And yet people have no fear of the judgment of a Holy God. We believe this to be a true ½ hour of silence. There is no joy to be found in the breaking of this seal and souls have cried out for revenge. One half hour is not a lot of time to be silent until you actually try to do it. If you compare it with the time it takes to drown, a life can be lost in less than 2 minutes. Try sitting in church with 5 minutes of silence. It would seem like an eternity. If we try to honor the dead with a moment of silence, then consider how many would be honored with 30 minutes of silence. This is the start of the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation also known as the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 8:2-6 Angels enter the scene. This is a parenthetical scene; it separates the six and 7th seals with the “Trumpet Judgments.”

We know of at least one angel, who fits the description of standing before God. That would be Gabriel (Luke 1:19.) The angel of verse 5 is the 8th angel we have seen so far. This angel’s job of taking fire from the altar is similar to what we see in Isaiah 6:1-7. Angels have been carrying out the judgment of God and the wrath of the Lamb since the seals were opened. As the storms and earthquakes begin again, earth and its inhabitants have not seen anything yet. Now there are 7 more angels with 7 trumpets and they are prepared to sound off.

Revelation 8:7 –

King James Version (Chapter 8)

7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

The First Trumpet Judgment: Hail, fire, and blood are cast to Earth, destroying a third of the trees and all green grass. The devastation is too big to comprehend, thus making us to interpret it literally. This would be like all of the trees in Canada, North, Central and South America. I am not saying that this is where it is happening, but rather just an example of where the devastation would take out a 3rd of all the trees on the earth.

Revelation 8:8, 9

King James Version (Chapter 8)

8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

The Second Trumpet Judgment: A mountain sized flaming fireball, greater in magnitude to the fire of verses 5 and 7, is cast into the sea. It will appear as a meteor striking the planet, but it will be a fireball of judgment. The result was a third of all ships were destroyed, a third of the sea creatures are killed (food supply is crippled once again), and a third of the sea is turned to blood. The destruction of the ships will hamper warfare on the high seas, and disrupt the flow of oil and food around the world. The major navies of the world will have their own personal Pearl Harbor.

Revelation 8:10, 11

King James Version (Chapter 8)

10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

The Third Trumpet Judgment: A star from heaven, this time a real meteor strikes the earth and again is directed at harming the hydro-logic cycle. This time, a third of the rivers and underground (fountains) water supply is made poisonous. The name of the star is Wormwood.

At this point in time 2/3rd’s of the water supply is undrinkable or capable of sustaining life.

Revelation 8:12, 13

King James Version (Chapter 8)

12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

The Fourth Trumpet Judgment: Since mankind has seen so much fire fall from heaven, he gets a great shock when a third of the Sun is done away with (cataclysmic). It does not stop there. Also a 1/3rd of the moon and a third of the stars are destroyed. Things get dark and the tides go nuts because the tides are governed by the moon. The rotation of the planets may have been seriously affected by the Sun’s being smitten with judgment. Gravity may even be off kilter with this judgment.

Before the fifth angel blows his horn, another angel appears and pronounces a threefold curse on the earth and its inhabitants…WOE, WOE, and WOE. Some versions say Terror. No matter how you say it, it is a curse. The KJV says it is an angel, but the word is actually, “eagle.”

REVELATION 9

Revelation 9:1-12

Revelation 9:1–12 (KJV 1900)

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Re 9.

This is the Fifth Trumpet, the First Woe (Terror): The identity of the star that falls from Heaven is satan as he was given the key to the bottomless pit (Not Keys). Here he unlocks the bottomless pit for all of its filth (pit smoke and furnace smoke, enough to darken the sky) to come forth. But in Chapter 20, he is locked in the bottomless pit. Amen. We know this is satan who is unlocking the bottomless pit because of other Bible portions that describe him as such. After all, he is the fallen angel. This fallen star is a person. We also know that there were angels who kept not their first estate (Jude 6). The Lord Jesus said in Luke 10:18 –“ I beheld satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Lucifer means “Day Star” or son of the morning!

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, How art thou cut to the ground, which did weaken the nations.”

So, he opens the pit (9:2), the sun is darkened. Through the darkness comes a terrible plague of locusts. The locusts’ judgment lasts for 5 months (9:5 & 9:10)

The locusts:

1. They were as extremely powerful scorpions. V.3

2. They could not hurt any grass, green things, or trees. They could afflict only those who have the seal of the anti-Christ. V. 4

3. They could not kill the godless; only afflict them with tormenting stinging. V. 5

- At this point, men want to die, but cannot. V.6

4. The locusts were horse shaped and prepared for battle. There will be no exterminators for them. V.7

5. They had faces of men and crowns like gold v.7

6. They had women’s hair and lions teeth. V.8

7. They had breastplates of iron. V9

8. The sound of their wings was as the sound of many Chariots and horses running to battle. V.9

9. They had tails like scorpions that stung mightily. The pain lasted 5 months.

10.Their king over them was the angel of the bottomless pit: There was a dual Identity, one for Hebrew and one for Greek. The Hebrew name Abaddon is translated, Hades or Hell…death, literally green in color with destruction and death. The Greek word Apollyon is the destroyer, that is, satan.

This one infernal army of locusts, bent on destruction and afflicting mankind. Earthly locusts do not have a king.

Verse 12 says there are two woes to go. The sixth angel sounds his trumpet to set the stage for the next woe/curse/ terror/proclamation of grief to come.

Here is where we stop for the night. The next Woe goes with chapters 10 and 11