God’s Faithful Remnant

Outline

Big Idea:

Breath of God - Revelation 7:1

Voice of an Angel - Revelation 7:2

Sealing of Redemption - Revelation 7:3-8

Introduction

Body

Chapter 7 is the first of three interludes that interrupt the judgements

Falls after the 6th seal, before the 7th seal.

Chapter 10 is the second interlude and falls after the sixth trumpet but before 7th trumpet

Chapter 12 is the third interlude and falls after the 7th trumpet but before the first bowl judgment.

I look at these as the “Breath’s of God.”

Is that deep inhale, the breath before that which follows.

It is the calm before the storm.

It is in these moments, you get the sense of taking a deep breath…a momentary, catch your breath, before racing off again.

These interludes allow us to catch our breath while introducing critical and vital information to us.

Chapter seven’s breath, in breaking into the flow, is to answer the question left standing at the end of chapter 6.

Who can Stand?

Breath of God - Revelation 7:1

Four Corners of the Earth

Not a biblical claim to the earth being flat

An ancient idiom that was used to refer to all parts of the globe.

Refers to the four points/quadrants on a compass - North, East, South, West - from which the winds derive themselves. (The Four Winds)

Henry Morris layers on top of this understanding, another perspective from a scientific point of view.

He notes that the earth is not precisely round. The poles (north and south) are slightly flattened. Due to that and the fact of the earth’s rotation, there exists four equatorial bulges that scientists have discovered. The circle of the equator, of the globe is not precisely circular but has four irregularities.

These four points, where bulges exist, is what Morris is referring to as the four corners.

These COULD also be in play and eluded to in the imagery of Revelation 7.

Either way, the picture is clear.

These four angels are given power to control the winds with originate from every direction, every part of the globe.

It is NOT a scientific teaching that the earth is flat.

Four Winds

The four winds is a phrase often used in association with God’s judgment. 35

Jer. 49:36; Dan. 7:2; Hos. 13:15

In Jeremiah 49:35–38, the prophet delivers an oracle against Elam, a kingdom located east of Babylon in present-day southwestern Iran, known for its skilled archers. God announces that He will break Elam’s military power, scatter its people across the nations, and bring disaster through invading forces. Historically, this was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon campaigned against Elam around 596–594 BC, and later when Elam was absorbed into the expanding Medo-Persian empire. The prophecy highlights the collapse of Elam’s strength, its widespread exile, and the loss of its ruling authority.

In verse 36 we read…

Jeremiah 49:36 ESV

36 And I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come.

Daniel 7, may may remember, is Belshazzar’s vision of the four beasts, a vision that clearly depicts the wrath and judgement of God. A vision that is intricately tied to our study here in Revelation.

In this vision we read these words…

Daniel 7:2 “2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.”

Hosea 13:15 is details the prophet Hosea’s message of judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim). In this verse, Hosea uses the image of a flourishing people suddenly struck by a scorching east wind—likely referring to the hot, dry desert wind from the east that destroys crops and brings devastation. The “east wind” symbolized the invading Assyrian empire, which would devastate Israel’s land, dry up its sources of life, and carry its people into exile. This prophecy came during the 8th century BC, shortly before Assyria conquered Samaria in 722 BC, ending the northern kingdom.

Again, the imagery of WIND being used to depict judgment.

Winds Held Back

In this interlude, we see the events of seal 6 being completed, the “after this”

This indicates that the events of seal 6 are complete and we moving into the next event.

However, seal 7 is not the next event.

These four angels are said to hold back the four winds from the earth.

This will be both figurative and literal.

The next phase of God’s judgment is on hold for a momentary breath.

AND to illustrate that literally, it appears that there will be NO BREATH, no wind on the earth.

Imagine this…

No wind

No moving air

No clouds moving

No waves or rippling water

Imagine the power it would take to accomplish such a feat. A feat accomplished through a mere four angels.

The fact that the winds are said to be, “Held back” suggest that they WANT to be released. And they will be soon.

Voice of an Angel - Revelation 7:2

Another Angel

Not Christ (Some have tried to suggest it is)

Word allos means another of the same kind

Bears the idea of another in sequential sequence

He is seen here calling for the cessation of judgment until after the 144,000 witnesses are sealed, protected.

Sealing of Redemption - Revelation 7:3-8

Sealing of the Witnesses

God always preserves a remnant for Himself.

Noah

Lot

Abram

7000 in the day of Ahab (1 Kings 19:18)

The remnant is always chosen by grace ( Rom 11:4-6)

During the tribulation, there will be 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will NOT bow the knee to the antichrist.

12,000 will come from each tribe

Note the list though.

Dan and Ephraim are omitted

Joseph and Levi are submitted in their place.

Deuteronomy 29:18-21 may give us insight as to why.

Deuteronomy 29:18–21 ESV

18 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. 21 And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.

Any individual, family, or tribe that should introduce idolatry to the people, would be cut off. They blotted out from under heaven.

1 Kings 12:25-30 show us that Dan and Ephraim did just that.

1 Kings 12:25–30 ESV

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.

Jeroboam set up an idol for his people to worship, one in his own country of Ephraim and one in Dan. This was to keep the people from leaving and risking their revolt and betrayal from him.

He led them into idolatry to preserve his own standing

And the people permitted him to do it.

Some have speculated that this may well be why their names are omitted from this list of tribes that are sealed (12,000 from each tribe), to be God’s witnesses.

They had rejected God, rebelled against him, been cut off.

This omission does not appear to be a permenant cutting off.

Ezekiel 48:1-7, 23-29 reveal that they will be among the tribes who will occupy the holy land during the millennium.

Thus it appears that Dan and Ephraim will not be completely removed from God’s plan, but simply that they will go through the tribulation without the protection of 12,000 being sealed and that they miss the blessing of being witnesses for God.

The angel who seals them will come “from the rising of the sun.”

Where does the sun rise from? The East

This is a poetic way to describe it.

From John’s perspective on the isle of Patmos, East would be towards Israel, through with the Messiah would/did come.

There is significance in this EAST (rising of the sun) direction.

Malachi 4:1-2

Malachi 4:1–2 ESV

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

In the final revelation before a 400 year silence, God promised that those who were looking and anticipating, those who feared God’s name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing…

Larkin observes then that the rising of this angel “from the rising of the sun” means that these ones were likely anticipating and looking for his coming.

Were these 144,000 saved after the rapture? Held back from the rapture to be his witnesses?

Most likely, they were powerfully affected by the preaching of the word during the previous seals that have been broken and unleashed and embraced Christ since the rapture has taken place. Not likely carried over from prior to rapture.

This sealing comes at the hands of these angels, not of the Holy Spirit like that of the church.

Rev 14:1 tells us what this sealing looks like - The name of God written on their foreheads.

Just like those who seal/bind themselves to the antichrist and who bear his mark on their forehead or back of hand (Rev 13:16-18), the witnesses will bear the mark of God on their foreheads.

Visible for all to see?

According to Rev 14:1, it appears so.

This fifth angel urgently and authoritatively calls out for them to NOT release judgement (the winds) until AFTER these 144,000 are sealed and protected from what is about to come.

Once they are protected, the judgments will commence. They will be protected from that which is to come.

These 144,000 will be the worlds best evangelists and missionaries.

144,000

This number does not include ALL of the Jews who have believed thus far. There is likely many more.

These are only a select few from within the total number of Jewish believers that God chooses.

These are CLEARLY Israel, Jewish.

Despite it being abundantly clear, some of tried to identify these as the church. In order to do so, they have to do a juggling match and alot of allagorizing.

Some try to make the claim that the church is Israel, that we have somehow become Israel, or Israel has become us..that we have replaced them.

But, it is my contention that no NT passage adequately and sufficiently proves this.

Israel and the church are distinct

These witnesses are Jewish. They are the FIRSTFRUITS of those who believe. Potentially, the first 144,000 to repent and believe.

Reuben is omitted from the list, having forfeited his birthright in response to his sexual sin with his father’s concubine.

Dan is omitted because they had a penchant for idolarty, worse than any other tribe. And while they will be preseved and have a role in the Millennial kingdom, they will not chosen to be witnesses or protected through what is coming.

Ephraim is also omitted in favor of Joseph because they defected from the ruling house of Judah. They were also consumed with idolatry, like Dan.

Manasseh is fit in his place, because he was the faithful son of Joseph.

Their Witness

Their selection makes clear that God is not done with Israel yet (Rom 9-11).

They may have failed in the past to be the witnesses to the world that God intended and desired, but they will redeem that and be faithful witnesses in the end.

As a result, Israel will be saved along with innumerable Gentiles.

Conclusion

Application