Rev 7
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We take a break from the first 6 seal judgments to learn about the “heavenly scene”. Chapter 8 will pick up at the seventh seal and lead us into the trumpet judgments. But for tonight we will learn about the “144,000” and the part they will play.
First, let’s briefly review where we have been.
1. Revelation is unique as it offers a blessing for : simply reading it.
2. It also gives us an outline found where: 1:19.
3. What does the outline tell John to do?
4. What are the things John has seen? Chapter?
5. What are the things that are? Chapters?
6. What are the things that will happen after these things? Chapters? Greek?
7. Chapters 4 and 5 show the church where?
8. Chapters 6 -19 speak of what on earth? To whom?
9. Chapter 19 who comes back? With Whom?
10. Chapter 20 is a thousand year reign of ? called the ?
11. Chapters 21 & 22 tell of the new _____ and new _____?
12. And then we all live ?
Now as we get to our text we notice that we are in what is called a parenthetical chapter. It’s sort of a break in the sequence of events to focus on something specific. The Revelation follows this pattern as we move forward, 6 judgments followed by a break, followed by the 7th judgement which introduces 7 new judgments.
Read 7:1 – 8 The 144,000
1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
V1 Well to begin, this chapter begins with our code phrase, Meta tauta, thus after the church. Here we see the Four angels at the four corners of the earth. Symbolic of the entire earth or the 4 points of the compass. We still use this idiom today, the four corners of the world.
What are the angels doing? Holding back the 4 winds from blowing on land, sea, or any tree.
These winds are a destructive force of God's judgment, as they often are in the Old Testament. For example;
15 Though he is fruitful among his brethren,
An east wind shall come;
The wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness.
Then his spring shall become dry,
And his fountain shall be dried up.
He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
The four winds of the earth may refer back to the four horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8, after the pattern of Zechariah 6:1-8. In that passage, four chariots with horses of the same colors of Revelation 6:1-8 go out to all the earth, and are called the four spirits of heaven. Spirits in that passage translates the Hebrew word ruach, which can also be translated winds. Interestingly, it works the same way in Greek, wind and spirit are the same word, pneuma.
2 Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
In V2 Another angel comes up from the east, having as a seal. He had the signet ring of God, Gods authority.
· Seals are a symbol of ownership. Examples: name in a book, label on property. If you are born again God has put His seal on you.
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; 4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”
5 To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity.
· The mark in Ezekiel is the Hebrew letter “taw”. Guess what a “taw” looks like? The seal is the ancient Hebrew letter taw ("t," as in the shape of a small cross).
· Look at Rev 14:1, we like to say the the in the OT the gospel is concealed but in the NT the gospel is revealed.
· We as born again Christians are sealed: God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
Ch 13 has the mark or seal of the beast
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Those who take the mark belong to Satan, they have his seal.
Believers on the other hand are given God’s seal or mark.
Video - Secret of the letter Tav 9:32
We continue;
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
In v3-8 the seal protects the 144,000 “servants of God” from harm. What they do in their service is not clearly stated here but we will look at that later.
Note; their function is different than that of the church. To rule and reign.
This brings up some questions. Who are they? First we know they cannot be the church;
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Second, Is this literal or symbolic? Our understanding and interpretation of the Revelation shades who we think they are? The JW’s believe they are special JW’s. Historical Mormonism, 7th Day Adventists, The children of God, even amillennial believers see them as symbolized church. We believe they are who the bible says they are, saved Jews.
Notice though v4, “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.”
When we allegorize Israel we in a sense “write” them out of God’s plan. We then have a very difficult time understanding Revelation as much of it has to do with Israel. Unfortunately there are many who have taken this heretical view.
Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Chapter 7
Why would such groups want to be these 144,000, considering that during the Tribulation, the world will be falling apart around them?
Because in so doing, they conveniently write the Jews out of prophecy.
You see, throughout history, Christians and cult members alike have attempted to take Israel out of the eschatological equation. Doctrines such as “Replacement Theology,” “Reconstructionism,” and “Kingdom Now” propound that all of God’s promises to Israel were passed on to the church because the Jews rejected Jesus. This is anything but a new idea.…
Following Constantine’s conversion in A.D. 312, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. At this point, Christian teachers, thinkers, and theologians said, “Uh-oh. We’ve been teaching the kingdoms of this world are going to fall—but now we’ve got a Christian in power in the person of Constantine.”
So, Origen, a heavyweight Bible teacher and philosopher of the day said, “I think we’ve been reading the Scriptures wrong. All of the promises given to Israel are simply allegories and illustrations.” And as a result, the power and potency, the effectiveness and impact of the church decreased steadily.
Origen left the scene and was followed by Augustine, who was such a gifted proponent of the case for the allegorizing of the Old Testament, that even in some of today’s King James Bibles, headings of the sections that speak of blessings upon Israel read “Blessings to the Church,” while sections that speak of curses upon Israel read “Cursing Upon Israel” (Micah 6–7).
Augustine was eventually followed by Martin Luther. And Luther, although a giant of the faith, was terribly wrong on one issue: He hated the Jews. That’s why many Protestant pastors supported Hitler well into his regime.
God is not through with His people. His promises to them are firmly rooted in the five covenants He made with them—four of which are unconditional.…
In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised to bless Abraham regardless of what Abraham did or didn’t do (Genesis 12:1–3).
In the Palestinian Covenant, God gave three hundred thousand square miles of land—from the Euphrates River to the Nile—to the Jews, even though at the height of their rule under Solomon, they only possessed thirty thousand square miles (Genesis 13:14).
In the Mosaic Covenant, otherwise known as the Law, God promised to bless Israel if they followed His commandments (Deuteronomy 28). Of the five covenants, only the Mosaic Covenant is conditional.
In the Davidic Covenant, God promised that an eternal King would come from David’s lineage—fulfilled, of course, in Jesus (2 Samuel 7).
In the New Covenant, God promised to give Israel a new heart upon which He would write His will (Jeremiah 31:31–33).
God is not through with the Jew. Because the promises He made to them were unconditional, they cannot be forfeited.
“But Israel failed,” you say.
So do I.
“But Israel was fickle,” you protest.
So are you.
“But Israel faltered,” you whisper.
So do we.
That’s why in Romans 9–11, God says, “Look at Israel. I have not turned My back on them—and I’ll not turn My back on you.”
Why should you care? Because if God doesn’t keep His promise to them how do you have confidence he keep His promise to you.
Let’s look at 14:4,5 where we learn more about the 144,000;
4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
– they are a special group. Many believe they are powerful evangelists used specifically during the Great Tribulation resulting in the great multitude in vs 9 – 17.
· Note the use of the number 12 and multiples.
· Do you notice anything unusual about the list of tribes. Who is the tribe of Joseph? No Dan and No Ephraim. Why? The omission of the tribe of Dan: Why is Dan left out?
Some think it is because Dan is the tribe of the Antichrist, based on
37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.
16 The snorting of His horses was heard from Dan.
The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones;
For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it,
The city and those who dwell in it.”
This may or may not be the case, but without doubt, Dan was the tribe which introduced idolatry into the nation of Israel
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.
30 Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
Notice, in the list; why is Ephraim slighted? Perhaps it is because the tribe of Ephraim was also associated with great idolatry
17 “Ephraim is joined to idols,
Let him alone.
Footnote: Eze 48:1-3 Dan is not lost as it is given land in the Millennial kingdom.
Read 7: 9- 17 The great multitude
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
V9 First notice that during the GT there will be a multitude who are saved. Next, notice the multitude here is represented by who? Every kind of people group.
· What does this imply? People maintain their individual differences in heaven. We don’t all look the same here or there.
· You will recognize others in heaven.
· They are wearing white robes. How does one get a white robe? Saving faith in Jesus, alone.
V13 - 14 Key verse as to understanding who these people are? They have died or martyred in the great tribulation. The Greek emphasizes “the” as not just any tribulation.
· Serve Him day and night
· God spreads Tent over them
· Never again hunger or thirst
· No sun or scorching heat
· The Lamb shepherds them and leads them to the springs of living water
· God wipes away all tears.
Will we remember loved ones who went to hell?