Revelation 7 Message

2014-03-23

Introduction

In Revelation 6, we saw how the first six seals brought a dreadful state upon the world. We also saw intense persecution of the saints, and how many were put to death. Lastly, we saw wonders in heaven that somehow communicated to the entire world that God was about to pour out his wrath up on the whole world. People hid themselves in the earth in outright fear, anticipating a great evil about to come upon them.

Here, in Revelation 7, the narrative continues with the sixth seal.

Revelation 7:1-3: Hurt Not the Earth

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. 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, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Revelation 7:1-3)

In Revelation 7:1, we see four angels on the four corners of the earth. Since the earth does not have literal corners, we do know these angels stand on opposite extremes one from another. The four corners could represent the four main directions, north, south, east, and west. Regardless of any conclusion we make, we see that these angels have power over the wind. We could say that this is a calm before the storm.

An angel distinct from the previous four now has a seal of the living God. The use of the word seal, either the noun or the verb, can help us see what this means.

1 Kings 21:8: “So she [Jezebel] wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.” Ahab’s wife sealed letters on her husband’s behalf, which gave Ahab’s authority and endorsement to what was written concerning a ploy to destroy Naboth and take his vineyard.

Esther 8:8: “Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.” A law sealed with the king’s ring could not be reversed. The law was endorsed and was final.

Jeremiah 32:14: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.” An agreement between Jeremiah and his cousin to redeem a field was sealed.

We also are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He is the guarantee of the hope of our salvation:

2 Corinthians 1:21-22: “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

Ephesians 1:13-14: “In whom [Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” This sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantees our salvation until the end.

2 Timothy 2:19: “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” Since God knows his own, their foundation is firm, unlike Hymenaeus and Philetus who turned out to be false prophets.

More recently, we looked at the seals of the book only the Lamb could open in Revelation 6. Here, in Revelation 7, we see a contrast with this sealing; as the seals of tribulation are being loosed, we see God’s servants in turn being sealed. Likewise, as we will see later, that this seal also contrasts with the mark the beast gives his followers; the seal given to God’s people secures them from God’s wrath, while the mark of the beast will ensure the doom of those who receive it.

In verse 3, we see this fifth angel telling the others to hold off from hurting the earth until the servants of God are sealed. This is specifically because God’s people are not appointed to wrath, as we previously discussed (Romans 5:9). He must either seal them, or protect them, from what is coming, or he must take them out of the world. In the next verses, we see an example of each situation.

Revelation 7:4-8: Of All the Tribes of the Children of Israel

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. (Revelation 7:4-8)

In verse 4, John specifically tells us who these sealed people were: they were 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel. More specifically, we know from Revelation 14:4 that they were all virgin males. Here, the emphasis is that these people were Jews.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses would have these people be a “little flock” of the super religious. The problem with that (other than there would be no women or married men) is that John specifically enumerates the tribes of Israel, and states that there are 12,000 from each specific tribe. You cannot ignore the blatant list of actual Jewish tribal names mentioned in 7:5-8. There are notable omissions from this list: Ephraim and Dan. Let us discuss each case.

As we know throughout the Old Testament, Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph, the favored son of Jacob. Often when discussing the division of the land for each tribal inheritance, we do not speak of Joseph as a tribe, but his sons. This is because the tribe Levi received no inheritance. In this way, the number of tribes always remained twelve.

Looking at this list, we see Manasseh and Joseph, the son and the father, listed together, without Ephraim. This is not the first time this has happened in scripture. Consider Numbers 13:8, 11: “Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun... Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.” In this case, when Ephraim and Joseph were mentioned together, it meant that the latter referred to Manasseh, the rest of the tribe of Joseph without Ephraim. In Revelation 7, there is no good reason to deny that Joseph here specifically refers to Ephraim.

In the case of Dan, the reasoning is not clear. We know that the tribe of Dan does not become extinct, because he is mentioned in Ezekiel 48:1, a passage that clearly refers to the eschaton. We simply take it as written; the tribe of Dan did not have any representatives in this group of God’s servants.

A Great Multitude, Which No Man Could Number (7:9-17)

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; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 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, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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. 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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 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. (Revelation 7:9-17)

Now after this, “a great multitude” of people appear in heaven. Let us look at what we can see know of this group.

This multitude “no man could number.” How many could that mean? Let us revisit Revelation 5:11: “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” In our discussion there, we decided that would be somewhere over 101 million but less than 200 million. If we can number the angels there at such a great number, we can see that the number of people in this group is likely more than 200 million, and probably far greater.

This multitude is “of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” People from every ethnic group from every pocket of the world are represented. The remote peoples that today have never heard of Jesus will have representatives there. Matthew 24:14 is fulfilled here.

This multitude “stood before the throne, and before the Lamb.” They are in the presence of God! They are no longer being persecuted, as we saw in the fifth seal. They stand before God, glorified and whole, which is the dream of every Christian across the world. It is the hope we wait for today.

This multitude is “clothed with white robes.” Those who had died during the tribulation were given white robes in 6:11. Jesus promised the saints in Sardis that they would “walk with me in white” (Revelation 3:4). All of those who “overcometh,” namely those of the Faith, will be clothed in white raiment (Revelation 3:5). This is fulfilled here.

This multitude has “palms in their hands.” This is very reminiscent in what many call Palm Sunday:

And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (Matthew 21:8-9, cf. John 12:13)

When Jesus came into Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9, people welcomed him by laying palms on the ground. The first century crowd were expecting deliverance from their enemies, not from sin. Jesus delivered them from sin shortly after by dying on the cross and rising again. This time, Jesus is coming to deliver them from their enemies.

The multitude “cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” They know that the Lord Jesus Christ has saved them. They were saved from sin; now they are being saved from His wrath and their enemies. This is a magnificent praise to the one who is worthy of all things, Jesus Christ.

Now at this praise, everyone else in heaven -- the angels, the elders, and the four beasts -- fall down on their faces and praise God:

Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

They see those fragile human beings that had served Christ in often the most deplorable situations and desperate tribulation. Paul writes of this:

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:18-23)

The creatures of the world, not just the saved people, were all awaiting this day, and now it has happened! These heavenly beings are praising God for the salvation of the saints.

John did not know who these people were when saw them, perhaps being caught up in all the majesty of the event. One of the elders had to ask a rhetorical question to get him to admit he did not know what all this meant. He tells us a little bit more detail:

The multitude will “serve him day and night in his temple.” Notice day and night, not just day. Maybe there is no more physical rest necessary anymore, but they incessantly serve God forever. They will have Him “that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” God is physically there with them.

The multitude “shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.” Physical pain is gone forever. God himself shall feed them, and there will be no more sorrow. They are set free from the presence of sin, Satan, and the world.

The Rapture in the Olivet Discourse

In Matthew 24:29-30, we previously saw how this is a direct correlation of the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12-17. Starting in Matthew 24:31, we see the event of the gathering of the multitude in Revelation 7:9-17. We read, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

These angels Jesus talks about are sent “with a great sound of a trumpet.” Trumpets serve as a communication tool throughout the Bible. In Exodus 19:13, we read, “There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.” This is when Israel was waiting at the base of Mount Sinai, and Moses was to receive the Ten Commandments from God.

Concerning the year of Jubilee, we read,

Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. (Leviticus 25:9-10)

The trumpet, on the day of atonement every fiftieth year, signifies liberty throughout all the land. Things reverted to the way they were supposed to be. People got their inheritance back if they had previously forfeited it. It was a Sabbath rest. Interestingly enough, this trumpet was blown on the actual day of atonement in the year, which prefigured Christ’s atonement for our sins.

Likewise, this trumpet of the angels will bring us to our inheritance of God. It will proclaim our liberty, after years of struggling in the flesh and facing persecution. It will be the signal that we will be gathered unto the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 15:51:52 reads, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). We see a little bit more information from Paul.

The event shall happen suddenly, in a “twinkling of an eye.” We are gathered, whether we be dead, or still alive on the earth. We will be changed, and as we read further in the passage, we know that we will not be as we are now, in sinful flesh. We will have new, incorruptible flesh (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Finally, this is considered the “last trump.” But what about all those other trumpets mentioned in Revelation 8:6? This is the last gathering of the people; the other trumpets will be more like the trumpets of war (Numbers 10:1-10).

The “elect” are saved people. Some will argue that this is only referring to the Jews. There are two problems with this. First, we see a distinction between the 144,000 Jews in Revelation 7:4-8 and the multitude from every other place on earth in Revelation 7:9-17. This distinction is purposeful, to make sure that we get this message loud and clear. Also, in Mark’s account of the Olivet discourse, Jesus tells his disciples, “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:37). All means all! Not just a small portion of the world’s population.

So what about the timing of all this? Jesus addresses this clearly in the Olivet discourse in a twofold explanation. First, we will know when the rapture is getting close. Second, though we may know when it is close, we do not know the exact date and time of the event. The former is indicated by the parable of the fig tree, while the latter is explained by the days of Noah.

In the parable of the fig tree, we read:

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24:32-35)

When we see “these things” we will know that “it” is near. What are “these things” and “it” here? We need to look at the previous verses to find out. When we see the sun and moon darkened (24:29) and the other events mentioned, the gathering of the saints will be near. This is the answer to the disciples’ questions: “when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” in Matthew 24:3. When you see scary things in the heavens, it is time to start looking up for Jesus. This gives us an idea of when it will be.

Now we read, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Everyone and their brother take this out of context, saying that this meant that Jesus believed that the events were going to take place in his generation. But what did we really read? The generation that sees these events will not pass until Jesus returns. How certain was Jesus? He says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” What he was telling his disciples was more certain than the existence of heaven and earth.

But the exact day and hour cannot be known by us. We read:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (Matthew 24:36-42)

We may know when it is coming by certain events happening, but we cannot be naming dates and times of when Christ will return. Noah knew judgment was soon when he got on the ark, but he did not know how long he was going to be there! That is why we are told to watch. We need to watch for the events discussed in the Olivet discourse and in Revelation 6. When Christians see the rise of the Antichrist, great war, famine, and pestilence, followed by severe persecution that exceeds any other in world history, and the darkening of the sun and moon, they will know that their generation will be the last generation.

God Hath Not Appointed Us To Wrath (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11)

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11)

This passage is speaking of the same gathering by the Lord Jesus Christ as the Olivet discourse and Revelation 7. The Thessalonians must have asked Paul many questions concerning the return of the Lord Jesus, as both Thessalonian epistles contain answers to their questions concerning Parousia. Here we will only discuss the eschatological events of the first epistle.

First, we can tell from this passage that the Thessalonians had a concern about those fellow Christians that had died (1 Thessalonians 4:13). What happened to their saved family and friends that died without seeing the Lord’s coming? We know from 2 Corinthians 5:8, that the deceased who have died in Christ are with him. We also know from Revelation 6 that those who have been martyred are in heaven, under the altar (Revelation 6:9). But when the Lord returns, those who have died in Christ will be resurrected, and those who are still alive will be gathered with them with the Lord. In 4:16, we see reference to the same trumpet mentioned in Matthew 24:31, discussed above. In 4:17, we see also a reference to the clouds into which we shall be gathered, just as we saw in Matthew 24:30 and in Revelation 1:7 (see discussion there). When we are gathered on that day, we will “ever be with the Lord.” We are to “comfort one another with these words” because our saved loved ones have not perished; we will see them again!

Starting in 1 Thessalonians 5:1, Paul now begins talking about the “times and seasons” of the Lord’s return. He speaks regarding two groups of people: the unsaved and the saved.

To the unsaved, the Day will come comes as “a thief in the night.” It does NOT come as a thief in the night to us who are saved, because the following verse reads, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” The unsaved will not know about his return until the Day comes upon them, just as we saw in the Noah analogy in the Olivet discourse.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:4, he then talks about us, the saved. “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” We will see it coming. We may not know exactly when, but we will know because of the timeline that was laid out for us. In 5:6, we are adjured once again to be “watch and be sober,” just as in the Olivet discourse!

In 1 Thessalonians 5:9, we are reminded that “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” Once again, Paul says, “comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” We are not only to be comforted regarding our saved loved ones, but that we also will not see the wrath of God. This does not mean that we will not see tribulation, for Paul said earlier in the same epistle that “we should suffer tribulation” (1 Thessalonians 3:4). We are delivered from God’s wrath, and God is worthy of praise for that!

A Harmony of Accounts

Between Revelation, the Olivet discourse, and 1 Thessalonians 4-5, we see great harmony. We see the timeline of the six seals outlined in the discourse. We see the theme of Jesus coming in the clouds and the announcement with a great trumpet. We see that though we may not know the exact timing of his return, we will know when His coming is imminent, because of the world events happening at the time. Praise God for his multiple accounts of future history!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

-Horatio Spafford, It Is Well with My Soul, 1873

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