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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
May 25, 2025
◘ The Sealed Bond-Slaves of God & The Multitude in Heaven
Revelation 7:1-17
◘Introduction
Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 7. If you have missed any of the previous sermons on Revelation 4, 5 or 6, I encourage you to go to our website and read them or follow the link to SermonAudio to listen to them so that you will understand the details in each chapter and the flow of the context that brings us to our study today.
◘Let me quickly remind you of the general context for our study today. At the beginning of chapter 4 John was caught up in the Spirit to heaven where he describes the scene in the throne room of God including its worship of God by the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. (See: The Throne Room of God, Part 1) ◘In chapter 5 John’s attention focuses on the scroll with seven seals that is in the right hand of God, and then to the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who is the only one worthy to take the scroll and open it. All the hosts of heaven give praise and worship to the Lamb with all of creation joining in. (See: The Throne Room of God, Part 2) In chapter 6 John describes what happens as the Lamb breaks in succession the seals on the scroll. It is very important at this point to emphasize that the scroll comes from the right hand of God and it is Jesus that opens the scroll by breaking each seal in sequence which brings about a testing, a judgment upon those that dwell on the earth. Each of these is an element of the wrath of God, not man, though God will use sinful man to accomplish His purposes just as He always had.
◘The breaking of the first four seals brings forth a succession of horses and riders that go forth at the command of one of the living beings. John’s attention is drawn to observe what each of these does on the earth. The rider of the white horse conquers through deception, intrigue, threats and treaties to bring about a false peace that is short lived. The red horse and its rider destroy that peace through murder, civil war and wars between nations. The black horse and its rider bring famine that is worse than all those prior to it. The pale green, ashen horse ridden by Death and followed by Hades kill with the sword, famine, pestilence and wild animals. All of these correspond to Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:5-8 as part of the “beginning of birth pangs.” (See: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse)
◘The fifth seal brings John’s attention back to the throne room of God where he sees under the altar those who became martyrs for their faith in Christ during the opening period of the tribulation. Their cry follows the pattern of the Psalms of an imprecatory prayer asking God how long He will refrain from judging and avenging their deaths in keeping with His attributes of being holy and true. The wrath of God in this seal is in God’s answer. They are to rest for a while longer while those who are still to be martyred are added to their ranks. His judgment and avenging of their blood will come then.
◘The sixth seal brings terror with a great shaking of the heavens and the earth which changes the appearance of the sun and moon. All men, from kings to slaves, seek to hide from the presence of Him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb. They even cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall on them to hide them, but death does not seem to be option for them. While they may have been able to explain away the previous disasters, the supernatural aspect of this seal only leaves one conclusion. The great day of the wrath of God and the Lamb is already upon them. (See: The 5th & 6th Seals – Martyrs & Terror on the Earth)
◘Rev. 6:17 ends with their question, “and who is able to stand?” Revelation 7 will give an answer to that question which will also give hope. In the midst of God’s wrath being poured out, He will still protect those whom He has chosen to serve Him on the earth, and there will be a multitude in heaven that are safely in the presence of God and the Lamb after becoming martyrs.
◘The Sealed Jewish Slaves of God – Revelation 7:1-8
1 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out 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 or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those having been sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 having been sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000 having been sealed.”
◘The Angels – Revelation 7:1-2
John is still Heaven in the Spirit when his attention is drawn to a new vision that occurs “After this,” with the “this” referring to his recording of what he saw with the breaking of the sixth seal. This is a new and separate event and neither part of the sixth seal judgment nor the seventh seal which is not opened until the next chapter. This is not so much a parenthetical section as it is a pause in the sequence of the opening of the seals in which John explains what is happening in preparation for the breaking of the seventh seal and the trumpet judgments that will follow that.
◘What John sees first is “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth.” That phrase does not support the idea of a flat earth. Biblical cosmology going all they way back to Job, one of earliest books in the Bible, is that the earth is round – “. . . And He walks above the circle heaven” (Job 22:14 – NKJV). Proverbs 8:27 which is in the personification of wisdom passage which would have been written by Solomon states, “When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep” – A reference to the arc of the horizon. Isaiah 40:22 states of God, “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitant are like grasshoppers.” The “four corners” is a common idiom referring to the four points of direction on a compass – North, East, South, West.
◘These four angels are positioned in all four directions with the specific purpose of “holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.” The picture here is that these angels are restraining the winds which are struggling to be free to blow across the earth and cause harm as revealed in the next two verses.
◘A fifth angel appears in verse 2, 2 “Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea.” This angel appears rising into the sky from the east, the direction of the rising sun. This detail may be an allusion to coming salvation since several significant events or persons are tied to coming from the east. The glory of God came from the east to fill the temple (Ezek. 43:2). The magi came from the east in search of “He who is born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:1-2). Titles for Jesus include “dayspring” (Luke 1:78) and “morning star” (Rev. 22:16). And from John’s physical location on Patmos, the Jews that will be sealed are also to the east.
◘This angel has authority as demonstrated by two factors. First is having “the seal of the living God” with the term for seal here (sfragivV / sphagis) usually referring to the signet ring of an oriental monarch that would be used to mark property as belonging to him. Anyone violating that property would be accountable to him. As is detailed starting in verse 4, this seal would be used to place a sign on those people that belonged to the living God as His protected slaves. ◘The description of these people in Rev. 14:1 indicates that this seal places the name of the Lamb and name of the Father on their foreheads. The term “living” in describing God identifies Him as the unique One who has life in Himself and therefore fully capable of acting to protect what belongs to Him.
The second factor demonstrating the authority of this angel is that he gives the command to the other four angels, and he does so with a loud cry reflecting the importance and urgency of what he is saying. These angels that hold back the wind are described here as being given the task of harming the earth and sea. The specifics of the command are given in verse 3.
◘The Command – Revelation 7:3
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads.” All of us have experienced or seen pictures of the damage wind can cause in hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos, and dust / sand storms. Even the downdrafts of a thunderstorm can topple trees.◘ The potential of the harm these angels could cause is great, so the instructions are that the slaves of God must be sealed as a means of protection before that could begin. Having that seal on their forehead would make them easy to identify. This verse also indicates that the damage that will come when these winds are released will be controlled by the angels so as to avoid harming these slaves of God. Since the fifth angel uses the plural, we, it appears the other angels will help him with the sealing.
◘Ezekiel 9:4 is an example of such a seal protecting faithful individuals from God’s wrath. 4 Yahweh said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” The passage then goes on to describe the destruction of those who were not grieved by the idolatry in their midst.
◘The Sealed Slaves – Revelation 7:4-8
There are a large number of these slaves of God that will be sealed, so having five angels doing the work would speed it up considerably. 4 And I heard the number of those having been sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel . . .” ◘Verses 5-8 then detail that there will be 12,000 from each of twelve tribes which are listed as Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. Left out of this list is Dan, and Joseph substitutes for his son, Ephraim.
◘Those given over to allegorical interpretation give a lot of conjecture about the meaning of numbers listed here, how the tribes are listed and those left out. However, there is nothing in the text or elsewhere to even suggest this is anything other than what is plainly stated. It is neither symbolic of some other unknown number nor the church as some try to do even to the absurdity of suggesting there are twelve tribes within the church. That is eisegesis. It is reading into the text theological presuppositions instead of letting the text speak for itself in its own context, and in the end it is substituting the musings of man for the revelation of God. This is a definite number of 12,000 Jews from each of the tribes of Israel, (the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), as listed which totals 144,000.
◘In the many lists of the twelve tribes of Israel, the order varies a lot as does which tribe might be missing from the list. Since Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are given stature as full tribes, there are actually thirteen tribes. Levi is the tribe most often left out because his descendants inherited cities instead of a territory. This list does not match any of the other nineteen variations that occur in the Scriptures. It is not in birth order, grouped by mother, grouped by camp around the tabernacle or by order of marching. Judah is listed first possibly due to Jesus being from that lineage, but the reason for this particular order in the list is not stated and so is left to speculation.
◘It must be remembered that this list is only of those that are sealed prior to the four angels releasing the winds they hold back. It is not a list of whom does or does not exist. Dan is absent from this list, but the tribe does not become extinct. Dan is included in the list in Ezekiel 48 as receiving territory in the Millennium as does Ephraim. This list and the one in Ezekiel 48 also show that there are no “lost tribes of Israel.” After the deportation of the northern ten tribes by Assyria, the human records were lost of who belonged to which tribe, but God still knows, and 12,000 from each of the tribes listed will be sealed and set aside for His service during the Tribulation.
◘It is speculative to reason why Dan and Ephraim are not in the list, but it may be related to the idolatry associated with those tribes. There will be some from each of these two tribes that will survive the Tribulation period, but none from those tribes will be sealed and protected and used by God in this special way.
◘These 144,000 are Jews that come to faith in the Messiah during the tribulation period. They are sealed and protected from the wrath of God that will come upon the earth when these winds are released and the trumpet judgments come. This is so that they can carry out God’s specific purpose for them during that period of time. ◘I must also point out here that this is protection from God’s wrath but not necessarily from persecution by evil men. God will protect them even from that to the degree necessary for them to carry out His purposes, but by Revelation 14 all of them will be found standing with the Lamb and singing a new song before the throne, the four living angelic beings and the elders. They will become martyrs.
◘Who will be able to stand in the day of God’s wrath? The 144,000 will do so. A second group who will be able to do this is also found in Revelation 7, but they will do so because they will be martyrs who will be taken to heaven to stand before God’s throne.
◘The Great Multi-Ethnic Multitude – Revelation 7:9-17
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These, clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?” 14 And I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary; and He who sits on the throne will dwell over them. 16 “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of the water of life. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
◘The Great Multitude – Revelation 7:9
After John’s description of the angels and the 144,000, a new and astounding vision captures his attention – 9 “After these things I looked, and behold.” The timing of this then is immediately following the sealing of the 144,000, so it is also in this interlude period following the events following the breaking of the sixth seal and the end of Revelation 6, and before the events that begin with the breaking of the seventh seal (Revelation 8:1f). There is nothing in the text or context to suggest a different timing though different theological systems do try to force it into other time sequences.
◘What John sees is very different from the previous vision of what takes place on earth or just above it involving specific numbers of angels and people. This vision is astonishing to him for it is of an innumerable multitude of people in heaven – “behold, a great multitude which no one could count.”
◘This is also in contrast to the previous vision that involved only angels and Jewish people for this vision includes people “from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues.” A similar four fold description of all groups of people was used in Revelation 5:9 and will occur again in Revelation 11:9; 13:7, 14:6 and 17:15. ◘The four groups of humanity categorized here is comprehensive but not universal. There are some from but not all from each category. Nation refers to those who are grouped together by common culture or political boundaries. Tribe refers to those who are closely related by blood or marriage. Tongue refers to those who speak the same language. People are those of the same line of descent similar to tribe but a generation or more farther back. An example of this would be the people of Israel which would be all the descendants of the man Israel – Jacob. A tribe of Israel would be one of the subdivisions of the people of Israel according to specific lineage to one of Israel’s sons.
◘The location of this vision has returned from what was happening on earth to the 144,000 to what was happening in heaven for this innumerable multitude was “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” This returns us to the location John describes in Revelation 4 & 5 when he is caught up in the Spirit to heaven to describe the throne room of God and the presence of the Lamb.
This multitude has been properly prepared to stand before the throne for they are “clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands.” ◘The white robes here are the same as described as those wore by the souls of the martyrs after the breaking of the fifth seal. These are long, flowing robes which in that culture was a mark of someone of dignity with white signifying the holiness which comes through redemption by God’s grace through faith in Christ (Rev. 7:14). The white robes could also symbolize victory which may be included here since they also are holding palm branches. ◘Palm branches could be used for many things such as a covering material for temporary structures such as made during the feast of booths (Leviticus 23:39-43), but an important one in this scene is their use in celebrations of triumph such as occurred in Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (John 12:13).
◘Their Cry & Worship – Revelation 7:10-12
The activity of this multitude was the worship of God and the lamb as seen in verse 10, 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” ◘As much as I like the reverence of it being quiet and music played softly, there are times when worship needs to be loud. Heaven will have quite periods, but it will be punctuated with times of great noise. The strong angel is loud (Rev. 5:2). The multitude of angels are loud (Rev. 5:12). The martyrs under the altar are loud (Rev. 6:10), and here ◘ this innumerable multitude of redeemed people is loud in their praise and worship of God and the Lamb because of the salvation they have brought to them. This is not just salvation as redemption from sin, but in this context it includes the victory that has been brought by that salvation for they are now standing before the throne having overcome the trials of life that have tested their faith (James 1:2-4). I should quickly point out here that this is the first time God is specifically identified as sitting on the throne. Previous to this it is always either “the one” or “Him” “who sits on the throne.”
◘The worship by this multitude prods all the others around the throne to worship. 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Note that though these angelic beings are not “saved” themselves, yet they fall on their faces before the throne to worship God because of the salvation granted to the multitude. The first “amen” is a statement of agreement and affirmation of what the multitude had cried out. ◘They then add their seven-fold doxology in worship with each element tied to that salvation. The article used before each aspect of the doxology gives emphasis to each facet of it.
Blessing, eujlogiva / eulogia, literally means “good speaking” and here it is praise for the salvation granted. Glory, dovxa / doxa, from which we get our word, doxology, refers to “divine splendor” which here is displayed in the salvation granted. Wisdom, sopfiva / sophia, is the capacity to understand and act accordingly which here is displayed in that salvation. Thanksgiving, eujcaristiva / eucharistia, is gratitude for God’s victorious accomplishments. Honor, timhv / timē, is the worth or status ascribed to a person and here it is given to God for His provision of salvation. Power, duvnamiV / dunamis, refers to capacity in virtue of an ability and here it is God’s omnipotence in bringing about this salvation. Might, ijscuvV / ischus, refers to factual capability and here it is God working out this salvation throughout history. Each element of this doxology is a truth about God and His actions that is a reason to worship Him which will continue forever. These angelic beings also specifically claim Him as “our God,” and then pronounce the “amen” which affirms and declares that characterization they have made of God here is true.
◘Their Identity – Revelation 7:13-14
A dialogue begins in verse 13 which will clearly identify this innumerable multitude. 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These, clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?” This follows a Semitic pattern to draw attention to what John is seeing and increase his interest by asking him about what he knows about this multitude in white robes. John does not know who they are or where they came from, so he turns the question back to this elder whom he respectfully addresses as “My lord,” (kuvrioV / kurios), “you know.” That is both an acknowledgment of his ignorance about the matter and an appeal to find out. Humility gains him a clear answer.
◘The elder replies, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” These are some of the additional martyrs that are added to the ranks of those who were already in heaven after the fifth seal. The verb here is in the present tense so it is actually better translated as “who are coming out” as in Young’s Literal Translation to bring out the sense that there are more still coming out to be added to this multitude.
◘Because the phrase, the great tribulation, is used here some try to equate this with Jesus’ use of the phrase, a great tribulation (Matthew 24:21) which occurs after the Abomination of Desolation in the last half of the seven year tribulation period. However, Jesus’ description of that time period matches the judgments that come in the trumpet and bowl judgments which had not yet arrived. ◘The use of the article and “great” to describe this tribulation distinguishes it from the tribulation that John had experienced (Rev. 1:9) and the church in Smyrna was experiencing at that time (Rev. 2:9-10). This then the future tribulation that will be part of “hour of testing” that will come upon “those who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10) and the “great day of their wrath” – that of God and the Lamb (Rev. 6:17) which includes the seal judgments.
◘Blood is not a washing and whitening agent for clothes, but it is absolutely necessary as the price of atonement and purification from sin (Hebrews 9:22), and that it is what is being referred to here. Their robes are washed and made white by the blood of the Lamb. It is Jesus’ blood that cleanses from sin (1 John 1:7) through faith (Romans 3:25) in Him and His substitutionary sacrifice.
◘Their Service – Revelation 7:15
While the 144,000 Jews are sealed to continue serving God on the earth, these martyrs who come from every ethnic group are taken to heaven in order to serve God there. 15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary; and He who sits on the throne will dwell over them.” ◘The term serve here, latreuvw / latreuō, is the word used for performing religious rites of worship and they are in the temple of God in heaven. This fits with the many promises of believers becoming priests of God such as the introductory statements in Revelation 1:5-6 that Jesus has “released us from our sins by His blood – and He has made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.” There was also the praise of the four living creatures and twenty-four elders that gave praise to the Lamb that was slain to purchase for God men to be made into “a kingdom and priests to our God” (Rev. 5:10).
◘These martyrs will perform service of worship before God “day and night,” an idiom to express continual, unceasing worship. This is done in the heavenly temple which will remain until the new heavens, new earth and new Jerusalem are created and there will no longer be a need for a temple “for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev. 21:22). A temple is the location where God is worshiped because His presence is there, and God will dwell there with these martyrs. The root meaning for the word dwell here refers to a tent or tabernacle which is why that appears in some translations. Dwell here then is in the sense of living in the same tent.
◘Their Blessedness – Revelation 7:16-17
Verses 16-17 give four more blessings that belong to these martyrs because they are before the throne of God dwelling with and serving Him there. ◘The blessings here parallel those in Isaiah 49:10. 16 “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore.” A constant problem in physical life is the quest for food and water for it is never long even after you have had something to eat and drink that you become hungry and thirsty again. These martyrs in heaven will never experience that again for two reasons. ◘First, they do not have physical bodies at that time and the resurrection bodies they will receive at the beginning of the millennium will have different qualities than current earthly bodies. Second, whatever need they do have will be fully satisfied 17 “for the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of the water of life.” John notes that the Lamb, Jesus, is at the center of the throne here, but his emphasis is on Jesus fulfilling His role as a shepherd to these martyrs in bringing them “to springs of the water of life.” To a culture in a dry climate that understood the role of shepherds and would have seen content sheep by springs where there is green grass and plenty of water, that is a beautiful picture of refreshment and complete satisfaction. Where there is water, there is life. Jesus, the good shepherd, will ensure they are where all their needs will be met spiritually and otherwise. These martyrs will not be subject to the woes of those on earth when the third trumpet blows and a third of the waters become bitter wormwood that is undrinkable.
◘Two more blessings they will have is that “the sun [will not] beat down on them, nor any heat.” We can have some hot days during the summer in the northeast, but they do not compare to a cloudless summer day in an arid climate when the temperatures are over 1100F. I know people try to minimize it by saying “it is a dry heat” – yes, just like putting your head in an oven which is why heat stroke can be such a problem such a climate. That problem will no longer exist for them, nor even having excess heat. The word here, kauvswn / kausōn, is a scorching heat such as a sirocco (a Santa Ana wind in Southern California), and these martyrs are exempt from such a burning heat from any source. They will not be on earth when the fourth bowl is poured out and the sun scorches men with fierce heat (Rev. 16:8-9).
◘The final blessing experienced by these martyrs that is listed is that “God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” This promise reflects the one made in Isaiah 25:8 and repeated in Revelation 21:3 concerning eternity for the righteous. These martyrs experience this before that when they are first come before God’s throne. Tears flow when there is sorrow or pain, and God removes that from them. The sorrow and pain they experienced in life on earth are replaced by the enthusiastic joy of being in heaven before God’s throne.
◘There will be two kinds of people that will be able to stand in the midst of the wrath of God. Those whom God seals to protect them from it, and the martyrs who escape it completely because they are removed from earth to heaven. ◘Once again, the good news is that an innumerable multitude will be saved during the tribulation, but for most it will be at the cost of martyrdom. Get right with God today!
Sermon Notes – 5/25/2025
The Sealed Jewish Bond-Slaves of God & The Multitude in Heaven – Revelation 7:1-17
Introduction & Review
Revelation 4 – John is caught up in the Spirit to throne room of God in ___________& records what he sees
Revelation 5 – John records the worship of the __________who is found worthy to open the 7 sealed scroll
Revelation 6:1-8 – The breaking of the first four seals – four successive ____________from God to the earth
The 5th seal reveals the ________under the altar & their plea for God’s justice & vengeance on the wicked
The 6th seal brings a great shaking resulting in signs in heaven & earth & men try to ____from God’s wrath
Revelation 6:17 ends with their question, “and who is able to stand?” Revelation 7 _________that question
The Sealed Jewish Slaves of God – Revelation 7:1-8
The Angels – Revelation 7:1-2
A new vision occurs “after this” – the 6th seal – and describes what occurs in an _________before the 7th seal
“Four corners of the earth” does not support a “flat earth” which is ___________to Biblical cosmology
The four angels are in position in all four corners of the __________to hold back the wind
A fifth angel with the seal of God rises from the east and _____________the other four
The “seal of God” is used to __________what belongs to Him – which in this case will protect them
Rev. 14:1 indicates this seal is the names of the _________& the __________written on their forehead
The Command – Revelation 7:3
The ____________winds controlled by these angels are to be held back until God’s slaves are sealed
Ezekiel 9:4 is an example of such a seal _____________faithful individuals from God’s wrath
The Sealed Slaves – Revelation 7:4-8
12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of ___________listed total 144,000
Allegorical interpreters use conjecture & __________to explain passages according to their presuppositions
The _________in listings of the tribes of Israel __________a lot with Levi being left out the most often
This is a list of those that are ______, not a list of tribes existing. Dan is absent here, but present in Ezek. 48
Possibly Dan & Ephraim do not have anyone from their tribe sealed due to their ____________
These 144,000 _______come to faith in Messiah early in the tribulation & are sealed so they can serve God
They are protected from God’s _______on the earth, but persecution from evil men will make them martyrs
The 144,000 will be able to ________in the day of God’s wrath
The Great Multi-Ethnic Multitude – Revelation 7:9-17
The Great Multitude – Revelation 7:9
John sees this “after these things” (the sealing of the 144,000) during the ________between the 6th & 7th seal
His attention is drawn back to the scene in _____________where he sees an innumerable multitude
In contrast to the 144,00 Jews, this multitude is made up from _________nation, tribe, peoples & tongues
This is a comprehensive categorization of the four ways people can be ____________
The __________________multitude was “standing before the throne and before the Lamb”
The white robes are the same as those of the martyrs after the 5th seal – symbolize dignity, holiness & ______
The palm branches used in celebrations of ___________- such as Jesus entry into Jerusalem in John 12:13
Their Cry & Worship – Revelation 7:10-12
Heaven is punctuated at times with __________voices – angels & martyrs (Rev. 5:2, 12; 6:10; 7:10)
They praise & worship the Lamb & God for salvation – in both the sense of redemption & __________
Vs. 11 – Angels join the praise & worship for the ___________granted to the multitude
Vs. 12- The angels add a seven-fold __________describing God’s character and actions
Their Identity – Revelation 7:13-14
A dialogue following a Semitic pattern begins between one of the elders & John to _________the multitude
These are additional ___________added to the ranks of those already in heaven after the 5th seal
“The great tribulation” here is ____that Jesus spoke of in Matt. 24:21 which matches the judgments to come
This is the “hour of testing” & “great day of their wrath,” ___the tribulation of John or Smyrna (1:6; 2:9-10)
The blood of the Lamb cleanses & makes white the stains of _______because it is the price of atonement
Their Service – Revelation 7:15
These martyrs serve / worship before the throne of God in a __________role as promised (Rev. 1:5-6; 5:10)
They serve “day & night” – an idiom of continual, __________worship in the heavenly temple
Their Blessedness – Revelation 7:16-17
The first two blessings parallel Isa. 49:10 – no more ___________or ____________
Food and water is not a necessity of a soul, and whatever they do need will be fully satisfied by the _______
Neither the sun will beat down on them any longer nor will they be subject to ____________heat (4th bowl?)
God will wipe away their tears (a promise reflecting Isa. 25:8) – the _________of life will be behind them
Both the 144,000 and the martyrs will ________in the day of God’s wrath – protected from or removed from
KIDS KORNER. Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times the word “seal” is mentioned 2) Talk with your parents about how God’s seal protects the 144,000.
THINK ABOUT IT! Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What is the importance of chapters 4, 5 & 6 in setting the context for chapter 7? When does 7:1-8 occur? What does the Bible teach about the shape of the earth? What is the authority / responsibility of these four angels? Why does the 5th angel command them to hold back the wind? Who are the 144,000? Why are they sealed? How does the seal protect them? Dan & Ephraim are not in the list – does that mean they become extinct? Explain why or why not. When does the innumerable multi-ethnic appear before God’s throne? What is the significance of the four designations of groups of people? What is the significance of their white robes and palm branches? For what do they praise God? For what do the angelic beings praise God? What is the significance of the seven-fold doxology? Who are those clothed in white robes and where are they from? What is this “great tribulation?” How does the blood of the Lamp cleanse them and make them white? How do they serve God? What blessings does God give them?
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