“The Pause”
November 22, 2009
Revelation 7
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." 4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" 14I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Last week we studied the first six of the seven seals – the six seals in chapter 6. In a couple of weeks we will resume our study of the seals and take a look at the seventh and finial seal. But today, in the seventh chapter, is a ‘pause’ so to speak. The first 5 seals went pretty quickly. But this chapter is devoted to what happens after the sixth seal and before the seventh seal. There’s some pretty interesting and encouraging stuff in here. But notice the chapter starts with “After this…” You might think, “After what?” To get that answer we have to go back to the previous chapter.
12I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
After all that happened, the great earthquake, the sun blackened out, the moon turning blood red, the stars falling to the earth, the sky receding like a scroll, the unbelievers in the earth trying to hide from the wrath of God – AFTER THAT - we come to chapter 7. What happens ‘after that’? Listen
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
First we see four angels, or agents of God, holding back the earth to prevent any wind from blowing. When you think of wind – what do you think of? Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Sand storms? What do you think would happen if the wind stopped blowing? No cool breezes; no weather changes; the cold would become colder and the hot would become hotter. Wind is a good thing. We need it. But these angels had the power to harm the land and the sea. Most scholars think the four winds represented warfare (Job 38:23,24, Isa. 27:8, & Jer. 18:17), famine (Gen. 41:6, 23, Job 15:2, Eze. 17:10), violence and destruction (Hab. 1:9, Ps. 48:7) and the destruction of commerce and economic collapse (Eze. 27:24-27).
The angels are holding these winds back. Why? They are preparing for destruction. But another angel comes from God and in a loud voice tells the angels to “hold on”! “We aren’t ready yet!” or more accurately,
"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
The greatly respected Matthew Henry says in his commentary,
“In the figurative language of Scripture, the blowing of the four winds together, means a dreadful and general destruction. But the destruction is delayed. Seals were used to mark for each person his own possessions. This mark is the witness of the Holy Ghost, printed in the hearts of believers. And the Lord would not suffer his people to be afflicted before they were marked, that they might be prepared against all conflicts. And, observe, of those who are thus sealed by the Spirit, the seal must be on the forehead, plainly to be seen alike by friends and foes, but not by the believer himself, except as he looks steadfastly in the glass of God’s word.”
The sealing of the servants in the forehead probably means an open and real acknowledgment of Christ expressed by public testimony and a life devoted to his service. The Bible takes about this seal in other places.
2 CO 1:22: “Set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
EPH 1:13: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
EPH 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
2 TI 2:19: “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
We hear a lot about the ‘mark of the beast’ in revelation, but God has His seal on us as well. This seal is the Holy Spirit. Others can see the seal as the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a soul – the results are a sweet spirit; a loving spirit; a kind spirit; a self controlled spirit.
I want you to notice that the Spirit filled Christian is under God’s protection. We may go through famine and warfare and some of those bad things – but the Lord will be with us all the way to the end. He empowers us. He protects us. He prepares us.
A lot of good Christians think that they will be raptured out – before the tribulation begins. They believe God will not allow His children to go through these tribulations. Others believe that God will rapture the church out in the middle of the tribulation – before the wrath of God. Still others think that Christians will go all the way through the tribulation. Let me say that you can be a good Christian with any of those views. Nazarenes are very tolerant in their views of the end times and great men and women scholars and theologians have held each of them. I have held most of them at one time or another myself. But in my studies I have come to believe the latter view. I believe that Christians will go through the tribulation. In fact, I think they will suffer some of the tribulation pain, as the Children of Israel did in Egypt. But you can count on these three things: 1. He will never allow more than we can bear. 2. He will always work it out for our good, and 3. He will give us the grace needed.
When it comes to the wrath of God, I think we will be there, but not suffer it – just like the Children of Israel in Egypt. In fact, I think the shadow of what is to come in the end times, is expressed and revealed in the miracles of God’s people leaving Egypt. When the plagues were fairly minor, God’s people suffered them as well - maybe to show the unbelievers how to rightly respond to affliction. When the plagues got more severe, like the plague of darkness and the killing of the first born child, God provided a way for His people to escape it. I think it may be just like that in the tribulation. We will be there – but God will be protecting us. We will not suffer His wrath. Take courage – God’s will – will never take you where His grace can not keep you.
Now we come to the famous 144,000. Who are they? There are many theories as to who they are. The Seventh-Day Adventist apply it to their faithful who will be found observing the Jewish Sabbath at the Lord’s return. Those who follow Joseph Russell, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, teach that the 144,000 are the overcomers of their church who continue faithful to the end. There are many more who have applied this number to their select group. All of these overlook a very simple fact - the 144,000 are composed of 12,000 from each tribe of the children of Israel. Some believe that this refers to the church citing New Testament passages that identify the church as Israel.
I have come to believe, the first group of people (vs 1-8), are Jewish evangelist who will be preserved on earth. They will survive the holocaust of divine wrath unleashed by the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments. God will protect them from persecution, war, famine, natural disasters, and disease, and they will most likely be ushered into the Millennial kingdom alive.
Now we come to the multitude. Notice the 144,000 were on earth. The multitude is not. They are in heaven. They are standing before the throne of God. They are surrounded by the 24 elders and the angels in heaven. A few weeks ago I mentioned that the white robe indicates joy. We usually associate the white robe with purity – and it does mean that. But the white robe of John’s day was party dress. You wore the drab brownish colors as your work clothes and every day clothes, but when you wanted to party – you put on the white robe. It was a happy, celebrating kind of clothing. The palm branches, one commentator suggested, were like balloons of our day. They were a mark of joy and festivity. And they were praising God. Only those who have ever truly worshipped God can know the joy they were feeling. Giddy? Rapturous? Ecstatic? Joyful? I’m not sure what word you would use to describe how they were feeling. But I think if you looked at their faces you would see them shinning with joyous smiles.
It is only to the self-centered, carnal person that praising God is not attractive. Why do we praise? What do we adore God? Why do we worship? Isn’t it because God has done such marvelous things for us? Isn’t it because He has blessed us so much? I wish I could express to you the wonderful joy these people were feeling. And notice they were from every tribe and nation and people on earth. It isn’t one church; not one denomination; not one nationality that is going to make it. Everyone who confesses the name of Jesus will be saved – and there are going to be multitudes.
Now notice the time frame.
"These are they who have come out of the great tribulation…” (v 14)
Is the end of the tribulation? It doesn’t appear so. We haven’t gotten to the seventh seal yet. But we are close. I think the ‘great tribulation’ may be this probationary state we call life. One commentator said,
“These are they that have come out of great tribulation. This refers to the pressure, affliction, anguish, burden, persecution and trouble that these Christians had been exposed to from the first day they became Christians.”
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.(tribulation ) But take heart! I have overcome the world. JOH 16:33
strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships (tribulation KJV) to enter the kingdom of God," they said. ACT 14:22
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble (tribulation K.G.) or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ROM 8:35
In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. (suffer tribulation KJV) And it turned out that way, as you well know." 1 TH 3:4
This life is the ‘great tribulation’. We all suffer trials and troubles and temptation. Do you ever get tired of it? I do. Even the apostles did. But our assignment is to go through our tribulations and trials and overcome sin and temptation. God has placed us here so that we might have an opportunity to be overcomers. We all get dealt a different hand, like in a card game, and our assignment is to do the best we can with what we have - To make right choices in spite of difficult circumstances. We do that through the blood of the Lamb. Our own righteousness is like filthy rags. Life is dark and dirty and painful and sad and lonely when we come into this world. But we can wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb – and they become pure and clean and delightful.
This multitude that no one can number, “…have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” What does than mean? Isaiah said,
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
How does that happen? It happens by accepting Jesus as your Savior. When we confess, or repent, of our sins, He washes them all away. It’s as we have never sinned in His sight. This multitude has done that – and there were some wonderful consequences. First, they are in heaven. They are joyfully praising God. But listen to some more consequences.
15Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
They get to serve God night and day. This is what we were created for. It is a joy and a pleasure and results in all the blessings of serving the King. Remember the parable Jesus told of the talents? The servants were given money and power to work on the King’s behalf. Was Jesus alluding to how it may be in heaven? We can only imagine what that means – but know that it is inexpressibly good.
God will spread His tent over His child. That means taking Him into His home. It means protection, wealth, all that is in the home of the King. They never again hunger or thirst. Do you think John, on the island of Patmos, where he was exiled knew about hunger and thirst? How about the scorching heat? How about tears? John knew a little about that. And so do you. One day God will wipe every tear from your eye. You will take your rightful place as His child in His palace. And He will lead you to living waters. Ponce de Leon thought that was the fountain of eternal youth. I’m not sure what it means. I think it means something even better. By faith we can see if far off in the distance.
How about you? Have you signed up? One pastor I admire said it is unconscionable to tell about heaven and salvation and not give people a chance to respond. I agree. You see, we have all been born with a rebellious nature. We all have a selfish nature. If we want to become one of the multitude in heaven, we need to stop going away from God – and turn around and begin to seek Him. Are you ready to do that? Are you willing to make Jesus the Lord of your life? If so, pray a prayer like this.
Dear Jesus,
You have not been in control of my life. I do what I want, when I want, if I want. Please forgive me. From now on, I want you to lead me. I will follow. Tell me your will. I will obey. Accept me into your family. Lead me all the way to heaven.
