Studies In Revelation Chapter 7 Series

Note: I used many sources to study this book, one of my favorites is Revelation: God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept by Daymond Duck and some out of different study bibles.

Title: Victory of the tribulation saints

Text: Rev 7:1-7:17

What happened in chapter 6?

What do you think would come next in chapter 7? but actually we see a kind of parentheses, we will see in chapter seven that God will answer the question that everyone has to ask, since the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain evil, what happens to those who believe during the great tribulation period? The Holy Spirit is still working but he has backed off. Similar to what he did in the OT but on a grandeur scale. We will see the answer in chapter 7

Remember God is going to open up this world to man. God will allow man to do whatever they want in their lives to let them see they need him. The same works today but on a smaller scale. God will sometimes let us go through a lot on our own. He will let us find our own job. Walk our own walk until we get tired of it and realize we can't make it without him and turn to him. He even does this in the lives of Christians.

Did we look at heaven or earth in chapter 6?

Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Church on earth, militant

1 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.

four corners of the earth-What could this be? North, South, East, West

four winds are four judgment

Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: (Psalms 148:8 AV)

God stops these judgment, why? To allow those to come to him. God always allows those who will to come to him. Notice the judgment have two effects. One effect is 1) repentance and salvation 2) cursing and damnation. God sends judgment in our lives for us to turn to him, to draw closer. How we receive them is our choice? Sadly too many people turn away.

2 And I saw another angel (a fifth 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,

Here is another angel. One of authority. There are levels in heaven. This is what we see even in our own walk of life.

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

In whom 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, (Ephesians 1:13 AV)

And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. (Ezekiel 9:3-4 AV)

Why did they need the seal, could they not overcome this?

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22 AV)

What do you think the mark of the Lord is?

1) could it be a life 2) is it a literal seal such as the seal that was put on Cain so that no one would kill him

Seals or marks in the Bible

1) mark of Cain

2) mark of God’s people

mark of the beast

Sealing of the Israelites

4 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. Here is a remnant out of Israel. God seals them so that they can make it through the Great tribulation period. Without the seal they could not make it. I believe that this is a literal figure of what is to happen.