Chapter 7 – The Seals and the Sealed –
The Interlude Between Judgments
“There were 144,000 who were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: . . ." Rev.7:4
V. 1: “Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds from blowing upon the earth. Not a leaf rustled in the trees, and the sea became as smooth as glass.”
Who are the four angels, good or evil? What are the four winds? [war, plague, famine, death?] or are they literally wind and weather and the elements in general that are unusual in strength and impact on the earth?
The angels are messengers of the hand of God, just like the Angel of Death who took the firstborn of all the Egyptians, and the angels who killed the Israelites with plague at the hand of the Lord. They are doing what the Lord has told them to do. The four angels are restraining harmful winds, which will blow across the earth. When they are released by the seals, they will stop restraining, and the four winds will blow, causing irreparable harm to the earth and its people. They may well be the result of mankind’s ‘research’ into controlling weather – such as the US HAARM project.
V. 2-3: "And I saw another angel coming from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted out to those four angels who had been given power to injure land and sea,3"Wait! Don't hurt the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants."
A word study of the term “seal” or “sealed” can be very enlightening – it has a lot of meanings:
| Seals can make proclamations into law. | Esth 8:8 |
| A seal can indicate agreement with a letter or proclamation. | Neh 9:38 |
| Seals were used to make legal documents officially legal [deeds, wills, etc.] | Jer 32:44 |
| A seal can be the evidence of purchase | Jer 32:14 |
| Seal can mean ‘to finish’. | Dan 9:24 |
| Seal can mean ‘hidden, to make a mystery, not understandable’. | Dan 12:4 |
The meaning we are interested in here is the evidence of purchase:
Jer 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.
God is placing the evidence of his purchase by the blood of the Lamb as a visible sign on the foreheads of these people. Note that the seal is placed on the forehead, counterpoint to the visible sign of the Beast. It is very likely this sign will be visible, providing visible proof of the Lordship of God over the earth. Those who wear the visible sign of God will not be subject to the Prince of this world. This follows the pattern set by God at the original Passover, in which the Jews who put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts were not harmed by the Angel of Death. Those who come under the protection of these Sealed Ones will also not be harmed. It is the Blood of the Lamb, which now provides protection. These are the faithful remnant of Israel that God has set aside to be His. Micah 5:7: And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of men.
Chapter 6 Final Question was “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Scripture answers it's own questions, as it so often does . . .
Ezek 14:22-23: Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.
This is the Remnant of which God spoke. They will display more gifts and powers than Daniel, Noah, and Job. Noah survived the judgment of God; Daniel survived the judgment of the king in the lion’s den; Job survived a judgment at the hands of satan. These will survive all three.
Joel 2:31-32: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call
The prophet Joel, who wrote exclusively about the Great Tribulation and the Day of Wrath, says here that those who call on the Lord will stand. There will be human survivors of the Great Tribulation who will enter the Millennial Kingdom.
Isa 37:32: For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
V. 4a: And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God. There were 144,000 who were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:
Didn’t someone say the Church replaced Israel??? The SCRIPTURES DO NOT SAY THIS - THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THE CHURCH IS GRAFTED INTO THE TREE OF ISRAEL. Read Romans chapter 11!
Christians have used this verse to claim many things, but using it in context shows Paul referring to the Israelis, the Jews, the people of God called through Abraham, and God will not go back on His word. We were grafted INTO the tree [Israel] – it was NOT cut down.
Why is God sealing 144,000 Jews??
But we do know that the Messiah was promised to Israel and that God fulfills His promises; some will say that the prophecy is metaphorical and we have been grafted in and now are the inheritors of all the promises. But God is faithful, and will fulfill the promises literally – see Romans 11:2 – “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. . “
God then, knew beforehand, when He made the promises, all that Israel would do, and therefore when He made the promises, He intends to keep them, physically, to Israel. From Messianic Christology by Rabbi Fruchtenbaum, “Because all First Coming prophecies were fulfilled in a literal way, and not 'allegorically', or 'spiritually', we should expect the Second Coming prophecies to be fulfilled in the same way."
So, what shall Israel be? If all tribes, and tongues, and peoples, and nations will be a kingdom and priests to our God, what special position is reserved for Israel as the Chosen People who have suffered countless tragedies through the ages?
“There were 144,000 who were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: . . .” God will do something special with the Israelis, both during Tribulation and during the Millennium. We may not know what it is, but Paul said “Now if their transgression be riches for the world, and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be? Do not be arrogant . . . for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.” Rom 11: 12.
V. 4b-8: Tribes sealed:
from
Judah, 12,000
from Reuben, 12,000
from Gad, 12,000
6from Asher, 12,000
from Naphtali, 12,000
from Manasseh,
12,000 NOTE: Joseph
receives a double portion
7from Simeon, 12,000
from Levi, 12,000
from Issachar, 12,000
8from Zebulun, 12,000
from Joseph, 12,000
from Benjamin, 12,000
Sons of Jacob are listed and found in Genesis:35:23-26
The sons of
Leah were Reuben (Jacob's oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and
Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant, were
Dan and Naphtali. Note: Dan does not appear above
The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.
Joseph’s sons - Genesis 46:20
Joseph's sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis.
Who are the 144,000?
“ . . . and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads . . . . 4For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb.5No falsehood can be charged against them; they are blameless.” Rev 14:1, 4,5
Will they all be sealed in one day?
No, the Lord will take his time and ours to do these things. Since each tribe is called out separately, I believe an angel will be sent out to seal each tribe individually. There is a great cloud of witnesses who will watch all this, and as with everything else, the sealing will be recorded in heaven by name.
These are Christians and they are Jewish. Do these know they are servants of God? YES. Do they know they are Jewish? They will when they are sealed even though they may be of the lost tribes, and may not know it now.
The tribes left in Israel at the time of Christ were only Judah, Benjamin, and a few Levites. All other tribes were lost in 722 BC when the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. The Samaritans were descendants of mixed race – both Jewish, Assyrian, and other ethnic groups. Samaritans were considered less than dogs by the tribes of the Kingdom of Judah for racially intermixing with the Assyrians. Therefore, all records and documents of any of these other tribes are lost, as is any likelihood that ‘pure’ Jewish people from any of these tribes can still be found. But this is information that is NOT hidden from the Lord! He knows exactly where the lost tribes are.
In all other Revelation prophecies that give specific numbers, we take them literally. This prophecy says there are 144,000 who are sealed, only those, and they are from the tribes of Israel and Judah. So even though the rest of the tribes had long since been dispersed throughout the nations, they will still be called and sealed by God. They may not even know they are Jewish, particularly since lineage passes through the mother. They will be from the nations as well as from current day Israel.
Will the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls affect other Christians who are not part of the 144,000?
As Christians, we are never subject to demonic powers unless we choose to be or just do not exercise our rights and privileges. Unfortunately, there will be a great multitude who are unaware of their rights as Christians and do not know that they are not subject to demons. These will allow themselves to be subject to the judgments out of a lack of knowledge. Perhaps their observations of empowered Christians will wake them up and they will take on the full Armor of God provided by the Spirit free of charge to all who will accept it. The fruit of the Spirit is not automatic, and does not come at spiritual rebirth. It grows as we voluntarily yield ourselves to the filling of the Spirit of God and the evidences of this are the Gifts of the Spirit. Whoever has the faith make take the authority and resist any demonic plague that afflicts mankind. However, physical plagues – earthquakes, hail, war, etc, may still injure or kill Christians. We are specifically told that the 5th Seal will result in the deaths of untold multitudes of Christians, however this is generally interpreted to be by martyrdom.
However, as Rick Joyner notes:
“Every Christian has a part to play in preparing the
way for the Lord. A mighty force of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,
and teachers are being prepared for these times. The works that the Lord did,
and even greater works, will be given to them to fulfill this great purpose.
There is an army being mobilized like the world has never seen. Before the end
comes, the whole world will have seen them and heard their message. This is to
give everyone the opportunity to prepare themselves for the coming kingdom. [see
website reference below].
If we are Christians,
then we have joined this great army. We no longer belong to ourselves, and we no
longer live for ourselves, but for Him. We are soldiers of the cross. Let us not
waste a single day of learning how to use the weapons and armor that we have
been given for this purpose. We need to especially sharpen "the sword of the
Spirit," which is the Word of God that has been given to us. We are all going to
get a chance to use it.”
http://www.eaglestar.org/pages/word_week/word_week_menu_2003.html
Rick Joyner, MorningStar Ministries.
Exodus 8:22: And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms [of flies] shall be there; to the end thou may know that I [am] the LORD in the midst of the earth.
God knows how to differentiate between his people and those who reject Him. The Plagues and Exodus from Egypt was a pattern of the end of this Age.
In the case of the 144,000, God has preemptively sealed these for His own purposes. They will be the first-fruits of Israel at the Second Coming. The other side has no power over them, so regardless of how powerful the demons are, these will be able to overcome them – similar to the two witnesses. I believe they will all survive. If you know one of these, a good place to be during the Great Tribulation would be behind him. Look for one and go there, BECAUSE . . .
V. 9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands.
Why did they carry palm branches? What do palm branches signify?
Lev. 23:40: Now, on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, after you have harvested all the produce of the land, you will begin to celebrate this seven-day festival to the LORD. Remember that the first day and closing eighth day of the festival will be days of total rest.40On the first day, gather fruit from citrus trees, and collect palm fronds and other leafy branches and willows that grow by the streams. Then rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
Palm, willow, and myrtle were the traditional branches used to construct the ‘tents’ or shelters for the Feast of Tabernacles. Note that they grow next to the river, the symbol of the Water of Life provided by the Lord. The Feast of Tabernacles [or Succoth] is a picture of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. We will study this feast later. The martyrs under the throne are ready for the wedding supper of the Lamb. They are anxious, like a bride who is waiting for her husband-to-be to come and get her.
Where are they standing?
They are standing in front of the throne, and before the Lamb – let’s look at the picture of the Temple. They are standing by the Fire Altar – the place where God does business with man – as a reminder that we cannot even approach the Holy God without the benefit of the sacrifice performed once for all by the Lord Jesus.
V.
10-12:
And they were
shouting with a mighty shout, "Salvation comes from our God on the throne and
from the Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the throne and
around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell face down before the
throne and worshiped God. They said,
"Amen! Blessing and
glory and
wisdom
and thanksgiving and
honor and
power and
strength
belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!"
How many blessings did they bless the Lord with? Seven things! Is there any difference in 7:10 and 5:12? [power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing."] In Chapter 7, riches have been transformed into thanksgiving! We cannot have riches without thanksgiving. Praise always comes first. Which do you think is more valued by God?? The thanksgiving of his people, of course. What good are all the stones in the world, no matter how pretty, without love? And the residents of heaven are singing again – something important is about to happen!
Contrast the sealing of the 144,000, who will not be harmed by what the four angels release upon the earth, with the great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues, standing before the throne clothed in white, with palm branches. The Lord will ask the great majority to 'take up our cross and follow him' . . .
V. 13-17 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, "Who are these who are clothed in white? Where do they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows. "Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. That is why they are standing in front of the throne of God, serving him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will live among them and shelter them. They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears."
Note here what the Elder has said:
1) These are the saints from the Great Tribulation
2) They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb
3) They have made their robes white
These are they who come out of the great Tribulation, and have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. Their number is so large it is uncountable. Later in Rev. Ch 9, 200 million are counted, so this group is much larger than 200 million. If it is a billion, that is 1/6th of the world’s current population, who will die saved during Tribulation. They may or may not be martyrs, Revelation does not specify.
As they wait for the conclusion of all these great things, they stand before God the Father in heaven, in His Temple. During the Millennium, God the Father will remain in heaven, while Jesus will visibly reign on earth. The nations still will not see the Ancient of Days, setting them up for the final deception at the end of the Millennium, when the Dragon is released for a short while.
The Great Multitude of believers will:
- stand before the Throne of God in heaven
- serve Him day and night in His Temple
- He who sits on the throne shall spread His Tabernacle over them
- they shall hunger no more
- they shall thirst no more
- the sun will not beat down on them, nor any heat
- the Lamb shall be their Shepherd
- He shall guide them to the springs of the water of Life
- He shall wipe every tear from their eyes
A special place has been reserved for those who will give their lives during the Great Tribulation, so although the suffering may be great, the reward will be commensurately greater. This view is prophetic and includes all those who die during the Great Tribulation, and this prophecy is also to comfort those who will suffer as the Trumpets sound and the Bowls of Wrath are poured out in the next few chapters.
So then, what is the purpose of the Tribulation? Why have all these saints lost their earthly lives??
To learn Righteousness, to be found without spot or wrinkle, the perfect Bride.
Isa 26:9: With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Eph 5:27: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
