|
So, the two words that connect
Revelation, chapter 6 and Revelation,
chapter 7 are “seal”
and “stand.” The one
has to do with God’s judgments [the six seals in
chapter 6] and chapter 7 having
to do with the “sealing,” so to speak, the
authentication, of a certain group of people. Then, there is
the word,
“stand”—“…who
is able to stand?” That question
is answered, and those ones who are
standing are identified.
Also, in Revelation, chapter 7,
we see two principle tasks, or two jobs, that must be done.
These are also tasks that we must accomplish. First, we must
know something about the sealing of the 144,000, and we are going
to look at that in some detail. Secondly, we must know
something of this great multitude that is pictured here in
chapter 7, beginning with verse 9 and
following.
Those are the two objectives, I think, that are
listed there in your outline [Number 1 under Objectives
in Studying this Chapter at the beginning of this
lesson], to know, to understand, to explore these two
principles.
THE 144,000 SEALED ON EARTH (VERSES
1-8)
Revelation 7:1-8
4 And I heard the number of those who were
sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of
the children of Israel were sealed:
Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were
sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were
sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were
sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were
sealed.
Of course, do the math—12 times 12,000 is
144,000.
The Angels Restrained (verses
1-3)
After these
things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow
on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then 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
granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm
the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants
of our God on their foreheads.”
[Verse
1: After these things I saw four angels standing
at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the
earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or
on any tree.”] John’s first vision shows
“four angels standing at the four corners of the
earth,” and they are withholding the wind. These
are angels of judgment. It’s important to notice that
there are four angels, there are four winds, and there are four
corners. The implication is that this is showing the
universality of it all, that this is the totality of all that
exists—the whole creation is in view here.
There are those
who are wont [accustomed] to take even the smallest point and
misapply it, and, perhaps, even develop an entire doctrine around
their misapplication. Some have used this in two ways:
First of all, to suggest that maybe, according to the Bible, the
earth really is flat after all. Well, let’s
see…1492 wasn’t it, when “Columbus sailed the
ocean blue”? (See? I still remember that little
song that we sang as children.) Then others would say that,
“You see? This is just one more example of how
misinformed and how inaccurate the Bible is. Look, the
implication here is that the earth is flat.”
WE know for a fact that it is
not.
| | | | |
