REVELATION 7
Because of the way in which the chapters of Revelation have been divided, some see chapter 7 as an interlude between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. However, since the book was not originally written in chapters, it is probably more correct to view chapter 7 as a continuation of the sixth seal and to see the multitude in Revelation 7:9-14 as the answer to the prayer of the martyrs when the fifth seal was opened. Once the multitude comes out of the great tribulation, the seventh seal will be opened, which will bring about half an hour of silence in heaven, followed by the trumpet judgments. The sealing of the 144,000 in chapter 7 is for the purpose of protecting them from the trumpet judgments. One question about this chapter, which I have been unable to resolve, is which of the trumpet judgments are the 144,000 protected from. By the time the fifth trumpet is blown, which brings locusts which attack everyone on earth who does not have God's seal, it is clear that there is a distinction between God's people who are still on earth and the unrepentant. It would seem to be in God's character to protect his people from all of the trumpet judgments, since they are the final warnings to mankind about their need to repent. But if one assumes that Christians are dispersed among the world's population, as they are today, it's hard to see how they would not be affected by the first four trumpets, which appear to be global judgments. For instance, if the fresh water supply on earth is damaged when the third trumpet is blown, causing many to die, how would God's people who also drink water not be affected by it? I mention this here, not to question God about how he handles his business, but just to acknowledge that I don't presently have all of the answers to my own questions about Revelation. It is clear throughout the rest of this book that the suffering of the saints is brought about by men inspired by the devil, and the suffering of the unsaved is brought about by God in response to their violent and abusive persecution of the saints.
There is some controversy among commentators as to whether the 144,000 is a literal or a symbolic number, and also whether these are Jewish converts to Christ in the last days, or whether they represent the entire church, including Gentiles. My approach to Revelation has always been that everything is literal, except where a literal interpretation is clearly not intended, as when Jerusalem is referred to as Sodom and Egypt in Revelation 11:8. Clearly there is some symbolic language in Revelation, but my belief is that no one should assume a symbolic meaning, except in cases where a symbolic meaning is obvious. In any case, the precise number of those sealed is fairly irrelevant, and it's not the basic point of the chapter, as we'll discuss later.
The second point is a bit more significant. In the Amplified Bible, Galatians 6:15-16 says:
15 "For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in
Christ Jesus, the Messiah].
16 Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and regulate their lives by this principle], even upon the [true] Israel
of God!"
Those who believe that those sealed here represent the entire church quote the scripture above which says that the church (those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior by faith) is the true Israel. That is true, and many New Testament passages, particularly in Romans and in Hebrews, make it clear that God's people have always been people of faith, not observers of the law or physical descendants of Jacob. Jesus also confirms this in Matthew 8:11-12 (NKJV), which says:
11 "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I concede that point. However, because twelve tribes are specifically mentioned here, and there is no scripture which assigns Gentiles who become Christians to any of the tribes of Israel, I believe the correct interpretation of this passage has to do with a Jewish remnant, rather than the entire household of faith. Some believe that the 144,000 people John hears about at the beginning of the chapter are identical to the multitude John sees later. But in order to believe that, one has to ignore the different descriptions of the two groups, the former as Jewish, and the latter as being from all tribes and tongues and people and nations. This point is significant to the extent that if one believes those sealed in chapter 7 are Jewish Christians, as I am inclined to believe, it gives some support to a pre-tribulation rapture position. If those who are sealed here include a vast multitude of both Jewish and Gentile Christians, it makes sense to believe that there is not a rapture until after the great tribulation. In either case, though this multitude is before the throne, not under the altar as the fifth seal martyrs are, it may be that they appear before the throne at this point in the vision, before the trumpet judgments, because they too have been killed for their testimony of faith in Jesus. Revelation 17:6 speaks alegorically of a woman who is drunk with the blood of saints and martyrs. No matter which interpretation is correct about who is sealed at the beginning of chapter 7, this is also not the main point of the chapter.
Judah is listed first among the twelve tribes, because Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. I'm not sure what reason there might be for the ordering of the rest of the list, but it is obvious that the tribe of Dan is left out, probably because the descendants of Dan became idolators (see Judges 18, particularly Judges 18:14-31). It is also odd that Joseph and Manasseh (a half-tribe of Joseph) are listed, but Ephraim is not. I don't know why Ephraim is omitted, but since it is the other half of Joseph, its inclusion here would be unnecessary in any case.
Some believe the antichrist will arise from the tribe of Dan. But it seems more interesting to me that there is a parallel between the original twelve tribes of Israel (where Dan is missing and replaced by Manasseh) and the original twelve apostles (where Judas is missing and replaced by Matthias).
It is also interesting to me that Revelation 7:3 says angels will seal God's servants on their foreheads. This is comparable to a passage in Ezekiel 9:4-6 where God's servants in Jerusalem are sealed, and whoever is not sealed is killed. It also reminds me of the passover in Egypt and that Jesus is our passover lamb. Additionally, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 and Ephesians 4:30 all speak of Christians as being sealed by the Holy Spirit. In addition to possessing the Spirit, this is a physical seal on the forehead, which presumably can be seen or perhaps detected by the same instruments which would check for the mark of the beast when someone attempts to buy or sell anything. As Esther was God's alternative to Haman, this seal is God's alternative to the mark of the beast.
After dealing with the controversies, we now get to what's really significant about this chapter. John sees a multitude of saints beyond any number he can guess from every tribe and tongue and people and nation joining the angels and the four living creatures in worship. Their sevenfold praise to God in Revelation 7:12 is similar to the sevenfold worship of Christ in Revelation 5:12. Anyone who believes in the racial or ethnic superiority of one group of people over another, or anyone who believes God favors one group of people over another has no answer to this passage. Indeed, one can gather from this passage that Jews have been God's chosen people, only to the extent that he loved them enough to begin revealing himself to mankind through them. Of course, that gives them great significance in the revelation of salvation to mankind and in human history, but it does not mean God created Arabs or anyone else accidentally.
The palm branches they hold are reminiscent of the Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, except that in this case they are preparing for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), not for the last supper before the crucifixion. Also, the rhetorical question and response in Revelation 7:13 is similar in form to the question and response in Ezekiel 37:3.
The really wonderful thing about this chapter though is that this multitude comes out of the great tribulation, as Revelation 7:14 says, which means that right until the hope for eternal salvation is finally closed to the unrepentant, God continues to reach out to them, snatching as many of them as possible from the potential for eternal punishment in hell. As the Amplified Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9:
9 "The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering
(extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance."
As Psalm 145:8-9 (AMP) also says:
8 "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.
9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]."
The promises in Revelation 7:16-17 are similar to those in Revelation 21:4 (AMP), which says:
4 "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain
any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away."
As we go on to the trumpet and bowl judgments, it is worth remembering the significance of this chapter and God's willingness and desire to reach the lost to the end. I believe this is the reason Jesus told the parable of the laborers, in which those who began working during the eleventh hour received a full day's wages (Matthew 20:1-16).
There is some controversy among commentators as to whether the 144,000 is a literal or a symbolic number, and also whether these are Jewish converts to Christ in the last days, or whether they represent the entire church, including Gentiles. My approach to Revelation has always been that everything is literal, except where a literal interpretation is clearly not intended, as when Jerusalem is referred to as Sodom and Egypt in Revelation 11:8. Clearly there is some symbolic language in Revelation, but my belief is that no one should assume a symbolic meaning, except in cases where a symbolic meaning is obvious. In any case, the precise number of those sealed is fairly irrelevant, and it's not the basic point of the chapter, as we'll discuss later.
The second point is a bit more significant. In the Amplified Bible, Galatians 6:15-16 says:
15 "For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in
Christ Jesus, the Messiah].
16 Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and regulate their lives by this principle], even upon the [true] Israel
of God!"
Those who believe that those sealed here represent the entire church quote the scripture above which says that the church (those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior by faith) is the true Israel. That is true, and many New Testament passages, particularly in Romans and in Hebrews, make it clear that God's people have always been people of faith, not observers of the law or physical descendants of Jacob. Jesus also confirms this in Matthew 8:11-12 (NKJV), which says:
11 "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I concede that point. However, because twelve tribes are specifically mentioned here, and there is no scripture which assigns Gentiles who become Christians to any of the tribes of Israel, I believe the correct interpretation of this passage has to do with a Jewish remnant, rather than the entire household of faith. Some believe that the 144,000 people John hears about at the beginning of the chapter are identical to the multitude John sees later. But in order to believe that, one has to ignore the different descriptions of the two groups, the former as Jewish, and the latter as being from all tribes and tongues and people and nations. This point is significant to the extent that if one believes those sealed in chapter 7 are Jewish Christians, as I am inclined to believe, it gives some support to a pre-tribulation rapture position. If those who are sealed here include a vast multitude of both Jewish and Gentile Christians, it makes sense to believe that there is not a rapture until after the great tribulation. In either case, though this multitude is before the throne, not under the altar as the fifth seal martyrs are, it may be that they appear before the throne at this point in the vision, before the trumpet judgments, because they too have been killed for their testimony of faith in Jesus. Revelation 17:6 speaks alegorically of a woman who is drunk with the blood of saints and martyrs. No matter which interpretation is correct about who is sealed at the beginning of chapter 7, this is also not the main point of the chapter.
Judah is listed first among the twelve tribes, because Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. I'm not sure what reason there might be for the ordering of the rest of the list, but it is obvious that the tribe of Dan is left out, probably because the descendants of Dan became idolators (see Judges 18, particularly Judges 18:14-31). It is also odd that Joseph and Manasseh (a half-tribe of Joseph) are listed, but Ephraim is not. I don't know why Ephraim is omitted, but since it is the other half of Joseph, its inclusion here would be unnecessary in any case.
Some believe the antichrist will arise from the tribe of Dan. But it seems more interesting to me that there is a parallel between the original twelve tribes of Israel (where Dan is missing and replaced by Manasseh) and the original twelve apostles (where Judas is missing and replaced by Matthias).
It is also interesting to me that Revelation 7:3 says angels will seal God's servants on their foreheads. This is comparable to a passage in Ezekiel 9:4-6 where God's servants in Jerusalem are sealed, and whoever is not sealed is killed. It also reminds me of the passover in Egypt and that Jesus is our passover lamb. Additionally, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 and Ephesians 4:30 all speak of Christians as being sealed by the Holy Spirit. In addition to possessing the Spirit, this is a physical seal on the forehead, which presumably can be seen or perhaps detected by the same instruments which would check for the mark of the beast when someone attempts to buy or sell anything. As Esther was God's alternative to Haman, this seal is God's alternative to the mark of the beast.
After dealing with the controversies, we now get to what's really significant about this chapter. John sees a multitude of saints beyond any number he can guess from every tribe and tongue and people and nation joining the angels and the four living creatures in worship. Their sevenfold praise to God in Revelation 7:12 is similar to the sevenfold worship of Christ in Revelation 5:12. Anyone who believes in the racial or ethnic superiority of one group of people over another, or anyone who believes God favors one group of people over another has no answer to this passage. Indeed, one can gather from this passage that Jews have been God's chosen people, only to the extent that he loved them enough to begin revealing himself to mankind through them. Of course, that gives them great significance in the revelation of salvation to mankind and in human history, but it does not mean God created Arabs or anyone else accidentally.
The palm branches they hold are reminiscent of the Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, except that in this case they are preparing for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), not for the last supper before the crucifixion. Also, the rhetorical question and response in Revelation 7:13 is similar in form to the question and response in Ezekiel 37:3.
The really wonderful thing about this chapter though is that this multitude comes out of the great tribulation, as Revelation 7:14 says, which means that right until the hope for eternal salvation is finally closed to the unrepentant, God continues to reach out to them, snatching as many of them as possible from the potential for eternal punishment in hell. As the Amplified Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9:
9 "The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering
(extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance."
As Psalm 145:8-9 (AMP) also says:
8 "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.
9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]."
The promises in Revelation 7:16-17 are similar to those in Revelation 21:4 (AMP), which says:
4 "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain
any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away."
As we go on to the trumpet and bowl judgments, it is worth remembering the significance of this chapter and God's willingness and desire to reach the lost to the end. I believe this is the reason Jesus told the parable of the laborers, in which those who began working during the eleventh hour received a full day's wages (Matthew 20:1-16).
posted by TAPIOCA at 6/17/2006 07:46:00 AM
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