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READ EXCERPT FROM REVELATION CHAPTER SIX BELOW
OR GO TO REV CHAPTER SEVEN 
(Rev 6:17 NASB) "for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
"the great day of His wrath" = "The great day is The Day of the Lord, a unique time yet
future when God will radically intervene in history to demonstrate in an
irrefutable way Who He is."
The primary Old Testament passages from which the images in
the sixth seal are drawn prove that the great day must be the Day of the Lord
(Isa. 2:10-11, 19-21; 13:9-13; 34:4, 8; Eze. 32:7-8; Hos. 10:8; Joel 2:11, 30;
Zep. 1:14; Mal. 4:5).104
First, the expression the Day of the Lord refers to God’s
special intervention into world events to judge His enemies, accomplish His
purpose for history, and thereby demonstrate Who He is—the sovereign God of the
universe (Isa. 2:10-22; Eze. 13:5, 9, 14, 21, 23; Eze. 30:3, 8, 19, 25-26).
Second, several Days of the Lord already have occurred in which God
demonstrated His sovereign rule by raising up nations to execute His judgment
on other nations. For example, He raised up Babylon to judge Egypt and its allies
during the 500s B.C. (Jer. 46:2, 10; Eze. 30:3-6). However, the Bible also
foretells a future Day of the Lord.105
At the outset of the day of the Lord, human trials will be
prolonged and comparable to a woman’s labor before giving birth to a child
(Isa. 13:8; 26:17-19; 66:7-9; Jer. 30:6-8; Mic. 4:9, 10; cf. Mat. 24:8; 1Th.
5:3). This phase of growing human agony will be climaxed by the Messiah’s
personal return to earth to terminate the period of turmoil through direct
judgment.106
The great day which has been on the horizon for thousands of
years has finally arrived. Men will experience unparalleled fear and conditions
that have never before prevailed upon the earth:
Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as
destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp, every man’s
heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of
them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; they will be amazed at one
another; their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will
destroy its sinners from it. (Isa. 13:6-9)
The proud technologies of man, and infrastructure upon which
it depends, will quickly collapse in the midst of this time of divine
retribution. Death will be so common that burial will be uncommon as the flesh
of men is treated as so much garbage:
The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens
quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; there the mighty men shall
cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds
and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and
against the high towers. “I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk
like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be
poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse.” (Zep. 1:14-17) [emphasis
added]
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and
all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is
coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them
neither root nor branch.” (Mal. 4:1-2)
Not only will God pour forth his wrath upon the Gentile
nations, but the Jewish nation will also undergo a time of unparalleled trouble
designed to purge out the unbelieving rebels and turn the remainder back to
God. In the midst of this intense judgment, God has promised that a believing
remnant will survive (see Jacob’s Trouble and the Great Tribulation):
Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning
Israel and Judah. “For thus says the LORD: ’We have heard a voice of trembling,
of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor
with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman
in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, so that none
is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of
it.” (Jer. 30:4-7) [emphasis added]
Jesus also spoke of this fearful time:
And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the
stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the
waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those
things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
(Luke 21:25-26)
This is that great day for which the angels who did not keep
their proper domain are reserved for judgment—they will be used in judgment
against men (Rev. 9+). See The Day of the Lord, Jacob’s Trouble and the Great
Tribulation. The wrath is said to be of the Lamb (Rev. 6:16+). This is extremely
significant because those who are covered by the blood of the Lamb prior to
this day (1Pe. 1:17-19) are exempted from experiencing His wrath—they are His
bride (Luke 21:36; Rom. 5:9; 1Th. 5:9; Rev. 3:10+). See commentary on
Revelation 3:10. See Rapture.
(Rev 6:17 NASB) "for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
"has come" = ἦλθεν [ēlthen], aorist tense which normally denotes past
time. The day has already come in the opening of the sixth seal. God’s wrath is
being poured out prior to the seventh seal (which initiates the seven trumpet
judgments). This contradicts the pre-wrath rapture view which holds that the
seals represent “Man’s wrath through Antichrist” [emphasis added]107. While it
is true that the aorist tense can be used to describe a future event
(proleptic),108 it is more often used of actions which have already transpired.109
Advocates of the pre-wrath rapture view argue that the pronouncement associated
with the sixth seal is anticipatory of the wrath of God, and not in reaction to
it.110 Since the aorist can represent events either in the past or future, the
form of the verb itself (aorist) cannot settle the matter. Instead, the context
must indicate which meaning is in view. The use of this same word within the
larger context of the book of Revelation argues for understanding has come as
denoting a past or present event which has just arrived. Mention of this
specific aorist form rendered has come (ἦλθεν [ēlthen]) in the book of
Revelation, include the following:
1. “Then He
came and took the scroll” (Rev. 5:7+).
2. “For the
great day of His wrath has come” (Rev. 6:17+).
3. “Another
angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.” (Rev. 8:3+).
4. “The
nations were angry, and Your wrath has come” (Rev. 11:18+).
5. “Fear God
and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come” (Rev. 14:7+).
6. “Thrust in
Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap” (Rev. 14:15+).
7. “Then one
of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came” (Rev. 17:1+).
8. “Five have
fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come” (Rev. 17:10+). (It is important
in this instance to observe that ἦλθεν [ēlthen] merely denotes come. The future
aspect of the statement, not yet, comes from another word (οὔπω [oupō].)
9. “That
great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come”
(Rev. 18:10+).
10. “Rejoice
and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come” (Rev. 19:7+).
11. “One of the
seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to
me” (Rev. 21:9+).
In each of these cases, the verb describes something in the
past, in the present, or in the immediate future - having “just now” come. “The
aorist may be used for stating a present reality with the certitude of a past
event. This idiom is a device for emphasis. It is commonly used of a state
which has just been realized, or a result which has just been accomplished, or
is on the point of being accomplished. (John 13:31; Mat. 3:17; 1Cor. 4:18).”111
In none of its appearances in Revelation is it rendered by the translators as a
true future tense (e.g., shall come, will come, is coming).The pre-wrath
rapture view requires its use here to be anticipatory over a period—spanning
the events of the next chapter where the 144,000 are sealed and a multitude of
martyrs are revealed—reaching until the seventh seal is loosed (Rev. 8:1+).
Within the larger context of the book of Revelation this verb form does not
denote what pre-wrath rapture proponents require. The most that can be said is
that in some cases it describes an event which is “just now” happening, on the
boundary between the present and the future (e.g., the impending destruction of
Babylon in Rev. 18:10+, the arrival of the marriage of the Lamb in Rev. 19:7+).
The only time an aorist indicative speaks of something
future or something about to happen, however, is if it is a dramatic aorist (H.
E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament [New
York: Macmillan, 1927], p. 198), a futuristic aorist (BDF, par. 333 [2]), or a
proleptic aorist (Nigel Turner, Syntax, vol. 3 of A Grammar of New Testament
Greek [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1963], p. 74). Some contextual feature
must be present to indicate clearly these exceptional usages. No such feature
exists in the context of the sixth seal, so these special uses are not options
here. . . . The verb in Rev. 6:17+ must be a constantative aorist looking back
in time to the point in the past when the great day of wrath arrived.112
When we examine the immediate context of this passage - the
seismic and astronomical disturbances - we find that Isaiah elsewhere attributes
these phenomena as being part of the Day of the Lord:
[Compare Isa 2:10-21]:
"Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror
of the LORD and the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be
humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall
be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon
everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up - And it shall be brought
low - upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all
the oaks of Bashan; upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that
are lifted up; upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; upon all
the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops. The loftiness of man
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD
alone will be exalted in that day, but the idols He shall utterly abolish. They
shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the
terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the
earth mightily. In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his
idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and
bats, To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged
rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises
to shake the earth mightily. (Isa. 2:10-21) [emphasis added]
Isaiah tells us that in that day, not before the day, men
will hide in holes of the rocks and caves.113 They are hiding from the terror
of the LORD when He arises to shake the earth mightily. Their hiding is not
anticipatory, but reactionary. In other words, the events of the sixth seal are
part of the Day of the Lord.
The reaction of the unbelieving world to the terrors
unleashed by the sixth seal will not be one of repentance (cf. Rev. 9:21+;
16:11+), but of mindless panic. They will finally acknowledge what believers
have been saying all along, that the disasters they have experienced are God’s
judgment. [emphasis added]114
In what way could the events of the sixth seal be said to be
“Man’s wrath” [emphasis added]115 as pre-wrath rapture advocates hold? These
events occur “when He opened the sixth seal” [emphasis added] (Rev. 6:12+). Who
is He? The Lamb of Revelation 6:1+! It is Jesus Christ who directly initiates
these judgments. And how could astronomical and seismic manifestations such as
these reflect the wrath of puny men? For what man could cause asteroids to fall
to the earth and the sky to recede as a scroll (Rev. 6:13-14+)?
Isaiah
2:10-22 foretold the future time when people,
including the proud and lofty, will flee in terror to hide in the holes
of the
rocks and caves of the earth “for the fear of the LORD, and for the
glory of His majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth”
(Isa. 2:11). . . .
note that Isaiah indicated he was writing about the Day of the Lord,
from which
we can conclude that the Day of the Lord . . . will include the sixth
seal, and
that seal will involve Day of the Lord wrath.116
See When Does the Day of the Lord Dawn?
(Rev 6:17 NASB) "for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
"who is able to stand" = τίς δύναται σταθῆναι [tis dynatai stathēnai]. Able is
present tense. The phrase could be rendered: who is presently able to stand.
Their exclamation does not concern a potential future situation, as if the
wrath were to begin after the seventh seal. They are presently experiencing the
wrath and recognize it by the events which have just transpired which have
driven them to hide in caves and in the rocks. When the sky splits and rolls up
like a scroll, mountains and islands move out of their place, and asteroids
fall to earth, there is little doubt concerning the power involved—it is the
judgment of God! These events are not a precursor to God’s wrath, they are the
result of His wrath. As Joel said, “For the day of the Lord is great and very
terrible; Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11b). It will be a time of unprecedented
bloodshed and death, However, in the midst of these things, there are some who
are able to stand because they are afforded special protection from God. The
144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel, Jewish believers in Messiah Jesus,
are protected so that their gospel mission (Rev. 7:9+) can be accomplished
during this time of unprecedented upheaval (Rev. 7:3-8+). As for the earth
dwellers, they will remain in denial:
But then, amazingly, even this would pass. After these few
terrifying days, the stars stopped falling and the terrible shakings ceased.
The survivors emerged from their shelters and began again to rationalize their
resistance to God. After all, these calamities could be explained
scientifically, so perhaps they had been too quick to attribute them to God’s
wrath. They quickly set about rebuilding their damaged structures and became
more resolute in their opposition to the gospel of Christ.117
The book of Revelation discredits those who hold that God is
so loving and kind that He will never judge people who have not received His
Son. Though the modern mind is reluctant to accept the fact that God will judge
the wicked, the Bible clearly teaches that He will. The Scriptures reveal a God
of love as clearly as they reveal a God of wrath who will deal with those who
spurn the grace proffered in the Lord Jesus Christ. The passage before us is a
solemn word that there is inevitable judgment ahead for those who will not
receive Christ by faith.118
Dear reader, is your citizenship in heaven? Or do you remain
an earth dweller yet?
Friends and brethren, what a mercy that day is not yet upon
us! There is a Rock to which we still may fly and pray, with hope of security
in its wide-open clefts. It is the Rock of Ages. There are mountains to which
we may yet betake ourselves, and be forever safe from all the dread convulsions
which await the world. They are the mountains of salvation in Christ Jesus. I
believe I am addressing some who have betaken themselves to them. Brethren,
“hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering; for He is faithful
that promised.” (Heb. 10:23.) But others are still lingering in the plains of
Sodom, who need to take this warning to heart as they never yet have done. O ye
travellers of the judgment, seek ye the Lord while He may be found, and call
upon Him while He is near! And may God in His mercy hide us all from the
condemnation that awaits an unbelieving world!119
Amen!
Wrong!!!!! Heb 10:23 does NOT teach that salvation unto eternal life can be lost at all. .
II) [Biblestudymanuals.net Commentary On Revelation Chapter 7]:
A) [Rev 7:1-3]:
(Rev 7:1 NASB) '''After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.
(Rev 7:2 NASB) And I saw another angel
ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and
he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to
harm the earth and the sea,
(Rev 7:3 NASB) saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or
the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their
foreheads." '''
So there will be four angels standing figuratively at the four corners or points of the compass of the earth, described as figuratively holding back the four winds in the sense of holding back the forces of destruction upon the earth which are shortly to come upon it and upon the sea and upon the trees - upon everything / everyone on the planet as will soon be granted / exercised by the living God as it states in verses 2-3 - and as previously stated representing the earthly catastrophes that occur under the seven seals, trumpets and bowls. Since nowhere in Revelation do we read of the four winds actually blowing, they may be taken as representing the earthly catastrophes that occur under the trumpets and bowls.
1) Got Questions Commentary On The Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets and Seven bowls in the Book of Revelation
"What are the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls in
the Book of Revelation?
Answer
The seven seals include the appearance of the Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2), great warfare (Revelation 6:3–4), famine (Revelation 6:5–6), plague (Revelation 6:7–8), the martyrdom of believers in Christ (Revelation 6:9–11), a devastating earthquake causing terrible devastation, and astronomical upheaval (Revelation 6:12–14). Those who survive the six seals are right to cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:16–17).
The seventh seal introduces the seven trumpet judgments. The
trumpets include hail and fire that destroy much of the plant life in the world
(Revelation 8:7), the death of much of the world’s aquatic life (Revelation
8:8–9; 8:10–11), the darkening of the sun and moon (Revelation 8:12), a plague
of “demonic locusts” that torture the unsaved (Revelation 9:1–11), and the
march of a demonic army that kills a third of humanity (Revelation 9:12–21).
The seventh trumpet calls forth seven angels who carry the
seven bowls of God’s wrath (Revelation 11:15–19; 15:1–8). The bowl judgments
include painful sores afflicting humanity (Revelation 16:2), the death of every
living thing in the sea (Revelation 16:3), the turning of rivers to blood
(Revelation 16:4–7), an intensifying of the sun’s heat (Revelation 16:8–9),
great darkness and an intensification of the sores from the first bowl
(Revelation 16:10–11), the advance of the Antichrist’s armies at Armageddon
(Revelation 16:12–14), and a devastating earthquake followed by giant
hailstones (Revelation 16:15–21).
Together, the seals, trumpets, and bowls of the end times
comprise “the great day of [God’s] wrath” (Revelation 6:17) and serve to judge
the Antichrist’s kingdom of wickedness. Revelation 16:5–7 declares of God, “You
are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because
you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve. . . . Yes, Lord God
Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”
II cont.) [Biblestudymanuals.net Commentary On Revelation Chapter 7]:
A cont.) [Rev 7:1-3]:
(Rev 7:1 NASB) '''After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.
(Rev 7:2 NASB) And I saw another angel
ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and
he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to
harm the earth and the sea,
John further states in verses 2-3 that he saw another angel in a vision from God as that angel was ascending from the rising of the sun evidently depicting a picture on the earth to John who was evidently facing toward the rising sun on the earth. And that angel was holding the seal of the living God - the seal of the power of God which power will evidently be released upon the earth from the heavens as foretold to John. For John told the four angelic beings, "Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees - [or for that matter anything] - until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." So John calls to the four other angels not to release their destruction upon the earth until the servants of God have a "seal" on their foreheads. Such a seal surely indicates ownership by God and the Lamb (14:1). Other passages indicate that they are believers. Furthermore, a seal B protection or security for the bearers. Note the emphasis in 9:4, where the demonic forces are told to harm "only those people who did not have the seal [sphragis] of God on their foreheads." In the light of these passages, we may say that the "sealed" are the people of God and that their sealing must be related to their salvation as stipulated also by Paul in 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30; cf. 4 Ezra 6:5. This is also evident in Rev 14:3-4 where the sealed are described as those who were redeemed from the earth as firstfruits to God (cf. Rom 8:23; James 1:18). In fact, "baptism" was considered a "seal" of salvation in the early church (cf. BAG, p. 804, s.v. sphragis). Therefore, the seal on the forehead is equivalent to the divine mark of ownership on them that elsewhere in the NT is referred to the presence of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30).
II cont.) [Biblestudymanuals.net Commentary On Revelation Chapter 7, cont.]:
B) [Rev 7:4-8]:
(Rev 7:4 NASB) And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000,
sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
[Expositor's]
"4 John next gives the number of those sealed - 144,000 - and their
identification: "From all the tribes of Israel." There are two
principal views regarding the identification of this group:
(1) The
number and the tribal identifications are taken literally and refer to
144,000 Jewish Christians who are sealed (to protect them from
destruction) during the time of the Great Tribulation] (J.A. Seiss, The
Apocalypse [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1957], pp. 160f.; Walvoord, pp.
140f.)."
[Biblestudymanuals.net on Rev 7:4-8]:
This
passage does not
refer to Jewish Christians but to Jews - physical descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And they will choose to believe in Jesus
Christ unto eternal life during the Tribulation Period when Christians
will be absent having departed earth in the Rapture . They will not be Christians of the
church age because Christians
/ believers of the age of the church age who are both Jews and Gentiles who believed in Christ
have already been taken off the earth in the Rapture which will occur
before the Tribulation period begins ]
[Expositor's on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
(2) According to another viewpoint, John is understood to use the language of the new Israel and thus refers to the completed church composed of Jew and Gentile (Alf, p. 624; Beckwith, p. 535; Caird, p. 95; Swete, pp. 96-97).
[Biblestudymanuals.net on Rev 7:4-8 cont:]
There is no such thing described in Scripture as the language of the
new Israel. There is no such thing as a new Israel in Scripture either. Israel
refers to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A future - new
generation of Israel will all choose to believe in Christ when He comes
in His Second Coming and fulfill the New Covenant at that time which is
exclusively between God and the house of Israel and the house of Judah, (ref Jer 31:31-34);
yet the New Covenant will benefit all others from all ages in many ways
even at times before the New
Covenant is fulfilled with a generation of Israel alone ]
[Expositor's on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
In
support of the first view is the normal usage of "Israel" in the NT
as referring to the physical descendants of Jacob. Galatians 6:16 is no
exception, as Peter Richardson observes: "Strong confirmation of this
position [i.e., that 'Israel' refers to the Jews in the NT comes from
the total absence of an identification of the church with Israel until
A.D. 160;
[Biblestudymanuals.net on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
The church is never identified as Israel in Scripture, properly read.
The words Israel and Jew
refer to those who are physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Some of
Israel, some Jews - physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may also
believe and have believed in Christ during the church age, and be called Christians -
especially at the beginning of the church age to become believers in
Christ as well as physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. During other
ages such as those that believe in Christ during the Tribulation period - a
continuation of the period of Israel - become believers in Christ as
well as Israelites / Jews]
[Expositor's on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
Reference to the Twelve Tribes (vv. 5-8) would most naturally be understood to refer to the ancient historic Israel and not to the church. The view that the Ten Tribes were "lost" in the first-century, though it is popular, hardly needs refuting (cf. IDB, 4:699f.; F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, NIC [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954], p. 489, n.13).
[Biblestudymanuals.net on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
The Ten Tribes were not lost at all. As a result of the Assyrian invasion and Assyria's defeat of the ten tribes, the ten tribes of Israel of the Northern Kingdom that remained alive were scattered throughout the region. Members of the ten tribes still exist even now and are even more widespread throughout the world given all these many years since the Assyrian invasion of Northern Israel. Many have since migrated toward southern Judah where Jerusalem is located, and over time have migrated throughout the world.]
[Expositor's on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
Thus, in this first view, John would symbolically be describing the beginning of what Paul foretold in Romans 11:25-29 as the salvation of "all Israel."
[Biblestudymanuals.net on Rev 7:4-8 cont:
The salvation of all Israel refers to when all
individuals of a generation of Israel - descendants of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob - no one else included to accomplish Israel's salvation of
that generation - having survived the extreme violence of the Great
Tribulation. Albeit many non-Jews during this time - all who will
choose to believe in Jesus
unto eternal life evidently at the time when Christ comes again
to the earth whereupon all of that generation of Israel as well as
those Gentiles
who believe will be saved unto eternal life through a moment faith
alone. So relative to the New
Covenant, in view is exclusively that generation of those who are Jews
in Christ when God fulfills the New Covenant with the
House of Irael and the House of Judah between Himself and Israel alone
exclusively as detailed in Jer 31:31-34 - albeit benefitting the whole
world throuthrough a moment of faith alone throughout the ages
including the church, and all other Gentiles
and Jews - those who are not parties to the new covenant who believe
in Christ in all kinds of ways as
well - throughout the ages ]
[Expositor's on Rev 7:4-8 cont. - on the matter of Gal 3:29, Phil 3:3 and Gal 6:16]:
In support of the second view, which identifies Israel with the church, is the fact that the NT identifies the followers of Christ as "Abraham's seed" (Gal 3:29), as "the true circumcision" (Philippians 3:3) and as the "Israel of God" (Gal 6:16; though disputed, cf. above).
[Biblestudymanuals.net on Rev 7:4-8 cont. - on the matter of Gal 3:29, Phil 3:3 and Gal 6:16]:
[GAL 3:29]:
In Gal 3:29 it stipulates, "And [since] you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." So believers in Christ in this age are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise which God made to Abraham and all mankind to inherit eternal life through a moment of faith alone in God's promise alone through Abraham's Seed; Who centuries later proved out to be Jesus Christ - the eternal Son of God, (ref. Gal 3:16). To be an heir according to the promise which God made to Abraham and all mankind is to immediately inherit eternal life with God as it says for example in Jn 3:16; and to be immediately declared to have the Righteousness of God credited to ones account which results in one inheriting a future transformation of ones being into a Righteous one .
The phrase "Abraham's seed" refers to Abraham's having trusted in God's promise through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Seed - the Descendant - of Abraham to make provision of eternal life for Abraham and all who believe in Christ's sacrifice for sins throughout time.
[Expositor's on Rev 7:4-8 cont.]:
Furthermore, John himself earlier in Revelation makes a distinction between the true Jew and the false (cf. 2:9; 3:9) and that could imply that here in chapter 7 he intends also to designate the true Israel or the church (Ladd, Commentary on Revelation, p. 116). Additional support for this view is found if there is a unity between the first and second groups in chapter 7, groups that otherwise must be treated as different and unconnected.
[Biblestudymanuals.net commentary on the phrase "synagogue of Satan" in Rev 2:8-9 & Rev 3:9]:
(Rev 2:8 NASB) "And to the angel of the church in
Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says
this:
(Rev 2:9 NASB) 'I know your tribulation and your poverty
(but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are
not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
[Now Jesus Christ in His glorified body next gives John
instructions to write to the angel of the church in Smyrna referring to Himself
as "The First and the Last, Who was dead, and has come to life [i.e., He
is Eternal]. Christ here is portrayed as the eternal One (cf. 1:8, 17; 21:6;
22:13) who suffered death at the hands of His persecutors and then was
resurrected from the grave (cf. 1:5). These aspects of Christ were especially
relevant to the Christians at Smyrna who, like Christ in His death, were experiencing
severe persecution. beginning as follows: 'I know your tribulation and your
poverty (but you are rich)" evidently referring to their temporal poverty
which is overshadowed by their spiritual riches in the sense of their
inestimably grand, future, eternal existence to have an eternal value which is
far superior to any temporal / physical riches in this mortal life. And the
Lord goes on to say, "and [I know of] the blasphemy by those who say they
are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." This is not to say
that all Jews are of the synagogue of Satan but those who are evidently not
Jews or those actual Jews who persecute Christians are in view since they are
doing Satan's work.
A Jew is one who is a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jews and Gentiles who have believed in Who Abraham believed in, Who is the descendant of His Who we know now as Jesus Christ Who will fulfill God's promise of the gift of His Righteousness unto eternal life through faith alone in His sacrifice for sins.
(Rev 3:9 NASB) 'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue
of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie - I will make them
come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you."
[Now, our Risen Lord moves to the subject of those who serve
Satan: "Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan"
referring to Jews who actually are affiliated with the synagogue of Satan in
the sense of those Jews who reject faith in Christ unto salvation and afflict /
persecute the believers in Christ, especially Jewish Christians for believing
in Christ the Messiah - those "who say that they are Jews and are not, but
lie" in the sense that although they have identified themselves as being
under the Mosaic Law and attend the Jewish synagogue and claim to follow the
teachings of Judaism and of Abraham their supposed father; they reject the
faith of Abraham their father - faith in a coming Descendant / Messiah Savior
of Abraham, Jesus Christ and persecute Jews who are of the faith of Abraham and
other Christians as well such as Gentile Christians. A true Jew in the view of
Jews like John and Paul is one who has found forgiveness and life in Jesus the
Messiah, while a false Jew is one who rejects those who believe in Jesus and
openly persecutes them; such a one is an antichrist (1 John 2:22). Hence they
are described as of the synagogue of Satan. And the Risen Christ states to the
faithful believers in Philadelphia, "I will make them come and bow down at
your feet, and make them know that I have loved you."]
[PHIL 3:3[:
And in Phil 3:3 it states, "
1) [Ro 2:28-29]:
2) [Compare Ro 4:1-4]:
(v. 1) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather,
discovered in this matter?
(v. 2) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had
something to boast about - but not before God.
(v. 3) What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness.'
[Notice that justification, i.e., being credited as
righteous is by a moment of believing. This passage quotes Gen 15:5-6 which
indicates that God promised Abram eternal life through Abram's seed Who is
Christ, (Gal 3:16) and when Abram believed in God's promise, God credited it to
him as righteousness, i.e., he was justified unto eternal life, (Ro 3:21-24).
So it is not by any works but by faith alone]:
(v. 4) Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to
him as a gift, but as an obligation.
(v. 5) However, to the man who does not work but trusts God
who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
3) [Ro 6:1-5]:
(v. 1) "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning
so that grace may increase?
(v. 2) By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it
any longer?
[Notice that the believer has died to the control of the sin
nature in his life]
(v. 3) Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
[Believers have been baptized into Christ by the Holy
Spirit, cp. Eph 1:13-14]
(v. 4) We were therefore buried with him through baptism
into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
(v. 5) If we have been united with him like this in his
death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
[So circumcision of the heart has to do with the work of the
Holy Spirit placing the believer into Christ unto a new life and eternal life
at the resurrection]:
4) [Compare Eph 1:13-14]:
(v. 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,
(v. 14) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until
the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his
glory."
5) [Compare Deut 30:6]:
"The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the
hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and
with all your soul, and live."
6) [Col 2:11]:
(v. 11) "In him you were also circumcised, in the
putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of
men but with the circumcision done by Christ
(v. 12) having been buried with him in [Holy Spirit, (Eph
1:13-14)] baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead."
[Note that this kind of circumcision which is spiritual
circumcision is defined as resulting in the "putting off of the sinful
nature" which is not accomplished by the hands of man but by Christ. It is
the result of a moment of "faith in the power of God". Furthermore,
it is equated with Holy Spirit baptism which places one into Christ at the
moment one believes, (Eph 1:13-14)]
[PHIL 3:3 CONT.]:
(v. 3) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
[BKC, op. cit., p. 659]:
"The Old Testament rite of physical circumcision was
not only a sign of covenant relationship, but it was also intended to be
related to spiritual circumcision of the heart (cf. Deut 30:6). Writing to
Gentiles, Paul made it clear that he and they were the true circumcision. This
was because they had no confidence in the flesh and instead worshiped by the
Spirit of God and gloried in Christ Jesus alone.
Instead of boasting in human accomplishments, as the
Judaizers and Jews did, a child of God should glory in Christ Jesus alone. The
word glory (kauchOmenoi) used here means 'boast' or 'exult' (cf. 1:26; 2:16; 2
Cor 10:17)."
[The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol 11, Zondervan
Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Homer A Kent, Jr. op. cit., pp. 138-9]:
"Paul follows the above warning with an explanation.
Christians are the real 'circumcision,' not the Judaizers who insisted on the
physical rite. He refers to those who have received the circumcision of the
heart, whether they be Jew or Gentile (Rom 2:25-29; Col 2:11). This concept was
no innovation, for the OT spoke of it frequently (Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; 30:6;
Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:7). The Judaizers misunderstood OT doctrine as well as
Christian teaching. Elsewhere Paul equates this circumcision performed without
hands with the believer's removal from spiritual death to spiritual life (Col
2:11, 13). Thus it is virtually synonymous with regeneration."
[PHIL 3:3 CONT.]:
(v. 3) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
[Jamieson, ibid.]:
"Worship God in the Spirit - The oldest manuscripts
read, 'worship by the Spirit of God'; our religious service is rendered by the
Spirit ( Jhn 4:23, 24 ). Legal worship was outward, and consisted in outward
acts, restricted to certain times and places. Christian worship is spiritual,
flowing from the inworkings of the Holy Spirit, not relating to certain
isolated acts, but embracing the whole life ( Rom 12:1 ). In the former, men
trusted in something human, whether descent from the theocratic nation, or the
righteousness of the law, or mortification of 'the flesh' ('Having confidence,'
or 'glorying in the flesh') [NEANDER] ( Rom 1:9 )."
[Expositor's, cont.]:
Just as Paul characterizes the Judaizing teachers by three
terms in the previous verse, so in v. 3 he explains the true circumcision by
three descriptive clauses. First, such persons worship by the Spirit of God,
not by human traditions or some external rite. Second, they glory in Christ
Jesus. Satisfaction comes from recognizing that their hope is found in Christ
alone, not through meticulous conformity to the external demands of the Mosaic
Law. They have understood that Christ's sacrifice has fulfilled the Law for
them. These words of Paul echo Jeremiah 9:23, 24, and are used by him also in 1
Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17. Third, they put no confidence in the
flesh. This states the negative aspect of the previous positive phrase... Paul
often uses the term in controversy with Judaizers, especially in Romans and
Galatians (e.g., Rom 3:20; 7:18, 25; Gal 2:16; 3:3; 5:19, 24). He teaches that
sinful humanity has no grounds for confidence before God... The true believer,
however, puts all of his trust in Christ and so removes any grounds for human
pride or boasting."
[GAL 6:16]:
(Gal 6:14 NASB) "But may it never be that I would
boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world
has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal 6:15 NASB) For neither is
circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Gal 6:16 NASB)
And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon
the Israel of God. (Gal 6:17 NASB) From now on let no one cause trouble for me,
for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. (Gal 6:18 NASB) The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen." =
Finally, author Paul writes the conclusion to his letter to
the Galatian believers, beginning with, "And those [of you] who will walk
by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God."
This rule he implies is in view in vv. 14-15: walking according to the message
of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ - boasting in Him alone for salvation
unto eternal life by grace through a moment of faith alone in Him alone. This
Paul states is a message for the Gentile believers whom he is addressing in his
letter and to the Israel of God, i.e., to believing Jews.
Note that the NIV errs logically, grammatically and
contextually in translating the Greek phrase "kai epi ton Israel" in
verse 16, "even to the Israel of God" rather than "and upon the
Israel of God" as in the NASB. While some believe that "Israel of
God" is the church, the evidence does not support such a conclusion :
1) the repetition of the preposition ("upon" or
"to") indicates two groups are in view.
2) all the 65 other occurrences of the term
"Israel" in the New Testament refer to Jews - physical descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It would thus be strange for Paul to use
"Israel" here to mean Gentile Christians who are not so descendant.
3) Paul elsewhere referred to two kinds of Israelites -
believing Jews and unbelieving Jews (cf. Ro 9:6). Lest it be thought that Paul
is anti-Semitic, he demonstrated by means of this benediction his deep love and
concern for true Israel, that is, Jews who had come to faith in Christ.
Upon these who have believed and continue in the faith -
both Gentile and Jew, Paul proclaims peace and mercy - God's peace and mercy -
to them. Note that those who are in Christ, those who have expressed a moment
of faith alone in Christ alone and thus have become new creations in Christ
forever have peace with and the mercy of God relative to their eternal destiny
and relationship with Him, (cf Ro 5:1ff . On the other hand, walking by this
rule provides His temporal peace and mercy as well.
Whereupon in Gal 6:17, Paul declares, "From now on let
no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my gody the brand-marks of
Jesus."
The request is that henceforth he be not troubled with the
kind of problem that had erupted in the Galatian churches because of the
legalizers. This can hardly mean that Paul did not want to hear about such
problems if they occurred. If they did occur he would want to combat them. Nor
can it mean that he did not want further trouble from the legalizers; for they
would certainly cause trouble, regardless of his wishes, and he could hardly
direct an appeal to them anyway. Instead, the appeal is to the churches
themselves and is that they might no longer trouble him by giving way to the
legalistic heresies which would be ever present. The reason, Paul says, is that
he has suffered enough already. It would be far better if the churches he
founded at such cost would assume their own share of suffering, above all by
resisting the kind of teaching that the legalizers upheld and therefore, if
necessary, by enduring whatever persecution might follow.
The "marks of Jesus" refer to the scars Paul bore on his body as the result of the persecutions he had endured for the sake of his Lord. These marks revealed his relationship to Christ, just as the "marks" (stigmata) of a slave revealed his ownership. A list of the experiences that might have caused such scars occurs in 1 Cor 4:11; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11; 6:4-6, 9 and 11:23-30. These genuine and honorable marks in the body contrast strikingly with the ritualistic and now meaningless mark (circumcision) the legalizers wished to impose on the Galatians.
9999999999999999999999 NASB 9999999999999999999999999999
REV 7 NASB
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners
of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would
blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel
ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and
he called out 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, or the sea, or
the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their
foreheads.”
The 144,000
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000,
sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from
the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6
from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of
Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe
of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from
the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve
thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude
which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and
languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they *cried out with a
loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb.”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and
around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces
before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power,
and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These
who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come
from?” 14 I [a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are
the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are
before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His [b]temple;
and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16 They
will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun [c]beat down on them, nor
any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their
shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the [d]water of life; and God will
wipe every tear from their eyes.”
999999999999999999999 EXPOSITOR’S 9999999999999999999999999
1-3 The "four angels" at "the four corners of the earth" hold "the four
winds of the earth" from blowing on the earth until the servants of God
are sealed on their foreheads. The expression "the four corners of the
earth" was used in antiquity among the Near-Eastern nations much as we
use "the four points of the compass." Since nowhere in Revelation do we
read of the four winds actually blowing, they may be taken as
representing the earthly catastrophes that occur under the trumpets and
bowls.
Another angel comes from the "east" (possibly from Jerusalem or Zion, to emphasize its mission of salvation?) and calls to the four others not to release their destruction until the servants of God have a "seal" on their foreheads. Such a seal surely indicates ownership by God and the Lamb (14:1). Furthermore, a seal may offer protection or security for the bearers. Such seems to be the emphasis in 9:4, where the demonic forces are told to harm "only those people who did not have the seal [sphragis] of God on their foreheads." Charles believes that only protection from demonic forces is involved in the sealing rather than escape from physical harm from the plagues, from the Antichrist, or protection from spiritual apostasy (R. H. Charles, Studies in the Apocalypse [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1913], p. 124f.).
By examining references to events that happened to those who, by
contrast, have the "mark" (charagma) of the beast (13:16-17), Charles's
view may be evaluated. In 13:16-17, those who do not have the mark of
the beast face severe socio-economic sanctions. Those who have the mark
of the beast are not only identified as beast worshipers but become the
objects of the irreversible wrath of God (14:9, 11). This implies, by
contrast, that those who have "the seal [sphragis] of God" are God
worshipers and will be the objects of his abiding grace. In 16:2, the
bowl of God's wrath appears to be directed exclusively toward those who
have the mark of the beast, thus excluding those with the seal of God
(cf. 16:6). Those having the mark of the beast are deluded by the beast
(19:20), this statement implying that the sealed of God are not thus
deceived. Finally, a martyred group is seen just prior to their
resurrection and thousand-year reign with Christ and are described as
not having the mark of the beast or worshiping him (20:4).
In the light of these passages, we may say that the "sealed" are the
people of God and that their sealing must be related to their salvation
as in the comparable figure used by Paul (2Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30;
cf. 4 Ezra 6:5). This is also evident in 14:3-4 where the sealed are
described as those who were redeemed from the earth as firstfruits to
God (cf. Rom 8:23; James 1:18). In fact, "baptism" was considered a
"seal" of salvation in the early church (cf. BAG, p. 804, s.v.
sphragis).
Furthermore, while the seal may not protect the sealed against harm
inflicted by human agency (13:7; 20:4), they are protected from the
divine plagues (16:2). It is clear that the protection from famine,
pestilence, and sword afforded the sealed in the apocryphal Psalms of
Solomon (15:6, 9) cannot also apply to John's sealed, since they are
beheaded (20:4). As for OT background for the problem, Ezekiel 9:4-7
may well be primary. In this passage a divine messenger with stylus in
hand was to go through the apostate Jerusalem of Ezekiel's day and put
a mark upon the foreheads of those who deplored the faithless idolatry
of the Israelites. Those so marked were the faithful and true servants
of God in contrast to the professed but false servants who had
abandoned him. The sealed would he spared the divine slaughtering of
the rebellious inhabitants of the city. Interestingly, the "mark" (taw
) in the Phoenician script looked like a cross and was later adopted by
early Jewish Christians as a symbol of their faith in Jesus ("The
Chi-Rho-Sign-Christogram and/or Staurogram," Matthew Black, Apostolic
History and the Gospel, ed. W. Gasque and R.P. Martin [Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1970], pp. 319-27).
The sealing language would have the effect of assuring the people of
God of his special concern and plan for them. Even when facing
persecution and martyrdom at the hand of the beast, they can be certain
that no plague from God will touch them but that they will be in his
presence forever because they are his very own possession. Therefore,
the seal on the forehead is equivalent to the divine mark of ownership
on them that elsewhere in the NT is referred to the presence of the
Holy Spirit (2Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30). This act of God will fulfill
the promise to the Philadelphian church: "Since you have kept my
command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of
trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live
on the earth" (3:10). Consequently, those thus sealed must be
Christians and not unconverted Jews or Gentiles (contra Robert Gundry,
The Church and the Tribulation [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973], p. 83).
[EXPOSITOR’S 66667777:
4 John next gives the number of those sealed - 144,000 - and their
identification: "From all the tribes of Israel." There are two
principal views regarding the identification of this group:
(1) The
number and the tribal identifications are taken literally and refer to
144,000 Jewish Christians who are sealed (to protect them from
destruction) during the time of the Great Tribulation] (J.A. Seiss, The
Apocalypse [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1957], pp. 160f.; Walvoord, pp.
140f.).
[Biblestudymanuals.net:
This
does not
refer to Jewish Christians but to Jews - physical descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And they will choose to believe in Jesus
Christ unto eternal life during the Tribulation Period when Christians
will be absent having departed earth in the Rapture . They will not be Christians of the
church age because Christians
/ believers of the age of the church age who are both Jews and Gentiles who believed in Christ
have already been taken off the earth in the Rapture which will occur
before the Tribulation period begins ]
(2) According to another viewpoint, John is understood to use the language of the new Israel and thus refers to the completed church composed of Jew and Gentile (Alf, p. 624; Beckwith, p. 535; Caird, p. 95; Swete, pp. 96-97).
66667777[Biblestudymanuals.net:
There is no such thing described in Scripture as the language of the
new Israel. There is no such thing as a new Israel in Scripture. Israel
refers to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A future - new
generation of Israel will all choose to believe in Christ when He comes
in His Second Coming and fulfill the New Covenant at that time which is
exclusively between God and the house of Israel and the house of Judah;
yet the New Covenant will benefit all others from all ages in many ways
even at times before the New
Covenant is fulfilled with a generation of Israel alone ]
In
support of the first view is the normal usage of "Israel" in the NT
as referring to the physical descendants of Jacob. Galatians 6:16 is no
exception, as Peter Richardson observes: "Strong confirmation of this
position [i.e., that 'Israel' refers to the Jews in the NT comes from
the total absence of an identification of the church with Israel until
A.D. 160;
[Biblestudymanuals.net:
The church is never identified as Israel in Scripture, properly read.
The words Israel and Jew
refer to those who are physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Some of
Israel, some Jews - physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may also
believe and have believed in Christ during the church age, and be called Christians -
especially at the beginning of the church age to become believers in
Christ as well as physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. During other
ages such as those that believe in Christ during the Tribulation period - a
continuation of the period of Israel - become believers in Christ as
well as Israelites / Jews]
Reference to the Twelve Tribes (vv. 5-8) would most naturally be understood to refer to the ancient historic Israel and not to the church. The view that the Ten Tribes were "lost" in the first-century, though it is popular, hardly needs refuting (cf. IDB, 4:699f.; F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, NIC [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954], p. 489, n.13).
[Biblestudymanuals.net: The Ten Tribes were not lost at all. As a result of the Assyrian invasion and Assyria's defeat of the ten tribes, the ten tribes of Israel of the Northern Kingdom that remained alive were scattered throughout the region. Members of the ten tribes still exist even now and are even more widespread throughout the world given all these many years since the Assyrian invasion of Northern Israel. Many have since migrated toward southern Judah where Jerusalem is located, and over time have migrated throughout the world.]
Thus, in this first view, John would symbolically be describing the beginning of what Paul foretold in Romans 11:25-29 as the salvation of "all Israel."
[Biblestudymanuals.net: The salvation of all Israel refers to when all
individuals of a generation of Israel - descendants of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob - no one else included to accomplish Israel's salvation of
that generation - having survived the extreme violence of the Great
Tribulation. Albeit many non-Jews during this time - all who will
choose to believe in Jesus
unto eternal life evidently at the time when Christ comes again
to the earth whereupon all of that generation of Israel as well as
those Gentiles
who believe will be saved unto eternal life through a moment faith
alone. So relative to the New
Covenant, in view is exclusively that generation of those who are Jews
in Christ when God fulfills the New Covenant with the
House of Irael and the House of Judah between Himself and Israel alone
exclusively as detailed in Jer 31:31-34 - albeit benefitting the whole
world throuthrough a moment of faith alone throughout the ages
including the church, and all other Gentiles
and Jews - those who are not parties to the new covenant who believe
in Christ in all kinds of ways as
well - throughout the ages ]
In support of the second view, which identifies Israel with the church,
is the fact that the NT identifies the followers of Christ as
"Abraham's seed" (Gal 3:29), as "the true circumcision" (Philippians
3:3) and as the "Israel of God" (Gal 6:16; though disputed, cf. above).
[Biblestudymanuals.net on the matter of Gal 3:29, Phil 3:3 and Gal 6:16:
GAL 3:29
In Gal 3:29 it stipulates, "And [since] you are
Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise." Believers in Christ in this age are Abraham's seed, heirs
according to the promise which God made to Abraham and all mankind to inherit
eternal life through a moment of faith alone in God's promise alone through
Abraham's Seed; Who centuries later proved out to be Jesus Christ - the eternal Son of God, (ref. Gal
3:16). To be an heir according to the promise which God made to Abraham and all
mankind is to be immediately declared to have the Righteousness of God credited
to ones account which results in one inheriting a future transformation of
ones being into a Righteous one and immediately inheriting eternal life with God.
The phrase "Abraham's seed" refers to Abraham's having trusted in God's promise through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Descendant of Abraham to make provision of eternal life for Abraham and all who believe in Christ's sacrifice for sins.
Furthermore, John himself earlier in Revelation makes a distinction between the true Jew and the false (cf. 2:9; 3:9) and that could imply that here in chapter 7 he intends also to designate the true Israel or the church (Ladd, Commentary on Revelation, p. 116). Additional support for this view is found if there is a unity between the first and second groups in chapter 7, groups that otherwise must be treated as different and unconnected.
A Jew is one who is a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jews and Gentiles who have believed in Who Abraham believed in, Who is the descendant of His Who we know now as Jesus Christ Who will fulfill God's promise of the gift of His Righteousness unto eternal life through faith alone in His sacrifice for sins.
PHIL 3:3
And in Phil 3:3 it states, "
1) [Ro 2:28-29]:
2) [Compare Ro 4:1-4]:
(v. 1) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather,
discovered in this matter?
(v. 2) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had
something to boast about - but not before God.
(v. 3) What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness.'
[Notice that justification, i.e., being credited as
righteous is by a moment of believing. This passage quotes Gen 15:5-6 which
indicates that God promised Abram eternal life through Abram's seed Who is
Christ, (Gal 3:16) and when Abram believed in God's promise, God credited it to
him as righteousness, i.e., he was justified unto eternal life, (Ro 3:21-24).
So it is not by any works but by faith alone]:
(v. 4) Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to
him as a gift, but as an obligation.
(v. 5) However, to the man who does not work but trusts God
who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
3) [Ro 6:1-5]:
(v. 1) "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning
so that grace may increase?
(v. 2) By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it
any longer?
[Notice that the believer has died to the control of the sin
nature in his life]
(v. 3) Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
[Believers have been baptized into Christ by the Holy
Spirit, cp. Eph 1:13-14]
(v. 4) We were therefore buried with him through baptism
into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
(v. 5) If we have been united with him like this in his
death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection."
[So circumcision of the heart has to do with the work of the
Holy Spirit placing the believer into Christ unto a new life and eternal life
at the resurrection]:
4) [Compare Eph 1:13-14]:
(v. 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,
(v. 14) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until
the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his
glory."
5) [Compare Deut 30:6]:
"The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the
hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and
with all your soul, and live."
6) [Col 2:11]:
(v. 11) "In him you were also circumcised, in the
putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of
men but with the circumcision done by Christ
(v. 12) having been buried with him in [Holy Spirit, (Eph
1:13-14)] baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead."
[Note that this kind of circumcision which is spiritual
circumcision is defined as resulting in the "putting off of the sinful
nature" which is not accomplished by the hands of man but by Christ. It is
the result of a moment of "faith in the power of God". Furthermore,
it is equated with Holy Spirit baptism which places one into Christ at the
moment one believes, (Eph 1:13-14)]
[Phil 3:3 cont.]:
(v. 3) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
[BKC, op. cit., p. 659]:
"The Old Testament rite of physical circumcision was
not only a sign of covenant relationship, but it was also intended to be
related to spiritual circumcision of the heart (cf. Deut 30:6). Writing to
Gentiles, Paul made it clear that he and they were the true circumcision. This
was because they had no confidence in the flesh and instead worshiped by the
Spirit of God and gloried in Christ Jesus alone.
Instead of boasting in human accomplishments, as the
Judaizers and Jews did, a child of God should glory in Christ Jesus alone. The
word glory (kauchOmenoi) used here means 'boast' or 'exult' (cf. 1:26; 2:16; 2
Cor 10:17)."
[The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol 11, Zondervan
Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Homer A Kent, Jr. op. cit., pp. 138-9]:
"Paul follows the above warning with an explanation.
Christians are the real 'circumcision,' not the Judaizers who insisted on the
physical rite. He refers to those who have received the circumcision of the
heart, whether they be Jew or Gentile (Rom 2:25-29; Col 2:11). This concept was
no innovation, for the OT spoke of it frequently (Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; 30:6;
Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:7). The Judaizers misunderstood OT doctrine as well as
Christian teaching. Elsewhere Paul equates this circumcision performed without
hands with the believer's removal from spiritual death to spiritual life (Col
2:11, 13). Thus it is virtually synonymous with regeneration."
[Phil 3:3 cont.]:
(v. 3) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship
by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in
the flesh"
[Jamieson, ibid.]:
"Worship God in the Spirit - The oldest manuscripts
read, 'worship by the Spirit of God'; our religious service is rendered by the
Spirit ( Jhn 4:23, 24 ). Legal worship was outward, and consisted in outward
acts, restricted to certain times and places. Christian worship is spiritual,
flowing from the inworkings of the Holy Spirit, not relating to certain
isolated acts, but embracing the whole life ( Rom 12:1 ). In the former, men
trusted in something human, whether descent from the theocratic nation, or the
righteousness of the law, or mortification of 'the flesh' ('Having confidence,'
or 'glorying in the flesh') [NEANDER] ( Rom 1:9 )."
[Expositor's, cont.]:
Just as Paul characterizes the Judaizing teachers by three
terms in the previous verse, so in v. 3 he explains the true circumcision by
three descriptive clauses. First, such persons worship by the Spirit of God,
not by human traditions or some external rite. Second, they glory in Christ
Jesus. Satisfaction comes from recognizing that their hope is found in Christ
alone, not through meticulous conformity to the external demands of the Mosaic
Law. They have understood that Christ's sacrifice has fulfilled the Law for
them. These words of Paul echo Jeremiah 9:23, 24, and are used by him also in 1
Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17. Third, they put no confidence in the
flesh. This states the negative aspect of the previous positive phrase... Paul
often uses the term in controversy with Judaizers, especially in Romans and
Galatians (e.g., Rom 3:20; 7:18, 25; Gal 2:16; 3:3; 5:19, 24). He teaches that
sinful humanity has no grounds for confidence before God... The true believer,
however, puts all of his trust in Christ and so removes any grounds for human
pride or boasting."
GAL 6:16
(Gal 6:14 NASB) "But may it never be that I would
boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world
has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal 6:15 NASB) For neither is
circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Gal 6:16 NASB)
And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon
the Israel of God. (Gal 6:17 NASB) From now on let no one cause trouble for me,
for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. (Gal 6:18 NASB) The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen." =
Finally, author Paul writes the conclusion to his letter to
the Galatian believers, beginning with, "And those [of you] who will walk
by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God."
This rule he implies is in view in vv. 14-15: walking according to the message
of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ - boasting in Him alone for salvation
unto eternal life by grace through a moment of faith alone in Him alone. This
Paul states is a message for the Gentile believers whom he is addressing in his
letter and to the Israel of God, i.e., to believing Jews.
Note that the NIV errs logically, grammatically and
contextually in translating the Greek phrase "kai epi ton Israel" in
verse 16, "even to the Israel of God" rather than "and upon the
Israel of God" as in the NASB. While some believe that "Israel of
God" is the church, the evidence does not support such a conclusion :
1) the repetition of the preposition ("upon" or
"to") indicates two groups are in view.
2) all the 65 other occurrences of the term
"Israel" in the New Testament refer to Jews - physical descendants of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It would thus be strange for Paul to use
"Israel" here to mean Gentile Christians who are not so descendant.
3) Paul elsewhere referred to two kinds of Israelites -
believing Jews and unbelieving Jews (cf. Ro 9:6). Lest it be thought that Paul
is anti-Semitic, he demonstrated by means of this benediction his deep love and
concern for true Israel, that is, Jews who had come to faith in Christ.
Upon these who have believed and continue in the faith -
both Gentile and Jew, Paul proclaims peace and mercy - God's peace and mercy -
to them. Note that those who are in Christ, those who have expressed a moment
of faith alone in Christ alone and thus have become new creations in Christ
forever have peace with and the mercy of God relative to their eternal destiny
and relationship with Him, (cf Ro 5:1ff . On the other hand, walking by this
rule provides His temporal peace and mercy as well.
Whereupon in Gal 6:17, Paul declares, "From now on let
no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my gody the brand-marks of
Jesus."
The request is that henceforth he be not troubled with the
kind of problem that had erupted in the Galatian churches because of the
legalizers. This can hardly mean that Paul did not want to hear about such
problems if they occurred. If they did occur he would want to combat them. Nor
can it mean that he did not want further trouble from the legalizers; for they
would certainly cause trouble, regardless of his wishes, and he could hardly
direct an appeal to them anyway. Instead, the appeal is to the churches
themselves and is that they might no longer trouble him by giving way to the
legalistic heresies which would be ever present. The reason, Paul says, is that
he has suffered enough already. It would be far better if the churches he
founded at such cost would assume their own share of suffering, above all by
resisting the kind of teaching that the legalizers upheld and therefore, if
necessary, by enduring whatever persecution might follow.
The "marks of Jesus" refer to the scars Paul bore on his body as the result of the persecutions he had endured for the sake of his Lord. These marks revealed his relationship to Christ, just as the "marks" (stigmata) of a slave revealed his ownership. A list of the experiences that might have caused such scars occurs in 1 Cor 4:11; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11; 6:4-6, 9 and 11:23-30. These genuine and honorable marks in the body contrast strikingly with the ritualistic and now meaningless mark (circumcision) the legalizers wished to impose on the Galatians.
II) [Biblestudymanuals.net Commentary On Revelation Chapter 7, cont.]:
66667777 B) [Rev 7:4-8, cont.]:
Without discussing at length the disputed issue of the Jew as Israel versus the church as Israel (though it obviously bears on the interpretation of this passage), we may agree with Walvoord, who says, "The decision as to who are included in the term 'Israel' should be reached on the basis of exegesis and usage" (p. 143). Those who argue that the term "Israel" in other NT books refers exclusively to Jews are in our opinion correct (so Richardson). Strict exegesis, however, must also ask whether the author of Revelation wishes the term to have this same more restricted usage or whether he uses it differently. It is possible that the usage of the term "Jew" among Christians had undergone a historic change from the earlier days when Paul wrote Romans (A.D. 56) until Revelation was written toward the close of the century.
By the middle of the first century, Paul made a distinction between the
true, spiritual Jew and the physical descendants of Abraham (Rom
2:28-29; 9:8). Only those Jews who recognized Jesus as Messiah could
rightly be called "Israel" in the strictest sense (Rom 9:6), though the
term might be used with qualifications to refer to the historic
descendants of Jacob ("Israel after the flesh" [1Cor 10:18 Gr.]). Peter
likewise described the church (Jew and Gentile) in terms drawn from the
OT that historically describe the true people of God among the Jewish
descendants ("holy priesthood... chosen people... royal priesthood...
holy nation" [1 Peter 2:4, 9]). Moreover, even Gentiles who received
Jesus as the Messiah and Lord were considered "Abraham's seed" (Gal
3:29) and the true "circumcision" (Philippians 3:3).
Already in Revelation there has been the distinction between Jews who
were Jews in name only and not true Jews because they did not
acknowledge Jesus as Lord (2:9; 3:9). Also, the OT image of the people
of Israel as a kingdom and priests to God is used by John of the
followers of Jesus (1:6). Similarly, many of the promises to the
victors in the churches of Asia (chs. 2-3) are fulfillments of OT
promises given to the true people of Israel. In Christ's rebuke to the
churches, we have the OT imagery of "Balaam" and "Jezebel" describing
error that had influenced not the OT Israel but the NT church. In
chapter 12, it is again difficult to distinguish whether the "woman"
represents the ancient Jewish covenant people or the NT followers of
Jesus. In Revelation 21:9-12, the church is called the "bride, the wife
of the Lamb"; she is identified with the New Jerusalem, and on its
twelve gates are inscribed the "names of the twelve tribes of Israel."
Even in the Gospel of John (assuming the apostle wrote it as well as
Revelation), Jesus is the "true vine," which many commentators
understand to be an allusion to the vine that decorated the temple
entrance and stood as a symbol for Israel (cf. Isa 5:1ff. with John
15:1ff.). Jesus is claiming to be the true Israel and his followers,
then, the branches, would be related to the true Israel (cf. Rom
11:17-24).
The usage seems evident in the NT itself; the only question is whether John takes the final step in Revelation and, in the context of a largely Gentile church, uses the OT terminology to speak of the church. Richardson's summary is provocative:
As long as the church was viewed as a community gathered from Gentiles and Jews, it could not readily call itself "Israel." But when it was sharply separated from both, and when it had a theory that Judaism no longer stood in continuity with Israel ante Christum, and when Gentiles not only could take over other titles but in some cases could claim exclusive rights to them, then the church as an organizational entity could appropriate "Israel" (Apostolic Church, p. 204).
All this simply suggests the possibility that in John's mind the
followers of Jesus (14:4) are the true servants of God, the Israel of
God (cf. John 11:51-52). Richardson also observes that in Qumranic and
late Jewish apocalyptic literature the term "Israel" was jealously and
exclusively restricted to members of certain Jewish groups who even
denied its use to other Jews and claimed that only they were the true
Israel of God (ibid., pp. 217ff.).
The identification of the 144,000 with the whole elect people of God, including both Jews and Gentiles, does not negate Paul's teaching to the effect that the majority of the Jews themselves will one day be brought back into a relationship of salvation before God. John simply is not dealing with Paul's emphasis at this point in Revelation (but cf. at 11:2f.).
Mounce has a further suggestion on the identity of the two groups in the chapter. He states:
The position taken in the following pages is that in both visions it is
the church which is in view, but from two vantage points. Prior to the
trumpet judgments the last generation of believers is sealed so as to
be saved from the destruction coming upon the earth and to be brought
safely into the heavenly kingdom. The second vision is anticipatory of
the eternal blessedness of all believers when in the presence of God
they realize the rewards of faithful endurance (Revelation, p. 164).
But Mounce later identifies the "great tribulation" (7:14) through
which the second group passes as "that final series of woes which will
immediately precede the end" (ibid., p. 173). This seems to contradict
the earlier statement that the second group represents "all believers."
Confessedly this is a difficult chapter. Perhaps the confusion revolves
around our inability to understand John's precise perspective on "the
great tribulation."
The number 144,000 is obviously obtained by combining 12,000 for each
of the twelve tribes of Israel (vv. 5-8). Earlier in Revelation (cf.
4:4), twenty-four (a multiple of twelve) serves as a symbolic number.
The "thousand" multiple appears again—this time in relation to the size
of the Holy City: "He measured the city with the rod and found it to be
12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long" (21:16).
Thus, 12,000 is symbolic of completeness and perfection. Even the wall
is "144 cubits" (twelve times twelve) (v. 17). The tree of life bearing
"twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month" (i.e., twelve
months) (22:2) further supports the view that John intends the number
twelve to be taken symbolically and not literally. By 144,000, he
signifies the sealing of all or the total number of God's servants who
will face the Great Tribulation.
Those who are sealed come from "all the tribes of Israel," and this
emphasizes even more the universality and comprehensiveness of the
Christian gospel. Whereas in first-century Judaism there were many
sects with exclusive tribal claims to being the true Israel, for the
followers of Jesus all such sectarianism is broken down and all groups,
regardless of race, culture, religious background, or geographical
location, are accepted before God (7:9; 14:4). There is an exclusivism
in Revelation, but it is based on loyalty to Christ, not on historical
or liturgical continuity.
5-8 John goes even further. He enumerates each of the twelve tribes and
their number: "From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed," etc. Why
was it necessary to provide this detailed enumeration? And why the
particular tribal selection? In answering these difficult questions,
some facts about the list should be noted. John places Judah first,
evidently to emphasize the priority of the messianic King who came from
the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5; Heb 7:13-14). Nowhere in the tribal
listings of the OT except in the space arrangement of the wilderness
camp (Num 2:3ff.) does Judah come first. This exception may itself be
linked with the messianic expectation through Judah (Gen 49:10; 1
Chronicles 5:2). John's priority of Judah is comparable to the emphasis
placed in late Judaism on the tribe of Levi (the priestly tribe). It is
significant that John includes Levi among the other tribes, and thus
gives no special place to the Levitical order, and that he also places
Levi in the comparatively unimportant eighth place.
The particular order and names of the tribes as given here by John is
unique. The OT has no fewer than twenty variant lists of the tribes,
and these lists include anywhere from ten to thirteen tribes, though
the number twelve is predominant (cf. Gen 49; Deut 33; Ezek 48). The
grouping of twelve may be a way of expressing the corporate identity of
the elect people of God as a whole and may be maintained—even
artificially at times—to preserve this identity (cf. the need to make
up the "twelfth" apostle when Judas fell [Acts 1:25-26]). John omits
Dan (which elsewhere is always included) and Ephraim. In order to
maintain the ideal number twelve with these omissions, he must list
both Joseph and Manasseh as tribes. This is peculiar because the tribe
of Joseph is always mentioned in the other lists by either including
Joseph and excluding his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen 49), or by
omitting Joseph and counting the two sons as one tribe each (Ezek 48).
It is not until the Levitical priesthood gains more prominence that the
tribe of Levi is omitted from the lists and is replaced by the two sons
of Joseph.
Various efforts have been made to solve the enigma of John's list and
especially to explain the absence of the tribe of Dan. As vet, we have
no completely satisfactory solution. Ladd's proposal is interesting:
"John intends to say [by the irregular list] that the twelve tribes of
Israel are not really literal Israel, but the true, spiritual
Israel—the church" (Commentary on Revelation, p. 115). While this may
be true, whether the mere irregularity of the list is intended to
convey it is questionable. It might be more helpful to seek some
satisfactory reason why John specifically omitted Dan and Ephraim.
The early church held that the Antichrist would arise from the tribe of
Dan. Charles has argued that this belief is in fact pre-Christian
Jewish tradition, first mentioned in Christian sources in Irenaeus (d.
second century A.D.) (R. H. Charles, The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
of the Old Testament, 2 vols. [Oxford: Clarendon, 1913], 2:334).
Furthermore, Dan was associated in the OT with idolatry (Judg 18:18-19;
1 Kings 12:29-30). This may be the clue. If John sought to expose
Christian idolatry and beast worship in his day by excluding Dan from
the list of those sealed, it may also be possible to explain, on the
same basis, why Manasseh and Joseph were chosen to fill up the sacred
number rather than Manasseh and Ephraim. In the OT Ephraim was also
explicitly identified with idolatry (Hos 4:17). Qumran literature is of
little help because in it both Ephraim and Manasseh are apostate tribes
(4Qp Nah 7; 4Qp Ps 37:3-cited by Richardson, Apostolic Church, p. 227
and A. Dupont-Sommer, The Essene Writings from Qumran, tr. G. Vermes
[Cleveland: World, 1962], p. 269, n.2; p. 273, n.2).
If idolatry, then, seems to be the reason for omitting both Dan and
Ephraim, the readjustment of the list to include Joseph and Manasseh to
complete the twelve can be understood. Since Dan will be reckoned first
in the tribal listing of the restored eschatological Jewish community
(Ezek 48) and John's list puts Judah first, it may be that John's
listing describes the church rather than ethnic Israel.
It is important to note that John does not equate the 144,000 with all
in the tribes. Rather, his repeated use of the preposition ek ("from")
in vv. 4-8 implies that the sealed were an elect group chosen out of
the tribes: "144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.... From the tribe
of Judah 12,000 were sealed," etc. If John had the actual Jewish Israel
in view, this use of "from" would indicate an election from the whole
nation. On the other hand, if he intended to imply something about the
church, his language might indicate God's selecting the true church out
"from" the professing church. This thought has been mentioned earlier
(cf. 2:14ff., 20ff.; 3:16ff.) and is supported by Ezekiel 9:4-7, where
the seal identified the true servants of God from the false ones among
the professing people of God (see above under vv. 2-3). Paul stated the
same thought when he wrote, "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'" (2Tim 2:19).
The description of the judgments under the sixth seal (6:12ff.) ends
with the question "The great day of their wrath has come, and who can
stand?" (6:17). Chapter 7 answers this question by implying that only
the true servants of God, who are divinely sealed, can be protected
from the wrath of God and the Lamb.
Notes
________________________________________
4-8 For a more thorough discussion of the various views on the
identification of the 144,000, see Gundry, Church and the Tribulation,
pp. 81ff.; Charles Studies in the Apocalypse, pp. 114-15; Elliott,
1:226ff.
________________________________________
b. The great white-robed multitude (7:9-17)
John now sees a great multitude from every nation and cultural
background standing before the throne of God and clothed in white
robes. They are identified by the angel as those "who have come out of
the great tribulation" (v. 14). Again, the question is that of
identity. Are they the Gentiles who are saved in the Tribulation in
contrast to the Jews in vv. 1-8? Beckwith answers no because they are
described as coming from every nation and tribe and language, and this
would mean both Jews and Gentiles (p. 539). Are they, then, martyrs who
have given their lives in the Great Tribulation and have been slain by
the beast? If martyrs, are they the remainder of those to be killed
referred to when the fifth seal is opened (6:11)? Are they the complete
group of martyrs? Or do they represent the whole company of the
redeemed in Christ as seen in glory?
Although there is no direct evidence that the great multitude are
martyrs, there are some indications of this: (1) they are seen in
heaven "before the throne" (v. 9) and "in his temple" (v. 15); (2) they
are described as those "who have come out of the great tribulation" (v.
14). Thus it is assumed that, since they have died in the Great
Tribulation, they have most likely been martyred because the
Tribulation will be a time of great killing of the saints (17:6; 18:24;
19:2, 20:4, etc.).
The multitude would not be the whole company of the martyred throughout
history but only those who were victims of the beast persecution during
the Great Tribulation. The group is probably those future martyrs
referred to under the fifth seal as those "who were to be killed as
they had been" (6:11). Neither, then, would they be the whole redeemed
church as Beckwith and Eller suggest, unless all Christians are to be
identified with the martyrs.
The identification of this second group is related to the
identification of the first one (vv. 1-8). Some argue that the two
groups must be different because the first is numbered, the second
innumerable; the first is limited to Jews, the second refers to every
nation (Gundry, Church and the Tribulations, p. 81). These objections
are not serious if we recall the exposition of vv. 1-8, where it was
noted that (1) the number of the sealed was symbolic and not literal
and that (2) the delineation of the Twelve Tribes was seen as John's
deliberate attempt to universalize the election of God. Thus, what some
have seen as contrasts may actually be designed to complement each
other and show the continuity of the first group with the second.
Furthermore, we should bear in mind that John does not see any group at
all in vv. 1-8 but merely hears the number of the sealed, whereas in
vv. 9-17 he actually sees a group and describes what he sees and hears.
Therefore, the unity of both groups can be maintained and vv. 9-17
understood as the interpretative key to the 144,000. John's vision then
leaps ahead to a scene in heaven after the Great Tribulation has run
its course and views the glorified Tribulation saints as being in God's
presence, at rest from their trial, and serving him continually.
Two slightly different variations of the more literal Jewish identity
of those in vv. 1-8 and the relationship of this first group to the
second (vv. 9ff.) are quite popular today. Some see the 144,000 as a
select group of Jews who will be converted to Jesus shortly after the
rapture of the church to heaven. These Jewish evangelists will preach
the gospel to the world during the Tribulation. As a result of their
preaching, a great multitude of Gentiles will be converted to Christ
(A.C. Gaebelein, The Revelation, [New York: Our Hope, 1915], pp. 58-59).
Others, accepting a posttribulational view of the church's rapture,
understand the 144,000 as a literal Jewish remnant preserved physically
through the Tribulation and converted immediately after the Rapture.
They will be the people who will constitute the beginning of the
restored Jewish Davidic Kingdom at the inception of the millennial
reign of Christ on the earth (Gundry, Church and the Tribulation, pp.
82-83).
The Bible speaks of three different types of tribulation or distress, and it is important to distinguish between them:
1. There is tribulation that is inseparable from Christian life in the
world (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3; 2Tim 2:11-12; 1 Peter 4:12; Rev
1:9; 2:10, etc.). All Christians during all ages participate in
tribulation. Thus they share in the continuing sufferings of Christ
(Col 1:24).
2. The Bible also speaks of an intense tribulation that will come on
the final generation of Christians and climax all previous
persecutions. Daniel 12:1 refers to such a time: "There will be a time
of distress [thlipseos, LXX] such as has not happened from the
beginning of nations until then." Likewise, Jesus predicts such an
unprecedented persecution: "For then there will be great distress
[thlipsis], unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and
never to be equaled again" (Matt 24:21). Paul's mention of "the
rebellion" (apostasia) and "the man of lawlessness" surely refers to
this same period (2 Thess 2:3ff.). In Revelation this more intense
persecution is mentioned in 7:14; 11:7-10; 13:7; 16:6, and possibly the
events under the fifth seal should be included here (6:9-11; so J.
Barton Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1962], p. 115). This future tribulation is distinguished from previous
persecutions of the church in its intensity, in its immediate
connection with Christ's second coming, and in the presence of
Antichrist during it.
3. Scripture also speaks of a future time of God's intense wrath on
unbelievers. Revelation refers to this as "the great day of their
wrath" (6:17) and "the hour of trial that is going to come upon the
whole world to test those who live on the earth" (3:10). Such wrath
from God comes especially under the trumpets and bowls (8:2ff.;
16:1ff.). Probably drawing on the teaching of Jesus in the Olivet
Discourse (Matt 24), Paul refers to this punitive action of God in 2
Thessalonians 1:6-10 and even uses the word thlipsis ("trouble"). While
for Christians the Great Tribulation may be concurrent with a portion
of the period of God's wrath on the rebellious, the final and more
intense judgment of God seems to follow the Great Tribulation itself
and is directly connected with the coming of Christ (Matt 24:29; Rev
6:12ff.; 19:11ff.).
9 "A great multitude... from every nation, tribe, people and language"
pictures what Swete calls a "polyglot cosmopolitan crowd" (p. 97). The
words might well describe the crowds common to the agora or the quay of
a seaport in first-century Asia. (Similar fourfold descriptions of the
members of the Christian community or of the inhabitants of the world
also occur in Rev 5:9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15.) "Standing before the
throne and in front of the Lamb" signifies their position of acceptance
and honor as God's true servants (cf. v. 15) and reminds us of the
continuity of this vision with the earlier vision of the throne and the
Lamb (chs. 4-5). This group seems to complete the full circle of
participants before the throne begun in chapter 4.
Their "white robes" impress John and are an important feature of the
vision (vv. 9, 13-14). We cannot fail to connect them with the white
robes given the martyrs under the fifth seal (6:11). The white robes
symbolize salvation and victory (v. 10), and their possessors obtained
them by "[washing] their robes and [making] them white in the blood of
the Lamb" (v. 14). This implies that they were true recipients of
Christ's redemption in contrast to others who, though professing belief
in Christ, were not genuine overcomers (cf. 3:5-6, 18).
"The blood of the Lamb" connotes here more even than the profound
reference to the sacrificial death of Jesus (5:9); it also suggests
faithful witness in following Jesus in his death (2:13; 12:11).
"Palm branches" are referred to only one other time in the NT (John
12:13), where they are connected to the Passover celebration. Moses
provided that palms should be used at the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev
23:40). Later they were used on other festal occasions (1Macc 13:51;
2Macc 10:7). Jewish coins of the period 140 B.C. to A.D. 70 frequently
contain palms and some have the inscription "the redemption of Zion"
(IDB, 3:646). Palms were emblems of victory. In John 12 they denote the
triumph of Christ, while here in Revelation the reference is to the
victory of the servants of Christ (Deiss BS, pp. 368-70).
10 In accord with the literary symmetry of chapters Rev 4-7, this group
also expresses their worship of the King and the Lamb. Their praise to
God is for his "salvation" (soteria), not their own accomplishments.
Since the same word is associated with the final manifestation of God's
power and kingdom (Rev 12:10; 19:1), here it may also denote God's
final victory over sin and the principalities of this world that
crucified Christ and that kill his true disciples (cf. Isa 49:8; 2Cor
6:2).
11-12 Finally, the angelic hosts respond to the cry of the redeemed (v.
10) with "Amen" and voice their praise and worship of God for the
salvation given to men (cf. Luke 15:10). Compare this doxology with
5:12-13.
13-14 After the manner of the OT apocalyptic passages, the interpreting
angel asks concerning the white-robed throng, "Who are they, and where
did they come from?" (cf. Dan 7:15-16; Zech 1:9, 19; 4:1-6). Here and
in 5:5 are the only references in Revelation to an elder speaking
individually, a fact that supports the view that the elders in
Revelation are angels and not a symbolic group representing the church.
The reference to the washed robes should be viewed in relation to 3:4,
where soiled clothes represent defection from Christ through unbelief
and worship of false gods (cf. 21:8). On the "great tribulation," see
the introduction to this section.
15 This and the following verses describe the activity and condition of
the true servants of God in their future and eternal relation to the
Lamb. The scene is one of the most beautiful in the Bible. In it those
who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb are described as
being before the throne of God without fear or tremor, fully accepted
by the divine Majesty. What are they doing? Theirs is no state of
passivity but of continual service of God in praise and worship.
The reference to the "temple" of God raises the question whether the
scene describes the final state of the saints or an intermediate state,
as 21:22 tells us that the New Jerusalem has no temple. However, the
language used in vv. 15-17 (esp. v. 17) seems to depict the same
condition as that of the saints in chapters 21 and 22 (cf. 21:3-4, 6;
22:1). Since 7:15 relates to worship, it would be appropriate to refer
to the presence of God and the Lamb as "in" the temple. In 21:22,
however, the future existence of the people of God is described as a
city; and in that glorious city, unlike the pagan cities of the present
world, there will be no special temple in which to worship God because
God himself and the Lamb will be present everywhere.
To "spread his tent [skenoo] over them," or to "reside permanently"
(TDNT, 7:385), calls to mind the shekinah presence in the OT tabernacle
or temple (Exod 40:34-38; 1 Kings 8:10-11; cf. Ezek 10:4, 18-19) and
later in Jesus (John 1:14) and also the idea of a permanent residence
(Rev 21:3). Never again will these people endure torment. They have the
supreme protection of the living God himself.
16 The condition described here contrasts to the earthly experience of
those who suffered much for their faith (cf. Heb 11:37-38). For them,
starvation, thirst, and the burning desert are forever past. There may
be allusion here to Isaiah 49:10, which places the time of relief from
such distresses in the days of Messiah's kingdom. There may also be an
allusion to what the four horsemen bring (6:1-8; cf. Matt 24:7).
17 We now have a beautiful pastoral figure—that of the Lamb shepherding
his people (cf. John 10:1-8; Heb 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25). It is not
through some perfect environment but through the presence and continual
ministry of the Lamb that their sufferings are forever assuaged.
Whereas on earth their enemies may have tormented them, now the Lamb
guides them: "He will lead [hodegesei, the same verb is used of the
Holy Spirit in John 16:13] them to springs of living water." In
contrast to the burning thirst experienced in their tribulation, now
they will enjoy the refreshing waters of life. Thus in the future life
the saints will not know stagnation, boredom, or satiation (Ps 23:1f.;
Jer 2:13; Ezek 47:1-12, Zech 14:8).
Finally, even the sorrowful memory of the pain and suffering of the
former days will be mercifully removed by the Father: "God will wipe
awav every tear from their eyes" (cf. 21:4). Tribulation produces
tears. Like a tenderhearted, devoted mother, God will wipe each tear
from their eyes with the eternal consolations of glory itself. Never
again will they cry out because of pain or suffering. Onlv through the
Resurrection can all this become real (Isa 25:8; 1Cor 15:54).
Notes
________________________________________
14 The correct translation of the nominative participle οἱ ἐρχόμενοι
(hoi erchomenoi, "they who have come out of") is a problem.
Grammatically, present participles depend on the main verb for their
time of action and are generally coincident in time with it. But is the
time of action here the time of John's writing or, for John, some
future time? If it is present time for John, the translation would be
"they who are coming out of the great tribulation." If future, two
possibilities arise: (1) The time is in the future when the vision is
to be fulfilled. In this case, the description looks back to the
earthly scene that preceded the heavenly bliss: "They who have come [or
`were coming'] out of the great tribulation" (NIV). (2) The time is in
the present of John's writing. In this case, the words predict what
will happen: "They who will come out of the great tribulation" (cf 1
Thess 1:10). Charles understands the construction as a Semitism and
favors the idea of an imperfect participle—"were coming" (Commentary on
Revelation 1:213). One's theology and general exegesis of Rev will
determine which rendering is preferred.
Expositor's Bible Commentary, The - Volume 12: Hebrews through Revelation.
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D. Those who will be saved in the Great Tribulation (chap. 7)
1. THE SEALING OF THE 144,000 OF ISRAEL (7:1-8)
7:1-3. The question was raised in 6:17 whether any would be saved in
the Tribulation. This is answered in this chapter, and two classes of
the saved are mentioned specifically: (1) those who are saved in
Israel, (2) those of all nations who, though saved spiritually, are
martyred. Four angels were told to withhold judgment on the earth until
the servants of... God were sealed (v. 3). The seal on their foreheads
symbolizes protection and ownership and God's intention to protect the
12 tribes that are mentioned, much as He protected Noah from the Flood,
Israel from the plagues of Egypt, and Rahab and her household in
Jericho.
7:4-8. John heard the names of 12 tribes with 12,000 from each tribe...
sealed and thus protected. The 12 tribes are not "lost" as some contend.
Attempts have been made to identify the 12 tribes here with the church,
mostly to avoid the implication that this is literally Israel. The fact
that specific tribes were mentioned and specific numbers from each
tribe were indicated would seem to remove this from the symbolic and to
justify literal interpretation. If God intended these verses to
represent Israel literally, He would have used this means. Nowhere else
in the Bible do a dozen references to the 12 tribes mean the church.
Obviously Israel will be in the Tribulation, and though men do not know
the identification of each tribe today, certainly God knows.
Much speculation has arisen about why the tribe of Dan is omitted.
Joseph and one of his two sons, Manasseh, are listed, but Ephraim,
Joseph's other son, is omitted. Thus if Dan were included, there would
have been 13 tribes. According to J.B. Smith, Scripture contains 29
lists of the tribes of Israel in the Old and New Testaments and in no
case are more than 12 tribes mentioned (A Revelation of Jesus Christ,
p. 130). The tribe omitted was usually Levi, from which the priesthood
came. Inasmuch as it is normal to have only 12 and not 13 tribes, the
omission of Dan is not significant. Perhaps Dan was omitted here
because it was one of the first tribes to go into idolatry (Jud. 18:30;
cf. 1 Kings 12:28-29). However, Dan is mentioned in Ezekiel 48:2 in the
millennial land distribution.
The most important fact taught here is that God continues to watch over
Israel even in the time of Israel's great distress. There is no
justification whatever for spiritualizing either the number or the
names of the tribes in this passage, to make them represent the church.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.
2. THE MULTITUDE OF MARTYRS (7:9-17)
7:9-12. Then John saw a multitude of people from every nation, tribe,
people, and language, who were standing before the throne (i.e., before
God the Father) and in front of the Lamb (i.e., God the Son). This is
the same group mentioned in 6:9, but here they were wearing white robes
and holding palm branches, apparently signifying righteous triumph. As
this multitude ascribed salvation to God and to the Lamb, all the
angels, the 24 elders, and the 4 living creatures joined them in
worship as they did in 5:9-10.
7:13-17. One of the 24 elders asked about the origin of those who stood
in white robes. Is it not significant that if the 24 elders represent
the church these described here are a different group of the saved?
When John indicated that he did not know the answer (v. 14a) the elder
himself answered the question as to who this multitude was and where
they came from: 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.
It seems evident that these "who have come out of the Great
Tribulation" have been martyred and were then safe in heaven. They were
given the special privilege of being before God's throne and serving
Him day and night in His temple. They were protected by God Himself and
never again would they experience hunger... thirst, or scorching heat,
with the implication that this was their experience of suffering on
earth. They were under the special shepherd-care of the Lamb and were
drinking from springs of living water. The narration concludes with the
comforting truth that all their tears would be wiped away.
The two groups seen by John were the 144,000 Israelites and a great
multitude from every nation, including some Israelites who were not
thus protected and who were martyred in the Great Tribulation. A
natural explanation of these two groups is that neither represents the
church, the body of Christ in the present Age, because both groups are
distinguished from the 24 elders and neither group is clearly
identified with the church in this present dispensation.
The events of this chapter, like those in other chapters to follow, do
not advance the narrative but are a pause in the description of the
events to spotlight a concentrated revelation on a special feature, in
this case the answer to the question of 6:17, "Who can stand?"
Though the chapters of Revelation are not all in chronological
sequence, chapter 7 depicts a scene in heaven which precedes the second
coming of Christ to the earth. Those seen in heaven were said to "come
out of the Great Tribulation" (v. 14). The chapter accordingly
indicates how they will be marvelously blessed in heaven after their
trials on earth. The 144,000 will appear again (14:1-5), and the
multitude of martyrs who were killed for refusing to worship the beast
appear again at the time of the resurrection in 20:4. That they are not
millennial saints should be evident from the fact that they will be in
heaven before God's throne, and will have been resurrected.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty."
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Revelation 7 Commentary Austin Precepts
Rev 7:1 "After the Lamb has opened six
of the seven seals,
there is a pause in the action while the servants
of God are sealed for protection from the judgments
to follow."
"After these things" = Μετὰ
ταῦτα [Meta tauta].1 This phrase indicates significant
transitions in the development of John’s vision. The judgments of the first six
seals have been communicated and now a transition occurs in preparation for
the seventh seal, which will contain the seven trumpets and
according toseven bowls.If the NU and MT texts
are correct in rendering Revelation 7:1+ as After
this rather than After these [things] (
the text of the TR), then
perhaps chapter seven describes the next vision John sees which is not
necessarily chronologically related to chapter six. If so, then the sealing
of Israel (Rev. 7:4-9+) and the
killing of numerous faithful from all nations (Rev. 7:9-17+) may
have begun during the previous seals.2 On
the other hand, the distinction of the multitude in this chapter
from those under the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9-11+) argues
for understanding them as chronologically distinct groups.
(See Revelation 7:9+ where
John’s vision of the multitude coming out of
the Great Tribulation is said to follow the sealing of
the twelve tribes.)
Because the visions constitute a pause in the chronological
progression represented by the opening of the seals, they have been called a
parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seals, but there is some objection to
this because the visions are an integral part of the book’s
movement. . . . The natural meaning of the text
places the sealing and the vision as a whole just after the sixth seal.
Revelation 7+ is
an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. . . . The description is
provided to answer the questions of Rev. 6:17+ by
way of showing that some will survive and even prosper spiritually under
the blessing of God during earth’s terrors. . . . The evidence is sufficient for
placing this sealing just before the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation, at
the end of the period called “the beginning of birth
pains.” Though the meta touto indicates a change of vision,
this does not mean there is no relationship to the sixth seal.3
In any case, what transpires in this chapter is an interlude
of sorts which is not tied explicitly to any seal, but inferred [implied] as being
between the sixth and seventh seals. The scene now shifts from the judgments
themselves to the people of God, both Jewish and
otherwise, who attend this time of wrath upon
the earth:
The great day of God’s wrath
has come, but the action is interrupted . . . the author introduces an
intermezzo between the sixth and seventh members of the series. A change comes
over the spirit of his dream. . . . it is a
consoling rhapsody or rapture designed to
relieve the tension by lifting the eyes of the
faithful over the foam and rocks of the rapids on which they were tossing to
the calm sunlit pool of bliss which awaited them beyond. They get this glimpse
before the seventh seal is opened with its fresh cycle of horrors.4
Chapter 7 comes as a parenthesis between the sixth and
seventh seals—a stylistic feature repeated in the trumpet sequence (Rev. 10:1+-11:13+) but
not with the bowls (cf. Rev.
16:12-21+). It
is not intended to take the reader back to a time before the Four Horsemen are
released in order to parallel the trumpets with the seals. It contrasts
the security and blessedness which await the
faithful with the panic of a pagan world fleeing
from judgment. . . . Chapter 7+ also
serves as a dramatic interlude. It delays for a brief moment the disclosure of
that which is to take place with the seventh and final seal is removed from the
scroll of destiny.5
"four angels" = Four is the number of
worldwide effect. See Four:
the Entire World, the Earth. This is the first of several global
judgments which involve four angels. There are four angels bound at the river Euphrates
which will later be released to kill a third of
mankind (Rev.
9:14+).
"four corners of the earth" = This is figurative language
indicating the four main compass directions (Eze. 7:2).
The angels have a ministry extending over the entire earth.
"standing . . . holding" = Standing is ἐστῶτας [estōtas],
perfect tense, having stood. Holding is κρατοῦντας [kratountas],
present tense. The angels had taken their positions earlier and were already
actively restraining the winds when John saw
them. This is the proverbial calm before the storm. “Only the
detail of the sealing of the 144,000 remained before the unleashing of these
destructive winds.”6
"four winds" = The four major directions from which winds blow: from
the East, South, West, and North. This is
equivalent to saying “from every direction” (Jer. 48:36; Dan. 8:8).7 Wind is also used to
describe God’s breath or Spirit (Eze. 37:9; Zec. 6:5)
which is often used in judgment. In Pharaoh’s dream, the seven years of
Egyptian famine were brought about by an east
wind (Gen.
41:6, 27). The plague of locusts brought upon Egypt came on the east wind (Ex. 10:13).
The same east wind allowed the children of Israel
to cross the Red Sea
(Ex.
14:21). The east wind is often associated with God’s judgment and
deliverance (Ps.
48:7; 78:26; Isa. 27:8; Jer. 18:17; Eze. 19:12; Hos. 13:15; Jonah 4:8).
Since there is no mention of wind in association with any forthcoming judgment
here, it seems best to understand the wind as denoting the judgment and
influence of God which
is about to “blow” across the land as it had in the past.
In Daniel’s vision, it was the “four winds
of heaven” which stirred up the “Great
Sea” which brought forth the four rapacious beasts (Dan. 7:2).
The sea represented the Gentile nations from
which the four successive empires would arise. These same four winds
control
the upcoming rise of Antichrist in
judgment (Rev.
13:1+).
The winds speak of the impending global judgments and their initiation
and sovereign control by God.8
"Angels Restraining the Four Winds" =
9
"not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree" =
These three parts of the
created order will undergo God’s judgment in events to come.
The earth, the trees, and especially
the sea are all important parts of the system of nature which
supports life on the planet. Because man will continue to idolize the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25),
God will set about to destroy this idol. But
none of this can begin until the servants of God are sealed for protection (Rev. 7:3-4+). Even
after the judgments have begun, the locusts from the bottomless
pit are told not to harm the earth, sea or vegetation, but only men (Rev. 9:4+). Having
at one time been an avid environmentalist and valuing animal life above human
life, we are familiar with the pagan religious undercurrents which fuel this
movement. Many environmentalists thrill to the sight of a dolphin or whale, yet
despise the God of the Bible Who brought them all forth. If environmentalists
thrill to a dolphin or hummingbird, how much more marvelous is the One Who
spoke and they leapt into existence! He is far more worthy of wonder than the
mere work of His hands! To be sure, man has not been a faithful steward of all
God has given him, but to deny the Creator while attempting to save the
creation is folly as events in this book make plain.Some commentators take
these as symbolic representations:
“That no wind might blow upon the earth”—the
scene of settled government (Rev. 10:2+; Ps. 46:2);
“nor upon the sea”—nations and peoples
in anarchy and confusion (Dan. 7:2-3; Isa. 57:20);
“nor upon any tree”—the might and pride of the earth (Dan. 4:10, 22; Eze.
31:3-9, 14-18).10
These symbols are easy to interpret.
The earth is Israel; the sea, the Gentiles; the trees, as we know from the
famous parable in the ninth chapter of the book
of Judges, refer to those in authority.11
While it is true that each of these entities carries a
symbolic meaning in other passages (cf. especially Rev. 13:1+; 17:15+), it
is best to understand their use here as literal
because of the related passages which follow. The locusts are
commanded “not to harm the grass of the
earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only
those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Rev. 9:4+). The
passage concerning the locusts differentiates men from
real vegetation (“any green thing”). When trees are
destroyed, so too is the green grass (Rev. 8:7+). When
the sea becomes blood, living creatures and ships are
affected (Rev.
8:9+;
16:3+).
If the sea represents the nations here (as it does in Rev. 13:1+ and
17:15+),
then what is meant by the living creatures and
the ships which ply its waters?
Also, when men, cities, or authorities are the
recipients of judgments which follow, they are specifically denoted as such (Rev. 9:4-5+, 18+, 20+; 11:13+; 16:2+, 9+;
18:14-19+;
19:19+).
Revelation 7:2
"from the east" = Literally, from the rising of the sun. Within Scripture, east is
often the direction of the deliverance or judgment
of God (Gen.
41:6, 23, 27; Ex. 10:13; 14:21; Ps.
48:7; 78:26; Isa. 27:8; Jer. 18:17; Eze.
19:12; Hos. 13:15; Jonah 4:8; Rev. 16:12+). It
is the direction to which the glory of the Lord
departed from both Solomon’s
and Herod’s Temple (Eze.
10:18; 11:22-23 cf. Mat. 23:38; 24:1-3)
and the direction by which it will eventually return (Eze.
43:2-4; 44:1-2). Here, it is “the direction of God,” the direction
from which God’s protective sealing comes prior to the unleashing of
the
judgments to come.
"the seal" = Seal is σφραγῖδα [sphragida].
This is not a seal itself, but “the instrument with which one seals or
stamps.”12 This angel
carries the means by which the one hundred and forty-four thousand will be sealed (Rev. 7:4-8+,
which see). “This
text does not explicitly say what this seal is, but Rev. 14:1+ suggests
that it is the name of the Lamb and that of His Father (cf. Isa. 44:5).”13 Those who are to be sealed are one
of three groups who survive this horrific time
of judgment. Two of the groups are described in this chapter:
Chapter 7 forms a parenthetical section between the sixth (Rev.
6:12-17+)
and seventh (Rev.
8:1+)
seals to answer that question, introducing two groups who will survive
the fury
of divine judgment. The first, those described in Rev. 7:1-8+, are
the Jewish evangelists who will be preserved
on earth. They will survive the holocaust of
divine wrath unleashed by the seal, trumpet, and bowl
judgments. God will also protect them from the murderous efforts
of Antichrist and his henchmen to wipe out believers in the
true God. Having survived the wars, famine, unprecedented
natural disasters, disease,
rampant, unchecked sinfulness, and savage persecution
of the Tribulation, they will enter the
Millennial Kingdom alive. The second group to
escape divine fury (Rev. 7:9-17+) are
those who will be martyred and thereby ushered into the blissful rest
of heaven, where they will be preserved.14
The third group which survives, although not mentioned in
this chapter, are those who come to faith during the Tribulation and manage to
stay alive until the Second Coming. These will
enter the Millennial
Kingdom and form its initial populace (Mat.
25:31-40).
"of the living God" = Throughout Scripture, the One True God is contrasted
with dead idols
who are dumb and cannot respond.15 Nevertheless, the pattern of history is
that man has more often sought help from dumb
idols than from the living God (Deu. 5:26; 1S.
17:26; Mat. 16:16; 1Th.
1:9-10; Heb. 12:22). In Satan’s most successful ploy to keep men captive
to idolatry, he mimics the living God by
empowering the false prophet “to
give breath to the image of the
beast” (Rev. 13:15+). Life-giving power is an intrinsic characteristic of God (Luke 24:5).16 See commentary on Revelation
1:18.
"to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea" = Every judgment is subject to God’s conditional permission.
See commentary on Revelation
6:2. The earth, trees,
and sea will be harmed in God’s upcoming judgments. See
commentary on Revelation
7:1.
Revelation 7:3
"harm the earth, the sea, or the trees" = See commentary on Revelation
7:1.
"on their foreheads" = Foreheads is μετώπων [metōpōn],
which is used to describe the location of the mark “of a branded slave.”17 The seal
identifies them as belonging to God (Rev. 14:1+) and
may be similar to the promise given to the overcomer
in Philadelphia that Jesus would “write on
him My new name” (Rev. 3:12+, Rev. 14:1+18). The picture of sealing for protection by
marking the servants on their foreheads recalls
a vision shown Ezekiel in which most in Jerusalem
were practicing idolatry which God was about to
judge. Prior to His judgment going forth,
an angel was told to “Go through the midst
of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and
put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it” (Eze. 9:4).
In the judgment which followed, those without the mark (seal) of God were killed (Eze. 9:5-6).
As blood
was put upon
the door of the houses of Israel in Egypt so that the angel
of death would pass over these houses and strike only those
which were not marked, so the seal of God is put upon the forehead of
His own
so that the angels of judgment, passing through the world, will know
those who
are God’s.19
As Master
Imitator, Satan,
through the beast, will mark those who are his,
who are thereafter unredeemable (Rev.
14:9-10+). “Are
we told that God, by His angel, will ‘seal’ His servants in their foreheads (Rev. 7:3+), so
also we read that Satan, by his angels, will set a mark in the foreheads of his
devotees (Rev.
13:16+).”20During the time of the Tribulation, it appears there will be three categories of people:
In the eternal state, God’s
name will be on the foreheads of all the faithful (Rev. 22:4+ cf. Rev. 3:12+). See
commentary on Revelation
13:16 and Revelation
14:1.
Revelation 7:4
"who were sealed" = ἐσφραγισμένων [esphragismenōn],
perfect passive participle, ones having been sealed. The angel recounts the total number
of individuals who, by this time, have been sealed. The seal identifies those
who are set apart for special protection in the midst of the judgments from God. “The mark which denotes
ownership also carries with it the protection of the owner,”21 in
this case, God. The seal may not be
visible to men, but is evident to God and the angels and demons
who carry forth his judgment (Rev. 9:4+). It is
analogous to the sealing of believers today, who are baptized into
the body of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit
(2Cor.
1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30).
The best analysis of the seal is that it protects against
the disasters that the four winds will bring to the earth
(Beckwith; Caird). The context of Rev. 7:1-3+ is
in preparation for the judgments of the seventh
seal that includes the seven trumpets. Thus the sealing must refer to these
judgments. The command “do not hurt” implies
that after the sealing is finished, the judgments that are next in the divine
program (i.e., Revelation 8+) will
come (Smith).22
Seiss suggests that in order to stand in the midst of this
time of unparalleled judgment and tribulation,
those who are sealed will require a special measure
of spiritual enablement:
We may, therefore, conceive of this sealing of the 144,000
as a special and extraordinary impartation of the Holy Ghost; which again
connects this vision with particular Old Testament
promises. By the mouth of Joel, the Lord said
to Israel: “I will pour out my Spirit upon all
flesh.” This was indeed a general promise, but with it was coupled another,
which is not so general, but particular to Israel: “And your sons
and your daughters [O Jews]
shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also
upon the servants and upon the handmaidens in
those days will I pour out my Spirit.” Peter tells us that this began to be
fulfilled in the miracle of Pentecost; but the fulfilment did not end there.
There are also particulars in this passage which were not fulfilled upon the
primitive Church—particulars which refer to the judgment times, and connect
directly to the scenes to which this sealing of the 144,000 is related.
“Wonders in heaven and earth, blood, and fire, and
pillars of smoke,” are spoken of; and the
turning of the sun into darkness, and the moon
into blood; . . . In this we distinctly recognize the occurrences under
the red horseman
of the second seal, the physical prodigies of
the sixth seal, and the exact manifestations
under the first and fifth trumpets.23
"One hundred and forty-four thousand" = In our discussion of Interpreting
Symbols, we noted the tendency of many interpreters to ignore the literal meaning of
numbers whenever a cherished theological viewpoint makes the literal value
given in the text unpopular. Perhaps the two most abused numbers in the
entire book of Revelation are the 144,000 sealed
individuals here and the 1,000 years of the millennial reign (Rev. 20+).
Although this passage goes to great lengths to make plain the literal nature of
what is being conveyed, this hasn’t stopped many from flights of interpretive
fancy which substitute subjective conjecture for
the plain facts:
The name “Christ” appears seven times and the name “Jesus”
fourteen times. “The Lamb” is used of Christ twenty-eight times, seven bringing
the Lamb and God together. The 7 x 4 appearances of this title underscore the
universal scope of the Lamb’s complete victory. . . . Twelve is the number of God’s people, which is squared
to indicate completeness and multiplied by one thousand to connote vastness.24
Twelve is the number of the tribes,
and appropriate to the Church: three
by four: three, the divine number, multiplied by four, the number for
world-wide extension. Twelve by twelve implies fixity and completeness, which
is taken a thousandfold in 144,000. A thousand implies the world perfectly
pervaded by the divine; for it is ten, the world
number, raised to the power of three, the number
of God. [emphasis added]25
No matter how specific God’s Word may be concerning the
identification of this group of persons, the interpreters refuse to follow the
text where it leads. This is because they have theological biases which go
against recognizing the obvious Jewish nature of this passage. (As we saw
earlier, the Jewish nature of this book was recognized by many and led to
opposition to its acceptance
into the canon.)
Many are so morbidly prejudiced against everything Jewish,
that it is concluded in advance, that anything merciful, referring to the
Israelitish race, must needs be understood some other way than as the words are
written. Though all the prophets were Jews, and
Jesus was a Jew, and the writer of this Apocalypse
was a Jew, and all the Apostles were Jews,
and salvation itself is of the Jews, and the
Jews as a distinct people are everywhere spoken of as destined to continue to
the world’s end, it is regarded as the next thing to apostasy from the faith,
to apply anything hopeful, that God has said, to this particular race. . . . No
wonder, therefore, that they cannot find a consistent interpretation of a vision of grace which is predicated
of Jacob’s literal seed, in contradistinction from all others.26
Bullinger, an authority
on figures of speech, holds that this number is
not symbolic of some other group than the Jews,
but intentionally definite:
Alford
says of this number, “No one I am aware of has taken
it literally!” Very likely: but we are thankful to be an exception to
the rule, and to believe what God says. There is such a
thing as Figures of Speech, but, we ask, what Figure is used here?
What is its name? The truth is that there is here no Figure whatever; but it is
the simple statement of fact: a definite number in contrast
with the indefinite number in this very chapter (Rev. 7:9+). If the
total number is not exact, then all the items which go to make it up are
indefinite also. If the number is symbolical, then what number in the Book may
we take as literal? . . . We prefer to believe God. And, believing Him, we
conclude that He had reserved 7,000 in the days of Ahab (1K.
19:18; Rom. 11:4), so He will reserve 144,000 in the Great Tribulation.27
As is often the case within Scripture, when the plain sense
of Scripture is rejected, a foothold is provided for aberrant teachings
frequented by cults, in this case the Jehovah’s Witnesses:
The
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the 144,000 is the body
of spirit-begotten believers who have a “heavenly hope” (Rom.
8:24. Eph. 4:4. Col. 1:5. Heb. 7:19. 1Pe.
1:3. 1Jn. 3:3).
All other believers can have only an “earthly hope” (Job
14:7. Jer. 31:17. Acts 26:6).
Once the Watchtower organization had more than 144,000 adherents, the
teaching
was developed that the “great multitude” mentioned later in the chapter
(Rev. 7:9+)
referred to those Christians who had only an earthly hope. Jehovah’s
Witnesses
teach that members of the “great multitude” who have only an earthly
hope do
not need to be born again. . . . If the claim of
Jehovah’s Witnesses that the heavenly hope is limited to 144,000 has
any
validity, the significance of that hope for anyone today is purely
historical,
for since this number was reached within five
years of Pentecost, no person alive today could possibly lay claim to
be one of
that fixed number, not even the leaders of the Watchtower in Brooklyn,
New
York.28
[All you
have to do is read the text on this plainly - take it as the words of
Rev 7:3-8 say, namely 12,000 servants of God have been appointed
by God to serve Him for a particular purpose from each of the tribes of the twelve tribes of
Israel ].
However, the verses which follow make it clear that the
sealed are Jews. This is in accordance with what is said later
concerning the 144,000—that they are firstfruits
These sealed Jews are those who come to faith in Jesus
as Messiah during the Tribulation period. They
are further described as “first fruits unto God
and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4+),
indicating that they compose the first stage of a final harvest of Jewish souls
to be gathered later at the Lord’s coming in glory.
. . . These comprise the “remnant” of Jews “who keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17+b).29
See commentary on Revelation
14:1.
"of all the tribes of the children
of Israel" = Children of Israel, υἱῶν
Ἰσραήλ [huiōn Israēl], literally: sons of Israel.
These are the same twelve tribes of the children of Israel whose
names are written on the gates of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12+).
These are a specific group of people who are physical offspring of Israel and
differentiated from the rest of men (Zec. 9:1).
In the regeneration, Jesus said the apostles
will rule over these tribes (Mat. 19:28; Luke 22:30). “Immediately
after the Translation of the heavenly saints (1Th.
4:15-17), God will work in grace amongst His ancient people, and among
the Gentiles at large outside the apostate part
of the world.”30At this point in the Revelation, we encounter
one of those “Jewish elements” in the book of Revelation which seem to cause
much discomfort for many commentators. Bullinger elaborates:
Few Scriptures have suffered more at the hands of Gentile Christians than this. Notwithstanding
the fact that it concerns “all the tribes of the children of Israel,” and that
the twelve tribes are named separately, popular
interpretation insists on taking them as meaning the Church of God. Any system
of interpretation which has this for its foundation
may be judged and condemned at the outset as not only useless, but mischievous.
Such a system has been described by Hooker as one “which changeth the meaning of
words as alchemy doth, or would do, the substance of metals, making anything
what it listeth; and bringeth, in the end, all truth to nothing.”31
The unwillingness to accept the Jewishness of what is
described here is evident from many commentators who refuse to take the passage
at face value:
The number scarcely refers only to Jewish Christians; rather
it stands for all the members of the Church, the true Israel.32
If [the number is] literal, it is necessary to suppose that
this refers to the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. But on every
supposition this is absurd. Ten of their tribes had been long before
carried away, and the distinction of the tribes was lost, no more to be
recovered, and the Hebrew people never have been, since the time of John, in
circumstances to which the description here could be applicable. These
considerations make it clear that the description here is symbolical. [emphasis
added]33
Walvoord accepts this passage as proving that the twelve
tribes are still in existence. This interpretation seriously complicates the
book of Revelation by bringing in racial distinctions which no longer exist in
the NT purview. It disregards the historical fact that ten of
the twelve tribes disappeared in Assyria and the remaining two list their
separate identity when Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70. . . . The number is obviously
symbolic. [emphasis added]34
[Actually
Walvoord is actually correct. The twelve tribes are still in existence
scattered among the other tribes and all over the world ]
Mounce asserts that taking the passage
literally “seriously complicates” the book of Revelation and asserts
that racial distinctions . . . no longer exist in the NT purview.
This would have come as a surprise to the apostle Paul who continued to
describe himself as a Jew long after his conversion (Acts
21:39-22:3), said the same of Peter (Gal.
2:14-16), and spent almost three full chapters of Romans explaining to
believers that God is not through with the Jewish nation (Rom. 9, 10, 11). At
the close of this most important section of Scripture, Paul makes a statement
which directly contradicts Mounce:
For I do
not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant
of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion,
that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be
saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
and He will turn away ungodliness from
Jacob; for this is My covenant
with them, when I take away their sins.” Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake,
but concerning the election they are beloved
for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and
the calling of God are irrevocable. (Rom.
11:25-29) [emphasis added]
Elements of this short, but very important passage, reveal:
] Again, what is surprising in the NT is not that Jews cease to
be Jews (they don’t), but that Gentiles participate in this Jewish
covenant. [Untrue. The New Covenant is between God and Israel alone, Jer 31:31-34
- but only a particular generation will participate: those Jews that
choose to believe en masse when Christ comes again in His Second Coming
. The rest of believers will benefit outside of being a part of that New Covenant .Another frequently-encountered error concerning the
interpretation of this passage is the assertion that ten of the twelve tribes
have been forever lost. We discuss this unbiblical
myth in our section entitled Ten
Tribes Lost?
This
passage also teaches that the so-called “ten lost tribes” were, in
fact, never lost (cf. Rev. 21:12+; Matt. 19:28; Luke
22:30; Jas. 1:1).
Instead, representatives from the ten northern tribes
filtered south and intermingled with the two southern tribes
(cf. 2Chr. 30:1-11; 34:1-9)
and thus were preserved.37
Ladd, in his desire to avoid the plain teaching of the text,
believes this list of the twelve tribes is unlike any other in the OT:
These twelve tribes cannot be literal Israel, because they are not the twelve tribes of OT Israel. The list here appears nowhere else in the Bible. It has three irregularities: it names Judah first, thus ignoring the OT order of the tribes; it omits Dan with no explanation (see Eze. 48:1); it mentions Joseph instead of Ephraim. Perhaps John meant by this irregular listing of the twelve tribes to designate the Israel that is not the literal Israel. . . . The twelve tribes were irregularly listed to show that true Israel is not literal Israel, but the Church.38
[Biblestudymanuals.net: Wrong. No where does Scripture establish that the Church is the true Israel]
Here we meet again with Replacement
Theology—the unbiblical idea that the Church is “Israel,” something nowhere
stated in Scripture. To be sure, believers are called the spiritual seed
of Abraham (Rom.
4:12-18; Gal. 3:7-8, 29),
[Biblestudymanuals.net: Believers indeed arethe
spiritual seed of Abraham in the sense that just as Abraham believed
God's
promise of eternal life through a descendant of Abraham Who is Christ;
and it was accounted to Abraham as righteousness unto eternal life; so
it is with all individuals who trust in Christ for eternal life
throughout the ages . But this does not make anyone in the church Israel]
but
if Scripture is any indication, there is an important distinction between
the spiritual seed of Abraham and the physical seed
of Jacob. For nowhere in all of Holy Writ—not once—is
the Church denoted by the word “Israel.”39 Those who confuse the Church with
Israel are just one step behind many of the cults, such as The Worldwide Church
of God or British
Israelism, who want to oust Israel from her promises and substitute
themselves instead. (For more on these movements, see Ten
Tribes Lost?) The Church already has her own promises so why should we
try to steal Israel’s too? Besides, the spiritual restoration of the Jews is
attended with great blessings: “For if their
being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will
their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:15).The
irregularities which Ladd sees as so significant are found in other listings of
the tribes. Concerning the omission of tribes, we could cite the omission of
Dan from the extensive tribal genealogies of 1
Chronicles 2:10. “In the enumerations of the tribes throughout
Scripture, of which there are about eighteen, the full representative number
twelve is always given, but as Jacob had thirteen sons [counting the two sons
of Joseph instead of the father as Jacob’s] one or other is always omitted.”40This rotation and omission of tribal names is
not unusual, as Ladd would have us believe, but is typical. “It should be
noted that there is no standard way of listing
the twelve tribes. There are at least nineteen different ways of listing them
in the Old Testament, none of which agree with the list given here.”41
EDITORIAL ADDITION: Here are some other examples of
non-literal interpretation of 144,000.
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Note that most of these examples
are from well known sources that many believers consult to aid their
interpretation of the Revelation. For example, the ESV Study Bible is one of
the most popular study Bibles in the world. Here's the point -- The serious
Bible student must be careful to make their own unbiased observations before
looking at any commentaries (including the one you are viewing now!). The more
time you spend in observation under
the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, the more likely you will be to comment on the
"expert" commentaries! How sad it is to see so many otherwise
conservative writers jettison literal interpretation in prophetic passages with
the result that their comments are not only inaccurate but at times even
ludicrous! One good rule of thumb to apply in reading any Scripture is if the
plain sense of the text makes good sense in context, then seek to make no other
sense out of it, lest you end up with nonsense. To call Israel the church in a
passage with absolutely no contextual support is nonsense and gives rise to the
nefarious teaching of replacement theology. If you have been taught that Israel
is now replaced by the church in God's plan, you owe it to yourself to watch
the following videos which document the rotten fruit of replacement theology
over the past 2000 years. It is a sad legacy for the Christian church!
A careful examination of the dozen places in the Bible where
all the twelve tribes are mentioned will reveal some very beautiful truths.
Jacob had twelve sons who were the fathers of the twelve tribes. Joseph and two
sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, whose names later
were added to the list of the tribes. This gives us fourteen names out of which
twelve are selected, but not always the same twelve, in presenting the truths
concerning Israel. Levi, the priestly tribe, had
no military duties to perform and was not given a portion of the land when the tribes entered Palestine. The portion of
Levi was to be the Lord Himself (Deu. 18:1-2; Jos. 13:14).
In order to fill His place both in military affairs and in the land, a new
tribe had to be found so Joseph was replaced by his two sons. Leaving out the
name of Levi and that of Joseph, twelve names remained.42
Concerning Judah being listed first, the camp of Judah led
the procession of the tribes on the march (Num. 10:14).
Rather than seeking to understand why this list omits Dan and
Ephraim, Ladd merely asserts that their omission means that the phrase
“children of Israel” must denote the Church. But this runs roughshod over
hermeneutical principles because these 144,000 from the tribes of Israel are contrasted with “a
great multitude . . . of all . . . tribes” (Rev. 7:9+). These
are different groups: one is denoted by twelve specific tribal
names and is only 144,000 in size. The other comes from all tribes
(and nations, peoples, and tongues) and is innumerable.43As to why Dan and Ephraim are omitted from
the list, there seems to be a ready explanation. God promises that any
person or tribe which practices idolatry
will be set apart for adversity:
So that there may not be among you man or woman or
family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our
God, to go and serve the gods of these nations [e.g.,
idolatry], and that there may not be among you a root
bearing bitterness or wormwood; and so it may
not happen, when he hears the words of this curse,
that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’
-as though the drunkard could be included with the sober. The LORD would not spare
him; for then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in
this book would settle on him, and the LORD would blot out his name from under
heaven. And the LORD would separate him from all the tribes of Israel
for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written
in this Book of the Law. (Deu. 29:18-21) [emphasis added]
When the tribe of Dan migrated north
from their original location, they persuaded a renegade Levite in Ephraim to join them, along with his
graven image. After overthrowing Laish and
renaming the town Dan, they set up the carved image and a priesthood attended it (Jdg.
18:19-30). Thereafter, the town of Dan became a center for worship of one of the golden
calves which Jeroboam promoted as an alternative to worship at Jerusalem during
the divided kingdom (1K.
12:28-30; 2K. 10:29).
The Lord’s estimation of Dan and his idolatry can be seen in
the decreasing role of the tribe in scriptural history. In the twenty different
listings of the tribes, Dan is generally far down and often is the last in the
list. Consider, for example, the order of march in the wilderness: “And the standard of the camp of the
children of Dan set forward, which was over the rear guard of all the camps
throughout their hosts; and over its host was Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai”
(Num.
10:25). [See Camp
of Israel.] Dan was the last tribe to receive its inheritance in the Promised Land (Jos.
19:47-49). Most striking is the total omission of Dan from the extensive
tribal genealogies of 1
Chronicles 2:10! These scriptural facts should be remembered when facing
the often-asked question of why Dan is omitted in the 144,000 Jews sealed in
the Tribulation period (Rev. 7:4-8+).
Evidently this is due to the problem of idolatry which plagued this tribe
throughout its history.44
Also, when Deborah and Barak led Israel to war in the time of the judges, the tribes sent men to
fight, but not Dan. Dan’s failure to participate is remarked upon in
Scripture: “Why did Dan remain on ships?” (Jdg. 5:17).Ephraim
also was involved with idolatry:
Interestingly, Jeroboam’s idols
were placed in the tribes of Dan and Ephraim (i.e., Bethel, 1K.
12:29). Thus, in the Revelation 7+ listing,
Dan was replaced by Levi (Rev. 7:7+) and
Ephraim was replaced by his father Joseph (Rev. 7:8+), while
his brother Manasseh was included to complete the twelve (Rev. 7:6+).45
The tribes of Dan and Ephraim are omitted from the list
which follows, being replaced by Levi and Joseph. The reason for Ephraim’s
omission is suggested by Hos. 4:17.
For possible reasons for Dan’s omission see the related texts . . . (Lev.
24:10-16. Deu. 29:18-21. Jdg.
18:2-31. 1K. 12:26-33). Dan and Ephraim are included in Ezekiel’s
prophecy of their inheritance in the eternal
earthly kingdom of Christ (Eze.
48:1-6, 32), demonstrating God’s faithfulness to his covenant and
promise (Lev.
26:44. Mal. 3:6. Rom. 11:29. 15:8).46
Although Dan is omitted here, this should not be taken as an
indication that the tribe of Dan will perish due to lack of protection during
the Tribulation. “In the end grace triumphs and Dan is named first in the
future distribution of land amongst the tribes (Eze. 48:2),
but while being first mentioned, it is the furthest removed from the temple, being situated in the extreme north.”47Some understand the omission of Dan as an
indication that the Antichrist will
arise from Dan:48
He who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself, and
shall terrify those men of whom we have been speaking, having a name containing
the aforesaid number [666], is truly the abomination of desolation. This,
too, the apostle affirms: “When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden
destruction shall come upon them.” And Jeremiah does not merely point out his
sudden coming, but he even indicates the tribe from which he shall come, where
he says, “We shall hear the voice of his
swift horses from Dan; the whole earth shall be
moved by the voice of the neighing of his galloping horses: he shall also come
and devour the earth, and the fulness thereof, the city
also, and they that dwell therein.” [Jer. 8:16]
This, too, is the reason that this tribe is not reckoned in the Apocalypse
along with those which are saved.—Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, v.xxx.ii49
Yet, in our discussion of The Beast we
identify reasons which indicate a Gentile origin for the Antichrist. See the
discussion of whether the Beast will
be Jewish
or Gentile?There is also the possibility that the omission of Dan and
Ephraim are not as significant as many think, perhaps mainly motivated to
maintain symmetry.50The sealed are said to be “servants of
God” (Rev.
7:3+)
and “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” perhaps indicating a unique
dedication and obedience to God in the midst of the Tribulation on earth (Rev. 7:3+; 14:4-5+).
Their ministry is probably evangelistic in nature. Isaiah described a worldwide
Jewish mission to the Gentiles. The context is immediately before the gathering
of the Jews for the millennial age:51
I will set a sign among them;
and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish
and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and
Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame
nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the LORD out of all
nations, on horses and in chariots and in
litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain
Jerusalem, says the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a
clean vessel into the house of the LORD. (Isa.
66:19-20) [emphasis added]
It seems conclusive that these are to be used in
evangelism. First, what else could be the purpose of a divinely-protected group in the midst of
this time period but to share the truth of the gospel and save even more from
doom? Second, their appearance is grammatically linked with the
innumerable believers which John subsequently sees (Rev. 7:9-17+).
In the future, God will graciously grant Israel a second
opportunity to be His witness nation, and at that time they will not fail. Led
by the 144,000 evangelists (Rev. 7:1-8+), Israel
will be a light to the nations during the
darkest hour of earth’s history.52
There is a decided advantage in using Jews to conduct a
worldwide revival in the short timer period of 3
1/2 years. . . The modern missionary, . . . must spend approximately six years [4 years of Bible, 2 of target language]
before he is fully equipped to present the gospel in a language that is not his
own. . . . All of this world’s major languages, and a great number of the
world’s minor languages, are spoken by Jews somewhere. . . . with a large
segment of American Jewry being the exception, most Jews receive a good and
basic understanding of the Old Testament text. . . . These Jews will already
speak the languages needed. They will already have a basic knowledge of the Old
Testament text. . . they could begin to preach the gospel in a very short
period of time.53
Our Lord says that the gospel of the kingdom is to be
preached in all the world for a witness before the end shall come (Mat. 24:14).
In view of all the teaching of the Word of God on this subject, it is
undoubtedly the gospel of the kingdom which is the added special message of the
144,000. Of course, they present Jesus as the Saviour. Many look to Him and are
saved. But they also preach the gospel of the kingdom presenting Jesus as
Messiah. They are the sealed witnesses, the 144,000 like Paul who go out with
all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, having the prophecies of Joel fulfilled in
themselves, as the first faint occurrences at Pentecost cannot possibly be the
complete fulfillment which comes to full fruition in the last days.54
Along with many Gentiles who will come to faith during this
troublesome time, these 144,000 Jewish believers are the initial means by which
the Deliverer will begin to turn ungodliness from the Jewish nation (Rom.
11:25-26). The setting apart of a specific group from among the Jews also
provides evidence that the Church Age has come to a close:
As long as the church is on the earth there are none saved
to a special Jewish relationship. All who are saved are saved to a position in
the body of Christ as indicated in Colossians
1:26-29; 3:11; Ephesians
2:14-22; 3:1-7. During the seventieth week the church must be
absent, for out of the saved remnant in Israel God seals 144,000 Jews, 12,000
from each tribe, according to Revelation 7:4+. The
fact that God is again dealing with Israel on this national relationship,
setting them apart to national identities, and sending them as special
representatives to the nations in place of the witness of the church, indicates
that the church must no longer be on earth.55
The Twelve Tribes of Israel
Scott sees significance in the grouping of the tribes which
follows:
In our English version there are three tribes named in each
verse, but in reality the arrangement of the tribes as of the apostles (Mat. 10:2-4)
is in pairs: first, Judah and Reuben—the
fourth and first sons of Leah—the former the royal tribe, the latter the
representative of the nation (Gen. 49:3); second, Gad and Asher—the two sons
of Zilpah—associated in the prophetic blessings in the last days (Gen.
49:19-20); third, Naphtali and
Manasseh linked in the enumeration of Eze. 48:4; fourth, Simeon and Levi—the second and third sons of
Leah—associated in the prophetic enumeration (Gen. 49:5-7),
also in the Lord’s revelation of Himself to saved Israel (Zec. 12:13); fifth, Issachar and Zabulon [sic]—the fifth and sixth
sons of Leah, both are associated in the prophetic (Gen. 49),
and in the territorial (Eze. 48) enumerations of the tribes; sixth,
Joseph and Benjamin—the two sons of Rachel, the
beloved wife of the patriarch.56
Revelation 7:5
the tribe of Judah
The fourth son of Jacob by
Leah (Gen.
29:35). Judah means praise (Gen. 29:35)
and was in the line leading to the Messiah and
led the procession of the tribes (Num. 10:14),
even into battle (Jdg. 20:18 cf. 2Chr.
20:21; Ps. 149:6). See Camp
of Israel. See commentary on Revelation
5:5.
twelve thousand were sealed
“The number twelve in the
Scripture has a special association with the idea of completion and it is also
attached inseparably to the destiny of God’s chosen
earthly people, Israel. Immediately, of course, we think of the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles.”57 See Twelve:
Jewish Tribes, Completeness.
the tribe of Reuben
The first son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 29:32).
Reuben means see ye a son.
the tribe of Gad
The seventh son of Jacob by Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah (Gen. 30:11).
Gad means a troop.
Revelation 7:6
the tribe of Asher
The eighth son of Jacob by
Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah (Gen. 30:13). Asher means happy am I.
the tribe of Naphtali
The sixth son of Jacob by Rachel’s handmaid, Bilhah (Gen. 30:8).
Naphtali means my wrestling.
the tribe of Manasseh
One of Joseph’s two sons (Gen. 41:51).
Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:24).
Manasseh means causing to forget. Manasseh’s brother, Ephraim, is omitted from the list of those sealed. See commentary on Revelation
7:4.
Revelation 7:7
tribe of Simeon
The second son of Jacob by
Leah (Gen.
29:33). Simeon means hearing.
tribe of Levi
The third son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 29:34).
Levi means attached, or joined.
tribe of Issachar
The ninth son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 30:18). Issachar means he
will bring a reward.
Revelation 7:8
tribe of Zebulun
The tenth son of Jacob by
Leah (Gen.
30:20). Zebulun means dwelling or habitation.
tribe of Joseph
The eleventh son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:24). Joseph means adding.
One of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim, is not mentioned
in the list of those sealed although Manasseh is. This may not be significant since the tribe
of Joseph would normally denote both Manasseh and Ephraim. See commentary
on Revelation
7:4.
tribe of Benjamin
The twelfth and last son of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 35:18). Joseph means son
of my right hand.
Revelation 7:9
After these things
“The connecting link, after these things, is
chronological and also shows a cause and effect relationship between the first
and second parts of Revelation seven. Thus, by
means of the 144,000 Jews, God will accomplish
the second purpose of the Great Tribulation, that
of bringing about a worldwide revival.”58 See A
Worldwide Revival.
behold
The sight which John saw was remarkable—both in its global
scope and quantity. After having written the seven
letters to the Seven
Churches of Asia,
which evidence lack of zeal and the penetration of
worldliness into the churches, perhaps John was surprised by the
large number who eventually respond to the gospel despite the
inadequacies which attend those
entrusted with the Great Commission (Mat.
28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; John
17:18; Acts 1:8; 10:42).
a great multitude which no one could number
Here is a second group who will survive the time of
God’s wrath—the faithful who come out of the
Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:14+). Like
the saints under the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9-11+), the
majority of these probably die for their faith. But their death—at the hands of
the harlot and later, the
beast—will be their ultimate victory as overcomers (Rev. 2:10+, 13+; 12:11+).
They have successfully applied the teaching of Jesus: “Do not fear those
who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell” (Mat. 10:28).
This innumerable company of believers (cf. Rev. 7:14+)
indicates an innumerable company of people who come to faith in Christ during
the time of the end. See How
are People Saved in the Tribulation?
of all nations, tribes, peoples,
and tongues
A fourfold designation emphasizing the global origin of this
group. See Four:
the Entire World, the Earth. That the 144,000 of Revelation 7:4+ cannot
be symbolic of believers in general is seen by
this verse. The 144,000 were from “all the tribes of the children of Israel”
[emphasis added] whereas these are from all . . . tribes.
Both OT and NT indicate
that multitudes of non-Jews will join with the believing Jewish remnant in
seeking the Lamb (Isa. 11:10; Luke 2:32; Rom.
3:29-30; 9:24). Like the multitude in Revelation 5:9+, these
too are redeemed, but at a later date. These come out of the Great Tribulation. These
have come from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues.
Evidently, by this time, the gospel message has indeed been preached “in
all the world as a witness
to all nations” so that shortly “the
end will come” (Mat. 24:14).59 If the scene shown John includes future
saints which have yet to die in the judgments
or persecution about to come, then they will
have heard the preaching of the divinely commissioned angel “having the everlasting gospel to preach to
those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6+). See
commentary on Revelation
7:14. See Jacob’s
Trouble and the Great Tribulation.
stood before the throne
The same throne introduced in chapter 4 (Rev. 4:2+). This
multitude is in heaven, not on earth.
and before the Lamb
The Lamb is still in heaven in the midst of opening the
seven seals. The rider on the white horse (Rev. 6:2+) cannot
be the Lamb. See commentary on Revelation
5:6 and Revelation
6:2.
clothed in white robes
Like the martyrs of the fifth
seal (Rev.
6:9-11+),
they will be clothed in white (Rev. 6:11+). Like
those martyrs, they have not yet been resurrected.
Does the
fact that they were clothed in white robes and held palms in their
hands require the
conclusion that they are resurrected with literal,
physical resurrection bodies (cf. Luke
24:36-43)? . . . when Christ broke the fifth seal, John saw under
the altar in heaven the souls of saints who had been slain
for the Word of God during the 70th week (Rev. 6:9-11+). Since
they had been slain, they were without physical bodies, and yet they
were given
white robes to wear (Rev. 6:11+). Thus,
in Revelation the wearing of a white robe did not require a
resurrection body.
Even bodiless souls could wear such a robe. . . . when the
rich man of Luke 16 died, his body was buried (Luke 16:22),
and his soul went to hell (Luke 16:23). Even though his soul was
without its body,
Jesus ascribed eyes (Luke 16:23)
and a tongue (Luke 16:24) to his bodiless soul. . . . In spite of the
fact that angels do not have physical bodies by nature, the Bible
ascribes wings, faces, feet, and hands to them (Isa.
6:2, 6; Rev. 10:1-2+, 5+, 8+, 10+) and
portrays them wearing clothing (Mat. 28:2-3; Mark 16:5; Acts
1:10; Rev. 15:6+). . .
. Although the Bible ascribes such things as hands, feet, faces,
tongues, and
the wearing of clothing to human, angelic, and divine beings, it does
not mean
that those beings have literal, physical bodies such as resurrected
people
have. . . . the fact that the great multitude of Revelation
7+ were
clothed in white robes and held palms in their hands does not require
the
conclusion that they are resurrected with literal, physical
resurrection
bodies.60
See commentary on Revelation
1:5, Revelation
3:4, and Revelation
3:18.
palm branches
During the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth), the children of Israel
were to “take for yourselves on the first day
the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees,
the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice
before the LORD your God for seven days” (Lev. 23:40).
The boughs were used in the construction of makeshift dwellings (booths, tabernacles)
reminiscent of the time of wilderness wandering
(Lev.
23:43). In the Millennial Kingdom, all the
nations will go up to Jerusalem each year to
keep this feast (Zec. 14:16) which will commemorate not only the wilderness
wandering under Moses, but the wilderness of
Israel’s dispersion among the nations after having rejected her Messiah.
Compare Zec. 14:16,
whence it appears that the earthly feast of tabernacles will be renewed, in
commemoration of Israel’s preservation in her long wilderness-like sojourn
among the nations from which she shall now be delivered, just as the original
typical feast was to commemorate her dwelling for forty years in booths or
tabernacles in the literal wilderness.61
The waving of palm branches became a symbol of national
liberation and blessing and attended the First
Coming of the King to Jerusalem (John 12:13).62 Here, they wave palm branches in
anticipation of his return to Jerusalem in the events ahead.63
Revelation
7:10
Salvation belongs to
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem
on the day He presented Himself as king in fulfillment of the prophecy
of Zechariah (Zec. 9:9 cf. Mat.
21:1-11), the crowd laid palm branches under His path while crying
out “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Mat. 21:9). Hosanna,
an Aramaic word made up of the words “save” and “I pray,”
originally meant “save, I pray.” Although it originally expressed a request—the
desire for salvation—it eventually developed a “liturgical usage, a shout
of praise and worship hosanna, we
praise you.”64 These praise the Lamb much as the
people praised the King at His first presentation to Jerusalem—“salvation
belongs to the Son of David!”65Σωτηρία [Sōtēria]
includes both deliverance and preservation.66 These
had been delivered from the persecution of
the Great Tribulation and preserved through death.
Salvation was completed at the cross, but its
full manifestation awaits the future (Rev. 12:10+; 19:1+).
Because salvation belongs to the Father and the Son it cannot
be obtained anywhere else, especially not by our own works. Salvation is by
grace through faith.67
to our God . . . and to the Lamb
God is uniquely the Savior. The Father
spoke through Isaiah, “I, even I, am the
LORD, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and
saved” (Isa. 43:11). Zacharias prophesied concerning the salvation
of the Lamb at His impending incarnation saying, “Blessed is the
Lord God of Israel, for He has visited
and redeemed His people, and has raised up
a horn of salvation for us in the house of
His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been since the world began” (Luke
1:69-70). Salvation belongs to the Father and the Son because
the Son provided salvation through redemption (Rev. 5:9+). “Nor
is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved” (Acts 4:12).The Son is worshiped on an equal basis with the
Father (John
5:23).68 See commentary on Revelation
5:13.
Revelation
7:11
the angels . . . and
the elders
The elders are differentiated from the angels (cf. Rev. 5:11+). They
are either a separate class of angelic beings (much like the living creatures), or they are redeemed
men. See commentary on Revelation
4:4.
the four living creatures
See commentary on Revelation
4:6.
worshiped
προσεκύνησαν [prosekynēsan]: “Used
to designate the custom of prostrating oneself before a person and kissing
his feet, the hem of his garment, the ground, etc.; the Persians did this in the
presence of their deified king, and the Greeks
before a divinity.”69 The frequent response of the elders and
living creatures (Rev. 4:10+; 5:14+; 11:16+; 19:4+). An
innumerable host worships before the throne (Rev. 5:11+).
Revelation
7:12
blessing, glory, wisdom,
thanksgiving, honor, power, might
The blessing is sevenfold indicating completeness. See Seven:
Perfection, Completeness. Blessing is εὐλογία [eulogia],
from whence derives eulogy. Literally, a good word. Thanksgiving is εὐχαριστία [eucharistia],
from whence derives eucharist.See commentary on Revelation
5:13. See Worship
of God.
Revelation
7:13
white robes
See commentary on Revelation
1:5, Revelation
3:4, and Revelation
3:18.
where did they come from
They are
new arrivals in heaven,
they were not among the multitude of the redeemed worshiping
the Lamb when He first took the scroll from the Father (Rev. 5:9+).
Revelation
7:14
Sir
Sir is κύριε [kyrie]
which is frequently translated Lord. Elsewhere, the word is
translated master (Mat. 6:24); Sir (Mat. 13:27; John 5:7),
and lord (Mat. 10:24; Luke 12:36; 14:21; 16:3; John 15:15).
It is the respectful address of an inferior to his superior in age or station.70
you know
σὺ οἶδας [sy
oidas], emphatic: you, you know.
the ones who come out
ἐρχόμενοι [erchomenoi],
present participle. They are continually coming out— probably the
result of ongoing persecution resulting
in martyrdom, although the text does not
explicitly indicate martyrdom. “Present middle participle with the idea of
continued repetition. ‘The martyrs are still arriving from the scene of
the great tribulation.’
”71 “Therefore the Rapture of the church is not in view in this verse,
since it is a single, instantaneous, and sudden event (cf. 1Cor.
15:51-52).”72
the great tribulation
Literally, the tribulation, the great. “ ‘The tribulation,’
points to a definite prophetic period, and not simply to tribulation in general
in which all saints shared. ‘The great
tribulation’ cannot be the general troubles that affect God’s people in all
ages. The insertion of the definite article marks its speciality.”73 This
is the unique time of intense
tribulation which Jesus predicted (Mat. 24:21).
During this time, multitudes will die; both unbelievers
in judgment and believers through martyrdom and harsh
conditions (as these, Rev. 14:13+). “And
unless those days were shorted, no flesh would be saved; but for
the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Mat. 24:22).
This is the “hour of trial which shall come upon the
whole world, to test those
who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10+). This
time of trouble will be especially difficult for
the Jewish nation (Jer. 30:7; Dan.
12:1, 7; Mat.
24:16-20). Yet even this Great Tribulation cannot separate the faithful
from the love of Christ, for they are overcomers (Rom.
8:35-39). See Who
is the Overcomer?As
we have discussed elsewhere, the Church is not
appointed to God’s wrath and is exempted from
this “hour or trial which God brings upon the whole world to test
those
who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10+). These
believers are those who come to faith after the rapture of
the Church.It is interesting to note the accuracy which attends
predictions
made by those who take Scripture at face value.
Walter Scott (1796-1861), writing well in advance of the establishment
of Israel in 1948, says of this verse: “ ‘The great
tribulation’ is yet future. It pre-supposes the Jewish nation
restored
to Palestine in unbelief, to serve Gentile
political ends, and brought there by the active intervention of a great
maritime power (Isa. 18).”
[emphasis added]74 Since 1948, Scott’s words, which
reflect God’s Word, have come to pass. See Trouble
Ahead.
washed their robes
See commentary on Revelation
1:5.
made them white
ἐλεύκαναν [eleukanan],
used to describe making blood-red stains due to sin become white (Isa. 1:18).75 It may picture not only their salvation (washing away their sins), but also the
exchange of garments bloodied by their persecution on earth for clean garments
from God.
in the blood of the Lamb
The garments of many were no doubt stained with their own
blood. Still, it is the blood of the Lamb which is required for salvation.
Their blood, while precious to God (Ps. 116:15)
and spilled as a testimony
to God, lacks any redemptive power. See commentary on Revelation
1:5 and Revelation
5:9.
Revelation
7:15
Therefore
“Because they are so washed white;
for without it they could never have entered God’s holy heaven.”76
before the throne of God
The entire thrust of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation
is the restoration of man to full intimacy with
God. These occupy a position of great blessing
in their proximity to the throne. By the sovereignty
of God, these elect did not come to faith prior
to the rapture,
but endured the most difficult time for people of faith of all history. Even
so, they remained steadfast in their testimony and overcome
the adversary (Rev. 12:11+).
serve Him day and night in His temple
Their ministry is reminiscent of the four living creatures: “they
do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’ ” [emphasis added] (Rev. 4:8+). These
who come out of the Great Tribulation may have a different ministry than that of
the Church which is caught away prior to this time.
As their calling and service differ from ours, so does their
destiny. We, as the bride with the
Bridegroom, sit upon the throne to rule and reign with the
Lord of Glory. Our destiny is said to be that
of rulers and judges. We are to be kings
and priests (1Cor.
6:2-3; 1Pe. 2:9; Rev. 1:6+). The
144,000 are to be the glorious bodyguard, the retinue of the Lamb, following
Him whithersoever He goeth (Rev. 14:4+). The
destiny of the Gentile multitude, however, is
that of temple servants.77
dwell among them
Dwell is σκηνώσει [skēnōsei]: “Literally
live or camp in a tent.”78 Used by John of Jesus’ incarnation
when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
This word only appears in the NT in
John’s gospel and this book (John 1:14; Rev. 7:15+; 12:12+; 13:6+; 21:3+),
providing evidence that the books share the same authorship.Their
enduring faith in the midst of the Great Tribulation provides a great testimony
to the power of God and results in His dwelling
among them. They realize the ultimate goal of the eternal
state: “And I heard a loud voice from
heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall
be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God’
” (Rev.
21:3+).
As the psalmist said, “In Your presence is fullness of
joy; at Your right hand are pleasures
forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).
“He that sits upon the throne shall spread his tabernacle
over them.” The A.V. reads, “shall dwell among them”; a poor and utterly
inadequate rendering of the divine thought herein expressed. God spread His
tabernacle over the tent of meeting of old, which thus became the centre and
rest of the thousands of Israel. It covered
them in the desert. Two millions and a half people—the typically redeemed host of Jehovah—were sheltered from scorching
suns and winters’ blasts, by the huge canopy which God spread over them; it was
the nation’s glory and defense.79
His dwelling presence is directly tied to the promises which
follow that the “sun shall not strike them, nor
any heat.” “His dwelling among them is to
be understood as a secondary truth, besides what is expressed, namely, His
being their covert.”80
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters
of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from
her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then the LORD will create above every dwelling
place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud
and smoke by day and the shining of a
flaming fire by night. For over all the glory
there will be a covering. And there will be a
tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge,
and for a shelter from storm and rain. (Isa. 4:4-6)
[emphasis added]
Revelation
7:16
They shall neither hunger
anymore nor thirst anymore
Many of these tribulation
saints no doubt suffered physical deprivation during their time of persecution (Mat.
25:31-46; Rev. 13:17+), not
to mention the harsh conditions upon the earth
during this time: “Their hunger talks of the famine of the third seal (Rev. 6:5-6+), their
deprivation of water of the third trumpet (Rev.
8:10-11+),
and the heat of the sun of the fourth bowl (Rev. 16:8-9+). In
other words, these martyrs will come from all
phases of the tribulation judgments depicted in
Revelation.”81God also satisfies the spiritual hunger
of the longing soul (Ps. 107:9; John 4:14; John 6:35).
These are among the blessed ones “who hunger and thirst
for righteousness” and “shall be filled” (Mat. 5:6).
nor any heat
In
their wilderness
wanderings, Israel was sheltered from the heat
by the cloud which covered the camp during
the day (Num. 10:34 cf. Isa. 4:4-6).
Isaiah was also given revelation concerning this truth: in the day
of salvation, the Father gave the Son as a covenant to the
people. He would go forth to the sheep
who were in darkness so that they would be fed.
They would no longer hunger or thirst, nor would they suffer from the
heat or
sun. And He would lead them by the springs of water (Isa.
49:8-10).Those who reject God will feel intense heat
before His judgments are complete (Rev. 16:8+).
Revelation
7:17
the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne
Not only the Father dwells among them (Rev. 7:15+), they
will also be in intimate association with the Son who Himself is in the midst
of the throne. Because of their faithful witness
amidst chaos and intense persecution, they now
enjoy the benefits which many others will not experience until the eternal state (Rev. 21:3+; 22:3+).
will shepherd them
In
place of the worthless shepherd who feeds himself on the
sheep (Zec.
11:15-17), they will be led by the True Shepherd out of Judah who
was stricken on their behalf (Mat. 2:6; 26:31; Mark
6:34; 14:27; John
10:2-16). God, who scattered the sheep of Israel,
will one day gather them again (Isa. 40:11; Jer.
31:10; Eze.
34:11-31; Mic. 5:4; Mat. 2:6).
living fountains of waters
He leads them to the still waters which restore the soul (Ps. 23:1-2).
This is the living water which the same
Shepherd promised the Samaritan woman (John
4:10-11) and which believers in the church age experience through the
indwelling Holy Spirit (John
7:38-39).82 This water is available freely to all
who thirst (Rev.
21:6+).
It is the river of life which will ultimately
be found flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, watering the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2+). In
the Millennial Kingdom, a fountain of living
water will flow from Jerusalem and revive all
that it touches (Eze. 47:12; Zec. 14:8).
wipe away every tear
Many of the tears they had shed were due to their experience
of death—both of loved ones and themselves. But
God has swallowed up death forever and promised to wipe away every tear (Isa. 25:8).
In their joy, their sorrow and sighing will flee away (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).
Even in the Millennial
Kingdom, great joy will be experienced (Isa. 65:19).
Ultimately, in the eternal state, there will be no more pain and the former
things (e.g., sin and the curse) shall pass
away and all cause for tears will be gone (Rev. 21:4+).
Converts during the tribulation
will have to face fierce and bestial
persecution at the hands of their fellow-men,
and also have to endure the natural tribulations which God will unleash on all
mankind as a consequence of the sins of the human race. Yes, it will be
possible to be saved during the tribulation, but it is infinitely
better and imminently sensible to accept Jesus Christ as one’s Savior now,
before the tribulation. [emphasis added]83
Notes
1The NU text has Μετὰ
τοῦτο [Meta touto], After this (singular).
2“This
ministry of the 144,000 is something
that occurs throughout the entire first half and not merely after
the sixth seal judgment. In fact, it is going on during the
Seal judgments, and it is the means by which the fifth
seal saints come to Messiah. The passage begins
with After this, which is not chronological, but merely the next
vision John sees.”—Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of Messiah, rev ed (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 222.
3Robert L. Thomas, Revelation
1-7 (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1992), Rev. 7:1.
4James Moffatt, “Revelation
of St. John the Divine,” in W. Robertson Nicoll, ed., The
Expositor’s Greek Testament, vol. 5 (New York, NY: George H. Doran
Company, n.d.), Rev. 7:1.
5Robert H. Mounce, The Book
of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1977), Rev. 7:1.
6Thomas, Revelation
1-7, Rev. 7:1.
7“We use the same expression today without in
any way denying that the earth is a sphere, so must allow Revelation the same
latitude and not see its thought as ‘primitive’!”—Monty S. Mills, Revelations:
An Exegetical Study of the Revelation to John (Dallas, TX: 3E
Ministries, 1987), Rev. 7:1.
8“Since nowhere in Revelation do we read of
the four winds actually blowing, they may be taken as representing the earthly
catastrophes that occur under the trumpets and bowls.”—Alan F. Johnson, Revelation:
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1966), Rev. 7:1-3.
9Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528). Image courtesy of the Connecticut
College Wetmore Print Collection.
10Walter Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation (London, England: Pickering & Inglis, n.d.),
155.
11Donald Grey Barnhouse, Revelation (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971), 143.
12Frederick William Danker and Walter
Bauer, A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago,
IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 796.
13Thomas, Revelation
1-7, Rev. 7:2.
14John MacArthur, Revelation
1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody
Press, 1999), Rev. 7:1.
15Concerning
lifeless idols: Deu. 4:28; 2K.
19:18; Ps. 115:4; 135:15; Isa.
37:19; 41:25; 44:9; 45:20; 46:7; Jer.
2:28; 10:5, 8, 15; 16:20; Dan. 5:23; Acts
19:26; Rev. 9:20+.
16Concerning
the Living God: Ex. 3:6;
Deu. 5:26; Jos. 3:10; 1S.
17:26, 36; 2K.
19:4, 16; Ps. 42:2; 84:2; Isa.
37:4, 17; Jer. 10:10; 23:36; Dan.
6:20, 6:26; Hos. 1:10; Mat.
16:16; 22:32; 26:63; John 6:69; Acts
14:15; Rom. 9:26; 2Cor. 3:3; 6:16; 1Ti.
3:15; 4:10; 6:17; Heb.
3:12; 9:14; 10:31; 12:22; Rev. 7:2+.
17Danker, A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
515.
18At Rev. 14:1+, in
contrast to the TR text, MT and NU texts
indicate that the names of both the Father and the
Son are written.
19Barnhouse, Revelation,
144.
20Arthur Walkington Pink, The
Antichrist (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1999, 1923),
s.v. “The Antichrist will be the Son of Satan.”
21Danker, A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
796.
22Thomas, Revelation
1-7, Rev. 7:3.
23J. A. Seiss, The
Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1966), 166.
24Gregory K. Beale, The Book
of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), 61.
25A. R. Fausset, “The
Revelation of St. John the Divine,” in Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset,
and David Brown, A
Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, 1877), Rev. 7:4.
26Seiss, The
Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation, 161.
27E. W. Bullinger, Commentary
On Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1984, 1935),
282.
28Jerome Smith, The New
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1992), Rev. 7:4.
29William Varner, Jacob’s
Dozen: A Prophetic Look at the Tribes of Israel (Bellmawr, NJ:
Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1987), 103.
30Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 153.
31Bullinger, Commentary
On Revelation, 278.
32Raymond Edward Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer,
and Roland Edmund Murphy, eds., The
Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
1996, c1968), Rev. 7:4.
33Albert Barns, Notes on
the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1884-85), Rev. 7:4.
34Mounce, The Book
of Revelation, 168.
35Fausset, The
Revelation of St. John the Divine, Rev. 7:1.
36“Scripture speaks of three categories of
persons its contents concern: the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church of God (1Cor.
10:32). What is stated in Rev. 7:4+ pertains
to Israel—it cannot pertain to any other group. The names of the tribes of
Israel are nowhere in Scripture ever applied to the Gentiles or the church of
God. Even among those who (mistakenly) believe the term ‘Israel’ can denote the
Church, some recognize the overwhelming evidence in this passage against taking
‘Israel’ as the Church: “It is clear that, though ‘Israel’ may elsewhere
designate the spiritual Israel, ‘the elect (Church) on earth’ [Alford], here,
where the names of the tribes one by one are specified, these names cannot have
any but the literal meaning.”35”—Smith, The New
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Rev. 7:4.
37MacArthur, Revelation
1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Rev. 7:4.
38G. E. Ladd, “Revelation,
Book of,” in Geoffrey W. Bromiley, ed., The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Grand Rapids,
MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1979, 1915), 4:175.
39The “Israel of God” of Gal. 6:16 being
no exception. “As Peter Richardson observes: ‘Strong confirmation of this
position [i.e., that “Israel” refers to the Jews in the NT] comes from the
total absence of an identification of the church with Israel until A.D. 160;
and also from the total absence, even then, of the term “Israel of God” to
characterize the church.’ ”—Johnson, Revelation:
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Rev. 7:1-3. In every instance,
the word “Israel” refers to those who are of the physical seed of Jacob.
See [Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology:
The Missing Link in Systematic Theology (Tustin, CA: Ariel
Ministries, 1989), 684-690].
40Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 157.
41MacArthur, Revelation
1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Rev. 7:4.
42Barnhouse, Revelation,
148.
43“The Gentile company (verse 9) is not
numbered. The Israelitish company, on the contrary, is carefully reckoned and
the result stated, not in round numbers, but in precise terms.”—Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 157.
44Varner, Jacob’s
Dozen: A Prophetic Look at the Tribes of Israel, 60.
45Ibid., 103.
46Smith, The New
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Rev. 7:4.
47Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 158.
48Mills suggests that Dan will be key in leading Israel toward the Antichrist in the time
of the end: “Dan has a traditional history of idolatry (Lev. 24:11; Jdg.
18:30-31; 1K.
12:28-29), and in the end times it will be no different: Dan will not
recognize her Messiah, but will lead Israel in its firm covenant with the
Pseudo-christ.”—Mills, Revelations:
An Exegetical Study of the Revelation to John, Revelation 7:4. As
interesting as this theory might be, it requires the tribe of Dan to act in
concert as a tribe which
seems unlikely given the lack of
human ability to determine the boundaries of the tribe within the
Jewish population. Of course, the possibility exists that some
form of genetic tracking, along with genetic material recovered from a
known
Danite, could provide the key to unlock human knowledge of the
boundaries of the tribe. As we discuss elsewhere, God knows which are the
offspring of each son of Jacob. See Ten
Tribes Lost?.
49Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A.
Cleveland Coxe, eds., Ante-Nicene
Fathers Vol. I (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885),
s.v. “ECF 1.1.7.1.5.31.”
50“A great deal of speculation and guesswork
has developed as a result [of the omission of the tribe of Dan], mainly the
idea that the Antichrist will come out of this tribe. . . . Others claim that
the False Prophet will arise out of the Tribe of
Dan and that is why that tribe is left out. But this too, is pure speculation.
There is nothing in the context to suggest either of these suppositions. The
text itself does not state the reason why the Tribe of Dan is left out. The
actual reason is simply to maintain the symmetry of
twelve.”—Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of Messiah, 222-223.
51Unger takes this evangelistic work as
occurring during the millennial age rather than in preparation for
it: “The LORD will dispatch those of the Jews who escape the judgments of
the Tribulation to the nations to evangelize the Gentiles of the Kingdom.”—Merrill
F. Unger, Unger’s
Commentary on the Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers,
2002), Isa. 66:19b. It would seem that “those among them
who “escape” could refer to the sealed Jews of the Diaspora during the
Tribulation period itself.”
52MacArthur, Revelation
1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Rev. 7:9.
53Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of Messiah, 178-179.
54Barnhouse, Revelation,
151.
55J. Dwight Pentecost, Things
to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 214.
56Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 158.
57Barnhouse, Revelation,
145.
58Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of Messiah, 179-180.
59Henry Morris, The
Revelation Record (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers,
1983), Rev.
7:9.
60Renald E. Showers, Maranatha,
Our Lord Come (Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel
Ministry, 1995), 248.
61Fausset, The
Revelation of St. John the Divine, Rev. 7:9.
62Regarding John 12:13:
“From about two centuries earlier, the waving of palm branches had become a
national, if not nationalistic, symbol, which signaled the fervent hope that a
messianic liberator was arriving on the scene.”—MacArthur, Revelation
1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, John 12:13.
63Fausset, The
Revelation of St. John the Divine, Rev. 7:9.
64Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva
F. Miller, Analytical
Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books,
2000), 416.
65“The word [salvation] frequently carries
the meaning of ‘victory’ in classical Greek and
in the LXX (Caird).”—Thomas, Revelation
1-7, Rev. 7:10.
66Danker, A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
801.
67Concerning
salvation by faith: Hab. 2:4; Luke 7:42, 50; Acts
13:39; Rom.
1:17; 3:20, 28; 4:2-6; 5:1, 16-18; Gal.
2:16, 21; 3:11, 24; 5:4; 6:15; Eph.
2:8-10; 2Ti. 1:9; Tit. 3:5; Heb. 10:38; Rev. 7:10+.
68Concerning
worship of Jesus: Mat.
2:2; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 28:9, 17; Mat.
20:20; Mark 5:6; Luke 24:52; John
5:18, 23; John 9:38; 20:28; Acts
7:59 cf. Ps. 31:5; Php. 2:9; Heb. 1:6; Rev.
5:13+; Rev. 7:10+.
69Ibid., 716.
70Moffatt, Revelation
of St. John the Divine, 399.
71A. T. Robertson, Robertson’s
Word Pictures in Six Volumes (Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group,
2003), Rev.
7:14.
72MacArthur, Revelation
1-11 : The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Rev. 7:14.
73Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 163.
74Ibid.
75Danker, A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
472.
76Fausset, The
Revelation of St. John the Divine, Rev. 7:15.
77Barnhouse, Revelation,
153.
78Friberg, Analytical
Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 350.
79Scott, Exposition
of The Revelation, 165.
80Fausset, The
Revelation of St. John the Divine, Rev. 7:15.
81Mills, Revelations:
An Exegetical Study of the Revelation to John, Rev. 7:16.
82He Who is the Living Water thirsted in dying
(John
19:28): “He who began His ministry by hungering (Mat. 4:3),
ended it by thirsting (John 19:28). He who was the Rock whence Israel in the
desert was refreshed (1Cor. 10:4), and He who turned the water into wine (John 2:1-25),
now thirsts.”—Graham W. Scroggie, A Guide
to the Gospels (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995,
1948), 587.
83Mills, Revelations:
An Exegetical Study of the Revelation to John, Rev. 7:17.