Today we will study, explore, and examine chapter 7 of Revelation. If you're just now jumping into the study, I pray you're willing to back up and catch all that you have missed. This is an in-depth 32 part study of the 22 chapters found in the last book of God's Word, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. In capturing the entire study, I truly pray it will help you better understand the most misunderstood book in the Bible.
As we progress from chapter 6 to chapter 7 we will see a new pattern emerge. Thus far, we have seen the amazingly logical plan and outline of this book. And upon closer inspection, the entire book is outlined in sevens. We start out with Jesus looking at seven churches and then we move into the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls, and the seven beatitudes. Within those sevens we see subsets of seven types of disaster within the sixth seal and seven types of people judged within that disaster. God exercises a great deal of order within His last judgement of the Earth.
We will see today yet another pattern that God will use throughout the book. We will find a break between the 6th and the 7th item in each one of 4 main collection of 7’s. So for instance between the 6th and 7th seals we will have an entire chapter inserted (chapter 7) that will expound and catch us up. Between the 6th and 7th trumpets we will find the same “informational” chapter inserted. And also between the 6th and 7th bowls we will see the same additional chapter inserted. The book of Revelation is by far the most logically outlined book in the entirety of God's Word.
Yet, it’s funny how people react when I ask their thoughts about the book of Revelation. The general response is it’s a complicated, difficult book that’s hard to even impossible to understand. Yet if you really study it carefully, it is the most logical, well-planned book in all of God’s Word. God made it easy to study if you just do what is logical; break it down part by part and study those parts one at a time. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. And God has already cooked the elephant for us and cut it up in nice, neat bite sized pieces of 7.
Let’s get into our first “break chapter” that sits between the opening of the 6th and 7th seals, chapter 7 of Revelation. What we’ll see today expounds upon what we touched on yesterday. What will happen to those who come to know Christ during the great tribulation? We know that the church will be snatched (raptured) out of this world before the tribulation starts so what about those left behind that accept Christ? God will not forsake them, but they of course will still be in the midst of the world and the great tribulation and all of its judgements. So let’s look at God speaking of how He will deal with two very different groups of believers on the Earth during the tribulation. Those that call Him Lord in faith and those that reject Him as God.
“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “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 and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
7:1 - “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.”
The four winds are the winds of God’s judgement. God is having four angels temporarily hold back His judgement from the Earth. The four corners of the Earth represent the North, South, East and West. Who are these angels? Read on.
7:2 - “Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Another angel ascends from the rising sun, (the East) This angel is apparently a higher rank than the four angels holding back the winds because he is giving them orders. God has a specific ranking of His angels very similar to the military. This angel was a general and He was executing God’s plan. This angel had the seal of God which means he is approved to work for God, almost like He has the “God’s Army” insignia patch on his shoulder. Now notice in his authority he gives a command to the four angels and we’re told that they had been given power to harm the Earth. It seems likely that these 4 angels would be the carriers of the judgments from the first 6 seals since they had been given authority by Jesus to harm the Earth. His instructions to hold the judgement is so that they can seal the servants of God. We are seeing here that there are servants of God on the Earth during the great tribulation and they are being protected by God. God has sent His angels to “seal” these servants so that they will be fully protected from His wrath upon the Earth. We’re not told exactly what the seal of protection is, if it’s physical or metaphorical, but we do know that it will protect and allow these servants of God to operate on the Earth safely during the horrible disasters of the first 6 seals we have already looked at in chapter 6.
So who are these servants? We will see that in the next few verses, but the real question is, what are servants of God doing on the Earth during this crazy time of wrath and judgement? They are preaching. They are evangelizing. You see folks, God never gives up on His people. Even after all of the rebellion, and rejection of God, He will still be offering an opportunity during the great tribulation for people to call upon His Son Jesus. These servants will be the most productive mission force the world will ever know. Their job is to save as many people as they can from the jaws of true everlating death...unbelief in Christ. And save people they will. More people will come to Christ during the tribulation than any other time in history. The combination of the wars, the famines, the pestilence, the earthquakes, the perpetual darkness and the societal breakdown, will finally wake up many that were before blind to God. There will be an amazing coming to Christ during this time and it will be led by these servants under the protective seal of God. So who are they? Let’s take a look.
7:4-8 - “And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
God will call 144,000 individuals, 12,000 from every tribe of Israel and they will be an amazing evangelical force. This 144,000 will be assembled to make the single greatest missions team the world will ever know. They will all be sealed and protected by God and folks, when God protects, He protects perfectly. We will see later in Revelations chapter 14 that every single one of them is redeemed and in Heaven, not one lost. This team will represent Israel (the Jews) on the Earth, but what about the gentiles during the great tribulation? Read on.
7:9-10 – “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Notice we start with “after this.” This is a separate vision from John and clearly denotes a new group of people. The Jews are numbered but here we see a multitude that no one could number. Folks, remember that we are reading the words of God and when He speaks, it is absolute truth and is to be taken literally. This is a group of people that no one could count. This was a sea of people! In this group are people from all over the planet that have accepted Christ from the beginning of the great tribulation up to this point. They are every nation, all races, and speak all languages. This group represents the gentiles. (Which is anyone that is not a Jew.) And notice where they are at. Standing before the throne of God, before the Lamb that has taken away the sins of man. They have been transplanted to Heaven. We’re not sure when this takes place, but here, we see that those that have placed their trust in Christ during the great tribulation are called up to Heaven. Is it immediate? Can you call upon Christ and skip out on the rest of the tribulation? Apparently in some capacity as we see ‘tribulation believers’ here in Heaven.
They are clothed in white robes. We’ve already seen white robes mentioned twice in the throne room and I think its important to note their significance. The white robe symbolized the righteousness of Jesus. It symbolizes us being washed in the blood of the lamb. Our dirty, sin-stained lives are appalling to God. God's Word says our works are like filthy rags before Him. So how are we ever to hope to stand before God? We will need to be washed. We will need to be washed white as snow by the precious blood of Jesus. Notice that these people can only stand where they are because of this precious white robe. My friends, when you accept Jesus as your Savior you will be given one of these white robes one day. It will be the most precious thing you will ever wear as it represents what Christ did for you on the cross. He died for you so that one day you can stand where these are standing, “before God on the Throne and before the lamb.”
7:11-12 – “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 and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
As I think about this it gives me goose bumps. What a glorious day that will be when believers are allowed to stand before God. It maks me think of what will I do on that day? I can think of nothing I would do except to fall at His feet, worship Him, and praise Him for His love, His mercy, and His grace upon this sinner’s life. And that is exactly what this group does. They simply praise a God that is so worthy of praise. This scene makes me think of the great song “I can only imagine.” Spend some time here in this moment and try to imagine what you’ll do in this moment.
7:13-15 – “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.”
Here we get a full explanation of exactly what we’re seeing. One of the 24 elders we saw back in chapter 1 asks John a question he of course already knows the answer to. Who are all these people in these white robes and where'd they come from? John says he does not know. The elder then goes on to explain it very clearly for us. They are coming out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb (Jesus). This is indicative that they have accepted Christ as their savior on the Earth during the great tribulation. They admitted they were sinners, that they could not get to heaven by being good or doing good, but that they needed a Savior that was good enough. They needed a perfect sacrifice that would pay the penalty of their sins unto God. They needed a perfect lamb and they found it in Jesus Christ. And because of that single decision to believe in the lamb, here they stand in the presence of God in Heaven. Folks, you can do the same today. You can don a robe as white as snow that has been claensed in the blood of the lamb. You can secure a place in Heaven so that you can also stand before God and the lamb and worship them for their grace and mercy. You can do all of that today. It’s simple, it’s free, it’s a gift. If your robe is black because of sin in your life, wash it white as snow today by admitting that Christ alone can save you.
7:16-17 - “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Here we see some of the amazing promises of God for those that believe in His Son. Remember that these people had been living in the great tribulation, they had seen some terrible life-images that scarred their minds. The false peace and worship of the antichrist, wars, disease, famine, and natural disasters like no others in history that caused death on a scale previously unseen. These folks had seen enough death to last a million lifetimes. During the tribulation they had suffered greatly. They had hungered during the famine, yet here God promises them they will hunger no more. They suffered from thirst, yet God says no more thirst in heaven. The natural disasters God had unleashed brought great heat and scorching sun and He gives them relief from that torture here in His presence. What a promise from the Lord.
What we studied yesterday about the 6th seal is something that I pray no one will ever have to experience, but so many will. The people standing before the Lord here had seen and endured literal hell on earth. They had felt death embrace their lives like a wet blanket, suffocatinh all they knew. When the pale rider came forth, he claimed ¼ of the world. Imagine seeing your wife, your husband, your kids, your parents, you neighbors all at some point struck down by death. Imagine seeing your loved ones starve to death as the black rider brought famine to the world. I can’t imagine loving someone so much and not being able to give them the food they need to live. To watch them suffer and starve before my very eyes. To bury those in your family that you could not save. Folks these people had suffered. They had endured some of the greatest torment that has ever existed. Suffering brings weeping and weeping brings tears. Countless tears were shed for lost love, for lost lives, and for a lost future. Tears were one thing found in abundance during the great tribulation. But not here. No more. Not in heaven. God says I will wipe away every tear. You will no longer endure pain or suffering here. You will not long for an unattainable peace here. You are here with me now and I will lovingly wipe away the tears of your pain. This is a promise from God that makes me want to drop to my knees every minute of the day and praise Him for His unbound love. How ironic that as I write this a tear comes to my eye. I long for a day when all that encompasses me is the blissful, carefree love of Jesus Christ.
God bless each and every one of you and I pray that you can call Jesus your Savior today. So on the last day of physcial life that is appointed just for you, you can stand in your white robe before Him on His throne and allow Him to lovingly wipe away every tear...as they are at that moment, erased for eternity.
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