Revelation 7:1-17 Lesson 477

Revelation 7:1-17 Lesson 477

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Who will be spared?

Also;
As people hide (6:15-17), angels hold back God's wrath (7:1-3).

Two more visions (7:1-8; 7:9-17).

Praising and serving God.

What is a...

Amillennialists -
A amillennialists is a person who does not believe that Jesus will have an actual thousand-year reign on earth. They take the thousand-year reign discussed in Revelation 20:1-6 figuratively, not literally. This is called amillennialism, a Greek word meaning "no millennium."

Premillennialists-
A premillennialist takes the thousand-year reign literally. They believe that Jesus will someday return (the Second Coming) and rule earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years. His reign will put an end to seven years of satanic rule (the tribulation). They state that Christians living as the tribulation begins will be spared by being raptured into heaven without dying. This is called premillennialism and is a widely held belief with evangelicals and others.

The way to salvation:

First, acknowledge that we have all sinned and that the penalty for sin is eternal death.
Second, repent and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord who died for our sins and was resurrected.
Lastly, pray and make Jesus a part of your daily life.

Forgiveness of sins and salvation comes through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 7:1-17
144,000 sealed

1And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

9After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

12Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Margin notes:

"The four winds of the earth." (7:1) - The wind represents God's judgment (Jeremiah 4:11-12; Ezekiel 37:9).

"Hurt the earth and sea." (7:2) - "Harm the earth and sea."

"Till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (7:3) - Just as a protective seal was placed on important scrolls, an angel will delay the coming calamities on earth until a protective seal is placed on Christians (Revelation 9:4; 14:1; 22:4). This is reminiscent of the Old Testament "man clothed with linen" who walked through Jerusalem marking the foreheads of those who objected to the "abominations" taking place in the city (Ezekiel 9:3-6). They were spared the coming wrath.

"There were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." (7:4) - This is a controversial verse. "Some find here a reference to members of actual Jewish tribes, the faithful Jewish remnant of the "great tribulation" (7:14). Those who hold this view generally think Gentile believers will be taken to Heaven ("raptured") before the tribulation starts, so the only believers on earth are newly-converted thousands of Jews. These alone require sealing because they alone are left to face the onslaught. Others take the passage as symbolic of all the faithful believers who live during the period of tribulation. Interpreters who do not think all Gentile believers will be raptured before the tribulation generally say God will surely seal all the believers left on earth. On this reading, 144,000 is not a literal statistic but a symbol: 12 X 12 X 10 X 10. Idealists and amillennialists (the two are often the same) think the 144,000 are all Christians in all generations, who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) to protect them from ultimate destruction." (From "Revelation, Life Change Series", published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado, page 66-67.)

"A great multitude." (7:9) - "Those who think Gentile believers will be raptured before the tribulation see these as Gentiles and Jews converted during the tribulation (7:14) by the witness of the sealed Jews of 7:1-8. Those who think gentile believers will not be raptured beforehand (including some premillennialists and all post- and amillennialists) equate the great multitude with the 144,000 Christians who remain faithful through the tribulation and "come out" (7:14) at death or the Second Coming." (From "Revelation, Life Change Series", published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado, page 66-67).

"Tongues." (7:9) - "Languages."

"White robes." (7:9) - Symbolize righteous garments.

"Palms in their hands." (7:9) - "Holding palm branches in their hands." In biblical times palm branches were a symbol of victory and joy (Leviticus 23:40; John 12:12-13).

"Salvation to our God." (7:10) - Means, "Salvation comes from God."

"One of the elders answered, saying unto me." (7:13) - "One of the elders asked me."

"What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" (7:13) - "Who are these people dressed in white robes, and where did they come from?" The elder is referring to the people in verse 7:9.

"These are they which came out of great tribulation." (7:14) - Refers to those who were "slain" for their Christian beliefs (6:9). Many Christians (preterists) believe the tribulation refers to all the suffering believers have endured throughout history. Others (futurists), believe the tribulation is a seven year period of persecution and world-wide crises that will occur just before Christ returns. Still others believe it refers to all persecution, past, present and future. As you decide which you believe read also Daniel 12:1-3.

"Have washed their robes." (7:14) - Means, washed away their sins (Isaiah 1:18).

"They shall hunger no more...." (7:16) - As prophesized in Isaiah 49:10 2700 years ago.

New Living Translation

Revelation 7:1-17
God's People Will Be Preserved

1 Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 "Wait! Don't harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants."

4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God-144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:

5 from Judah - 12,000
         from Reuben - 12,000
         from Gad - 12,000

6 from Asher - 12,000
         from Naphtali - 12,000
         from Manasseh - 12,000

7 from Simeon - 12,000
         from Levi - 12,000
         from Issachar - 12,000

8 from Zebulun - 12,000
         from Joseph - 12,000
         from Benjamin - 12,000

Praise from the Great Crowd

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,

  "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
      and from the Lamb!"

11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,

  "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
      and thanksgiving and honor
   and power and strength belong to our God
      forever and ever! Amen."

13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, "Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?"

14 And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows."

  Then he said to me, "These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

15 "That is why they stand in front of God's throne
      and serve him day and night in his Temple.
   And he who sits on the throne
      will give them shelter.

16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
      they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.

17 For the Lamb on the throne
      will be their Shepherd.
   He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
      And God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

"The Bible is God's own word. And no other book can take its place.
Every Christian, young and old, should be a faithful reader of the Bible."

Henry Hampton Halley, minister and religious writer (1874-1965).

Application thought for the day:

What one thing did you learn from this passage and how can you apply it to your life?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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