Revelation
7:1-17.God's Plan for Persecuted Believers.
American Journal of Biblical Theology
Copyright © 2007, J.W. Carter Scripture quotes
from KJV
Revelation
7:1-17.
American Journal of Biblical Theology
Copyright © 2007, J.W. Carter Scripture quotes
from KJV
And 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.
Up to this point in John’s Revelation we have witnessed the opening of six of the seven seals of the great scroll of chapters 5 and 6. As is often the case in the Revelation, John organizes his presentations in groups of seven: seven churches, seven seals, etc. In most of these presentations, John inserts an interlude between the sixth and seventh object in his presentation. Chapter 7 is an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals of the scroll. The opening of the seventh seal is recorded in Chapter 8. The placement of the interlude is consistent with John’s message to the early church, a church that was facing persecution for more than a generation. As John describes God’s plan for a violent end of the age, an ending that will vindicate the faithful by addressing with finality the seeming unending evil of this world, he pauses to encourage his readers. The first six signs all reveal woes that will come upon the earth in those years that are close to the end. Prior to opening the seventh seal, John pauses to address the state of the faithful, assuring their protection from the worst of the woes and commending their faith by revealing God’s ultimate salvation.
The interlude opens with the description of four angels, or messengers from God, each “standing on the four corners of the earth.” Though the ancients had no concept of a global earth, they did have a minimal set of navigational skills that based direction on the sun, moon, and stars. The concept of a north, south, east, and west was well established by this time. Consequently, the “four corners of the earth” is an idiom that refers to all of the four directions. Even today we still refer to winds from the four directions, such as a north wind, a south wind, etc. In the northern hemisphere a north wind would bring cold air, while a south wind would bring warm air. To the ancients of the Middle-East, a west wind would bring moisture and clouds, and an east wind would be dry and clear.
All winds are caused by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. The concept here is simple: God has been showing to John the stage setting of the final days of this age. He has been shown God’s authority (chapter 4), His deity (chapter 5) and the beginning of his plan to bring this world to the end of this age of grace. That end will include man’s own violent contribution, shown by the four horsemen revealed in the first four seals, and also God will add to the chaos as He uses the forces of nature revealed in the sixth seal. The fifth seal revealed that the timing of the end will come only after all whom God has planned to give testimony of His grace are completed.
The four angels described in chapter 7:1 are poised, like all of the other destructive forces revealed by the seals, waiting for the command to be let loose. These angels represent God’s sovereignty over the weather. If God would choose to withhold the winds a disaster of world-wide proportions would ensue, since without wind there would be no rain, and without rain nearly all life would cease as the rivers and lakes dry up. The very concept of unleashing these four angels is grave.
And 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.
The idiom, “from the east” often refers to one coming from Jerusalem or from Zion. This is consistent with the statement that this messenger carries the seal of the living God. As previously used, the seal represents the authority of the one sending the messenger. When a seal from the authority is broken, an announcement is made that reveals the intentions of that authority. The message from the angel that rises out of the east is direct from God and calls upon the four angels who are poised to unleash powers of destruction to stay their actions until “we” have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads.
What would entail the sealing of the faithful in their “foreheads.” We understand that the presence of the Holy Spirit is what identifies a faithful believer. Consider also that the regeneration that takes place when one comes to faith is described as the “renewing of the mind,” (Romans 12:2). The mindset of a Christian is different when it is submitted to the word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Recall that the prophets stated that God would place His Word “as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (from the Shema, Deut. 6:8-9).
The forehead is a metaphor that refers to what we think; the way we see our world. When one comes to the LORD, they see their world through the filter of the Holy Spirit as He illuminates our understanding with the Word of God. God has a plan to end the world, but that plan includes the salvation of many who will come to Him in faith. God is telling us, though John’s Revelation , that He will refrain from the violent ending of this age until those who will come to faith have had that opportunity.
How many will come to faith? Will it be just a select few? John continues with an answer to that question.
And 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 Judah 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 Nepthalim 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.
There have been a lot of interpretations as to the identity of the 144,000. Do these refer to the literal children of Abraham, the Jews? We are taught in the New Testament that the covenant made with Abraham was one of faith, and the seed of Abraham would be made up of all who follow him as they also place their faith and trust in God.
If we hold to the interpretation that this passage refers to the literal children of Abraham, we have a message that there will be a great revival among the Jews as many will come to faith before the end of the age. Today the identity of the twelve tribes among the Jewish population has been long lost as the tribes assimilated into Canaanite cultures. However, though Jews today do not know their own tribal heritage, certainly the LORD does. Also, there would be millions upon millions of people today who are descendents of Abraham and have no identification with him as their ancestry was long lost among the various assimilations characterized by thousands of years of intermarriage with non-Jews.
The number, twelve thousand would refer to a great number, consistent with the number of family groups that left Egypt in the great Exodus. Consequently, the basic message is that there will be a great number of Jews who come to faith before the end of the age, and that is in God’s purpose and plan.
Finally, we might have noticed that John’s list of twelve tribes are named differently than those of the original OT lists, which themselves frequently vary. John omits Dan and Ephraim, inserting Joseph and Manasseh. This loose interpolation of tribes may further defend the viewpoint that John uses these names in a metaphorical sense. During the early years of Israel there were many different tribal groups vying for identity as one of the twelve, and John’s list is clearly meant to be all inclusive. There will be representatives from every tribe (Vs. 9) anyway, so any concerns raised about inclusion or exclusion of one tribe or another is rather moot. We do see that the sons of Abraham, sons by faith, will all experience the blessing of salvation and these will include many who are also sons by birth.
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
We may note one error that often enters some eschatological theology that holds to a population limit of the sealed at 144,000. However, if we hold to the whole Revelation instead of stopping at verse 8, we find that the 144,000 is just the beginning. The 144,000 is just the “tip” of the proverbial iceberg, since the number sealed is found to be innumerable
Who is this multitude of people that John sees? They come from every nation and tribe from around the world. Furthermore, like the martyrs, they are all wearing white robes. That is, they are all surrounded by and protected by the purity of God. This will protect them from the judgment to come. They are experiencing a reward for their faithfulness. This is the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, the Church, the Redeemed from all ages. These are all who placed their faith and trust in God, accepting redemption through the sacrifice of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
Who are they standing in front of? Jesus, the Lamb of God. What do you think of when you hear of palm branches? People were described as waving palm branches at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. They placed their robes and the branches on the path where Jesus would travel, providing him with a way that acknowledged his Kingship. Holding branches in their hands acknowledged their submission to the Lamb as their King.
And 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.
Those who place their faith in the LORD deal throughout all of their lives with the impact of a sinful world, and tend to give authority to many things, often to the point that they eclipse the authority of God. There will be a time when those ungodly distractions that vie for our allegiance will be completely replaced by our acknowledgment of God alone as our One authority. Those who wear the white robes (those who are protected by the seal of the Holy Spirit) will be freed from all of these ungodly distractions and will be free to praise God in Spirit and in truth. Those who are praising God are doing so openly without fear of persecution. There are no Roman spies who will drag them off to prison for their failure to worship the emperor. There are no Judaisers who will persecute them for not adhering to the traditional and oral laws. All will be free to worship God without compromise, and the number of those doing so is beyond count.
The number who are sealed is not limited to 144,000. The 144,000 are just those standing at the front of the crowd! Still, they clearly hold a special place, and if we take their identity literally as actual children of Abraham, Jewish Christians can receive this with great comfort.
It may be of interest that the seven-fold praise is again used in verse 12.
Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "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.
Who are these who are in white robes? These are those who have the seal (sphagis) of God on their foreheads. These are those who, though immersed in a sinful world and against every effort of sin, turned their hearts to God when they made a decision to submit their lives to Him in faith. This was a decision of the heart and mind. When that decision was made, the Holy Spirit became that seal (the sphagis) of God. This is in bold contrast to those who rejected God and by so doing are absent that seal, and instead by His absence carry the mark of one who is lost. This mark (charagma), also characterized by a mark on the forehead is later referred to as the mark of the beast (13:16-17).
These are those who came out of the “great tribulation.” Though the end times are marked by a period of intense violence and tribulation, we may be overextending the use of the word “tribulation” to limit this “great tribulation” to that particular end of the end of times. The implication that those who are worshipping God in front of the throne are all of the redeemed for all ages. Also, everyone who has come to faith did so in a world that is immersed in sin and stands against the faith. All who have come to faith have done so in a world that opposes them, whether it was those who lived before the cross or after. Consequently, many hold that the “great tribulation” refers to this entire age of evil’s persecution of the faithful from Adam through the end of the age. If the “Great Tribulation” is considered to be the final and intense tribulation immediately prior to the end of the age (Dan. 12; Revelation 6:17, 3:10), these may refer to the many martyrs that will lose their lives during this event.
Both positions are possible (as well as many others) when we attempt to take these scriptures and use them to answer questions that are outside of the purpose of the writing and attempt to apply its prose to specific, literal events. Let us not lose our understanding of the big picture. John is simply writing a message of encouragement for the faithful. Assurance is given that those who are faithful to the Lord will be with him forever, protected by Him, and will never again be in want or need. As we go through times of stress (the literal translation of the word that is usually translated, tribulation,) we can be assured that there is a final reward for our faithfulness. When we stand before God in the innumerable multitude we will be surrounded by others who also came out of the times of stress and persecution that a testimony of faith requires.
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 spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Here is stated another encouragement for the faithful. Assurance is given that those who are faithful to the Lord will be with him forever, protected by Him, and will never again be in want or need. Many Christians today are experiencing the benefits of freedom that has come at the price of many lives, people who were willing to fight for peace. Whether or not we consider the cost, we understand that those who did stand for the LORD and stood to defeat those who would take away religious freedom have found a special place in eternity. These are those who are described as closest to the throne, and their numbers have not yet been fulfilled. However, those and the Christians that they stood for knew well the life of persecution. They knew hunger when they were prevented from buying food. They knew thirst when no one would give them drink. They knew the scorching heat when no one would take them in. God describes how He will spread His tent over them, protecting them for eternity. The woes that have been associated with persecution and sin will be forever gone.
We might remember that John was writing to a Christian community who was experiencing all of the woes described in these verses. Consequently, these words are intended to be a comfort to all who have come out of tribulation. We can know, regardless of the level of tribulation we experience, that God is quite aware of our stress, and He will ultimately grant us full and complete vindication as He brings us home under His hand of protection when He violently and terminally judges the wicked.
Following this parenthesis, John continues in chapter 8 with the opening of the seventh seal.