Sermon Tone Analysis

REVELATION 7

There is a pause between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals; judgment halts for a brief time while God seals 144,000 Jews who will carry His message to the ends of the earth.

We are not specifically told that these Jews will be God’s ambassadors, but we assume that this is why He seals them.

We have seen that the day of God’s wrath is about to come (6:15–17); so God brings a lull in the storm and extends His mercy to Jew and Gentile alike.

We see here two groups of redeemed people:

Chapter 7 is actually two visions, with the second both interpreting and concluding the first.

The sealing of the 144,000 employs starkly Jewish symbols to describe those who know God through Jesus Christ.

Clearly John was referring to Christians as the 144,000.

For 7:3 refers to the “servants” of God, a term consistently used throughout Revelation to refer either to Christians in general or the Christian prophet, but never to the non-Christian Jew (or Gentile).

Language employed in the Old Testament to refer to the Jews is characteristically used in the New Testament to refer to those who know God through Jesus Christ (for example, 2 Cor.

6:16–18; Gal.

3:29).

Those who are in Christ are the beneficiaries of the promises made to Israel (Rom.

4:13–17; Gal.

3:8–9, 15–29).

The number 144,000 is an intensification (12 × 12 × 10 × 10 × 10) of the original number twelve (itself an obvious allusion to the twelve tribes).

This indicates that the 144,000 comprise the full number of God’s people, God’s people now being all (Jew or Gentile) who are followers of Jesus.

(Note 12:1–17; the woman who has a crown of twelve stars and brings forth Christ is Israel.

Her true offspring is first Jesus—the fulfillment of Israel’s history—and His followers, that is, Jews and Gentiles “who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus,” v. 17.)

In the second vision the 144,000 have become “a great multitude, which no one could count.”

Who are they?

Using his favorite descriptions of heaven (see 21:3–4, 23; 22:1–5), John said that they are those who have “come out of the great tribulation,” now to experience the joys of heaven and relief from the tribulations they have endured.

Compare 7:14–17 with 21:1–6; 22:1–5.

The numberless multitude of 7:9 is not a reference to non-Christian Jews (or Gentiles); it refers rather to all who have trusted Christ.

It is the Lamb’s bride, the holy city, the new Jerusalem (21:2).

To have “come out of the great tribulation” does not mean that they exited the earth before the hour of tribulation.

To the contrary, they did indeed experience the tribulations of this evil age; but now in heaven they enjoy the presence of God, where they will hunger no more nor thirst any more.

No longer subject to death (21:4), they will drink of the water of life, will no more experience the oppressive heat of the sun, and will have every tear wiped from their eyes.

As the true Israel of God, Christians (“the servants of our God”) have the seal of God.

Having refused the mark of the beast (13:16–17), they hold to the testimony of Jesus in spite of persecution and therefore have the promise of final heavenly deliverance from this evil age of great tribulation.

I.

The Sealed Jews (7:1–8)

The winds of heaven speak of God’s judgment, and the judgments here are specifically on the earth, sea, and green vegetation.

It may be that these four angels holding the four winds are also the angels who blow the first four trumpets, for the judgments are similar (see 8:6–12).

The angel from the east holds the seal of God.

A seal signifies possession and protection; note 9:4.

Today, the Christian is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph.

1:13–14).

This sealing happens the instant the sinner trusts Christ, and it assures the believer of eternal life and an inheritance in heaven.

The sealing angel commands the angels of the winds to hold back their judgment until His servants have been sealed and thus protected from the judgment to come.

For a parallel scene, see Ezek. 9. Remember too that Christ taught that the angels of God would have a part in gathering His elect (Matt.

24:31).

Along with the angels of the winds, we have also the angels of fire (14:18) and of water (16:5).

These angels are God’s special ministers who supervise the activities of nature.

These sealed servants are all Jews: there are 12,000 each from twelve tribes of Israel.

It is unfortunate that some well-meaning Christians have taught that the 144,000 are symbolic of the church (the new Israel), because the church is no longer on earth at this point in history.

The 144,000 are true Jews who will be alive on earth at this time.

They will probably be won to Christ through the ministries of Moses and Elijah, the two witnesses who will preach during the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation (see 11:1–12).

These Jews will probably be God’s chosen missionaries—144,000 “Apostle Pauls” who carry the Gospel to all nations!

This event will fulfill Christ’s prophecy of Matt.

24:14; the result will be the salvation of a multitude of Gentiles (7:9ff).

When you think of the multitudes that Paul won during his ministry, you can begin to imagine what 144,000 such missionaries would do!

The tribe of Dan is missing from this list, and the tribe of Manasseh takes its place.

The reasons seem to be: (1) Dan led Israel into idolatry, Jud.

18:30; 1 Kings 12:28–30; (2) therefore God promised to blot out the name of the idolater, Deut.

29:18–21.

Chapter 7 is actually two visions, with the second both interpreting and concluding the first.

The sealing of the 144,000 employs starkly Jewish symbols to describe those who know God through Jesus Christ.

Clearly John was referring to Christians as the 144,000.

For 7:3 refers to the “servants” of God, a term consistently used throughout Revelation to refer either to Christians in general or the Christian prophet, but never to the non-Christian Jew (or Gentile).

Language employed in the Old Testament to refer to the Jews is characteristically used in the New Testament to refer to those who know God through Jesus Christ (for example, 2 Cor.

6:16–18; Gal.

3:29).

Those who are in Christ are the beneficiaries of the promises made to Israel (Rom.

4:13–17; Gal.

3:8–9, 15–29).

The number 144,000 is an intensification (12 × 12 × 10 × 10 × 10) of the original number twelve (itself an obvious allusion to the twelve tribes).

This indicates that the 144,000 comprise the full number of God’s people, God’s people now being all (Jew or Gentile) who are followers of Jesus.

(Note 12:1–17; the woman who has a crown of twelve stars and brings forth Christ is Israel.

Her true offspring is first Jesus—the fulfillment of Israel’s history—and His followers, that is, Jews and Gentiles “who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus,” v. 17.)

In the second vision the 144,000 have become “a great multitude, which no one could count.”

Who are they?

Using his favorite descriptions of heaven (see 21:3–4, 23; 22:1–5), John said that they are those who have “come out of the great tribulation,” now to experience the joys of heaven and relief from the tribulations they have endured.

Compare 7:14–17 with 21:1–6; 22:1–5.

The numberless multitude of 7:9 is not a reference to non-Christian Jews (or Gentiles); it refers rather to all who have trusted Christ.

It is the Lamb’s bride, the holy city, the new Jerusalem (21:2).

To have “come out of the great tribulation” does not mean that they exited the earth before the hour of tribulation.

To the contrary, they did indeed experience the tribulations of this evil age; but now in heaven they enjoy the presence of God, where they will hunger no more nor thirst any more.

No longer subject to death (21:4), they will drink of the water of life, will no more experience the oppressive heat of the sun, and will have every tear wiped from their eyes.

As the true Israel of God, Christians (“the servants of our God”) have the seal of God.

Having refused the mark of the beast (13:16–17), they hold to the testimony of Jesus in spite of persecution and therefore have the promise of final heavenly deliverance from this evil age of great tribulation.

REVELATION 7

There is a pause between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals; judgment halts for a brief time while God seals 144,000 Jews who will carry His message to the ends of the earth.

We are not specifically told that these Jews will be God’s ambassadors, but we assume that this is why He seals them.

We have seen that the day of God’s wrath is about to come (6:15–17); so God brings a lull in the storm and extends His mercy to Jew and Gentile alike.

We see here two groups of redeemed people:

Rev 7:1–17.

SEALING OF THE ELECT OF ISRAEL.

THE COUNTLESS MULTITUDE OF THE GENTILE ELECT.

1. And—so B and Syriac.

But A, C, Vulgate, and Coptic omit “and.”

after these things—A, B, C, and Coptic read, “after this.”

The two visions in this chapter come in as an episode after the sixth seal, and before the seventh seal.

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.

The second advent will be the time of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, when the times of the Gentiles shall have been fulfilled, and the Jews shall at last say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

The period of the Lord’s absence has been a blank in the history of the Jews as a nation.

As then Revelation is the Book of the Second Advent [DE BURGH], naturally mention of God’s restored favor to Israel occurs among the events that usher in Christ’s advent.

earth … sea … tree—The judgments to descend on these are in answer to the martyrs’ prayer under the fifth seal.

Compare the same judgments under the fifth trumpet, the sealed being exempt (Rev 9:4).

on any tree—Greek, “against any tree” (Greek, “epi ti dendron”: but “on the earth,” Greek, “epi tees gees”).

2. from the east—Greek, “the rising of the sun.”

The quarter from which God’s glory oftenest manifests itself.

3. Hurt not—by letting loose the destructive winds.

till we have sealed the servants of our God—parallel to Mt 24:31, “His angels … shall gather together His elect from the four winds.”

God’s love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way of judgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Ge 19:22).

Israel, at the eve of the Lord’s coming, shall be found re-embodied as a nation; for its tribes are distinctly specified (Joseph, however, being substituted for Dan; whether because Antichrist is to come from Dan, or because Dan is to be Antichrist’s especial tool [ARETAS, tenth century], compare Ge 49:17; Je 8:16; Am 8:14; just as there was a Judas among the Twelve).

Out of these tribes a believing remnant will be preserved from the judgments which shall destroy all the Antichristian confederacy (Rev 6:12–17), and shall be transfigured with the elect Church of all nations, namely, 144,000 (or whatever number is meant by this symbolical number), who shall faithfully resist the seductions of Antichrist, while the rest of the nation, restored to Palestine in unbelief, are his dupes, and at last his victims.