Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.12UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.1UNLIKELY
Fear
0.14UNLIKELY
Joy
0.57LIKELY
Sadness
0.47UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.61LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.22UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.95LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.88LIKELY
Extraversion
0.09UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.32UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.69LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction:
Believers are called to a life of spiritual warfare
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the United States naval base in Hawaii was attacked without warning.
The assault was devastating, consisting of two waves and lasting nearly two hours.
There were 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, and 1,143 servicemen and 35 civilians were wounded.
Eight battleships were sunk or damaged; many planes were lost.
One day later, the United States was forced into World War II.
For the Japanese forces, that war had already begun.
Though we Americans had not declared war, they had.
Likewise, whether we know it or not, Christians are in a war!
The enemy is not flesh and blood but spiritual in nature.
This enemy is on a mission to destroy our lives.
We should not be caught by surprise.
Transition:
Chapters 6 & 7 of Revelation display the future battle Christians will endure, but the war has been waged long before now.
In our Expository journey, the sixth seal had been opened in chapter 6, and the people of the earth tried to hide from God, asking who would be able to survive God’s judgment (6:17).
Just when destruction seemed sure, four angels held back the four winds of judgment until God’s people were sealed as His own.
Chapter 7 is were we pick up today and it forms an interlude between the openings of the sixth and the seventh seals.
This scene occurs in this apparent interlude between the sixth and seventh seals.
An interlude also comes between the sixth and seventh trumpets (10:1-11:13), but not between the sixth and seventh bowls (16:12-21).
God did not open the seventh seal until he had marked His people as His own (v.
3).
The seventh seal becomes the seven trumpets.
Some Mid-tribulation rapture pre-millennials put the rapture here midway through chapter 7.
Scripture Reading:
So let’s read Revelation 7:1–8
This chapter answers the question in the last verse in chp 6:17, “Who is able to stand?”
Those described in this chapter will stand in the sense that they will be spared to enter the Millennium with Christ.
The faithful believers would be kept safe.
Interludes in Revelation often shed light on the current situation of God’s people and offer insight into their present responsibilities and future hope
This 7th chapter contains two scenes: first, the sealing of the 144,000; second, the great multitude worshipping before God’s throne.
These two scenes depict the same group of people, namely the people of God, but it does so from two different perspectives.
First, we see the people of God on earth arrayed in battle formation and protected from divine judgments to come.
Second, we see the people of God in heaven, celebrating God’s faithfulness in sustaining their victorious endurance.
Transition:
God acts in powerful, protective, assuring ways on behalf of His people.
There is no distinction in Revelation between believing Jews and Gentiles.
The OT’s racial distinctions have been universalized into believers and unbelievers.
So He seals them; let’s look at two aspects of this sealing:
I.
A Protective SEAL (vv.1-3)
At this moment, there are angels waiting for the word from YHWH
- The four winds mentioned here refer to the whole Earth (N, S, E, and W)
no wind is allowed to blow against the land or sea or trees, and in 7:2–3 the four angels are told not to harm the land or sea or trees until the servants of God have been sealed.
God’s coming judgments will certainly affect the earth (i.e., the trumpet and bowl judgments), but they are here restrained for a time.
The unearthly calming of winds on the earth and the half hour of silence in heaven (8:1) form a bookend effect around chapter 7. Special attention is focused on what the Lord is doing with the two groups in view (vv.
4–8 and v. 9) while judgment is being held back.
I Believe John is getting a glimpse of a chain of command effect in place with the angels.
In Heaven, God has ultimate authority
You’ll notice how another angel comes forward to hold back these first four angels?
Likely, this is one of the arch-angels – someone in greater authority than these four angels holding the winds
The angels are given specific orders here to hurt only the land and sea to unleash judgment upon this Earth - The bowl judgments (later) are the judgments specifically on mankind
Remember city of Sodom in Genesis 19? Angels were sent there to destroy the city.
However, they were restrained until Lot and his family were saved and removed
These four angels are granted the authority to hurt the land and the sea, yet we see control as they are restrained until God’s servants are sealed.
“the seal of the living God”
What is this Seal?
The “seal [sphragis] of the living God” stands in stark contrast to the “mark of the beast” in Chapter 13.
Both marks indicate ownership since they are placed on a person’s forehead and are linked to either YHWH and the Lamb or the beast.
One group is sealed for eternal condemnation, the other for eternal salvation.
In addition to ownership, the seal indicates spiritual protection.
In Ezekiel 9, God commands an angel to mark all true believers to protect them from his coming wrath aimed at the Babylonians (Ezek.
9:4, 6).
The unfaithful Israelites who have not been marked suffer divine judgment.
So YHWH says to this death angel: (Ezek.
9:6–9 ).
Similarly, in Revelation only those who are marked with the seal of the living God can withstand God’s coming wrath.
The seal does not exempt believers from physical persecution or suffering but does protect them from spiritual defeat and enables them to remain loyal to Christ.
Those who are not sealed, on the other hand, will be deceived by evil forces and will suffer God’s wrath.
The apostle Paul equates God’s seal with the Holy Spirit in 2 Cor.
1:22; & Eph.
1:13; 4:30, and this may be what John has in mind here also.
God’s seal indicates that we belong to YHWH and it brings assurance that God will protect us spiritually from evil even though we may suffer persecution.
The people of God are to be sealed, indicating God’s ownership and protection, before the last seal is lifted from the scroll (in 8:1) and God’s judgments contained in it are released.
-- Once these servants are in place – once they have received the protection of God, we will see the trumpet judgments begin
- We will see in a moment that a specific number of persons will be sealed first.
What is important to note here is that God knows who is faithful to Him —yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
-- He knows who His workers are – and John is being given a confirmation --- Just as they are sealed … those who are saved are also sealed and protected from this judgment
This protecting idea really seems to strengthen the rapture of the church happening before the Tribulation begins
-- Why? God’s promise is that we shall be saved if we call upon the name of the Lord (that is Jesus) – and this sealing is sealing those following the rapture for service to Him!
Transition:
So the first aspect is protection, the second is:
II.
A Personable SEAL (vv.4-8)
This is not just some unnamed, unnumbered crowd—this is real people!
John hears the roll call of those who are sealed.
Who are these 144,000?
What do they represent?
What’s the significance of this number?
Many people have mixed up, or tried to assume who the 144,000 are
The Jehovah’s witnesses would teach you that the 144,000 are the only people going to heaven ever.
They believed when they first formed as a unified cult that they were the first 144,000 born prior to 1914 who would not see death, and that they were here to do God’s work.
-- The problem with their logic is this: most (if not all) of those who called themselves part of the 144,000 are now dead and in their grave!
the result of this false thinking is that they are forced to CHANGE their beliefs and doctrine because every JW wants to be one of the 144,000 who would not see death.
Also, since there is a much larger group—a “vast multitude … which no one could number”—mentioned immediately afterward as taken from earth to heaven (v.
9), the JW view is discredited just by the close context alone.
-- It is very important to note that when you read the Bible, when it is clearly written, it’s clear!
The Bible tells us EXACTLY who these people are in the next verse!
There are 12 tribes mentioned.
But these aren’t the same 12 tribes that were always listed in the O.T. books of the Jewish people.
There's a couple differences.
Oddly, the tribe of Judah is mentioned first.
Judah wasn’t the firstborn, Reuben was.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9