Revelation 7:1 - 17

4 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. 5 Of 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. 6 Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of 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. 8 Of the tribe of Zebulun were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

9 After this I beheld and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number (count; compute), of all the nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, 10 And cried with a loud voice, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, 12 Saying, Amen! Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these who are arrayed in white robes? And from where did they come? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they who came out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, 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. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb who 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.

1 - 3 Two visions are given in chapter seven - (1) the sealing of the 144,000 (Jews) and (2) the great blood washed multitude (Gentiles). Here we have an interlude or a parenthesis in the drama. In order after this (meta touto) John saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding (kratountas from krateo - control; hold back; restrain) the four winds of the earth that the wind should not blow upon the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. The winds of judgment and punishment are kept in abeyance. On many occasions in the Scriptures the wind is a symbol of judgment and punishment. Among some of the passages are Jeremiah 49:36; Ezekiel 1:4, but the typical one is in Daniel 7:2 which reads, "Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." That which follows are four great beasts which wreak judgment and punishment upon the earth. The angels standing on the four corners are probably standing in the four directions - east, west, north and south indicating judgment in universality. And John saw another angel ascending from the east (the sun-rising), having the seal of the living God; and the angel cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. This angel told the four angels not to hurt (adikesai from adikeo - to injure not; damage not) the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads (metaopon from metapon - between the eyes). After the beginning of the great tribulation but before the first seal is removed and the first trumpet sounds, God is going to seal in their foreheads a group of elect Jews. Once they are sealed, and in the middle of the tribulation week, the Antichrist will cause them to flee to security for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6).

Angels here are servants of the Most High God; they protect God's "peculiar treasure," the "apple of God's eye" (Psalm 135; Zechariah 2:8). "The angels appear to carry out the purposes of God. This angel (verse 2) rises into view from the door of the dawn. In the midst of dark symptoms of coming storm and judgment there springs up a light for the righteous, and joyful gladness for such as are true-hearted; they need not be afraid of evil tidings whose hearts stand fast believing in the Lord" (Ellicott). This angel ascending from the east has the responsibility of putting God's seal (sphragida from spragis) on the saints of God. A seal is definitely a mark of permanent ownership. The word is used thirteen times in Revelation. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13, 14, "In (Christ) ye also trusted, after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise..." As an encouragement to Timothy in II Timothy 2:19 he further writes, "Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his;..." The seal was to be given in the foreheads to the 144,000 Jews of our text indicating that they belong to God; they were the servants of God. God's people have always carried a mark. For Israel in Egypt it was on the door posts and lintels of the door (in the shape of a cross); for Rahab it was a scarlet thread; for the prophet of God in Ezekiel, it was an inkhorn at his side and a mark on the forehead. For the Antichrist, who mimickes our Savior, he will place the mark on the right hand and forehead of his subjects.

4 - 8 John heard the number of the elect Jews which are to be sealed - 144,000 or 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes mentioned. From the tribes of Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin 12,000 each were chosen. It is interesting and significant that the tribe of Dan is missing and Joseph and Manasseh are mentioned. Manasseh was one of the sons of Joseph, but the other son Ephraim is not included. It is suggested that Dan and Ephraim were not included because of their inclination or persistence to idolatry (Judges 18:1 - 31; I Kings 12:29; 15:20) (Yeager, p. 93). Reuben, the first born of Jacob, no longer leads the list of the twelve sons; Judah is first mentioned. A part of Jacob's prophecy of Judah (Genesis 49:9, 10) was "Judah is a lion's whelp: for the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as an old lion. Who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Why are 144,000 chosen; why 12,000 for the twelve tribes? God in His sovereignty did not chose to divulge the why.

God is not finished with Israel as a nation by any means. The prophets were Jews; the apostles were Jews; Jesus our Savior was a Jew. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 9:27,28 and in 11:5 these words, "Isaiah also crieth out concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved; for he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth...Even so, then, at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." Again Paul writes in Romans 10:1, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." Romans 11:1, 25 read, "Hath God cast away his people: God forbid...blindness in part is happened to Israel, unto the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." Criswell tells how Adolf Hitler persecuted the Jews prior to and during World War II. If a person was a Jew or had Jewish blood flowing through his veins, he was banished or worse yet killed. Very dramatically he tells how the Jews were admonished to walk down the aisle of the state churches of Germany and on outside the building; imagine the Lord Jesus Christ coming out of the stained glass window high over the altar, down from the cross, and walking the length of the aisle and leaving (III, p. 141).

9, 10 After these things (the choice of the 144, 000 elect Jews) John saw a great multitude that no man could number (arithesai from arithmeo - count; compute) of all nations, kindreds, peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb (apparently these are Gentiles). They were clothed in white robes, and had palms (palm branches) in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice, "Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

11, 12 All of the angels, elders, and the four living creatures fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped (prosekunesan from propskuneo - pay homage to) God, saying, "Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and might is due our God forever and ever. Amen." (For an explanation of these words see 4:11; 5:12, 13). The seven-fold ascription could be stated thus:

Amen!
The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom,
And the thanksgiving,
And the honor, and the power, and the strength,
(Is) unto our God,
Unto the ages of the ages,
Amen!

(Ellicott)

13, 14 One of the elders asks two rhetorical questions of John, "Who are these who are arrayed in white robes? And from where did they come?" John answers the elder, "Sir, you know." No wonder that John was perplexed; he had never seen such a multitude of Gentiles, and all of them are saved. And the elder answered back, "These are those who are coming out of the great tribulation (tes megales tes thlipseos - intense affliction; persecution) literally; the tribulation the great one, and washed their robes (stolas - stoles), and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Eternal redemption results from having been washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

15 - 17 The redeemed saints come before the throne of God and serve Him day and night (continually) in His temple. God will dwell (live permanently) with His people. There will be no more hunger, no more thirst, nor will the sun and its scorching heat (kauma - oppress) light upon them again because the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and lead them into living fountains of water and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no funerals; no crepe on the doors; no sorrowful funeral processions over the golden streets of heaven; there will be no graves on the hillsides of glory. What a contrast between this and the great tribulation. Numerous Scriptures speak of the blessings awaiting the redeemed of God. I Peter 2:25 reads, "For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." Isaiah prophesied (25:8), "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it."

Whether in the great tribulation or the ordinary tribulations befalling God's people throughout the earth, there is a great contrast between this and heaven. Every tear will be wiped away, there will be no more sorrow, trial, or pain. Tribulations and troubles will be wholly and forever past. Truly Hosea speaks God's message to His people Israel (1:10), "It shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God," He shall speak to His redeemed saints. Mounce states, "The eternal blessedness of the redeemed is pictured in phrases drawn for the most part from Isaiah's description of the exiles returning from Babylon (Isaiah 49:10). The promise that they will neither hunger nor thirst would be especially meaningful in an ancient land where both were constant threats. Yet the promise goes beyond physical privation. It points to that ultimate satisfaction of the soul's deepest longing for spiritual wholeness" (p. 175).

"Here a pause occurs in the movement of the great drama, in its historical aspect. The fifth and sixth seals present, not so much methods and incidents of divine administration, as principles and purposes" (Smith, p. 113).

Revelation 8: 1 - 13

2 And I saw the seven angels who worshiped before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense (odor; aromatic substance), that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast (thrust; throw) it upon the earth; and there were voices, and thunderclaps, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves (made ready) to sound.

7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail (hailstones) and fire mixed (mingled) with blood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

8 And the second angel sounded, and, as it were (resembling) a great mountain burning (ignited) with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as though it were a lamp (torch), and it fell upon the third part of the rivers (steams), and upon the fountains (wells) of waters. 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten (stricken), and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

13 And I beheld, and heard an angel (eagle; vulture) flying through the midst of heaven (midheaven), saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe (a threefold denunciation), to the inhabiters (dwellers) of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound.

1 The seventh and last seal is now opened, and there was silence (sige - muteness) in heaven for about one half hour (hemioron from hemisus + hora = half hour). There was a silence that could almost be felt; there must have been an intense, unbearable expectation or an ominous foreboding. This seems to be the silence just before the storm of judgments fall upon a gainsaying world of lost humanity. The cosmic judgments are about to begin. Using Yeager's system of approach, we have traveled through the religious picture (Revelation 2, 3); and through the seven years of the great tribulation (or the political picture - Revelation 6:1 -

17); now, we shall journey through the cosmic picture (divine judgments) (Revelation 8:6 - 9:21; 11:15 - 19). In each of these various pictures (religious, political and cosmic), in the religious realm we have gone back to the beginning of the tribulation, and now in the cosmic realm we go back to the beginning of the tribulation. The seven churches, the seven seals, and the seven trumpets are looked at contemporaneous and coterminus. When we come to Revelation 16:17 - 21 we will retrace our steps with further divine judgments. "The Lord could not show and tell it all to John at once, nor could he describe it all to us on the same page!" (p. 111).

2 - 4 God's overtures of mercy are now over. The censer containing the prayers of God's people bringing worship to Jehovah God will now be filled with judgment; coals from off the altar of incense will be cast upon the earth to scorch, to burn and to consume. Many of the people have spurned God's offer of redemption; the prophet (Ezekiel 33:11) had said, "...As I live," saith the Lord God, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn from your evil ways; for why will ye die...?" Just as the seven seals were opened one at a time, the seven angels were given seven trumpets to sound (one at time) at the beginning of God's judgments upon the earth. Another angel (enopion - presence-angel; priest-angel; that is, one who stands in God's presence, one who stands at the altar of incense) came and stood at the altar. These seven trumpet angels seem to be a distinct, select septemvirate of vice-regents, administering the government of God on the earth (Criswell). This angel had a golden censer (libanoton - sometimes referred to in profane Greek as frankincense) and incense (thumiamata from thumiama - odor; an aromatic substance) was given to him to offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Smoke from the incense ascended with the prayers of the saints to the throne of God; evidently the prayers of all the saints of all ages have been on file in heaven. Are these not the prayers of all of the saints both living and those who have experienced death? The saints' prayers ignite the judgments of the seventh seal. The Lamb of God and Jehovah God cause the angel to start removing the seals, one at a time, and the trumpets are sounded, one at a time. "Before judgment falls, the prayers of Christians, some of which have been offered in behalf of those upon earth who have not yet been saved, must be taken into account. God in judgment is not unmindful of the prayers of the saints. That these prayers will still be answered, even after the tribulation has run its course is clear in Revelation 10:7, for not until the seventh angel prepares to sound his trumpet will the Body of Christ be complete (Ephesians 3:1 - 8) (Yeager, p. 114). For many centuries God's people have prayed, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven;..." (Matthew 6:9) following the seven trumpet angels sounding of their trumpets, that prayer will be immediately answered.

5, 6 The ministering angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and cast (ebalen from eballo - to throw or thrust) it upon the earth; and there were voices, and thunderclaps, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves (etoimasan from etoimazo - made ready) to sound their trumpets. The trumpet judgments extend over the seven years of tribulation. One by one they take their toll on the ungodly population of the earth. After the first trumpet sounds (I Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 11:15) there will be seven more years of tribulation and trouble. At the time the ministering angel is about to cast fire from the altar the White Horse Rider (Antichrist) is about to appear and fulfill Daniel 9:27a; the judgments of the first trumpet is about to fall. Some will say, "How can the earth dwellers know when the tribulation begins? The presence of the White Horse Rider along with the falling hail, fire and blood that will saturate the earth can hardly be kept a secret from the news media (television, newspapers, computer systems, satellite systems, etc.). The seven year tribulation will begin whenever the Antichrist makes known his compact with Israel to restore the Israeli government, institute worship and establish the temple in Jerusalem.

Yeager agrees with Wordsworth in his lectures at the University of Cambridge in 1848 in which he stated, "(the trumpets) do not succeed the seals; yet that they synchronize with them...the whole period of the seven trumpets correspond to the periods of the seven seals, respectively; but that the whole period of the trumpets is the same as that of the seals...It would seem, therefore, that in these successive series of visions to which the seals, the trumpets and the vials belong, the same general period is brought under view, which is the period of the historical manifestation of the kingdom of God among men, with all which that imports" (Smith), pp. 117, 118).

7 When the first trumpet sounds there followed hail (chalaza meaning hail stones) and fire mixed (memigmena from mignumi - mingle) with blood, and the fire and hail with blood were cast upon the earth; and the third part of trees was burnt and all green grass was burnt. Words fail to explain what a catastrophe this will be; one can hardly visualize how this will take place. But let God be true and every man a liar! Most all industries will be affected and probably reduced to a standstill. International trade will be interrupted. Fire will destroy much of the commercial and residential housing. Yeager thinks that the Christians on the earth during the tribulation will be protected much the same as the Israelis were protected under the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 9:4, 26; 10:23; 11:7 and others passages) during the enslavement. In fact, he cites I Thessalonians 5:9, which reads, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,..." as well as Psalm 91:3 - 10 and questioned when were these verses in Psalm 91 fulfilled? So far as can be determined these verses in Psalm 91:5 - 7, 9, 10 which read, "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come near thee...Because thou hast made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come near thy dwelling," have not been fulfilled as yet (p. 119). In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17 - 21), Peter referred to Joel 2:28 - 32, which read, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and, also, upon the servants and upon the hand maids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come."

It has been suggested that there is an Old Testament background for the first through fifth trumpet judgments. They may be patterned after the plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians immediately preceding the Israelite exodus: the first trumpet (8:7) corresponds with Exodus 9:22 - 25; the second trumpet (8:8 - 11) corrresponds with Exodus 7:20 - 25; the third and fourth trumpets (8:12) corresponds with Exodus 10:21 - 23; and the fifth trumpet (9:1 - 11) corresponds with Exodus 10:12 - 15.

8, 9 When the second angel sounded the trumpet as it were (hos oros - like; that resembled) a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and a third part of the sea became polluted with blood, and a third of the sea creatures died, and a third of the ships at sea were destroyed. Was there a great meteor or asteroid descending from heaven or a great volcano in eruption? One can hardly imagine the ramifications of this catastrophe; the economy will be drastically affected. The famine that is referred to in Revelation 6:5, 6 will be greatly affected with the fishing industry and lack of ships to carry some of the commerce. Much of the earth is affected, but we must remember that only one-third experience God's wrath. In His wrath, He still remembers mercy. Though the judgment is, as to extent, fearful and sweeping, yet God, in inflicting it, spares more than He destroys; two-thirds escape, while one third is smitten (Smith, p. 121).

10, 11 The third angel sounds, and a great star burning (kaiomenos from kaio - ignited; set of fire) like a lamp (lampas - torch; light) falls from heaven to the earth affecting a third of the rivers (patamon - streams) and fountains (peges - wells) of water. Could this star be what scientists call a meteor or asteroid? Apparently all sources of water including the springs and lakes are polluted bringing on diseases of unheard of proportions. Almost all of the major cities of the United States are dependent upon ground water for human consumption. The star is called Wormwood (aphinthos - bitter); its affect upon the waters will result in bitterness almost beyond consumption. Continuous use of the contaminated water will result in nervous derangement resulting in death. The scientific name absinthium (Lat.) wormwood is derived from a European plant; it comes from a slightly aromatic dark green oil exuded from the plant. Jeremiah refers to wormwood when he wrote (23:15), "Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land." To recap verses 8 - 11 the earth including the trees, cover crops and grasses are burned; the sea is polluted with blood and wormwood; a third of the sea animals are destroyed; a third of the ships are destroyed; now the streams and waters sources are polluted. But there is more to come as the succeeding verses tell the reader. The saved on earth will see Jesus' prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 24:22 which reads, "...Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." God's elect Jews have been sealed and protected (Revelation 7:1 - 8); they will await the appearance of the Messiah. At the last trumpet (I Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 11:15 - 19) the resurrection and rapture willl occur. 12, 13 The divine judgment not only reaches the earth, but the heavenly bodies as well are smitten (eplege from plesso - striken). One third of the sun (heliou - the governing body of our solar system; the source of light and heat), one third of the moon and one third of the stars are obliterated or darkened affecting the daytime hours. Meteorologists inform us that the earth depends upon the sun for heat and light, and without the sun the earth would soon become an icy ball. As John watched he heard (saw) another angel (aetou from aetoi = eagle; vulture) flying in the midst of heaven (mesouranemati from mesos + ouranos - midheaven) shouting, "Woe, woe, woe (ouai - a denunciation; an exclamation of grief - alas); to the inhabiters (katoikoountas from katoikeo - dwellers) of the earth by reason of the other (remaining) three angels which are yet to sound." Smith writes, "These trumpet-visions, if read by the side of the glory of Genesis, seem like the undoing of creation; the vegetation is smitten, the earth and sea are intermingled, the lights of the heavens are darkened, the living things in seas and streams are destroyed..." (p. 123).

These trumpet judgments seem to be a fulfillment of Zephaniah 1:14 - 18 as the day of wrath, trouble and distress, wasteness and desolation, darkness and gloominess, clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpets and alarm against the fortified cities, and against the high towers occur. He furthermore writes (verse 17), "And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land."

In verse 7 John writes that a third part of the trees was burnt up; in verse 9 he writes that a third part of the creatures which were in the sea died; in verse 11 a third part of the waters became wormwood; in verse 12 the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of stars were darkened. In the midst of judgment God still shows mercy, but in the midst of a mercy-tempered judgment fails to induce the populace of the earth to change its mind about God.