THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION – Chapter 7 – The Day of The Lord – Episode 9

 

The Book of The Revelation – The Day of The Lord – Chapter 7

EPISODE NINE.

(These Episodes are meant to not only ask and answer the questions, “When, Why, How and What?”, but also the question, “SO WHAT?”)

Revelation chapter seven is a continuation of the breaking of the scroll of SEVEN SEALS, but is interrupted by an interlude of events, setting the stage and making preparation for another intensification of God’s judgements upon the world. It might be difficult to imagine how much worse could things get, after reading Revelation chapter six, but Jesus explains, in Matthew 24, verses 21 and 22, that “For at that time there will be a great tribulation (pressure, distress, oppression), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will [again]. And if those days [of tribulation] had not been cut short, no human life would be saved; but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.”

NOTE: A question to be asked at this point is, ‘If Christians will have been removed from the earth through the Rapture, why continue this narrative. It would seem that the redeemed are now safe in heaven and those left are doomed to destruction; so there would be no one left to know these things nor to have any recourse’.

This is to let all of humanity, who are willing to know, the sequence of events to come, presumably, so we can prepare ourselves. And what is to come is nothing if it is not astounding as it will be, literally, earthshaking!

Additionally, there apparently will be some who will have the opportunity to be saved during the period between the last two Seal Judgements, and up until the 6^th Tribulation Trumpet, known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. It is perhaps for this reason the narrative continues, offering hope until the last moment.

It is at the 6^th Trumpet that God’s mercy ends and no one else is to be saved from God’s wrath and destruction. “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent even then of the works of their hands, so as to cease worshiping and paying homage to the demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of bronze and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries (drugs, intoxications) nor of their [sexual] immorality nor of their thefts. (see Revelation 9, verses 20 and 21.)

The Book of the Revelation – Chapter 7 – The text

The Interlude

Revelation 7:1, After this I saw four angels stationed at the four corners of the earth, holding back the, [footnote ‘a’], four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. Verse 2. Then I saw another angel coming up from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and with a loud voice he called out to the four angels to whom it was granted [to have authority and power] to harm the earth and the sea, verse 3, saying, “Do not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we, [footnote ‘b’], seal (mark) the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Commentary break: Simply put, the ‘four corners of the earth’ signifies the entire earth, from north to south, east to west.

Everything comes to a stop, it seems. And, here is what would happen, (according to an article found on the weather channel), it the winds stopped blowing:

“It would rarely rain in inland locations (wind moves moist air over dry spots and falls as rain). All land not near a body of water would turn into a desert.

“There would be more extreme temperatures (the warm/cold air over the ground would not be replaced by the steady temperature air of the oceans and seas).

“The trade winds would no longer exist, and ocean stream currents would eventually stop. This would to serious climate changes. (The Gulf Stream keeps Europe warm).”

“After a few days the problem arrives. Without wind systems, warm, moist air won’t move around. Water might still evaporate, but it won’t travel, meaning anywhere away from a large body of water will dry up. Lakes might be alright as the evaporating water will fall back into them and the sea will be fine but anywhere else will get very dry, very quickly. Plants, animals and humans will slowly die from dehydration with most water inaccessible as salt water or ice. Even if we survive this, the problems don’t stop. The equator will no longer shed its heat as quickly, so it will become very warm, mountains may remain cool enough to be habitable but nowhere else will. At the same time, the poles, deprived of heat from the equator, will freeze solid.” Science is finally saying what the Bible has been saying for centuries.

This pause, apparently ends after the sealing of the bond-servants of God, according to verse 3. (End commentary).

 The 144,000.

Verse 4. And I heard how many were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand; [twelve thousand] sealed from, [footnote ‘c’], every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Verse 5. Twelve thousand were sealed from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,

verse 6, twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,

verse 7, twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,

verse 8, twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed (marked, redeemed, protected).

A Multitude from the Tribulation

Verse 9. After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a vast multitude which no one could count, [gathered] from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth], standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, with, [footnote ‘d’], palm branches in their hands; verse 10, and in a loud voice they cried out, saying,

“Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance].” Verse 11. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the [twenty-four] elders and the four living creatures; and they fell to their faces before the throne and worshiped God, verse 12, saying,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and majesty and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Verse 13. Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are dressed in the long white robes–who are they, and from where did they come?” Verse 14. I said to him, “My lord, you know [the answer].” And he said to me, “These are the people who come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [because of His atoning sacrifice]. Verse 15. For this reason, they are [standing] before the throne of God; and they serve Him [in worship] day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will, [footnote ‘e’], spread His tabernacle over them and shelter and protect them [with His presence].

Commentary break: These are debated verses. Some will say that this is a peek, forward in time, after the one hundred forty-four thousand from the twelve tribes of Israel have completed their task of evangelizing the nation of Israel and bringing untold numbers to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

 However, and first, the number of Jews, alive and on the earth at any imaginable time are certainly ‘countable’. These verses say, first, it is to be “a vast multitude which no one could count”; and secondly they say these people come “from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth]”, clearly not exclusively Jews.

 Third, this is an amazing picture of the sudden appearance of “a vast multitude which, (a), no one could count, (and, b), from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth]” – A perfect and clear depiction of the Rapture!

 Finally, this is spoken of as being “after these things”, referring to as having come after the interlude; again, clearly not later as seen in Revelation chapter 14, when the one hundred forty-four thousand from the 12 tribes of Israel are with The Lamb (Jesus), which is the period following the 6^th Tribulation Trumpet. This is when the Angel is proclaiming the Gospel, announcing the fall and destruction of Babylon, the doom of the Beast, and the final reaping of the earth, and judgement, both for the righteous to salvation and the unrighteous for judegment and destruction. This is the period just prior to the final 7 Bowl judgements, the Wrath of the Lamb. (End of Commentary).

Verse 16. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun, [footnote ‘f’], beat down on them, nor any [scorching] heat; verse 17, for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes [giving them eternal comfort].”

Commentary break: After the gathering of “a vast multitude which no one could count, gathered from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands; and in a loud voice they cried out, saying, “Salvation to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb”,

Verse 16 tells us, IN THE FUTURE TENSE, that, “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” This is an event yet to come. It is found, later, in Revelation 21, verse 4.

THE GREAT FALLING AWAY (APOSTASY) & THE REVEALING OF THE ANTICHRIST, THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS.

It is important to understand the time of breaking of the 6^th Tribulation Seal is near, and in fact is upon us, and that you and I, as Christians, must be ready and found doing what Jesus has commanded.

All the necessary prophecies leading up to Jesus’ return, have been fulfilled, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF:

(1 .) The great falling away, the great apostasy: 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 1 through 4, “Now in regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to meet Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly unsettled or alarmed either by a [so-called prophetic revelation of a] spirit or a message or a letter [alleged to be] from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has [already] come. Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], (which is occurring now, in this 21^st century, in the year of 2024),

(2. ) and, the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed], who opposes and exalts himself [so proudly and so insolently] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [actually enters and] takes his seat in the temple of God, publicly proclaiming that he himself is God.

We have been warned. We must be prepared. We must stay ready.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: (coming soon). THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION – Chapter 8 – The 7 Trumpets – Episode 10.

PREVIOUS:  The Book of The Revelation – The Seven Seals of The Scroll – Chapter 6 – Episode 8