Top Banner
Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints
35

Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

Mar 26, 2015

Download

Documents

Joshua Cahill
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Page 1: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

Book of Revelation:Chapter 7

God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints

Page 2: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

Revelation 7:1

“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four

corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth,

that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea,

or on any tree.”

Page 3: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

Four Angels Holding Back the Four Winds

• Continuation of events surrounding the sixth seal from the previous chapter

• Seems to be a “divine interlude” between chapters 6 and 7

• Questions:– What happens to the Christians during this

terrible destruction?– Judgment is held back until the saints are

“sealed.”– Similar occurrence in Ezekiel 9

Page 4: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• All suffering is not the judgment of God. Sometimes the innocent suffer along with the guilty, but they are not being punished with the guilty unless specifically noted in the revealed word.

• Punishment and suffering are not synonymous.

• Righteous are sealed against judgment—still do not find exemption from pain and death.

Four Angels Holding Back the Four Winds

Page 5: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• Four—man’s number—world

• “Angels” standing and ready to act

• “Corners”-North-South-East-West

• “Winds of the earth”

• Holding back the judgment until the command to attack is given.

• NOT talking about final judgment!

Four Angels Holding Back the Four Winds

Page 6: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Then 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 granted to harm

the earth and the sea.”

Revelation 7:2

Page 7: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the

trees till we have sealed the servants of our God

on their foreheads.’”

Revelation 7:3

Page 8: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

Seal God’s Servants—Church Militant on the Earth

• Another angel ascending…

• From the east—rising of the sun

• He has “the seal of the living God”

• “Mark”—safety in time of trouble

• Cried with loud voice to the four angels at the corners of the earth

• Hold back the “winds of judgment”

Page 9: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• “Do not harm” (release judgment) until God’s slaves have been sealed!

• Sealing protects against tampering.– Matthew 27:66

• Sealing shows ownership.– 2 Timothy 2:19

• Sealing certifies genuineness.– Esther 3:12

Seal God’s Servants—Church Militant on the Earth

Page 10: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“And I heard the number of those who were

sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children

of Israel were sealed.”

Revelation 7:4

Page 11: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.
Page 12: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• “And I heard the number of those who were sealed”…

• The number 144,000 is symbolic; it is not a literal number.– 12 times—organized religion (now raise it to a higher

power in order to emphasize its inner quality)– 12 = 144 times—ultimate in completeness– 1,000 (10 x 10 x 10) = 144,000, which means “All my

saints under my care—all of them!”

Seal God’s Servants—Church Militant on the Earth

Page 13: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• “From every tribe of the sons of Israel”

• If literal, physical Jews, why are Ephraim and Dan omitted? Why is Judah placed first? (Hebrews 7:14)

• God’s people in the age of the context of Revelation

• These are God’s people—Christians

Seal God’s Servants—Church Militant on the Earth

Page 14: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the

tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand

were sealed.”

Revelation 7:5

Page 15: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of

Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe

of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed.”

Revelation 7:6

Page 16: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand

were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve

thousand were sealed.”

Revelation 7:7

Page 17: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of

Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe

of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.”

Revelation 7:8

Page 18: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

The 144,000

• “A chosen race, a royal priesthood”– 1 Peter 2:9

• “A people for His own possession”– Titus 2:14

• Christ’s own; “Abraham’s offspring”– Galatians 3:29

• “The true circumcision”– Philippians 3:3

Page 19: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

12,000 From 12 Tribes

• They are on earth—will be affected by the judgment mentioned in chapter 6

• These are the “church militant” (on earth) which is to be sealed in answer to the question—WHO IS ABLE TO STAND?

• Seals the “church” to enable her to withstand the persecution that is coming at the hands of Rome!

Page 20: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations,

tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and

before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their

hands.”

Revelation 7:9

Page 21: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“And crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God

who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ All the angels stood around the

throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.”

Revelation 7:10, 11

Page 22: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

• “After these things”—things concerning the “sealed church” on the earth…

• Behold a “great multitude” coming out of every nation—out of the tribulation.

• “Standing”– Before the throne– Before the Lamb– Paradise???

Page 23: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• Clothed in “white robes”—signifying victory

• “Palm branches” in their hands.

• Crying with a “loud voice”– Did so at the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles,

Feast of Thanksgiving for the Harvest…– Thanksgiving for their deliverance!

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

Page 24: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our

God forever and ever. Amen.’”

Revelation 7:12

Page 25: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• “Amen”—song of agreement voiced by the angels, elders, and four living creatures

• Glory, honor, thanksgiving, and praise deserved by the Lamb—why?

• He overcame and gives others the ability to do likewise!

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

Page 26: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• Why is He worshipped?

• Worthy to open the scroll, and He is God!

• Pictured here is a victory celebration in honor of the Lamb…

• What He did and continues to do, as well as the honor bestowed upon Him because of His conduct!

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

Page 27: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me,

‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did

they come from?’”

Revelation 7:13

Page 28: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great

tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the

blood of the Lamb.’”

Revelation 7:14

Page 29: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“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 dwell among

them.”

Revelation 7:15

Page 30: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat.”

Revelation 7:16

Page 31: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

“For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead

them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their

eyes.”

Revelation 7:17

Page 32: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• Questions and answers given by one of the elders for John’s benefit

• The “ones who have come out” (present tense) those who are coming out of the great tribulation

• Hour of testing is over

• Same group of 144,000 looking from a different direction…

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

Page 33: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• Sealed servants of the earth (vs.2-8)

• Sealed servants passed through death (vs.9-17)

• God’s name written upon them– The 144,000 (7:3,4; 14:1-4)– Those who overcome (3:12; 22:4)

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

Page 34: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• “Have washed their robes” and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!– Ephesians 1:7; Isaiah 1:18; Hebrews 9:14; (1:5)

• Serve Him for that reason

• 144,000 sing before the throne!

• “Day and night in His temple” sanctuary showing one service as priests

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation

Page 35: Book of Revelation: Chapter 7 God Provides Security and Protection for His Saints.

• Those who serve Him are cared for:• “Perfect protection”

– Provision made for them (21:3)

• “Perfect provision”– Not be hungry, thirsty, hot, or tormented (7:16)

• “Perfect leading”– The Lamb is their Shepherd (22:1)

• “Perfect joy”– Wipe away every tear from their eyes (21:1-4)

The Great Multitude Coming out of Tribulation