Barton's Bible Study Notes

God has not promised an easy road for those who believe, but He has promised that it leads to the right destination and that they will one day reach that destination. In the last chapter, we saw in heaven the coronation ceremony of the Lamb continuing in which the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord, opened the first six seals of the scroll giving Him the right to rule the earth. With the opening of each of the first four seals, an angelic spirit is summoned and given authority to effect some events upon the earth. With the fifth seal, a group of martyrs appears beneath the throne requesting redress. On the earth, we see the beginning of the birth pangs as our Lord describes it in the Olivet Discourse to His disciples right before His crucifixion. Matthew 24:6-9 states:

24:6	“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
24:7	“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
24:8	“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
24:9	“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

These things, these birth pangs, afflict the earth while in heaven the Lamb has opened the first six seals of the scroll that He had taken from the right hand of God the Father upon the throne. This document, with whatever else it might declare, imparted the right to rule as sovereign over the earth to the one who possessed it and had the right to open it. Our Lord alone of all who dwelt on earth was worthy to claim it. As the Lamb opened or broke these seals, John witnessed events taking place in the throne room and noted events taking place upon the earth. After the sixth seal was broken, John saw on the earth a great earthquake. He saw meteorite strikes upon the earth. He saw the sun and moon darken and the sky split apart like a scroll being rolled up. So severe was this, the shock waves shook the whole earth. Before his gaze returns to the heavenly scene, John witnesses another event upon the earth, which he describes for us.

Revelation 7:1-17

7:1	After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.
7:2	And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
7:3	saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
7:4	And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
7:5	From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
7:6	from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7:7	from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
7:8	from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
7:9	After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
7:10	and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
7:11	And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
7:12	saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
7:13	Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”
7:14	I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
7:15	“For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
7:16	“They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;
7:17	for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

The Saints Who Are Sealed

In verse 1, John states that he saw four angels that were standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth. Critics have often scoffed at this statement, pointing out that, as everyone knows, the earth does not have four corners being a sphere. Let it be noted, however, that if one wanted to position four angels so that they were symmetrically arranged about the earth, they would be at the four corners of a tetrahedron inscribed about the earth. There is no real problem, therefore, is speaking about the four corners of the earth. The four winds of the earth refer to the four main points of the compass, north, east, south and west. To hold back the four winds then is to prevent any wind blowing from any of these four points of the compass and any wind between any of these points.

Why were they restraining the winds? Perhaps the best explanation is to be connected with the exhortation found in the following verses to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth, trees and the sea. This destruction, described in chapter 8, seems to be brought about by more meteoritic strikes upon the earth. The firestorm created by these and the fallout of toxic materials would be carried and spread by these winds. Before this is to begin, God is going to mark His own. They are to be protected. Therefore, the winds are restrained until this is accomplished.

Another angel comes up from the rising of the sun, or up out of the east as this phrase means, having the seal of the living God. We do not know what this seal looked like nor how it worked. We are only told that the angel used the seal to seal in some manner this group of people on their foreheads. From chapter fourteen, verse one, we know that the seal was the name of the Lamb and God the Father. “the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads…."

Seals were used in John’s day much as they are in ours. They primarily indicate ownership or control. If an item was sealed, it meant this item belonged to or was under the control of the person whose seal it was. Scrolls were sealed, indicating they belonged to the person who wrote or sent them. Such a scroll could only be opened and read by someone authorized to do so. If an item such as a piece of equipment were to have a royal seal, it indicated that this belonged to the king or regent. Often slaves were sealed or branded to indicate ownership, much as cattle were branded on the open range. The seal or brand designated whose slave this was.

The seal of the living God in the foreheads of these people was an indication that these people specifically belonged to God and to the Lamb. They were His and were under His control. From other passages in the book of Revelation, we know that God providentially protects this group throughout the Tribulation Period. This did not mean things would be easy for them, but they will go through this period and enter into the kingdom. These are the ones upon which God has chosen to build His Kingdom. They are His. They are marked as such. All others keep their hands off!

Today, if you have put your faith in the finished work of the Lamb, trusting His death as your substitute, you also belong to God. You, too, are sealed, but not with an outward visible mark, but with the Holy Spirit. He is your seal. You belong to Him. Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30:

This does not mean that Satan cannot attack you in various ways, for he can and will do so. It does mean that He providentially protects you spiritually throughout this life. Furthermore, at its end, whether by rapture or by resurrection, you will be ushered in as a member of the bride of Christ, the church, to witness this glorious event which we are now studying, the coronation of Jesus Christ as sovereign of the world, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The bondservants sealed in the first part of Revelation chapter seven are identified as a specific group of believers. It is a group comprised of 144,000 people, probably all men. Note Revelation 14:4, where it states that they have not been defiled by women, and remember the practice at this time of only counting the men in groups of people. This does not exclude women and children by any means as being part of this group. They simply are not counted.

They are also Jewish. The text says they are sealed from every tribe of Israel, and there are 12,000 from each of twelve tribes. There are actually thirteen tribes of Israel. Jacob had twelve sons, each of whom was a tribe: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin Dan and Naphtali. However, Joseph was doubly honored, and each of his two sons was accorded the privilege of being ranked with the other eleven sons of Jacob. Instead of the tribe of Joseph, one usually finds the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. When the land was divided in the book of Joshua, it was divided by lot into twelve areas, and each of the tribes received one of the areas in which to settle. The tribe that did not receive a lot, the thirteenth tribe, was Levi. Their inheritance was the priesthood. Although there were thirteen tribes, Israel is usually identified as the “Twelve” tribes because Jacob had twelve sons.

Interestingly when John lists these tribes here in Revelation, he includes Joseph as a tribe, even though Manasseh, his son, is also named but omits Dan and Ephraim. The number is still “twelve,” the traditional number, but the ones selected are different. Now lest one be concerned that the twelve tribes in the Kingdom are not the same as the twelve tribes in the original division of the land, all that need be done is to look at Ezekiel 47:13-48:29. The land is divided again in the kingdom by the same tribes as it was in Joshua. Why then was there a different selection of tribes in the sealing of the people during the Tribulation? The answer to this question is not given.

While there is no doubt that God knows the exact lineage of every person living back through all ages to Adam himself, it seems most likely that these 144,000 were simply reassigned to the various tribes. The lineages today would likely be so mixed that many Jews were descendants of several tribes. In the Kingdom, our Lord will use these individuals as the foundation for the nation of Israel. As such, there must be twelve tribes, and God, therefore, assigns each individual to a specific tribe.

The angel with the seal calls out to four other angels, of whom John states they were granted the power to harm the earth and the sea, and says, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” These four angels could be the same ones that were holding back the winds of the earth (verse 7:1). Alternatively, since the earth, seas and trees are harmed when the first four trumpets are blown (verses 8:7-13), it might refer to these four angels who sound the trumpets. Some also connect these four with the angels (demons) bound at the great river Euphrates (verse 9:14). Another possibility, and the most likely it seems to me, is that it refers to four other angels whose responsibility it was to bring these judgments upon earth, sea and trees when the first four trumpets were blown by the angels in the throne room. Whichever angelic (or demonic) powers are referred to here, God tells them to hold off until He has secured His own.

The Saints Who Are Martyred

The 144,000 are a select group whom God protects through the Tribulation and into the Kingdom. There are many more believers, however, during this time period than just these. Moreover, there are not only Jewish believers looking for the Messiah to return; there are believers from every nationality and ethnic group on the earth. For these, there is no guarantee of physical protection. Indeed, those that John saw next were not on the earth but in heaven itself, for his view now shifts back to the throne room. This great multitude, uncountable in number, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, stood before the throne and praised God and the Lamb.

When they did this, all of the angels in the throne room, along with the four seraphim, fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped the One on the throne.

One of the elders then explains to John the identity of this group. He states, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” That is to say; they are believers. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They have come out of the great Tribulation indicating that they have died, either due to the natural disasters that have befallen the earth, the result of the wars and their aftermath or as a result of persecution for their faith. While the term “the Great Tribulation” is often taken to refer just to the last half, the last three and one-half years of the seven-year period, it seems better to take it here as a reference to the whole period of time. John has already noted a group of martyrs requesting justice (6:9-11) to whom God says, “Wait until the full number of martyrs is complete.” Those that die as believers during this period on the earth join the other saints in the courtroom of heaven. They are not resurrected at this point; that is, they do not have new physical bodies. This resurrection will take place at the beginning of the kingdom. John sees this great multitude so that he, and we along with him, and especially believers during these dark days, will know that there are uncountable numbers of true believers. While it might appear to many, especially during these days, that they are alone, they are to realize that many are their brothers and sisters all over the world.

Because of their faithfulness unto death, God makes several promises to this group. John is told; they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple, and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

That they have suffered is evident. Today being a believer is relatively easy, at least in our country in the Western Hemisphere. On that day, however, it will take a commitment. If you choose to believe, you will most likely know that you will be tortured and killed. While there are other believers than the 144,000 who live through these days, most will not. He cannot touch the sealed of God, the 144,000, so Satan will try to exterminate all other believers, especially during the last half of this period. He will almost succeed.

As we have looked at chapter seven of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we are introduced to two groups of people; saints who are sealed, who will physically live through the seven years of the Tribulation Period, and saints who are martyred during this terrible period of time. For the first group, John’s view is directed to the earth, for it is here we find this group. For the second group, he looks in the throne room of heaven, for this group no longer lives upon the earth.

As John begins to look at the first group, the saints who are sealed, he initially sees in verses 1-3 the four angels who are restraining the winds on the earth. Then an angel coming from the east having the seal of God commands four angels not to harm the earth, trees or sea until God's bondservants are sealed. In verses 4-8, John is given the number of those sealed. There are 144,000 Jewish believers divided into twelve tribes of twelve thousand apiece.

This group will form the nucleus of the nation of Israel when the kingdom is instituted. However, there are other believers, many others from all nations and ethnic groups. John sees this group in verses 9-10. They are in heaven because they have died. They did not physically live through these dark days, yet they live spiritually, and they will be resurrected at the beginning of the kingdom. As they praise God, all the angels around the throne, and there are uncountable numbers of them, fall on their faces and worship in verses 11-12. In order that we understand clearly who these people are, an elder talking with John identifies them for us in verses 13-17. They have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They are redeemed, and God will guide them and wipe away all tears. While they did not have the seal of God on their forehead, as did the 144,000, they were no less His. The enemy had the power to afflict them physically and even take their lives, but he could not touch them spiritually. What they gave up in the short time they were on the old earth, they gained for all eternity in the kingdom and beyond into the new heavens and earth.

While He may indeed do so, God does not always promise to protect and keep His children today as in that day from physical danger and hurt. He does not always keep us clear from natural disasters and misfortune. He does not always stop those that would do us harm. He does not always keep us from the physical ravages of ill health and disease. He does, however, promise to keep us spiritually safe and secure until that day we stand before Him in that great throne room. In that day for us as for these in the Tribulation, He will wipe away every tear. God has not promised an easy road to those who believe in that day and ours, but He has promised it leads to the right destination and that we will one day reach that destination.