A Journey through Revelation, Part 19: The 144,000. Revelation7:1-8.

Review:

Before we begin looking at chapter 7 of Revelation, let’s do a quick review of the events that just took place when Jesus opened the sixth seal at the end of chapter 6.

 

The sixth seal brought:

·     A great, worldwide earthquake.

·     The sky appeared to split and roll back.

·     The sun was darkened and the moon turned blood red, perhaps by all the volcanic dust and debris.

·     The people hid in the mountains, which were falling down, because they realized the great day of God’s wrath, and the wrath of the Lamb had come.

 

An Interlude

In this article, we start with an interlude, or a pause, in what’s been happening:

·     John sees two visions in chapter 7, which separates the sixth and seventh seal.

 

·     Though the world is falling apart, God's restraining and protecting hand is outstretched to protect His chosen ones. 

 

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 should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree”:

·     These four angels move to center-stage as the new vision begins:

o   We know this is a new vision because of the phrase "after this," which introduces a new scene.

 

·     When does this vision take place?

o   Just after the sixth seal.

o   We know this by the change in the subject of the sixth seal and by the delay, (until Revelation 8:1), in the opening of the seventh seal.

 

·     The “four winds” are controlled by four angels:

o   These angels may be lower rank than the four living beings at the throne in heaven. But they have power over the forces of nature.

o   All we really know about them, from the text, is that they have a particular responsibility assigned to them and that is to hold back the winds.

 

·     Are these “winds” literal windiness, or symbolic of something else?

o   I believe, as we’ll see a little later, that, these “winds” are winds of judgment, the trumpets, which will begin at the opening of the seventh seal.

 

·     The phrase “at the four corners of the earth,” is a term used to describe the four points of a compass, meaning the whole earth is involved:

o   We know that the earth is not a flat square with four corners.

o   So, the language, here, is figurative and shows the worldwide nature of these angels’ responsibility.

 

·     At each compass point, one of the four winds is held back by an angel who is serving the Lord:

o   The mission of the four angels is to prevent these winds of judgment from starting too soon.

 

·     The phrase, “holding back,” in the Greek, implies that the winds are struggling to get loose, but they are being restrained.

 

·     In Jeremiah 49:36-38, Daniel 7:2, and Hosea 13:15, the four winds picture God's destructive action against the earth:

o   So, it's best to see these winds as a figurative way of referring to the judgments that are about to happen on the earth and the angels are holding them back.

 

·     Because of the flowing language found here, there’s no mention of the winds being released:

o   However, we will see the seven angels sounding their trumpets and the judgments fall upon the earth later.

o   The angelic restraint, here, is a delaying of the start of the trumpet judgments.

o   However, the 144,000 must be sealed before the unleashing of these destructive winds.

 

v.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”:

·     John sees a fifth angel. It has been suggested that this angel could be Christ, the Holy Spirit, an archangel, a special messenger from Christ, or the prophet Elijah.

 

·     There are two reasons why this would be incorrect:

o   First, "another" is the Greek word, “allon,” which means another of the same kind:

Ø  This angel is of the same character as the first four.

 

o   Second, by using the word “we”, notice he says, “until we have sealed,” in v.3, this angel identifies himself with the other four in the same mission.

 

·     John sees him "ascending from the rising of the sun" from the east:

o   It’s important for us to ask why this angel came from the east?

o   The east is the direction of the land of Israel and it’s appropriate, here, because in this section, the 12 tribes of Israel are the ones about to be sealed, but this is only part of the significance.

o   Also, God has chosen to reveal His salvation from this area of the world: Jesus came from Israel! 

 

·     Notice what the fifth angel has with him, "the seal of the living God":

o   "the seal" was usually a signet ring that the king would stamp something to validate official documents or to mark his property.

o   It was also used to authenticate and to protect.

o   The text does not explicitly say what the seal is, but Revelation 14:1 (which we’ll see later) suggests that it’s the name of the Lamb and that of His Father.

 

 An interesting Side Note

·     “mark,” in the Greek, is the word charagma. It’s the word used to describe the label placed on the followers of the beast in Revelation 13:6-7:

o   It carries the connotation of branding, or tattooing, as was practiced by pagan religions.

o   “seal,” in the Greek, is the word sphragis, used here. It has a rich meaning in Christian usage, including that of ownership (2 Corinthians 1:22), authentication (John 6:27), and protection leading to final salvation (Eph. 1:14; 4:30).

 

·     It’s the seal “of the living God.” This is a familiar expression of both the Old and New Testament:

o   This kind of reference to God emphasizes the contrast between the one eternal God, and the many temporary gods of the pagans.

o   The title, “living God” also adds seriousness and strength to the seal.

 

·     “He cried out with a loud voice”: 

o   This loud cry shows the urgency of his mission. His first concern is the protection of the 144,000.

o   Before the four angels release the winds, the judgments, which will wreak havoc on the earth, these saints must receive their seal of protection.

 

v.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”:

·     The phrase, "do not harm," tells the four angels to continue their restraint of the four winds a little longer.

 

·     The judgments cannot begin until the sealing work is done:

o   Until they seal the “bond servants,” literally, “the slaves of our God upon their foreheads.”

o   The seal is a pledge of security.

 

·     Are we sealed? Yes, with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed [same Greek word as Rev. 7:2] in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

 

What about these bondservants?  Who are they?

·     They are a remnant of nation of Israel:  144,000 of them.

 

v.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”:

o   John heard the number of the ones identified by the seal from an unnamed source, maybe the fifth angel.

 

·     There are two approaches to interpreting this 144,000:

o   The question is:  “Is this a literal, or symbolic number?”

 

·     The symbolic approach believes that it’s impossible to take the number literally: 

o   They see it as simply a vast number, unable to be determined.

o   The primary reason for this view is their tendency to make the 144,000 into a group that represents the Church, because there can be no exact number of believers.

o   But there’s no justification for seeing this number as a figurative.

 

·     These are not the Jehovah’s Witnesses who say that this text speaks of 144,000 “Witnesses” who have been chosen by God to be special leaders.

 

·     This number, 144.000, is to be taken literally:

o   It’s a definite number, in contrast with the infinite number of Rev. 7:9 (which we’ll see next time).

o   The problem is, if this number is taken symbolically, then which numbers in Revelation are literal and which are figurative?

o   Just as God reserved 7000 in the days of Ahab, He will reserve 144,000 for Himself during the future Great Tribulation.

 

·     The text is clear. It says, "from every tribe of the sons of Israel”:

o   This phrase, along with the naming of each individual tribe and the repeated number 12,000, gives us the strongest possible evidence that these will come from every division of God's chosen people, “Israel.”

o   There are some, however, who disagree.

 

·     But the answer lies in determining the proper meaning of the word "Israel":

o   A tremendous amount of debate has tried to build a case that the term “Israel,” used here, refers to “spiritual” Israel, which they would say, is the Church.

o   We don’t have enough time to examine all the passages, which they use to argue for this idea.

o   But when examined correctly and in context, those passages do not prove that the Church is the new Israel anymore than this passage.

o   No clear-cut example of the Church being called, or being equated to, "Israel" exists in the entire New Testament.

o   The term "Israel" refers to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

o   This is the natural understanding and the word’s normal usage in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament.

o   Paul is very clear about the distinction between the two groups of God's people, Israel and the Church, especially Romans chapters 9-11.

o   Israel has not, and will not, lose her distinctive national identity before God, regardless of human proposals to the contrary. 

o   Another argument against this being the literal 12 tribes is that the identity of the tribe members is lost to mankind:

Ø  However, they are still known to God, who will be in charge of the sealing when it takes place.

 

o   This is not the entire total of the faithful remnant of Israel, but a special group, charged with a special responsibility of witnessing for Christ during the world's darkest hour, as will be shown later in chapters 12 and 14.

o   The 144,000 are a special remnant that will be a testimony to God’s grace and mercy during this time of judgment. 

o   They will carry God's message to the world during these difficult days.

o   These will not face God’s wrath, but they will have to face the wrath of those who hate God.

 

·     One thing about this list, notice that the tribe of “Dan” is excluded:

o   The best explanation for why the tribe of Dan is omitted is that they left their inheritance and moved north to Laish and practiced idolatry.

o   This tribe was given an inheritance, like all the rest of the tribes, but they chose to move away and settle in the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, thereby rejecting the word of the Lord.

o   Being the only tribe that failed to conquer its territory, it turned to idolatry as an alternative to obeying God.

o   Deuteronomy 29:18-21 requires the blotting out the name of anyone who introduces idolatry in Israel.

o   The other tribes were guilty of the same sin, but Dan was the leader in idolatrous practices.

 

·     Ephraim is also missing from the list of tribes: 

o   Ephraim was also addicted to idolatry.

o   Ephraim was also foremost in the defection from the house of David and was an ally of the enemies of Judah.

o   Because Joseph was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh, some see the inclusion of Joseph in the present list as the inclusion of Ephraim, without the unpleasant reminder that the name carried.

 

·     Another peculiar characteristic of this list is the inclusion of Manasseh and Joseph in the same list. Remember, Joseph was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh:

o   This is not some sort of the mistake.

o   It must be significant because John included this list in his prophecy.

o   One explanation is that Manasseh was the faithful son of Joseph. And because Joseph was given a double-portion by Jacob, in recognition of his favoritism toward Joseph, this would be a fitting tribute to Manasseh’s faithfulness.

 

v.5, “from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand”:

·     The name “Judah” means, “praise”:

o   He was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah.

o   It was out of this tribe that Jesus, the Messiah, came.

 

·     The name “Reuben” means “behold the son”:

o   He was the first son of Jacob and Leah.

o   Leah had named her son Reuben because the Lord had looked upon her sorrow at being unloved by her husband.

o   By giving a son to Jacob, she hoped he would respond to her in love.

 

·     The name “Gad” means “good fortune”:

o   He was the seventh son of Jacob by Leah’s maid, Zilpah.

o   Gad was the firstborn of Zilpah.

 

v.6, “from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand”:

·     The name “Asher” means “happy”:

o   The eighth son of Jacob by Leah’s maidservant, Zilpah.

 

·     The name “Napthali” means “my wrestling”:

o   Napthali was the sixth son of Jacob by Leah’s servant Bilhah (Gen. 35:25).

o   Because Jacob’s wife, Rachel, was barren and her sister Leah had borne four sons to Jacob, Rachel was distraught. She gave her maidservant, Bilhah, to Jacob. Any offspring of this union were regarded as Rachel’s.

o   When Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali, Rachel was joyous.

o   She said, “with great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and indeed I have prevailed” (Gen. 30:8).

o   So, she called his name “Naphtali,” which means “my wrestling.”

 

·     The name “Manasseh” means “causing to forget”:

o   Joseph’s firstborn son who was born in Egypt to Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, or Hieropolis (Gen. 41:50–51).

o   Like his younger brother Ephraim, Manasseh was half Hebrew and half Egyptian.

o   Manasseh’s birth caused Joseph to forget the bitterness of his past experiences.

o   Manasseh and Ephraim were both adopted by Jacob and given status as sons just like Jacob’s own sons, Reuben and Simeon.

 

v.7, “from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand:”

·     The name “Simeon,” means “to hear”:

o   The second son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:33), he and his brother Levi tricked the Hivites of Shechem and massacred all the males because one of them had raped Dinah, their sister (Gen. 34:2, 25, 30).

o   Simeon was the brother whom Joseph kept as security when he allowed his brothers to leave Egypt and return to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan (Gen. 42:24).

 

·     The name “Levi” means “to join”:

o   He was he third son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:34).

o   He was famous for the Levitical priesthood.

 

·     The name “Issachar” means “to hire”:

o   The ninth son of Jacob and the fifth by his wife Leah.

o   Before his death, Jacob described Issachar as “a strong donkey lying down between two burdens” (Gen. 49:15).

o   In other words, Jacob saw that Issachar could be a strong fighter but that his love of comfort could also cause him to settle for the easy way out.

 

v.8, “from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed”:

·     The name “Zebulun” means honor or exalt.

o   He was he tenth son of Jacob and the sixth and last son of Leah.

o   Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth, was located in the heart of Zebulun.

 

·     The name “Joseph” means “may he (God) add”:

o   He was the eleventh son of Jacob and the first child of Rachel.

o   Joseph was sold into slavery and later rose to an important position in the Egyptian government.

o   Joseph was the first child of Rachel and his father’s favorite son. This is most clearly shown by the special coat that Jacob gave to Joseph.

o   Joseph’s ten older brothers hated him because he was Jacob’s favorite and because Joseph had dreams that he interpreted to his brothers in a conceited way.

o   It is no surprise that Joseph’s brothers hated him enough to kill him.

 

·     The name “Benjamin” means “son of the right hand” or “lucky”:

o   Jacob’s youngest son, born to his favorite wife, Rachel.

o   After giving birth to Benjamin, the dying Rachel named him “Ben-oni,” which means “son of my sorrow.” But Jacob renamed him Benjamin.

o   When Jacob lost his beloved son Joseph, he became very attached to Benjamin because Benjamin was the only surviving son of Rachel.

o   When his sons went to Egypt in search of food to find relief from the famine, Jacob was reluctant to let Benjamin go with them.

 

Lessons from Their Names

·     As Judah’s name means, “praise,” that’s what we should do, praise God, especially when we understand that the bride of Christ, the Church, will not be here for these judgments.

 

·     Just as Rachel’s wrestling with her sister was from a wrong motive, when we wrestle with God, it’s from a wrong motive.

 

·     As Manasseh caused Joseph to forget his bitterness, we should let go of our bitterness when we realize how much God loves us.

 

·     Jacob saw that Issachar could be a strong fighter, but that his love of comfort could also cause him to settle for the easy way out. We need to guard against choosing the easy way as opposed to the right way, the God-honoring way, to live our lives.

 

·     Sometimes, in our comfort, we settle for the easy way out; we shortcut our quality and we don’t give God our best. We shouldn’t be like Issachar.

 

Let me close this article with a reading from Psalm 122:

·     Psalm 122:6-9, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. 7 May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.’ 8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ‘May peace be within you.’ 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.”

 

May the Lord bless you as you continue to grow in God’s grace and truth.

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.

A Journey through Revelation, Part 18, The Sixth Seal: Catastrophe and Distress Upon the Earth

In this article we will take a look at the sixth seal, which brings catastrophe upon the entire earth, starting with a massive earthquake.

 

v.12, “And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood.”

 

The sixth seal changes the scene from in heaven back to the physical world on earth:

·     The first five judgments had been directed toward specific areas, but this judgment was over the entire earth.

 

The first question we have to ask ourselves is, "Are we to take this literally or figuratively?"

·     Students of Revelation have had difficulty interpreting this passage, and the tendency has been to regard these judgments as symbolic rather than literal. 

 

·     The reason behind this interpretation has been a reluctance to accept a literal interpretation of these judgments falling on the entire earth at this time:

o   They would see these disturbances as referring to changes in human government.

o   And judgment on the earth as referring to the upsetting of tradition and commonly held ideas.

 

·     I believe the most convincing reason to take the events as literal is Jesus’ words in the Olivet Discourse, when He prophesies of the coming earthquakes in Matt. 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11:

o   Jesus’ language could hardly have been figurative. 

o   Also, nothing short of an overwhelming ending of the world would have such a shocking impact on the heart of mankind as this sixth seal does.

o   The literal fulfillment of these words is necessary to be true to Old Testament prophecies, the Olivet discourse, and the truth that God is Lord over all of His creation.

 

·     There are some who would like to combine both a literal and a figurative interpretation but this creates too many interpretive problems.

 

·     While it's true that the physical happenings will result in political and social turmoil, the first cause of all the political and social problems is the literal heavenly and earthly catastrophes.

 

·     There is a precaution, however, against complete literalness and misinterpretation, even if using a literal process:  

o   John uses strong language and it can be taken as exaggerated on purpose.

o   Here’s what I mean:  If the moving of mountains and islands from their places in 6:14 were universal and complete, there would be no hiding places left for men to seek in vv.15-16.

o   At the same time, the events are unparalleled in human history. 

o   These events are catastrophic enough to leave human beings with a complete understanding that the end has arrived, but they’re not complete enough to amount to a total destruction of creation. 

o   Human life will continue after these judgments occur.

 

·     For certain, the entire population will be afraid when the earth itself starts to tremble:

o   So, the first part of the fear-evoking series of events is "a great earthquake." 

o   This is only a foretaste of the final catastrophes that are yet come.

 

·     The English word “earthquake” doesn’t really describe this seal because the heavens are shaken, so are the seas and the dry land:

o   Another translation might be "convulsions." 

o   These convulsions are a preview of the end, but they are not the final judgment.

 

·     So there will be "a great earthquake," followed by other cosmic disturbances.

 

v.12, “and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood”:

·     The literal darkening of the sun will be as a blackness comparable to sackcloth:

o   Sackcloth was a coarse cloth usually made of goats’ hair and black in color.

o   It was traditionally worn as a visible expression of mourning and despair.

 

·     The reddening of the moon is another preview of what lies ahead:

o   The reddish color expressed by the phrase “as blood,” may come from the deep copper color of the moon during an eclipse when the moon is observed through a smoky atmosphere.

o   Because the appearance of the whole moon is affected, this is probably a total eclipse that adds to the panic of the world’s population.

 

·     Scientist Dr. Henry M. Morris explains what could cause such a phenomenon: "The great earthquake described here, for the first time in history, is worldwide in scope.  Seismologists and geophysicists in recent years have learned a great deal about the structure of the earth and about the cause and nature of earthquakes. The earth's solid crust is traversed [crisscrossed] with a complex network of faults with all of them resting upon a plastic mantle, whose structure is still largely unknown. Whether the crust consists of great moving plates, is a current matter of controversy among geophysicists, so the ultimate cause of earthquakes is still not known. In all likelihood, the entire complex of crustal instabilities is a remnant of the phenomena of the great flood, especially the breakup of the fountains of the great deep. In any case, the vast worldwide network of unstable earthquake belts around the world suddenly will begin to slip and fracture on a global basis and a gigantic earthquake will result. This is evidently, and naturally, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of dust and steam and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood red."

 

The third heavenly disturbance is an outbreak of meteors and comets like never before.

 

v.13, “and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind”:

·     The Greek word “asteres” can refer to larger heavenly bodies such as the sun, but its meaning is not limited to this:

o   The meaning of the word is broad enough to include smaller objects that fall through space from time to time. 

o   In this passage, the stars are not being referred to because they are still in place by the time of the fourth trumpet. 

o   This phenomenon is so large that it appears as if the stars are falling.

o   More than likely it's a very large meteor shower that crashes through earth's atmosphere.

 

·     The scope of this astronomical event is so violent that it is compared to a fig tree that loses its fruit in a severe windstorm. 

 

·     This part of the judgment will be terrifying because these meteors will appear to be dropping like figs from a tree. They will be innumerable!

 

As we look at the fourth disturbance, we’ll see how it will affect the whole expanse of the heavens as John sees them.

 

v.14, “And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places”:

·     Heaven appears to split and roll back in opposite directions: 

o   What John sees is the sky curling up like paper and forming a roll at either end of the sky.

o   Isaiah wrote, in Isaiah 34:4, that in the day of God’s wrath “the sky will be rolled up like a scroll.”

o   People will think that the universe is falling apart!!

 

·     This is the human perception of this disaster, but it’s not the ultimate destruction of the heavens, which comes later in Rev. 20:11, 21:1. 

 

·     In the second part of the verse, the scene returns back to the earth, "and every mountain and island were moved out of their places":

o   The movement of the mountains with the islands is probably due to the great earthquake in v.12 and possibly to volcanic eruptions, which causes the mountains and islands to rise and fall.

 

·     In Matt. 17:21, Jesus used the moving of a mountain in a figurative way in a challenge to His disciples’ faith:

o   Some interpreters want to take this description to speak figuratively of the unsettling of established international powers.

o   But that would break the pattern that’s already seen in the rest of these literal judgments.

 

·     We must be careful not to misinterpret here, because the complete removal of every mountain would leave no hiding places for men to seek in verse 16:

o   Many mountains will be moved and even disappear, but complete destruction of all mountains will come at the seventh bowl judgment of Revelation 16:20. 

 

·     The impact of this six-part seal judgment on the earth will be nothing short of devastating!

 

In verse 15 we see the response of the people of the earth.

 

v.15, “And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains”:

·     Every category of humanity is covered here with the upper classes in the first five items of the list. 

 

·     We need to keep in mind the culture that John was writing to as we look at these various classifications of leaders:

o   "The kings of the earth" would be the highest rulers, the heads of state of heathen nations.

o   "The great men" were high-ranking officials of the king's court. They were the civil officials in charge of implementing the executive functions of government.

o   "The commanders" represents the military commanders. The Greek word used is a word for the Roman tribune. The name signifies an officer that commanded a thousand men. 

o   "The rich" controlled the commerce of the various regions. The power of money in this world society is undeniable.

o   "The strong" will be those who exercise great influence over significant numbers of people, whether through bodily strength, force of personality, or some other means.

 

·     The remaining people are covered by two more categories:  "every slave and free man": 

o   Together, slaves and free men made up the lowest class of society with very little influence on other people.

o   But they will still be frightened by what they will experience.

 

·     All classes of people will respond in the same way:

o   They will "hide themselves in the caves in the rocks in the mountains." 

o   They will be seeking shelter from the collapse of the natural world. 

o   The disasters happening all around tells them that there’s only one alternative left and that is to hide.

 

·     It won’t be logical to hide in the very mountains that will be shaken by the earthquake, but they will no longer be thinking logically.

 

v.16, “and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb’”:

·     The cry of people throughout the world is a call for the mountains, the place where they have gone to hide, to fall on them:

o   That would be better to them, than having to face the wrath of God.

o   They would prefer an avalanche fall on them rather than have to face God.

 

·     The evil people on the earth dread God more than they dread death:

o   They don’t realize that even death can’t help them to escape their judgment by God.

 

·     They dread having to stand before a holy and righteous God:

o   But they also dread "the wrath of the Lamb" at the end of v.16.

 

·     If we think about it, the phrase the "wrath of the Lamb” is a confusing statement: 

o   Lambs are usually gentle. But this Lamb shows His "wrath" against those who have refused His grace.

o   Isn’t it odd that men will recognize the Lamb’s role in casting judgment and inflicting misery, yet they refuse to submit to His authority? Why do they continue to reject Him?

o   What’s more amazing is that they even appear to have an understanding of why His wrath was going to come.

 

From this point forward in Revelation, the wrath of God, and of the Lamb, is a continuing theme and is described in further detail by the trumpet and bowl judgments.

 

v.17, “for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

·     In their rebellion, mankind correctly recognizes the catastrophes in heaven and on the earth:

o   It’s part of the great end-time day of wrath coming from the One sitting on the throne and from the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

 

·     The phrase "their wrath has come" refers to the previous arrival of wrath, not something that is about to take place:

o   Wouldn’t it seem logical that they should have recognized it was already here with the death of one fourth of the population (6:7-8), the worldwide famine (6:5-6), and the global warfare (6:3-4)?

o   These previous events all happen fairly quickly:  a false Christ, war, famine, death. 

o   But the truth doesn’t dawn on them until the severity of the sixth seal.

 

·     At the beginning of “the Day of the Lord,” human trials will be like a woman's labor pain before giving birth to a child. 

 

·     This is not the actual end, but a precursor of worse things to come under the seventh seal.

 

·     This human agony will end with the Messiah's personal return to the earth:

o   He will put an end to the wrath and judgment.

 

·     With a general knowledge of what the Bible teaches about the future, the unsaved world correctly sees "the great day of their wrath" as already in progress.

 

·     Their question, "and who is able to stand?" doesn’t refer to standing before God to be judged: 

o   It has to do with surviving on earth and realizing that things are only going to get worse as God's wrath intensifies. 

o   The question only has one answer:  No one will survive!

 

How much of an incentive do you think this letter was for the seven churches to follow Christ carefully and closely, and to spread the gospel to everyone they knew?

·     These events are almost indescribable. They are terrifying, and they were the first ones to read about it!

 

What we’ve learned is that the things we’ve read in chapter 6, should put to rest the false teaching that God, being a God of love, could not judge a wicked world:

·     He is a God of love. He is also a God of justice.

 

·     And His justice requires Him to judge a sinful, rebellious people who refuse to receive the free gift of His Son.

 

The question of v.17, “who can stand?” leads us to only one conclusion:

·     Only those who have believed and received Jesus as their Savior!

 

·     It will be only those who have received the free grace of God before the time of wrath that will be able to stand when God deals with the earth in this final period of great distress.

 

·     Those who will be saved in the Great Tribulation are described in the next chapter, which we’ll look at next time, Lord willing.

 

What can we take away from this part of our Journey through Revelation?

 

Let’s look at Numbers 23:19.

 

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

·     He will carry out His judgment!

 

We’ve just finished reading how God will judge those who reject His Messiah, the Lord Jesus.

 

Here are some questions for all of us to consider.

·     Who do you know, right now, that you can pray for, that they would no longer reject the truth of the gospel?

 

·     Who do you know, personally, that needs Jesus as their Savior?

 

·     Who do you love so much that you don’t want them to go through this horrible time on earth or be condemned to eternal darkness?

 

·     Who do you know that needs to bow their knee in humility and ask for forgiveness and eternal life by believing and receiving Christ, the King of kings, as their Savior and Lord?

 

 

May the Lord bless you as you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him.

 

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.