REVELATION LESSON 14 THE SEALING OF THE 144,000 7:1-17 GOD S CHOICE SERVANTS SEALED

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1 REVELATION LESSON 14 THE SEALING OF THE 144,000 7:1-17 GOD S CHOICE SERVANTS SEALED

2 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF CHAPTERS 6-19 DOMINION WILL BE RESTORED AND ISRAEL REDEEMED THROUGH TRIBULATION THE BOOK OF REVELATION LAYS OUT A PATTERN OF THAT OF THAT PERIOD THE PATTERN INVOLVES SEVENS THE PATTERN INVOLVES PARENTHESIS FOUR HORSEMEN PARENTHESIS

3 REVELATION CHAPTER 7: A PARENTHESIS SEALED SERVANTS: 7:1-8 SAVED SERVANTS: 7:9-17 THE PREDICTED REVIVAL: ACTS 2:16-21; JOEL 2:20,28-32( AFTERWARD V.28, CF. V.20); EZE. 39:2 (CF. V.28) AN ANGEL SEALS THE 144,000

4 A POSSIBLE CHRONOLOGY RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH EZEKIEL S BATTLE OF GOG-MAGOG ANTICHRIST CONFIRMS THE COVENANT BEGINNING OF SORROWS, SEALS 1-4, 5,6 THE SEALING OF THE 144,000 AND THEIR MINISTRY

5 CHRONOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES EVENTS SIMILAR THE THOSE DESCRIBED IN MATTHEW 24 WILL, IN GENERAL, MARK THE END OF THE AGE EZEKIEL S GOG-MAGOG BATTLE ENCOMPASSES MANY POSSIBILITIES: 1. PRIOR TO THE RAPTURE 2. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RAPTURE, BRINGING ANTICHRIST TO POWER WITH HIS COVENANT OF PEACE 3. EQUATED WITH THE BATTLE OF ARMEGEDDON REV. 19:17-21 (CLOSE OF THE TRIBULATION) 4. EQUATED WITH JOHN S GOG-MAGOG BATTLE AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIAL REIGN REV. 20:7-9 FURTHER COMPLICATING MATTERS IS THE FACT THAT GOG- MAGOG MAY HAVE DUAL FULFILLMENTS IN WHICH CASE THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG THESE WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS COULD BE NOTED AS THEY UNFOLDED.

6 THE SEALED SERVANTS 7:1-8 WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND? 6:17 ONLY THE SEALED SERVANTS! THE SCENE OF THE SEALING BEGINS WITH AN EERIE CALM V.1 A FIFTH ANGEL SEALS THESE SERVANTS WITH THE SEAL OF GOD V.2,3 ( SEAL IS SOMETIMES EMBLEMATIC OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [EPH. 1:13; 4:30]; HOWEVER, REV. 14:1 CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE SEAL. THESE SEALED SERVANTS ARE ALL JEWS V. 4-8 THEY ARE IMMUNE FROM THE JUDGMENTS REV. 9:4 A FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF THEM IS FOUND IN REV. 14:1-5 A WORD ABOUT THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL

7 THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL THERE ARE 20+ LISTINGS OF THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL IN THE BIBLE SOME OF THOSE LISTINGS OMIT THE TRIBE OF LEVI (THE LEVITES WERE NOT NUMBERED IN MILITARY MARCHING ORDER) AND, YET, THERE ARE STILL TWELVE LISTED. HOW CAN THIS ADD UP? SOMETIMES EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH ARE CALLED JOSEPH. AT OTHER TIMES, WHEN NEEDED TO MAKE 12, THEY ARE LISTED SEPARATELY. IN REV. 7, LEVI IS INCLUDED, EPHRAIM IS REFERENCED IN JOSEPH (V.8), AND DAN IS MISSING ALTOGETHER.

8 DAN S HISTORY PROPHECIES: JACOB: A SERPENT (GEN 49:17) MOSES: LEAP FROM BASHAN ( DEUT 33:22) LEFT ALLOCATED TERRITORIES ( JUDG 18) DEBORAH: DIDN T LEAVE HIS SHIPS (JUDG 5:17) OMITTED FROM GENEALOGIES (1 CHR 1-8) NOT SEALED IN THE TRIBULATION (REV 7) TRIBE THROUGH WHICH IDOLATRY ENTERED THE LAND (LEV 24:10-16; JUDG 18:1,2,30-31) A LEADER IN APOSTASY UNDER JEROBOAM (1 KGS 12:28-30) AND 100 YEARS LATER (2 KGS 10:29) CURSE: JER 8:14-16 IDOLATERS NAME TO BE BLOTTED OUT (DEUT 29:18-21) OR IS THERE SOMETHING MORE?

9 DAN: A LONG AND INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY AN INTERESTING PROPHECY BY JACOB IN GENESIS 49:16,17 DAN MEANS JUDGMENT, BUT HOW WILL DAN BRING JUDGMENT TO THE REST OF ISRAEL? THE TRIBE OCCUPIED LAND ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN FROM JOPPA TWENTY MILES SOUTHWARD A SMALL PARCEL CONTESTED BY THE PHILISTINES. UNHAPPY WITH THEIR LOT, DAN MIGRATED NORTHWARD TO LAISH (TODAY S SOUTHERN LEBANON). JOSHUA 19:47; JUDGES 18:27-30 HIRAM, KING OF TYRE (LEBANON) WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE DANITES. II CHRON. 2:13,14

10 LIKE THE PHOENICIANS UNDER HIRAM, THE DANITES HAD BECOME SAILORS. JUDGES 5:17 DAN WAS OVERCOME WITH IDOLATRY EARLY IN HIS TRIBAL HISTORY II KINGS 10:29 IN 722 B.C. THE ASSYRIANS DEPORTED THE 10 NORTHERN TRIBES. ALTHOUGH REPRESENTATIVES FROM EVERY TRIBE HAVE RETURNED TO MODERN DAY ISRAEL, THE DANITES HAVE BEEN CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT. WHAT BECAME OF DAN? ARE THERE ANY CLUES?

11 I MACCABEES: A CLUE THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES IS A HISTORY OF THE JEWISH STRUGGLES AGAINST THE SELEUCID DYNASTY. IN 152 B.C. JONATHAN MACCABEUS CAME TO RULE IN JERUSALEM. HE ESTABLISHED PEACEFUL RELATIONS WITH ROME AND THE SPARTAN GREEKS. LET S LOOK AT I MACCABEES FOR SOME STARTLING INFORMATION:

12 I MACCABEES 12:1-23 JONATHAN THE HIGH PRIEST GREETING. ON A PREVIOUS OCCASION A LETTER WAS SENT TO ONIAS THE HIGH PRIEST FROM ARIUS YOUR KING, ACKNOWLEDGING OUR KINSHIP WE NEVER LOSE ANY OPPORTUNITY OF REMEMBERING YOU IN OUR PRAYERS, AS IT IS RIGHT AND PROPER TO REMEMBER KINSMEN

13 THE LETTER FROM ARIUS, KING OF SPARTA WE HAVE MET WITH A CERTAIN WRITING, WHEREBY WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT BOTH THE JEWS AND THE [SPARTANS] ARE OF ONE STOCK, AND ARE DERIVED FROM THE KINDRED OF ABRAHAM THIS LETTER IS FOUR-SQUARE; AND THE SEAL IS AN EAGLE, WITH A DRAGON IN HIS CLAWS. ANTIQUITIES,XII,iv,10

14 THE SEAL: ANCIENT DAN DAN S POSITION IN THE JOURNEY WAS ON THE NORTH OF THE TABERNACLE, WITH ASHER NAD NAPHTALI. THE STANDARD OF THE TRIBE WAS OF WHITE AND RED, AND THE CREST UPON IT, AN EAGLE, THE GREAT FOE TO SERPENTS, WHICH HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY THE LEADER INSTEAD OF A SERPENT, BECAUSE JACOB HAD COMPARED DAN TO A SERPENT. AHIEZER SUBSTITUTED THE EAGLE, THE DESTROYER OF SERPENTS, AS HE SHRANK FROM CARRYING THE ADDER UPON HIS FLAG. UNGER S BIBLE DICTIONARY

15 THE SPARTAN S SEAL ORIGINATED WITH THE STANDARD OF THE TRIBE OF DAN

16 HOMER S ILIAD HOMER S ILIAD REFERS TO THE SPARTANS AS DANAANS, AND THAT THEY HELPED WIN THE WAR WITH TROY AROUND 1250 B.C. GREEK HISTORY REPORTS THAT THE DANAANS ORIGINATED FROM PHOENECIA AND BY SHIP CAME TO GREECE.

17 IRENAEUS, DISCIPLE OF POLYCARP ON JEREMIAH 8:11-17 JEREMIAH DOES NOT MERELY POINT OUT HIS [ANTICHRIST S] SUDDEN COMING, BUT HE EVEN INDICATES THE TRIBE FROM WHICH HE SHALL COME, WHERE HE SAYS, WE SHALL HEAR THE VOICE OF HIS SWIFT HORSES FROM DAN THIS, TOO, IS THE REASON THAT THIS TRIBE IS NOT RECKONED IN THE APOCALYPSE ALONG WITH THOSE WHICH ARE SAVED. AGAINST HERESIES, BOOK V, P.1117

18 WHAT ABOUT DAN S WILD HORSES? JEREMIAH MENTIONS DAN S WILD HORSES IN JERE. 8:16 WITH THE RISE OF ANTI- CHRIST WE SEE FOUR HORSES (REV. 6:1-8)

19 DAN SHALL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE JACOB PROPHESIED THAT DAN SHALL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE. (GEN. 49:16) HOW WILL THIS TRIBE JUDGE OR BRING JUDGMENT UPON ISRAEL? LET US READ DANIEL S COMMENTS IN DAN. 12:5-7

20 HIPPOLYTUS, DISCIPLE OF IRENAEUS HIPPOLYTUS CITED DEUT. 33:22 AS FOLLOWS: FOR MOSES SPEAKS THUS: DAN IS A LION S WHELP, AND HE SHALL LEAP FROM BASHAAN. BUT THAT NO ONE MAY ERR BY SUPPOSING THAT THIS IS SAID OF THE SAVIOR, LET HIM ATTEND CAREFULLY TO THE MATTER IN NAMING DAN HE DECLARED CLEARLY THE TRIBE FROM WHICH ANTICHRIST IS DESTINED TO SPRING THE EXTANT WORKS AND FRAGMANTS

21 BACK TO THE GIANTS? DAN SHALL LEAP FROM BASHAN DEUT. 33:22 DAN WILL BE A LION, BUT NOT THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. BASHAN IS THE REGION OF SELEUCID RULED SYRIA! BASHAN EXTENDS NORTHWARD TO MOUNT HERMON, THE LAND OF GIANTS! JOSH. 12:4-6; DEUT. 4:47,48 DID FALLEN ANGELS DESCEND UPON MOUNT HERMON, CONSORT WITH DANITES, AND INTRODUCE THE SEED OF THE SERPENT ONCE MORE INTO THE HUMAN GENOME? DOES THIS ACCOUNT FOR SPARTAN STRENGTH? IS THIS THE LINEAGE OF ANTICHRIST? COULD THIS EXPLAIN THE LOCUSTS OF REV. 8?

22 THE SAVED SERVANTS 7:9-17 TRIBULATION SAINTS CONVERTED UNDER THE MINISTRY OF THE 144,000 (THE 144,000 ARE REFERRED TO AS THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THE TRIBULATION 14:4 CF. ALSO ZECH. 12:10-13:1) V.9, 13,14 A MULTITUDE WITHOUT NUMBER OF ALL PEOPLES ARE REDEEMED V.9 THEY HAVE PALMS, NOT HARPS (AS HAVE THE 24 ELDERS) V.9 THEY ARE SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB V.14 THEY SERVE GOD IN HIS TEMPLE IN HEAVEN V.15 THEY SHALL SUFFER NO MORE OF THE HORRORS OF THE TRIBULATION V.16 THEIR TEARS POSSIBLY REPRESENT THEIR SUFFERINGS AND LOST OPPORTUNITIES V.17

23 NEXT TIME: THE SEVENTH SEAL 8:1-13 7

24 NEXT LESSON: OPENING THE SEVENTH SEAL, REVEALING SEVEN TRUMPETS THE SEVEN TRUMPET JUDGMENTS