Revelation: Verse by Verse Session 56 Revelation 7:1-8, Part 3 Jehovah s TRUE Witnesses SESSION 56 REVELATION 7:1-8, PART 3

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1 SESSION 56 REVELATION 7:1-8, PART 3 268

2 REVIEW The Big Picture of Revelation 7. Revelation 7 describes the greatest REVIVAL ever to take place on this planet. The chapter revolves around two very key groups of people: The infamous 144,000 SEALED JEWS. (7:1-8) The numberless MULTITUDE of SAVED GENTILES. (7:9-17) Revelation 7 from Ground Level. 1. The 144,000 sealed Jews. (7:1-8) A. is sealed? (7:3d-8) TONIGHT S MESSAGE B. are they sealed? (7:1-3) A reminder of what John meant when he said: And after these things I saw Note: John ISN T telling us the events of chapter 7 He s telling us he them! These verses teach us that the JUDGMENT of the TRIBULATION PERIOD is until these 144,000 are SEALED! (7:3) 1. The of the restraining. (7:1) John lets us know that the instruments of the restraining will be the 4 standing at the 4 of the earth holding the 4 of the earth. 269

3 The 4 corners of the earth Doesn t God know the earth is? Isaiah 40:22 Luke 17:31,34 Sometimes in God s communication with us, He doesn t always use terms. Sometimes He uses of speech. God uses the phrase, the four corners of the earth like we do to speak of the four points of the. The 4 winds of the earth They are the 4 winds that blow out of the 4 of the earth. God utilizes to control the CONDITIONS on the earth. Note: If the world s PATTERNS are changed it will have radical effects in all of the rest of. A biblical picture in the Book of Job (Job 1:18-19) Note: From a biblical perspective, a WIND that blows from all 4 corners of the earth is called a! The 4 angels They are on the 4 corners of the earth the 4 winds of the earth. Note: The Book of Revelation identifies as the INSTRUMENTS to whom God has given over things in NATURE and in the PHYSICAL CREATION. 270

4 In Revelation 7:1, ANGELS have POWER over the. In Revelation 14:18, ANGELS have POWER over. In Revelation 16:5, ANGELS have POWER over the. Note: There certainly are SCIENTIFIC causes in NATURE, but the Bible lets us know that they are actually causes! The DIRECT cause is, and His ministering SPIRITS called! (Heb. 1:14) 2. The concerning the restraining. (7:2-3c) The instruction from this ANGEL from the EAST is that the 144,000 must be SEALED they are permitted to execute their upon the earth. Back in chapter 6, as far back as the opening of the seal, the JUDGMENT of the TRIBULATION PERIOD had already begun to! This would put the TIMEFRAME of the sealing of the 144,000 sometime at the of the TRIBULATION Certainly within the first years of the TRIBULATION. 3. The of the restraining. (7:3d) The intent of the restraining is so that BEFORE the JUDGMENT is, all of God s SERVANTS (the ) can be. C. are these 144,000 Jews converted? (c.f. 1 Tim. 3:15) 1. The 144,000 won t be SAVED the you and I were saved. 2. Perhaps the best way to understand their CONVERSION, is to understand that the CONVERSION of on the road to Damascus is really a perfect of what will happen with the 144,

5 Paul was a from the of Benjamin. (Phil. 3:4-6) On the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), the Lord Jesus Christ to him in the fulness of His glory. At that time, his eyes had been BLINDED (2 Cor.4:4), and his eyes could SEE! When Jesus appeared on the road to Damascus, his eyes were BLINDED, and his eyes could SEE! Immediately thereafter, Jesus said in Acts 9:15, that he (Paul) was a chosen vessel unto [Him], to bear [His] name before the, and kings, and the children of. Note: Paul s understanding of the uniqueness and significance of his conversion in 1 Corinthians 15:8 He was one out of time! 3. As far as the CONVERSION of the 144,000 is concerned Apparently, the same spiritual BIRTH the Apostle Paul experienced on the road to Damascus, will become the experience of the 144,000 at a different during the Tribulation Period. As of all the of the children of Israel, they, too, will have the Lord Jesus Christ appear to them, and their SPIRITUALLY EYES will be opened to the reality of who Jesus Christ is. Like Paul, they, too, will call upon His name, and will immediately and miraculously be And will be CALLED, COMMISSIONED, ORDAINED, SENT and SEALED, as chosen vessels of the Lord Jesus Christ to bear His name before, and kings, and the children of. (see 7:9) D. is this seal and are they sealed. (7:2-3) 1. It is the seal of the. (7:2b) The angel ascending out of the east has this SEAL in his. The angel ascending out of the east contracts the use of the angels of the, because he says in 7:3, till have sealed the servants of our God 272

6 2. It is the seal of the Lamb s, written in their. (7:3d;14:1) The name of the Lamb s Father is! (Meaning, the - One. ) E. are they sealed? (7:2-3,9;14:1) Note: This sealing isn t the sealing believers in the receive. (Eph.1:13-14) The sealing for believers in the Church Age is the sealing of the The sealing of the 144,000 is the sealing of the. 1. The 144,000 are sealed to God s personal. 2. The 144,000 are sealed to God s personal. 3. The 144,000 are sealed to God s personal. 273