REVELATION --------------- through --------------- FIRST-CENTURY GLASSES W.B WEST jr. Edited with introduction by BOB PRICHARD REVELATION THE 144,000 CHAPTER 7 Revelation 7 presents an interval, a let up of the seven seals. Six of them have been given. We are waiting for the seventh. "And after these things" (a Greek expression used in the book of Revelation to introduce a new topic, or a new line of thought), John "saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree" (7:1). If you would use a concordance, you would see that the word "angel" occurs more than 100 times in Revelation. The book, as we have pointed out to you, is apocalyptic literature. In such literature, angelology abounds. Angels are instruments of God. The word angelos, the Greek noun translated "angel," is from the Greek verb angello that means to send with a commission. The other Greek verb is pempo that signifies just to send, not necessarily with a commission, as a mother may send a child out into the yard. Angelos means that these creatures were missionaries and messenger of God. John saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth. In other years, some used this statement as proof that the earth is flat, for how can the earth have four corners unless it is flat? Again, we must not take this literally. We take it relatively. While the earth does not have four corners, there are four points of the compass. 1
The angels were holding the four winds of the earth, the winds of the north and the south, of the east and the west, that they should not blow on the earth or the sea or any tree. 2 "And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (7:2-3). - Sealing was a great practice in the Roman Empire throughout her provinces. Sealing something indicates belonging to the one who has sealed it. This angel ascending from the sunrise has the seal of the living God to seal the children of God and the command for no wind to blow on the earth or sea or tree until God has sealed His servants in their foreheads to indicate they were His children and His servants. In Egypt all the followers of Dionysius had the Dionysian seal indicating they belonged to that cult. Such was true throughout the vast Roman Empire. The children of God had the seal of God, indicating they belonged to Him and not to Caesar. 4 "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." (7:4). - Of the tribe of Judah 12,000, of Reuben 12,000, of Gad 12,000, of Asher 12,000, and Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun and Joseph and Benjamin each 12,000, totaling 144,000 (7:5-8). The list omits the tribe of Dan. Students of the book of Revelation have wondered why. My persuasion is that God omitted the Danites because in the tribe of Dan calf worship originated. The tribe of Dan began apostasy from the worship of Jehovah. Also, it was the belief of some that among the people from the tribe of Dan the anti- Christ would arise. Therefore Dan is omitted. The 144,000 is not a literal number as Jehovah's Witnesses may claim. The 144,000 are not the only ones 2
saved, by a tremendous margin, as we learn later in the chapter. The 144,000 are representative of all the saved of Old Testament times. Here between the sixth and seventh seals these 144,000 of Old Testament days come to the surface, and God numbers them with the saved at the end of time as well as before the end of time. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;" (7:9). - An innumerable number suggests so many that the sands of the sea do not compare with them, and the stars of the heavens do not relate to them. They were countless. They had white robes that were emblematic of victory. They had overcome. In Revelation 2 and 3 a promise was always to the overcomer. They had palms in their hands representing victory. You remember when Jesus rode in triumph into Jerusalem on a Lord's Day morning. The people went out to meet Him with palms in their hands, emblematic of the approaching victory, as they conceived of their Messiah. 10 "And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." (7:10). 3
- Here is a message from heaven that says salvation is not from the Roman powers. The Roman people at this time had come to say, "Give us more circuses and hand us out more food. We're looking to Rome as our Savior, temporally and otherwise." But it is not Rome who will save. It is God and His Son Who shed His blood on Calvary for the salvation of the world. 11 "And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God," (7:11). - They did not worship in the imperial temples around the empire. They did not worship the Roman emperor or his image, but they were worshiping Almighty God, and in this worship they were saying, "Amen," "may it be so." 12 "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." (7:12). - Remember Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." In fulfillment of this prophecy in Daniel we read in Revelation 11:15 that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. That is what is being said here when all the angels of glory, the 24 elders representing the people of Old and New Testament times, and the four living creatures representing all of creation bow down before Almighty God and offer this doxology, not to the imperial power of Rome, but to Almighty God who rules in the kingdoms of men as Daniel states. 13 "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which 4
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (7:13-14). - The great tribulation referred to severe persecution. By obeying the gospel and thus contacting the blood of the Lamb, they had their sins washed away in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. His cleansing blood made them whole. 15 "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: " (7:15a). - The decree that came from the imperial office in the city of Rome was that all in the empire had to worship the image of the Roman emperor at least once a year in some imperial temple. But the children of God serve God day and night incessantly throughout the months and the years of their lives until and beyond the end of time. "and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;" (7:15b-16a). - We read about this again in Revelation 21:3: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.' We shell walk and talk, My God and I shall go through the fields together. 16 "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (7:16-17). - This is a foretaste of what we read about in Revelation 21. Here in verse 15 we read that His servants shall serve Him day and night in His temple. So we have the 244,000 and the white-robed multitude of every tongue and every people, of all the races of mankind since the beginning of time until the end of time, worshipping 5
and serving Almighty God. One of the grandest things about heaven is that it will be a land where we will serve God. We'll serve Him day and night in His temple. 1 1 The Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. Re 7:1-17 6