Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 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.”
We see the indictment, evidence, judgment, and
sentencing of the people of earth, through the opening of the seals in
Chapter Six. Those killed for their faith cry out as the fifth seal
is opened, “How long, O Lord”
(Revelation 6:10), and in the sixth seal we see the people of earth
hiding themselves from the wrath that will come (Revelation 6:15).
Chapter Seven is a time of pause, as we await the seventh seal. John
the Apostle was now looking away from the events of Chapter Six and
saw four angelic beings who are continuing God’s judgment by
restraining the winds from circulating the atmosphere and cooling the
earth.
The phrase “four corners
of the earth” is an idiomatic expression (as is “four
winds”), denoting the furthest places away from wherever we
happen to be at the moment. It is not a comment about the planet’s
shape. We have often heard the phrase the “four
ends of the earth,” which relates to distance, but is not a
reference to the form of this globe. We are not told about the
appearance of these beings (the four angels), but it may be assumed
they are God’s angels, doing His will in relation to the inevitable
judgment on humanity.
Verse 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,”
This angel holds the signet ring, the seal that
marked the wax impressions which are being opened by Jesus Christ, the
Lamb of God. He has been sent in God’s authority, for the seal is
symbolic of that authority. One seal remains and after this moment in
time passes, it will be opened also. This one is something like an
“arch” angel; one that has great authority over other angels and
beings of God. As John now observed, he was in the act of calling out
to others of his kind, involved at the moment in the work of God’s
judgment.
Notice that our attempts to conserve the land
masses and oceans of the earth will ultimately fail. It is not the
trash we dump into those oceans that will destroy them, though what we
have done in fouling our “nest” is terrible indeed, but instead it is
our sin that will finally destroy earth and sea. Our home (this
planet) will be ruined. It is our sins that cause our problems and
the need for God’s corrective judgment will finally result in the end
of planet earth.
Verse 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.’”
“Wait,” the angel was saying. “Wait” before you
continue God’s judgment on this world, for something important must
first be done. The earth, the oceans and the trees that are beautiful
to behold are about to be destroyed. There is a certain reluctance in
all of this, for God created all things out of love. Like a parent
lovingly prepares a protective cradle to shelter his impending child,
God made a source of light to warm us and then He created a world, a
home for you and me. Destruction will come, but protecting His people
comes first.
All must be destroyed and we are alerted to this
impending doom, with the intention that the people He has created will
WAKE UP to our need for God and for His Son. Those seen in the next
few verses have indeed received the Lord and He will protect them.
Yes, this planet is marked for destruction, but He will watch over
those who have trusted in Him. The forehead is a highly visible part
of the person and the intention is that the angels selected to bring
judgment on this place will KNOW God’s people. When you trust in the
Lord, you will be protected by Him.
Verse 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:”
“Twelve” is a number of completeness in
Scripture. 12 (tribes) times 12,000 people equals the 144,000 Jews
specified in this and the following verses. In other words, of those
who are descended from Israel, ALL who love the Lord and are on earth
at this point, as suggested by the “144,000” in this verse, are to be
marked for God’s protection. Calamity WILL come upon the earth, but
God has always watched out for those who are of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob (Israel) and they will be protected during the destruction at
the end of this age.
God has a special place for Israel in His heart.
When we were in Israel, there was a sense of peace in the land in
relation to His people, even though there were shells from Lebanon
falling on a town just six miles to the west of us. The presence of
the Lord is in that place. His people are “sealed” at His order. In
relation to times of great trouble, His special touch of protection is
given, as in this verse. The Great Tribulation will be the most
difficult time to ever come upon mankind, and God will “seal” His
people from harm. Be assured, you who love Him – He DOES watch out
for you.
Verse 5. “from the
tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben
twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,”
“144, 000,” a number of “completeness,” was given
in the preceding verse as the number of Jews who are to be “sealed”
(protected) through the agency of God’s holy angels. Now we are told
which tribes of Israel contain people who will be faithful to God
during the Tribulation period. It’s interesting that the tribes
included are somewhat different from those first named in the Book of
Genesis, and the order in which they are presented is not quite the
same. “Israel” (“prince with God”)
was a man previously known as “Jacob” (“heel
catcher”), son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Jacob had children by
two wives (Leah and Rachel) and two concubines (his wives’ maids),
Bilhah and Zilpah.
The order in which the names are given is
important in the context of the lives of these people. Judah was
actually Jacob’s fourth son by Leah, the wife Jacob was tricked into
marrying; the one he loved less. Judah’s name meant “praise,”
for Leah praised the Lord at his birth. Judah acted disgracefully in
some instances (Genesis 38), but he also saved the life of his
brother, Joseph, by convincing his angry brothers to sell Joseph to
Midianite traders (Genesis 37:26-28). Judah was an ancestor of David
and Jesus Christ, through his son Perez, and Isaac’s prophecy over
Judah (Genesis 49:9-10) is considered to be Messianic.
Ruben (“see, a son”)
was the firstborn son of Jacob, and like Judah, was the son of Leah.
Ruben committed incest at Eder (Genesis 35:22). Because of that and
perhaps for additional reasons, his tribe did not come to power. Gad
(“a troop comes” or “fortune”)
was the son of Zilpah, Leah’s maid, and was Jacob’s 7th
son. The tribe of Gad was taken captive by Assyria (1 Chronicles
5:26), and the Ammonites took their land (Jeremiah 49:1).
Verse 6. “from the
tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,”
The process of naming and sealing (marking for
safety) members of the tribes of Israel continues.
Asher (“happy”)
was actually the 8th son of Jacob (Israel) through Zilpah, Leah’s
maid, but the tribe is listed 4th on this Tribulation
list. As a tribe, Asher did not excel, but Anna of that tribe lived
to authenticate the infant Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem (Luke
2:36). Naphtali (“wrestling with God”)
was Jacob’s 6th son through Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, and the
tribe is 5th on the list in Revelation.
Napthali’s full brother, Dan (by Jacob and Bilhah),
did not make this list at all. We visited the area of Dan in Israel
and saw firsthand the ruins of pagan temples – the people of Dan fell
utterly into idolatry. Breaking the command, “You
shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), will destroy
a people.
Manasseh was a son of Joseph and therefore a
grandson of Jacob, who honored Joseph by claiming Manesseh (and his
younger brother Ephraim) as his own. It was predicted that Ephraim
would be greater than Manesseh (Genesis 48:5,19), and this did happen
in Israel. Ephraim, however, is excluded from this Tribulation list.
Verse 7. “from the
tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,”
Simeon (“God heard”)
was the second son of Jacob (Israel) by Leah (Genesis 29:33). He and
his brother Levi massacred the Hivites in Shechem because of what was
done to their sister Dinah (Genesis 34:24-31). A devout man with the
name “Simeon” took the infant Jesus into his arms and praised God
(Luke 2:25, 34) and may well have been from the tribe of Simeon.
The Levites were denied an inheritance of land in
Israel, but God blessed Levi (“joined”),
whose descendants, through his sons Gershon, Kohath and Merari (Exodus
6:16-25, Leviticus 25:32), were priests. The Levites had no tribal
territory, but did have 48 cities assigned to them (Numbers 35).
Issachar (“man of hire”)
was Jacob’s ninth son and Leah’s next-to-last child. He went to Egypt
with Jacob (Genesis 46:13, Exodus 1:3) and died there. His
descendants formed a tribe out of five tribal families (Numbers 26:23,
24). Issachar was the ninth son of Jacob, and the tribe is also ninth
on this list in the Book of Revelation.
Verse 8. “from the
tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.”
Zebulun (“dwelling”)
was Jacob’s tenth son and the last son by Leah, his wife. Dinah
(judgment), Leah’s daughter, came next, and she was Leah’s last
child. The final two were Joseph (“may
Yahweh add”), Rachel’s firstborn, and then came Benjamin, the
son she bore on her death bed. She named the latter “son of my sorrow” because she knew she was going to die, but
Jacob (Israel) changed the name to “Benjamin”
(“son of my right hand”).
The location of Zebulun in the nation Israel was
between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean, which was to include
many places where Christ later would minister. Joseph was the one who
became first a slave, then a prisoner and finally the governor of
Egypt who rescued his people from famine. Joseph, who had been given
two shares in the nation Israel, takes the place of his son Ephraim on
this Revelation list. Benjamin’s place in Israel was north of Judah
and south of Ephraim. Benjamin was the only tribe that allied with
Judah (with the exception of the Levites among them) when the
10-northern tribes split into a separate nation.
Verse 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;”
Those listed in verses 4-9 will suffer greatly
(they are “out of the Great Tribulation”
– verse 14). They are God’s people, clothed in the garments of the
LORD’s righteousness, imparted to those who love Him. Palm branches
are in their hands, not unlike the palm branches cut in relation to
the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem (Mark 11:8). They shouted “Hosanna”
(“save now”) at that time, and He
did “save now,” by dying for our
sins. Now He will return and all who trust in Him are to be rescued
from the suffering of this world.
Note that they come from “every
nation and all tribes and people and tongues.” It’s our human
tendency to believe that OUR group is the right one and others are not
so right, because they are different from us. The only prerequisite
to being part of those in verses 4-8 is to be Jewish and to have
trusted in the Lord. The only requirement to be among the “great
multitude” of this verse is to be a Gentile (non-Jew) and trust
in the Lord. (ALL are dressed in His robes of righteousness). God’s
people are EVERYWHERE and they are not merely in your church or mine –
They are ones who have FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 10. “and they cry
out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the
throne, and to the Lamb.’”
This is indeed a remarkable Scripture verse. All
the thousands from Israel in verses 5-8 and the “great
multitude,” consisting of everybody else, have just one
message: “Salvation” is in relation to
“our God who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb.” These are people who KNOW how to be saved from sin and
death. They were sinners like the rest of us, but they are saved by
the grace of God in Jesus Christ. They are dead to this world, but
ALIVE in Him.
There IS no other way. Salvation is not by some
man or by a belief system invented by men, but instead we can only be
rescued by the Son of God. Your efforts will fail, as have everybody
else’s. As shown to us by these people who KNOW because they have
SEEN the truth, we can TRUST in God and in the Son of God. As Peter
told the Jewish leaders of Israel about Jesus,
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for
there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must
be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus IS the way.
Verse 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,”
“Angels” (God’s messengers) are described as “ministering
spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation”
(Hebrews 1:14). The beings mentioned in this verse have already been
discussed in other Chapters in Revelation, as have the “four
living creatures,” known as “Cherubim”
and/or “Seraphim” in other places.
The “elders” here may simply be key
individuals representing Israel and the church, as discussed in
Revelation 4:4 and other verses. The origins and experiences of these
beings are exceptionally varied – We really don’t know where most of
them came from. Yet they are in complete agreement that God the
Father and God the Son are worthy of all your worship and praise.
They have SEEN the living God. They have SEEN
His holiness. They KNOW that we as people have come short of the
glory of God. They KNOW first hand that God the Father sacrificed God
the Son to provide a way for people to be saved. There IS no other
way and they know it. If there was another way, these beings would
know. They are astonished at what God has done for you and me. It is
important for us to recognize what is being expressed in these verses,
and TRUST in the Father, TRUST in the Son; worshipping God for what He
has done for you and me.
Verse 12. “saying,
‘Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and
power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’”
This is very much like Revelation 5:12-14, where
EVERY creature in heaven and on earth (and there are certainly a lot
of them, as expressed in these verses), will worship God the Father
and the Lamb, the Son of God. The only difference in language between
this verse and the words of Chapter Five, is that “euxaristia”
(thanksgiving) is substituted for “ploutos”
(riches). Our great “work” in eternity is that we will adore (love)
God, and this “work” will last forever.
I don’t know about you, but most people find that
being in love is wonderful. There is a JOY, a feeling of LIFE, a
delight that exists in no other way. Love is what we will experience
in eternity with God. We are unclear about our eventual “physical”
appearance, and few seem to agree about the nature of the setting
we’ll live in, but we will LOVE just BEING in that place – with Him!
We will be utterly head-over-heels in love with the One who loves you
and me.
Verse 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?’”
Note that one of the ELDERS was asking JOHN about
those who were dressed in white robes, as they stood at the Crystal
Sea before the throne of God. To ask questions of the student is a
very effective, ancient method of teaching, and perhaps the LORD is
asking questions in relation to YOU, right at this moment. As seen in
the next verse, John did not know the answer. This is reminiscent of
Ezekiel 37:3, where He (God) asked Ezekiel, “Son
of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel did not know,
answering, “O Lord God, YOU know.”
You and everybody else have many questions about
life. What is the precise nature of God? What are the details about
how mankind got into this mess in the first place? What is the exact
nature of eternity? Often the questions of life are designed to make
us wonder, forcing us to look outside of ourselves (to Him) for the
answers. Don’t give up. Keep asking - God has the Answer in His Son
for every question. And when you do not understand, He has given you
both His written Word and His Holy Spirit to show you the way. When
you don’t know, He does.
Verse 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.’”
John the Apostle, the human writer of this Book,
had been asked a question (in the preceding verse), and much like the
prophet of long ago (Ezekiel 37:3), he did not know the answer. John
responded in a respectful manner: “My lord,
you know.” Indeed this “elder,”
as he is described in verse 13, DOES know, and he is very specific in
his answer: This very large group of people before the God’s throne
consists of people faithful to God, who came out of the “great
tribulation.”
They wear robes of righteousness that do not
innately belong to them, but which are instead given to those who
trust in the Lord (Revelation 6:11). They had become clean in the
only way possible for them (and for you and for me), which is to be “washed”
in the “blood of the Lamb.” If we
were clean before God when we were little children, it’s too late
now. We have sinned and there’s no going back. But in Christ, an
Intervening Force of love has come into our lives. HE is clean, and
you can be WASHED in His blood. You are made CLEAN in Him, who is the
Lamb of God.
Verse 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.”
In a section which discusses the manner in which
a husband should love his wife, marriage is compared with Christ and
His church. Husbands are taught to “love
your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy
and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Jesus Christ LOVES you and me. Those in verse
14, who have “have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” have done so through
the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. He gave Himself so that we
might live. He makes us clean, and through Him, we, as a church (the
called-out ones), are made “holy and without
blemish.” That is why we serve Him, for He has spread His “tabernacle”
of love and protection over us.
Verse 16. “They will
hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on
them, nor any heat;”
The “hunger” and “thirst” of this verse
represents much more than any need that our physical bodies might
experience. The true “heat” felt by
humanity, the “sun” that beats down on
us all, is felt in the soul. Isaiah Chapter 49 is a strongly
“Messianic” section of Scripture, in that it speaks clearly of the
Messiah (Christ) who would soon come. It says of Him, “I
will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My
salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
A few verses later, we are told in relation to
His “prisoners” (Isaiah 49:9) that He
sets free: “They shall neither hunger nor
thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; for He who has mercy
on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide
them.” Indeed, your suffering is only for a time and the
imprisonment of this life will end. You will be FREE and utterly
CONTENT, if only you will TRUST in Him who has died for you and me.
Verse 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."
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as seen in
Revelation 5:6, stands between the throne and those who surround it.
He is described here as our great “Shepherd,”
and He is indeed our “Lamb” because He
became the great sacrifice, the “Lamb”
who died in our place, satisfying the judgment of a Holy God upon a
sinful, rebellious people. Jesus said in John 10:11 – “I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep”
and that is precisely what He did. He gave His life for you and me.
This world offers many forms of TEMPORARY
comfort. The alcoholic may find some solace in the beverage he
drinks, but the suffering that follows becomes ever worse, until at
last the person dies from the “comfort” they have received. What is
the source of LASTING comfort? Where do we get this “REST” we read
about in Scripture? – Look to Jesus! He will quench your thirst with
the “water of life” and God will
indeed wipe “every tear” from your
eyes.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
