Revelation Chapter Seven
Part One
Final Days of the Church Dispensation
In chapter six, the Lamb opened the seals and began to release God’s shaking and sifting of mankind on earth, to separate the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:32-33)
1 Thessalonians 5:3 tells us these trials and tribulations will increase like a woman’s labor pains, especially as the days grow short.
Chapter seven gives us a view of the final days of the church dispensation before the cleansing of the earth begins. During these final times there will be a separation and great falling away. It will also be a time of massive revival, where Christ’s church will grow exponentially. Satan’s army will be held back for a short time, and we will minister unhindered.
But remember our key. Things seen here are symbolic. Though they may be prophetic, they also show us what is happening throughout the church age.
Revelation 7
1 “After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or any tree.”
Four is the number of creation and the earth. Earth’s four corners represent the concept of universal and worldwide. These angels at the four corners of the earth are in charge throughout the entire world to do their work. What power! Winds are symbolic for princes of the power of the air; demonic princes and principalities, and evil spirits in general. Daniel 10:13, 20-21
The four angels hold back the four winds. The phrase here, “hold back,” is the Greek krateō. The word means to arrest, seize into custody, hold on to. These angels seize, or arrest into custody, the evil spirits of the earth, and hold them during the final days of the church and revival. Arrested demons are taken captive and held in the bottomless pit, as we will see in chapter nine. The four angels do not release these demonic spirits until told to do so.
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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.””
Earth, sea, and trees are symbolic. We will discuss them in chapter eight. The word translated “ascending,” is the Greek anabainō, to arise, rise up, be born up. This angel does not descend from heaven; he is here now. He will “Arise . . . from the east.” East is symbolic for the sunrise; God’s light and glory arising.
According to Philippians 2:15, we are to shine as lights in the a sin-darkened world. The angel will release a spirit of awakening to gather in the saints before the rapture and the end of the church dispensation. In these final days of revival, all eyes will be opened to observe the light, and each human will make a decision. Some flee or hide from the light like cockroaches. Others run toward it.
For those who accept the light, the messenger angel will “have the seal of . . . God” with him. This word “seal” is the Greek sphragis, the same word used for the seals the Lamb opened in Chapter six. Here too, the seal is symbolic for God’s covenant, the mark of a witness, or the mark of God’s authority, such as with a king’s signet ring. “Signet” comes from the same root as the English word, signature. The seal in Verse two is God’s own official signature; the sign of His presence as seen in the witnesses.
The “servants of God” are “sealed.” The word “servant” in the Greek is doulos, a servant, a slave. In ancient times, owners branded their slaves as property in the same way as cattle, with the mark of the owner’s signet.
Levitical law required slaves be set free each Jubilee (50th) year. (Leviticus 25:54) Slaves who wished to remain with their owners as permanent servants proved their desire by having a hole driven through an earlobe with an awl. The servant wore a ring through this hole. These servants, known as love slaves, chose to remain out of love for the master.
Servants of God who receive His seal are love slaves. Rather than a ring in the ear, we wear a robe of righteousness, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The assignment of the four spirits, or “four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,” is to prepare the earth for the cleansing to come. Natural forces play a major part in the destruction and tribulation to take place during the seven trumpets and seven bowls, which occur in the next chapters. But they cannot begin until the redeemed are sealed in their foreheads. Revelation 6:11
Ezekiel 9:1-6 is a vision of the abomination-defiled temple. Here, the mark is a heart attitude, not an actual mark. “And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of . . . Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over the abominations that are done within it.” Ezekiel 9:4
This is obvious weeping and sorrow over sin. The word “mark” is from the Hebrew tav, desire, signature. Forehead is from the seldom used Hebrew root word, metsach, meaning conspicuous, clear, prominent. This mark is an obvious, conspicuous yearning and desire for righteousness.
In the Greek, the word forehead is metopon, a combination of the word meta, with, and the word ops, an eye. Metopon is symbolic for what the occult calls the all-seeing eye; the intellect, the spirit, or our thought life. In reference to the body of Christ, the old assumption that the mark will be a physical stamp doesn’t survive scrutiny.
The One-Hundred Forty-four Thousand
4 “And I heard the number of those which were sealed, One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.”
Who are these sealed? Some question those being only of “the twelve tribes of Israel.” You ask, “What about me?” Don’t worry. There is plenty of room in heaven for all. The church is part of the twelve tribes. We will discover this in Chapter seven, part two.
One hundred forty-four thousand is a symbolic number, as are all numbers in the Revelation. But what does it mean?
Let’s start with twelve. We’ll call it the root.
12 is made up of 3×4
3 is the number of God and completeness.
4 is the number of creation.
Twelve is symbolic for God’s redeemed creation, the holy family of God, the body of Christ. The Church is a part of the twelve spiritual tribes by adoption. Romans 8:15
12×12 or twelve squared is 144 (Two is the number of witness and confirmation)
One-hundred forty-four is the number of God’s ultimate in creation and redemption.
One thousand is symbolic for a vast, uncountable multitude.
12x12x1000 is 144,000
One-hundred forty-four thousand is the total, all; in this case the complete number of the redeemed, the saints, the dead in Christ, Jews and the church together. All peoples who receive God’s offer of redemption by accepting the Lordship of His Son Jesus become part of the church, His body. Romans 10:9-10
A list of the twelve tribes and their relationship to the church is in Chapter seven, part two.
No More Sorrow
Religion has misinterpreted the term, “great tribulation.” For generations, religion hung this tag on all end-time troubles, trials, and shaking. A closer study shows the errors in this. A better term for these final times may be the growing tribulation, followed by the final cleansing of the earth. As we conclude chapter seven, we follow the climax of the shaking and tribulation. The final cleansing, what some call The Great Tribulation, begins with the trumpets in chapter eight.
Revelation 7
11 “All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power, might,
Be to our God forever and ever, Amen.””
Remember, the elders represent the five fold ministry and the living creatures represent the church. The body of Christ should be in a constant state of worship. It is the reason He created us.
13 “And one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Remember from chapter four, white robes are robes of righteousness. They “washed their robes . . . in the blood of the Lamb.” These are the church, the body of Christ, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The term “great tribulation” here, is not the proper name of a specific event. No translation capitalizes as a proper name would be. Rather, the phrase describes an ongoing series of events during the church dispensation.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The word “tribulation” is the Greek word thlipsis, which simply means “a pressing.” This includes pressure, affliction, oppression, burdens, persecution, trouble.
For generations, religion taught that these arrayed in white are a special class of martyr. However, all born-again Christians undergo persecution, oppression, and tribulation, some more than others. When you get busy and do the job Jesus assigned you, the devil will notice you.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger any more nor thirst any more; the sun will not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
“Living fountains of waters” refers to the Holy Spirit, the comforter. In John 7:37-38, Jesus told the people; “He that believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” This is a description of the conditions we should experience as the body of Christ.
We will “serve Him day and night in His temple.” In 2 Corinthians 6:16, Paul asks, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” When we make ourselves His temple, He dwells within us and among us. “Wherever two or three gather in My name. . . .” Matthew 18:20
He supplies our needs for food and drink—all of our needs. (Matthew 6:25-33) In fact, He knows our needs before we ask. He doesn’t want us to just “squeak” by. He wants us to thrive, as a witness to His blessings to His kids. The Lamb shepherds us by streams of living waters. Psalm 23 John 7:38
Jesus left These promises for His body the church, if we stand faithful in Him when we go through times of trials and tribulation.