October 6, 2008

• Revelation 7:1-8

  We’re now about to take a brief break from the seals, and won’t pick up the seventh seal until chapter eight. This seems to be a pattern in the book, where six things happen, then there’s a break, then the seventh happens. Chapter 7 forms a parenthetical section between the sixth seal judgment in Revelation chapter 6 and the seventh seal judgment in Revelation chapter 8.
  
  Revelation 7:1 KJV  And after these things I 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.

  4 angels  4 corners

  Some look at this and say that the Bible is antiquated and pushing the idea of a flat earth.

  Now if all Scripture is breathed from the mouth of God, don’t you think the creator of the heavens and earth would know what He created, if it was round or flat?  Of course He would.

  John did not believe the earth was flat!

  How can I prove that?  Simple, let the Word of God speak for itself and then you tell me if God knew the earth was round and for that matter, if those that read the Scriptures would also know this truth when the rest of the world at that time did believe some bizarre concepts about the earth.  In Proverbs 8:27 we are told, “When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep.“  And in Isaiah 40:22 we are told, “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.“  The shape of the earth is a sphere, it is round, not flat and God not only told us, but He should know, He created it!

  If that is true, and it is, then what does John mean when he speaks of the four corners of the earth?  He is speaking of the entire earth from north to south and east to west. You may remember several years back the Marines had a slogan that stated, “Our Marines are stationed on the four corners of the earth.”  Obviously they did not believe that the earth was flat, but they were saying that the Marines are on duty all over this world.

  These angels are asked to keep the winds quiet while a special operation takes place, the sealing of the 144,000.
  
  Revelation 7:2-3 KJV  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.

  Seal – sphragis – a seal; the seal placed upon books; a signet ring; the inscription or impression made by a seal.

  From “Living Water” (Chuck Smith, pg.72)
  In the days of Paul, the city of Ephesus was one of the major seaports of Asia. Most of the goods coming from the east to be sold in the west came through the port of Ephesus. It was the merchandising center of the world. Great caravans would come from the east bringing their wares. Merchants from Rome would gather in Ephesus to purchase these articles and pack them for shipping to Puteoli, the great port city of Rome. From there they would be distributed throughout the empire. The goods would be stamped with a wax seal and then imprinted with a signet ring bearing a unique mark of ownership. Then the cargo would be loaded on the ships and sent to Rome.
  
  When the merchandise arrive at Puteoli, servants of the merchantmen used the seals to identify their master’s goods as they were unloaded. The seal was the mark of ownership.

  In contrast, there will be another form of “seal” in the time of the tribulation. It is another “mark” of ownership:

  There will be a “false prophet” who will cause another mark -
  Revelation 13:16-18 KJV And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: {17} And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. {18} Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

  mark – charagma – a stamp, an imprinted mark

  Satan is a counterfeiter and thus, as God seals His people Satan comes along with one of those rub on marks, a counterfeit and his mark is not one of protection but bondage, persecution, destruction and it will identify the person with the Antichrist! Satan loves to copy the good things of God such as the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – one God manifested in three distinct persons.  And along comes Satan with his unholy or satanic trinity: Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet! Don’t be fooled by his lies. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.“

  Revelation 7:4 KJV  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.
  
  Now, who are these 144,000 saints of God that are sealed during the Tribulation Period?  We are told that those who were sealed come from the tribes of Israel.  But, many take that symbolically or they say that Israel has forfeited the promises of God because they have rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and now the Church is Israel! There is no such Scriptural support for that, none at all!  You will never find the Scriptures referring to the Church being Israel.

  There are many more who claim to be these 144,000 that are sealed by God. The Jehovah Witnesses claim to be the 144,000 and it worked perfectly for them until their numbers exceeded that number.  Their solution to this problem is that the 144,000 are sealed and in heaven already and the remaining Jehovah Witnesses will spend all their days on the earth!  Deal or no deal?  No deal for me, it doesn’t sound too good and more importantly it is not Scriptural.  Heaven is not filled with 144,000 saints, but an innumerable number of saints from every walk of life, every background! You see, the 144,000 are ministering the Gospel during the Tribulation Period on the earth, not in Heaven!

  The Late Herbert W. Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God also believed (they have stepped away from the belief) they were the 144,000. Now you have to love his plan, it sounds like prosperity teachers today. If you would give double or triple tithes, you had a good chance of making into that inner circle of 144,000!  They are not the 144,000 no matter how much money they give!

  Interestingly enough historical Mormonism claims to be the 144,000, I guess because they claim to have Jewish roots, but they don’t!  There is no evidence for what they believe, what they teach, the book of Mormon is a joke, it is a fairy tale and they are not the 144,000!

  Then there is Ellen G. White who was the founder of the Seventh Day Adventist who believe that they are the 144,00 that are sealed by God. And there are many others who make this claim to be the 144,000 sealed saints of God but there is only one group that are truly this group, there is only one group this can be!

  There are many mainline Christian churches today who try to identify these 144,000 as the church, instead of Israel. The problem with all these people who want to be part of the 144,000 is, which tribe are they from? The Scripture is being VERY SPECIFIC here, that these are Jews, they are even from specific tribes. If a Jehovah’s witness wants to claim to be part of the 144,000, ask him which tribe he’s from.

  They will be preaching the gospel during the Tribulation.

  Revelation 7:5-8 KJV  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.

  Some have a problem with this list because it is different with the listing of the tribes of Israel in the Old Testament. Folks, there is no standard way to list the twelve tribes of Israel. In fact, in the Old Testament there is at least nineteen different ways to list them.  Sometimes they follow the order of birth – Genesis 29:32-35:18.  Other times they follow the order of Jacob blessing them – Genesis 49:3-27.  Then there is the order of their encampment – Numbers 2:3-31. There is the order of the census before the invasion of Canaan – Numbers 26:4-51. There is the order of blessing and cursing – Deuteronomy 27:12-13. There is the order of Moses’ blessing – Deuteronomy 33:6-25.  There is the order of “the princes” – Numbers 1:5-15.  There is the order of inheritance – Joshua 13:7-22:34.  There is the order by the wives and concubines – I Chronicles 2-8. And there is the order of the gates of the city – Ezekiel 48:31-34.  So there is not just one way to list the twelve tribes of Israel, it depends on what is being described and what God is trying to say through the listing.

  The tribe of Dan is missing….Why?

  In Deuteronomy 29:18-21 God said that He would separate those who go into idolatry from the rest of the tribes of Israel. In Judges 18:30 we see that Dan is the first tribe to go into idolatry as they entered the land of Canaan and they lead the other nations into idolatry.  That is the reason I believe that the tribe of Dan is not sealed with the other tribes here in Revelation chapter 7, they brought idolatry into the land.

  May God bless and Guide you today

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