Revelation 7 - Sealed Salvation
Though the church is often divided, all Christians will be united around the throne on the Day of the Lord.
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Revelation 7 (ESV)
1 After this I saw
four angels
standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow
on earth
or sea
or against any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel
ascending from the rising of the sun,
with the seal of the living God,
and he called with a loud voice
to the four angels
who had been given power to harm earth and sea,
3 saying,
“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees,
until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
4 And I heard the number of the sealed,
144,000,
sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
9 After this I looked, and behold,
a great multitude that no one could number,
from every nation,
from all
tribes
and peoples
and languages,
standing
before the throne
and before the Lamb,
clothed in white robes,
with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs
to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
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,
12 saying,
“Amen!
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God
forever and ever!
Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying,
“Who are these, clothed in white robes,
and from where have they come?”
14 I said to him,
“Sir, you know.”
And he said to me,
“These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have
washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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 shelter them
with his presence.
16 They shall
hunger no more,
neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne
will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Revelation
Revelation 7 Summary
We're interpreting the book of Revelation from the standpoint that it tells the same story of Christ's final victory from seven different perspectives.
We actually finished the first perspective a few days ago at the end of chapter three. That first perspective didn't offer many details, but it concluded in chapter 3 with Christ victoriously sitting down with His Father on the throne.
The second perspective began in chapter four with the open door into heaven. This section gives more insight than the first, starting in God's throne room with Him handing out the sealed scroll containing His will to bring judgment and save His people. Yesterday we saw that judgment begin to be carried out, culminating with the kings of earth begging for the mountains to fall in on them rather than face God's wrath.
From our viewpoint, each of these perspectives begin in the past and end in the future.
Chapter seven reminds us that those who've been sealed in Christ have nothing to fear from this judgment. Like most of the details in Revelation, the specific number of 144,000 doesn't mean that literally only 144,000 people will be saved, but rather is a number symbolic of the full number of God's people throughout history.
This second perspective ends once again with the Lamb at the center of the throne (v17) and God wiping away every tear from His people's eyes (v18).
Dig Deeper
There are so many forces at work in our country right now to racially separate people, both from the right and from the left. Revelation shows that although there are distinct differences in people, there is really only one human race, and at those who've been sealed in the lamb will be perfectly united with one purpose: praising God forever (v9-12).
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! (v12)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God that even now, here in this life you will begin to serve him day and night in his temple (v15)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
