April 3, 2025 • 33 mins
Randy Duncan unpacks Revelation chapter 7, providing a breathing space after the apocalyptic events of chapter six while revealing who can withstand God's wrath.
• Four angels restraining destructive winds at earth's "four corners"—a figure of speech, not a cosmological statement
• God's servants receive a protective seal before judgment occurs
• The 144,000 sealed from Israel's tribes spark theological debate between literal and symbolic interpretations
• A great multitude in white robes worship before God's throne with palm branches and songs of praise
• Seven perfect attributes ascribed to God during heavenly worship
• The multitude represents those who have come through the Great Tribulation
• God will shelter His people eternally and "wipe away every tear"
• This chapter answers chapter six's closing question: "Who can stand?"
Join me next time as we open the seventh seal and continue our journey through Revelation.
Intro music - Toby Mac
Outro music - Crowder
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Well as always.
Thank you for joining me inthis study through the book of
Revelation.
I'm Randy Duncan, and in thisepisode we're going to be
covering chapter 7.
Now in this chapter we'regetting a little bit of what we
need here, a sort of a chance tocatch our breath after the last
episode, which included thefour horsemen of the apocalypse
and other catastrophes forpeople on the earth, as the day
(00:32):
of the Lord is at hand.
I mean, we even mentioned thepossible collapse of space time
in the last episode, so thisone's coming at a good time Now
as a reminder.
We're now seeing Jesus breakopen the seven seals of the
scroll, and in the last episodehe broke six of those, and so
this chapter will serve as asort of a pause in that action
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before he opens the seventh sealin the next chapter.
Now, many scholars take thischapter 7 as again a sort of an
intermission between the six andseven seals.
When we get there, we'llactually see the same sort of
thing with the seven bowls andthe seven trumpet series.
From a literary perspective,this serves to sort of build
(01:14):
suspense in the narrative, butin the midst of such suffering
and judgment, it also serves toprovide a sense of hope and
encouragement to God's people.
But I also want to remind you ofthe last verse in the last
chapter, and actually let mejust read the last two verses
from chapter six.
We ended by John describingevents at the end of time when
(01:36):
Jesus would return and punishevil and all men would flee and
remember.
He described for us in verses16 and 17 that they would be
calling to the mountains androcks fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who isseated on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of theirwrath has come, and who can
stand?
So the last chapter ended witha question for the great day of
(02:00):
their wrath has come, and whocan stand?
Well, this chapter will providean answer to that question.
But before we get to that,let's begin with the first three
verses where John says andafter this I saw four angels
standing at the four corners ofthe earth, holding back the four
winds of the earth, that nowind might blow on earth or sea
(02:22):
or against any tree.
Then I saw another angelascending from the rising of the
sun with the seal of the livingGod, and he called with a loud
voice to the four angels who hadbeen given power to harm the
earth and sea, saying Do notharm the earth or the sea or the
trees until we have sealed theservants of our God on their
foreheads.
And so John sees four angelsstanding at the four corners of
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the earth holding back the winds.
Now, skeptics and non-believers,they will sometimes point out
that the phrase four corners ofthe earth suggests a flat or a
square earth, which contradictsthe modern scientific
understanding that the earth isa spherical globe.
I mean, a spherical objectdoesn't have corners.
So they argue that thisreflects some sort of an
(03:09):
outdated or pre-scientificcosmology.
They see this as evidence thatthe Bible contains these ancient
pre-scientific beliefs ratherthan divine truth.
And so a skeptic might say look, if the Bible was truly
divinely inspired, with accurateknowledge, it wouldn't use
language implying a flat earth,which we know is false, based on
(03:32):
evidence from astronomy andgeology.
However, the phrase fourcorners of the earth, it doesn't
imply literal flat earth, butit functions as an idiom, a
figure of speech, kind of likewe might say I'll hunt you down
to the ends of the earth,meaning everywhere or the whole
earth.
It doesn't mean, I believe,that there's an actual end of
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the earth or that I'll hit awall at the end or fall off the
edge.
Scripture frequently usesexpressions like this to convey
completeness or the universalnature of something.
So, for example, in Isaiah11-12, god promises to gather
his people from the four cornersof the earth, clearly meaning
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from all directions or regions,not literal corners, and Ezekiel
7-2 speaks of the four cornersof the land to emphasize the
totality of judgment across allof Israel.
And remember, revelationbelongs to the genre of
apocalyptic literature, likeDaniel or parts of Ezekiel,
(04:36):
which uses vivid symbolicimagery to reveal spiritual
realities.
It's not always trying toprovide us with an actual
physical blueprint.
And just as a side note, about700 years before John wrote
Revelation, people already knewthat the earth was a sphere.
This was well known by theancient Greeks.
I mean, they knew fromobserving lunar eclipses and
(05:00):
constellations and even fromwatching ships coming and going
over the horizon.
And so the point is that Johnalso knew that the earth was
spherical, not flat or square.
And so when we read here inverse 1, the four corners,
that's not a scientificstatement about the shape of the
earth, but rather a figure ofspeech symbolizing the entirety
(05:22):
of creation under God'ssovereign control.
The angels stationed thereillustrate his authority over
every part of the world, and soit's a mistake for anybody to
insist or argue that the Bibleis mistaken here.
But the angels are stationedhere so that the four winds
don't blow on the land or thesea or the trees.
In other words, they'rerestraining judgment, because
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the winds will bring destruction.
Now this description the fourwinds signifies the judgment
that's to come, and we see it inJeremiah, chapter 49, where God
tells the prophet what he willdo to the ancient civilization
of Elam, and he says and here inthe apocalypse, these angels
prevent these winds, thesejudgments, from blowing in until
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God allows it.
These angels are God'sministers who carry out His will
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, and I would add that there aresome who believe that the four
winds is actually a reference tothe four horsemen of the
apocalypse that we covered inthe last episode.
They point to Zechariah,chapter 6, where we also see a
vision of four horsemen.
But regardless, the importantthing here is that these angels
of God are temporarily holdingback and preventing the coming
(06:58):
destruction.
But John continued in verse 2,remember by saying Then I saw
another angel ascending from therising of the sun with the seal
of the living God.
And he called with a loud voiceto the four angels who had been
given power to harm earth andsea, saying Do not harm the
earth or the sea or the treesuntil we have sealed the
(07:19):
servants of our God on theirforeheads.
Now this other angel from theeast bears the seal of the
living God.
The seal the angel bearssignifies one who is protected
and authenticated, that onebelongs to God.
And this angel calls out to theother four angels who have
authority over the land, sea andtrees, and they're restrained
(07:40):
by this angel from bringing anyfurther destruction, restrained
by this angel from bringing anyfurther destruction.
Again, the destruction they'reabout to bring must be delayed,
but why and for how long?
Well, we don't have to wonder,because, we're told, until we
have sealed the servants of ourGod on their foreheads.
This sealing of those whobelong to God will protect them
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from the coming wrath anddestruction.
Now there's a lot of debate andspeculation about the nature of
this seal or this mark.
Some people interpret the sealas some sort of a visible
physical mark placed on theforeheads of God's servants,
something like, maybe like atattoo or a brand or some other
physical marking.
They argue that it's a physicalmark because the text specifies
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on their foreheads, whichsuggests an actual, tangible
location, and this has aparallel with Revelation 13,
where the mark of the beast is aphysical mark on the forehead
or hand.
And so this sort of implies acontrasting literal seal or mark
for God's people, and thatSatan, once again, will try to
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mimic God with his own seal, theinfamous mark of the beast that
we'll see later on.
But others view this seal orthis mark as being more
spiritual in nature and thatit's invisible, at least to
humans.
They view the seal as aspiritual designation rather
than a physical mark symbolizingGod's ownership or protection
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of his servants.
Ephesians 1 tells us thatbelievers are sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit, whichsuggests a spiritual marking of
God's people.
And in 2 Corinthians 1.22, godset his seal of ownership on us,
reinforcing the idea of aninvisible divine claim.
And so, for those who don'tthink the seal of the mark is
(09:28):
anything physical, they believethat the seal represents God's
internal spiritual protection ofbelievers, distinguishing them
from the world in a way that'svisible only to him and his
angels.
Now I'll mention a couple ofthings that I think are
interesting here.
First, remember when Cainmurdered Abel and God banished
(09:49):
him from the land.
What was Cain's response?
In Genesis 4, cain says to Godbut do you remember God's
response to Cain?
And I will be hidden from yourpresence.
I will be a restless wandereron earth and whoever finds me
will kill me.
But do you remember God'sresponse to Cain?
God said to him not so.
(10:11):
Anyone who kills Cain willsuffer vengeance seven times
over.
Then the Lord put a mark onCain so that no one who found
him would kill him.
God put a mark on Cain toprotect him and, just like the
mark or seal that we'rediscussing here, was it a
physical mark, like a tattoo ora scar or maybe even some other
(10:34):
divine symbol, or was itsomething else?
Some people have even suggestedit was a cross.
The other thing I wanted tomention is the marking of the
blood on the doorpost in Exodus12, during the Passover.
Now, this one was obviously aphysical mark, as the Jews
spread blood over the doorpostto protect them from the death
angel who would kill all thefirstborn in Egypt but would
(10:56):
pass over those who had theblood over the doorpost.
This was a sign, a mark thatthose people were protected by
God.
Now, I've mentioned the rapturea couple of times in Revelation
so far and I'm sure I will.
This was a sign, a mark thatthose people were protected by
God.
Now, I've mentioned the rapturea couple of times in Revelation
so far and I'm sure I willagain.
(11:17):
But I want to point out here acouple of examples that some
people use as arguments againstan actual rapture of the church.
They argue that this sealing ormarking of God's people prior
to the coming destruction andwrath protects them during the
wrath, but it doesn't removethem from being in the midst of
the destruction.
God didn't remove the Jewswhile the death angel passed
over Egypt, but he protectedthem in the midst of it Once the
(11:38):
wrath had passed.
Only then did God lead them tothe promised land.
And we see here in Revelationthat the angel calls out to the
other four angels to pause whilethe people of God can be sealed
.
If believers were going to beraptured out of the tribulation
and destruction, then why wouldthey need to be sealed or marked
for protection during thecoming destruction?
(11:59):
Now, as I said before, that'snot something that we're going
to settle right here, but I justwant you to be aware of
different perspectives.
Now, getting back to the texthere, regardless of whether this
mark is physical or spiritual,the more important point is that
the purpose is to shieldbelievers during the divine
judgment and wrath that's coming.
The seal is God's guaranteethat his servants belong to him
(12:22):
and are preserved throughtribulation, whether that's
physical or spiritual in nature.
God's guarantee that hisservants belong to him and are
preserved through tribulation,whether that's physical or
spiritual in nature.
But this seal somehowdistinguishes God's followers
from others during theapocalyptic judgments, and so it
ensures their safety when theangels are cleared to unleash
destruction.
But we continue now with verses4 through 8.
As John says and I heard thenumber of the sealed 144,000,
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sealed from every tribe of thesons of Israel 12,000 from the
tribe of Judah were sealed,12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad.
And he goes on and says there's12,000 from each of the 12
tribes.
I'll just spare you fromreading all that.
But John hears the number ofpeople who were sealed, and it
was 144,000 from each of the 12tribes.
I'll just spare you fromreading all that.
But, john, here's the number ofpeople who were sealed, and it
was 144,000.
(13:08):
Again, 12,000 from each of the12 tribes of Israel.
Now I want to spend a fewminutes taking a closer look at
this, because this is a topicwith a few different views, and
so I want to provide you withsome background and insight.
Because the identity of the144,000 sealed here in
Revelation 7 has been a subjectof a lot of interpretation and
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debate among biblical scholars,theologians and even different
Christian denominations, andbasically the debate comes down
to this Some believe the 144,000are literal Jewish believers
saved during the tribulation.
144,000 are literal Jewishbelievers saved during the
tribulation, while others seethem as symbolic of all
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Christians.
Now I'm not going to get into adeep eschatological or
dispensational discussion here,but the controversy over the
144,000 reflects the differingtheological perspectives that
people have on Israel and thechurch.
In other words, does God have adifferent plan and treat Israel
and the church differently, oris Israel treated as being a
(14:11):
part of the church?
And so, before I go any furtherin trying to lay this out, I
want to go ahead and read verse9, because I also want to
reference it in this discussion.
But John also says in verse 9,.
And after this I looked andbehold a great multitude that no
one could number, from everynation, from all tribes and
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peoples and languages, standingbefore the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed in white robes,with palm branches in their
hands.
And so, with that in mind,let's take a look at a couple of
different interpretations andperspectives on the 144,000
people who were sealed, andalthough there are nuanced
versions of each, there arebasically two approaches you can
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take here.
You can take a more literalinterpretation or you can take a
symbolic interpretation, andalthough I won't be able to do
justice to either side in thisquick of a summary, let me at
least lay out the basics of each.
But to give you some context,the controversy centers on the
nature of Israel in the NewTestament and whether it refers
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to ethnic Jews or the church asa whole, and the timing of
events like the GreatTribulation and the Rapture, if
there is such a thing.
So let me start with a literalinterpretation and give you the
main points of that perspective.
This literal interpretationstems primarily from what's
called a dispensational theology.
Now again, I don't want to getbogged down here, but I think
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it's important that youunderstand the line of thinking.
Dispensational theology is justa theological system that
interprets biblical history as aseries of these distinct
periods of time or dispensations, in which God interacts with
humanity differently,maintaining a clear distinction
between Israel as his earthlypeople, with national promises,
(16:00):
and the church as his spiritualpeople with heavenly promises.
And so, for dispensationalists,they maintain a separation in
how God deals with the churchand how he deals with Israel,
and so, with that in mind, theytake a literal interpretation of
the 144,000, believing thatthey are literal Jewish
believers who will be saved andsealed for protection during the
(16:24):
end times, tribulation.
In defense of their view, theypoint to the Bible's specific
mention of all the tribes ofIsrael and the listing of 12,000
from each tribe that we justread, and so they argue that
this suggests a literal ethnicidentification.
The 144,000 are protected onearth during the tribulation,
(16:45):
possibly even serving asevangelists leading to the
salvation of the great multitudethat we read about in verse 9.
They interpret these people asGentiles saved during this
period, and so, again, this viewmaintains a distinction between
Israel and the church, with thechurch raptured before the
tribulation and the 144,000representing a separate group of
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Jewish witnesses.
So that was the literal view.
Now let's take a look at thesymbolic view.
Many non-dispensationalistscholars argue that the 144,000
represent the entire communityof redeemed believers, both Jews
and Gentiles, symbolizing thecompleteness of God's people.
In defense of their view, hereare a couple of their arguments.
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First, the number 144,000, 12times 12 times 1,000, emphasizes
perfection and completeness,which aligns with Revelation's
symbolic use of numbers, forinstance the term thousand.
It's used 19 times inRevelation, often symbolically
and not literally.
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The great multitude that we seehere in Revelation is described
as being from every nation,tribe, people and language, and
so it's seen by some as simplyanother depiction of the same
group, just emphasizing theirdiversity and their heavenly
state after the tribulation,supporting the idea that the
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144,000 and the great multitudeare the same symbolic group of
people, just viewed from twodifferent perspectives.
This interpretation argues thatthe 144,000 people sealed in
Revelation 7 are most likely asymbolic representation of all
God's redeemed people, includingboth Jews and Gentiles who have
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faith in Christ, and so thisinterpretation views the number
as a way to show thecompleteness and the perfection
of God's people, with 144,000,again equaling 12, which is a
biblical number for completenesstimes 12,000, times 1,000,
which is simply a large completenumber.
And so this structure suggestsa symbolic rather than a literal
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interpretation, especially,again, if you consider
Revelation's apocalyptic genre,which frequently uses numbers
symbolically.
And so this means it's notabout a literal count of 144,000
individuals, but rather thecompleteness and the fullness of
those who were saved.
And they also point to verse 9,where we read about the great
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multitude of people that no onecould number, people that no one
could number, described asbeing from every nation, tribe,
people and language, emphasizingagain their diversity and just
their vast number.
And so, in short, the symbolicinterpretation argues that the
144,000 are not a literal countbut a way to illustrate the
fullness of God's redemptiveplan, with the listing of the 12
(19:42):
tribes simply symbolizing thespiritual heritage of all
believers.
Now, before I leave the topic ofthe 144,000, there may be those
of you listening who wonderabout the Jehovah Witnesses and
how they deal with 144,000.
Well, real, briefly, prior to1935, they believed the 144,000
(20:04):
was the literal number of peoplewho were going to be saved and
go to heaven.
Before 1935, their publications, like the Watchtower, stated
that only the quotespirit-begotten ones referring
to the 144,000, would be saved.
But in 1935, at a convention inWashington DC, they introduced
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the quote, and so, although theyhaven't changed the number of
144,000 who will go to heaven,they have had a major change in
their belief about the totalnumber of people who will be
saved.
What's interesting is that thischange came as their membership
grew, leading to confusionabout who could be a part of the
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144,000 in heaven, which thenprompted this distinction to
account for the increasingnumber of Jehovah Witnesses.
But let's pick back up with thetext, beginning in verse 9,
which reads and after this Ilooked and behold a great
multitude that no one couldnumber, from every nation, from
all tribes and peoples andlanguages, standing before the
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throne and before the Lamb,clothed in white robes and palm
branches in their hands andcrying with a loud voice
Salvation belongs to our God,who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb and all the angels werestanding around the throne and
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around the elders and the fourliving creatures and they.
And so we read here for thesecond time verse 9, where John
looks and sees a great multitudethat no one could number, from
all tribes, languages andpeoples.
But notice one thing here whenhe's describing this time, he
says he looked and saw thismultitude the first time, which
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he describes in verses 1-8, andyou may not have caught this he
only heard the multitude.
In other words, revelation isdrawing an explicit contrast
between these two groups ofpeople.
John heard the first number andsaw the second group, and this
is interesting because, if youremember from chapter 5, john
(22:21):
first heard the lion and then heturned to see the lamb.
This is a point made by somepeople to argue that these two
groups of people are one in thesame group and they represent
all believers, but they'resimply being viewed from two
different perspectives, withverses 1 through 8 referencing
an earthly experience, whileverses 9 through 17 transitions
(22:44):
to a heavenly scene.
But the first group was numbered144,000.
The second group, no one couldcount.
The first group was Jewish12,000 from each of the 12
tribes of Israel.
The second group was from everynation.
And that this number of peoplewas uncountable reflects
(23:05):
fulfillment of the promise thatGod made to Abraham that all
people would be blessed throughhim.
And, as some people havepointed out, the first group
that John heard was beingprepared to withstand imminent
persecution.
The second group is victoriousand they're secure in heaven.
In other words, they wouldargue that again, these visions
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refer to the same group ofpeople and they're distinguished
only by their location.
The 144,000 are about to enterinto a period of this intense
secular oppression andpersecution.
The second vision is to bringencouragement to believers by
revealing what awaits them inheaven.
But John says that they werestanding before the throne and
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before the Lamb clothed in whiterobes.
The white robes are appropriatefor worship, but they also
reflect the clothing of victors,the ones who have overcome that
Jesus referred to in chapter 3,and they've been washed clean
by the blood of the Lamb.
And so, even though it's adescription of believers and
what they're wearing, the focusof the image should actually be
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the effects of Christ'ssacrifice on their behalf,
because without Christ'ssacrifice, none of us are going
to be wearing white robes, letalone standing in heaven before
God's throne.
And so it's important for allof us to be wearing white robes,
let alone standing in heavenbefore God's throne.
And so it's important for allof us to be reminded that
(24:33):
salvation is a divine act, it'snot a human achievement.
But the believers are not juststanding in silence before God's
throne.
They're crying out with a loudvoice, along with all the angels
and the elders and the fourliving creatures falling on
their faces before the throneand worshiping God, and I'm sure
it's an almost indescribableheavenly chorus.
I mean, you know when sometimesyou hear a song and something
(24:55):
about it just touches your soul.
I mean, can you imagine whatthis is going to be like?
And in their worship of God andI know we've mentioned this in
an earlier chapter, but noticethey lift up words of adoration
and praise seven characteristicsor descriptions of God, with
seven being the number ofperfection, underscoring the
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perfection of God's attributes.
And count them if you want,because they fell on their faces
before the throne and worshipedGod, saying and count these
blessing and glory and wisdomand thanksgiving and honor and
power and might be to our Godforever and ever.
But John continues in verses 13and 14, saying Then one of the
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elders addressed, worshipingbefore the throne, one of the 24
elders which we've discussedthe possible identity of already
in a previous episode,initiates a dialogue with John.
But when the elder asks Johnthis question, he doesn't expect
an answer.
This sort of a question is anormal and accepted pedagogic
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technique of the culture of thatday.
Normal and accepted pedagogictechnique of the culture of that
day.
Now, a pedagogic technique ofasking rhetorical questions is a
teaching strategy where theteacher asks questions to
students not to receive directanswers, but to stimulate
thought or to emphasize a point,or maybe to guide learners
toward a deeper understanding.
And so these questions arenormally framed in a way that
(26:44):
assumes the answer is obvious,and it's meant to encourage
reflection rather than an actualverbal response.
And so, for example, after Adamsins and tries to hide from God
, God calls out to Adam whereare you?
After Cain murders Abel, godasks Cain where's your brother
(27:04):
Abel?
And in Job, when God asked Job,where were you?
When I laid the foundations ofthe earth, god already knew the
answers to these questions.
He wasn't looking for an answer, he was seeking to help each of
these people think more deeplyabout the situation.
And so the elder's questionhere who are they and where did
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they come from?
Seems rhetorical, and that'swhy John's response, sir you
know it makes sense.
He knows the elder alreadyknows the answer to the question
.
It makes sense.
He knows the elder alreadyknows the answer to the question
.
It's a rhetorical questionsimply meant to stimulate
thought and provide a deeperunderstanding.
Now, the identity of the greatmultitude of people has sparked
a lot of debate and we'vealready touched on that, so I'm
(27:50):
not going to belabor thatdiscussion.
But when we first began thisstudy I mentioned, there are
various views that people takeof the book of Revelation.
I mentioned the futurist view,the historical view and the
symbolic view.
The Elder reveals that theseare people who have come out of
the Great Tribulation and thephrase Great Tribulation has
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sparked a lot of debate and,depending on how you view
Revelation, it will color yourinterpretations of things like
this.
So, for example, if yousubscribe to a Futurist view,
you'll probably see the GreatTribulation as a specific
seven-year period of greatturmoil, with this multitude
being those saved or martyredduring that time.
(28:32):
If you take more of ahistorical view, then you might
see this as representing thepersecutions under Roman
emperors like Nero or Domitian,suggesting that the multitude
represents early Christianmartyrs.
And if you take a symbolic viewof Revelation, you might see it
as an ongoing reality, asbelievers of all eras who
(28:53):
overcome spiritual and physicaltrials through faith in Christ.
But regardless of how you viewit, these verses connect the
dots between earthly struggleand heavenly triumph.
The great multitude's journeythrough tribulation to standing
before the throne mirrors thisbroader narrative of revelation
(29:13):
that chaos and pain are not theend.
They lead to restoration forthose who have placed their
faith and trust in Jesus.
But we wrap up this discussionwith the last three verses,
which have brought comfort tocountless millions of people who
have suffered in this life.
Beginning with verse 15, weread Therefore, they are before
(29:34):
the throne of God and serve himday and night in his temple, and
he who sits on the throne willshelter them with his presence
we read their shepherd and hewill guide them to springs of
(29:54):
living water and God will wipeaway every tear from their eyes.
Now, these verses follow theelders' explanation that the
multitude in white robes cameout of the great tribulation and
washed their robes in theLamb's blood, and so they link
the people's past suffering totheir present and future reality
in God's presence.
(30:15):
These verses shift from thetriumphant worship scene that we
just read about to adescription of God's care, sort
of rounding out this visionbefore the seventh seal is
opened in the next chapter andwe resume the plagues and
tribulation.
Now, when it says that God willshelter them with his presence,
it literally means spread histabernacle over them, and it
(30:37):
reminds us of the tabernacle inthe wilderness.
The tabernacle erected byIsrael in the Old Testament
anticipated God's presence withhis people forever, where he'll
dwell with us in a much deeperand a much more profound way.
And verse 16 lists what themultitude will never again
experience Hunger, thirst,scorching sun or heat.
(31:01):
And these echo the hardships oftribulation famine, dehydration
, exposure.
And it all recalls Israel'swilderness, wanderings and the
plagues.
In Revelation.
These verses promise a completereversal of their past
struggles to a state of perfectprovision and comfort.
And when it says they shallhunger no more, neither thirst
(31:23):
anymore, remember what Jesustold us I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me shall nothunger.
Whoever drinks of the waterthat I will give him will never
be thirsty again.
The water that I will give himwill wipe away every tear from
(31:47):
their eyes.
Is pretty profound After all thesuffering and tribulation and
hurt we experience in life.
Our tears are not just ended,they're erased by a divine touch
.
The last three verses are areminder that God doesn't just
save us from something, but tosomething which is eternal joy
(32:09):
in his presence.
Augustine said that God made usfor himself and we only truly
rest when we rest in him.
And when we get to this point,the days of suffering will have
ended, the days of reward havebegun, and this is a picture of
the security and the joy andabundance that believers will
(32:30):
enjoy in heaven.
All the suffering, all of thepains of life on earth are over.
There's a verse in a song I likethat says the wounds this world
left on my soul will all behealed and I'll be home and
remember what Paul said in 1Corinthians 2, that no eye has
(32:58):
seen, nor ear heard, nor theheart of man imagined what God
has prepared for those who lovehim.
But I do know this.
Whatever else I may not be ableto imagine, I look forward to
the removing of all the hurt,all the suffering, all the pain
that is a part of this life, andthat I'll be home and all my
tears will be wiped away.
It don't matter where you buryme.
I'll be home and I'll be free.
(33:24):
It don't matter where I lay.
All my tears be washed away.
All my tears be washed away.
Well as always.
Thank you for joining me inthis study through the book of
Revelation.
I'm Randy Duncan, and in thisepisode we're going to be
covering chapter 7.
Now in this chapter we'regetting a little bit of what we
need here, a sort of a chance tocatch our breath after the last
episode, which included thefour horsemen of the apocalypse
and other catastrophes forpeople on the earth, as the day
(00:32):
of the Lord is at hand.
I mean, we even mentioned thepossible collapse of space time
in the last episode, so thisone's coming at a good time Now
as a reminder.
We're now seeing Jesus breakopen the seven seals of the
scroll, and in the last episodehe broke six of those, and so
this chapter will serve as asort of a pause in that action
(00:53):
before he opens the seventh sealin the next chapter.
Now, many scholars take thischapter 7 as again a sort of an
intermission between the six andseven seals.
When we get there, we'llactually see the same sort of
thing with the seven bowls andthe seven trumpet series.
From a literary perspective,this serves to sort of build
(01:14):
suspense in the narrative, butin the midst of such suffering
and judgment, it also serves toprovide a sense of hope and
encouragement to God's people.
But I also want to remind you ofthe last verse in the last
chapter, and actually let mejust read the last two verses
from chapter six.
We ended by John describingevents at the end of time when
(01:36):
Jesus would return and punishevil and all men would flee and
remember.
He described for us in verses16 and 17 that they would be
calling to the mountains androcks fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who isseated on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of theirwrath has come, and who can
stand?
So the last chapter ended witha question for the great day of
(02:00):
their wrath has come, and whocan stand?
Well, this chapter will providean answer to that question.
But before we get to that,let's begin with the first three
verses where John says andafter this I saw four angels
standing at the four corners ofthe earth, holding back the four
winds of the earth, that nowind might blow on earth or sea
(02:22):
or against any tree.
Then I saw another angelascending from the rising of the
sun with the seal of the livingGod, and he called with a loud
voice to the four angels who hadbeen given power to harm the
earth and sea, saying Do notharm the earth or the sea or the
trees until we have sealed theservants of our God on their
foreheads.
And so John sees four angelsstanding at the four corners of
(02:45):
the earth holding back the winds.
Now, skeptics and non-believers,they will sometimes point out
that the phrase four corners ofthe earth suggests a flat or a
square earth, which contradictsthe modern scientific
understanding that the earth isa spherical globe.
I mean, a spherical objectdoesn't have corners.
So they argue that thisreflects some sort of an
(03:09):
outdated or pre-scientificcosmology.
They see this as evidence thatthe Bible contains these ancient
pre-scientific beliefs ratherthan divine truth.
And so a skeptic might say look, if the Bible was truly
divinely inspired, with accurateknowledge, it wouldn't use
language implying a flat earth,which we know is false, based on
(03:32):
evidence from astronomy andgeology.
However, the phrase fourcorners of the earth, it doesn't
imply literal flat earth, butit functions as an idiom, a
figure of speech, kind of likewe might say I'll hunt you down
to the ends of the earth,meaning everywhere or the whole
earth.
It doesn't mean, I believe,that there's an actual end of
(03:54):
the earth or that I'll hit awall at the end or fall off the
edge.
Scripture frequently usesexpressions like this to convey
completeness or the universalnature of something.
So, for example, in Isaiah11-12, god promises to gather
his people from the four cornersof the earth, clearly meaning
(04:15):
from all directions or regions,not literal corners, and Ezekiel
7-2 speaks of the four cornersof the land to emphasize the
totality of judgment across allof Israel.
And remember, revelationbelongs to the genre of
apocalyptic literature, likeDaniel or parts of Ezekiel,
(04:36):
which uses vivid symbolicimagery to reveal spiritual
realities.
It's not always trying toprovide us with an actual
physical blueprint.
And just as a side note, about700 years before John wrote
Revelation, people already knewthat the earth was a sphere.
This was well known by theancient Greeks.
I mean, they knew fromobserving lunar eclipses and
(05:00):
constellations and even fromwatching ships coming and going
over the horizon.
And so the point is that Johnalso knew that the earth was
spherical, not flat or square.
And so when we read here inverse 1, the four corners,
that's not a scientificstatement about the shape of the
earth, but rather a figure ofspeech symbolizing the entirety
(05:22):
of creation under God'ssovereign control.
The angels stationed thereillustrate his authority over
every part of the world, and soit's a mistake for anybody to
insist or argue that the Bibleis mistaken here.
But the angels are stationedhere so that the four winds
don't blow on the land or thesea or the trees.
In other words, they'rerestraining judgment, because
(05:44):
the winds will bring destruction.
Now this description the fourwinds signifies the judgment
that's to come, and we see it inJeremiah, chapter 49, where God
tells the prophet what he willdo to the ancient civilization
of Elam, and he says and here inthe apocalypse, these angels
prevent these winds, thesejudgments, from blowing in until
(06:07):
God allows it.
These angels are God'sministers who carry out His will
(06:37):
, and I would add that there aresome who believe that the four
winds is actually a reference tothe four horsemen of the
apocalypse that we covered inthe last episode.
They point to Zechariah,chapter 6, where we also see a
vision of four horsemen.
But regardless, the importantthing here is that these angels
of God are temporarily holdingback and preventing the coming
(06:58):
destruction.
But John continued in verse 2,remember by saying Then I saw
another angel ascending from therising of the sun with the seal
of the living God.
And he called with a loud voiceto the four angels who had been
given power to harm earth andsea, saying Do not harm the
earth or the sea or the treesuntil we have sealed the
(07:19):
servants of our God on theirforeheads.
Now this other angel from theeast bears the seal of the
living God.
The seal the angel bearssignifies one who is protected
and authenticated, that onebelongs to God.
And this angel calls out to theother four angels who have
authority over the land, sea andtrees, and they're restrained
(07:40):
by this angel from bringing anyfurther destruction, restrained
by this angel from bringing anyfurther destruction.
Again, the destruction they'reabout to bring must be delayed,
but why and for how long?
Well, we don't have to wonder,because, we're told, until we
have sealed the servants of ourGod on their foreheads.
This sealing of those whobelong to God will protect them
(08:01):
from the coming wrath anddestruction.
Now there's a lot of debate andspeculation about the nature of
this seal or this mark.
Some people interpret the sealas some sort of a visible
physical mark placed on theforeheads of God's servants,
something like, maybe like atattoo or a brand or some other
physical marking.
They argue that it's a physicalmark because the text specifies
(08:25):
on their foreheads, whichsuggests an actual, tangible
location, and this has aparallel with Revelation 13,
where the mark of the beast is aphysical mark on the forehead
or hand.
And so this sort of implies acontrasting literal seal or mark
for God's people, and thatSatan, once again, will try to
(08:46):
mimic God with his own seal, theinfamous mark of the beast that
we'll see later on.
But others view this seal orthis mark as being more
spiritual in nature and thatit's invisible, at least to
humans.
They view the seal as aspiritual designation rather
than a physical mark symbolizingGod's ownership or protection
(09:07):
of his servants.
Ephesians 1 tells us thatbelievers are sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit, whichsuggests a spiritual marking of
God's people.
And in 2 Corinthians 1.22, godset his seal of ownership on us,
reinforcing the idea of aninvisible divine claim.
And so, for those who don'tthink the seal of the mark is
(09:28):
anything physical, they believethat the seal represents God's
internal spiritual protection ofbelievers, distinguishing them
from the world in a way that'svisible only to him and his
angels.
Now I'll mention a couple ofthings that I think are
interesting here.
First, remember when Cainmurdered Abel and God banished
(09:49):
him from the land.
What was Cain's response?
In Genesis 4, cain says to Godbut do you remember God's
response to Cain?
And I will be hidden from yourpresence.
I will be a restless wandereron earth and whoever finds me
will kill me.
But do you remember God'sresponse to Cain?
God said to him not so.
(10:11):
Anyone who kills Cain willsuffer vengeance seven times
over.
Then the Lord put a mark onCain so that no one who found
him would kill him.
God put a mark on Cain toprotect him and, just like the
mark or seal that we'rediscussing here, was it a
physical mark, like a tattoo ora scar or maybe even some other
(10:34):
divine symbol, or was itsomething else?
Some people have even suggestedit was a cross.
The other thing I wanted tomention is the marking of the
blood on the doorpost in Exodus12, during the Passover.
Now, this one was obviously aphysical mark, as the Jews
spread blood over the doorpostto protect them from the death
angel who would kill all thefirstborn in Egypt but would
(10:56):
pass over those who had theblood over the doorpost.
This was a sign, a mark thatthose people were protected by
God.
Now, I've mentioned the rapturea couple of times in Revelation
so far and I'm sure I will.
This was a sign, a mark thatthose people were protected by
God.
Now, I've mentioned the rapturea couple of times in Revelation
so far and I'm sure I willagain.
(11:17):
But I want to point out here acouple of examples that some
people use as arguments againstan actual rapture of the church.
They argue that this sealing ormarking of God's people prior
to the coming destruction andwrath protects them during the
wrath, but it doesn't removethem from being in the midst of
the destruction.
God didn't remove the Jewswhile the death angel passed
over Egypt, but he protectedthem in the midst of it Once the
(11:38):
wrath had passed.
Only then did God lead them tothe promised land.
And we see here in Revelationthat the angel calls out to the
other four angels to pause whilethe people of God can be sealed
.
If believers were going to beraptured out of the tribulation
and destruction, then why wouldthey need to be sealed or marked
for protection during thecoming destruction?
(11:59):
Now, as I said before, that'snot something that we're going
to settle right here, but I justwant you to be aware of
different perspectives.
Now, getting back to the texthere, regardless of whether this
mark is physical or spiritual,the more important point is that
the purpose is to shieldbelievers during the divine
judgment and wrath that's coming.
The seal is God's guaranteethat his servants belong to him
(12:22):
and are preserved throughtribulation, whether that's
physical or spiritual in nature.
God's guarantee that hisservants belong to him and are
preserved through tribulation,whether that's physical or
spiritual in nature.
But this seal somehowdistinguishes God's followers
from others during theapocalyptic judgments, and so it
ensures their safety when theangels are cleared to unleash
destruction.
But we continue now with verses4 through 8.
As John says and I heard thenumber of the sealed 144,000,
(12:47):
sealed from every tribe of thesons of Israel 12,000 from the
tribe of Judah were sealed,12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad.
And he goes on and says there's12,000 from each of the 12
tribes.
I'll just spare you fromreading all that.
But John hears the number ofpeople who were sealed, and it
was 144,000 from each of the 12tribes.
I'll just spare you fromreading all that.
But, john, here's the number ofpeople who were sealed, and it
was 144,000.
(13:08):
Again, 12,000 from each of the12 tribes of Israel.
Now I want to spend a fewminutes taking a closer look at
this, because this is a topicwith a few different views, and
so I want to provide you withsome background and insight.
Because the identity of the144,000 sealed here in
Revelation 7 has been a subjectof a lot of interpretation and
(13:29):
debate among biblical scholars,theologians and even different
Christian denominations, andbasically the debate comes down
to this Some believe the 144,000are literal Jewish believers
saved during the tribulation.
144,000 are literal Jewishbelievers saved during the
tribulation, while others seethem as symbolic of all
(13:49):
Christians.
Now I'm not going to get into adeep eschatological or
dispensational discussion here,but the controversy over the
144,000 reflects the differingtheological perspectives that
people have on Israel and thechurch.
In other words, does God have adifferent plan and treat Israel
and the church differently, oris Israel treated as being a
(14:11):
part of the church?
And so, before I go any furtherin trying to lay this out, I
want to go ahead and read verse9, because I also want to
reference it in this discussion.
But John also says in verse 9,.
And after this I looked andbehold a great multitude that no
one could number, from everynation, from all tribes and
(14:32):
peoples and languages, standingbefore the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed in white robes,with palm branches in their
hands.
And so, with that in mind,let's take a look at a couple of
different interpretations andperspectives on the 144,000
people who were sealed, andalthough there are nuanced
versions of each, there arebasically two approaches you can
(14:53):
take here.
You can take a more literalinterpretation or you can take a
symbolic interpretation, andalthough I won't be able to do
justice to either side in thisquick of a summary, let me at
least lay out the basics of each.
But to give you some context,the controversy centers on the
nature of Israel in the NewTestament and whether it refers
(15:13):
to ethnic Jews or the church asa whole, and the timing of
events like the GreatTribulation and the Rapture, if
there is such a thing.
So let me start with a literalinterpretation and give you the
main points of that perspective.
This literal interpretationstems primarily from what's
called a dispensational theology.
Now again, I don't want to getbogged down here, but I think
(15:36):
it's important that youunderstand the line of thinking.
Dispensational theology is justa theological system that
interprets biblical history as aseries of these distinct
periods of time or dispensations, in which God interacts with
humanity differently,maintaining a clear distinction
between Israel as his earthlypeople, with national promises,
(16:00):
and the church as his spiritualpeople with heavenly promises.
And so, for dispensationalists,they maintain a separation in
how God deals with the churchand how he deals with Israel,
and so, with that in mind, theytake a literal interpretation of
the 144,000, believing thatthey are literal Jewish
believers who will be saved andsealed for protection during the
(16:24):
end times, tribulation.
In defense of their view, theypoint to the Bible's specific
mention of all the tribes ofIsrael and the listing of 12,000
from each tribe that we justread, and so they argue that
this suggests a literal ethnicidentification.
The 144,000 are protected onearth during the tribulation,
(16:45):
possibly even serving asevangelists leading to the
salvation of the great multitudethat we read about in verse 9.
They interpret these people asGentiles saved during this
period, and so, again, this viewmaintains a distinction between
Israel and the church, with thechurch raptured before the
tribulation and the 144,000representing a separate group of
(17:08):
Jewish witnesses.
So that was the literal view.
Now let's take a look at thesymbolic view.
Many non-dispensationalistscholars argue that the 144,000
represent the entire communityof redeemed believers, both Jews
and Gentiles, symbolizing thecompleteness of God's people.
In defense of their view, hereare a couple of their arguments.
(17:31):
First, the number 144,000, 12times 12 times 1,000, emphasizes
perfection and completeness,which aligns with Revelation's
symbolic use of numbers, forinstance the term thousand.
It's used 19 times inRevelation, often symbolically
and not literally.
(17:52):
The great multitude that we seehere in Revelation is described
as being from every nation,tribe, people and language, and
so it's seen by some as simplyanother depiction of the same
group, just emphasizing theirdiversity and their heavenly
state after the tribulation,supporting the idea that the
(18:13):
144,000 and the great multitudeare the same symbolic group of
people, just viewed from twodifferent perspectives.
This interpretation argues thatthe 144,000 people sealed in
Revelation 7 are most likely asymbolic representation of all
God's redeemed people, includingboth Jews and Gentiles who have
(18:34):
faith in Christ, and so thisinterpretation views the number
as a way to show thecompleteness and the perfection
of God's people, with 144,000,again equaling 12, which is a
biblical number for completenesstimes 12,000, times 1,000,
which is simply a large completenumber.
And so this structure suggestsa symbolic rather than a literal
(18:58):
interpretation, especially,again, if you consider
Revelation's apocalyptic genre,which frequently uses numbers
symbolically.
And so this means it's notabout a literal count of 144,000
individuals, but rather thecompleteness and the fullness of
those who were saved.
And they also point to verse 9,where we read about the great
(19:18):
multitude of people that no onecould number, people that no one
could number, described asbeing from every nation, tribe,
people and language, emphasizingagain their diversity and just
their vast number.
And so, in short, the symbolicinterpretation argues that the
144,000 are not a literal countbut a way to illustrate the
fullness of God's redemptiveplan, with the listing of the 12
(19:42):
tribes simply symbolizing thespiritual heritage of all
believers.
Now, before I leave the topic ofthe 144,000, there may be those
of you listening who wonderabout the Jehovah Witnesses and
how they deal with 144,000.
Well, real, briefly, prior to1935, they believed the 144,000
(20:04):
was the literal number of peoplewho were going to be saved and
go to heaven.
Before 1935, their publications, like the Watchtower, stated
that only the quotespirit-begotten ones referring
to the 144,000, would be saved.
But in 1935, at a convention inWashington DC, they introduced
(20:25):
the quote, and so, although theyhaven't changed the number of
144,000 who will go to heaven,they have had a major change in
their belief about the totalnumber of people who will be
saved.
What's interesting is that thischange came as their membership
grew, leading to confusionabout who could be a part of the
(20:48):
144,000 in heaven, which thenprompted this distinction to
account for the increasingnumber of Jehovah Witnesses.
But let's pick back up with thetext, beginning in verse 9,
which reads and after this Ilooked and behold a great
multitude that no one couldnumber, from every nation, from
all tribes and peoples andlanguages, standing before the
(21:11):
throne and before the Lamb,clothed in white robes and palm
branches in their hands andcrying with a loud voice
Salvation belongs to our God,who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb and all the angels werestanding around the throne and
(21:39):
around the elders and the fourliving creatures and they.
And so we read here for thesecond time verse 9, where John
looks and sees a great multitudethat no one could number, from
all tribes, languages andpeoples.
But notice one thing here whenhe's describing this time, he
says he looked and saw thismultitude the first time, which
(22:00):
he describes in verses 1-8, andyou may not have caught this he
only heard the multitude.
In other words, revelation isdrawing an explicit contrast
between these two groups ofpeople.
John heard the first number andsaw the second group, and this
is interesting because, if youremember from chapter 5, john
(22:21):
first heard the lion and then heturned to see the lamb.
This is a point made by somepeople to argue that these two
groups of people are one in thesame group and they represent
all believers, but they'resimply being viewed from two
different perspectives, withverses 1 through 8 referencing
an earthly experience, whileverses 9 through 17 transitions
(22:44):
to a heavenly scene.
But the first group was numbered144,000.
The second group, no one couldcount.
The first group was Jewish12,000 from each of the 12
tribes of Israel.
The second group was from everynation.
And that this number of peoplewas uncountable reflects
(23:05):
fulfillment of the promise thatGod made to Abraham that all
people would be blessed throughhim.
And, as some people havepointed out, the first group
that John heard was beingprepared to withstand imminent
persecution.
The second group is victoriousand they're secure in heaven.
In other words, they wouldargue that again, these visions
(23:27):
refer to the same group ofpeople and they're distinguished
only by their location.
The 144,000 are about to enterinto a period of this intense
secular oppression andpersecution.
The second vision is to bringencouragement to believers by
revealing what awaits them inheaven.
But John says that they werestanding before the throne and
(23:49):
before the Lamb clothed in whiterobes.
The white robes are appropriatefor worship, but they also
reflect the clothing of victors,the ones who have overcome that
Jesus referred to in chapter 3,and they've been washed clean
by the blood of the Lamb.
And so, even though it's adescription of believers and
what they're wearing, the focusof the image should actually be
(24:12):
the effects of Christ'ssacrifice on their behalf,
because without Christ'ssacrifice, none of us are going
to be wearing white robes, letalone standing in heaven before
God's throne.
And so it's important for allof us to be wearing white robes,
let alone standing in heavenbefore God's throne.
And so it's important for allof us to be reminded that
(24:33):
salvation is a divine act, it'snot a human achievement.
But the believers are not juststanding in silence before God's
throne.
They're crying out with a loudvoice, along with all the angels
and the elders and the fourliving creatures falling on
their faces before the throneand worshiping God, and I'm sure
it's an almost indescribableheavenly chorus.
I mean, you know when sometimesyou hear a song and something
(24:55):
about it just touches your soul.
I mean, can you imagine whatthis is going to be like?
And in their worship of God andI know we've mentioned this in
an earlier chapter, but noticethey lift up words of adoration
and praise seven characteristicsor descriptions of God, with
seven being the number ofperfection, underscoring the
(25:17):
perfection of God's attributes.
And count them if you want,because they fell on their faces
before the throne and worshipedGod, saying and count these
blessing and glory and wisdomand thanksgiving and honor and
power and might be to our Godforever and ever.
But John continues in verses 13and 14, saying Then one of the
(26:00):
elders addressed, worshipingbefore the throne, one of the 24
elders which we've discussedthe possible identity of already
in a previous episode,initiates a dialogue with John.
But when the elder asks Johnthis question, he doesn't expect
an answer.
This sort of a question is anormal and accepted pedagogic
(26:21):
technique of the culture of thatday.
Normal and accepted pedagogictechnique of the culture of that
day.
Now, a pedagogic technique ofasking rhetorical questions is a
teaching strategy where theteacher asks questions to
students not to receive directanswers, but to stimulate
thought or to emphasize a point,or maybe to guide learners
toward a deeper understanding.
And so these questions arenormally framed in a way that
(26:44):
assumes the answer is obvious,and it's meant to encourage
reflection rather than an actualverbal response.
And so, for example, after Adamsins and tries to hide from God
, God calls out to Adam whereare you?
After Cain murders Abel, godasks Cain where's your brother
(27:04):
Abel?
And in Job, when God asked Job,where were you?
When I laid the foundations ofthe earth, god already knew the
answers to these questions.
He wasn't looking for an answer, he was seeking to help each of
these people think more deeplyabout the situation.
And so the elder's questionhere who are they and where did
(27:29):
they come from?
Seems rhetorical, and that'swhy John's response, sir you
know it makes sense.
He knows the elder alreadyknows the answer to the question
.
It makes sense.
He knows the elder alreadyknows the answer to the question
.
It's a rhetorical questionsimply meant to stimulate
thought and provide a deeperunderstanding.
Now, the identity of the greatmultitude of people has sparked
a lot of debate and we'vealready touched on that, so I'm
(27:50):
not going to belabor thatdiscussion.
But when we first began thisstudy I mentioned, there are
various views that people takeof the book of Revelation.
I mentioned the futurist view,the historical view and the
symbolic view.
The Elder reveals that theseare people who have come out of
the Great Tribulation and thephrase Great Tribulation has
(28:11):
sparked a lot of debate and,depending on how you view
Revelation, it will color yourinterpretations of things like
this.
So, for example, if yousubscribe to a Futurist view,
you'll probably see the GreatTribulation as a specific
seven-year period of greatturmoil, with this multitude
being those saved or martyredduring that time.
(28:32):
If you take more of ahistorical view, then you might
see this as representing thepersecutions under Roman
emperors like Nero or Domitian,suggesting that the multitude
represents early Christianmartyrs.
And if you take a symbolic viewof Revelation, you might see it
as an ongoing reality, asbelievers of all eras who
(28:53):
overcome spiritual and physicaltrials through faith in Christ.
But regardless of how you viewit, these verses connect the
dots between earthly struggleand heavenly triumph.
The great multitude's journeythrough tribulation to standing
before the throne mirrors thisbroader narrative of revelation
(29:13):
that chaos and pain are not theend.
They lead to restoration forthose who have placed their
faith and trust in Jesus.
But we wrap up this discussionwith the last three verses,
which have brought comfort tocountless millions of people who
have suffered in this life.
Beginning with verse 15, weread Therefore, they are before
(29:34):
the throne of God and serve himday and night in his temple, and
he who sits on the throne willshelter them with his presence
we read their shepherd and hewill guide them to springs of
(29:54):
living water and God will wipeaway every tear from their eyes.
Now, these verses follow theelders' explanation that the
multitude in white robes cameout of the great tribulation and
washed their robes in theLamb's blood, and so they link
the people's past suffering totheir present and future reality
in God's presence.
(30:15):
These verses shift from thetriumphant worship scene that we
just read about to adescription of God's care, sort
of rounding out this visionbefore the seventh seal is
opened in the next chapter andwe resume the plagues and
tribulation.
Now, when it says that God willshelter them with his presence,
it literally means spread histabernacle over them, and it
(30:37):
reminds us of the tabernacle inthe wilderness.
The tabernacle erected byIsrael in the Old Testament
anticipated God's presence withhis people forever, where he'll
dwell with us in a much deeperand a much more profound way.
And verse 16 lists what themultitude will never again
experience Hunger, thirst,scorching sun or heat.
(31:01):
And these echo the hardships oftribulation famine, dehydration
, exposure.
And it all recalls Israel'swilderness, wanderings and the
plagues.
In Revelation.
These verses promise a completereversal of their past
struggles to a state of perfectprovision and comfort.
And when it says they shallhunger no more, neither thirst
(31:23):
anymore, remember what Jesustold us I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me shall nothunger.
Whoever drinks of the waterthat I will give him will never
be thirsty again.
The water that I will give himwill wipe away every tear from
(31:47):
their eyes.
Is pretty profound After all thesuffering and tribulation and
hurt we experience in life.
Our tears are not just ended,they're erased by a divine touch
.
The last three verses are areminder that God doesn't just
save us from something, but tosomething which is eternal joy
(32:09):
in his presence.
Augustine said that God made usfor himself and we only truly
rest when we rest in him.
And when we get to this point,the days of suffering will have
ended, the days of reward havebegun, and this is a picture of
the security and the joy andabundance that believers will
(32:30):
enjoy in heaven.
All the suffering, all of thepains of life on earth are over.
There's a verse in a song I likethat says the wounds this world
left on my soul will all behealed and I'll be home and
remember what Paul said in 1Corinthians 2, that no eye has
(32:58):
seen, nor ear heard, nor theheart of man imagined what God
has prepared for those who lovehim.
But I do know this.
Whatever else I may not be ableto imagine, I look forward to
the removing of all the hurt,all the suffering, all the pain
that is a part of this life, andthat I'll be home and all my
tears will be wiped away.
It don't matter where you buryme.
I'll be home and I'll be free.
(33:24):
It don't matter where I lay.
All my tears be washed away.
All my tears be washed away.
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