Chapter 04 07

Bi 622
Mark E. Hardgrove, Ph.D., D.Min., M.Div.
PART II
THE SEVEN-SEALED SCROLL
REVELATION 4-7

The Four Views
Historicist Approach:
 The unsealing of the scroll represents the
beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire
 The seal-sequence begins with the reign of
Domitian (who died, A.D. 96) and follows the
decline of the empire through the invasions of
the Goths and Vandals in the 4th and 5th
centuries
 Various other historicist views

The Four Views
Preterist Approach:
 The unsealing of the scroll represents the
judgment of God upon Jerusalem (A.D. 66-70);
144,000 Judean Christians escape to Pella
 The four horsemen represent the Roman
invasion of Israel to quell the Jewish rebellion
(A.D. 66), bringing bloodshed, civil war,
famine, death and ultimately the fall of
Jerusalem in A. D. 70.

The Four Views
Futurist Approach:
 The scroll and its unsealing represent the
Rapture of the church and the beginning of the
Great Tribulation (4:1, according to
dispensational view); 144,000 Jews of the end
times are sealed (saved).
 In the end times, the Antichrist rides forth
conquering on the white horse; war, famine,
and cosmic disturbances (possibly nuclear war)
follow.

The Four Views
Spiritual Approach:
 The scroll and its unsealing represent God’s
dealings with mankind, seen in cycles of war,
martyrdom, and judgment recurring
repeatedly throughout history.
 The visions underscore God’s sovereignty in
the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms and His
protection of the saints in the midst of political
upheavals, without tying these experiences to
specific historical events.

Revelation 4:1, NKJV
After these things I looked, and behold, a
door standing open in heaven. And the
first voice which I heard was like a
trumpet speaking with me, saying,
"Come up here, and I will show you
things which must take place after this.”
After what?

After what?
 After things that have just happened,
namely, the letters to the seven churches
 The vision that picks up in chapter 4 came
after some delay following the earlier vision.
 Is intended to indicate that after the seven
church ages the Great Tribulation begins.
 After seems to indicate that the vision which
follows points toward future events in the
plan of God

Revelation 4:2
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and
behold, a throne set in heaven, and
One sat on the throne.
There are 42 references to “throne” in
Revelation, and 4 references to “thrones”
(i.e., of the 24 elders). The entire Bible
has 175 total references to throne;
therefore, almost ¼ of all references to
“throne” are in Revelation.

Throne: 42
 and behold, a throne set in heaven,—The
picture of the throne suggests the Kingship of
God over everything. It indicates absolute
power, omnipotence, authority and absolute
rule.
 and One sat on the throne.—Notice that the
face of God is never described. Wilson rightly
notes that: “John, like other Jewish authors,
never describes him, because God declared,
‘You cannot see my face, for no one may see
me and live’ (Ex. 33:20)” (2002, p. 279).

Revelation 4:3
3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a
sardius stone in appearance; and there was a
rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an
emerald.
Jasper is usually an opaque red, brown, or yellow
color, while carnelian is translucent red or
yellowish-red. The Greeks and Romans highly
valued carnelian, especially in jewelry-making.
The rainbow encircling the throne is compared to
a green emerald. The three stones are later used
to describe the new Jerusalem (21:11, 19). . . ..
Jasper and emerald were two of the stones in the
high priest’s breastplate (Ex. 28:18, 20).

Revelation 4:4
4 Around the throne were twenty-four
thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four
elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and
they had crowns of gold on their heads.
Who are the “24 elders”?

The 24 Elders
 Some see them as representative of the Sanhedrin
in Jerusalem
 Barnes recognized in the twenty-four elders ‘the
church triumphant’
 Morris suggests that they are the first twenty-four
ancestors of Christ (1976).
 Mounce describes them as “an exalted angelic
order who serve and adore God as the heavenly
counterpart to the twenty-four priestly and twenty-four
Levitical orders ( 1 Chron. 24:4; 25:9-13.
 Some see them as representatives of the twelve
tribes and the twelve apostles, as such,
representing two dispensations, the Old Covenant
believers and the New Covenant believers—Israel
and the Church.

Revelation 3:5
5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings,
thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were
burning before the throne, which are the seven
Spirits of God.
From out of the throne came brilliant lights and
deafening sounds. The reference to lightnings and
thunderings is found four times in Revelation (4:5; 8:5;
11:19; 16:18). This phenomenon harkens back to the
Sinai manifestation of God who appeared to Moses in
the midst of thunder, lightning, a cloud, a trumpet
and an earthquake.

The Seven Torches/Spirits?
 Some would see here the seven churches (seven
lamps) with their accompanying spirits, now in heaven
before the throne of God. After all, they would argue,
the Rapture has now taken place and the Church is
therefore in heaven.
 The seven “blazing torches” may be a reference to the
Heavenly Temple and the counterpart Temple upon
earth in Judaism where the seven-branched menorah
burned before the ark in the tabernacle (Aune, 1997, p.
295).
 The “seven spirits” are either angels, the pastors of the
churches, or the Holy Spirit. Others would note the
symbolism of seven as a reference to “completion and
fulfillment,” and therefore the number of divinity and
therefore the Deity of the Spirit.

Revelation 4:6a
6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass,
like crystal.
The sea before the throne is clear, like crystal, and
therefore communicates tranquility in the midst of
the activity. It also communicates purity and life. It is,
perhaps, also a reference to the counterpart in the
Jewish Temple of the “molten sea” or the laver in
Solomon’s temple (2 Chron. 4:2-6). Gregg quotes
Gaebelein, who posits that the laver is now like
crystal, therefore “solidified because no more water is
needed for the cleaning of the Saints”

Revelation 4:6b-7
6 And in the midst of the throne, and around
the throne, were four living creatures full of
eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living
creature was like a lion, the second living
creature like a calf, the third living creature had
a face like a man, and the fourth living creature
was like a flying eagle
These creatures are probably referring back to
Ezekiel chapter 1:3-11
“5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness
of four living creatures.”

The Four Creatures
 Ezekiel’s creatures have four wings, and John’s
has six. The creatures in Revelation resemble
Isaiah’s seraphim (Isa. 6:1-3) who had six wings
and whose song is similar to those of
Revelation.
 Hal Lindsey argues that they are the four
Gospels. The beasts represent the four ways
the gospels depict Christ— as King in Matthew,
as Servant in Mark, as Son of Man in Luke, and
as Son of God in John (Gregg, 1997, p. 92- 93).

Revelation 4:8
8a The four living creatures, each having six wings,
were full of eyes around and within. And they do not
rest day or night, saying:
 Worship in heaven never ceases. God is worshipped
day and night. Again, their song is reminiscent of
Isaiah’s vision. It is possible that this very phrase was
then, as it is now, part of a chorus or hymn in the early
church.
8b “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was
and is and is to come!”
 God is depicted as the thrice-holy God. This is a kind
of exclamation point in Hebrew and Greek languages.

Revelation 4:9-10
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and
honor and thanks to Him who sits on the
throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the
twenty-four elders fall down before Him who
sits on the throne and worship Him who lives
forever and ever, and cast their crowns before
the throne, saying:
This act is an acknowledgement that while
they may be kings, God alone is “King of
kings”—a title found in Revelation 17:14 and
19:16.

Revelation 4:11
11 "You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created."
This song is an acknowledgement of God’s position
in heaven. He is worthy of all that they can give Him
by way of worship. The reason for God’s worthiness
is the simple fact that nothing exists apart from Him.
Not only was everything created by God’s shear
creative power and will, they continue to exist by the
mere virtue of God’s will.

Revelation 5:1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on
the throne a scroll written inside and on the
back, sealed with seven seals.
WHAT IS THE SCROLL?

Revelation 5:2-3
2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a
loud voice,"Who is worthy to open the scroll
and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven
or on the earth or under the earth was able to
open the scroll, or to look at it.
The scroll is in the Right Hand of God the Father,
and the “strong angel” challenges all created
beings (heaven and earth) to find someone
worthy to open and look at the contents of the
scroll.

What does the Scroll represent?
Stanley Horton (1991) says of the scroll
 . . .it is God’s book of the future (compare Psalm 139:16;
Ezekiel 2:9-10; Zechariah 5:2-3; Revelation 10:9; compare
also Daniel 12:2,4, with Revelation 22:10). If so, then it’s
being closed may indicate the plan of God yet unrevealed
unexecuted, and breaking the seals and opening the scroll
would then amount to revealing and carrying out that plan
(p. 84).
Hollis Gause (1983) says
 These seven seals show how God will direct the course of
world history in order to bring it to an end and to prepare
for the coming of the new age—the fulfilled kingdom of
God. These seven seals show “the absolute inviolability of
the scroll.” (p. 94).

Revelation 5:4
4 So I wept much, because no one was found
worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look
at it.
The importance of the scrolls is seen in John’s
response to the fact that no one was found
worthy to loose the seals or look at the scroll.
John knew that if the scroll was not opened, the
plan of God would not be revealed or fulfilled
and the church was doomed to endless suffering.

Revelation 5:5
5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not
weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals."
The One who has prevailed, the One found
worthy is depicted as the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David.

Lion of Judah
The first reference to a lion in the Bible is found in
Genesis 49:9-10
9 Judah is a lion's whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion ;
And as a lion , who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

Revelation 5:6-7
6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the
throne and of the four living creatures, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it
had been slain, having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out
into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the
scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the
throne.
John looked for a lion and saw a lamb that had the
wounds of a sacrificial lamb. This lamb is in the
position of power and royalty at the center of
attention.

Revelation 5:8
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four
living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each having a harp,
and golden bowls full of incense, which are the
prayers of the saints.
As the lamb (Jesus) steps forward and takes the
scroll, every knee bows. The elders each had a
harp and bowls. These bowls hold incense, i.e.,
prayers of the saints. If our prayer life stinks . . .

Revelation 5:9-10
9 And they sang a new song, saying:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and
nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.’"
Heaven knew the significance of this event.

Revelation 5:11-12
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many
angels around the throne, the living creatures,
and the elders; and the number of them was
ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud
voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and
blessing!”
Notice seven that seven attributions are given.

Revelation 5:13
13 And every creature which is in heaven and on
the earth and under the earth and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
The Lamb (Jesus) is worshipped as well as the
Father on the throne thus reinforcing the Deity of
Jesus. That “all” worship is understood figuratively
(spiritualist), or as angels, believers and animal
kingdom (futurist) because sinners are cursing Him.

Revelation 5:14
14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!"
And the twenty-four elders fell down and
worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

Revelation 6
Chapter six of Revelation deals exclusively with
the opening of six of the seven seals found on
the scroll.
The seventh seal is addressed in chapter eight.
The descriptions are fairly straightforward with
the opening of each seal followed by a
description of the judgments that are unveiled in
the scroll as the seal is opened

Revelation 6
Gause argues that these seals represent “a
review of the history of the world” (Gause. 102).
According to him:
“These judgments are God’s continual judgments
against this world system. They are a foretaste of the
judgments that will come at the end of the age”
(Gause, 102).
Accordingly, there is no need to try to associate
the various riders of the horses with personalities
of the tribulation period

Revelation 6:1-2
1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the
seals; and I heard one of the four living
creatures saying with a voice like thunder,
"Come and see." 2 And I looked, and behold, a
white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a
crown was given to him, and he went out
conquering and to conquer.

Revelation 6:1-2
The identity of the rider of the white horse is often
debated. Some believe it is Christ, while others believe
this is the Anti-Christ. Looking at the description we
note the following:
1. The rider rode on a white horse—the horse was an
animal of war. As opposed to the donkey which was
an animal of peace. White represents righteousness.
2. He had a bow—the bow is an instrument of war.
3. A crown was given to him—the crown represents
authority; however, it is a crown that was given to
him, suggesting that his authority is conferred and
not inherent.
4. He went out conquering and to conquer—he went out
to exact God’s judgment upon the earth.

Revelation 6:1-2
These facts lead us to note that as the Son of
God, Jesus’ authority is inherent. And yet even
He sees His source of power as emanating from
the Father. After His resurrection, and shortly
before the ascension, Jesus said, “All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”
(Matt 28:18).
So the giving of the crown as symbolic of
receiving authority does not necessarily negate
the possibility that this rider is Jesus.

Revelation 6:1-2
Gause (1983) notes, these riders are merely the
servants of the Lord coming throughout history
and with rising intensity toward the end of time,
to accomplish God’s redemptive work through
judgment.
The judgment of God is not an act of ruthless
anger and vengeance, but as in the judgments of
the Old Testament, have in view the purpose of
redemption. This is to say, these judgments have
a way of turning the hearts of the people back to
God.

Revelation 6:3-4
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard
the second living creature saying, “Come
and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went
out. And it was granted to the one who sat
on it to take peace from the earth, and that
people should kill one another; and there
was given to him a great sword.

Revelation 6:3-4
Human history is fraught with conflict, war, murder,
and other atrocities. It is a sad irony that while
humanity claims a higher intellectual and social
standing than that of mere animals, we have
succumbed to such atrocities that cannot even be
matched by the most vicious of brute beasts.
There has been very little peace upon the earth and if
Gause is correct, then it is precisely because of the
opening of the second seal.
Those who see the opening of the seals as set in the
eschatological future, the opening of the seals would
indicate that the times will be in even more turmoil
than we already are. The sword represents war,
murder and death.

Revelation 6:5-6
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third
living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked,
and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had
a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in
the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A
quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of
barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and
the wine.”
Black is a symbol of starvation or famine. Note the
scales in the hand of the rider. This suggests that he
controls commerce. The famine that is to come is not
the result of agricultural chaos, but of greed.

Revelation 6:7-8
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice
of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and
see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And
the name of him who sat on it was Death, and
Hades followed with him. And power was given to
them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword,
with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the
earth.
This rider will come and the result of their ride will be
death to a fourth of the world’s population. The
manifestation of this rider will come through sword
(murder and war), through starvation, through disease
and through the attack of wild beasts.

Revelation 6:9-11
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the souls of those who had been slain for the
word of God and for the testimony, which they
held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
“How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge
and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the
earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of
them; and it was said to them that they should
rest a little while longer, until both the number of
their fellow servants and their brethren, who
would be killed as they were, was completed.

Revelation 6:9-11
 The rider is no longer summoned to “come” and the
horses are no longer mentioned. No judgment is listed.
Instead, when the fifth seal is opened, the “souls of
those who had been slain . . . cried with a loud voice.”
 They cry out, “How long?” The question is, how long
will it be until God avenges their blood?
 They were given white robes, which represents
righteousness, and encouraged to “rest for a little while
longer”. The plan of God is not finished and there would
be yet more believers whose lives would be sacrificed
upon the altar of service.
 On the positive side, there is the implicit promise that
those days are numbered and would, in fact, come to a
completion.

Revelation 6:12
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal,
and behold, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became like blood.

Revelation 6:13-14
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth,
as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is
shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky
receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and
every mountain and island was moved out
of its place.

Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, the great
men, the rich men, the commanders, the
mighty men, every slave and every free
man, hid themselves in the caves and in the
rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the
mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide
us from the face of Him who sits on the
throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17
For the great day of His wrath has come,
and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 6
1. The seals have been opened on the plan of God.
2. The daily disclosure of crises and disasters around the world
hint at the unfurling of the scroll and the movement of
history itself toward a culmination and completion.
3. Death is not the end for the believer, but the doorway into a
time of rest in the House of the Lord until this present world
order ends.
4. Believers are pictured in heaven before chaos breaks loose
on earth. (Assuming that the others who must die are the
Jews and others who repent during the Tribulation Period
and join the believers in God’s presence.)
5. Even the disasters (whether represented by supernatural
riders on horses, or natural disasters upon earth) are subject
to the will and plan of God—God is in control.

Revelation 6
Gause (1983) proposes, the seals have already been
opened and the judgments are intensifying as we approach
the end, what are some signs today of the intensifying
effects of this fact? Consider the following: December 26,
2004 an earthquake and tsunami killed hundreds of
thousands, October 8, 2005 more than a hundred thousand
die in or shortly after an earthquake in Pakistan, August
29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans and displaces
tens of thousands and devastates a major city in the
United States. Furthermore, if Gause is correct in his view
of the seven seal judgments, then we can continue to see
an increasing intensity of these judgments in the world as
move toward the Tribulation

Rise in Natural Disasters?
2004 Article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3666474.stm
(Headline) Natural disasters 'on the rise'
Hurricanes are hitting bigger towns and cities
More and more people are being caught up in a
growing number of natural disasters, a UN
agency said on Friday.

Study shows dramatic rise in natural disasters
over past decade http://english.sina.com/technology/p/2010/0128/302222.html
GENEVA, Jan. 28, 2010 (Xinhua)--There has been a "dramatic" rise in
natural disasters during the past decade, the director of the Center for
Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) said on Thursday.
"The number of events have gone up very, very dramatically," CRED
Director Debarati Guha-Sapir said in Geneva.
During the 2000 to 2009 period, there were 385 disasters, an increase of 233
percent since 1980 to 1989, and of 67 percent since 1990 to 1999, according to
CRED data.
Though earthquakes made up 60 percent of natural disasters from 2000 to
2009, climate-related events, such as droughts, storms and floods, have made
up the majority of disasters overall, increasing tenfold since data was first
collected in 1950.
"Have climate-related disasters increased? The answer is yes," Sapir said,
adding, "But it is not clear that climate change itself is an important
factor."Sapir said that CRED lacked sufficient research to determine the role of
global warming in the increase in climate-related natural disasters.
CRED, an international nonprofit, was created in 1971. It is part of the
Universite catholique de Louvain in Brussels, and has been a collaborating
center with the World Health Organization since 1980.

The number of natural disasters is on the rise
http://makewealthhistory.org/2011/05/30/the-number-of-natural-disasters-is-on-the-rise/
There are seasons when it feels like there are
more hurricanes and floods then in times past.
Some studies indicate that the number of
weather related disasters has increased
dramatically in the last 30 years.
Posted on May 30, 2011 by Jeremy

Rise in Natural Disasters?
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/conflict_disasters/downloads/rr-times-bitter-floods-270511-en.pdf

Revelation 7
Chapter 7 represents a vision within a vision. Indeed, it
is a two-part vision that interrupts the vision of the
opening of the seven seals. Timothy Jenny says that this
interlude serves three purposes:
 It provides more intricate details.
 It heightens the tension in story by postponing the
conclusion.
 These details “help explain why the return of Christ has
been delayed longer than our audience expected. God
is not slow or uncaring. He has waited because he is
‘not wanting anyone to perish’ (2 Pet. 3:9). The final
blow will not fall until ‘we have sealed all the servants of
God .

Revelation 7:1-3
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
on any tree.
The winds pictured here appear to be carrying in them
the impending judgment of God. The angels are seen
as holding the “four winds.” They are being used by
God to restrain His judgment, to keep the wind from
blowing upon the earth, sea or tree. Horton notes that
this is the calm before the storm (Horton, 1991, p. 109).

Revelation 7:2-3
2 Then 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.“
Some connect the rising of the angel from the east with
Ezekiel’s vision of the glory of God returning from the east
(Ez. 43:2, compare Zech. 14:4). Others note that
Solomon’s Temple faced the east, or that the sun rises in
the east, or even that the Wise Men came from the east.
The coming of the angel from the east is probably to be
viewed as a forerunner of the coming of the glory of the
Lord upon His people.

Revelation 7:4
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed.
One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the
tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
A literal reading of this text tells us very plainly that these are
“144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel” that have been
sealed—secured by God.
Revelation is apocalyptic literature filled with symbolic and
figurative language, it is wise to approach this identification with
some caution. The number 12 is a powerfully symbolic number
used extensively throughout the Old and New Testaments. The
number twelve is a number of “completion or fulfillment.” As
such, the use of twelve multiplied by twelve thousand may be a
graphic way of declaring the complete number of believers who
will inherit eternal life

Revelation 7:4
Gause (1983) sees the number as symbolic, but argues that it
is a number symbolizing the promise that all of Israel would
be saved. By sealing 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes
God is keeping His promise to the patriarchs.
Mounce (1977), however, rejects the view that the 144,000
literally refers to Israel. Saying that it introduces racial
elements that are eliminated in Christ.
Horton (1991) views the 144,000 as believing Jews who are
allowed to enter the Great Tribulation period as witnesses,
and who are sealed, or secured, by God during this time.

Revelation 7:5-8
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

Revelation 7:5-8
It is interesting that Judah is listed first, given that
Judah was not the firstborn and is not normally listed
first in the various places that such lists appear.
Interestingly, Manasseh is mentioned, but not
Ephraim. Instead, Joseph is listed. Usually the tribe
of Joseph is listed as the two tribes of Manasseh and
Ephraim, but not here. It could be, therefore, that
Ephraim, the one promised preeminence (Gen. 48:17-
22) is designated simply as Joseph, which would be a
title of honor—to alone bear the name of the
patriarch

Revelation 7:5-8
It is significant that Levi is listed. As the priestly
tribe they were not given a land allotment,
though they were given cities throughout Israel.
Here they are no longer “singled out as the
priestly tribe” (Horton, 113).

Revelation 7:5-8
Some have concluded that there is a Scribal error and
that instead of Dan the scribe wrote Manasseh. There,
is however, no other extant manuscript to support this
thesis.
Instead, many scholars point to Judges 18:30 and 2
Kings 10:29, where Dan’s propensity for idol worship is
demonstrated. And then in 1 Chronicles 2-7 Dan is not
listed among the tribes. The conclusion of some is that
the absence of Dan in Revelation is an act of judgment
upon that tribe. The second century church father,
Irenaeus believed that the anti-Christ would come from
the tribe of Dan and therefore is not listed.

Revelation 7:5-8
As Gause (1983, pp. 116-117) notes, “This list does not
precisely agree with the lists of the sons of Jacob and the
tribes of Israel in the Old Testament.” Therefore, some will
conclude that it cannot be understood as a literal statement
on the salvation of Jews. Mounce (1977) goes to great
lengths to demonstrate that it refers to the church, while
futurists insist that it refers to ethnic Jews.

Revelation 7:9-10
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude
which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples,
and tongues, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb!”
This group is seen as distinct from the 144,000 and yet does
not necessarily exclude the 144,000 for they are from a tribe
and tongue as well. This group cannot be numbered,
whereas the 144,000 are clearly numbered (even if
symbolically). This group is seen standing before the throne
of God, while the 144,000 are still on earth and are sealed to
protect them from coming judgments.

Revelation 7:11-12
11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and
the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the
throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Blessing and
glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and
might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
The sight of God and the Lamb not only resulted in the praise
of the great multitude, but all the angels, the elders and the
four living creatures fell on their faces as well, and
worshipped God.
Again, the sevenfold attribution of praise for God. 1)
Blessing, 2) Glory, 3) Wisdom, 4) Thanksgiving, 5) Honor,
6) Power, and 7) Might

Revelation 7:13
13Then one of the elders answered, saying to me,
“Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where
did they come from?”
Based upon the fact that the elder goes on to tell
John who this great multitude is, we can assume that
the elder already knew their identity. His question
simply elicits John’s response, which in turn, results
in the answer of the question for John and the
reader.

Revelation 7:14-15
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said
to me, “These are the ones who come out of the
great tribulation, and 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 dwell among them.”
This much is certain, they have been purified by the atoning
sacrifice of Christ, whose blood has been applied to their
lives. This alone, and no work or merit on their own behalf,
provides access to the Throne of God.

Revelation 7:16-17
16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst
anymore; the sun shall 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.”

Revelation 7:16-17
The original audience of this letter were beginning
to suffer persecution—first at the hands of the Jews,
then at the hands of Rome. Some lost jobs and were
rejected by their families because they became
Christians. Some were literally suffering from
hunger and thirst and were in need of shelter as a
result of their faith in God.
To this group, the promise is made, “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.”

Revelation 7:16-17
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The promise to wipe away every tear is a touching
picture. It depicts a loving parent reaching down to
comfort a weeping child. It conveys gentleness, care
and concern. It paints a picture of a God who is big
enough to judge the world, while at the same time,
intimate enough to see our tears. If that doesn’t
comfort a suffering people, what will? What does it do
for the church today?

Chapter 04 07

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Chapter 04 07