week 7: the remnant and the redeemed

®2018 Ken Miller BAND of BROTHERS is sponsored by MOMENTUM, the ministry to men at Christ Chapel Bible Church

WEEK 7: The Remnant and the Redeemed. – Revelation 7:1-17 • Last week

- John witnessed the opening of the first six seals… o Seal 1: A time of false peace o Seal 2: Civil unrest o Seal 3: Famine o Seal 4: Death o Seal 5: The promise of more martyred Tribulation saints o Seal 6: The wrath of the Lamb

- This all takes place after the Rapture of the Church o Provides an overview of the seven years of Tribulation o This is a literal 7-year period of time that has yet to begin o The Antichrist will loom large and in-charge o Satan will be influencing all that he does o BUT GOD WILL BE IN FULL CONTROL

• After this…

- Chapter seven is an interlude - There is still one more seal to be opened - But chapter six ended with a question:

“…the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” – Revelation 6:17 ESV

- Whose wrath? …him who is seated on the throne… – vs 16 …the Lamb… – vs 16

- Chapter seven answers the question: Who can stand?

o It will introduce us to two different groups: The remnant and the redeemed o Both will survive the divine judgment coming on the earth o The wrath of the Lamb

• The Remnant – vs 1-8

- First, John sees: …four angels


…standing at the four corners of the earth …holding back the four winds of the earth

- angel – aggelos – a messenger from God o They can be bearers of good news (Gabriel to Mary) o Or bad news

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. – 2 Kings 19:35 ESV …when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” – 2 Samuel 24:16 ESV

- four winds

o What does this mean? o Why are the four angels told to hold back the wind? o “holding back” – krateō – to take hold of, to seize o Antichrist may look like he’s in control o But this chapter reveals that God is in control

…you [God] ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants. – Psalm 104:4 NLT He spoke, and the winds rose… – Psalm 107:25 NLT He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. – Psalm 135:7 NLT …fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him. – Psalm 148:8 NLT o These angels are restraining what is to come o God is sovereignly delaying the inevitable o There is something of extreme important that must happen first

- John sees another angel o He is holding the seal of the Living God o Seal – sphragis – signet ring o He carries authority from God Himself

“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” – Revelation 7:3 ESV


o Sealed – sphragizō – to mark with a seal To confirm, authenticate, place beyond doubt

- The servants

o Who are they? o What’s the significance of the seal? o Why is it placed on their foreheads?

…it [the false prophet] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. – Revelation 13:16-17 NLT o They will be marked by God o Their allegiance will be visible and recognizable o But who are they?

§ Despite what the passage says, there is debate about this

While some see the 144,000 referring to literal Israel or a Jewish remnant (perhaps suggested by the phrase, “from all the tribes of Israel”), it is more likely that the group represents the true people of God or the whole company of the redeemed. – J. Scott Duvall, Revelation: Teach the Text Commentary Series

o Why is it necessary to make this something other than what it says? o This interpretation is based on a particular eschatological viewpoint o It is held primarily by those who deny the Rapture of the Church o But you have to force this passage in order to mold it to that particular viewpoint

…no clear-cut example of the church being called “Israel” exists in the NT or in ancient church writings until A.D. 160…This fact is crippling to any attempt to identify Israel as the church in Rev. 7:4. – Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary

o 144,000

§ The number is very specific § It is literal, not metaphorical or representative § There is no reason to interpret it otherwise

o Sons of Israel § The nature of this number is very specific § This is NOT a reference to “spiritual Israel” § They are Jews and a very specific group of Jews

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads … and they


were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. – Revelation 14:1-5

• The Redeemed – vs 9-17

- After this… o This introduces a different aspect of John’s vision o It reveals a separate and distinct group o John sees a “multitude” o They are the fruit of the evangelistic efforts of the 144,000 o And they are standing before the throne dressed in white o The 144,000 are still on earth o They are still in the process of being sealed

- They are crying out o Shouting praises to God and to the Lamb

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” o This should remind you of something

Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” – Revelation 6:15-17 ESV o These people would rather die than be saved o But the multitude in heaven were there because they had called out to God and

were saved

- But who are they? o They are redeemed martyrs o They have washed their robes and made them white (righteousness) o In the blood of the Lamb (atonement)

- Where have they come from? o Out of the Tribulation o They will have been alive at the end of the Church Age o They will have come to faith during the Tribulation

- And where are they?

o In heaven before the throne of God


o Where they worship God and the Lamb o They are enjoying the protection and presence of God o And Jesus is in their midst

§ Don’t miss this § Where is the multitude: In heaven § Where is the Lamb? In the midst of the throne § His Second Coming has not yet happened § The Tribulation has not yet over § These are martyred Tribulation saints § And there will be more § They had died because they bore the seal of God § They had suffered for their faith § They had endured the wrath of the Antichrist § But God had provided a means of salvation § He redeemed the 144,000 Jews § And these children of Abraham told the world about the hope of the Son of

David

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS • Why is it important that God keep His promises to the nation of Israel? What would it say

about God if He didn’t? How could we believe the promises He has made to us? • When you think about the degree of suffering that will take place during the Tribulation,

what does it say about God that He would save some? • Read Genesis 12:1-3. How can you see this promise of God fulfilled in today’s passage

concerning the 144,000 Jews?


Week 8 Homework: The Seventh Seal and the Seven Trumpets. – Revelation 8:1-13

• Read Revelation chapter 8, as well as pages 75-81 of the Devotionary™ blog. • In chapter 7, John saw the multitude, the four living creatures, the 24 elders, and all the

angels worshiping God in heaven. So, what do you think is the significance of the period of silence mentioned in verse 1 of chapter 8? ___________________________________________________________________________

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• In verse 3 of chapter 8, John mentions another angel with a golden censer and much

incense, which he mixed with the prayers of the saints. Look at Revelation 5:8. Why do you think this second mention of the prayers of the saints is important? What could it be telling us?

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

• According to verses 4-5, what does the angel do with the prayers of the saints and what happens as a result? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

• Read Ezekiel 10:2-7. What similarities do you see between this passage and that of Revelation 8:3-5? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________


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• Read verses 6-13. Write down any details you see concerning the first four trumpets: Trumpet 1: _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ Trumpet 2: _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Trumpet 3: _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Trumpet 4: _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

What similarities do these four trumpets share? ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ • What do you think is the significance of the repeated references to “a third”?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Use your imagination to describe how the various events unleashed by these four trumpet judgments will impact those living on the earth at that time? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ According to verse 13, what do those who have just endured the first four trumpet judgments have to look forward to? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Who are the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7:1-8?: Two opposing views I am providing you with the following articles that represent two opposing, yet prevalent views regarding the identity of the 144,000. I encourage you to read them both. But, more than anything, I encourage you to study the Scriptures and determine what it teaches about this very important group of individuals. How we define this group is essential in how we will interpret what is going on in the events of the Tribulation as described by John. These details are critical and should not dismissed as unimportant or irrelevant. S. Michael Houdmann gotquestions.org The book of Revelation has always presented the interpreter with challenges. The book is steeped in vivid imagery and symbolism which people have interpreted differently depending on their preconceptions of the book as a whole. There are four main interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation: 1) preterist (which sees all or most of the events in Revelation as having already occurred by the end of the 1st century); 2) historicist (which sees Revelation as a survey of church history from apostolic times to the present); 3) idealist (which sees Revelation as a depiction of the struggle between good and evil); 4) futurist (which sees Revelation as prophecy of events to come). Of the four, only the futurist approach interprets Revelation in the same grammatical-historical method as the rest of Scripture. It is also a better fit with Revelation’s own claim to be prophecy (Revelation 1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). So the answer to the question “who are the 144,000?” will depend on which interpretive approach you take to the book of Revelation. With the exception of the futurist approach, all of the other approaches interpret the 144,000 symbolically, as representative of the church and the number 144,000 being symbolic of the totality—i.e., the complete number—of the church. Yet when taken at face value: “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4), nothing in the passage leads to interpreting the 144,000 as anything but a literal number of Jews—12,000 taken from every tribe of the “sons of Israel.” The New Testament offers no clear-cut text replacing Israel with the church. These Jews are “sealed,” which means they have the special protection of God from all of the divine judgments and from the Antichrist to perform their mission during the tribulation period (see Revelation 6:17, in which people will wonder who can stand from the wrath to come). The tribulation period is a future seven-year period of time in which God will enact divine judgment against those who reject Him and will complete His plan of salvation for the nation of Israel. All of this is according to God’s revelation to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27). The 144,000 Jews are a sort of “first fruits” (Revelation 14:4) of a redeemed Israel which has been previously prophesied (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–27), and their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. As a result of

their ministry, millions — “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9)—will come to faith in Christ. Much of the confusion regarding the 144,000 is a result of the false doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that 144,000 is a limit to the number of people who will reign with Christ in heaven and spend eternity with God. The 144,000 have what the Jehovah’s Witnesses call the heavenly hope. Those who are not among the 144,000 will enjoy what they call the earthly hope—a paradise on earth ruled by Christ and the 144,000. Clearly, we can see that Jehovah’s Witness teaching sets up a caste society in the afterlife with a ruling class (the 144,000) and those who are ruled. The Bible teaches no such “dual class” doctrine. It is true that there will be people ruling in the millennium with Christ. These people will be comprised of the church (believers in Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 6:2), Old Testament saints (believers who died before Christ’s first advent, Daniel 7:27), and tribulation saints (those who accept Christ during the tribulation, Revelation 20:4). Yet the Bible places no numerical limit on this group of people. Furthermore, the millennium is different from the eternal state, which will take place at the completion of the millennial period. At that time, God will dwell with us in the New Jerusalem. He will be our God and we will be His people (Revelation 21:3). The inheritance promised to us in Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14) will become ours, and we will all be co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Kevin DeYoung thegospelcoalition.org

And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. (Rev. 7:4)

Many sincere Bible-believing Christians would understand the 144,000 like this: The church is raptured prior to the great tribulation. During the time when the church is gone, a remnant of 144,000 ethnic Jews is converted (12,000 from each tribe). These Jewish converts, in turn, evangelize the Gentiles who make up the great multitude in white robes in v. 9. That’s one understanding of Revelation 7. A lot of godly people hold that understanding. Let me explain why I understand the 144,000 differently.

The 144,000 are not an ethnic Jewish remnant, and certainly not an Anointed Class of saints who became Jehovah’s Witnesses before 1935. The 144,000 represent the entire community of the redeemed. Let me give you several reasons for making this claim.

First, in chapter 13 we read that Satan seals all of his followers, so it makes sense that God would seal all of his people, not just the Jewish ones.

Second, the image of sealing comes from Ezekiel 9 where the seal on the forehead marks out two groups of people: idolaters and non-idolaters. It would seem that the sealing of the 144,000 makes a similar distinction based on who worships God not who among the Jewish remnant worships God.

Third, the 144,000 are called the servants of our God (Rev. 7:3). There is no reason to make the 144,000 any more restricted than that. If you are a servant of the living God, you are one of the 144,000 mentioned here. In Revelation, the phrase “servants of God” always refers to all of God’s redeemed people, not just an ethnic Jewish remnant (see 1:1; 2:20; 19:2; 19:5; 22:3).

Fourth, the 144,000 mentioned later in chapter 14 are those who have been “redeemed from the earth” and those who were “purchased from among men.” This is generic everybody kind of language. The 144,000 is a symbolic number of redeemed drawn from all peoples, not simply the Jews. Besides, if the number is not symbolic then what do we do with Revelation 14:4 which describes the 144,000 as those “who have not defiled themselves with women”? Are we to think that the 144,000 refers to a chosen group of celibate Jewish men? It makes more sense to realize that 144,000 is a symbolic number that is described as celibate men to highlight the group’s moral purity and set-apartness for spiritual battle.

Fifth, the last reason for thinking that the 144,000 is the entire community of the redeemed is because of the highly stylized list of tribes in verses 5-8. The number itself is stylized. It’s not to be taken literally. It’s 12 x 12 x 1000—12 being the number of completion for God’s people (representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of the Lamb) and 1000 being a generic

number suggesting a great multitude. So, 144,000 is a way of saying all of God’s people under the old and new covenant.

And then look at the list of the tribes. There are over a dozen different arrangements of the twelve tribes in the Bible. This one is unique among all of those. Judah is listed first because Jesus was from there as a lion of the tribe of Judah. All twelve of Jacob’s sons are listed—including Levi who usually wasn’t because he didn’t inherit any land-except for one. Manasseh, Joseph’s son (Jacob’s grandson), is listed in place of Dan. So why not Dan? Dan was left out in order to point to the purity of the redeemed church. From early in Israel’s history, Dan was the center of idolatry for the kingdom (Judges 18:30-31). During the days of the divided kingdom, Dan was one of two centers for idolatry (1 Kings 12:28-30). And there is recorded in some non-Biblical Jewish writings that the Jews thought the anti-Christ would come out of Dan based on Genesis 49:17. The bottom line is that the number and the list and the order of the tribes are all stylized to depict the totality of God’s pure and perfectly redeemed servants from all time over all the earth. That’s what Revelation means by the 144,000.

week 7: the remnant and the redeemed

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