Day 15 of Revelation Study: Chapter 7

The Sealing of the Jews

This chapter is a parenthetical break between the sixth seal judgment and the seventh. The entire focus of this passage is to reveal God’s protection for His people. This is manifested in two ways:

1.                  Physical Protection – God sends a few of His angels to Earth to place a seal of security upon a large number of ethnic Israelites. This mark contrasts with the coming mark in which Satan will impose on people. God’s mark is freely given and, might I say, willingly accepted [for who wouldn’t want a divine guarantee to make it through to the end!?]. However, the mark of the beast will be forced upon people by means of threat and political manipulation (cf. Rev. 13:16-18).

2.              Eternal Protection – Even though God has not chosen to always remove the physical suffering and death from all of His children, He has guaranteed eternal life to all who believe in Him (cf. John 3:16). What we see as we read the second half of chapter seven are all of the men and women, both Jews and Gentiles, who have lost their lives as a result of these global judgments.

While John is in Heaven he looks down upon the Earth and sees four angels who are about to bring judgment. However, just before they do, John sees a fifth angel carrying the seal of God for those of the Jewish people that the Lord has chosen to rescue from His judgments. He calls out to the other angels and commands them to hold off until they finish sealing the 144,000 Israelites.

John then turns back around towards the Throne of God and sees a great multitude. This great number is comprised of the angels, the elders [along with all OT and NT saints], the four living creatures, God, and even the newest arrivals [those who were killed during the Great Tribulation]. The picture is that all of God’s people are eternally protected under the shelter of their God.

Continue on to read about chapters 8 - 9.

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