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Revelation
Chapter Seven
I.
Content of the Chapter
God Kept and Looked after His People
I. God’s elect was sealed on their foreheads (v.1-8)
A. the
four angels who held the four winds of the earth were asked not to harm till
the seals have been sealed (v.1-3)
B. one
hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of
II. Numerous people, standing before the throne,
clothed with white robes (v.9-17)
A.
they clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands (v.9)
B.
they took the lead to give praise to God and the Lamb (v.10-12)
C. the
origin of those who clothed with white robes (v.13-14)
D.
they enjoyed the shepherding and consolation of God and the Lamb while serving
God (v.15-17)
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Rev. 7:1 “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.”
YLT: “And after these
things I saw four messengers, standing upon the four corners of the land,
holding the four winds of the land, that the wind may not blow upon the land,
nor upon the sea, nor upon any tree;”
Meaning of Words: “hold”: lay hand on.
Literal Meaning: “After these things I saw four angels standing at
the four corners of the earth,” “after these
things” refers to after the visions from the first seal to the sixth seal.
“Four angels” refers to angels who held the coming judgment. “Standing at the four corners
of the earth” refers to the four
directions of the ground level because the things on the earth were mentioned
in this vision.
This chapter is the vision
inserted between the sixth seal (See 6:12-17) and the seventh seal (See 8:1) in
order to let us see how God looks after His people when He carries out the
judgment over 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 four winds” refers to the winds of judgment (See Jonah
1:4; Is. 11:15; Jer. 22:22; 49:36; 51:1). “That the wind should not blow” refers to not carrying out the judgment
temporarily.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The great tribulation is extremely terrible,
however, what comforts us is that the “winds” of judgment are held in the hands
of angels that obey the commandments of God and God will not allow us to be
tempted beyond what we are able, but with the temptation will also make the way
of escape, that we may be able to bear it (See 1Cor. 10:13).
2) Men become unsteady by the attack of the carnal
“winds of the trend” (See Matt. 11:7) and the heretical “winds of doctrine”
(See Eph. 4:14) today. Who will be able to stand when God’s “winds of judgment”
come in future (See 6:17)?
Rev. 7:2 “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,”
YLT: “and I saw another
messenger going up from the rising of the sun, having a seal of the living God,
and he did cry with a great voice to the four messengers, to whom it was given
to injure the land and the sea, saying,”
Meaning of Words: “the east”: the
rising of the sun; “living”: alive, life; “cry”: call around, scream.
Literal Meaning: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east,” “another angel” refers to Christ (See 8:3;
10:1; 18:1). The word “another” shows that He is not the usual angel and He is
sent out for the special purpose of God.
“Having
the seal of the living God.” “The seal of the
living God” represents where God’s heart is and he whoever is sealed is
separated by God to be under His protection.
“And
he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm
the earth and the sea,” “the four angels
to whom it was granted” refers to giving them the authority of judgment.
“Harming the earth and the sea” refers to harming the environment upon which
men live.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus is “another” angel who is sent
out by God the Father to carry out the special mission (See Matt. 25:24; Luke.
4:18; John. 20:21; Rom. 8:3).
2) “The seal of the living God” is the sign that one is possessed, protected and
kept by the living God. We believers are those who have been sealed with the
Holy Spirit (See Eph. 1:3; 4:30) and therefore God knows us (See 2Tim. 2:19)
and He will keep us unto the end (See 2Tim. 1:12).
Rev. 7:3 “saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have
sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’”
YLT: “`Do not injure the
land, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we may seal the servants of our God upon
their foreheads.'”
Meaning of Words: “seal”: stamp,
brand; “forehead”: between two eyes.
Literal Meaning: “saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the
sea, or the trees” “trees” when the
first horn was winded, a third of trees would be burned up (See 8:7) and
therefore trees were mentioned here.
“Till
we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’” “The servants of our God” it tells us that not only believers but
also the elected Jews are God’s servants. “Have sealed…on their foreheads”
being sealed on the foreheads shows that one is of Him and is protected by Him.
In future Satan would copy God to seal those who are of it on their right hand
or their foreheads (See 13:16-17).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Everything that happens on the earth is
permitted by God and nothing can befall us without the permission of God.
2) Being sealed on the foreheads refers to letting
others know that they are of God publicly. Today many believers dare not
confess that they believe in the Lord Jesus because they are afraid of causing
trouble. Actually, the more one is afraid, the more trouble he will have and he
will not have trouble if he is not afraid because he will be protected by God.
Rev. 7:4 “And I heard the number of
those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of
the children of
YLT: “And I heard the
number of those sealed, (144 thousands were sealed out of all the tribes of the
sons of
Literal Meaning: “And I heard…of
all the tribes of the children of
In this way, the people of
“The number of those who were sealed…one hundred and forty-four thousand were sealed:”
“were sealed” may refer to the children of
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Being sealed” not only means that they are kept
by God but also indicates that God has reserved to Himself a group of men, who
have not bowed the knee to idols (See Rom. 11:4).
2) “Twelve twelve thousands” (the original) implies
perfection. In the period of the great tribulation, God still minds His perfect
testimony.
Rev. 7:5 “of the tribe of
YLT: “of the tribe of
Meaning of Words: “
Rev. 7:6 “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;”
YLT: “of the tribe of
Asher 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali 12 thousand were
sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh 12 thousand were sealed;”
Meaning of Words: “Asher”: blessed
(See Gen. 30:13); “Naphtali”: wrestling (See Gen. 30:8); “Manasseh”: causing to
forget (See Gen. 41:51).
Literal Meaning: “of the tribe of Manasseh
twelve thousand were sealed;” “Manasseh” was the firstborn, however, Ephraim was
set before Manasseh by Jacob (See Gen. 48:14-20).
Rev. 7:7 “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;”
YLT: “of the tribe of
Simeon 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi 12 thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar 12 thousand were sealed;”
Meaning of Words: “Simeon”: hearing
(See Gen. 29:33); “Levi”: united (See Gen. 29:34); “Issachar”: value (See Gen.
30:18).
Rev. 7:8 “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.”
YLT: “of the tribe of
Zebulun 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph 12 thousand were
sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin 12 thousand were sealed.”
Meaning of Words: “Zebulun”: dwelling
(See Gen. 30:20); “Joseph”: He will add (See Gen. 30:24); “Benjamin”: son of
the right who was born in pain in the old age (See Gen. 35:18).
Literal Meaning: “of
the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed” here “Joseph” replaced his son “Ephraim” whose
name was removed from the list probably because they worshipped idols (See Hos.
4:17-19).
Spiritual Meaning: concerning the names
of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel from v.5-8, it is meaning to
connect their names together in order according to their original meanings: the
144 thousands ones “praised” God----they were born from above because they “saw
the Son of God”, became “fortunate” and “blessed” ones, conquered when wresting
with enemies, “forgot” themselves, “listened to” the word of God, were “united”
to the Lord and bought with “high price”, “dwelled” with the Lord Jesus and
God’s “son of the right hand” was “added to” them which was “born” in the “pain”
of the great tribulation in the “old age” of the world when the Lord’s comes
for the second time.
And according to the written by Yuming Jia, it is interpreted that: those who
“confessed their sins and praised” (Judah) “the Son” (Reuben) of God are “a
group of” (Gad) “blessed” (Asher) men and they “wrestled” (Naphtali) with sins,
“forgot” (Manasseh) themselves and “listened to” (Simeon) the word of God,
“held” (Levi) the “reward” (Issachar). The “house” (Zebulun) was protected and
God’s “son of the right hand” (Benjamin) who was born in the old age was “added
to” (Joseph) them.
Rev. 7:9 “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,”
YLT: “After these things
I saw, and lo, a great multitude, which to number no one was able, out of all
nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and
before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands,”
Meaning of Words: “number”: count;
“clothed”: put on, array.
Literal Meaning: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great
multitude which no one could number,”
“after these things” refers to after the vision of sealing men on their
foreheads. “I looked” things in heaven are mentioned in this vision because the
one who saw it stood before the throne (this verse). “A great multitude” refers
to believers who are taken up into heaven in the great tribulation (See v.14).
“No one could number” the number of them is more than the previous 144
thousands (See v.4) and it is difficult to count.
“Of
all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,” “all nations” refers to every country. “Tribes”
refers to every breed. “Peoples” refers to every race. “Tongue” refers to every
language (See 5:9, they have different orders).
“Standing
before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm
branches in their hands,” “white robes” was
cleansed by the precious blood. “Robes”, the plural word, means that they held
fast to the faith through the precious blood of the Lord in the great
tribulation and by this deed they were justified by God. “Palm branches” is the
sign of victory in the Bible (See John. 12:13) and it means that they overcame
the tribulations which they suffered for the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse denies the traditional idea of “the
whole church’s being raptured before the tribulation”. If all believers have
been raptured before the tribulation, who will preach the gospel to them? They
must be those who “were left” (See Matt. 24:40-41) and they waked up and
preached the gospel to others.
2) If believers do not watch, prepare ourselves and
wait for the coming of the Lord, we will be left in the period of the great
tribulation and repent and prepare ourselves because of sufferings. Since we
have to prepare ourselves sooner or later, we’d better prepare ourselves as
early as possible, lest we suffer more.
Rev. 7:10 “and crying out with a
loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”
YLT: “and crying with a
great voice, saying, `The salvation to Him who is sitting upon the throne -- to
our God, and to the Lamb!'”
Literal Meaning: “salvation” is the only theme of their praise,
showing that they have been saved.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Only those who have received grace know the
preciousness of the salvation. Though angels can also praise God and the Lamb,
they cannot realize the great love of the salvation like us.
2) If we who have tasted the salvation of the Lord
hold our peace, the stones must immediately cry out (See Luke. 19:40). Today
let us learn to praise God and the Savior in a loud voice on the earth.
Rev. 7:11 “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,”
YLT: “And all the
messengers stood around the throne, and the elders and the four living
creatures, and they fell upon their face, and bowed before God,”
Literal Meaning: “All the angels stood around the throne and the
elders and the four living creatures,”
“all the angels” certainly include the ministering spirits that were sent forth
to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (See Heb. 1:14).
“And
fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,” it is the reaction of all the angels to
the praise of those who have received grace.
Rev. 7:12 “saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and
honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’”
YLT: “saying, `Amen! the
blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honour,
and the power, and the strength, to our God -- to the ages of the ages! Amen!'”
Meaning of Words: “power and might”:
might, strength.
Literal Meaning: “blessing” refers to everything of God. “Honor”
refers to the manifestation of God. “Wisdom” refers to the creation of God.
“Thanksgiving” refers to the salvation of God. “Honor” refers to the status of
God. “Power” refers to the control of God. “Power and might” refers to the
works of God.
Rev. 7:13 “Then one of the elders
answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in
white robes, and where did they come from?’”
YLT: “And answer did one
of the elders, saying to me, `These, who have been arrayed with the white robes
-- who are they, and whence came they?'”
Literal Meaning: the elder asked
while knowing the answer in order to make the other side have deep impression
through consideration.
Rev. 7:14 “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.”
YLT: “and I have said to
him, `Sir, thou hast known;' and he said to me, `These are those who are coming
out of the great tribulation, and they did wash their robes, and they made
their robes white in the blood of the Lamb;”
Meaning of Words: “white”: bleach,
whiten.
Literal Meaning: “And I said to him, ‘Sir,
you know.’” “Sir” is the
respectful form of address to men with high status. “You know” means “please
advise”.
“So
he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come
out of the great tribulation,” “out of the great tribulation” shows that they had experienced the great
tribulation in the last days, i.e. disasters from the first seal to the sixth
seal. Though some Bible exegetes held that “the great tribulation” in this
verse did not refer to the Great Tribulation but “many tribulations” through
which believers from ages and from generations must enter into the kingdom of
God (See Acts. 14:22). The editor did not agree with such interpretation and
there were two reasons: 1) among overcomers who loved the Lord, the number of
those who had a smooth life was not a few (see the overcomers in the second and
third chapters of this book) and at least the tribulations of many overcomers
were not great enough to be called “the great tribulation”. 2) if these men
with white robes were the assembly of overcomers from ages and from
generations, those who cried with a loud voice under the altar (See 6:9-11)
should be included, in other words, the number of those who were killed was
complete. However, the fact was that saints were still killed continually after
it (See 12:11, 17; 13:15 and etc.).
“And
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The plural word “robes” does not refer to
the robe that Christ is our righteousness when we believe in the Lord (See Gal.
3:27) but that all our sins have been cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus
after we have believed in the Lord (1John. 1:7-9), i.e. the righteous acts of the saints (See v.14; 19:8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Through many tribulations we must enter into the
2) None of believers is completely sinless
concerning the behavior after we have believed in the Lord. And therefore we
should not forget that “the blood of the Lamb” is effective all the time and we
should appropriate it to resume the communion with God (See 1John. 1:7-9) and
achieve the overcoming degree by God.
Rev. 7:15 “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.”
YLT: “because of this are
they before the throne of God, and they do service to Him day and night in His
sanctuary, and He who is sitting upon the throne shall tabernacle over them;”
Meaning of Words: “dwell”: tent.
Literal Meaning: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and
serve Him day and night in His temple.”
The ultimate purpose of God’s salvation is not to make us ascend to heaven to
enjoy eternal blessing but make us serve Him for ever and ever (See 22:3).
“And
He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.” It means that God will reward them with His presence
(See 21:3; John. 1:14, dwelling among them is “tenting among us” in the
original).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Serving God is the greatest honor of believers.
Concerning our service on the earth today, we only learn and practice and lay
the foundation for the service in future in heaven.
2) God’s presence is the greatest reward to
believers. Concerning our learning in reading the Bible, praying and having
communion with God on the earth today, we only have a foretaste of the presence
in heaven in future.
Rev. 7:16 “They shall neither hunger
anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;”
YLT: “they shall not
hunger any more, nor may the sun fall upon them, nor any heat,”
Meaning of Words: “heat”: burn;
“strike”: fall upon.
Literal Meaning: “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst
anymore;” it means that all
the hopes are realized.
“The
sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;” it means that all tribulations have become the
past and we can rest and rejoice for ever and ever.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Whosoever eats the food of the world shall
hunger again and whosoever drinks of the water of the world shall thirst again
(See John. 4:13). However, the heavenly provisions can make us neither hunger
nor thirst forever (See v.17; John. 6:35).
2) Believers have tribulation in the world (See
John. 16:33), however, the Lord sympathized with our tribulation (See Heb.
2:18; 4:15). And therefore tribulation is the channel to experience the grace
of the Lord and is for our profit (See Heb. 12:10). Nothing is able to fall
upon us till we have learned all the lessons.
Rev. 7:17 “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.’”
YLT: “because the Lamb
that in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters, and wipe away shall God every tear from their
eyes.'”
Meaning of Words: “lead”: direct,
guide; “fountain”: well.
Literal Meaning: “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne
will shepherd them” “for” this verse
shows the reason why they shall
neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore, nor be struck anymore in v.16. “The Lamb will
shepherd them” and therefore they shall not hunger anymore.
“And
lead them to living fountains of waters.” And therefore they shall not thirst anymore.
“And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” And therefore they shall not have tears anymore
because they shall not be harmed anymore.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christ Himself is our everlasting provision and
satisfaction (See John. 6:35; Ps. 36:8-9). In eternity, a pure river of water
of life and the tree of life on either side of the river (See 22:1-2) shall
satisfy our needs unceasingly.
2) That day we will not have tears anymore,
however, today is the time that we have tears because tears can cleanse our
eyes of hearts, that we can see the Lord more clearly.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Comparison between Two Groups of Men
I. The sealed children of
II. The
number is one hundred and forty-four
thousand (v.4)----no one
could number (v.9)
III. They are on the earth (v.3)----they stand before
the throne and before the Lamb (v.9)
IV. They are protected in the great tribulation
(v.3)----they come out of the great tribulation (v.14)
Overcomers Who Were Taken up into Heaven
I. Their origin: of all nations, tribes, peoples,
and tongues (v.9)
II. Their position: standing before the throne and before the Lamb with
glory and victory (v.9-10)
III. Their companions: the four living creatures,
the twenty-four elders and all the angels (v.11-12)
IV. Their status: having washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb in the great tribulation (v.13-14)
V. Their function: serving God day and night in His temple (v.15)
VI. Their blessing: satisfaction and joy (v.16-17)
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren