Revelation 7 Is there a place for Israel?
Revelation 7 Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean for Jesus to be the "Shepherd of our souls"?
2. How does the Lord show mercy, even in wrath? Does this mean God is indecisive?
3. How should we understand the 144,000? What are the options? What is the main point we need to gather from these worshipers in this passage?
4. When has the Lord proved Himself faithful in your life despite your own unfaithfulness?
5. How might the vision of Revelation 7:9 inform and shape out missionary efforts?
6. What does it mean to ascribe to the Lord the characteristics of Revelation 7:12? How do you honor the Lord with each of these praises in your own life?
7. How does the blood of Jesus make us clean?
8. Why do you think some think of heaven as a boring and monotonous place? How do these verses provide an alternative picture?
9. In these verses the Lord provides for His people's every need and counteracts their greatest threats (see 7:16). How have you seen the Lord provide for your needs, and what threats do you long to see Him address?
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Text of the message:
Revelation 7 has been the subject of much discussion and disagreement, especially verses 1-8. Is the "144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites" (1) 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses who will reign in heaven? (2) selected SDA Sabbatarians who honor and worship on the seventh day of the week? (3) the church as the "new Israel" and thus the redeemed of all the ages symbolically represented? Or are they (4) Jewish believers who are saved and sealed for service during what John calls "the great tribulation" (7:14) and "the great day of Their wrath" (6:17)? We are not to miss the fact that in the whole passage, both Jew and Gentile alike will be gathered around the throne and the Lamb in heaven (7:9). Worshipping the Lamb who will shepherd all the nations is the main focus of the Book of Revelation. Member so of every Nation will be there.
Robert Mounce says: "The vision contrasts the security and blessedness that await the faithful with the panic of a pagan world fleeing from judgment" (Revelation, 154).
The 144000 give us pause to consider how the book of Revelation fits with the rest of the Bible.
Some theologians would have us believe that God is through with the Jews forever; that there is not future for Israel in the Bible.
There was an old poem: How Odd of God to Choose the Jews. Rabbi Apple who served for 32 years as the chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney responded:
"The question was debated in the correspondence columns of the London Jewish Chronicle some years ago. More than one writer said that it began in a conversation in the Savage Club and the words originated with a foreign correspondent, William Norman Ewer (1885-1977).
In response, someone else said, But not so odd as those who choose the Jewish God but spurn the Jews.
Another response was, Oh no it's not; God knows what's what.
Yet another: Not odd of God; the goyim annoy 'im.
Goyim is the Yiddish word for non-Jews, Gentiles.
Yet we have here this remarkable passage about the 144000.
Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out 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 or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads."
The 144,000
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
Romans 11 has a very similar passage that reminds us of the mystery of this.
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
"The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob."
27 "This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
The term "Mystery" in the bible refers to something shrouded, something not clearly apparent. There are several "mysteries" in the New Testament. The mystery that the gentiles should be admitted into the people of God, as the church the bride of Christ. It didn't make sense to early Jewish believers.
Romans 16: 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,
1 Corinthians 2: 7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
1 Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
Ephesians 1: 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
Ephesians 3: 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Ephesians 5: 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
Ephesians 6: 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
Colossians 1: 26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 2: 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
Colossians 4: 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
2 Thessalonians 2: 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
1 Timothy 3: 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
A mystery: a sacred secret that you could not discover did not God reveal it. And even when God reveals it, we don't necessarily understand it fully.
This Sacred Secret Unveils Divine Dedication
Genesis 12: 1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue1 childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." 5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess."
Genesis 17: 4 "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham,3 for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."
Deuteronomy 7: 6 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
This Mystery Unveils Human Defections
We know all too well how the Jews rejected our Lord Jesus. Mark 12:1
And He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.2 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.3 They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.4 Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.6 He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'7 But those vine-growers said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'8 They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
'The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone;
11 This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
12 And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.
This Mystery Unveils Divine Election;
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
"The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob."
27 "This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
This Mystery Reveals Divine Prediction
The Survival of the Jews is an astounding miracle.
Jeremiah 31:35-37 "Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name; "If this fixed order departs from before Me," declares the Lord, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the Lord, "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done," declares the Lord."
The National Resurrection of the Jewish Nation is an astounding miracle.
The National Preservation of Israel over these last 70 years has been filled with astounding miracles.
The National Salvation of Israel Is Yet to be an Astounding Miracle.
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
"The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob."
27 "This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
Zech 12: 10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family1 by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Zech 13:1 "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
2 "And on that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness.
Revelation 1: 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
This Mystery Reveals Divine Direction.
Why is there a time of tribulation recorded here in the book of Revelation and in our Lord's Second Coming Sermon on Mount Olivet? Matthew 24 refers us to Israel again. "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Mark 13: 14 "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
The Sacred Secret, the mystery, something that is not clear by rational reasoning but by revelation is revealed, is that the church is not mentioned from chapter 7 of Revelation and
instead everything appears to revolve around the national identity of Israel and the location of Israel in the land.
On face value the text is clear. During the Tribulation God will seal as His select servants 144,000 "from every tribe of the sons of Israel." While there are a couple of peculiarities in the list which we will note, the meaning seems clear and without controversy. However, that has hardly been the case. John Polhill, of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, points out that Bible interpreters have often opted for a symbolical interpretation. What do these include? The 144,000 represent:
1) 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses whom will reign in heaven.
2) Select individuals who worship on the Sabbath (7th Day Adventist groups).
3) 144,000 true preachers who would follow the radical Anabaptist reformer Melchior Hofmann in 1533. He died in prison and his army of 144,000 never materialized.
4) The Church, as the "new Israel," i.e. the redeemed of all the ages.
5) Literal Jews saved and sealed for special service during the Tribulation.
This last view I believe is the best view that takes into account the whole book of Revelation. As God reserved 7,000 in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 19:8), He will reserve 144,000 for Himself during the future Tribulation. In 1800 there were only 3,300,000 Jews in the World and only 6700 in their land. By 1996, in spite of losing 6 million in the Holocaust, there were 14,000,000 worldwide and 4,600,000 in their land! God never forgets His promises!!! I agree with MacArthur, Jeremiah, Swindoll, Wiersbe, Rogers, Vince and Patterson that:
1) These are Tribulation "apostle Pauls" who will engage in missionary and evangelistic work around the world.
2) As Revelation 14:1-5 teaches, they will be utterly faithful, committed and zealous in their work for the Lord.
3) They are only the first (14:5) of a vast multitude who will come to Jesus during the time of Tribulation.
Dan is omitted, replaced by Levi, because of its practice of gross idolatry. Further, a pre-Christian Jewish tradition said Antichrist would come from Dan!
Genesis 49:17, "Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward." Testament of Dan (5:6) said Satan is the prince of Dan.
Irenaeus (2nd century) noted the tradition that Antichrist would come from Dan, and Hippolytus wrote, "As the Christ was born from the tribe of Judah, so will the Antichrist be born from the tribe of Dan." (Mounce, 169-170).
Ezekiel 48 and Matthew 19:28 makes it clear all the tribes will be honored and share in the millennial reign of Christ, yet during this time 144,000 specific Jews from 12 specific tribes will receive the Father's name as their seal (14:1) and for His service, standing in stark contrast to those who receive the mark of the beast and follow Antichrist (13:17; 14:11; 16:2; 19:20). In every age God has His faithful servants, His faithful witnesses. It will be no different in the Tribulation.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have 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 shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
John must have been delighted to discover that God's entourage included more than just the 144,000 Jews. Now he sees a multitude so great that counting is not possible. He notes that this multitude comprises people from every nation, tribe, people, and language, and they are standing before the throne in front of the Lamb. John is making the point that this group is ethnically distinct from the Jews who are sealed in the first part of the chapter, and they are further ethnically, tribally, and linguistically diverse from one another—indicating the extent to which the gospel of Jesus Christ has permeated the entire earth.
God is in the process of redeeming a multicultural people, and we should join him in the mission. The great multitude is drawn from "every nation, tribe, people and language," indicating its multicultural character (cf. Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 13:7; 14:6). This expression, repeated seven times, also speaks volumes about God's heart, showing us that he has always desired and planned to have a redeemed people from every nation. Perhaps surprisingly, cultural distinctives are not destroyed in heaven. Rather, they are transformed into an orchestra of praise to our Creator and Redeemer. And the multicultural reality of heaven calls us to be involved now in sharing the gospel with all peoples and embracing believers who are different from us (i.e., in terms of race, language, nationality, social standing, religious background, etc.). John's vision at the end of Revelation 7 also challenges us not to fall into predictable cultural ruts when it comes to corporate worship.
They are seen standing before the Lamb and before the throne and are described as wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. Most interpreters have understood the white robes to be imputed righteousness or holiness, and my own perspective affirms that judgment. Some have gone further and suggested that those white robes represent glorified bodies, but this interpretation does not seem to be sustained by the text. The palm branches they hold in their hands indicate a festive season of joy and victory and were often a part of the Feast of Tabernacles. When the Lord made his triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, palm leaves were strewn in the way before him as well as waved over him as he rode into the city.
1. We are promised sanctification. 7:13-14 These come out (present tense) of the Great Tribulation (c.f. Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21). Though it is not specifically stated, it would seem then martyred believers are in view, though all who die in Christ during the Tribulation cannot and should not be excluded. Note they come out (present tense) continually. They are still coming. Sacrificed on earth, they are sanctified in heaven, for their robes were made white in the blood of the Lamb. Wash and made white (aorist) indicates once-for-all actions. Take our ugly, sinned, soiled garments and plunge them into the blood of the Lamb and miraculously, supernaturally, they come out white. We are promised sanctification.
2. We are promised service. 7:15
Serve – priestly or worshipful service.
Day and night – continually, unceasingly, without interruption.
In His temple – the present heavenly dwelling place of God. But in eternity (21:22), He is Himself our temple.
3. We are promised security. 7:15
Spread his tabernacle (his tent) over them – calls to mind the memory of the tabernacle in the wilderness (Leviticus 26 ff.), the pillar of cloud and of fire (Exodus 13:21-22), the Shekinah Glory of God's radiant presence in the midst of His people (Exodus 40:34-38) and the incarnation of the Son (John 1:14). What was peculiarly the possession of the Jewish people, now becomes the peculiar possession of all those who are in Christ. God is with them, right there in their very midst. Never again will they feel forsaken, never again will they be tortured and tormented. They now enjoy the supreme presence and protection of the Lord God Himself.
4. We are promised satisfaction. 7:16
Hunger and thirst were constant obstacles and threats in the ancient world. They remain so for much of our world today, but not so in heaven. Starvation, thirst, and the burning heat of the hot sun will find no place in heaven. This is almost a direct contrast with what the 4 Horsemen bring in 6:1-8. They curse, but God blesses. They bring suffering and sorrow, but God gives us satisfaction.
5. We are promised a shepherd. 7:17
The Lamb will be our shepherd. From Lamb to Shepherd! (c.f. John 10; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25). Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd. He will guide (lead) us to (lit.) "life fountains of water," emphasis falling on "life," a stark contrast to the thirst the world offers but which it can never satisfy.
Finally, even the sorrowful memories of pain and suffering are removed as our God gently and graciously will wipe away every tear from their eyes (c.f. 21:4).
Sources: Patterson, NAC Commentary on Revelation
Akin, D. Christ Centred Expositions Revelation.
Manganina, Brazos Commentary on Revelation
Duvall, Revelation
Rogers, Unveiling The End Times
Jeremiah, Agents of the Apocalypse
Hamilton, Revelation
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