Revelation 7:1-17

(Revelation 7:1-17)

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.  And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea,  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.  Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

It is a chapter located between the six seal judgments on the unrighteous world in Chapter 6 and the seventh seal judgment beginning in Chapter 8. In this position, Chapter 7 is the last verse of Chapter 6, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? It gives an answer to the sigh of'. The sixth person judgment describes the final judgment of the world. A great earthquake strikes, the stars in the sky fall like a fig tree swayed by a strong wind, falling like unripe fruits, and the sky disappears like a scroll. It seemed that no one could survive in this terrifying judgment.

When the end of the scene comes down, captivated by this fear of judgment, another scene begins. Four angels are standing at the four corners of the earth, holding onto the four winds of the earth, preventing the wind from blowing on the earth, the sea, or any tree. At this time, the four corners of the earth symbolize the whole world, and the wind symbolizes judgment. And another angel says to the four angels who, with the seal of the living God, have the power to harm the earth and the sea: ``Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God. in their foreheads. Then 『And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 』.

The authority of judgment rests with God. To say that you were sealed on your forehead means that you have become God's. So, it means that you are protected by God. It is recorded that there are 144,000 people who are thus sealed, but this number is not a literal number of people to be saved. The 144,000 is a number consisting of the multiplication of 12, 12 and 1,000. In other words, it is multiplied by the twelve tribes of the Old Testament representing the whole church, the twelve disciples of the New Testament, and the number 1,000, which means a great number, and 144,000 is a symbolic number that indicates that the people of God are countless.

『 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 』 The figure of a group worshiping God in the kingdom of God is depicted, and the number is expressed as a large group that cannot be counted. This shows that the number of 144,000 refers to countless members of the church. This number expresses the richness of God's grace. God is not the one who criticizes and leads life for the purpose of judgment. He is certainly the just God who judges for sin, but at the same time, he is the one who waits and waits for many people to come to salvation with love and patience.

If verse 8 is about the saints who have been sealed on earth, verses 9 through the last verses depict the triumphant church in heaven. 『Before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 』Comes out. Here, both the white robe and the palm branch have to do with victory. And verse 10 says that this very victory is due to God and the Lamb Jesus. An elder asks and answers who and where these white-clad men are and where they come from: “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. .』

Since the church on earth is a battle-fighting church, you will live as a witness of Christ and suffer pain and disadvantages, but it is a place where you must endure and fight the good fight of faith until the day the Lord comes. However, no matter what tribulation, it tells us that the saints are the ones who are finally guaranteed complete victory with the blood of the Lamb. Someday, the day will always be given to the saints, constantly walking with the Lord, worshiping with the thrill of complete victory, never experiencing the thirst and hunger of the world again, and never being hurt by anything.