In Chapter 7, an interlude occurs before

the seventh seal is opened.

Chapter 7 may be divided into two groups:

• Verses 1 - 8 : Jews

• Verses 9 -17: Gentiles

1a And after these things I saw four angels

standing on the four corners of the earth,

The “after these things” refers to the unleashing of

God’s Wrath upon the earth as the seals of Revelation 6

are broken, signifying the beginning of the Tribulation.

The angels standing on the four corners of the

earth, does not mean that the earth is square.

God knows the world He made is round: “He sitteth

upon the circle of the earth…” (Isaiah 40:22)

The expression “the four corners” simply refers to the

four points of direction - east, west, north and south.

The ancient Jews

superstitiously

believed that winds

which blew out of the

north, south, east or

west were favorable

or good winds. They

also believed that

winds which came

from between these

directions, hence

from the four corners

of the earth were ill-

favored winds.

1a And after these things I saw four angels standing on

the four corners of the earth,

1b holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should

not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

The number four

refers to the earth.

There are four

seasons; four

elements – earth,

wind, fire and water;

and four directions.

Four angels hold

four winds at the

four corners of the

earth, signifying the

divine judgment that

will transpire upon

the earth.

There is a lull in the

storm as God’s mercy

in the midst of the

tribulation harnesses

the winds by giving

the angels power to

hold back the wind of

divine judgment from

the earth, until He can

take care of His

servants.

2a And I saw another angel ascending from

the east, having the seal of the living God

2b and he cried with a

loud voice to the

four angels, to

whom it was given

to hurt the earth

and the sea,

3a Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,

3b till we have sealed the servants

of our God in their foreheads.

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and

with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his

Father's name written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14: 1)

4 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.

Sealed were 12,000 out of each of the twelve tribes.

12,000 x 12,000 = 144,000 in all.

Many religious groups claim that they and

they alone are the 144,000 mentioned in

this passage. This includes:

• Jehovah’s Witnesses;

• Seventy Day Adventists;

• Mormon or Latter Day Saints “elders”

• Armstrongism - Herbert W. Armstrong

and Garner Ted Armstrong’s movement

• “British Israelites” – those claiming to

be from “Ten Lost Tribes”

Bible facts about the "tribes“

• The word "tribe" is never used in the Bible to

refer to Gentiles.

• "Tribe" is found 297 times in the Bible, and every

time it refers to the Israelites.

• John uses the word "tribe" two other times in

Revelation, and both instances refer to literal

tribes of Israel (Rev. 5:5-Jesus is from the literal

tribe of "Judah"; Rev. 21:12- the names of the

Twelve Tribes will be on the gates of the New

Jerusalem)

The twelve tribes came from Jacob,

whose name was changed to Israel.

Genesis 29-30 Numbers 1 Revelation 7

Reuben Reuben Judah

Simeon Simeon Reuben

Levi Judah Gad

Judah Dan Asher

Dan Naphtali Naphtali

Naphtali Gad Manasseh

Gad Asher Simeon

Asher Issachar Levi

Issachar Zebulun Issachar

Zebulun Ephraim Zebulun

Joseph Manasseh Joseph

Benjamin Benjamin Benjamin

• Genesis 29-30 - Original Tribes of Israel (Sons of Jacob)

• Numbers 1 - Levi chosen to serve in the priesthood; Joseph removed and replaced with

sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who were adopted by Jacob.

• Revelation 7 – Dan and Ephraim were separated out of the tribes of Israel and had their

names “blotted out” from under Heaven according to Deuteronomy 29:18-21. These two

tribes introduced idolatry into Israel by allowing Jeroboam to set up golden calves to be

worshipped in the tribe of Dan and at Bethel ( I Kings 12: 26-30). Thus, the name of Dan

and Ephraim are left out of the list of the twelve tribes in Revelation 7. The original tribes

of Joseph and Levi were added back to complete the 12 tribes.

5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of

the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7 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.

8 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.

Identity – Revelation 14: 1-5

• The 144,000 are Jews. They are from the twelve "tribes" of

Israel. The word "tribe" is never used in the Bible to

describe anyone but Jews.

• The 144,000 worshipped at the temple. The 144,000

lived in or near enough to Jerusalem to worship regularly at

the temple.

• The 144,000 condemned Christ. They called Him “King

of the Jews” during his crucifixion.

• The 144,000 are the "firstfruits". They are the first

harvest of the "redeemed" from the first generation of

Christianity.

• The 144,000 are Christians. They "follow the lamb" and

are "redeemed".

• The 144,000 go through the "great tribulation". Christ

told his disciples that they and their "generation" would

experience the great tribulation.

Matthew 3: 11 In those days came

John the Baptist,

preaching in the

wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent ye:

for the kingdom of

heaven is at hand.

John’s message, strictly for

the Jews, announced that

the King was coming to set

up his kingdom.

Jesus preached,

“The kingdom of

Heaven is at hand.”

The disciples

preached, “The

kingdom of Heaven

is at hand.”

But Israel rejected

the King, and

therefore the

kingdom was set

aside until God’s

appointed time.

On the day of

Pentecost and later,

Peter preached,

“Repent! repent . . .

repent!” but he did

not promise the

kingdom at hand.

He clearly told the

Jews they had

crucified the King of

Glory.

When Jesus died, was buried and

rose again the Dispensation of

Law ended, but there had to be a

transition period.

The apostles preached during the

transition period that ended the

Dispensation of Law and began

the Dispensation of Grace.

They taught that Jesus came not

to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it

(Matthew 5:17).

Christ is the end of the Law for

righteousness to them that

believe (Romans 10:4).

After God’s chosen people, the

Jews, rejected Christ, He set

aside the Gospel of the

Kingdom, and chose the

Gentiles to receive Salvation

from sin by faith through the

ministry of a converted Jew,

Paul. Paul preached the

Cross and the Gospel of

Grace that shows God’s mercy

by sending his only begotten

Son to die and shed his blood

on the Cross so that all

mankind could be saved. All

one has to do is to “…Believe

on the Lord Jesus Christ and

thou shalt be saved, and thy

house”. (Acts 16:31)

In Matthew 24:14 we read: “And

this Gospel of the Kingdom shall

be preached in all the world for

a witness unto all nations; and

then shall the end come.”

Many have used this verse of

Scripture to suggest that Jesus

cannot come until the Gospel has

been preached to every nation.

Today, the Gospel of the Kingdom

is not being preached but the

Gospel of Grace, the day of the

Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, not

the King. The Gospel of Grace has

failed to evangelize the world!!

God has not forsaken His people. God always saves a

remnant and the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached

again right here upon this earth.

After the Rapture of the Church, after the Holy Spirit is

taken back to Heaven with the Church and the Gentile

Bride is complete, the announcement of the Kingdom on

earth will be resumed.

The 144,000 missionaries of Israel – 12,000 from each

tribe – are sealed, commissioned, and ordained to

preach the Gospel of the Kingdom!! They will announce

the coming eternal Kingdom to every tribe and every

kindred on the face of the earth who have never heard

the Gospel of the Grace of God. Those who hear the

message and receive it will make up the multitude that

cannot be counted in Revelation 7:9.

9a After this I beheld, and, lo, a great

multitude, which no man could number,

9b 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;

They are “clothed with white robes”, always a

picture of righteousness in the Bible, and carry

palm trees, a sign of “victory”.

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our

God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 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,

12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom,

and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and

might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto

me, What are these which are arrayed in

white robes? and whence came they?

14 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.

These are saved

through the peaching

of the 144,000, but

also saved through

“the blood”.

15 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.

This group is clearly not the Bride of Christ, who

will reign with Jesus here on earth. This multitude

will serve Him day and night in the temple.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;

neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

This verse definitely

identifies the multitude as

Tribulation saints,

because during the reign

of Antichrist, no one can

buy or sell without having

the mark of the beast.

During the Great

Tribulation, they were

often times destitute for

food and forced to hide

out under the sun by day,

and the stars by night.

17 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.

God Himself will

feed them, God

will lead them -

and God Himself

will wipe all tears

from their eyes!

Revelation 22

will provide

further details

concerning

eternal food and

drink. Amen!