Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: REVELATION #9 - 7:1-17)
E. 7:1-8 FOUR ANGELS HELP THE SEALING OF THE 144,000
a. 7:1 FOUR ANGELS AND THE FOUR WINDS
MeTA TOUto EIdon TESsa-ras agGElous heSTOtas ePI tas TESsa-ras goNIas [1137]tes ges,
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
kraTOUNtas [2902] tou TESsa-ras aNEmous [417] tes ges, HIna mePNEe [4154]Ane-mos
holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind
ePI tes ges, MEte ePI tes thaLASses [2281], MEte ePI pan DENdron [1186].
blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree.
b. 7:2-3 ORDERS GIVEN TO THE FOUR ANGELS
kai EIdon ALlon AGge-lon a-naBAInon-ta [305] aPO a-na-toLES [395]heLIou [2246],
And I saw another angel ascend from thesunrising,
Echon-ta sphraGIda [4973] TheOU ZONtos [2198]: kai Ekra-xen [2896]phoNEmeGAle
having the living God's seal: and he cried with a great voice
tois TESsar-sin agGElois hois eDOthe [1325][auTOIS] a-diKEsai [91]ten gen kai ten THAlas-san,
to the four angels to whom it was given to [them] to hurt the earth and the sea,
LEgon, Me a-diKEse-te [91]ten gen, MEte ten THAlas-san, MEte ta DENdra,
3saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,
Achri sphraGIso-men tous DOUlous [1401]tou TheOU heMON ePI ton meTOpon [3359]auTON.
till we shall have sealed the bondmen of our :God on their :foreheads.
c. 7:4-8 SEALING OF THE 144,000
Kai Ekou-sa ton a-rithMON ton es-phra-gisMEnon [4972], he-kaTON tes-seRAkon-ta TESsa-res chi-liAdes,
sealed out of every tribe of Israel's sons:
ek phuLES I-OUda DOde-ka chi-liAdes es-phra-gisMEnoi;
5Of Judah's tribe weresealed twelve thousand;
ek phuLES 'RouBEN DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Reuben's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Gad DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Gad's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES A-SER DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
6Of Asher's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Neph-thaLIM DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Naphtali's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Ma-nasSE DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Manasseh's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Su-meON DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
7Of Simeon's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES LeuEI DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Levi's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Is-saCHAR DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Issachar's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Za-bouLON DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
8Of Zebulun's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES IoSEPH DOde-ka chi-liAdes;
Of Joseph's tribe twelve thousand;
ek phuLES Be-niaMEIN DOde-ka chi-liAdes es-phra-gisMEnoi.
Of Benjamin's tribe weresealed twelve thousand.
F. 7:9-17 MARTYRED SAINTS FROM TRIBULATION AND THEIR SERVICE
1. 7:9-12 PRAISE: THE TASK OF A GREAT MULTITUDE
a. 7:9-10 ASCRIPTION OF PRAISE BY A GREAT NUMBER
MeTA TAUta EIdon, kai iDOU, OCHlos [3793] poLUS,
After these things I saw, and lo, a great multitude,
hon a-rithMEsai [705][auTON] ouDEIS eDUna-to ek panTOS ETHnous [1484]
which no one could number [it] out of every nation
kai phuLON [5443kai laON [2992]kai glosSON [1100],
and of all tribes and peoples and tongues,
heSTOtes eNOpi-on tou THROnou [2362]kai eNOpi-on tou arNIou [721],
standing before the throne and before the Lamb,
pe-ri-beb-leMEnous [4016]stoLAS [4749]leuKAS [3022], kai PHOIni-kes [5404]en tais cherSIN [5495]auTON;
arrayed in white robes, and palms in their :hands;
kai KRAzou-si [2896] phoNEmeGAle, LEgon-tes,
10and they cry with a great voice, saying,
Heso-teRIa [4991]to TheOheMON to ka-theMEnoePI to THROno, kai to arNIo[721].
The salvation to our :God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.
b. 7:11-12a THE RESPONSE OF ANGELS, ELDERS AND LIVING BEINGS
kai PANtes hoi AGge-loi hiSTEkei-san [2476]KUKlo tou THROnou,
And all the angels were standing round the throne,
kai ton pres-buTEron [4245]kai ton tesSAron ZO-on [2226];
and the elders and the four living beings;
kai Epe-son eNOpi-on tou THROnou ePI ta PROso-pa [4383]auTON, kai pro-seKUnesan [4352]to TheO,
and fell before the throne on their :faces, and worshipped :God,
LEgon-tes, A-MEN: he eu-loGIa [2129], kai he DOxa [1391], kai he soPHIa [4678],
12asaying, Amen: The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom,
kai heeu-cha-risTIa [2169], kai he tiME[5092], kai he DUna-mis [1411],
and the thanksgiving, and the honor, and the power,
kai heisCHUS [2479], to TheOheMON eis tous aiOnas [165]ton aiOnon.
and the strength, unto our :God unto the ages of the ages.
c. 7:12b AMEN. aMEN.
2. 7:13-17 THE STATE OF THOSE OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION
a. 7:13 JOHN QUERIED RE THE MULTITUDE BEFORE THE THRONE
kai a-peKRIthe heis ek ton pres-buTEron, LEgon moi,
And one of the elders answered, saying to me,
HOUtoi hoi pe-ri-be-bleMEnoi [4016] tas stoLAS [4749] tas leuKAS [3022], TInes eiSIN, kai POthen ELthon?
These arrayed in the white :robes, who are they, and from where have they come?
b. 7:14a And I said to him, My Lord, YOU know.
kai EIre-ka auTO, KUriE mou, su OIdas.
c. 7:14b THE ANSWER OF THE ELDER
kai EI-PEN moi, HOU-TOI ei-sin hoi erCHOme-noi ek tes THLIpse-os [2347] tes meGAles,
And he spoke to me, These are they that come out of the great :tribulation,
kai Eplu-nan [4950] tas stoLAS [4749] auTON, kai eLEUka-nan [3021] auTAS en to HAIma-ti tou arNIou [721].
and they washed their :robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
d. 7:15 THE HEAVENLY SERVICE OF MARTYRS
diA TOU-TO ei-sin eNOpi-on tou THROnou tou TheOU
Therefore are they before the throne of :God
kai laTREUou-sin [3000] auTO heMEras kai nukTOS en to naO [3485] auTOU:
and serve him day and night in his :sanctuary:
kai ho kaTHEme-nos ePI tou THROnou skeNOsei [4637] ep' auTOUS.
and who sits on the throne shall tabernacle over them.
e. 7:16-17 THE HEAVENLY STATE OF MARTYRS
ou peiNAsou-sin [3983] Eti, ouDE diPSEsou-sin [1372] Eti;
They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more;
ouDE me PEse [4098] ep' auTOUS ho HEli-os [2246], ouDE pan KAUma [2738]:
neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat:
HOti to arNIon to aNA MEson tou THROnou poi-maNEI [4165] auTOUS,
17because the Lamb that is amidst the throne shall shepherd them,
kai ho-deGEsei [3594] auTOUS ePI zo-ES [2198] peGAS [4077] huDAton [5204]:
and guide them unto fountains of waters of life:
kai e-xaLEIpsei [1813] ho TheOS pan DAkru-on [1144] ek ton oph-thalMON [3788] auTON.
and :God shall wipe away every tear from their :eyes.
NOTE: 7:1-8 shows God's care for His own. All who profess Him are not necessarily “possessors” of God's grace. Jesus at the close of the Sermon on the Mount is very careful to point out that it is doersof His Word that count with Him - not just the hearers. His own in this passage are the elect from the nation of Israel. Later on in this Revelation we see the saved ones from the Gentile nations - many more! Angels seal on their foreheads those of the 12 tribes of Israel, the 144,000 (probably a symbolic number) before the 4 angels are released with the 4 winds of judgment. Some who have a spiritual identification with the tribe of Dan - John/Luke (Choleric-Melancholic) - have been disturbed that Dan is not mentioned here as one of the 12 tribes being sealed. This may be because of the way Dan brought idolatry through the northern golden calf of Jeroboam in a stronger measure than did the other tribes, especially when they marched north as recorded in the book of Judges. However, when we read of the 12 foundation stones in the walls of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:19-20, the “beryl” is here recorded, which is the stone identified with the tribe of Dan!
In 7:9-12 we read of the great multitude from Gentile nations before the Throne. What marvelous praise and blessing they offer up to God for His grace and goodness and blessing!
7:13-17 identifies this great multitude as those who came out of Great Tribulation, probably through martyrdom. This accords strongly with the insights used by Corrie Ten Boom in her teachings, as one who came out of a Nazi prison camp for loving Jews. God Himself shall comfort them for what they suffered for Jesus' Name's sake while still down here on earth.
The Spirit through Paul says,”Prove allthings! Hold fast that which is good. It is the Word - the Bible - that judges human teaching, not the Teaching that interprets the Bible. We must learn to let the Bible mean what it wants to mean, if denominational and church teaching does not always accord with God's sacred pages. J.A.W.