MANY ARE SAVED IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

Revelation 7:1-17

  1. up to this point we have been given an over-all view of the Tribulation period
    1. in this chapter we have something that is very important, though it has nothing to do with the seals
    2. now more details are going to be filled in
    3. "after this" refers to the tremendous judgments of the previous chapter
    4. "after this" refers to when John saw it, not when these things will take place
    5. this chapter looks back to the beginning of the tribulation period, and also the end of it
  2. a 144,00 Jews are sealed – 7:1-8
    1. the four angels - 1
      1. their duty is to hurt the earth and the sea – 2
      2. at first they are seen holding back the wind of the earth - 1
        1. the wind is symbolic of judgment
        2. the winds of judgment are being held back until God accomplishes His purpose
        3. what is it that God wishes to accomplish
          1. God keeps this world running so that more people will turn to Him
          2. if people were not getting saved, God would bring this world to an end
          3. this will be a period when multitudes will be saved (144,000 Jews) – 4
          4. the tribulation period is a time when God again deals with the Jewish people
    2. the angel from the east – 2-3
      1. his possession – 2 [the seal of the living God]
        1. the nature of this seal was to identify certain servants of God
        2. they had a special ministry to fulfill
        3. today we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, but in the tribulation period they are sealed by a mark in their forehead
        4. many are saved in the tribulation period, but only the 144,000 are sealed – 4, 9
      2. his command – 3 [hurt not the earth…]
        1. the judgments of God would not start until these 144,000 Jews were saved and sealed
        2. this takes place during the peaceful first half of the tribulation
      3. his mission – 3 [till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads]
        1. the mark that they receive in their foreheads is the name of the Father – Revelation 14:1
        2. the devil will counterfeit God's seal, and he will seal his followers also
          1. he will cause all of his followers to receive a mark in their foreheads or in their hands'
          2. everything God has that is good, the devil has a cheap counterfeit for it
        3. these Jews were to be the missionaries of the world
          1. those who hear their message and receive it will make up the number in verse 9
          2. those who refuse to believe their message, but follow the Antichrist instead, will receive the mark of the Beast and will be damned
        4. the 144,000 that are sealed out of Israel will be God's remnant of true ministers who will refuse to bow their knees to Antichrist
    3. the 144,000 that are sealed – 4-8
      1. 12,000 are seals from each of the twelve tribes except one: Dan
      2. Joseph receives a double portion because the birthright was given to him, after it was taken from Reuben (Manasseh – 6, Joseph – 8)
  3. a great multitude is saved during the tribulation period – 7:9-17
    1. those saved in the tribulation period come from all parts of the world – 9
      1. reveals that the gospel was preached throughout the world
      2. the 144,000 will do in 7 years what the church could not do (preach the gospel to every creature)
      3. God had a greater harvest of souls among the Gentiles than He did among the Jews
      4. when it seems that the number of true believers is small, God assures us that many are being saved
    2. the saved are standing before the throne of God - 9
      1. this takes place after the events of chapter 6
        1. in chapter 6 they are under the throne waiting for others to be saved
        2. know all that were saved in the tribulation are before the throne of God
      2. the saved have white robes and palms in their hands which are signs of victory and joy
    3. these redeemed are no longer crying for vengeance, but are singing praises to God – 10
      1. "cried with a loud voice" expresses the greatness of their joy, and the earnestness of their praise
      2. "salvation ton our God"
        1. their salvation, and all that is meant by that is solely attributed to God
        2. this will be the song of the saved forever
        3. we owe our deliverance from eternal death, and admission to glory, wholly to Him
      3. "and unto the Lamb"
        1. God the Father and the Lamb of God together share the honor of salvation
        2. the redeemed ascribe their salvation to the Lamb as well as to Him that is on the throne
          1. could they do this is the Lamb was a mere man or just an angel
          2. could they if He were not equal to the Father
          3. would those in heaven unite a created being with the Holy God in acts of solemn praise and worship
        3. this shows that God and the Lamb are regarded in heaven as entitled to equal praise
    4. the angels join in the worship of God – 11-12
      1. the angels were in the outer circle [stood round about …the elders, and the four beast]
      2. they fall on their faces before God in worship to show how great their adoration was
      3. the highest kind of praise is ascribed to God – 12
        1. everything excellent in character is to be attributed to God
        2. every blessing which is received is to be traced to God
    5. an answer to John’s thoughts – 13-14
      1. John was no doubt wondering who the white robed people were
      2. John was seeing a new class of people in heaven: the tribulation saints
        1. the great tribulation is a definite future period
        2. during a time of great suffering and persecution, many will be saved
        3. warning: these redeemed will come from among those who were not saved at the time of the rapture
        4. if these people were the church, the elder would have said so, but they are a different group altogether
        5. if these people were the church, John would have probably known them
        6. this tells us that the church is not going through the tribulation period
      3. tribulation saint makes it to heaven just like everybody else [washed … in the blood of the Lamb]
    6. the blessings that come to the tribulation saints – 15-17
      1. they will dwell in the presence of God [before the throne of God] [He … shall dwell among them]
        1. not because of their great tribulations
        2. because they were washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb
      2. they will serve Him night and day in His temple
        1. heaven is a state of service, though not of suffering
        2. heaven is a state of rest, but not of sloth
      3. they are happily free from all the inconveniences they experienced in this life – 16
        1. no more hungering or thirsting
        2. the sun and heat will no longer afflict them
      4. Jesus Christ will take care of their every need – 17
        1. heaven will be a very happy and joyful place
        2. life here is full of tears, but over there He will wipe them all away