THE SEVENTH SEAL

 

THE SEVENTH SEAL Study of Revelation Continued REVELATION 8.1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. -WEB Bible In the ancient manuscript image above, John is on the left holding his book. God is on the throne, and he is holding an orb or globe: this is a traditional symbol of the Pantocrator (God the source and sustainer of all Life and Power.)  The four Seraphim are around the throne, as usual. The Lamb, who is Jesus Christ, opens the Seventh Seal. On the right side, seven Archangels stand by with their seven trumpets. They are looking at an angel above them who is giving instructions. This is a moment of Triumph for the perfect Holy Lamb of God. He opens the final, 7th Seal on the sacred Book. The “grand finale” of the Tribulation period will begin at this time. The day of the Lord’s vengeance has finally arrived, as promised. Deuteronomy 32:35 - Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly. – BSB This solemn moment begins with a half hour of silence. This week we’re “catching up” with Revelation, for the whole week. Continued tomorrow. IMAGE CREDITS: The Douce Apocalypse is one of several richly illustrated manuscripts of the Apocalypse made in England in the thirteenth century. (Wikimedia Commons) The image of the Holy Lamb was generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C. Stevens.

 

EVERY NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE & LANGUAGE

 

EVERY NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE & LANGUAGE Study of Revelation Continued REVELATION 7.9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 7.10 They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 7.11 All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before his throne, and worshiped God, 7.12 saying, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might, be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” -WEB Bible In chapter 7 of Revelation, it seems that almost all the Christians have been gathered up to heaven by this time. Every tribe, people, language and nation are represented. The heavenly worship service with all the gathered saints will be a beautiful and glorious experience. All those who know and love Jesus as their Savior will have the great privilege of being there. This is what our hearts long for. This scene is the second time that John’s vision has been “interrupted” with a worship service. Apparently, God doesn’t want us overwhelmed by the litany of disasters happening in Revelation, so the vision switches back to heaven for a “word from our Sponsor.”  Up in heaven, things are going great; so be encouraged. God has a plan and it’s happening just as it should.  There is a lesson in this for us: when your life is overwhelming and frightening, take time to worship the Lord. In his Presence is the peace we need to carry on, and he gives us the wisdom we need when we ask him for it. This chapter of Revelation ends with one of the elders describing what heaven will be like: REVELATION 7.13 One of the elders said to me, “These who are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and from where did they come?” 7.14 I told him, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who came out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes, and made them white in the Lamb’s blood. 7.15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. 7.16 They will never be hungry, neither thirsty any more; neither will the sun beat on them, nor any heat; 7.17 for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them, and leads them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” -WEB Bible This week we’re “catching up” with Revelation, for the whole week. Continued tomorrow. IMAGE CREDITS: Image of the great crowd of Christian Believers in heaven, generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens.  Image of the Good Shepherd generated by Microsoft Designer.

 

THE 144,000 EVANGELISTS

THE 144,000 EVANGELISTS Study of Revelation, Continued REVELATION 7.2 I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, 7.3 saying, “Don’t harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!” 7.4 I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel. -WEB Bible.  The Seventh Seal is about to be broken, and angels are busy preparing for it. Before the four winds are interrupted, some other angels have a job to do. They are marking the foreheads of 144,000 faithful servants of the Lord Jesus, so (apparently) they will be protected from the wrath of God which will be poured out on the earth very soon. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This is an ancient illustration from an old manuscript. The Apostle John is in the lower left of the image. Four angels are at the four “corners” of the earth, and in their hands they each hold one of the four winds. An angel in the upper right is issuing instructions. In the center of the image are the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, arranged in their 12 tribes. The 144,000 are all Jews, and this chapter 7 in Revelation lists the 12 Tribes they are from. The final period of time before the return of Christ is all about the Jews, because Messianic prophecies regarding Israel must be fulfilled before Christ returns. Revelation 14 tells us more about these 144,000 Jewish evangelists: REVELATION 14:4-5 All of these are pure virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he leads. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. This week we’re “catching up” with Revelation, for the whole week. Continued tomorrow.

 

THE FOUR WINDS

 

THE FOUR WINDS Study of Revelation, Continued REVELATION 7.1 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. -WEB Bible.  There is a pause in heaven after the Sixth Seal, and some prep work to be done for the final Seventh Seal. When we ask, "What's the worst that could happen?" - the multiple events of the Seventh Seal are indeed worst-case scenario. The events of this final stage in the Tribulation are so devastating and far-ranging that it takes most of the book of Revelation to describe it all. But before the 7th Seal is opened, there is an intermission as heaven prepares for it. There is staging that needs to be done. First, God places four angels at the four corners of the earth, to hold back the four winds. Science tells us that there are four major wind systems: the Polar and Tropical Easterlies, the Prevailing Westerlies and the Intertropical Convergence Zone. And the Bible tells us that these four wind systems will be held back. I wonder how much life on earth will change, without any wind to drive our weather, or send us cool, refreshing breezes? Notice that this scripture passage is confirmed by modern science! The Apostle John wouldn’t have known there are four global wind systems: but Jesus knew. This week we’re “catching up” with Revelation, for the whole week. Continued tomorrow. IMAGE CREDIT: Four Winds illustration generated by SeaArt.ai