LESSON 12 - CHAPTER 7:1-17

R E V E L A T I O N
Charles Caldwell Ryrie, p. 69-76

A REMINDER

These lessons are written as an accompanment to
Charles C. Ryrie's [1996] Book
REVELATION
Everyday Bible Commentary
Moody Publishers
Chicago
ISBN: 978-0-8024-1825-8
(You Must Own your own copy)
(Ryrie's book text is not included in these lessons)

More About the Purpose of the Tribulation

J. Dwight Pentecost (Edited)[1]

”The first great purpose of the tribulation is to prepare the nation Israel for her Messiah. The prophecy of Jeremiah (30:7) makes it clear that the time that is coming has particular reference to Israel, for it is “the time of Jacob’s trouble.

God’s purpose for Israel in the Tribulation is to bring about the conversion of a multitude of Jews, who will enter into the blessings of the kingdom and experience the fulfillment of all Israel’s covenants. The good news that the King is about to return will be preached (Matthew 24:14) so that Israel may be turned to their deliverer.

The second great purpose of the tribulation is to pour out judgement on unbelieving man and nations. It is evident from the Scriptures that it will be seen that God is judging the nations of the earth because of their godlessness.”

[1] Pentecost, J. Dwight, “Things to Come, A Study in Biblical Eschatology,” Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI pp. 237-238

THE REDEEMED

OF THE TRIBULATION

7:1-17

Ryrie’s Introduction pg. 69 top

Our Comment

Chapter seven introduces us to two major groups of saints in the Tribulation. Walvoord brings up the question, “Will anyone be saved after the rapture?”[1] He answers his own question with, “The Scriptures clearly indicate that a great multitude of both Jews and Gentiles will trust in the Lord after the church is caught up to glory.” Thessalonians 2:7 speaks of the removal of the Holy Spirit, but that’s a removal of the indwelling not the physical presence of the Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit of God is always omnipresent. “He has always been in the world and always will be – it is one of God’s omnipresent attributes.”[2]

[1] Walvoord, John F., The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, p. 139

[2] ibid

RECAPPING OUR OUTLINE:

I.    “The things which you have seen” 1:1-20
II.   “The things which are” 2:1-3:22
III. “The things which shall take place after these things”
       4:1-22-21
       A.    Prologue 4:1-5:14
       B.    The Tribulation 6:1-19:21
              1.    Seal Judgments 6:1-17
                     (Nonchronological information, 7:1-17)
              2.    Trumpet Judgments 8:1-9:21
                     (Nonchronological information, 10:1-15:8)
              3.    Bowl Judgments 16:1-21
                     (Nonchronological information 17:1-19:2)
       C.    The Millennium 20:1-15
       D.    The Eternal State 21:1-2:5
              Epilogue 22:6-21

Picking up with our outline:

2. The Redeemed of the Tribulation 7:1—17

a. Sealing of 144,000 Jews 7:1-8

(1.) Suspension of Judgment 7:1-3

Instruments of Suspension 7:1-2

The Visualized Text

¹After this

I saw four angels

standing at the four corners of the earth,

holding back the four winds of the earth,

so that no wind would blow

on the earth or

on the sea or

on any tree. ²And

I saw another angel

ascending from the rising of the sun,

having the seal of the living God; and

he cried out with a loud voice

to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm

the earth and

the sea,

Ryrie pg. 69 bottom

Sealing of 144,000 Jews, 7:1-8

Suspension of Judgment 7:1-3

Instruments of the suspension, w. 1-2

Our Comment
Here we have four angels who are called upon to stand “on the four corners of the earth.” I expect that this expression and description of these four angelic beings indicates that their ministry covers the whole earth (the earth doesn’t have four corners). And a fifth angel who has been given the authority to command the other four angels. Something special here is “In the wind.”

Instruction concerning suspension, vv. 2—3.

The Text (verse 2 is here repeated for clarity)

and I saw another angel

ascending from the rising of the sun,

having the seal of the living God; and

he cried out with a loud voice

to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm

the earth and

the sea,

Ryrie pg. 70 middle

Our Comment

The text inclines me to think that at least much of the world is already cognizant of tribulation already affecting their lives, for here judgment is suspended.

We should also see that the citizens of heaven are finely tuned in an almost military manner. Righteous leaders being over righteous servers – all the way down the chain, and all the way back up the chain to Almighty God. Much of the tribulation of our day, and on through history, is because we desire to be independent, with no one telling us what we should be doing. Each human being modeled after our heavenly father – and all rebelling against His authority. Our new world will be so different!

Intent of the suspension, v. 3.

The Text

³Saying, “Hurt

not the earth,

neither the sea,

nor the trees,

till we have sealed the servants of our God

in their foreheads.”

Ryrie pg. 70 bottom

Our Comment

Just a word concerning “Bond-servants.” The term is used 28 times in the Bible [as identified here as “bond-servant”]. Back in the Old Testament a bond-servant was a long-term servant of a master, who at the end of their required service (usually paying off a borrowed debt) came to a place in their relationship to their master that they voluntarily put themselves in a servant position with their former master – at no expense to that master. They “bound” themselves out of love to their master. Thus, here in the New Testament the term becomes an indicator of those who love God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Lord Jesus Christ, and consider themselves “Bound” to Him out of absolute love For Him. They are the ones who trust the Lord God regardless of the circumstances they find themselves living in.

The Sealing of the Twelve Tribes

(2.) Sum of the Jews 7:4-8

(The 144,000)

The Text

⁴And I heard

the number of those who were sealed,

one hundred and forty-four thousand

sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

⁵from the tribe of Judah,

twelve thousand were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben

twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Gad

twelve thousand,

⁶from the tribe of Asher

twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Naphtali

twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Manasseh

twelve thousand,

⁷from the tribe of Simeon

twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Levi

twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Issachar

twelve thousand,

⁸from the tribe of Zebulun

twelve thousand,

from the tribe of

Joseph twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Benjamin,

twelve thousand were sealed.

Ryrie Pg. 71 near the top

Our Comment

I can’t leave this portion of the text without bringing up the Jehovah Witnesses. Their belief system originated back in the 1840’s and was fully established by 1884. They focus upon eschatology and have predicted several returns of Jesus to the earth… falsely. Their focus upon the 144,000 publicly but rarely tell that their numbers exceed several million or more. “Two ideas motivate the Jehovah’s Witnesses: fear of annihilation at Armageddon, and hope of the unspeakable joys of paradise. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Trinity. They say it is a pagan doctrine. They say Christ is not the Son of God, but merely the most perfect man whom God has made. – and… they believe they are the replacement of the Jewish nation. The Jehovah Witnesses have great printing works all over the world – what a blessing it would be if they were busy printing Biblical truth instead of false teachings”[1]

Failed JW Predictions:

1874 The Invisible Return of Christ,

1878 The Same,

1914 The End of World Governments,

1918, 1925, 1941, 1975 Christ Returns…

Not forgetting the large number of other similar predictions by Christians and some world religious leaders. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Jesus – Matthew 24:36

[1] Koch, Kurt, “Occult ABC,” distributed by Grand Rapids International Publications, 1978

b. Saving of many Gentiles 7: 9—17

(1.) The Persons saved 7:9 (A Multitude

from the Tribulation)

The Text

⁹After these things I

looked, and

behold,

a great multitude which no one could count, from

every nation and

all tribes and

peoples and

tongues,

standing

before the throne and

before the Lamb,

clothed in white robes, and

palm branches were in their hands;

Their number.

Ryrie pg. 72 bottom

Our Comment

Yes, a great number, “Which no one could count.” Here we have a great and large number of Believers, dressed in white robes. However, we should not miss that these must be the martyred dead of the Tribulation – believers who have explicitly given their lives. We’ll encounter them again when we get to verses :13-14.

Their nationalities.
Ryrie pg. 73 top

Our Comment – none

Their nature.

Ryrie pg. 73 near the top

John 12:13 for the only other occurrence in the New Testament, “12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”

and Neh. 8:15-17

“15 So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” ¹⁶So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing.”

(2.) Praise for Their salvation 7:10—12

THE TEXT

¹⁰and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation to our God

who sits on the throne, and

to the Lamb.”

¹¹And all the angels were standing

around the throne and

around the elders and

[around] the four living creatures; and they

fell on their faces

before the throne and

worshiped God,

¹²saying, “Amen,

blessing and

glory and

wisdom and

thanksgiving and

honor and

power and

might, be to our God

forever and ever. Amen.”

Praise for Their Salvation, 7:10—12

Ryrie pg. 73 mid

Our Comment

This event is much like that of Chapter 5. “The point of this introduction, however, is to identify the presence in glory of the great multitude coming from all nations.”[1]

[1] Walvoord, John F., The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, p. 139

(3.) Period of Their salvation 7:13—14

¹³Then one of the elders answered, saying to me,

“These who are clothed in the white robes,

who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴

I said [Lit. have said] to him, “My lord, you know.” And

he said to me, “These are the ones

who come out of the great tribulation, and

they have washed their robes and made

them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Period Of Their Salvation, 7:13-14
Ryrie pg. 73 Bottom

(4.) The Provisions of Salvation 7:15—17
Their Service v. 15

Their Satisfaction vv. 15-16

Their Sufficiency v. 17

¹⁵For this reason,

they are before the throne of God; and

they serve Him day and night in His temple; and

He who sits on the throne

will spread His tabernacle over them.

¹⁶They will hunger no longer,

nor thirst anymore;

nor will the sun beat [Lit. fall] down on them,

nor any heat; ¹⁷for

the Lamb in the center of the throne will be

their shepherd, and

[He] will guide them to springs of the water

[Lit. waters] of life; and

God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

The Provisions of Salvation, 7:15—17

Their service, v. 15.

Ryrie pg. 74 middle

This group (along with others) will serve God. "In His temple" likely indicates some special service for them in the yet future millennial temple.

OUR COMMENT

As Ryrie mentioned, perhaps these post-rapture believers, having believed and died in service to Christ, will serve Him in His Temple during the millennial kingdom. Christians from the Church age will have already been in heaven with Christ and return with Him to the earth as part of His ruling class. These Tribulational believers who have given their lives seem to be posted in God’s earthly Temple as perhaps part of His millennial priesthood.

Their satisfaction, vv. 15-16.
Ryrie pg. 74 lower middle

OUR COMMENT
These new believers, delivered from the Tribulation, will know a kind of care and freedom grander than most of us who have lived here in the US, Canada, Europe, etc., where life has been much gentler than those delivered during the worst of the Tribulation.

Their sufficiency, v. 17.
Ryrie pg. 74 bottom

OUR COMMENT
This final comment of Ryrie is perhaps one of the most important so far. God’s love for believing mankind never fails. Yes, the time of testing in each and every believer’s life can seem very difficult. However, our earthly lives are less than a millisecond compared to the duration of Eternity. His love for us is ETERNAL and He will always be there for us – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[1] Walvoord, John F., “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” Moody Press, Chicago, p. 123

[2] “and see” is left out of many translations

[3] Dan. 7:8; 20; 8:9, 11:40-43

[4] Walvoord, John F., “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, Moody Press, Chicago, Il, p. 129

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