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CHAPTER 7
This chapter is a continuation
of chapter 6. In chapter 6 we saw six of the seven seals loosened. Just as we were going to open the seventh seal, John sees
four angels that are holding back the four winds. So let's find out why they are holding these winds back. The seventh seal
is opened in chapter 8. This parallels with Matt. 24:45-47 & Matt. 25.
1 And after these
things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, 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 four winds bring about the end of this age and starts the LORD'S day. The Lord's day begins
with the return of Jesus Christ and the second advent. Why are the four angels holding back the winds? Also let's look at
the number four. To understand our Father's word we must have a basic knowledge of Biblical Mathematics. The number four means:
creation. Now let's look at the word winds from the Greek & Hebrew in the Strong's and Thayers.
Wind-Greek form Strong's:
417 anemos (an'-em-os);
from the base of 109; wind; (plural) by implication (the four) quarters (of the earth):
KJV-- wind.
Wind-Greek
from Thayer's:
417 anemos-
1) wind, a violent agitation and stream of air
2) a very strong tempestuous wind
3)
the four principal or cardinal winds, hence the four corners of heaven
Wind-Hebrew from Strong's:
7307 ruwach (roo'-akh);
from
7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality;
by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):
KJV-- air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, X vain, ([whirl-])
wind (-y).
7306 ruwach (roo'-akh);
a primitive root; properly, to blow, i.e. breathe; only (literally) to smell
or (by implication, perceive (figuratively, to anticipate, enjoy):
KJV-- accept, smell, X touch, make of quick understanding.
Now let's look at the word "sea" in Rev.7:1 by going
to Rev.17:15.
Rev
17:15
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues.
The
word "sea" is a symbol for population and the trees are a symbol for people.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he
cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the
earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Since this angel is coming out of the east,
from the same direction that the King of Kings will come from, it is my opinion that this is the angel that has the seventh
seal, the seventh trumpet and the seventh vial. I believe that He was getting ready to blow the seventh trump. Look at Matt.24:27.
Matt 24:27
27 For as
the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The seal of God is the Truth of His word. Not what
this man says or any other man but what saith the LORD. The four winds are being held back because not all of God's servants
have the seal of His word in their forehead. That is to say in their brain.
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.
The
number 144,000 means the spirit guided life. Guided by who? By GOD of course because He is in control. The subject here is
the sealing of the 144,000 of Israel. Who are these 144,000 Israelites? I never hear from the pulpits of mainstream religious
groups about Israelites except spiritually. It is mainly Judah they talk about in the flesh. I don't understand why teachers
of God don't separate the twelve tribes. Even the churches that only teach the New Testament seem to ignore the fact that
the book of James is written to the twelve tribes that were scattered abroad. Some of these groups teach that the 144,000
are the only ones who will make it to heaven. But we will learn throughout Revelation that this is only what man says, not
what God says.
5
Of the tribe of Juda 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.
Go
to the book of Gen. to learn more about the twelve tribes.
Gen 49:1-28
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may
tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken
unto Israel your father.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of
dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's
bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their
habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in
their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;
and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy
brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9
Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion;
who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh
come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the
choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine,
and his teeth white with milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and
his border shall be unto Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 And he saw that rest
was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan
shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that
biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad, a
troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield
royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful
bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence
is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who
shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of
the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of
the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his
brethren.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the
spoil.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them;
every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
The only difference I can see between the tribes that are listed in Revelation and Genesis is
that the tribes of Dan and Ephraim were replaced by the tribes of Levi and Joseph. Dan and Ephraim both were replaced because
of idol worshipping. Scripture to back up my last statement is Lev. 24:10-16, Deut. 29:18-21, Judg. 18:2-31, I Kings 12:26-33.
Hos. 4:17. But after the millennium Dan and Ephraim will be restored. You can read about the restoration in Ezek. 48.
Lev 24:10-16
10 And the son of an Israelitish
woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man
of Israel strove together in the camp;
11 And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed.
And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)
12
And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.
13 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
14
Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the
congregation stone him.
15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear
his sin.
16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall
certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall
be put to death.
Deut 29:18-21
18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart
turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root
that beareth gall and wormwood;
19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself
in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20
The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses
that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21 And the LORD
shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written
in this book of the law:
Judg 18:2-31
2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts,
men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the
land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
3 When they were by the house of Micah,
they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and
what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me,
and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether
our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein
ye go.
7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless,
after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame
in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.
8 And they came unto their brethren
to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?
9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against
them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess
the land.
10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands;
a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites,
out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.
12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-je'arim,
in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjath-je'arim.
13 And they
passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out
the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a
graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
15 And they turned thitherward, and came to
the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
16 And the six hundred men appointed
with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
17 And the five men that
went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the
molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of
war.
18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.
Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?
19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and
go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou
be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim,
and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and
the cattle and the carriage before them.
22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in
the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.
23 And they cried unto the children
of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?
24 And
he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is
this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among
us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.
26 And the children of Dan
went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.
27 And they
took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and
secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
28 And there was no deliverer, because
it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built
a city, and dwelt therein.
29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born
unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and
Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity
of the land.
31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
IKing
12:26-33
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 If this people go
up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord,
even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 Whereupon the king
took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods,
O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
30
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
31 And he made an house of high
places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast
in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar.
So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places
which he had made.
33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even
in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon
the altar, and burnt incense.
Hosea 4:17
17 Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
These verses pretty well document Dan and Ephraim's idol
worshipping. Now let's look at Ezek. 48 and see that after the millennium they are restored.
Ezek 48:1-11
1 Now these are the names of the
tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus
northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.
2 And by the border of Dan,
from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.
3 And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto
the west side, a portion for Naphtali.
4 And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion
for Manasseh.
5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.
6 And by
the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.
7 And by the border of Reuben,
from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah.
8 And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west
side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the
other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.
9 The oblation that
ye shall offer unto the LORD shall be of five and twenty thousand in length, and of ten thousand in breadth.
10 And for
them, even for the priests, shall be this holy oblation; toward the north five and twenty thousand in length, and toward the
west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south five and twenty thousand in
length: and the sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the midst thereof.
11 It shall be for the priests that are sanctified
of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites
went astray.
Back to Rev.7
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no
man could number, 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;
Now wait a minute here. I was taught like I am sure a lot of you were taught that only a 144,000
would make it to heaven. This number no one can count and they are not just Israelites, but peoples of all nations. The ethnic
peoples of the world, that is to say, all RACES. Let's not take my word for it but let's go to the Strong's & Thayer's
for the definition of the word " nations".
Nations-Greek from Strong's:
1484 ethnos (eth'-nos);
probably from 1486; a race (as of the
same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication, pagan):
KJV-- Gentile, heathen,
nation, people.
Nations-Greek from Thayer's:
1484 ethnos-
1) a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated
or living together; a company, a troop, a swarm
2) a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus,
the human
race
3) a race, a nation, a people, a group
4) in the Old Testament, foreign nations not worshiping the true God,
pagans, Gentiles
5) Paul uses the term for Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians
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,
By now we should have a good idea of what the throne
looks like. We have the Shekinah Glory shining through the colors of the rainbow. With the four "beasts"="zoon" the protecting
cherubs guarding the throne and the 24 elders sitting with their white robes and crowns. With the host of the sons of God
assembled at the throne. Now let's look at the word beasts in Strong's & Thayer's.
Beast from Strong's
2226 zoon (dzo'-on);
neuter
of a derivative of 2198; a live thing, i.e. an animal:
KJV-- beast.
Beast from Thayer's
2226 zoon-
1) a living
being
2) an animal, a brute, a beast
Rev.7:12
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.
This should ring a bell from Rev. 5:12. So let's look at these 2 verses. In 7 we have one saying
"that is that" starting off and in 5 we have one shouting with a LOUD voice. Then we have the seven items listed. Basically
the same items but in a different order and with one change. The riches of 5:12 are replaced by thanksgiving in 7:12. Why,
Because they have already received their riches and are thankful. We are now in the third world age at this point.
Rev 5:12
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Rev.5:12
1)Blessing 2)Riches 3)Wisdom 4)Thanksgiving
5)Honour 6)Power 7)Might
Rev7:12
1)Power 2)Riches 3)Wisdom 4)Strength 5)Honour 6)Glory 7)Blessing
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence
came they?
WOW!
John is really having a big DAY here isn't he? Just think of it, one of these elders is John in his spirit body! Imagine that!
And while we are pondering here, I really believe that when the 144,000 are being sealed John is looking down at us at this
exact moment "(what is he seeing you doing?)". By the way I don't think the elder expected John to know the answer to his
question.
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.
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.
As you can see here in 14 this is "they which came out
of great tribulation". Does this look familiar to you? When are we to go through tribulation and for how long? How long is
10 days the first time and also at the end of the 1000's years when Satan is released for yet a little season. These people
here are made up of both tribulations and verse 14 is talking about the second tribulation. Also we have the souls right back
to the time of Noah, (meaning back to Adam and Eve). While Christ was yet in the tomb He went and freed all the souls that
would follow Him because He had paid the price. We can read about these souls in I Peter chapter 3.
1 Pet 3:18-20
18 For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
What about the souls that were under the alter? Rev.
6:9-11. Also we just read about another group that had an untold number in Rev. 7:9. God promises that all of Israel will
be saved. Romans 11:25-27 documents this promise.
Rev 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them
that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white
robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their
fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Rev.7
9 After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, 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;
Rom 11:25-27
25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness
in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it
is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant
unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. What we have here is a zoomed in view of God and His angels
in the third heaven and earth age.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
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.
Again we are talking about the time after the 1000 years here. We will read more about this in
chapters 21 and 22. Let's go there.
Rev 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
The flesh is gone, the evil "(rudiments)" is gone in
all forms. This is a great time of joy and no pain, no memories of the evil ones or sorrows.
Rev 22:1-3
1 And he shewed me a pure river of
water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it,
and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne
of God and of the Lamb
Yahaveh
Shammah = "God with us". With a new earth and new heaven age forever and ever. Amen
This is why "Yeshua" told us to pray
"thy kingdom come".
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