Revelation 6 ends saying that the great day of the wrath of God has come and asks the question, who can withstand it? Revelation 7 answers that question as we see true believers sealed and protected from that wrath as it falls upon the earth. What does this mean? And why is this chapter followed by a scene where many saints are seen worshiping before the throne? Find out with Steve Gallagher on the next episode in our Revelation series.

Host: Steve, we are continuing our discussion in the Book of Revelation and we're on chapter 7. I'm just going to ask you a very simple question. What is chapter 7 about?

Steve: Chapter 7 is an interesting interlude in the Book of Revelation. It's basically describing two groups of people. There are 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel and then the second group is an innumerable multitude gathered around God's throne.

Host: Well, Steve, let's talk about that 144,000, because I know there are a lot of different thoughts about who they are and what they're going to be doing. Give us your perspective. Who are these 144,000?

Steve: There are two basic schools of thought on who this group represents. A lot of the leading scholars of the day feel like they symbolize the Church. They believe that it's a figurative number that represents a complete number of people. In other words, all the believers who are meant to be saved will be saved and they will be sealed by God to take them through the end times. That's one school of thought.
      Dispensationalists see it as completely literal, as they see just about everything in the Book of Revelation. And so, to them, it's describing a literal number of Jewish people who get saved during the tribulation period and are somehow sealed by God and used by Him as witnesses to go throughout the earth giving their testimony for Jesus Christ. So those are the two main schools of thought.

Host: Okay. Either way, the common thread is that they're a group of people that God is going to use as a testimony in the last days.

Steve: Yes, and He is going to protect them, at least spiritually speaking anyway.

Host: Okay. Well, as we look at chapter 7, what would you say are the main purposes of this chapter?

Steve: Well, the way the chapter functions, first of all, it's really an answer to the question of the earth dwellers during the 6th seal. In the last verse of Revelation 6, they said, “Who can stand?” And it's answering that. Here are the people who will stand. These people are sealed and protected from God's wrath, which is really a blessing.
      It's an encouragement for God's people who will be going through this time of great worldwide devastation. They know that God is protecting them. But also, this chapter operates as an interlude between the 6th and 7th seals, which we will see happen again between the 6th and 7th trumpets. There's a different interlude at that point.

Host: Now, when you say interlude, you can almost take that as a literary function, but is there a spiritual function of this interlude? Is there something going on during this interlude that is evidence of what God is accomplishing?

Steve: Well, in Revelation 8, when the 7th seal breaks, there's a silence in heaven that seems to stop all activity. There is a spiritual function in that instance. We'll get into that next time we get together. But, in regard to what is happening here, the way you said it is exactly right, it really is a literary tool. In other words, it's just a big parentheses describing something that's going on in the midst of all the action that has happened chronologically. All of a sudden you take a break and the Lord shows you something else that is occurring at about that same time from a different perspective.

Host: Steve, the chapter opens by describing 4 angels holding back some sort of judgment upon the earth. And we're told that they can't harm the earth until the 144,000 that you mentioned earlier are sealed. What's the significance of sealing them in the forehead as it describes?

Steve: The one thing that's fascinating studying the Book of Revelation is how much of this book comes from the Old Testament. When you start studying it, over and over and over again, you see either the typology of it in the Old Testament or actual wording or something. But it's constant. This same phenomenon occurred in Ezekiel 9. Right before the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, the Lord sent an angelic scribe throughout the city to mark on their foreheads and seal these certain people who sigh and groan over all the abominations which were being committed in the city.
      In other words, the people who loved God and couldn't stand seeing all the wickedness going on around them, that's a picture of who these people are going to be. So, it's very significant. Them being sealed in the forehead means that God is putting His mark of ownership on their souls.

Host: Now, Steve, as you talk about that, what came to my mind is, ought we not to be asking ourselves in the midst of what we see happening in the culture, whether it's same-sex marriage or abortion or just all the darkness that we see around us, is that something that we find ourselves drawn to or is it something that we find ourselves grieving over? If we're really a follower of Jesus, if we really have the Holy Spirit in us, we ought to be sensing some kind of grieving in us, shouldn't we?

Steve: Absolutely. I mean, that's one of the good evidences that the Holy Spirit is indwelling you and that you're not just a moral, quote, unquote, Christian. There are good people in this world who do not like things like abortion, for instance. But are they grieving over sin? Are they grieving over how the spirit of this world is destroying souls? We all are drawn to the world to some degree. That's just the truth. But is that desire for the things of the world what defines who we are? Or is it a passion for the things of God that really defines who we are?

{{blog-bcall="/blog-ads-storage"}}

Host: Yeah. Steve, earlier in our discussion, you mentioned that there are two groups of people. There's 144,000 there on the earth during this period, and God is using them as a witness. But you mentioned also that there is a great multitude gathered around the throne of God. Talk about them.

Steve: Well, when you look at Revelation 4 and 5, you see that magnificent throne room scene. You have the four living beings and the twenty-four elders and a multitude of angels worshiping the Lord. Now we see another group added. It's this enormous multitude of believers. We don't know exactly who they are, except we know that they come out of The Great Tribulation and we also know that they come from every part of the world. Whoever these people are, they've been martyred, apparently, or they die at least, during the Great Tribulation. And now the most important aspect of this is where they are and it's in this heavenly, glorious scene gathered around the throne of God.

Host: You know, Steve, as I look at this chapter, I just stand in awe at how tremendous God is. Just the way He has laid out the time of this earth and the time of our lives. God is really awesome. All these promises being fulfilled. All the prayers of the saints being heard. All of God's people being sealed and protected. All the saints gathering around the throne of God and worshiping Him. From Genesis to Revelation, our God is awesome.

Steve: Well, you see God's sovereignty through it all. He’s enacting His purposes, He's protecting His people and He's got a tremendous eternity awaiting every one of His children. Praise the Lord.

Host: Yes. Praise the Lord.

If you’ve been broken down by sexual sin, we have good news for you: God has provided the means for transformation. It’s in His word. But it’s not simply a matter of knowledge. As a matter of fact, there’s an increasing amount of church attendees who know the Bible really well, but also habitually indulge in sinful behavior.

Transformation is a matter of submission—submission to a process which Residential Counseling Director Luke Imperato lays out clearly in today’s message.

‍

Lust can feel like an unbeatable opponent. But it isn’t. This episode exposes the enemy’s predictable playbook—every move driven by the same tactics he's been using for 1000s of years. Many believers feel trapped by lust when real freedom is right there for the taking. Too often we rely on our own strength, instead of fighting a spiritual battle with powerful, spiritual weapons.

Resources We Mentioned

• At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry (Book) By Steve Gallagher
• Learn More About the Pure Life Ministries 26th Annual Conference
• Register for the Conference

Have Any Questions for Our Upcoming Q & A? 📧Email: podcast@purelifeministries.org

From the Chapel: In this passionate talk that Nate Danser gave on faith at a special Sunday evening service in the Pure Life Ministries Chapel, he emphasizes that a faith that withstands the storms of life is founded on the truth rather than our own blind whims. We need the kind of faith that does not listen to our feelings or what our past experience tells. Rather, we need a faith founded on the truth of God's Word.

‍

‍

The world keeps redefining truth; but that struggle isn’t new. Since the garden of Eden, humanity is continually tempted to question God’s Word and follow self instead. While this path promises fulfillment, it always brings coldness and chaos. Yet God’s truth will always remain steady, rooted, and unshakable, offering strength and clarity for all who cling to His Word.

Resources

• Your Convictions About Masturbation Matter (Article) By Pure Life Ministries

Have Any Questions for Our Upcoming Q & A? 📧Email: podcast@purelifeministries.org

This week’s bonus episode features a wives Q&A from our 2021 annual conference. Hear honest, heartfelt answers to some of the most common questions wives ask. Joining the panel are ministry cofounder Kathy Gallagher and biblical counselors Susan Smith and Jessie Meldrum. This conversation offers wisdom, clarity, and encouragement for wives in every season.

Abraham and Lot shared the same roots, but their similarities end there. Abraham spent his years pressed into God, doing his utmost to find and obey the will of God. Lot was convinced that he could make his own decisions, do his own will and run his own life. Predictably, Abraham enjoyed blessing after blessing while Lot’s life was a downward spiral of one calamity after another.

In today’s sermon, Steve Gallagher carefully examines their lives to show us how important it is for those struggling with sexual sin to find and obey the will of God.

In this episode of the podcast, we're playing a 2024 conference Q&A featuring graduates of our residential and virtual counseling programs. They share practical, firsthand insight on how sincere believers can live holy, consecrated lives and remain faithful to Christ while navigating and responding to a godless culture.

Resources

• Learn More About the Pure Life Ministries 26th Annual Conference
• Register for the Conference

Revelation 6 famously depicts the opening of the 7 seals. Each opening results in an increase of trouble and despair upon the earth. Specifically, the breaking of the 6th seal ushers in the ominous "Day of the Lord" -  a day of great judgment on those in rebellion to Him, but also God's final call of repentance and surrender before mercy is cut off forever.

Host: Steve, we want to continue in our discussions of the wonderful Book of Revelation. Revelation 6 is a description of the opening of the first six seals. And Steve, I understand that there are some other passages of Scripture that correlate with these seals. Why don't you talk about what that correlation is?

Steve: When Jesus gave His last days discourse in Matthew 24, He really laid out a roadmap of the end times. Especially in the first part of that chapter, we see a fascinating correlation between the first six seals and the different things that Jesus expressed. For instance, the first seal is about deception. And you see it right there at the beginning of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, where Jesus is warning people not to be misled. And then the second seal is all about internal strife and international warfare. That's exactly what you see described next in Matthew 24. And then it goes on, famines and death and so on, all the way to the sixth seal, which you see later on in Matthew 24.

Host: Now, when we look at the opening of these seals, these events, are these one-time events that are occurring here?

Steve: I would say that the third seal and the sixth seal seem to be one-time events, but the other seals seem to be a building momentum as we get closer to the end times. It's really what Jesus said right there in Matthew 24. He said, “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” (Matthew 24:8, NASB) Now, what is a birth pang? It starts off as a low pain that happens on occasion and grows in intensity and frequency. So, when we start seeing these things start to happen, that's the beginning of birth pangs, which I believe we're in right now. But by the time we get to the end, whenever it is really intensifying, then it's the pains of a woman who's about to give birth.

Host: And what a wake-up call. Just the way that it is intensifying so rapidly. It's got to be a wake-up call from the Lord that the time is near.

Steve: Well, that's the Lord's heart. He is going to send destruction on sinners, but it's always in His heart for sinners to repent and flee from the wrath to come.

Host: Steve, earlier you mentioned the breaking of the first seal, and we read about that being the first rider that comes out at the breaking of that seal. And you mentioned the issue of deception. Why do you believe that first seal and the first rider represent deception?

Steve: Well, if you compare the description of this first rider with the return of Jesus Christ in Revelation 19, you can see that this is an obvious counterfeit of Jesus. It's not Jesus Christ. And I won't go into all the reasons why we know that, but it is not Jesus Christ, so it must be a counterfeit. This rider is going forth conquering and he's doing it through deception. And when you tie it to the Matthew 24 discourse, you see that that's what it corresponds to. So, again, we see this growing momentum of deception in the end times, which will eventually pave the way for the ultimate deception of the Antichrist.

Host: And again, we look at what's going on around us and how great the deception is these days.

Steve: And just think, this is only the beginning. What's it going to be like when the very air you breathe is nothing but a lie? It's everywhere already.

Host: Yeah, and what a warning to us of how much we need the Holy Spirit, because if we can't hear the Holy Spirit, we're sunk.

Steve: Yeah, absolutely. And also, it is a warning for us to be so grounded in the Word of God. The only place we know we're going to get truth is the Word of God.

Host: You've talked about the significance of the martyrs as represented in the fifth seal. Talk about that.

Steve: It's funny, but when you read about the martyrs here in chapter 6, they are crying out, “How long until you avenge our deaths” to the Lord. Then throughout the different plagues that are coming in the future, there is constantly this sense of referencing back to that cry of, “When will you avenge our deaths?” For instance, before the seven trumpet judgments come forth, an angel throws the censer to the earth, which is full of the prayers of those martyrs and the fire of God. So that unleashes the seven trumpet judgments. And on other occasions also, it's referenced.

Host: You know, when we gather together as a staff in the morning times for our prayer, one of the things that God is making increasingly real to us is that He hears the prayers of His saints. I know how it feels sometimes. Sometimes it feels like we're just praying to God and nothing's happening. But man, you read stuff like this, and you see that God has not forgotten the cries of His people.

Steve: The Lord answers prayer. He does it in His own timing when it's best to answer that prayer for the person and the circumstances.

Host: Yeah. Amen. Steve, the sixth seal seems to bring about a different kind of judgment than the first four seals. How does it differ from those?

Steve: Well, the first four seals seem to be a buildup of something going on, and it seems as though the enemy reacts and starts persecuting believers in the fifth seal. And then when the sixth seal opens, something powerful happens. Worldwide, cataclysmic events occur. And you see these same types of events referred to in the Old Testament as “the day of the Lord.”
       For instance, in Isaiah 13, it says, “for the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth the light, the sun will be dark, and the moon will not shed its light, at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger.” (Isaiah 13:10, 13, NASB) And Jesus also mentions this in Matthew 24. So, we see that this is somehow an inauguration of the great day of the Lord coming upon mankind.

Host: Now, Steve, I know people can listen to that and they can look at it as you appropriately said, it is a day of judgment. But you also mentioned earlier, God's heart. And this must also be like the final throes of God's mercy to sinners on the earth. One more evidence of the truth and the reality of God with one more opportunity to repent and turn from sin.

Steve: Well, that's what all of this is. These are all wake-up calls at this point. Now, you know, we don't know how the timing of these seals relate to the seven-year tribulation period. It seems as though these six seals are broken during the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period. Perhaps the sixth seal occurs about the same time as the Antichrist comes into real worldwide power at the halfway point and then people have to make a choice. They either take the mark of the beast or they completely surrender and submit to the Lord. That's where everything is headed is that great decision.

Host: And you sense that's already happening? You sense that at least building up in the earth now?

Steve: I feel like the gray area is slowly but surely going away and that it's becoming increasingly more black and white. People are either going to be true followers of God or they are going to be totally given over to this world.

Many people want help getting free from lust and sexual sin. However, not many people want freedom over a love of the world. The problem is, if our lives are full of worldliness, we are fueling the very desires that feed lust. That means freedom will be very difficult, if not impossible. The Bible repeatedly gives evidence of this. Look at Lot, Samson, King Solomon, the entire nation Israel…

But there is a way to come out of it and into a life of victory, and that’s what Director of Ministry Outreach, Patrick Hudson, shares about in today’s sermon from Psalm 73.

Ministry is often treated as a title, but it is meant to be an act of service. Continuing the theme of devotion, this episode features Josh Rowand, a man with extensive experience in ministry. Once serving for himself while hiding a life of sin, he now knows that ministry involves much more than image and being busy – it’s about helping others in humility, sincerity, and a faith that is actively lived out rather than merely spoken.

📧Email: podcast@purelifeministries.org

Resources

• At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry (Book) By Steve Gallagher

Join us for a special bonus segment where Steve Gallagher teaches on Revelation 4 & 5. We’ll examine John’s vision of Heaven, where seeing the Lord on His throne offers profound comfort—proving God is fully in control before the coming persecution and devastating judgments.

We also explore how God is celebrated as Creator, affirming His authority and right to accomplish His will. Don't miss this essential teaching on divine sovereignty.

Host: Steve, we want to continue our discussions in the Book of Revelation and we're looking today at Chapters 4 & 5. I just want to begin by asking you, as we look at Chapters 4 & 5, is this a continuation of the vision John received in the first three chapters?

Steve: The first words John writes in Chapter 4 is “After these things…” And anytime he makes that statement, you know that there's been some kind of a time gap between what preceded it and what he's about to present. So, this is actually a second new vision that John is about to relate to his readers. But I'll tell you something else. When you go through the different visions John has in the Book of Revelation, it's a fascinating thing because it's obvious that he's going back and forth between heaven and earth on these different visions. So, I don't know what the time gap is, but in the first vision of Jesus Christ and the letters that he sent to the churches, that was one vision. He must have come out of that trance, went back to normal life, then at some point later, all of a sudden, he goes back into this ecstatic trance if you will and now, he's being summoned up into heaven.
       So, John is called up to heaven, and he goes through some kind of a doorway and finds himself overlooking this enormous panoramic scene of God's throne room. And when I started really considering that, the thing that came to me of all things would be like some workmen up in the light bars in a grand opera hall, and he's up there fiddling with the lights or whatever they do, and he's looking down at this whole enormous scene being enacted down there on the stage and all the hundreds of people in the audience looking on. That's kind of the perspective I get of John here. He's up perched in some lofty spot and he's watching these momentous events occurring there in that throne room.

Host: As you looked at Chapter 4, you said that there were really two things that stood out to you in this chapter. Talk about those.

Steve: Well, the first one is that God is seen on His throne. Take that vision in the context of the whole unfolding story presented in the Book of Revelation. The Church is about to undergo severe persecution and there are devastating judgements about to come upon the earth. I believe that the timing of this vision is important in the unfolding of the revelation because it is establishing God's sovereignty over all the affairs on earth. And if you are one of those believers who's entering this time of great uncertainty and fear, you really need to know in your heart that God is on His throne.

Host: Yeah. We really see that in our current culture. The spirit of fear and uncertainty that seems to be enveloping earth is almost hard to escape.

Steve: Yeah, for any human being it is. But for believers, if they will get their focus on God on His throne, they will find the comfort that they need.

Host: Yeah. Amen. You mentioned secondly that God is celebrated as the creator in this chapter. Why is that important?

Steve: It's a picture of who God is. Think about all the mayhem that is going to be transpiring on earth. Who created this earth? Who created mankind? Who created the animals? Who created the trees? Who created everything? God did. And only God has the authority. Only God has the right to begin to dismantle creation. And He does have that right. I think that it is also significant to keep in mind as you read about all the judgments that will start to unfold in the rest of the book.

Host: Okay. And as you approach Chapter 5, you said there's another change of scene that occurs.

Steve: Well, Chapter 4 was very important because it establishes God in His rightful place. But something different occurs in Chapter 5. Now the Lamb of God is introduced into the scene. In other words, in Chapter 4 God the Creator is emphasized, now in Chapter 5, God the Redeemer, The Son Jesus Christ is the one who is emphasized.

Host: Yes. The beautiful lamb. What's really going on in this chapter and with this scene that John is observing?

Steve: There's a passing reference to a Council of God's Holy One’s that is mentioned in one of the Psalms. And I believe that's what we see happening right here. This is a council situation. It's also mirrored in Daniel 7 by the way. But basically, what this is, is the inauguration of Jesus Christ. He has just come off victorious from Calvary. He has defeated Satan. Now He is being installed as the Co-Regent of God's Kingdom. A scroll is being handed to Him and in that scroll are the contents of God's purposes for earth. So, the implications of this transaction going on in the throne room of God is of enormous implications for mankind.

Host: Well, when you think about the reality of what God has given us in this book, He has given us a glimpse into the Councils of God. This is an enormous, almost hard to grasp thing that we've been handed by God. And how important it is that we take the time to read these things and allow God to get these things into our heart, because as I know you and I and a lot of other believers believe, we are watching these very things unfold in the earth today.

Steve: Well, it's actually one of the points I made in this teaching is that Christians tend to just blow over passages like this. But look at the response of the angelic beings that are present there when all this happens. In Chapter 4, the four living beings and the elders fall down and worship God the Creator. In Chapter 5, they fall down and worship the Lamb. And then one final time, the 5th outpouring of worship is to worship God the Father, the Creator and God the Redeemer, the Son. In other words, when they are watching what's transpiring, they are overwhelmed and all they can do is fall on their faces and worship the Lord.

Host: Man, what a glorious scene. And for me, I can just speak for myself, what a glorious hope this gives me for what God is doing and what God is going to do in these last days. This is a tremendous and powerful Word that He has given us here.

Steve: God is in control and that's where our hope and our trust is.