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?

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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.