Revelation Chapter 7‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back! During this week’s fellowship time, we’ll continue our study of Revelation.

Revelation Chapter 7
 
This week we will investigate chapter 7 represents what is referred to as a parenthetical chapter. It is the first of a few chapters throughout the book of Revelation where we take a “break” from the judgments of turmoil as the Lord pauses to give His readers hope, assurance and comfort in the midst of the seven-year “hell on earth” that takes place between chapter 6 verse 1 and chapter 19 verse 11.

Throughout the terrible Tribulation judgments, the Lord graciously provides us with the reassurance that He has everything under His perfect, sovereign control and that everything will transpire just as He has prophesied through His all-sufficient and inerrant Word.

As we discussed in our last study, chapter 7 also represents a parenthesis between the Sixth Seal of chapter 6 and the Seventh Seal of chapter 8, verse 1 – which ushers in the Seven Trumpet Judgments of chapters 8 & 9 and the Seven Bowl Judgments of chapter 16. 

 

Often I'm asked, "Do you think there will there be any one that will get saved during the Tribulation Period?" Here is a key verse in chapter 7 to consider in which states that a large number of people will indeed be saved during that great time of coming judgment:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands – Revelation 7:9

In fact, Revelation 7:4-8 speak of 144,000 Jews who will be saved at the beginning of the Tribulation:

And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed

This salvation work I believe is a result of the ministry of the "two witnesses" in whom we will be introduced later in chapter 11 of our studies.

When God selected the children of Jacob and his twelve sons to be His chosen people – the Jews – He knew they would not always be obedient and loving as a people. He knew they would sometimes be a stiff-necked, hard-hearted, and hard-headed people – like me! The Scriptures declare that the Jews must be in the land, in unbelief, before the Lord will bring salvation to them as a nation. He has promised that Salvation for the Jews will come in "one day" when Jesus Christ returns to earth at His Second Coming:

For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day – Zechariah 3:9

Although the Tribulation will be a time of tremendous judgment and horror, it will also be a time of unprecedented salvation – for both Jews and Gentiles. These twelve thousand Jewish men from each of the twelve tribes of Israel will have a ministry of "evangelism" during the Tribulation.

In fact, every person on earth during the Tribulation will have an opportunity to hear the "gospel of the kingdom" and many will be saved:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come – Matthew 24:14

However, with all that said, I also believe there is a group of people who will not be able to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Those people will be the ones who, prior to the Rapture, have heard the gospel preached, understood the gospel and rejected the gospel. This very difficult passage is found in 2 Thessalonians:

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness – 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

Notice there are three attributes – "hear, understand and reject"… It seems to say that there will be no "second chance" to get saved during the Tribulation Period… I hope I am wrong!

Prior to the Rapture, there may be some people who have heard, but never understood the gospel. I do believe that those folks will then understand and have an opportunity to get saved during the Tribulation. This Bible truth that I have just described may not fit well with a famous fictional novel series about the second coming. But remember, we don’t receive our Christian "doctrine" from novels – only from God's Holy Word:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Those who get saved during the Tribulation Period are not referred to in the Scriptures as Christians. All Christians of this current Church Age of Grace will leave the earth at the Rapture when the Lord Jesus Christ shouts for us to join Him in the heavenlies.

The Jews and Gentiles left behind on earth as a result of the Rapture – who believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and repent of their sins during the Tribulation period – are known in the book of Revelation as "Tribulation Saints". These Tribulation Saints "lived and reigned" with Jesus during His 1000-year Millennial Kingdom to come:

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years – Revelation 20:4

The Apostle Peter also wrote in his last letter that the only reason Jesus Christ has not yet called us up to be with Him in the Rapture is because He is "not willing that any should perish" but all should come to salvation:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance – 2 Peter 3:9

Peter then seems to say that we can be "hastening" His return by leading lost people to the Lord Jesus Christ through the sharing of His Gospel:

…looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? – 2 Peter 3:12

May these Scriptures encourage us to do all we can to introduce Jesus Christ to those who desperately need Him as their personal Lord and Savior in this lost and dying world – Halleluiah!

With this information as a foundation for your studies, please read through Chapter 7 of Revelation.

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate chapter 8 of Revelation…

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
 

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

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