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Revelation #14

Have you been at peace in the Lord over the past week? The word of God, the book of Revelation, is the conclusion of all God’s plans and the words of the fulfillment of God’s will. When our Lord taught to his disciples about praying, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come., It is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of Christ. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10 KJV) How is God’s will done on earth? God’s will to destroy all sin. He destroys death. And it is God’s will to destroy Satan, who brought that death and sin. The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil. In conclusion, the book of Revelation is a wonderful ending. But if God’s children do not know the words of this ending, what hope will they live with? It is the very day numerous people have looked to the day of God since the days of Abraham. That is why Abraham also said he looked toward the city in heaven that God had given him. He was not satisfied with living in this land being rich. He lived as a pilgrim and a foreigner. How are you guys living? Where are your hopes? No matter how hard we suffer on this earth, we can live a powerful life only when we truly see the conclusion of God, heaven and earth in the book of Revelation.

            We have completed chapter 6, and we are moving onto Chapter 7. Chapter 7 deals with those who are saved during the tribulation period. How they will survive during the tribulation and we’ll find out there are people who will be saved even during that time. 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. (Revelation 7:1 KJV) In fact, people believed the earth was flat until 1890. They believed they’d fall off if they reached the end. Here in 7:1 says I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth. Sound unscientific, doesn’t it? But this is how it should be spoken to the people of Apostle John’s time. It sounds as if God Himself spoke unscientifically in order to make people realize from age to age, but in fact, these four corners are east, west, north, and south. People would not have known what he was talking about at that time, if the Lord had told the Apostle John to say east, west, north and south. But God said it was the four corners of the earth to make people understand at that time. God is so compassionate. God is compassionate because He wants everyone to be saved. If it were east, west, north and south, everyone who lived before 1890 would not have understood this. This shows how science is so slow. Interestingly, 2800 years ago, Isaiah 40:22 said the earth is round. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: (Isaiah 40:22 KJV)  God already said the earth was round 2800 years ago. Also, when talking about the rapture in Luke 17, some people will be grinding while others are working in the fields, and they will be taken up. In other words, events that occurred simultaneously, one at night and one during the day. If it’s night in America, it’s day in Korea, right? Why? Because the earth is round. This means the earth was already round when the prophet Isaiah lived around 780 BC, way before when the Gospel of Luke was written around 50 AD. Far ahead of Columbus, right? After all, people are just discovering what God has created. Science is something  people gradually open their minds to realize and discover what God has already created. There is no such thing as invention. In fact, inventions are base on what people have discovered based on the principles God made and are able to make certain things such as advancements of space engineering and etc., but in the end, everything comes from God. Therefore, we can see that the Bible is so kind, and we must fully believe in the Word of God. In particular, since the words of the book of Revelation have never been fulfilled so far, people do not want to believe them to be literal, but just symbolic. Until God speaks in parables, we must believe His words to be literal. Hence, the book of Revelation is not hard to understand, but hard to believe, right? The word of God is given to us to believe. When God speaks, sinners must believe. Going against God’s Word is ignorant, fighting a losing battle.

           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, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Revelation 7:2-3 KJV) Here we see the remnant of Israel. Hell won’t open until they are marked with the seal on their foreheads. Since Hell is opened in 6:8, we can see chapter 7 is a brief insertion describing the events before the seals are fully opened. Now then, who are sealed? 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. (Revelation 7:4 KJV) There’s a lot of talk about the 144,000, right? Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7^th-day Adventists, and Mormons say they’re the 144,000. But when their members reached over 144,000, they changed theology again. The truth cannot be changed. You can’t change the doctrine. What these three religions have in common is: not only you must believe in Jesus, but also doing certain works. They teach salvation through works. This is not the true gospel. This is a different gospel. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:9 KJV) Twelve thousand each out of the twelve tribes of Israel will come forward. These are the servants who are sealed in verse 3, and servants are always an expression used to describe Israel. The contents about putting a seal on the forehead is also mentioned in the book of Ezekiel 9:1~8, and I will read a verse from it: And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. (Ezekiel 9:4 KJV) Put a mark on the foreheads of those who see sin and mourn at the wickedness of men. They escaped death. But people argue, ‘How can God gather all the twelve tribes together if the people of Israel are all scattered? People Can’t. But according to Isaiah 49:6, it is easy to raise the tribe of Israel. God is able to create, and it is easy to bring them back up again. Isn’t God Almighty? We cannot evaluate God’s Word within the boundaries of science invented by humans. But at the same time, if you also confess He is the Almighty God who made the heavens and the earth, would you not be lying before God? You must believe in the word of God unconditionally. This is the person who truly believes in Almighty God. To believe what I understand and not believe what I don’t understand is believing in me, not believing in God. The one hundred and forty-four thousand are not Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are not seventh-day Adventists, and they are not Christians. This is neither a spiritual Jew nor a spiritual Israel. These are chosen out of the twelve tribes of Israel. No interpretation is necessary because the Bible says so. In the previous chapters 2 and 3, in the letters to the seven churches, self-proclaimed Jews appear, and they are the synagogue of Satan. What is a self-proclaimed Jew? They’re not Jew but claim to be a Jew, as the twelve tribes of Israel, the 144,000 chosen. That’s a self-proclaimed Jew. For this reason, heresy is also discriminated by the Word of God.

            To see how each tribe of 12,000 receives the seal, let’s continue with verse 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. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 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. 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. (Revelation 7:5-8 KJV) The 12 tribes of Israel, the tribes in Numbers, in Ezekiel 48 when the land was divided, and in the book of Revelation are different. Verse 8 contains the tribe of Joseph. The tribe of Ephraim is omitted and the tribe of Joseph is included. The tribe of Ephraim sinned. So, Joseph takes the place of Ephraim. He gave Joseph two tribes, two portions, because Joseph was loyal to God. Originally, his sons Manasseh and Ephraim were in, but Ephraim was left out and Joseph was in. Can you see this meticulous reign of God in there? Then we can see that Levi became one of the twelve tribes. Originally, Levi was the thirteenth tribe, the tribe that served the priesthood. However, the tribe of Dan is omitted. The tribe of Dan is removed and the tribe of Levi is added. There’s meaning behind this. About the tribe of Dan In the Bible, a little introduction about the tribe of Dan appears for the first time in Genesis 14:14. About Dan’s birth. Dan is Rachel’s first son, but because her sister Leah’s sister gave birth to a son, out of jealousy she sent her servant into Jacob to have a son. That’s how Dan became to be. This is not God’s will. Dan was born through surrogacy. That’s why (Genesis 49:17 KJV) says, 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. Dan became a tribe that served a foreign god. So he was cursed by God. We can see that God is controlling the tribes with God’s sovereignty. 7:9-12 shows the Gentiles. The world is divided not only Jews but also Gentiles. However, among Jews and Gentiles, those who have received Jesus Christ and are born again of the Holy Spirit become the Church of God. So, when we say Gentiles, it’s not Jews, nor those who have been saved by believing in Jesus Christ, but all who remain on this earth at the time of the tribulation, including Asians, Blacks, White, or Hispanics….Those who have not yet believed in Jesus. Let’s see how the Gentiles are saved. 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; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 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, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 7:9-12 KJV) These are all Gentiles. Koreans will be among them. They have been saved from tribulation. They have been saved and already ascended to heaven where the throne is. The praises of a great multitude of angels are testament to this. Where are the great crowds of angels? In heaven of course. They too were saved and ascended to heaven. So we can see those dressed in white are the martyrs who were beheaded mentioned in 6:11. This will be the case among the great multitude of Gentiles. Now in the Age of Grace, many who have not properly believed in Jesus and have not been born again just attend church as a simple ritual. But only after all born-again Christians have been raptured they’ll be the first to say, “The Bible really is true! I’m still here left behind, what do I do?  I must keep my faith under tyranny of the Antichrist!” Is there any other way to keep the faith? If you do not receive 666, you cannot buy anything, so you have no choice but to starve to death. For that reason, there will be many people here who risk their lives to escape the beheading carried out by the Antichrist. We can understand it like this here. We’ve all heard about John 3:16 how everyone believing in Jesus Christ and getting saved, right. It is implied here that there will be many unbelievers will come to understand later after the rapture.

            Let’s move forward with verse 13-17. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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. 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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 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. (Revelation 7:13-17 KJV) In fact, Christians living in the Age of Grace do not need to wash their clothes in the blood of the Lamb, do they? Because in (Hebrews 9:14 KJV) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? There is no need to wash your clothes because the blood of Christ has washed away even the sins of your conscience. It’s after this age of grace, they wash their clothes with the blood of the Lamb. We can only imagine what it will be like at that time. According to 7:15, they serve in his temple day and night. A temple in heaven. However, for Christians today, the body of Christ is the temple of the Holy Spirit of this age. And when you go up to the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple. God Himself is the Light. That is why Revelation 21:22 says New Jerusalem does not need the sun or the moon, and there is no temple, because God is there. But those who are saved during the time of tribulation and clothed in white robes washed with the blood of the Lamb serve in His temple day and night. different location. They’re not living in New Jerusalem. Therefore, if you receive Jesus Christ today and receive salvation, this is your blessing, and while you live on this earth, your body will also receive the blessing of becoming God’s temple as the Holy Spirit dwells inside. The church building is not the temple, but the people who believe in the blood of Jesus Christ. Because the Holy Spirit is inside, this is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is why, no matter how poor or sick, or heinous sin they may have committed, the moment they believe in Jesus Christ, they now become the temple as The Holy Spirit takes residence in the believer as His blood washes their consciences, justifies them. Therefore, the members of the early church in the old days joyfully went from house to house to worship, and had fellowship with one another. China’s underground church members don’t even have a church building, but because they are the temples, whenever they gather, because the Lord is in them, they can see the glory of the Lord and know that they have been able to overcome everything until now. Especially in 7:16, They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. (Revelation 7:16 KJV)  Imagine how much they’ve suffered. Since they did not receive the seal (666), they wandered starving ,thirsty, and running away without a home out in the sun. There will no longer be such pain. Because the Lord will take them to heaven. what a wonderful sight indeed. However, being saved now is much greater blessing. and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:17 KJV)  Only when we go to eternity, when we go to heaven there will be no tears. The tears of us born-again Christians will not stop until we pass the judgment seat of Christ. There will be many family and friends who will go through tribulation on the earth, even though they did not really believe while they were on this earth. But once they see the rapture of children of God, their relatives, their pastor, they’ll say, “Truly, God lives. The words of Revelation are true.” They will THEN cry out to believe and try to keep their faith. How heartbreaking it will be for the raptured saints when they look down at the earth like John did? Many tears will be shed at the final Judgment of Great White Throne. That’s why Jesus Christ wept for sinners. The women of Jerusalem wept as the Lord fell and bled as He carried the cross. Then the Lord looked upon them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. (Luke 23:28 KJV)  The Lord wept because He knew that by AD 70, Jerusalem would be devastated, women would be savagely reviled, and His people would be killed and scattered throughout the world. We will weep like that like in Revelation 20. That is why now is the time to believe in Jesus Christ. There will be no opportunity when you fall into the tribulation.

            Now, when we move on to chapter 8, we can see that the seventh seal is broken and the plague of the trumpets. Let’s look at few verses, and then we will look at it in more detail next time. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Revelation 8:1 KJV) This is the second unfolding of the Tribulation. In chapters 8, 9 and 11, the trumpet is now sounded. Every time the trumpet is sounded, you can see the terrible work of tribulation taking place. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. (Revelation 8:2-3 KJV) This temple is the temple in heaven. The tabernacle shown to Moses and the temple built by Solomon and Herod are models of the temple in heaven. God instructed them to build the tabernacle according to the pattern. The temple in heaven appears again in Revelation 11:19. This is definitely in heaven until the beginning of eternity. God says there will be no more temples in this city when eternity begins and the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. You will learn more about this in Revelation 21 as you continue to listen to the Bible study. This golden altar is an altar for emptying incense. So prayers are brought into the golden censer. This is different from the bronze altar where sacrifices are made. The throne is the seat of the Most Holy in the tabernacle of the earth. We can see that the model of the throne in heaven is the Most Holy of the tabernacle on earth. Now, here is the scene where the prayers of the saints go up. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. (Revelation 8:4-6 KJV) This altar fire appears to be the fire of the gold altar inside the tabernacle, or the fire of the brass altar outside the tabernacle. The prayers of the saints. These prayers are ascending before God like incense. This also appears in Luke 1:10. When priests burn incense, their prayers will come up as they remember them before God. In Acts 10:2-4, when Cornelius prayed, prayers and alms came up before God. When the prayers of the saints are poured out on the golden altar, they are eventually answered by the earth. In Revelation 6:9,10, the souls of those who were martyred for the testimony of Jesus prayed for revenge. We see that their prayers have been answered in Revelation 8:5. When the saints who have suffered injustice pray before God, their prayers will be taken up to heaven by angels to be offered on the golden altar, and it will be vengeance when it is poured out on the earth. God said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense,  (Hebrews 10:30 KJV)  That is why the Lord taught us to pray today. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Now, when the Lord comes, there will be my salvation when it is done on earth. When you pray like this, the angels will receive the prayer in golden vials and pour it on the altar of God. Then, the Lord will now avenge all your enemies through tribulation, will wipe away your tears, and will give you the wonderful blessing of living in the hope of living in the eternal kingdom of God. The words of Revelation contain this hope. The book also contains the end of the wicked and sinners who follow Satan. The end of the present sinful world. The end of the devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet. It is truly a hopeful book for God’s people. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will overcome the world in the faith that overcomes all things in the hope of the coming Lord. Amen.