DECEMBER 9 READING…REVELATION 7
Chapter 7 tells us of two separate and distinct groups of people. What is true of both groups is that they are all believers in Christ Jesus. One group is made up of the tribes of Israel…the other is made up all believers from all the Gentile nations.
The chapter opens with four angels causing the atmosphere on earth to be completely quite, not even a wisp of a breeze. Everything stops as an angel moves to earth to place the seal of God on His people. The number of these would be 144,000…12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, yes these are Jews…they are not Jehovah Witness. Why the seal? First, to identify them as followers of Jesus. Second, they are sealed for a purpose…they shall be the evangelist in the tribulation period. Third, they are are sealed for their protection...no one will be able to harm them, until their God-given mission is completed.
The second group we are told about is a great multitude from all the Gentile nations on the earth. There is some discussion as to whether these are those martyred in the tribulation, but we have already seen them in chapter 6. Some would say these are the ones raptured, taken out of the earth when Jesus came for them at the beginning of the tribulation period. Their message is the message of the church…they are the redeemed, whose sins have been forgiving. Interestingly, the first group remains on earth as a witness, while the second group were a witness and now are before the throne of God forever.
Please share your thoughts from today’s reading.
MONDAY’S READING…REVELATION 8
Comments