054 - REVELATION 07

REVELATION 07

 

·        "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." (Rev 7.1).

 

There are four evil angels (one in each corner of the earth), ready to promote wars that will result in the death of half the world's population. These are the four winds of heaven that are being held captive by four good angels in order that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (Zechariah 6:1-8 four spirits of the heavens - Rev 6:1-8) and cavalry of 20,000 times ten thousands (Rev 9.14.15) only come at the right time, i.e., when the seventieth week is begun. 

And for you to see how wind has to do with angel and with war, see verses below:

 

·        "Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished." (Jer 49.36).

·        "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." (Dan 7.2).

·        "And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." (Zechariah 6.5) - Note: spirit = wind.

·        "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." (Heb 1.7).

 

The angels have frequently been engaged in the implementation of the divine judgment in this world. They are seen acting:

 

·        In Egypt when the firstborn of Egypt had to die (Exo 12.22);

·        An angel was sent to execute the death of seventy thousand Israelites (2Sam 24.16,17); 

·        An angel performed the killing of one hundred and eighty thousand assyrians of the army of Sennacherib (2Kings 19.35).

·        Two angels were sent to save Lot and his daughters of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19.15,16).

 

We cannot ignore the fact that the action of the four horsemen come with the goal of promoting every wind of doctrine to confuse the followers of the Eternal One (Eph 4.14).

Comes the question: what does it mean the expressions:

 

·        Four winds of heaven? 

·        All four corners of the earth? What is the corner of something round?

 

The conclusion I draw from this is that the base of the planet Earth is a perfect square whose tips were joined to one another to form a ball. And the four winds of heaven depict the mode of action of the Eternal One with relation to this world: four spirits from the four corners of the earth, each acting in a quadrant, so as to act in all the earth.

 

·        "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," (Rev 7.2).

 

The eyes of the Eternal One over the righteous, as well as His name, the name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit (which constitute His seal in their lives). This seal is:

 

1.     Symbol of redemption;

2.     Mark of possession;

3.     Indicative of similarity;

4.     Badge of service;

5.     Guarantee of security.

 

Therefore, the seal is Jesus Himself. Even because, see what says the book of Song:

 

·        "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." (Song 8.6).

 

In addition, consider that the seal is the name of the Lamb, the name of his Father (Rev 14.1) and the Holy Spirit (Eph 1.14). And as it is well known, Jesus is the one who represents all of this.

And to give you an idea of how the name is something powerful and valuable in Holy Scripture, see that the name of the Eternal One, of the Lamb and the New Jerusalem are rewards for the winners:

 

·        "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." (Rev 3.12). 

 

And, in fact, the name of the Eternal One is seen on the forehead of the winners:

 

·        "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads." (Rev 22.3,4).

 

Why does the Angel comes of the rising sun side? Let us see some passages that highlight the east:

 

1 - the cherubim were placed at the east of the garden of Eden, which indicates that the entry for the same was there:

 

·        "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Genesis 3.24).

 

2 - The front of the tabernacle and the temple was to the east:

 

·        "But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death." (Num 3.38).

·        "And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east." (Ezekiel 8.16).

 

3 - The glory of the Eternal One should come from the way of the east:

 

·        "Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east." (Ezekiel 43.1,2,4).

 

4 - Jesus Himself was called "East from on high":

 

·        "Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us," (Luke 1.78).

 

That is to say, this teaches us that Jesus works to the right, usually related to justice, righteousness, aid. Furthermore, whereas, for the Eternal One, the day begins at noon (hence the expression "evening and morning" in Gen 17), therefore the rising of the sun represents the beginning of the end. That is to say, the angel coming from the rising sun represents the beginning of the end of this dispensation, namely, the beginning of the seventieth and last week. As soon as there is a rest between evening and morning, there has been a period of rest between the 69th and the 70th week of Daniel.

Comes the question: Who is this angel?

Note that this angel had the seal of the living God (brought the name of the Father and the Son of a live mode - Rev 14.1). That is, this angel would do with that all 144,000 take upon themselves the identity of the Eternal One and His Son of a live mode, namely, through the Eternal One’s Spirit acting in them (Eph 1.13; 4.30). These 144,000 are an excellent expression of who the Eternal One is.

Whereas the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit is Jesus (Matt 3.11), therefore this messenger is Jesus and the plural "until we seal on the forehead the servants of our God," it is because who will seal is the Eternal One with all His centers of consciousness (after all, He giveth not His Spirit by measure, but complete - John 3.34).

Besides, note:

 

1.     The origin of this glorious angel: He rose from the east, the source of the glory, whence the sun comes to inundate the world with his light;

2.     The divine credentials of this angel: has the seal of the living God;

3.     The great zeal of this angel: "he cried with a loud voice" in order to make the judgment of the Eternal One was not anticipated by the eagerness of evil angels (the four winds). 

 

Comes the question: But why did Jesus restricts the four evil angels? Because His work was not yet finalized. Jesus (who has the seal of the Living God) still had that seal the 144,000? And why was this important? As you'll see below, so that it is visible and noticeable difference that the seal of the Holy Spirit does in the life of those who receive. The image of seal is derived from the book of Ezekiel (Ezek 9.2,6,11). There was a group that needed to be specially sealed.

And How will Jesus put this seal? During the first half of the 70th week, the two witnesses are preaching the everlasting gospel that will receive directly from the angel who has the everlasting gospel to preach (Rev 14.6), the same that John was instructed to eat (Rev 10.9-11). When these 144,000 have received the light of Christ in their lives, they will be sealed.

Another question arises: what sort of protection this seal will bring for the 144,000? It has something to do with the seven trumpets?

These 144,000 have their minds protected by accurate knowledge of who is the Eternal One. Considering the massive scourge of the seven trumpets and the apparent success of Antichrist, who does not have his mind firmly in Jesus, will be fooled by illusions of him (Mt 18.25). 

Therefore, the greater purpose of these seals is show that only those who have intimacy with Jesus and is marked by His presence themselves is able to remain firm without sinning through the enticements of the antichrist. After all, only these 144,000 Jews will remain in Christ "awakened" in the first half of the 70th week. The other Jews or will be sleeping (the 5 wise virgins - Matt 25.1), or are not prepared for the coming of Christ (the fool virgins) or be in apostasy.

In other words, this seal is to show the difference that Christ really is and that, without it, nobody can stand firm.

 

·         "Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (Rev 7.3).

 

Why is the order "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees”? This order was to show to the four good angels that it was the hour of freeing the four bad angels, so as they bring the three first horsemen.

However, the four horseman wasn’t still to be freed, who will bring big destruction on earth (human buildings), sea and trees (human feeding).

The three first horsemen act firstly in the soul and the spirit of the individuas and this is what ought to be brought at first.

The power of the four angels to damage the earth and sea is to be freed only after the 144,000 Jews be sealed.

The seal of the Eternal One presents Jesus as:

 

1.     protecting the mind of His sons;

2.     showing to His sons how much He loves them;

3.     showing to others that believe in Him (or will believe) how beautiful is the character of the Eternal One inside who has it, as well as the strength of the Eternal One in conserving this in their lives;

4.     giving, to His sons, individuals in whom they can invest their lives with security.

 

The seal is a pledge (Eph 1.3; 4.30; 2Cor 1.22), i.e., a guarantee that the individual will be free from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world (Rev 3.10; 9.4; Ez 9.4).

The act of mark those that belongs to the Eternal One demonstrates the loving care of the Eternal One in rid their sons of the true evil. The Eternal One, before allowing the destruction, provides a method of escape (Na 1.3; 1 Corinthians 10.13) for those whom He chooses (Ezek 9.2-6,11).

He did this at the time of Lot:

 

·        "Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar." (Gen 19.22).

 

He did this at the time of Noah:

 

·        "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch." (Gen 6.13,14). 

 

He did this at the time of Moses:

 

·        "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12.12,13).

 

Ezekiel prophesied the same thing:

 

·        "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. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. " (Ezek 9.4-6)

 

Jesus also promised the same thing:

 

·        "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt 24.31).

 

Not that the righteous are exempted from the tribulation (Noah, Lot, etc., had to afflict their souls to see the sins of others). However, the Eternal One provides a way to rid them of apostasy and saving them from the wrath to come (1Thes 1.10).

But as the Eternal One will rid them? Through their faith (Hab 2.4; Rm 1.17; Gal 3.11; Heb 10.38).

 

·        "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant." (Psalm 25.14).

·        "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Tim 2.19).

 

It is good to remember that the seal of the Eternal One implies in intimacy, in the revelation of a secret. Furthermore, what differs one relation of other is the quantity of revealed secrets.

In other words, it isn’t the things that get worse after the person accept Jesus; rather, the Eternal One led the individual to accept Jesus before things get worse. Or, thinking of another way: it is because the Eternal One is designing something bad to come that He calls His chosen to make a difference, and thus give opportunity for others to see the light in the darkness in which they are dwelling (Isaiah 9.1.2; Matt 4.15,16).

The reason to be marked on the forehead is because this is a remarkable place in the life of a human being. So much so that it is there that on the helmet of salvationis put (Isaiah 59.17; Eph 6.17).

As the act of sealing the 144,000, thus we can summarize:

 

·        The reason attributed to hinder the four demons to execute the judgment of the Eternal One: "till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (Rev 7.3);

·        What is to seal someone: protect their mind and heart in order that nothing prevents them from believing in Christ;

·        The sealing agent: Jesus with all their centers of consciousness;

·        The target of sealing: 144,000 Jews chosen to evangelize throughout the region of Israel during the first half of the 70th week;

·        The visibility of the brand: on the forehead;

·        The reason for the brand: granting them supernatural faith, so that they will not fall in faith because of the persecution of the Antichrist and the terrible suffering of trumpets.

 

·        "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." (Rev 7.4).

 

The 144,000 are the first fruits for the Lamb (the early Israelites converted in the 70th week - Rev 7.1-8), whose ministry will be followed by a harvest of "Tabernacles" (souls) from all the peoples of the earth (Rev 7.9-17).

 

Why are they sealed?

 

1º - because the 144,000 belong to Eternal One, which gave them to the Lamb (John 17.6).

2º - because, although the Lamb has received as a gift, he had to buy them with His blood. Note as the true blessing of Eternal One is alive, i.e., although we must receive it as a gift, yet we invest our lives in order to take possession of it and keep it.

3º - because they received within themselves the word of truth (Eph 1.13).

4 - to ensure that the witness of Christ in them may be worthy of credibility for anyone who wants the truth.

5º - so that they can have a mouth full of truth and, with this, to serve Jesus blamelessly (Rev 14.5), for example, showing how the Eternal One is mighty to save in purity and holiness thousands ones of a nation, even in the face of the greatest temptation, which shall come upon the world, even though this nation has the most hardened heart with relation to Christ.

 

Note that John heard the number of marked, i.e., it is an exact thing (and not something that he simply saw). Many try to allegorizing the quantity of individuals sealed, as well as their origin. However, considering that each of the tribes of Israel is cited, soon with certainty this verse should be considered so literally.

In other words, it is the first 144,000 Israelites who will convert to Jesus (hence being firstfruits to the Eternal One and to the Lamb - Rev 14.4) by the preaching of the two witnesses of Rev 11. Regarding the other Israelites, thousands ones will adhere to the Antichrist. Those who do not adhere and which do not belong to the wise virgins, two thirds will be eliminated and a third, purified in the Great Tribulation:

 

·        "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." (Zechariah 13.8,9).

 

·        "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." (Ap 7.5-8).

 

Note how the tribes cited:

 

·        Judah is mentioned in the first place for having originally been an expression of praise (Gen 29.35) to the Eternal One. And, as it is well known, the subtheme of revelation is worship and praise. Furthermore, it is from this tribe that comes the Messiah (Gen 49.10).

·        Reuben should be the firstborn, but lost the birthright because he cohabited with his father's concubine (Gen 49.3,4; 1Chr 5.1).

·        Dan and Ephraim are not cited. Comes the question: why?

 

Well, this is not the first time that one of the tribes of Israel is not cited:

 

è The tribe of Dan is omitted in the genealogy of 1Chr 4-7 and the tribe of Joseph is dismembered in Manasseh and Ephraim:

 

·        Judah (1Chr 4.1);

·        Simeon (1 Chr 4.20);

·        Reuben (1Chr 5.1);

·        Half the tribe of Manasseh who stayed beyond the Jordan (1 Chr 5.23);

·        Levi (1Chr 6.1);

·        Zebulun (1 Chr 6.63);

·        Gad (1 Chr 6.63);

·        Issachar (1Chr 7.1);

·        Benjamin (1Chr 7.6);

·        Naphtali (1 Chr 7.13);

·        Manasseh (1 Chr 7.14);

·        Ephraim (1 Chr 7.20);

·        Asher (1 Chr 7.30);

 

Joseph, although mentioned in (1Cor 5.1.2; 7.29),he is not seen inheriting anything, not giving something of his inheritance apart of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Only the tribe of Dan is not mentioned in these chapters.

 

è In Deuteronomy 33 Simeon is not mentioned.

 

·        Reuben (Deut 33.6);

·        Judah (Deut 33.7);

·        Levi (Deut 33.8);

·        Benjamin (Deut 33.12);

·        José (Deut 33.13);

·        Zebulun (Deut 33.18);

·        Issachar (Deut 33.18);

·        Gad (Deut 33.20);

·        Dan (Deut 33.22);

·        Naphtali (Deut 33.23);

·        Asher (Deut 33.24).

 

Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned, but as an unfolding of Joseph. Although the two are mentioned usually in place of Joseph and Levi, here Manasseh and Ephraim are not filling a gap, being the only place where only eleven tribes is mentioned.

 

è In numbers 13.4-15, Levi is omitted and, to quote the name of Manasseh, cites is also the name of Joseph:

 

·        4 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 

·        5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 

·        6  Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 

·        7  Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 

·        8  Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. 

·        9  Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 

·        10  Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 

·        11  Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 

·        12  Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 

·        13  Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 

·        14  Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 

·        15  Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 

 

It is also not the first time that the tribes are listed in a different order:

 

In Gen 49, behold the order of the tribes (first he cites the six sons of Leah and ends with the two sons of Rachel):

 

·        Ruben (Gen 49.3);

·        Simeon (Gen 49.5);

·        Levi (Gen 49.5);

·        Judah (Genesis 49.8);

·        Zebulun (Gen 49.13);

·        Issachar (Gen 49.14);

·        Dan (Gen 49.16);

·        Gad (Gen 49.19);

·        Asher (Gen 49.20);

·        Naphtali (Gen 49.21);

·        Joseph (Gen 49.22);

·        Benjamin (Gen 49.27).

 

Here in Revelation 7, the order cited is:

 

1º - The two firstborn: the spiritual firstborn (for the reasons mentioned above) and the legal firstborn;

2º - The two sons of the slave despised woman;

3º - The two sons of the handmaid of the loved woman;

4º - The four sons of neglected woman;

5º - The two sons of the beloved one.

 

I believe that the Eternal One prioritizes the sons of the most despised first to put an end to all division that may be among those whom He calls to be His family (see 1 Corinthians 12.24-25).

But after all, why nobody of Ephraim and Dan are not sealed?

Ephraim is greatly associated with idolatry:

 

·        "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone." (Hos 4.17).

·        "They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again." (Amos 8.14).

 

After Israel rebels against the command of Judah, Ephraim shines and several times is seen facing Israel (1Kings 12.19).

As to Dan:

 

First: Dan is the tribe that first fell into idolatry.

 

·        "And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh." (Jz 18.30,31).

 

Second: it is very likely that the Antichrist will come out of the tribe of Dan, although somehow he will convince everyone that he is from the tribe of Judah:

 

·        "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 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." (Gen 49.16,17).

·        "The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD." (Jer 8.16,17).

 

In addition, it is good to remember that it was in these two tribes that the two calves of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, was put (1Kings 12.29; Jos 16.1). Note that Bethel was of Ephraim (Js 16.1,2).

However, it is worth noting that Dan appears in the gates of the New Jerusalem: 

 

·        "And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:" (Rev 21.12).

 

You might ask: how do I know this, if not explicitly registered which twelve tribes are being referred to?

In Ezek 48.31-34, where it is spoken of the gates of Jerusalem in the millennium, are cited the original twelve tribes of Israel, only in a different order:

 

·        "31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. 

·        32  And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. 

·        33  And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. 

·        34  At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali." (Ezek 48.31-34).

 

Besides, the quote from Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim are being included.

Furthermore, in Ezekiel 48.1-27, Dan is the first to be cited and Levi is not quoted (when it speaks of inheritance):

 

·        1 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan. 

·        2  And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher. 

·        3  And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Naphtali. 

·        4  And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Manasseh. 

·        5  And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. 

·        6  And by the border of Ephraim, from the east side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben.  

·        7  And by the border of Reuben, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah. 

·        23 As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. 

·        24  And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion. 

·        25  And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion. 

·        26  And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion. 

·        27  And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.

 

In other words, note that Dan and Ephraim are included in the millennial kingdom, none was rejected as people and Levi will be the priestly tribe.

The difference is with respect to the 144,000 who were elected to recognize Jesus before the coming of Christ and in the first half of the 70th week. As in Jesus Christ all are priests (Rev 1.6; 5.10), there is no more need of a priestly tribe. Hence Levi be mentioned. And who has not honored the Eternal One in the past (for the reasons cited above), did not confess His name, will now be denied about such privilege (Matt 10.32,33).

However, as the tribe of Joseph are sealed 12,000, so it is quite likely that many of Ephraim will be included among these sealed. However, due to all his unworthiness to represent Israel (in the past, Ephraim represented the ten northern tribes), in Christ he does not deserve to be appointed.

So much so that the Eternal One said that Ephraim would no longer be a people:

 

·        "Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God." (Hosea 1.9).

·        "For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people." (Isaiah 7.8).

 

It is true that the prophecy has to do with Israel as a whole. However, it isn’t in vain that the Eternal One refers to Israel and Ephraim.

And that this prophecy was fulfilled, let's look at some passages involving Ephraim:

 

·        "And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah." (Joshua 20.7).

·        "And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah." (Joshua 17.7).

 

Note how Shechem is located in the land of Ephraim, bordered with Manasseh:

 

·        "And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel, and goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth," (Joshua 16.1,2).

·        "And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven. And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron." (Joshua 18.11-13).

 

Note how Bethel is located in the land of Ephraim, bordering the land of Benjamin.

How to Samaria, see how it was founded:

 

·        "And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria" (1 Kings 16.24).

 

Originally it was a city. This can be demonstrated in the following verses:

 

·        "And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them." (1 Kings 22.10)

·        "And Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; and he reigned two years over Israel" (1 Kings 22.52).

 

Then, it stood out so much that came to be identified with Ephraim, where it was.

The proof of this can be seen in the verse below:

 

·        " For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass." (1 Kings 13.32).

 

1 - If Samaria was a city, as a whole region may be referred to as Samaria? 

 

·        "And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria." (1 Kings 21.1).

 

2 - Ahab was king of all the ten tribes of Israel (which was referred to, at this time, as Ephraim), and not just a city. 

 

·        "And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established." (Isaiah 7.9).

·        "And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart," (Isaiah 9.9).

 

3 - Samaria was the capital of Ephraim. Although Ephraim here refers to Israel, again it is appropriate to highlight that is not in vain that the author prefers to quote Ephraim instead of Israel.

 

After much time into idolatry, the Eternal One allows Assyria invade and take the ten tribes of Israel in captivity. See what happens:

 

·        "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt." (2Kings 17.24-29).

 

Note that all the Israelites are expelled from Samaria, which passed to be occupied by men from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath and Sepharvaim. That is to say, Samaria came to be inhabited by aliens, fulfilling the prophecy mentioned above: that Ephraim would no longer be a people (Hosea 1.9; Isaiah 7.8).

However, as the lions were devouring the people, they began to worship the Eternal One also (along with their gods).

After nearly 90 years, the king Josiah made a spiritual purification in the cities of Samaria (Ephraim):

 

·        "And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel." (2 Kings 23.19).

 

And this purification had its effect:

 

·        "And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it, that there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD." (Jer 41.4,5).

 

Note that these foreigners dwelling in Ephraim (Shechem, Shiloh and Ephraim) (after about 25 years of reform of Josiah) went to Jerusalem to worship the Eternal One.

When we arrived the time of Ezra (approximately 70 years later), here is what happened:

 

·        "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building," (Ezra 4.1-4).

·        "Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time " (Ezra 4.8-10).

·        “Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time." (Ezra 4.17).

 

As you can see all these foreigners were still inhabiting the region of Samaria (Ephraim) worshipping the Eternal One and to their gods and thinking they had the right to build the temple along with the Jews. As, however, the Jews, since that time, refused to allow this, came the enmity between Jews and Samaritans.

This enmity continued until the times of Nehemiah:

 

·        "And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?" (Nehemiah 4.2).

 

And such enmity never ceased to exist, coming to have an influence until the time of Jesus:

 

·        "Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." (John 4.5).

·        " Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (John 4.9).

 

Finally, as you can see, the Samaritans were foreigners who lived in the region that was once of Ephraim. They were foreigners, Jesus confirms this:

 

·        "And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. " (Lk 17.16-18).

 

In other words, in the time of Jesus, the tribe of Ephraim were no longer recognized, being your site occupied by foreigners. Hence Jesus said:

 

·        "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:" (Matthew 10.5).

 

After all, the ministry of Jesus was directed the Israelites (who had the "blood of Abraham" running in your veins):

 

·        "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 10.6)

·        "But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15.24).

 

Also note the rejection of the Samaritans to Jesus:

 

·        "And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him." (Luke 9.52).

 

The only time that Jesus preaches to Samaritans is in John 4.

In short: the only tribe which the Holy Scripture records that the inhabitants of Israel were replaced by foreigners was Ephraim.

Comes the question: Who, then, are the twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph? They are Israelites of the tribe of Manasseh. I believe that it isn’t in vain that the Eternal One allowed that Manasseh had two portions of land in Canaan: to show that, although Jacob has chosen to Ephraim as the firstborn (Genesis 48.17-19), the Eternal One not changed your choice.

And here is no different: again the Eternal One reaffirms the birthright of Manasseh sealing among them twice as many individuals, being that the other twelve thousand was to fill the gap left by Ephraim and, at the same time, confirm the choice of Joseph as the firstborn of Jacob (who would inherit twice as much as his brothers):

 

·        "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife." (1Cor 5.1,2).

 

It is very likely that these twelve thousand identify themselves more with Joseph, with everything that he was.

Finally, it is worth noting that large tribes as Judah had the same number of sealed that little Benjamin. The truth is that much growth without Christ means only an increase of bad things. 

 

·        "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;" (Rev 7.9).

 

It’s possible to see adoration in the throne (a throne that expresses, at the same time, judgment, grace and glory), activity in the temple and worship which begins in the heart and is expressed with voices and hands. The praise in heaven is not simply words and music, but a clarification about the real concepts and values of heaven, as well as the happiness that is server to the Eternal One. Hence all praise in unison.

It is clear that these redeemed will not be there in heaven singing twenty four hours, much less singing the same thing. The fact they are singing so only shows the message that they should transmit, as well as the way to achieve this transmission: with great pleasure in the justice of the Eternal One.

While the previous group represents the first Israelites to be converted in the 70th week (the others who remain alive will only convert at the end of the 70th week), this group is composed by the gentiles to convert in the 70th week (during the second half of the 70th week), namely, those who die naturally in the 70th week in virtue of the bowls.

Note that, while John heard the exact number of Jews to be sealed, here he has not heard about the amount of gentiles who was bought by Jesus among the Gentiles (see Rev 5.9). Behold, the characteristic of them:

I.       The number of them is too large to be calculated. This implies:

a)     An encouragement to all work in favor of Christ. After all, with so many converts at a time extremely difficult, this proves the success of the true gospel;

b)     A feeling of eternal debt to the Eternal One. With so many individuals there (with a harvest so big and few workers - Matt 9.37), we should never think about taking a vacation or retire from the ministry, as if this were a mere profession (Rom 13.75). No matter how many individuals managed to lead to Christ, never serve the Eternal One so enough;

c)     A demonstration of the importance of helping others in their needs;

d)     A confirmation of the benevolent Creator;

II.     Where do they come from? "all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues;" (Rev 7.9). That is to say., its range includes the whole human race. This shows the impartiality of the gospel. It is a reproach to all partisanship. After all, the true gospel is powerful to socialize people from the most diverse situations. 

Although in heaven we see many states in a single expression of worship (Rev 7.9), note how they continue with their tribe, tongue, people and nation. Similarly, whereas, in the house of the Eternal One, which is the heart of each one, there are many mansions (John 14.1,2), for best it is the communion between individuals in our innermost, each one stay possessing his house with his family. 

The worship will be in each language, but with a single purpose, a single message to communicate. Although the distinction between classes continue, there will be no discord between them.

III.    They retain their individuality: their tribe, tongue, people and nation. Hence ask: "Who are these?";

IV.   Everything that happened with them here on earth remains in view. Hence the question: "Where did they come from?";

V.     His earthly life was marked by the greatest tribulation that arise on earth:

a)     This should teach us to seek the contentment in the midst of our tribulations. Our ultimate goal should be to become men of truth;

b)     This should inspire us to seek all nobility of character of Christ in every event of our life. After all, if faced with the greatest tribulation they came out winners in Christ, there is no excuse for our unfaithfulness. Our greatest love must come from Jesus and be directed toward those that Jesus placed in our lives.

VI.   They have extremely glorious character:

a)     Location: they are positioned before the throne and before the Lamb (Rev 7.9). This implies on:

                                           i.      More noble service;

                                          ii.      Greater honor;

                                         iii.      Greater integrity.

Note, however, that Jesus was there, for them, in the quality of Lamb (and not as a Judge or King), i.e., as the one who gave His life to ransom them;

b)     Clothing: They shine the beauty of the justice of the Eternal One through the righteous deeds of the saints (Rev 19.8), washed by the blood of the Lamb. It was the life of the Lamb acting in the lives of those saints who were placed in their lives (Rev 19.8) which gave them a pure justice, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing (Rev 3.5,18; 4.4; 6.11; 7.14). 

c)     Employment: Serve the Eternal One day and night;

d)     Company: are pastored by Jesus himself (Rev 7.17);

e)     Maintenance: eat and drink of Christ (John 6.51-57; Rev 7.17), the true food;

f)       Success: to pass through the great tribulation preserving the truth in purity and holiness;

g)     Effort: instead of fighting for money and position in order to rid the full effect of the plagues of the Great Tribulation, they fought to remain resting and waiting in the Eternal One the fulfilment of what He promised;

VII. The praise of them:

a)     is is perfect in form;

b)     it has as its theme the redemption of their souls;

c)     has as objective to express gratitude:

                                        i.     to the Eternal One, for being the author of salvation;

                                      ii.     to the Redeemer as the mediator of salvation.

d)     it is full of joy and enthusiasm;

e)     It is contagious in its effect (see the angels Praising after them).

VIII.         As they arrive there? Uniformity:

a)     they will live the same experience: "These are they which came out of great tribulation." (Rev 7.14);

b)     they will reach the heaven through the same redemption: "They have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Rev 7.14).

c)     the source of everything that they became was Jesus and His sacrifice. They were originally impure, but by the blood of the lamb they experienced all the change cited above.

IX.   What will be the joy of them?

a)     Liberation from all evil:

                                        i.     There will be no more sin, since they will receive recognition, perpetual opportunity to be used for something good and noble, and protection - "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 cover with its shadow." (Rev 7.15).

                                      ii.     The privilege to be able to enjoy the company of the Eternal One: "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall serve as a guide to living fountains of waters" (Rev 7.17).

b)     End of physical suffering:

                                           i.      "They won’t hunger" (Rev 7.16).

                                          ii.      "neither thirst anymore" (Rev 7.16).

                                         iii.      "neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat" (Rv 7.16; Is 49.10).

c)     End of the agony of soul:

                                           i.      "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Rev 7.17). Every tear that the individual shed in this world and that was saved by the Eternal One (Psalm 56.8) now will be clarified.

 

The palms recall Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (John 12.13) when they cried what is described in Psalm 118:

 

·        "Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD." (Psalm 118.25,26).

·        "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way." (Matt 21.8,9). 

·        " On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." (John 12.12,13).

"Hosanna" means "saves us, now." Note how the focus of Psalm 118 is the salvation of the Eternal One (Ps 118.14,15,21).

The palms also recall the Feast of Tabernacles (starting on day 15 of the seventh month Hebrew), which was the closing party of the labor in the field (hence also be called the Feast of Harvest). She remembered the victorious and abundant harvest that the Eternal One allowed them. On this feast every one had to eat of his own harvest, to be filled with the fruit of his doings (illustrating, thus, Galatians 6.7-9).

The other two months were months of rest from work countryside, where they ate from that cropped, a contrast between the unceasing work of Egypt and the rest provided by Eternal One.

The people of Israel praised the Eternal One by harvest reaped and remembered the deliverance that they had of Egypt and its preservation in the wilderness for 40 years, when they dwelt in tents and were supernaturally provided by Eternal One (Lev 23.40).

Here, however, are the non-Israelites who hold these palms. They are closer than the angels because, while these have natural righteousness of creation, the redeemed received the righteousness of Jesus.

The seraphim are seen covering their faces (Isaiah 6.2). However, each one of the redeemed is brought to the Eternal One through the blood of Christ. 

What do you feel when you hear others being saved and brought closer to the Eternal One than you? Envy and hate, or you prostrates yourself before the Eternal One and praise Him? It was precisely there that Ha-Satan fell. The angels of the Eternal One, on the other hand, praise Him (Rev 7.11.12).

This vision serves to show that there aren’t a few that will be saved, as well as the highest level of glory (in the presence of the Eternal One) and joy (with palms in their hands) who experience those who believe in Jesus.

In the millennium, the Feast of Tabernacles will be restored to remind you of the salvation of the Eternal One that has preserved Israel, although they walk scattered among the peoples for more than 1,800 years (Zech 14.16-21).

For the redeemed that aren’t Israelites, however, praise is due to have been preserved by the Eternal One while the sojourned as a stranger (1 Peter 2.11) by this world that, in essence, is a true desert. It is the recognition of Jesus as the One who really came to save.

It’s important to emphasize that what enabled them to be received into heaven and being in the presence of the Eternal One was washing and bleaching of the robes in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7.14.15). It is the purification of conscience (Heb 9.14; 10.22), that is, change of character (concepts and values).

The deliverance from sin was for the sake of sanctification, i.e., for they to be employed permanently in the service of the Eternal One in His presence.

 

·        "And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." (Rev 7.10). 

 

The act of crying with a loud voice demonstrates the greatness of the joy and enthusiasm of praise them. 

Notice how none of these redeemed was murmuring against the Eternal One. They attributed to Him only salvation, and this in song, in order to show the joy that they had in this salvation. And it is no wander: the perseverance that the Eternal One grants to His sons is our salvation and His patience, the Eternal life.

While salvation is little thought and sought here on earth, in heaven it is the culmination of the exhilaration of the elected representatives, the helmet that occupies their minds.

The true salvation belongs only to the Eternal One. While we don’t recognize Him as the sole source of salvation (see Psalms 3.8; Isa 43.11; Jer 3.23; 13.4; Rev 12.10; 19.1), we will be forced to beg the "good" intention of a human being.

And what is included in salvation?

 

è Out of ignorance for the true knowledge;

è Restoration of the impurity to holiness;

è Liberation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of the Eternal One (Rm 8.21);

è Change from selfishness to benevolence;

è The release of the empire of darkness to be transported to the son of his love (Col 1.13).

 

These redeemed didn’t won because they claimed their rights before the world, but by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony they gave and for not having loved their lives until death (Rev 12.11).

Is observable here that the redeemed attribute salvation to both, the Lamb and the One who sits on the throne. That is to say, salvation is attributed to someone who has everything under control without the slightest effort and meek someone who, instead of fighting for their rights or for what they believed to be the best, the subjected themselves to the Eternal One and His plan. Not even the fragile and fallen human nature made Him to change of character.

Can you, now, understand why the distinction between God and the Lamb?

The Eternal One works His salvation through His Spirit working in us and enabling us to live as lambs (Matt 10.16).

Regarding the use of the term "cried" implies a continuous praise, and not merely an isolated event.

 

·        " 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," (Rev 7.11).

 

Repair the contrast: 

 

·        In Rev 5.11 there were many angels praising; in rev 7.11, all angels are seen praising;

·        In Rev 5.11 The angels praise the Lamb; in Rev 7.11 they praise the Eternal One.

 

The festival of Rev 5.11 shows many angels praising the victory of Christ over evil already exists in the lives of all who believe. The festival of Rev 7.11 shows all angels praising the Eternal One by the privilege of never come to follow the evil.

Note the position of those who praise:

 

·        The throne of the Eternal One was at the center;

·        Around the throne and in the middle of the throne were four living creatures. That is, they were under the throne, with the body facing outwards, as if all four were bearing the throne;

·        Around the throne and the living creatures were the four and twenty elders;

·        Around the throne, the living creatures and the twenty-four elders were angels.

·        Before the throne were those who came out of great tribulation, i.e. around these all.

 

Taking into account that the angels stood around the throne and bowed before the throne, therefore the expression. “before the throne” implies in is facing to the throne. As the Eternal One is spirit and omniscient, this means that, no matter what position the individual is: if they are facing the Eternal One, they will stand before Him.

When those who come from the Great Tribulation praise the Eternal One, the angels also mobilise to worship Him, falling on their faces.

 

·        "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." (Rev 7.12).

 

We have here, part of the angels, the most complete expression of that comes to be the worship to the Eternal One:

 

·        Amen -> This word here indicates that the angels agree that salvation belongs to the Eternal One;

·        Praise -> Only Eternal One can receive some praise without suffering deturpation in the character (ver Prov 26.28; 29.5);

·        Glory -> As only the Eternal One is able to be who He is (Exo 3.14), therefore whatever glory that we have comes, before all, of Him;

·        Honor -> our whole life should be a continuation of everything that Jesus was when He was here;

·        Wisdom -> We learn only what the Eternal One teaches us. After all, it is in Christ that are all the treasures of the windom and knowledge (Col 2.3), as well as the midn to understand them (1Cor 2.15,16).

·        Thanksgiving -> We should be grateful for all and just by what the Eternal One does for us. Nothing of accepting gifts which do not come from Him (Prov 15.27).

·        Power -> we must be subject and subject ourselves only to the Eternal One and what belongs to Him and submit ourselves only to those that are His sons (see John 17.9).

·        Strength -> We must strengthen us only with the presence of the Eternal One, letting Him fight for us.

·        For all time -> It is not only once in a while, but continuously, without ever fading (Gal 6.9)

·        Amen -> This word here indicates that the angels, not just talk about it, but also living it.

 

The Eternal One gives us these items above, as well as the authority, not for  use in our favor, but for which we are able to exalt Him with what He gave us.

Each one gives the reasons of worship in accordance with the relationship in which they are: the redeemed depending on their redemption and the angels, based on the recognition that every form of control of a human being on the other must be solely in the hands of the Eternal One.

 

·        "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" (Rev 7.13).

 

As John didn't know what to ask, the elder, then, asked him so that he could pay attention to what is really important, and thus open the way to ensure that the information could be given. Probably John was seeing just one more group praising the Eternal One, as if their particularities did not deserve special attention.

In other words, it also serves to John realize the extent of his ignorance.

The garments are also a uniform and imply responsibility, service, reputation, social status and privilege.

 

·        "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." (Rev 7.14).

 

It is very likely that John has borrowed "Lord, thou knowest," of Ezekiel (Ezek 37.3). Certainly he would not make the same mistake of Peter who was supposed to be able to give his own life to save Jesus (John 13.37,38).

See the characteristics of these beloved:

 

         1º -     They passed through the Great Tribulation, instead of trying to, in some way, enjoy the pleasures of sin. They felt sorrow because of sin;

         2º -     They had faith on Him who justifies the ungodly (Rom 4.5). They didn’t tried, by themselves, wash their garments. Rather, they allowed their garments were washed and bleached in the blood of the Lamb. See that only the washing is not enough to leave the white robes. Hence the Holy Spirit operate two types of purification: 

a.     Regeneration. Here we have the washing, which implies the restoration in relationships.

b.     Renewal (Titus 3.4-6). Here we have the bleaching, which consists in mature existing relationships and create new ones.

         3º -     They had the spirit of devotion. They were standing before the throne of the Eternal One and ministered unto Him day and night in His temple, that is, in their hearts (1 Corinthians 3.16; 6.19; 2Cor 6.16).

         4º -     They were responsible for a great harvest of souls. They didn’t overcome by their own strength in order to deserve the palms; rather, they allowed Jesus to win them and lead many to the Eternal One. Hence many converted in the Great Tribulation. They evangelized to each other;

         5º -     They were very meek, to the point of being driven by a Lamb (and not by a cruel dictator).

         6º -     They became very pure, to the point of not shame Him who is without blemish, macula, wrinkle or anything similar;

         7º -     They were very innocent and without desires, to the point that they constitute only one flock to Him.

 

The purification by the blood of Jesus is very widespread (see Rev 1.5; Heb Is 1.18; 9.14; Zech 3.3-5; John 1.29; 1 John 1.7; Rev 1.5; 3.5; 6.11). What few understand is that forgiving is not forgetting. The Eternal One don't forget what we did (so much so that we must attend to the court of Christ to give account of what we have done - Rom 14.10; 2Cor 5.10).

It is true that the Holy Scripture says:

 

·        "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." (Isaiah 43.25).

·        "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8.12).

 

However, it is essential to understand what Jesus has done for us:

 

·        "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: " (Col 1.13,14).

 

That is to say, when the Scripture says that Jesus has forgiven our trespasses, what is meant is that, as Jesus annulled the Old Testament law on the cross (Eph 2.14), so we no longer sin in the legal sense of the thing, because where there is no law there is no transgression (Rom 4.15). Jesus annulled the law to end all enmity that could exist between their sons (Eph 2.14-16).

The punishment for violation of the law of the Old Testament was taken by Jesus so that the peace (the harmonization with our neighbor) could be brought to us.

However, sin is still active in our flesh and it is risen Jesus living in us that ensures the victory over the same (1John 1:9). i.e., what should stimulate us to overcome sin is not a law forbidding or condemning the same, but our desire to live in harmony with the neighbor in Truth, being quite useful to them.

Note, in the prayer of the Our Father, that we still have a debt to the Eternal One (Matt 6.12), namely, the love (Rom 13.8). To ask the Lord to forgive us, what we are asking, in fact, is the ability to live as Jesus lived, namely: giving our life for the sin of others can be covered.

 

·        "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none." (Ezek 22.30).

·        "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal 6.2). 

·        "Because every man shall bear his own load." (Gal 6.5).

 

Note how each one will carry their own load, reap what they sowed (Gal 6.7-9). However, it is not for us to wash our feet, but wash each other's feet (John 13.14), such as a hand is much better cleaned by other than by itself.

Finally, no sin is to be forgotten. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6.23), i.e., it is an evil whose consequences cannot be erased. Our role is to give our lives for the brethren (John 15.12,13) so that we can find a place in them to we fill and also for us be filled.

As Jesus, we must give our life for the sin of someone and ours is covered. 

For you to understand how it works, imagine that man is a board full of boss and the wife of holes. Between the ridges of the man there are empty spaces, as well as in the holes of the woman. However, when both join, the excesses of man fulfill the absences of woman and both are complete and without holes.

In other words, sin has left the whole world unfair, some more, others less (some fall to the right, others do to the left, some defending one class of individuals, other doing another one, etc.). However, where each one fits with the individual right, both complement one another. And it is clear that the fit is only solid and firm if there is a resistance to fitting.

Every struggle of the society is to overcome evil and get free of it, whether this one suffering, sickness, poverty, loneliness, contempt, etc. But why escaping from the death, because, when there is no reason to live?

We spend more time trying to combat the evil than expressing the well. It is useless to say to others that they are wrong, when even we know what is good in the eyes of the Eternal One in the midst of the situation that they are living.

Evil is destroyed, not simply with the destruction of those who the world claims to be evil, but when evil is destroyed in every heart that believes. Or our life is contaminated by our sins, or iwe will be tarnished by others' sins against us.

We have to be incorporation, not only of the truth, power, holiness, etc., but firstly of Jesus Himself.

We are as operators in a telegraph office by touching keys here which makes prints on tapes in a land beyond the sea, and when we get there, we’ll have to read everything we write here.

Heaven is not merely another place or other circumstance, but above all a change of company.

Many think that heaven means the end of all suffering and work. For such, the suffering and work here is something normal and their expectation is going to heaven to see free of all suffering and toil.

However, have you ever stopped to think that heaven was there on the Cross on Golgotha (see Heb 1.9)? After all, Heaven is where Jesus is. Jesus came to, among other things, show that what mainly characterizes the heaven is not the absence of suffering, but the suffering with a noble purpose and, especially, the victory over it (Jn 14:27; 2Cor 4.10,11) through the pleasure in the company of the Eternal One (Habakkuk 3.19; Psalm 37.4) and His sweet voice (John 3.29).

Our God is longsuffering (Psalm 86.15; 145.8; 1 Corinthians 13.4), Jesus was a man of sorrows (Isaiah 53.3), and we must be so also (2 Timothy 2.24; Phil 1.29; 1 Peter 2.18-24) if we are to discover the real meaning of life, as well as the real peace and happiness. After all, how that the love of Christ can be in someone who manages to find happiness and calmness, even knowing that there are so many people suffering (James 2.14-17)?

The Church of Christ is composed of martyrs who preferred to die than to be forged with Christ, who are enthusiastic in their metier and live by the love of Christ and to each other.

What enables each person to be able to approach the throne is the fact of being washed in the blood of Jesus, that is, of accepting to receive the life of Christ in oneself by recognizing that all the blood that Jesus shed was by our guilt.

None of them became white through her tears of repentance, much less through sacrifices (ascetic rigor - Col 2.24), like the shedding of the blood of lambs and goats. Even the suffering for the cause of Christ don’t make therewith a man be holy, but holiness will make the man gutsy enough to suffer. Mere lack of guilt does not make anyone holy in Christ, much less saved:

 

·        "I say unto you, that thus there will be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance." (Luke 15.7).

 

It is a dependence on Christ to keep oneself pure and holy that leads to salvation, and not someone to be pure and holy by self-effort. Whoever approaches the Eternal One without Christ’s blood is an apostate. Think about it: during the episode of the burning bush, Moses was prevented from approaching the Eternal One; on mount Sinai, however, he rose to the intimate presence of the Eternal One. What changed? In the first case, Moses was to encounter of the Eternal One; in the second, he was called by the Eternal One.

Not by any work of righteousness made by them, which are imperfect and filthy and in need of washing in the blood of Christ. All are saved by the life of Christ who drank (John 6.51-57). More: They washed the righteous deeds of the saints near to them to the extention that they loved the neighbor, so as to give time for the life of Christ in them carry out all the work.

 

·        "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." (Rev 7.15).

 

"Therefore", i.e., by the fact that they have been completely washed away inwardly (see Rev 21.27; Ephesians 5.25-27), they have condition to stay before the throne of the Eternal One. After all, only who is pure in heart will see the Eternal One (Matt 5.8) face to face (1 Corinthians 13.12). This is what it means to be before Him.

Note the connection between throne and temple, indicating that the throne of the Eternal One is in His temple, where He reigns. There is no separation between secular and spiritual. In Jesus there is harmony between the real and priesthood metier (Zech 6.13). That is to say:

 

·        There is no way to give something to the Eternal One without being at His service throughout the day;

·        It does not profit to serve the Eternal One without being willing to offer the life in favor of others.

 

The throne is a place of justice and temple, of sacrifice. The temple is not for anything else, except for sacrifice:

 

·        The court was the place of the sacrifice for our sins (of our methods) so that Jesus is our Path;

·        The Holy Place was the place of the sacrifice of our gifts and talents (of our truth, of what we think to know or be capable):

o   Candlestick of gold: sacrifice of our oil of gladness and authority in order that Jesus makes us the joy of all who love the truth;

o   Table with the Shewbread. Proposition means judgment, to exposed to the view. It is the word of Eternal One exposing to view our judgment. We ought to sacrifice our judgment so that Jesus make us a judgment (instrument of condemnation - Prov 28.4; John 15.22. See Deut 31.21) to the rebels (2Cor 10.3-6). 

o   The Altar of Incense: sacrifice of the reek of our knowledge of Christ and His Word (2Cor 2.14-16; 5.16) so that we can be a new creature to serve as a perfume for the relationship of other ones with the Eternal One.

·        The Holy of Holies was a place of sacrifice of life (rights and dreams) so that we can live the life of Christ which serves to keep the individuals linked to the Eternal One (Matt 18.18-20) and close to Him. The Eternal One wants to dwell in the midst of His people and be with them through us (Rev 21.3).

 

The fact of they serve Him day and night resemble what was in the terrestrial tabernacle (1Chr 9.33; Ps 134.1). It is obvious that, in the heavenly sanctuary there isn’t night (Rev 22.25). However, this means that there is no excuse for someone stop to worship and serve the Eternal One, since the worship there is continuous.

Heaven is a state of service without suffering, of rest without joke or laziness. And this service is not a ritual to fulfill, but something useful for the glory of His name.

Here the people is crazy for holidays. Struggling and fighting by the expectation of going to heaven where, supposedly, they will stay without doing nothing. However, there is no place of more activity than in the presence of the Eternal One. Notwithstanding, there the work earns another dimension, come to be a splendor and pleasure to praise and serve the Eternal One.

 Unfortunately the world establishes a rigid routine of separation between our interests and those of the others, our life and the needs of the system. However, the correct is that we always rest and waiting in the Eternal One (Psalm 37.6) so that we can be ready when He call us.

As the act of the Eternal One cover with its shadow, in another version says "spread about them His tabernacle". And what is the tabernacle of the Eternal One? See (Lev 21.3; Isa 4.5.6; 8.14; 25.4; Ezek 37.27; Rev 21.3,22).

The term "cover with His shadow" is an allusion to the time in which the Israelites, were covered by the column of cloud during the day in order to be protected from intense heat, as if all Israel was the tabernacle of the Eternal One.

See the following verses:

 

·         "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1.14).

·        "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Rev 12.12).

·        "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." (Rev 13.6).

·        "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Rev 21.3).

 

In the Scripture, to dwell and “to tabernacle” are synonymous.

Thus, "cover with its shadow" is an allusion to the Shekinah, the cloud of the Eternal One which covered the seat of mercy and protect Israel from the heat during the day. 

Along with the idea of the temple, this protection also has to do with the tabernacles built at the Feast of Tabernacles for remembering the times in which Israel lived in tents in the desert for 40 years (to ensure that they do not forget that we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth - 1 Peter 2.11).

Also reminds the tabernacle where Moses was protected from the sins of Israel outside the camp (Exodus 33.7-11). There the priests could exercise the sacred services fully protected from contamination of the Gentiles and the people of Israel.

On the basis of these verses, we can conclude that the tabernacle of the Eternal One is Himself with His Church and the blessing of Eternal One is to serve Him face to face (on His throne), offering oneself in sacrifice (temple) in order to be covered from everything that distances us from Jesus and what He wants from us.

In the final judgment, individuals will not be overwhelmed by the majesty of the Eternal One, but by love and sacrifice of Christ, since this is what they will face and, as it is well known, Jesus is the one who best shows the nature and character of the Eternal One.

 

·        "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat." (Rev 7.16).

 

They will not have:

 

·        Hunger, because Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6.35,48), the true sacred food that satisfies our soul;

·        Thirst, because Jesus gives His Spirit (John 7.37-39) that will make them a source of water that jumps to eternal life (John 4.13,14);

·        Problems of view, because Jesus will be the light of them (John 8.12);

·        Heat, because Jesus is love (1John 4.8,16) which maintains the temperature.

 

Behold the only things that limit the brothers in Rev 7.9:

 

·        The unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3.7);

·        Manifold wisdom of the Eternal One (Eph 3.10);

·        The riches of His glory (Ephesians 3.16);

·        The love of Christ which surpasses all understanding (Eph 3.19).

 

There is still something to consider: The redeemed of Rev 7.9 do not need to ask. Comes the question: why do we need to ask and they do not? If the Eternal One knows what we need, then why ask? 

Analyze the passages related to ask in Scripture: 

 

·        " Judge not, that ye be not judged. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matt 7.1,7);

·        "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. " (Luke 18.1-3).

·        "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4.1-3).

·        "And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Luke 11.5-9).

 

Notice how the times that Holy Scripture teaches us to ask, is not referring to our needs (see Matt 6.31,32), much less to our desires. Rather, has to do with the individuals that the Eternal One places in our lives.

 

·        "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil 4.6).

 

That is, the Scripture is not teaching us to ask something to Jesus. Intead, it is instructing us on how we address those individuals when we go to them to ask for something. Our requests must be known before the Eternal One, that is, always in the direction of arise in the individuals the goodness of Christ, namely, the desire to do something good.

Note: Jesus in person (and not an angel), will provide to your people as a shepherd for His sheep.

 

·        "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." (Rev 7.17).

 

First of all, it is good to remember that there are two thrones in heaven. The 24 elders and the four living creatures around the throne of Jesus (the Church) and Christ, in turn, is in the midst of her (Rev 5.6). Jesus is with the Church leading them in worship. The holiness of the Eternal One being guarded by four animals is the Church. And the four and twenty elders are the "front". The four living creatures fly so fast that seem to be at the same time around and on top of the Church guarding it.

Although Rev 7.17 is a reference to an Old Testament prophecy, here in Revelation, it earns a greater spiritual depth. Compare:

 

·        "They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them." (Isaiah 49.10). 

 

At Isaiah 49.10 is "he that hath mercy" who guides Israel; in Rev 7.17, who feedeth is the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne. That is to say, it is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and that is before the redeemed who guides them, and not just someone who has mercy.

At Isaiah 49.10 Israel is guided "by the springs of water"; in rev 7.17, they are taken "to the living fountains of waters". That is to say, here in Revelation it is not satisfy only the body, but mainly the spirit with the Holy Spirit, who works in us as waters of virtue that overflow through us constantly. In other words, they just aren’t made regularly, but virtues to be lived constantly at any place and time.

Assemble with the following verse:

 

·        "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." (Isaiah 12.3).

.

This verse was quoted on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles – the priests descended from the temple, filled vessels of gold at source, brought the water back and shed in the courtyards of the temple, singing Isaiah 12.3. During this the joy of the people reached its peak, which surrounded the priests and waved their palm branches.

It isn’t in vain that Jesus exclaims:

 

·        "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (John 7.37-39).

 

After all, Jesus is the legitimate source of salvation in which everyone could draw water of virtue and pour it in the lives of all those who wish to receive it.

In the evening, the festivity of the Feast of Tabernacles continued, with great lighting in the temple. This was probably alluded to by Jesus soon after the Feast of Tabernacles, when He speaks, " I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8.12).

It is worth mentioning that Jesus will shepherd in the quality of Lamb, that is, with His simple and cordial life of total submission to the Father for the salvation of sinners (and not as a super-powerful dictator). That is to say, such individuals have their needs met without contraindications if they agree to receive in themselves the life that Christ lived here without any resistance (because He will not force anyone to anything).

Note that it is the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, i.e., in the center of the will of the Eternal One. It is He who will serve as a guide to the fountains of waters that will go out from us, in favor of each of the individuals that the Eternal One wants to give us (Ezek 34.23; Heb 13.20; Rev 22.1-5). Thinking of another way:

 

·        He wants to lead us to rest and give us everything we need for life and godliness (Psalm 23.1,2; Eph 1.3; 2Peter 1.3);

·        He wants to know us by name, i.e., have intimacy with us (John 10.2-5);

·        He wants to supervise our soul (1 Peter 2.25);

 

·        " He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 25.8). 

·        "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21.4). 

·        "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." (Rev 7.17).

 

The Eternal One will wipe them tears because He will swallow up death forever (see Heb 2.14,15), will deliver us from everything that causes sadness, and mainly: for making us to know about everything that happened here in this world with us.

Understand: when the Eternal One open the books (Rev 20.12), we will understand the reason for all the sufferings that we and those we love in this world pass. Then, we will be comforted by the injustices suffered, as well as by going of many loved ones to the lake of fire and brimstone. 

Added that to the glorified body, the presence of only saints and, especially, of the Eternal One Himself giving us in a pressed down, shaken and overflowing way everything the we need (Luke 6.38), there will be nothing more to separate us from each other and of all that is good, perfect and pleasing (Rom 12.2)

That is to say, although we’ll remind ourselves of all, we won’t be tormented by of the past, since in everything we’ll see the perfection, justice and love of the Eternal One.

Detail: note that the correct is "fountains of living water." And not "living fountains of waters". After all, there aren’t several living waters, but several fountains of water (water of love, peace, happiness, etc.) that spring of Life (Jesus).

"Fountains of waters of life" resemble the water that comes out of the ground bubbling and flowing onwards (i.e., the opposite of stagnant water).