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| 1 And after these things I saw four messengers standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that not might blow a wind on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. |
Four corners – From Every direction.
The earth – Organized society under religious restraint. R498
Holding the four winds – Keeping the destructive powers in check.
The reason these destructive powers were being held back is clearly stated to be to give opportunity for the servants of God to be sealed in their foreheads. This makes perfect sense. The church is described as being "the salt of the earth." Matt. 5:13. The salt being here referred to for its preserving power. Thus the symbolic earth was not to be destroyed prior to the saints receiving this intellectual sealing.
Wind – war.
The wind Elijah saw at mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:11).
The sea – Irreligious masses of mankind. R498
Any tree – Any nation. As the fig-tree represented the nation of Israel, so the trees represent the nations. Trees are used again to picture the nation of Israel in Matt 3:10. |
| 2 And I saw another messenger rising up from a rising of sun, having a seal of God living; and he cried with a voice great to the four messengers, to whom it was given for them to injure the earth and the sea, |
Another angel – Our returned Lord.
Ascending from the east – Rising from the east, the sunrise, thus picturing the dawning of the Millennial Age.
Seal of the living God – The Seventh Seal, Present Truth. This seems to indicate that the seventh seal has now been opened.
He cried with a loud voice – Showing this is under the command and control of our Returned Lord Jesus. The loud voice is the same as is found in 1 Thes. 4:16. |
| 3 saying: Not do you injure the earth, not the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the bond-servants of the God of us on the foreheads of them. |
Hurt not – Do not seriously disrupt the status quo.
The earth – Organized society under religious restraint cannot be (seriously) hurt until all the 144,000 have been sealed in their foreheads.
Nor the sea – Irreligious restless masses of mankind. R498
Nor the trees – Nations, household of faith.
Sealed .. in their foreheads – Until the little flock have been given an intellectual (forehead) understanding of the time features and the presence of our Lord. See B169 top. |
| 4 And I heard the number of those having been sealed, one hundred forty four thousands having been sealed out of every tribe of sons of Israel; |
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| 5 out of tribe of Judah, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Reuben, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Gad, twelve thousands having been sealed; |
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| 6 out of tribe of Aser, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousands having been sealed; |
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| 7 out of the tribe of Simon, twelve thousand having been sealed; out of tribe of Levi, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Issachar, twelve thousands having been sealed; |
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| 8 out of tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Joseph, twelve thousands having been sealed; out of tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand having been sealed. |
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| 9 After these things I saw, and lo a crowd great, which to have numbered him no one was able, out of every nation and of tribes and of peoples and of tongues, standing in presence of the throne and in presence of the lamb, having been clothed robes white, and palms in the hands of them; |
A great multitude – As compared with the "Little Flock," the 144,000.
Which no man could number – Unlike that of the Little Flock, the 144,000 enumerated in the previous verses.
Possibly two (R2942) or three times (R4304:1 the size of the little flock.
Of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues – Compare Rev. 5:9.
Before the throne – See Bible Topics "Before the Throne."
Palm in their hands – see Palm Trees |
| 10 and they cry with a voice great, saying: The salvation to the God of us to that one sitting on the throne, and to the lamb. |
Loud voice .. Salvation to our God – see Rev. 19:1. Great Multitude here and "much people" in 19:1 are the same (Strong's 4183 & 3793). |
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| 11 And all the messengers stood in a circle of the throne and of the elders and of the four living ones, and fell down before the throne and the faces of themselves, and worshipped the God, |
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| 12 saying: So be it; the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength to the God of us for the ages of the ages; so be it. |
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| 13 And answered one of the elders, saying to me: These the ones having been clothed the robes the white, who are they, and whence came they? |
One of the elders – Which one? We suggest Daniel, based on what the elder says in vs. 14. |
| 14 And I said to him: O lord of me, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they coming out of the affliction the great, and washed the robes of themselves, and whitened them in the blood of the lamb. |
Came out of – Babylon. The great company should have come out long before the great tribulation began. Instead they did not have the spirit of the little flock in quick obedience to the command "come out of her my people."
Great tribulation – Daniel 12:1. |
| 15 On account of this they are in presence of the throne of the God, and publicly serve him day and night in the temple of him; and the one sitting on the throne, pitches his tent over them. |
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| 16 Not they will hunger more, neither will they thirst more, nor not may fall on them the sun, nor any heat; |
This appears to be a quote from Isa. 49:10. In that context those who are described are those who receive the blessings from the church. It there appears to be the world of mankind.
Our thought is that this describes those who will attain to eternal life but not immortality. As such it is descriptive of both the world of mankind as well as the great company.
They – The Great Company.
Shall hunger no more – No longer do they hunger for righteousness because they will then have it.
Neither thirst any more – No longer will they thirst for righteousness for they will then possess it.
Neither shall the sun light on them – Isa. 60:19; (Matt. 24:29); Rev. 21:23; 22:5
This could also have reference to the Tabernacle picture. While the spirit-begotten class is normally shown by the Priests, who alone had access to the Holy (except on moving days), the Levites had access to the court. If this pictures the Great company then it pictures a class that should have been dwelling in the Holy (spirit-begotten) condition but instead chose to dwell in the court (in sunshine). For those who dwell in the Holy use the light of the candlestick to allow them to see spiritual things (not the bright light of the sun). Our eyes need to be come adjusted to seeing spiritual things by the eye of faith and not by actual sight (as would be the case in the court).
Nor any heat – Deut. 29:24; 32:21-25; Psa. 19:6; Isa. 4:5-6; 25:4-6; Jer. 51:37-41; Matt. 20:12; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 16:8-9. |
| 17 because the lamb the in the midst of the throne will tend them, and will them to of life fountains of waters; and will wipe away the God every tear from the eyes of them. |
The Lamb – Jesus in His glory.
In the midst of the throne – In his reign as King.
Shall feed them – Jesus is the sustaining force for these, the great company.
Lead them to fountains of waters – These are lead to the church which has a wellspring of water (life, truth) coming from within them. The great company will drink of that water, whereas the church will produce that water.
Wipe away all tears – While there will be tears for the Great Company, God will remove their sorrow. |