| Scripture |
Additional Comments |
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| 1 And after these things I saw four messengers, standing upon the four corners of the land, holding the four winds of the land, that the wind may not blow upon the land, nor upon the sea, nor upon 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 going up from the rising of the sun, having a seal of the living God, and he did cry with a great voice to the four messengers, to whom it was given to injure the land and the sea, saying, |
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 'Do not injure the land, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we may seal the servants of our God upon their foreheads.' |
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 sealed, (144 thousands were sealed out of all the tribes of the sons of Israel): |
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| 5 of the tribe of Judah 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad 12 thousand were sealed; |
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| 6 of the tribe of Asher 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh 12 thousand were sealed; |
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| 7 of the tribe of Simeon 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar 12 thousand were sealed; |
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| 8 of the tribe of Zebulun 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph 12 thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin 12 thousand were sealed. |
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| 9 After these things I saw, and lo, a great multitude, which to number no one was able, out of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands, |
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 crying with a great voice, saying, 'The salvation [is] to Him who is sitting upon the throne to our God, 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). |
| 11 And all the messengers stood around the throne, and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell upon their face, and bowed before God, |
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| 12 saying, 'Amen! the blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and the honour, and the power, and the strength, [are] to our God to the ages of the ages! Amen!' |
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| 13 And answer did one of the elders, saying to me, 'These, who have been arrayed with the white robes 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 have said to him, 'Sir, thou hast known;' and he said to me, 'These are those who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they did wash their robes, and they made their robes white 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 because of this are they before the throne of God, and they do service to Him day and night in His sanctuary, and He who is sitting upon the throne shall tabernacle over them; |
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| 16 they shall not hunger any more, nor may the sun fall upon them, 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 that [is] in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and wipe away shall God every tear from their eyes.' |
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. |