The Judgments on Earth
The second of three studies of The Revelation of Jesus Christ
by Paige Ramsey
“Sealing the 144,000” – Lesson 4
Revelation 7:1-17
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne
of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd
them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
This chapter is a parenthetical event that occurs after the events created by the opening of the sixth seal and before the opening of the seventh seal. It has been likened to the Eye of the Tribulation Storm. The eye of a hurricane is an artificial calm – some have lost their lives because they thought the storm was over and left their shelter.[i]
Verse 1: uses the number 4 – four angels, four corners, four winds
The number 4 in Biblical numerology is the number of the Earth. There are four directions: North, South, East, and West. There are four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. There are four elements: earth, water, fire, air. There are four dimensions: height, width, breadth, and time.
The Four Angels and Four Corners:
While the four angels obviously correlate with the four corners, one for each corner, different views arise concerning the four corners themselves.
Let’s again emphasize not to take one verse (or even a few verses) out of context and try to build a theology on it. Some have taken this verse along with Isaiah 60:20 to claim that the Bible establishes a flat earth. There has been, even in our modern world, a “Flat Earth Society” that holds the earth is flat, regardless of what scientists proclaim. They have orchestrated a possibility of a circulatory flat earth with the North pole in the center, claiming the sun moves around the circle, only
shining straight down to give us the illusion of the sun coming up and going
down. These people are very serious, believing space travel and all other
evidences that the earth is a sphere has been faked. You can visit their website
at www.theflatearthsociety.org.
This society in the past depicted the earth as “four square” so that the reference in Revelation 7:1 of four corners would hold true. However, as flight was accomplished, they redesigned their earth model. No mention was given that I could find to define the “four corners” in this new rendition. They believe the whole idea of a spherical earth makes a mockery of the Bible and has been fabricated to disprove God’s Word.[ii]
A scientist, Dr. Henry Morris, who also believes God’s Word, gives us a more
plausible explanation:
“Accurate, modern, geodetic measurements in recent years have
proved that the earth actually does have four “corners.” These are protuberances
standing out from the basic “geoid,” that is, the basic spherical shape of the
earth. The earth is not really a perfect sphere, but is slightly flattened at
the poles. Its equatorial bulge is presumably caused by the earth’s axial
rotation, and its four “corners” protrude from that. The meaning of this verse,
however, is undoubtedly that the angels located in four different key positions
on the earth, perhaps one at each pole and two at opposite ends of a strategic equatorial diameter, are able to control the great atmospheric circulation
which governs the winds of the earth.”[iii]
The Four Winds:
Another explanation of what the four winds might represent is stated by Matthew
Henry:
“By these winds we suppose are meant those errors and corruptions in religion which would occasion a great deal of trouble and mischief to the church of God. … The devil is called the prince of the power of the air; he, by a great wind, overthrew the house of Job's eldest son. Errors are as wind, by which those who are unstable are shaken, and carried to and fro, Ephesians 4:14.”[iv]
The only hope of the Church of Jesus Christ is the Second Coming of Jesus.
What a majestic conception this is and how comforting the thought that the winds are controlled by angels, and that the storms which sweep earth and heaven must obey the mandate of eternal love! God’s people are not always saved from trial, but they are kept safe in it.[v]
Who are the 144,000?
Some theories:
1. It’s the New Testament Church, which is Spiritual Israel.
2. Those who are faithfully observing the Sabbath when the Lord returns (7th Day
Adventists)
3. The Jehovah Witnesses are the 144,000 – the most faithful – they believe we
are in the great tribulation now and they are the witnesses who are
going about witnessing (Jehovah Witnesses)
4. They are those of the Flying Role cult, whose blood is so pure that they will
inherit the earth (Flying Role Cult)
The only plausible theory listed above is the first one. However...
There are two reasons why the New Testament Church is not the 144,000…
1. The church is the Bride of Christ and has already been raptured.
2. The church has never been divided into tribes.
God is very specific as to exactly who the 144,000 are – they are Jews from twelve
specific tribes. Twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel: 12,000 from each tribe
= 144,000 Jews. Why is the tribe of Dan deleted from this list and Manasseh
added?
When Jacob blessed his twelve children, who ultimately became the twelve tribes, this is what he had to say about Dan:
Genesis 49:17 – Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.
God determined from the onset of the Law what would happen to the family or tribe who turned their hearts away from God Almighty and began worshipping other gods:
Deuteronomy 29:18-21 – so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have
peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard
could be included with the sober.
The Lord would not spare him; for then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the Lord would blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law…
This is what happened during Elijah's time:
1 Kings 12:26-30 – And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of
Judah.”
Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which
brought you up from the land of Egypt!” And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
The Order
There are 19 different orders of the tribes of Israel given in the Bible. Some are:
The order of birth – Genesis 35
The order of Jacob’s blessing – Genesis 49
The order of Moses’ blessing – Deuteronomy 33
The order of princes – Joshua 22
The order in Revelation 7 – are listed here, with the meanings of their names:
Judah = praisers of God
Reuben = looking to the Son
Gad = a company
Asher = blessed ones
Naphtali = wrestling with
Manasseh = forgetfulness
Simeon = hearing and obeying
Levi = cleaving to
Issachar = a reward
Zebulon = a home or dwelling place
Joseph = adding
Benjamin = a son at God’s right hand
When you put these together, it gives us the following.
Message: Praisers of God, looking to the Son, a company of blessed ones, wrestling
with forgetfulness, hearing and obeying and cleaving to a reward of a
home and a dwelling place, adding to a Son at God’s right hand.
These 144,000 missionaries will indeed be a company of blessed ones who are praising God! They will be hearing and obeying! They will be cleaving to a home in heaven as they see the earth being judged! They will be adding souls to the Son who is sitting at the right hand of God! Nothing is put into God’s Word by
accident.[i]
Foreshadow of the Judgment of the Nations
Matthew 24:14 – “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all nations in all the world. These missionaries will accomplish this during the tribulation. At the end of the tribulation, there will be a Judgment of the Nations when Christ will divide those who are left into those who will or will not enter into the millennial reign.
Matthew 25:31-46 – When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say to those on his right hand, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was hungry, and you gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink: I
was a stranger, and you took Me in: Naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick, and
you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me.” Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You? or thirsty, and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and take You in? or naked, and cloth You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And the King shall answer and say to them, “Verily, I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me.”
Then shall He say also to them on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was hungry, and you gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink: I was a stranger,
and you did not take me in: naked, and you did not cloth Me: sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.” Then shall they also answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?” Then shall He answer them, saying, “Verily, I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it
to Me.” And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous
into life eternal.
When the people in the nations turn away these 144,000 missionaries during the Great Tribulation, they will be judged as having turned away the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself.
Notice the verses of Revelation 7:9-17 – And after this… a great multitude… of all nations…
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 – For the mystery of iniquity already works: only He who now lets will let, until He be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Christ rejecters will be given over to a lie! God will allow them to be deceived!
In conclusion, remember, there is only one way to be saved – Old Testament Saints, New Testament Saints, and Tribulation Saints are all saved by grace through faith – and that faith is not of ourselves – it is a gift from God.
[i] Cozart, Dan W.; Sermon: The 144,000 Missionaries, 13 September 2013.
[ii] Flat Earth FAQ, http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php/topic,11211.0.html#.UkWOF_wo7ug.
[iii] Morris, Henry M.; The Revelation Record, © 1983 Henry M. Morris, Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois and Creation-Life Publishers, San
Diego, California, page 126.
[iv] Henry, Matthew; Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Revelation 7:1-12.
[v] Meyer, F.B., Through the Bible by Day, A Devotional Commentary, Vol. VII,
©1914, Philadelphia Sunday School Union, Revelation 7:1-10.
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne
of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd
them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
This chapter is a parenthetical event that occurs after the events created by the opening of the sixth seal and before the opening of the seventh seal. It has been likened to the Eye of the Tribulation Storm. The eye of a hurricane is an artificial calm – some have lost their lives because they thought the storm was over and left their shelter.[i]
Verse 1: uses the number 4 – four angels, four corners, four winds
The number 4 in Biblical numerology is the number of the Earth. There are four directions: North, South, East, and West. There are four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. There are four elements: earth, water, fire, air. There are four dimensions: height, width, breadth, and time.
The Four Angels and Four Corners:
While the four angels obviously correlate with the four corners, one for each corner, different views arise concerning the four corners themselves.
Let’s again emphasize not to take one verse (or even a few verses) out of context and try to build a theology on it. Some have taken this verse along with Isaiah 60:20 to claim that the Bible establishes a flat earth. There has been, even in our modern world, a “Flat Earth Society” that holds the earth is flat, regardless of what scientists proclaim. They have orchestrated a possibility of a circulatory flat earth with the North pole in the center, claiming the sun moves around the circle, only
shining straight down to give us the illusion of the sun coming up and going
down. These people are very serious, believing space travel and all other
evidences that the earth is a sphere has been faked. You can visit their website
at www.theflatearthsociety.org.
This society in the past depicted the earth as “four square” so that the reference in Revelation 7:1 of four corners would hold true. However, as flight was accomplished, they redesigned their earth model. No mention was given that I could find to define the “four corners” in this new rendition. They believe the whole idea of a spherical earth makes a mockery of the Bible and has been fabricated to disprove God’s Word.[ii]
A scientist, Dr. Henry Morris, who also believes God’s Word, gives us a more
plausible explanation:
“Accurate, modern, geodetic measurements in recent years have
proved that the earth actually does have four “corners.” These are protuberances
standing out from the basic “geoid,” that is, the basic spherical shape of the
earth. The earth is not really a perfect sphere, but is slightly flattened at
the poles. Its equatorial bulge is presumably caused by the earth’s axial
rotation, and its four “corners” protrude from that. The meaning of this verse,
however, is undoubtedly that the angels located in four different key positions
on the earth, perhaps one at each pole and two at opposite ends of a strategic equatorial diameter, are able to control the great atmospheric circulation
which governs the winds of the earth.”[iii]
The Four Winds:
Another explanation of what the four winds might represent is stated by Matthew
Henry:
“By these winds we suppose are meant those errors and corruptions in religion which would occasion a great deal of trouble and mischief to the church of God. … The devil is called the prince of the power of the air; he, by a great wind, overthrew the house of Job's eldest son. Errors are as wind, by which those who are unstable are shaken, and carried to and fro, Ephesians 4:14.”[iv]
The only hope of the Church of Jesus Christ is the Second Coming of Jesus.
What a majestic conception this is and how comforting the thought that the winds are controlled by angels, and that the storms which sweep earth and heaven must obey the mandate of eternal love! God’s people are not always saved from trial, but they are kept safe in it.[v]
Who are the 144,000?
Some theories:
1. It’s the New Testament Church, which is Spiritual Israel.
2. Those who are faithfully observing the Sabbath when the Lord returns (7th Day
Adventists)
3. The Jehovah Witnesses are the 144,000 – the most faithful – they believe we
are in the great tribulation now and they are the witnesses who are
going about witnessing (Jehovah Witnesses)
4. They are those of the Flying Role cult, whose blood is so pure that they will
inherit the earth (Flying Role Cult)
The only plausible theory listed above is the first one. However...
There are two reasons why the New Testament Church is not the 144,000…
1. The church is the Bride of Christ and has already been raptured.
2. The church has never been divided into tribes.
God is very specific as to exactly who the 144,000 are – they are Jews from twelve
specific tribes. Twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel: 12,000 from each tribe
= 144,000 Jews. Why is the tribe of Dan deleted from this list and Manasseh
added?
When Jacob blessed his twelve children, who ultimately became the twelve tribes, this is what he had to say about Dan:
Genesis 49:17 – Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.
God determined from the onset of the Law what would happen to the family or tribe who turned their hearts away from God Almighty and began worshipping other gods:
Deuteronomy 29:18-21 – so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have
peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard
could be included with the sober.
The Lord would not spare him; for then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the Lord would blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord would separate him from all the tribes of Israel for adversity, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Law…
This is what happened during Elijah's time:
1 Kings 12:26-30 – And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of
Judah.”
Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which
brought you up from the land of Egypt!” And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
The Order
There are 19 different orders of the tribes of Israel given in the Bible. Some are:
The order of birth – Genesis 35
The order of Jacob’s blessing – Genesis 49
The order of Moses’ blessing – Deuteronomy 33
The order of princes – Joshua 22
The order in Revelation 7 – are listed here, with the meanings of their names:
Judah = praisers of God
Reuben = looking to the Son
Gad = a company
Asher = blessed ones
Naphtali = wrestling with
Manasseh = forgetfulness
Simeon = hearing and obeying
Levi = cleaving to
Issachar = a reward
Zebulon = a home or dwelling place
Joseph = adding
Benjamin = a son at God’s right hand
When you put these together, it gives us the following.
Message: Praisers of God, looking to the Son, a company of blessed ones, wrestling
with forgetfulness, hearing and obeying and cleaving to a reward of a
home and a dwelling place, adding to a Son at God’s right hand.
These 144,000 missionaries will indeed be a company of blessed ones who are praising God! They will be hearing and obeying! They will be cleaving to a home in heaven as they see the earth being judged! They will be adding souls to the Son who is sitting at the right hand of God! Nothing is put into God’s Word by
accident.[i]
Foreshadow of the Judgment of the Nations
Matthew 24:14 – “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all nations in all the world. These missionaries will accomplish this during the tribulation. At the end of the tribulation, there will be a Judgment of the Nations when Christ will divide those who are left into those who will or will not enter into the millennial reign.
Matthew 25:31-46 – When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say to those on his right hand, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was hungry, and you gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink: I
was a stranger, and you took Me in: Naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick, and
you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me.” Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You? or thirsty, and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger, and take You in? or naked, and cloth You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And the King shall answer and say to them, “Verily, I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me.”
Then shall He say also to them on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was hungry, and you gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink: I was a stranger,
and you did not take me in: naked, and you did not cloth Me: sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.” Then shall they also answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?” Then shall He answer them, saying, “Verily, I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it
to Me.” And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous
into life eternal.
When the people in the nations turn away these 144,000 missionaries during the Great Tribulation, they will be judged as having turned away the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself.
Notice the verses of Revelation 7:9-17 – And after this… a great multitude… of all nations…
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 – For the mystery of iniquity already works: only He who now lets will let, until He be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Christ rejecters will be given over to a lie! God will allow them to be deceived!
In conclusion, remember, there is only one way to be saved – Old Testament Saints, New Testament Saints, and Tribulation Saints are all saved by grace through faith – and that faith is not of ourselves – it is a gift from God.
[i] Cozart, Dan W.; Sermon: The 144,000 Missionaries, 13 September 2013.
[ii] Flat Earth FAQ, http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php/topic,11211.0.html#.UkWOF_wo7ug.
[iii] Morris, Henry M.; The Revelation Record, © 1983 Henry M. Morris, Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois and Creation-Life Publishers, San
Diego, California, page 126.
[iv] Henry, Matthew; Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Revelation 7:1-12.
[v] Meyer, F.B., Through the Bible by Day, A Devotional Commentary, Vol. VII,
©1914, Philadelphia Sunday School Union, Revelation 7:1-10.