In portraying God’s interventions on behalf of His people, Revelation uses the imagery of trumpets in the Old Testament. Trumpets were an important part of the daily life of ancient Israel (see Num. 10:8-10 and 2 Chron. 13:14-15). Their sound reminded people of the worship in the temple; trumpets were also blown in battle, at harvesttime, and during festivals. … Continue reading –>
Revelation chapter 8 opens with a picture of seven angels standing before God, ready to blow their trumpets. Before the trumpets are blown, another scene is inserted. Its purpose is to explain the theological meaning of the trumpets. Read Revelation 8:3-4 along with the description of the daily services in the temple in Jerusalem given below: a … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Rev. 8:1-13; Num. 10:8-10; Ezek. 10:2; Rev. 10:1-11; Dan. 12:6-7; Rev. 11:1-13; Leviticus 16. Memory Text: “But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7, NKJV). In the scene of the fifth seal, … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Sinlessness and Salvation”, pages 353-357, in Selected Messages, book 3. The identity of the 144,000 is a hotly debated issue. What seems evident in Revelation is that the 144,000 are the last generation of God’s people in the closing days of this earth’s history. We know that they will go through the time … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 14:5 along with 2 Peter 3:14 and Jude 24-25. Revelation describes God’s end-time people as “without fault”. How is this state achievable? The final characteristic of the 144,000 is that “in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:5). While the people of the world choose to believe Satan’s … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 14:1-5. What are the three chief characteristics of the 144,000 saints? How are these characteristics related to the description of the end-time saints in Revelation 14:12? Revelation 14:4-5 is a description of the 144,000 that aligns with God’s last day people who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12). Although they … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 7:9-10. What group of saints does John see at this point? How are they described, and where do they come from? What are they shouting before God’s throne? John sees a “great multitude, which no one could number”, who came “out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 7:4-8. What is the number of God’s sealed people? What is the meaning of that specific number? The announcement of the number of those who are sealed marks the completion of the sealing. John hears that their number is 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. The reference here is not to a literal … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 7:1-3 along with 2 Peter 3:9-14. What does John see? How long are the angels supposed to restrain the winds? What will happen when the sealing is concluded? In the Old Testament, winds stand for destructive forces by which God executes judgments upon the wicked (Jer. 23:19-20; Dan. 7:2). “As the angels of God cease to hold in … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Revelation 7; 2 Pet. 3:9-14; Deut. 8:11-17; Rev. 14:4-5, 12; Rev. 17:5; Rom. 3:19-24. Memory Text: “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” (Revelation 7:14, NKJV). The opening of the seven seals shows us that every person who claims to believe … Continue reading –>
