Miscellaneous Notes
PRAYER MEETING
OCTOBER 30TH, 1997
By Ed Tarkowski

THE SEVEN SEALS

The Fourth Seal As Found In the Old Testament

Tonight we want to look at the seven seals of Revelation again, but we want to see them in the Old Testament as they pertain to the Mosaic and Abrahamic Covenants. So often we hear teaching of WHAT the seals mean concerning their content, but what we want to establish is WHY they exist in the first place. I believe this talk will help us to see that God did not just give Revelation to His people in any random fashion, but that the understanding of these seals are firmly based in the Old Testament covenants. Though we have heard teachings on these at other times, this talk will take a lot of the guesswork out of understanding the seals. I will be reading a lot of Scripture, so gird your minds to listen attentively to these as they are read, because they will be describing what will be forthcoming in Israel. Picture the events described in these Scriptures as being true of events in Israel's Day of Jacob's Trouble and know why God allows the events contained in these seals to come upon Israel. God just doesn't let such events as described in Revelation come upon His people for no good reason. We must also keep in mind that the Book of Revelation deals primarily with Israel in the last days, with the opening of the book or scroll Daniel sealed in Daniel 12. Daniel 9:24 says,

Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined UPON THY PEOPLE AND UPON THY HOLY CITY, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

The following comes UPON THE HOLY PEOPLE AND UPON JERUSALEM, and these are the purposes of all that happens to Israel in Revelation:

Seventy weeks have been determined for these things, meaning the tribulation period is included in bringing all of these things to completion, and that is done partly through the seven seals being opened. We want to look at these seals as having their foundation in the Old Testament.

THE REASON FOR GOD'S JUDGEMENTS

I want to begin by reading

Deut 4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.

Moses warns Israel to not "forget the covenant" of the Lord their God, meaning the Law given at Sinai, by making an image.

Deut 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

Moses warns that if they corrupt themselves through the making of an image, they will face the anger of God because that is an abomination to Him.

Deut 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

Expulsion from their land and the utter destruction of their land is promised them for such an abomination.

Deut 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

Moses said the Lord will scatter them after their land is destroyed, and they will be reduced in numbers, with the Lord hoping to bring them to repentance:

Deut 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

When they come to serving other gods, Moses still gives them hope, saying that when and if they are in such a condition, God will still take them back if they repent and return to Him with all their being.

Deut 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, EVEN IN THE LATTER DAYS, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
In other words, the cause of tribulation coming upon Israel is because of forgetting their covenant with God and making an image and worshiping it, but it is in the resulting tribulation that restoration will come when they return to Him in repentance, EVEN IN THE LATTER DAYS.

With these thoughts in mind, let's now recap the seven seals.

SEAL ONE - ANTICHRIST COMES IN PEACE

Rev 6:1 (KJV) And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
The rider is antichrist who establishes a temporary peace and restores Israel to a place of integrity among the nations, purposing to fulfill the satanic counterfeit of the Abrahamic covenant which gave Israel the deed to the land. Sovereignty is given to him through peaceful negotiations, so the first seal, then, is a movement of peace in regards to Palestine, and apparently involves a covenant in which the temple sacrifices are restored. Jesus warned against the false christ-to-come when He said,

John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

SEAL TWO - WAR

Rev 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

The taking of peace from the earth will be centered around Israel, even today, as war looms over the nation on a daily basis. This seal, though, tends to indicate international strife, most likely with Israel as the primary focus and cause of that strife. Jesus said,

Matt 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

I believe seals three and four quickly follow the placing of the image by Antichrist in the temple.

SEAL THREE - SHORTAGE OF GRAIN - FAMINE

Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

We will see that this is God's promise to break Israel's staff of bread for their rebellion.

SEAL FOUR - SWORD, HUNGER, DEATH, BEASTS

Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, TO KILL WITH SWORD, AND WITH HUNGER, AND WITH DEATH, AND WITH THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH.

These seals show a progressive deterioration in Israel as events draw near to the middle of the Daniel's 70th week. These seals primarily consist of judgements of death by the sword, by hunger, meaning famine, and the wild beasts of the earth, and we want to see them as pertaining to Israel, though the whole world will be affected by the antichrist.

These curses - sword, death, famine, economic hardship, pestilence, wild beasts, - were brought against Israel WHENEVER THEY FORSOOK GOD'S COVENANT. It is when the image is set up by the antichrist that God will bring these punishments against Israel and Jerusalem. These are represented in the third and fourth seals of Chapter 6 in the Book of Revelation.

THE SEALS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - LEVITICUS 26

I now want to read from Leviticus 26, and these verses deal with the curses for Old Testament Israel's APOSTASY (following the lies of the antichrist) AND THEIR CONTEMPT FOR THE LAW AS A NATION (the setting up of the idol). These verses are the basis for the plagues that come against Israel in the Latter Days.

Lev 26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

The abomination of desolation, the image, is set up by the antichrist in the middle of tribulation, and WILL BE CONDONED BY APOSTATE ISRAEL, while a remnant will understand it is the reason for the curses that then come upon their nation:

Dan 11:30 . . . he (the antichrist) shall be grieved, . . . and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
31 . . . and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

There are Jews who will do wickedly against the covenant. This is the breaking of God's Mosaic covenant concerning the making of images and the reason for the curses that come upon it as Moses had stated:

Ex 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:

Lev 26:2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. 3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

The idol is set up in the sanctuary, and God's commandments are broken. But look at what God says He will do if Israel keeps His commandments, if they don't allow an idol in their sanctuary, if they honor His sanctuary. He says,

Lev 26:4 I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

But the Third Seal speaks not of an increase in wheat and barley and the tree of the field, but a decrease in them, making food very expensive because Israel will break God's covenant.

Lev 26:5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

The Third Seal speaks of a shortage of grain to make bread, not an abundance where it is eaten to the full. It speaks of war, not of dwelling in the land in safety, and it speaks of these because the covenant was not kept but broken.

Lev 26:6 And I will give peace in the land (4th seal), and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid (4th seal): and I will rid evil beasts out of the land (4th seal), neither shall the sword go through your land (4th seal).
7 And ye shall chase your enemies (dispersion), and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

The Fourth Seal speaks of death and wild beasts and a sword. Instead of Israel's enemies falling by the sword, Israel itself falls by the sword.

Lev 26:9 And I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.

Instead of multiplying Israel, Israel is decreased through all of these plagues in Revelation, and God's covenant is not established with them until He satisfies His wrath and because of the faithfulness of the remnant.

Lev 26:10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.
11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.

But, again, instead of the blessing, Israel will experience the curse because God's Tabernacle is not set up in their midst, but torn down, desecrated and made desolate after it is restored during the first half of the Tribulation.

ANOTHER SHALL RULE THEM

Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

God says He will walk among them if they obey His commandments, and they would be His people, but instead He comes to them in plagues and wrath and places them UNDER ANOTHER'S RULE:

Lev 26:13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that YE SHOULD NOT BE THEIR BONDMEN; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: THEY THAT HATE YOU SHALL REIGN OVER YOU; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

If Israel gave herself up to ungodliness, then God would appoint over them "terror," a general notion particularized in verses 16 and 17 by disease, famine and defeat, but also those that hate them would rule over them. In the latter days, that will be the antichrist.

Lev 26:18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

These plagues escalate from the mid-point of the tribulation until Israel's power is finally broken because they refuse to repent, a non-repentance Revelation speaks of. God says, "I will break the pride of your power." Remember what Daniel heard: "and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished" (Daniel 12:7). This verse in Daniel very aptly describes the curses of Leviticus 26 for breaking the covenant. And Moses goes on from here in very descriptive language what is related in the third and fourth seals:

Lev 26:20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits [part of the famine of the 3rd seal].
21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins [notice the escalation of tribulation by the use of the phrase, "I will bring seven times more plagues."].
22 I will also send wild beasts among you [part of the 4th seal], which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number [reduction in numbers]; and your high ways shall be desolate [desolation - another part of the Revelation judgements].
23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;
24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
25 And I will bring a sword upon you [part of the 4th seal judgements], that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you [part of the 4th seal]; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy [part of the Revelation judgements].
26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread [part of the 3rd seal judgement], ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight [the balance of the third seal]: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied [not eat their bread to the full].
27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you [complements the 6th seal].
31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. [This is exactly what will happen during the Tribulation: the sanctuary will be made desolate and the sacrifices will be stopped, but it more refers to the altar of incense, the coals of which the high priest would put in a censor as a sweet odor to the Lord when he went into the Holy of Holies. This complements the 7th seal].
32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it [again, this is what happens in the tribulation].
33 And I will scatter you among the heathen [spoken of in Matthew 24 and Daniel], and will draw out a sword after you [found under the 4th seal]: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste [more judgement of the seals and Daniel's prophecy; Armageddon].

These judgements in Leviticus are described in four leading features:

  • the idolatrous abominations were to be overthrown (verse 30);

  • the towns and sanctuaries were to be destroyed (verse 31);

  • the land was to be devastated (verse 32);

  • and the people were to be dispersed among the heathen (verse 33).

  • God, in verse 33, says He will draw out a sword after them, that is, He will drive them away with a drawn sword, and scatter them to all the winds of heaven. But God, after these judgements, looks for Israel's reaction to them to bring repentance.

    THE REMNANT

    Lev 26:40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:

    The Seals of the Tribulation are meant to bring Israel to repentance, and THIS REPENTANCE IS WHAT BRINGS ABOUT THE REMNANT. And the reason God attempts to lead them to repentance is because He will remember His covenant with Abraham and the land that He promised He would give to his descendents:

    Lev 26:42 THEN WILL I REMEMBER MY COVENANT WITH JACOB, AND ALSO MY COVENANT WITH ISAAC, AND ALSO MY COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM WILL I REMEMBER; AND I WILL REMEMBER THE LAND.
    43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
    44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
    45 BUT I WILL FOR THEIR SAKES REMEMBER THE COVENANT OF THEIR ANCESTORS, WHOM I BROUGHT FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT IN THE SIGHT OF THE HEATHEN, THAT I MIGHT BE THEIR GOD: I am the LORD.
    46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.

    Upon repentance and obedience God would renew again the Abrahamic Covenant and gather them again out of the heathen and adopt them as His nation. This, of course, will be totally fulfilled by Jesus in His return when, because of the Abrahamic Covenant, all nations of the world will be blessed as He fulfills that Covenant. This is what the coming of Christ fulfills: The Abrahamic Covenant. God will fulfill the land covenant made with Abraham, that he and his descendants inherit the land of Canaan. It was because of the Abrahamic Covenant that God delivered Israel from Egypt, and it is why He will gather the remnant at His second coming:

    Ex 3:24 And God heard their groaning [in Egypt], and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
    25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

    God had delivered Israel from Egypt because He remembered the covenant He made with Abraham to give them a land, and He will remember Israel again in a few short years because of that same covenant, and again divide the land amongst Israel. This is what the remnant is about between the six and seventh seal. Joshua 18 describes the dividing of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel. There are further descriptions of the land by tribes in Ezekiel 45 and 48. Ezekiel describes the end times at the end of his prophecies, and the book ends with these verses:

    29 This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD. 30 And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures. 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. 35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

    In other words, what we are speaking of here in the seals is a Jewish remnant that inherits the land through the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Ezekiel says the same thing about the dividing of the Promised Land in Israel and prefigures a remnant that comes out from the plagues into the Kingdom of God. In Ezekiel 14, it says,

    Ezekiel 14:12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
    13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it [evidences of the third and fourth seal]:
    14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
    15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:
    16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
    17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
    18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
    19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:
    20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
    21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
    22 Yet, behold, THEREIN SHALL BE LEFT A REMNANT THAT SHALL BE BROUGHT FORTH, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
    23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

    Like I said at the beginning of this week's talk, God isn't just doing things randomly during the Tribulation. But He is acting according to His covenants. The purpose of these judgements in Ezekiel is to make the land desolate, to cut off from it man and beast because Israel as a nation sinned against him (14:13), but out of it would come a remnant (v. 14), symbolized by Noah (preacher of righteousness), Daniel (prophet of end time events) and Job (suffering and restoration because of God's faithfuleness), which is in line with the remnant 144,000 in Revelation 14.

    THE FIFTH SEAL

    Rev 6:9 (KJV) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:. . . .
    11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

    The souls under the altar signifies Jewish martyrs because a sacrificial death is implied. In Judaism, we find the belief that the souls of the righteous were under the altar in heaven: "Rabbi Akiba....says that whoever was buried in Israel was just as if he was buried under the altar, and whoever was buried under the altar was just as if he was buried under the throne of glory." The reason they were martyred - "because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained" [see Rev. 6:9; 12:17; 14:12; 20:4]. Tribulation Christian saints are designated as those who "keep the commandments of God and give testimony to Jesus Christ." The Jew doesn't have a testimony to Jesus, but they had a testimony pointing to Him, so I believe these under the altar are primarily Jewish martyrs.

    Old Testament saints are designated by "the testimony which they held" as compared to those who "hold to the testimony of Jesus." Given white robes is mentioned, meaning they didn't have them before and that would indicate Jewish saints, since the robes of Christian saints are a present possession, as shown by the Christians in the church at Sardis. The robes are the righteous acts of the saints and when Jesus ascended He took the Old Testament saints who had died with Him. Now Jerusalem is again to be under siege again for its idolatry and the cry heard from them is this:

    Rev 6:10 (KJV) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

    As God unleashes the plagues because of the idol and the devastation starts of the people and their temple and their land, the souls under the altar cry out to the Lord concerning the time this has to continue, as this has been their history in the past. The view that the end of the world would ensue when the roll of martyrs was complete was current in pre-Christian Judaism. "a little longer" = the last part of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27).

    Rev 6:12 (KJV) And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
    13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
    14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
    15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
    16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb (This verse 16 complements Lev 26:30-33):
    17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

    Bob Gundry says,

    "Under the 6th seal, wrath is mentioned. Rather an ingressive or a dramatic aorist tense portrays the wrath as starting or about to strike. The sixth seal brings us to the end of the tribulation. This is the final catastrophe of judgement when Christ returns, for the Lamb is just about to strike the wicked who are trying to hide (vs 12-17). The wrath could not yet have actually fallen because men are still trying to hide from it. Rather, the wrath is at the inception of breaking forth or on the verge of doing so: "has just arrived" or "is here." The phenomena are those which Jesus said would occur immediately after the tribulation at His return."

    Rev 7:1 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.
    2 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,
    3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
    4 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.
    5 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.
    6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
    7 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.
    8 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.

    This is the remnant that God will bring into the land and fulfill the Abrahamic covenant. They are Jews.

    Rev 7:9 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;
    10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
    11 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,
    12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
    13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
    14 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.
    15 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.
    16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
    17 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.

    This great multitude are the martyrs of the Great Tribulation, but they are also a fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, where God said to Abraham, "I will make you the father of many nations."

    8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
    2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
    3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
    4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
    5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
    6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.