Ezekiel 9 and Revelation 7
The sealing
of the 144,000
Overlooked details whose time is come. It's important to visually see these corresponding passages to make a determination concerning their fulfillment. We all should acknowledge
Deu 8:3—And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Isa 55:11—So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
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Ezekiel 9:1-11 |
Revelation 7:1-10 |
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1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud
voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even
every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. 2 And, behold, six men came from the way of
the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter
weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a
writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen
altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone
up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he
called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his
side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the
midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the
foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be
done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing,
Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither
have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and
little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark;
and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were
before the house. 7 And he said unto them, Defile the house,
and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and
slew in the city. 8 And it came to pass, while they were
slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said,
Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out
of thy fury upon Jerusalem? 9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the
house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood,
and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the
earth, and the LORD seeth not. 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not
spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their
head. 11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou had commanded me. |
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.
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 Nepthalim 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. 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. |
Did God begin to destroy anyone in 1929?
That is the honest conclusion one would have to make if any assert the absurdity. What could you otherwise say if you ignore the details they both contain? In fact, no such destructive action appears anywhere in Revelation 7 as it does in Ezekiel 9. Does that mean that the four angels given to hurt will not eventually hurt in the EVENT of the sealing of the 144,000 (7SC7-12:19.1, 2) after they are sealed (a settling into truth: 4BC:1161.6) by present truth?
Obviously, Ezekiel 9 is the climax of the sealing of the 144,000 living saints—"the servants of God" (Rev. 7:3). It is a part of the vision that has its origin in Ezek. chp. 1 culminating in Ezek. chp. 10. As always our interest must be guided by the Spirit of Prophecy which states
"This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision. John also had been a witness of this most startling revelation."—TM:445.1
When we confess comparing both prophet's testimony with each other, when guided by the Spirit of Truth, we should discern that both prophets witnessed the same event. However, could one of the prophets have been shown more than the other? What Ezekiel reveals in Chapter 9 is only a part of a larger vision for him. While John's account takes in more with fewer verses of scripture concerning the 144,000 "firstfruits."
How many men have destroying weapons "in his hand" at the fulfillment of Ezek. 9?
The Bible gives that answer in Ezek. 9:2, "…Six men…" And in case you are prone to doubt or enter into disbelief both verse 1 and verse 2 affirm that all six men each have destructive instruments in their hands. Therefore it should be automatically understood that these men are not coming in response to participating in a typical Seventh-day Adventist revival meeting during probationary time. This must be a TIME of judgment (harvest: Matt. 13:30) after probation has closed. Is that not correct?
Turning our attention to the first four verses of Revelation 7 we see how different is the scene. We have four angels standing on the four corners of the earth HOLDING the four winds of the earth that the winds should not blow. Then John sees another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. He cries with a loud voice to the four angels given to hurt telling them hurt not…till we have sealed the servants of our God "in their foreheads."
As a result of the cooperation and coordination of these angels, some were assigned to hurt while one is given to protect and save a numbered company—the 144,000.
When we read Rev. 7:3 we find that the servants of God had not yet been sealed when this takes place. However, in verse 4 John reported how many were sealed. Now, did something happen between the time the servants of God were not sealed until the time they are? The answer is yes.
Because there is a gap between Rev. 7 vs. 3 and vs. 4 then as diligent reverent students of the word of God when we compare scripture with scripture we will see the situation differently and with even greater clarity than we have hitherto before. That these passages are NOT in conflict or competition but are to be harmonized. There is only one correct way to understand what is taking place when it does in regard to the sealing of the 144,000. Every word of God must come to pass as it is written.
Revelation 7:1-3—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.
“The servants of God are sealed” first “in their foreheads” before the winds are loosed. Then after the sealing message figurative of another angel ascending from the East accomplishes its mission through human instrumentalities. Then after the winds are loosed because the servants of God were settled into the truth. They have met the eligibility (1TG7) requirement. They are now prepared for the time of the work of separation (Matt. 13:30). The Judgment for the living can now commence without controversy.
See Ezekiel chapter 9 to learn what happens between Rev. 7 verse 3 and verse 4.
Ezekiel 9:1-11—He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
[2] And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.
[3] And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;
[4] And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
[5] And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
[6] Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
[7] And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
[8] And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
[9] Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
[10] And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
[11] And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.
We've already proven that "…in their foreheads" means something distinctly different from "…upon the foreheads…" and that these actions do not transpire at the same time. One is during probationary time while the other is after probation is closed.
Thus Revelation 7's first three verses + Ezekiel 9's eleven verses amount to
3 + 11 = 7 + 7
God's perfect number is revealed twice. Follow up with seven more verses to complete the whole story of salvation in the latter days for the delivered living saints.
Revelation 7:4-10—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 Nepthalim 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.
[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.
That is a triple seven. And for “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,“(Luke 6:38 ) here are the last seven verses.
Revelation 7:11-17—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.
7 + 7 + 7 + 7
Both of these chapters must be fulfilled. The question is do you have a better proposal and harmonious explanation to demonstrate the fulfillment of the sealing of the 144,000 living saints. An explanation that respects "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" without a single contradiction?
Waiting and willing to be corrected. God bless.
By your servant Bro. Neftali Garay Sunday, August 20, 2023
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