Seven Trumpets 6.0: Day of the Lord
 
 
After the sixth seal has been broken, John sees (Revelation 7:2-4) four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. In chapter 9 of Ezekiel, God has his servant go through Jerusalem placing a seal on the heads of all those Jews who mourned and grieved at the evil they beheld all around them. Up in the heaven seen by John in Revelation 7:2-4, an angel comes up from the east, having the seal of the living God. That seems to be a reference to the servant from Ezekiel 9 who went through Jerusalem placing a seal on the heads of all those Jews who mourned and grieved at the evil they beheld all around them He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.  The 144,000 may be a symbolic number. It is made of all the tribes of Israel. They are listed, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes, with a cryptic exclusion of the tribe of Dan, and the name Joseph (the father) substituted for that of Ephraim (the son). So rather than getting hung up on the quantity Jews, it might be better to concentrate on the fulfilment of the promise God made to Abraham and Moses about the atonement and redemption of the Jewish people. The way I read it, the righteous Jews of Ezekiel 9 who have been sealed by the scribe dressed in white linen are about to be admitted into God’s glory. They have been redeemed from the earth (Revelation 14:3). They have experienced the atonement of alienation from those who prosper by committing evil. They are about to join the great choir up in the sky whose admission criteria can be summarised as redemption and atonement. These 144,000 Jews are greeted with delight by the current members of the celestial choir. The members of that musical ensemble have come from all tribes, tongues and nations. They have been redeemed by the Lamb, and just as importantly, have also passed through great tribulation. They are overjoyed to be joined by the righteous Jews. Then the redeemed of every tribe and nation Raised their voices in songs of jubilation Having passed through their own tribulation Joined the lamb and his bride in celebration Or, as Revelation chapter 7, verses 9 to 17 put it... After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 
   "Salvation belongs to our God, 
   who sits on the throne, 
   and to the Lamb." All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 
   "Amen! 
   Praise and glory 
   and wisdom and thanks and honor 
   and power and strength 
   be to our God for ever and ever. 
   Amen!" Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know."    And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 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 spread his tent over them. 
 Never again will they hunger; 
      never again will they thirst. 
   The sun will not beat upon them, 
      nor any scorching heat. 
 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 
      he will lead them to springs of living water. 
   And God will wipe away every tear from their eye Got that? The people up in heaven from every nation, tribe, people and language singing their lungs out have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. That is the terminology the bible uses for the idea of redemption. But they have also come through great tribulation. That is the terminology the bible uses for the idea of atonement. So you get the twin notions of redemption AND atonement in the welcoming parties in heaven for the 144,000 Jews (1200 from each of the tribes of Israel). The Jews have also passed through tribulation (atonement) and undergone the redemption process like their gentile, fellow choristers. Ezekiel_5.2.htmlSeven_Trumpets__please_explain.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0
When the Lamb, the 7th seal had broken And from each of Jacob’s tribes 12,000 chosen They were sealed with redemption’s holy token It was the time of which the prophets all had spoken And its one for the hail of fire that bleeds Two for the mountain hurled down into the sea Three for Lucifer in the rivers made grim Four for the sun, moon and stars now dim Five for the locusts with the sting in their tail And the unsealed souls they do assail Six for the army of the damned To be wiped away by a mighty hand Then the redeemed of every tribe and nation Raised their voices in songs of jubilation Having passed through their own tribulation Joined the lamb and his bride in celebration And its one for the hail of fire that bleeds Two for the mountain hurled down into the sea Three for Lucifer in the rivers made grim Four for the sun, moon and stars now dim Five for the locusts with the sting in their tail And the unsealed souls they do assail Six for the army of the damned To be wiped away by a mighty hand 

Seven Trumpets: the Apocalyptic Fireworks begin