Who Can Stand - Part One: the 144,000

Introduction

Every day, Christians suffer. Honestly, our struggles can make us wonder whether or not God is good, and they can make us wonder further if He keeps his promises. We seldom voice those kind of questions because we think everyone else has stronger faith and doesn’t have the same concerns. Can you imagine a first century church or for that matter large portions of the global church today undergoing rigorous persecution and wondering these very things? What’s more as the events of Revelation progress, and these catastrophic events of the sun going dark, and famine, and war, and earthquakes everything else increase in intensity - Christians will wonder then as they always have: is God good, and does he keep his promises? Revelation chapter 7 steps in to illustrate that in his goodness, God indeed does keep his promises.

Psalm 76:7 asks the question of God: Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? Two verses later we hear that “…God arose to establish judgement, [in order] to save ….”

It is this pattern of thinking we need to consider as we look at the continuation of the sixth seal in Revelation 7.

The Sixth Seal Continued.

I mentioned last week that the sixth seal doesn’t end with the end of chapter 6, certainly not the least because the chapter and verse numbers, along with the headings many Bibles include as study aids - are not part of the Biblical text.

Listen for the flow of the text.

> Read, without pausing Revelation 6:12-7:11.

As everywhere else in scripture context is king here. As helpful as verse and chapter number and headings may be for locating a section of scripture they are not part of the Bible’s text and when we switch to study mode we have a responsibility to intentionally ignore these very helpful tools so as not to miss something important.

First: not to put too fine a line on it, Revelation 6:12 introduces the sixth seal, and Revelation 8:1 introduces the seventh. The artificial chapter numbering injects a break where none existed in the original texts.

Second: The two section of chapter seven are introduced as subsequent visions (7:1, 9) meaning that we are given new insights related to the sixth seal.

Third: Revelation 6:17 ends with the great question regarding the presence of God and the wrath of the Lamb: “Who can stand?”

Were it not for the seventh chapter we too might despair but for the fact that John now sees that two specific groups as it were emerge who can indeed stand.

The first answer is given in the 144,000 a symmetrically numbered group of asymmetrically sized Jewish tribes. The even numbers are communicating something.

The second answer comes in an unnumbered - indeed innumerable - group of the peoples from all over the earth. The first group is sealed by God, the second has washed their robes in the blood of Christ. Both are symbols of salvation.

Who can stand? The saved - whether Jew or Gentile. That is the point.

Application: Will You Stand?

The grand question my friends is this: Will you be able to stand in the presence of God the Father? Will you stand in the day of the wrath of the Lamb of God?

You will not stand because of genetics. You will not stand because of church attendance or religious adherence. You will not stand because your good outweighs the bad. you will not stand because you are winsome. You will not stand because you are, in the words of Revelation 6:15, a king, a great man, a commander, rich, strong, slave, nor free. You will only stand - you will only survive the holy presence of the Father and the wrath of the lamb if Jesus Christ is your savior.

Holding Back the Wind

Revelation 7:1-3 begins with a shift in the vision. John doesn’t say this is the next even that happened, he says this is the next thing I saw. In other words it is not a chronological shift as much as it is a vision shift highlighting the answer to the question, “who can stand?”

He sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds. Now, that’s all pretty symbolic stuff. The earth hasn’t got corners, but it’s clearly enough a reference to the extremes of all directions. And the four winds simply the North, South, East, and West.

In the Bible, we see wind’s description of global or nearly global events.

In Daniel 7:2; 8:8; and Zechariah 2:6 ; as well as in Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27 the four winds seem to simply describe “all directions”.

A symbol of complete judgement:

In Jeremiah 49:36 God uses the four winds from the “four ends of heaven” indicating the cardinal directions will scatter the nation of Elam across the nations.

The power of God:

In Ezekiel’s familiar vision of the valley of dry bones God commands his prophet to command life’s breath to come from the four winds (all over!) (Ezekiel 37:9).

So, here in Revelation 7:1 the four angels are instructed to hold back the four winds of heaven as a symbol of holding back God’s global judgement for a season and for a specific purpose.

The instructions for the angels are simple: Hold back the wind so no wind, no global judgement of God, would blow on the earth, or sea, or curiously enough: any tree.

It may be a bit obscure to us, but in the book of Daniel - which serves as a foundational book for reading Revelation, the fourth chapter of Daniel contains a dream that the Pagan King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar had. He dreamed of a great tree that was cut down in judgement. Daniel the prophet reveals to “Nebbie”, that He was the tree and God was about to cut him down in judgement. The wind blowing against the trees would be consistent with the Old Testament and the rest of Revelation to indicate God’s judgement against the kingdoms (trees plural) of the earth.

Whether or not John’s mention of the tree is an indicator of the fall of kingdoms we at least can recognize that when the wind blows, it’s power is easily noted by how it moves the trees.

Then (V2-3) Another angel, a fifth, comes from the East (the rising of the sun) and he holds the “seal of the living God” He commands the four angels to hold back - and in doing so we identify their task as well. They have the power to harm the earth and the sea, in other words to bring judgement upon the earth.

I submit to you that this is what Peter is alluding to when in 2 Peter 3:3-9 he talks about people complaining that Jesus has not yet come back. The answer he gives is what we see here: God is holding off judgement throughout these last two thousand years because he is saving the lost.

Every day that God’s judgement does not fall is another day of grace my friends. I don’t say that to scare you. I don’t say that to sensationalize. I say that to help you to understand both God’s delay – and to reinforce God’s purpose for right now is salvation.

This angel cries out to hold back the winds of judgement until the bond-servants of God are sealed.

Sealing the Saved |

The seal of God or otherwise is used across scripture. Pay attention to the trail.

In Genesis 4:15 God places a sign on Cain so no one will harm him, indicating God’s protection. We must take note of this because the word for seal σφραγιζω (Sfragidzo) is used in various ways, including what seems to be implied here: marking as an identification of ownership, and thus protection.

In fact, the idea here in our text of sealing the bondservants of God on their foreheads is paralleled from Ezekiel in particular. It tells us a great deal about what is meant.

In Ezekiel 9:4-6 as the executioners of God’s judgement draw near to the city - another man (an angel) draws near with a writing kit at his side. He is commanded by the Lord to go through the city of Jerusalem and “Put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst. But to the others He said in my hearing, go through the city after him and strike....but do not touch any...on whom is the mark.”

The seal of Revelation 7 is a seal of protection. If you dig a little deeper, this becomes even more significant not only for this section but for more to come.

Revelation 14:1 indicates that the mark bears the name of the Lamb and of the Father which is written on their foreheads.

Now, as we get ready to move on in the text I would also like to point out 2 Corinthians 1:22 in which we see that God has “...SEALED [Christians] and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge”. As also is attesting in Ephesians 1:13...

Ephesians 1:13

While in Ephesians 4:30 we are reminded not to Grieve the Holy Spirit with whom we were sealed. 

So we should ask ourselves, what is the point of the seal? Consistent with Scripture and in particular the Old Testament parallel in Ezekiel it seems to be a mark of Identification with God signifying both God's protection and primarily: ownership.

And then, we may well expect the seal or the mark of the beast in chapter 13 to be the same sort as we will discuss when we get there. In Revelation 13 it seems to indicate a voluntary declaration of allegiance to the antichrist. It is not a barcode or a microchip or a tattoo that someone can force on you. It’s not the sharpie mark they give you at a ball game so you can go in or out - though the principle of image is seen there: It is a symbolic mark of identity and ownership to the evil one in chapter 13, and to God in chapter 7. But we’ll certainly look closer at it when we get there.

One final observation here… why the forehead? Since, from the sign God to Cain, to the seal in Ezekiel 9, and forward into the New Testament the seal is a sign of God's ownership and protection. Being sealed on the foreheads means you can't see someone without seeing it is there. It is not meant to be hidden from people.

In the Vision, much as in Ezekiel the seal is going to mark off the bondservants of God. So the seal is a seal of salvation.

The last question is who are these people?

Identifying the 144,000

Now I know the standard dispensational interpretation of this passage. Generally, dispensationalists assume that these are Jewish evangelists during the tribulation period. I say assume on purpose - because once you decide the framework of the book you naturally make everything fit into it. I’m sure I can be no less charged the same way. So I hope to be gracious in suggesting something different. Everywhere in Revelation, numbers and math in general are like everything else: highly symbolic.

144,000 = 12 x 12 x 1,000

Redeemed Warriors

First of all, why are they numbered? Typically in the Old Testament a census exists for a specific reason: war. The book of Numbers 1:3 indicates that the first census of Israel was to determine those who were able to go to war. This is in keeping with Later in Revelation 14 this same 144,000 is brought back to our attention and they are described as virgin warriors – this is in keeping with the Old Testament expectation that leading up to battle the soldiers of Israel would be chaste. While they seem to represent an army the focus is not on military preparedness – it is on the FACT that God is sealing them representing his ownership and protection of them.

Symbolic Numbers

Now also look at verses 4-8. You should be surprised at how every tribe has the exact same number of sealed servants of God. Since the Old Testament reveals that the tribes were all very different sizes – that should alert you to something going on beyond the numbers.

There are 12,000 taken from 12 tribes of Israel - even though notably the tribe of Dan is missing and in its place Manasseh the son of Joseph is included. In Genesis 48 Jacob (Israel) Blesses the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons giving Joseph the double inheritance that would typically go to the firstborn who was to be head of the household. In the very least we see the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Joseph as that double inheritance come to pass.

As noted, the only tribe missing is Dan. Once again speculation rises up to explain this. But Speculation is not Bible study. What it does seem to point to is further reason to look at the symbolism in the text.

144,000 = 12x12x1,000 These are all nice convenient round numbers.

Once again, note the number from each tribe: 12,000. 12,000 = 12 X 1,000 which are both fairly symbolic numbers. 12 is symbolic of leadership as in the twelve tribes of Israel, and the subsequent 12 apostles.

In Numbers 31:1-5, just as Moses is about to die the last military campaign he leads is against Midian. In response Moses calls for 1,000 from each tribe: 12,000 in total to go to battle in response to the idolatry which Midian brought upon the people of Israel. We can hardly afford to miss the comparison here. These redeemed warriors are symbolically representing something. But what?

Firstfruits (Representatives)

When we see them again in Revelation 14:4 we will once again see this group brought back to our attention where they are named firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

The idea of the firstfruits in scripture is that the very beginning of a harvest is brought to the Lord as a representative of the entire harvest. Here that again. The firstfruits represent the whole of the harvest. To speak plainly: first-fruits don’t come last. They come first. Firstfruits are representative of the whole.

This 144,000 is not an army of evangelists at the end of the age, they are representative of the first to be saved and the rest who will be saved. That they are specifically tied to the Jewish tribes seems to clearly speak that these are representative of Jewish believers from the beginning all the way to today of all the Jews who are redeemed not by their works, not by their blood lineage, but by Christ alone. Verse 3 says not to harm the earth until “we have sealed the bond-servants of our God....” Indicating that Salvation is the work of God, and that his people who belong to him in Israel will not be left out of the kingdom entirely. There shall be a great number of Israel saved.

This brings us back into our context. Who is able to stand in the great day of God’s wrath? The answer comes in two parts. The first part is that, as Paul says in Romans 9:6-8...

Romans 9:6-8

Just because someone has a genetic link to Abraham, doesn’t make them what God considers true Israel. True Israelites are Israelites who accept Jesus as Messiah. This 144,000 represents the fullness of the Tribes of Israel not meaning every single genetic Israelite per-se, but a complete representation of Jews who believe in Jesus. This is the fullness of Israel, symbolized by 144,000 warriors. These are the ones that are redeemed by Christ and who serve to represent the salvation of Jews (Romans 9-11). Even now, from our perspective, the Jewish people, as Paul contends in the book of Romans, have been hardened for a season so that many Gentiles may come in. But he also contends that when the fullness of the gentiles has come in, Faith will surge into Israel as well. The 144,000 represent all the Jewish believers in Jesus.

So who can stand? For starters Jewish believers. Who else can stand? As we’ll see next week: an innumerable gathering of Gentiles (vv9-ff).

Benediction:

May the God who makes promises and keeps them, comfort you in his promise of salvation. Amen.

Revelation 6:12–7:11 NASB95PARA

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,