The 144,000

Apocalypse, First Intermission

Reading Revelation 4-19 reads a lot like reading a play

3 different acts

Breaks in between

But the break does not mean that there is no activity happening

Rather, it reveals the other things that God is doing alongside the judgments

Review timeline

Revelation 7:1-8

Revelation 7:1–8 NKJV

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: 5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; 6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; 7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; 8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

1. About the Five Angels

To stabilize the earth

Vv.1-3

Holding back the winds

No harm done to earth, sea, or trees

They will take the destruction that went on after Seal Six and give rest to the earth

For what purpose?

V.3

So that the servants of God might be “sealed”

σφραγίζω

“to identify by marking”

To signify ownership

To mark group identity

So God’s servants will be identified during this time

Why?

God knows who these people are

Evidently they will need to know who is on the same team

Combining that with the fact that it will become enormously difficult to be a follower of Jesus Christ in that day

Need to know who is who

Take-away:

Even in the midst of all of this awful stuff that’s happening

God will still be providing opportunities to experience His mercy

Providing a way for people to hear about Jesus

To believe in Him

To receive everlasting life

2.About the 144,000

144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed

V.4

Dispersion of the Northern Kingdom was 722 BC

12 tribes of Israel

refers to saved Israelites

does not refer to the church

church has been raptured

whenever the term "Israel" is used in Scripture, it refers to descendants of Jacob

pointless to divide church up into 12 tribes

12,000 in each tribe

more than 144,000 may be saved

Point to note:

Israel will recognize Jesus as Messiah

Believe in Him

Receive everlasting life

As Paul explained in Ro 2:28-29

Romans 2:28–29 NKJV

28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

receives a “circumcised heart”

making that one a true Jew

circumcision

outward sign

performed by a rabbi

signifying a man was a Jew

part of that covenant with God

heart circumcision

inward sign

can be done only by God

happens by indwelling of Holy Spirit

happens upon belief in Christ

As Jesus explained to Nicodemus in Jn 3:3-5

Being “born again”

And as both Paul and the Lord explain in several places in the New Testament

The ones who believe in Jesus for everlasting life become the real children of Abraham

As Abraham believed in God, and God credited him with righteousness

Ge 15:6

only 144,000 will be sealed

What will be their primary purpose?

To be witnesses for Jesus

To proclaim truth of the Gospel

Point to note

there are no lost tribes of Israel

From 722 to today, God knows exactly where each descendant is located

What does that say to you about those times when you feel as though God has forgotten about you?

Is 49:15-16 “15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”

3.About the tribes

Compare tribe listings

Nu 1

Reuben

Simeon

Gad

Judah

Issachar

Zebulun

Ephraim

Manasseh

Benjamin

Asher

Naphtali

Levi

Vv.5-8

Judah

Reuben

Gad

Asher

Naphtali

Manasseh

Simeon

Levi

Issachar

Zebulun

Joseph

Benjamin

Where is Ephraim?

Is 7:8-9

Isaiah 7:8–9 NKJV

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, And the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, So that it will not be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”

Head of Ephraim was Samaria, seat of Northern Kingdom and its idolatry

Where is Dan?

omitted because of idolatry

Jg 18:27-30 2 Ki 10:29 1 Ki 12:28-30

What we do today has long-term implications

Can begin a “chain of sin”

Dr. Winship as quoted by J. Oswald Sanders in A Spiritual Clinic (Chicago: Moody Press, 1958), p. 90

Edwards family

Father was a minister

mother was the daughter of a clergyman

Among their descendants

14 presidents of colleges

Over 100 college professors

Over 100 lawyers

30 judges

60 physicians

Over 100 pastors, missionaries, and theology professors

60 authors

Jukes family

whose members could not be made to study and would not work are said to have cost the state of New York a million dollars

1200 known descendants

310 were professional paupers

440 were physically wrecked by their own wickedness

60 were habitual thieves

130 were convicted criminals

55 were victims of impurity

20 learned a trade

10 of these learned it in a state prison

7 murderers

Dr. Winship as quoted by J. Oswald Sanders in A Spiritual Clinic (Chicago: Moody Press, 1958), p. 90

No way Danites could have realized the destructive impact of their decisions throughout the rest of world history

Israel would never be the same

No way Jeroboam could have realized on his own how his politically-motivated maneuver would ultimately obliterate one entire half-tribe of Israel from God’s plans

Decisions you and I make today on a whim or an impulse or an urge can have severe long-term repercussions

Ripple effects

The collateral damage resulting

Is catastrophic

Is long-term in the suffering

How many people have had their personalities and demeanor completely altered because of someone else’s decision made while they were children?

How many of you parents have had the relationships you have with your children today altered by the choices of your parents when you were a child?

One single unguarded moment in a person’s life

Can completely wreck his/her future plans in a nanosecond

What drives your decision-making process?

Now What?

What needs to change today?

Your decision-making process?

If you make your decisions based on

Your feelings

Your desires

Your dreams

What is convenient

What moves you ahead

You need to make a change starting today

Your view of how God is working in your life?

If you think He has forgotten you If you think He has lost track of time

If you think He is going to let you be destroyed

You need to see Him for who He really is starting today

Where you will spend eternity?

Believe in Jesus Christ to give you the gift of everlasting life now