The Best In a Security System

For many years, a religious group claimed a membership of 144,000. They were convinced they were the only true church, claiming they would be the only ones to make it to heaven. However, while recruiting more people, they have since surpassed that number. Thus, they have had to change some of their writings and teachings.

In the book of Revelation, we are not always given definitive answers to our questions. Nevertheless, enough information is given that we can glean from the Bible what we need in order to live a life for the glory of Christ.

Much speculation has occurred and will continue to take place regarding specifics about the end times. I am reminded of an individual who created the poster which stated, "If your thoughts are always on the details of the end, you'll miss God’s opportunities for the present."

As we come to chapter 7, we find something like an interlude between the sixth and seventh judgment seals. We are now given an answer to the question in the last verse of the last chapter: who is able to stand?

Breaking this chapter down into two major parts seems simplest. The first section covers verses 1-8, where we see that God's seal is certain. The second section concludes the chapter with verses 9-17, where we find that God's salvation is secure.

Only those who belong to Christ have true security.

God’s Seal Is Certain.

Revelation 7:1–8 (NASB95)

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.

John begins this portion by the phrase "after this." After what? It is after he observed the sixth seal causing the incredible cataclysmic events, six in all. It is after the people on the earth, in an attempt to avoid the Lord's wrath, hide. It is after he hears them begging for the rocks to fall upon them. Curiously, it is also after the question, "who can stand?”

This chapter offers an answer. Only those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can stand. Here, we seem to be shifting the focus from judgment on the rebellious, to seeing God’s protection for those who have chosen to follow Him.

John sees four angels at the four corners of the earth. We obviously know that the earth is not square nor flat. This phrase is used to symbolize the entire coverage of the earth. No place is beyond God’s reach. These angels were holding back the wind, which in the Old Testament, is seen as a means of God's judgment. Another angel comes from the east who gives some instructions to the four angels. Those instructions were to wait until God's bond servants have His seal on their foreheads.

How many bondservants would there be? Exactly 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. Because they are referred to as bondservants, we know they have been redeemed. You may have noticed as you read that two of the tribes normally mentioned are not mentioned here. Ephraim and Dan are not listed. Instead, Joseph and Levi are listed. You remember that Levi was not in the Old Testament listing of the land allocation, nor was Joseph. We cannot know for certain, but it is possible that Ephraim and Dan are left out because of their tendency to practicing blatant idolatry. Again, this is pure speculation. We see that God is not through with the nation of Israel.

This indeed is all conjecture. So we want to look at what we do now. There will be exactly 12,000 individuals from each of the 12 tribes listed who are known as servants of God. They will be protected from the upcoming judgments. They will be recognized by the seal of God on their foreheads.

This seal is totally different from the mark of the beast found later in revelation. A seal had two basic purposes. It showed ownership and it was a form of protection from attack by others. These 144,000 Jews belonged to God, implying that they had experienced salvation. More than likely, they will be heavily involved in evangelism during the tribulation period. They are also protected from the ravages of God's wrath and from what the Antichrist will attempt to do to them.

Now, what can you and I glean from this section? For one thing, we should be thrilled to read that many Jews will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. God has not forsaken his chosen people, though many of the Jewish people will continue to reject Christ as the Messiah. In fact, God will supernaturally use this group of 144,000 to proclaim salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ.

In addition, we see that God will limit his judgments so that those who belong to him, will not experience his wrath.

God’s Salvation is Secure.

Revelation 7:9–17 (NASB95)

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, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

This next group would more than likely belong to the Gentile world. This group consists of those who have experienced salvation, as well. Here, John states that they were innumerable. There is no exact number. They were from all over the world. In considering all the great revival movements throughout history, this short period of time will experience one of the greatest response to the salvation message of Jesus Christ ever to have happened on this earth. Again, the word behold, showing the amazement that John had as he looked upon this scene. They are also in a different location than the 144,000. The 144,000 were upon the earth. This group is in heaven.

We see that they are wearing white robes and holding palm branches, a sign of celebration. Since they have not yet received their resurrection bodies, this is symbolic.

They were loudly crying, "salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb." This is worship. Again, we recognize that salvation is all of God. This loud praise to the Lord causes the angels to fall down and worship God, attributing to him a seven-fold praise. Think about it; angels and those who have been saved are worshipping and praising the Lord together.

Then an elder spoke directly to John, questioning if he knew who they were and from where they came. John, of course, did not. So the elder responded with the answer. These Gentiles have been born again during the tribulation, because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of their martyrdom, they are now before the throne of God, serving Him constantly.

In addition, they experience God’s protection. They will not experience any more the incredible heartaches that they experienced upon the earth. They will not be hungry. They will not be parched with thirst. Neither will they be exiled to the hottest reaches of the earth.

In fact, the great Shepherd will lovingly take care of them. He will lead them to "springs of living water." He will also take away their heartache by wiping "every tear from their eyes."

Again, you may be wondering what we can apply to our lives today. First, we should be prompted to praise God, in the fact that salvation is not only for the Jew, but for the Gentile, as well. Secondly, we can be motivated to proclaim the gospel even more so. Yes, we do praise God that there will be individuals who will come to a saving knowledge of Christ, even during the tribulation. Yet, the tragedy is that they are mistreated and murdered. They are not able to live productive lives for the kingdom of God while on this earth. Because of their belonging to Christ, they will be killed. Thus, we should be motivated to get the message of salvation out while it is still day.

Yet on a more personal level, I am convicted of my own smugness. Yes, I am thankful for my salvation. However, I do not celebrate as I should. David talks about the "joy" of his salvation. Jesus promises that we who belong to Him would have joy and have it to the full. These individuals, found in this chapter, are loudly celebrating their salvation that came from God. They are holding palm branches in celebration.

Now I am one of those individuals that chooses not to have a bumper sticker to proclaim my faith, because I fear I might do something foolish that would ruin my testimony. Yet, I am not so certain that I shouldn't be more aggressive by shouting out my praise and joy in the fact that I belong to Jesus Christ. Will the world not set up and take notice more if we as Christians were more vocal about our salvation and the incredible joy and peace that is ours as a result? I wonder if any angels would have reason to fall down and worship God because of my testimony.

Finally, I see a beautiful, pastoral picture of Christ at the end of this section. He offers protection even today. He has promised to "never leave us nor forsake us." He has given us his Holy Spirit today to guide us and illumine us, giving clarity to His Word. He has promised to meet all of our needs. According to the Sermon on the Mount, Christ knows of our need for food, clothing, shelter, etc. Even if we should undergo persecution, Christ has guaranteed us His presence. When my heart is breaking within me, to Whom should I go, but to my Lord and Savior? He is the one Who provides comfort through His Holy Spirit. The Bible reminds us that weeping may be for a moment in the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Summary

Not everyone who will experience salvation during the Tribulation will be martyred. Looking at Matthew, Isaiah, Micah, and Zechariah, we gather that those believers who survive the Tribulation will be involved in populating the millennial kingdom.

Christ provides certainty and security. Only those who belong to Christ have true security. It is not those who merely talk about Christ. It is not those who attend church because of tradition. It is not those who have gone to Bible college or Christian schools. The ones who are victorious and who have true security, are the ones who have personally accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They know with certainty that Christ watches over them as they minister as His bond servants. They experienced true security, knowing the blood of Jesus Christ has bought them. Thus, they are victorious.

I am reminded of a news article I read in the mid 80s, which I felt was a great object lesson of what it’s like belonging to Christ. It was during a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, where a reporter shared about a rescue device used on oil rigs on the ocean. In case of fire or hurricane, rig workers were to scramble into the bullet shaped bus-like object and strap themselves into their seats. When the entry port is shut, the vehicle is released down the chute and projected away from the rig. The seatbelts protect the occupants from the impact with the water. The capsule then bobs in the sea until rescuers come to pick it up.

The comparison is found in the realization, that just because we belong to Jesus Christ, that doesn't guarantee the world will stop falling apart. Just like that rig possibly collapsing, so might be everything all around us. Nevertheless, if we belong to Jesus Christ, we are saved from the ultimate consequences. We will be victorious because we have true security.

Even today, when it seems that Christianity is being attacked from outside the church as well as from among the church (the wolves), we can be encouraged that our salvation is certain and secure.

That is good news for you and for me. And we need to share that good news with others. Because Only those who belong to Christ have true security.