By: Tom Lowe Date: 12/10/2015
Series: Verse By Verse Through Revelations
Title: #20: Sealing of the 144,000 on Earth (Revelation 7:1-8)
Revelation 7:1-8 (KJV)
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.
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.
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 Nephthalim 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.
Introduction
The sixth seal had been opened, and the people of the earth tried to hide from God, asking who would be able to survive God’s judgment (6:17). Just when destruction seemed sure, four angels held back the four winds of judgment until God’s people were sealed as His own. This sealing occurred in this interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. An interlude also comes between the sixth and seventh trumpets (10:1-11:13), but not between the sixth and seventh bowls (16:12-21). God did not open the seventh seal until he had marked His people as His own (v. 3).
This chapter answers the question in 6:17, “Who is able to stand?” Those described in this chapter will stand in the sense that they will be spared to enter the Millennium with Christ. The faithful believers would be kept safe. This chapter contains two pictures: first, the sealing of the 144,000; second, the great multitude worshipping before God’s throne.
The seventh chapter of Revelation explains and expands the horror unleashed at the breaking of the fifth seal. Persecution develops into the full-blown horrors of the great tribulation. The events described do not take place until later in the book, when the beast comes to power and puts down all that stands in his way. Once the seals are broken and the restraints removed, it can only be a matter of time before such wickedness comes to a head. Here the ultimate, inevitable collision between holiness and inequity is described. God wants us to know what lies ahead for His people in the terrible period of trial which follows the rapture of the church. They will go through almost seven years of hell on earth—especially the last 3 ½ years of the reign of the Antichrist. To the nations who have rejected Antichrist and refused to receive his mark, and the people of Israel (those who have not been butchered or beheaded), the message of swift judgment and holy fury against the Antichrist and his armies will be good news indeed. The announcement of the everlasting Gospel will be made to those who are saved during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17; Luke 21:28; Psalm 96:11-13; Isaiah 35: 4-10). How are they going to be saved? They are going to be sealed. The Holy Spirit is going to be here, not only to regenerate them, but he will also have a special ministry of sealing during this period. The Holy Spirit guarantees that they will make it through the Great Tribulation. If it weren’t for the seal, they wouldn’t make it through. If you really want to know the truth, Tom Lowe would not make it through today if it weren’t for the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 24:22 we read, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s (Israel’s) sake, those days shall be shortened.” In my heart, I believe the message of the everlasting Gospel is the message to Israel, that final judgment is about to be meted out to the Antichrist and his henchmen, and the days will be shortened assuring them that judgment will come upon their enemies before those enemies are allowed to annihilate the elect of God.
The multitudes of sealed and saved persons who come into view in this chapter are probably the fruit of the ministry of those two mysterious witnesses whom God will raise up during the first part of the beast’s career. It will be his murder of these two witnesses which will give the beast much of his support with godless humanity. The converts of these two men will face the rage and fury of the beast and will be called upon to seal their testimony with their blood. This chapter focuses on this testing and triumph. The world, exasperated by the toughening judgments of the seals and trumpets, will look for a scapegoat on which to vent its rage. As Nero singled out the Christians for persecution, so the beast will turn in fury on those who believe in God in his day. Long before the dreadful time comes, God tells in advance how He will love and care for His own, sealing some and strengthening others for the dreadful hour of trial.
Chapter seven is actually two visions, with the second both interpreting and concluding the first. The sealing of the 144,000 uses totally Jewish symbols to describe those who know God through Jesus Christ. Clearly John was referring to Christians as the 144,000. Verse 3 refers to the “servants of God,” a term consistently used throughout Revelation to refer either to Christians in general or Christian ministers, but never to the non-Christian Jew (or Gentile). Language employed in the Old Testament to refer to the Jews was characteristically used in the New Testament to refer to those who know God through Jesus Christ. For example: “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29; also see 2 Corinthians 6:16-18). Those who are in Christ are the beneficiaries of the promises made to Israel (Romans 4:13-17; Galatians 3:8-9, 15-29).
Commentary
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.
The first thing the Apostle John is given is a magnificent revelation of God’s absolute control over all the factors of time and space. There is a calm in the midst of the storm. “Four angels” (v. 2) who are active in the judgments and who hold in their hands further tempests of fury are restrained by a decree of God. Some of God’s people must be sealed (v. 3) before anything else can transpire. Before the end of this age actually arrives, a great persecution will bring the number of the martyrs to the necessary total— “. . . and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed” (Revelation 6:11; NIV). “After these things” refers to the tremendous judgment of the previous chapter, the riding of the four horsemen. In this riding of the four horsemen I believe we have been given a birds-eye view of the Great Tribulation Period, an overall picture, and now the details are going to be given to us.
John’s vision is expressed in conceptions of the world which were widely held in the days in which John wrote. One popular concept was that the earth is a square, flat earth. In John’s vision, an angel is standing at each of “the four corners of the earth,” waiting to unleash the weapons of destruction. It was the common belief that all the forces of nature were under the control of angels. The sudden silence and the angels holding back the “four winds” from blowing upon the earth picture God’s protection from harm; they contrast the peace and security of the believers with the terror of those hiding in the rocks— “They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” (6:16). The winds described here picture harmful winds as agents of God bringing destruction— “Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea” (Daniel 7:2). The four angels hold back the winds so that not a leaf rustles in the trees, and the sea became as smooth as glass. This scene contrasts with the earthquakes and meteor showers that had just occurred— “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (6:12-13).
To this point, John has not described any winds that need to be held back, so these angels may be holding back all that was released in the first four seals. At the least, they are stopping the natural order of the world. The sun is not shinning, the stars are not shinning, meteors are falling to the earth, and now the wind has stopped blowing.
This is difficult for many of us to understand; those who live in the temperate countries do not know the terror of the wind. But there is something here more far-reaching than that and more characteristic of Jewish thought, the Jews knew nothing about secondary causes. We say that atmospheric conditions, variations in temperature, land and mountain configurations, cause certain things to happen. The Jews ascribe it all to the direct action of God. They simply said, God sent the rain; God made the wind to blow; God thundered; God sent His lightning. Surely both points of view are correct, for we may still believe that God acts through the laws by which His universe is governed.
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,
“Another angel” means this is a fifth angel. He is apparently of a higher rank than the other four because he gives them orders (v. 3). As we see in the Book of Daniel and also in the Epistle to the Ephesians, angels have rank like the military, both the good and the bad. “Another angel” who has the seal of the “living God” comes from the east. The final disaster comes from the east when the time for Armageddon is ripe. The Lord also comes from the east when He comes in His Glory. “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:7). The east probably indicates the direction of Jerusalem.
This angel has a message for the “four angels” holding back the winds—he instructs them to hold back their damage until the servants (slaves) of God are identified by a seal on their foreheads (v. 3). This seal will mark them so that they will not be hurt during the judgment of God. According to Revelation 14:1-5, the servants marked with a seal are those who have kept themselves pure, followed the Lamb, been purchased by God, and been offered as first fruits.
This seal that the angel has with him differs from the seven seals on the scroll that the Lamb had been opening. In ancient days, a king would push his signet grain into wax on a scroll or document as a seal to mark his ownership and to protect its contents. God places His own seal on His followers, identifying them as His own and guaranteeing His protection over their souls. Here God’s seal was placed on the foreheads of his servants. This seal would be counterfeited by Satan in 13:16 (a seal known as “the mark of the beast”). These two marks would separate the people into two distinct categories—those owned by God and those owned by Satan. Ezekiel 9:4-7 records God sending a divine messenger through Jerusalem to mark the foreheads of those who still worshipped the one true God. Here, the seal that the angel put on the believer’s foreheads was the name of the lamb and Hs Father’s name (see 14:1).
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
A sudden stillness descends upon the scene (vision) so that the hundred and forty-four thousand (v. 4) can be sealed. Why did the believer’s need this seal of protection? Most likely, they needed protection from what would be a time of intense difficulty on the earth, for the angels at the four winds were told, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till . . .” God said to delinquent Lot, “I cannot do anything till thou be come thither” (Genesis 19:22). It follows, then, that God will not allow the Great Tribulation to develop until He has secured and sealed a remnant of believing Jews. It is very clear that God will have a remnant of His people who are going to be saved—144,000 (v. 4). This may seem to you like a big number, but actually, it is very small. There are over 14,000,000 Jews today in the world, and in comparison to that number, you can see that the remnant of the children of Israel (the nation of Israel) is really going to be very small. These are the ones who are going to witness of Christ in the Great Tribulation. In Matthew 24:14, speaking of this period, the Lord Jesus said: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come.”
Even though we are led to believe from the statement in verse 3— “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads”—that the angels will be permitted to release the four destroying winds when the sealing is accomplished, but this is NOT done. It is not until we come to Revelation 9:15 that we are told, “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t say what their preparation consisted of, but, without a doubt, they knew their assignment and were ready to act on a moment’s notice to kill one-third of the inhabitants of the earth. You may thank God if you are a Christian, because you will be in Heaven when it happens.
At the end of history, people will face a time that will be marked by unprecedented evil and persecution— “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered” (Daniel 12:1). In 9:3-4, for example, during the fifth trumpet, stinging locusts descend on the earth and are told “to attack all the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (NLT). In 16:2, “the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl over the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on every one who had the mark of the beast” (NLT). However, the seal would not protect the believers in all instances from the pain and suffering of those judgments, nor would it protect them from death. Ultimately, the seal was a sign of spiritual and eternal protection. Those sealed would be protected from God’s punishment of an unrepentant world. They would not face God’s wrath, even though they would face the wrath of those who hate God. Jesus had said, “. . . Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).
Pretribulationists (which I am, by the way) believe that Christians will have been raptured—removed from this world to meet the Lord in the air—just before the Tribulation begins. They believe that this seal means that many others will become believers during the time of tribulation—these new believers will receive this seal. According to this verse, the only believers who will suffer through this terrible evil and persecution will be those who become Christians during the tribulation—perhaps because they had witnessed the rapture of true believers.
Although scripture isn’t clear whether believer’s will have to go through the “Great Tribulation,” the Bible clearly states that God looks after His people (Psalm 1:6; 145:20; Ezekiel 34:12). He promises to protect believer’s and give them the strength to endure any and all tribulation (Psalm 32:7; John 17:15). The worst thing about the storms of life is that men are likely to lose the thought of God in the storms.
Both those who think that the Christians will be raptured before the Tribulation, as well as those who think they will remain on earth throughout, agree that the seal put on believer’s “foreheads” will protect them. Both groups also consider 3:10 to describe this: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
What is the mark that is put upon their “foreheads?” Now here is a place where I must confess (I sure hope you won’t let this get out) that I do not know the answer, and I can only make suggestions. My feeling, though, is that it is a spiritual mark that will be in their lives: “. . . But by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20)—by their lives. I believe that is going to be the mark of God’s own during this period because the godless are really going to be godless in this period.
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.
God always lays claim to His own. When Abimelech tampered with Abraham’s affairs, God warned, “Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for thee . . .” (Genesis 20:7). To Elijah He said, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal” (1 Kings 19:18). God lays claim to His own, but this does not mean they necessarily escape the common disasters of earth. It means that God watches over them and takes careful note of their affairs. There are two very different companies of people in this section. One company is Jewish; the other is Gentile. One passes unscathed through the fiery furnace of the Tribulation; the other is martyred to the very last man.
There are those who are “sealed” to defy the totality of Satan’s secular dominion. They are drawn from the various “tribes” of Israel. John says, “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.” There were 12,000 from the “tribes” of Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Nepthalim, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulum, Joseph, and Benjamin. Dan and Ephraim are missing from the list. In Old Testament history, both these “tribes” were notorious for their connection with idolatry. Perhaps in a coming day they will take the lead in hailing the beast as Messiah. Israel’s tribal divisions are no longer known. But God knows them and, in a coming day, He will see to it that each of the appropriate “tribes” is equally represented in the sealing. Joseph provides us with an illustration. He could seat his brethren in proper order around the festive table and select his full brother, Benjamin, for a worthy portion. It was no problem to him, although it greatly astonished them (Genesis 43:33-34). The Lord knows what Israel’s tribal divisions are.
Those “sealed” will go unscathed through the great tribulation. They will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the beast and a constant reminder to the devil that, while millions may bow to his will, God still has him on a leash and says to him, “thus far and no farther.” Consequently, this sealing acts as a phylactery{1], or supernatural protection, against the series of plagues which are to devastate the world, in conformity with the promise in 3:10. As an additional feature, it may serve to guard the faithful against the demonic forces (9:4), particularly during the reign of the Antichrist, which is to come.
“The number of them which were sealed were a hundred and forty and four thousand” (144,000). This does not mean that only 144,000 of those people alive on the earth at that time will be saved. Most expositors believe that this refers specifically to Jews—that there will be a great revival among the Jews and that many will be saved. Some say that there will be exactly 144,000 Jews saved—perhaps to be evangelists for the rest of the great multitude— “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” (Revelation 7:9).
Many interpreters of Revelation hold that the 144,000 people represent Israel (I agree). Keep in mind though, that John is sending this letter to disbursed Christians, not all of whom are Jewish. Also keep in mind that John has made statements elsewhere that can be interpreted to mean that God’s chosen people are no longer determined by heritage or ancestry, but by faith. In light of this, others interpret this 144,000 as the faithful of the Christian church.
I am convinced that the 144,000 will receive the same gifts received by the 120 on the day of Pentecost. I believe the 144,000 missionaries out of Israel will have the gift of tongues and will speak in every language and dialect on the face of the earth. There are thousands of dialects and languages that have not been reduced to writing, but these missionaries, “sealed” by God and sent by God, will announce the coming Kingdom to every tribe and every kindred on the face of the earth who have never heard the Gospel of the Grace of God. Those who hear the message and receive it will make up the “number” in revelation 7:9 and following . . . “the great multitude that no man can number.”
Those who refuse to believe the message of the 144,000 and to follow the Antichrist instead, will receive the mark of the Beast and will be damned (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). The unpardonable sin after the Rapture will be the mark of the Beast. (Today the unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.) The preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom will continue throughout the seven-year period . . . the reign of the Antichrist. At the close of the Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon will be fought. After the battle of Armageddon, the glorious Kingdom will be ushered in, Jesus will set on the throne in Jerusalem in the temple, and will reign for 1000 years. We, the born again, will reign with Him (Revelation 20:1-6).
The 144,000 “sealed” missionaries out of Israel are special messengers of God to fulfill a mission during a specific time—there will not be one Gentile in the group, not one. They are especially called, commissioned, ordained, sent and “sealed.” They will be delivered from the devil and from the enemies of God. They will be protected. The devil cannot destroy them. These “sealed” ones are literal Israelites. This group cannot be the Church because the Church is in Heaven with her Lord—in the New Jerusalem. Moreover, the Church is neither Jewish nor Gentile. The Lord Jesus Christ said that He was going to prepare a place for those who were His and now that He has taken them off the earth, they are with Him. That city will come down from God a little later on in the Revelation, and we will get a look at it.
There are groups on earth today who claim to be the 144,000, but they are NOT. The Bible is clear on that subject. Some of these cults will be forced to revise their figures, because they have overshot the 144,000 “number.”
Where the lost 10 “tribes” are I do not know—nor does any other man on the face of the earth know. Their identity is lost. But God knows where they are, scattered among the nations today. When God is ready for them, He can find them. We need not worry about the lost 10 “tribes.” We need to be concerned about lost sinners, and go after them with the Gospel of the marvelous Grace of God.
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 Nephthalim 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.
Verses 5-8 provide a list of the tribes of Israel. These lists are based on the sons of Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). While the tribes are usually listed in order of the age of the sons, in this case Judah is listed first, though Judah was not the oldest son. This is significant in that Jesus is from the “tribe of Judah.” This may have been intentional on John’s part, though it is difficult to find and intentional meaning in the order of the rest of the list. A tribe is missing from this list—Dan. Some say this is because of the idolatry engaged in by that tribe. Most likely, this listing of the twelve tribes is symbolic of all of God’s true followers—the “true Israel,” which is the church (Romans 2:29; 9:6; Galatians 3:29; 6:16; 1 Peter 2:9).
All of God’s followers will be brought safely to Him; not one will be overlooked or forgotten. God seals these believers either by withdrawing them from the earth (in the Rapture (see verses 2-3 above) or by giving them special strength and courage to make it through this time of great persecution. No matter what happens, they will be brought to their reward of eternal life. Their destiny is secure. These believers will not fall away from God, even though they may undergo intense persecution. This is not saying that 144,000 individuals must be sealed before the persecution comes, but that when persecution begins, the faithful will have already been sealed (marked by God), and they will remain true to Him until the end.
The number 144,000 is significant because it signifies perfection and completeness (144 = 12 x 12). Some see here the completeness of God’s people: the 12 tribes of Israel (Old Testament saints) and the 12 apostles (New Testament saints). This may be a good application of this passage, but it is not the basic interpretation; for we are told that these 144,000 are Jews, and even their tribes are named.
In the early church this picture of sealing was specially connected with two things. (a) It was connected with baptism which was regularly described as sealing. It is as if, when a person was baptized, a mark was put upon him to show that he had become the property and the possession of God. (b) Paul regularly talks about the Christian being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The possession of the Holy Spirit is the sign that a man belongs to God. The real Christian is marked out by the seal of the Spirit which enables him to have the wisdom and the strength to cope with life in a way beyond the attainment of others.
But the mentioning of the sealing of the 144,000 in chapter seven does not mean that they “were sealed” between the sixth and seventh seals. There is no date or time mentioned. When they “were sealed,” we do not know. They were probably sealed immediately after the Rapture. The Scripture does not enlighten us here; therefore, it is not for us to know the date or the exact time. These sealed ones will no doubt preach throughout the years of Daniel’s 70th week of prophecy, the Tribulation period (Approximately seven years). Even in the midst of Satan’s kingdom, where all hell is loose on earth, the power of the Gospel will reach millions, or rather; “a great company that no man can number” (Revelation 7:9).
The same 144,000 are mentioned again in Revelation 14:1. There John says, “And I looked, and low, a lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Not one of the number is missing. There were 144,000 before the tribulation began; all are safe now in heaven. Notice that the verse says that “His Father’s name written in their foreheads,” but as I said above, I don’t know what will be written there, because I don’t know what name God will use for this purpose.
{1] Phylactery, in Jewish religious practice, one of two small, black leather, cube-shaped cases containing Torah texts written on parchment, which, in accordance with Deuteronomy 6:8 (and similar statements in Deuteronomy 11:18 and Exodus 13:9, 16), are to be worn by male Jews of 13 years and older as reminders of God and of the obligation to keep the Law during daily life. According to rabbinic regulations, one of the phylacteries is worn on the left arm facing the heart and the other on the forehead at the morning service (except on the Sabbath and festivals) and at the afternoon service on the Ninth of Av.
