Sealed For A Purpose
Revelation 7:1-8
October 9, 2016
Last week we started looking at this text regarding the 144,000.
Actually to say we started might be a little of a stretch.
Let’s say we intended to start.
But hopefully you are aware of the issue and purpose of the chapter now.
The Lord Jesus Christ, in response to the cry of the martyrs,
Has begun to unleash His active wrath onto the world.
When that sixth seal was broken
It became clear that the Lord was now in the business
Of unleashing His personal holy fury on the sinful world.
At one point even ripping back the sky
That those on earth might see Him on the throne and know that
All of these catastrophes were the direct result of His wrath.
And when this happened a universal cry rose from the earth.
Revelation 6:15-17 “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?”
AND THIS WAS THE QUESTION WE DEALT WITH LAST WEEK.
• We can easily say that those who are able to stand are those whom God causes to stand.
• And God causes sinners to be able to stand before Him through the work of Christ and the preaching of the gospel.
That is the answer.
And that is also the point of the Revelation 7.
When sinners ask at the end of chapter 6 “who is able to stand?”
God immediately reveals a chapter to answer that very question.
REVELATION 7 IS MEANT TO SHOW US WHO IS ABLE TO STAND.
So let’s take a brief break from the chronological flow of the events of the tribulation in order to answer this very important question.
Two main things we see
#1 THE SEALING OF SLAVES
Revelation 17:1-8
God is answering the question regarding who can stand.
And the first thing He reveals is that He has purposely sealed
A specific group of bond-servants (slaves) for this task.
Let’s work our way through it, and there a few things I want you to see.
1) THE PLAN OF DESTRUCTION (1)
“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.”
This verse is actually following along in the chronological flow of
The judgments regarding the tribulation.
When that sixth seal opened we saw a great shaking in which
• The sun turned black,
• The moon turned to blood,
• The mountains and islands disappeared,
• Stars fell to the earth,
• And the sky split apart.
But those were NOT the final judgments Christ has prepared for the world.
There is more.
This scroll is sealed up with 7 seals not 6,
Which means there is still one more seal to open.
And what we find in verse 1 is “four angels”
Who are preparing themselves for the judgments of this 7th seal.
They are “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.”
To help you understand what is happening here,
You need to understand THE REFERENCE TO WIND that is used.
Often times in Scripture wind is a picture of judgment.
Jeremiah 49:36 “I will bring upon Elam the four winds From the four ends of heaven, And will scatter them to all these winds; And there will be no nation To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.”
Daniel 7:2-3 “Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.”
Hosea 13:15 “Though he flourishes among the reeds, An east wind will come, The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness; And his fountain will become dry And his spring will be dried up; It will plunder his treasury of every precious article.”
Wind isn’t the only analogy used for judgment, but it is one that God uses.
And that seems to be the picture here.
These angels have a specific duty and that duty is
To restrain this particular judgment which is designed
To afflict the earth, the sea, and the trees.
Their job is to restrain that judgment
Until the time which the Lord has determined.
The point then is that there is a definite plan of judgment in the works.
• A judgment which will afflict the earth, the sea, and the trees.
• And it is a judgment which is currently being restrained.
Incidentally when this 7th seal is eventually opened it will usher in 7 trumpet judgments and they are very much focused on the destruction of these things.
• The first trumpet burns 1/3 of the earth (8:7)
• The second trumpet turns 1/3 of the sea to blood (8:8)
• The third trumpet turns 1/3 of the fresh water bitter (8:10)
It seems then that these are the judgments which are determined,
But which these four angels are currently restraining them.
SO THE PICTURE IS CLEAR.
The Lord has just unleashed fury on the earth with that great shaking
And He is about to unleash more fury upon the earth, sea, and trees.
There is a plan of destruction in place.
2) THE PAUSE OF THE PLAN (2-3)
“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.”
As these angels are preparing to unleash this next wave of judgments,
Another angel comes flying in and tells them to wait.
There is something that must be done
BEFORE these judgments are poured out.
“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
We need talk about this just a little to understand what is going on here.
“seal” is SPHRAGIS
And it literally referred to a signet ring.
In those days you wrote a decree, you dripped wax on it
And then you sealed it with the imprint of the ring.
That ring came to denote ownership or authority and also protection.
Let me give you a few examples of what the word means.
John 3:33 “He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.”
Obviously there it takes on the connotation of
One who endorses something.
John says that if you receive the testimony are saying that God is true.
You are endorsing God.
You have “set your seal” to that fact.
This would also seem to be the point in:
John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
There again the indicator is that God has made
A public declaration or endorsement of Christ.
To put your seal on something was to say it is true.
Romans 15:28 “Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.”
There again, the same thing.
It is almost like when a notary public places that stamp on a document.
They are sealing it, endorsing it, verifying that it is true.
But that is not all it means.
It is also a means of SECURITY.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
God is making us secure and proving that by giving us the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
So we are seeing that the seal of God
Was for the purpose of endorsing and protecting.
It indicated those who are the Lord’s
And it protected them from some specific harm.
ARE THERE ANY INDICATIONS OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING IN SCRIPTURE ANYWHERE ELSE?
If we had time we could go and read Ezekiel 8 & 9.
• Ezekiel 8 outlines the horrific wickedness of Israel,
• Ezekiel 9 outlines the just wrath that will be poured out upon it.
But in giving the orders to those who will be the literal hand of judgment God first gives an order.
Ezekiel 9:4-6 “The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst 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; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. “Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple.”
The Lord commanded to mark or seal those who were his.
(You knew they were his because they hated the sin in their midst)
And those who were sealed were off limits from the judgment.
Remember in the Egypt, before that final plague of the death angel, what were the children of Israel to do?
Exodus 12:22-23 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.”
That blood was a seal.
It depicted the approval of God and a protection from judgment.
Remember the conquest when Joshua went to conquer Jericho, there was a woman there named Rahab who had aided the spies.
Joshua 2:17-19 “The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, 1unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. “It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him.”
That scarlet thread was the seal that identified Rahab and protected her.
So we’re clear then what is happening here.
Before judgment comes, God wants these bond-servants to be sealed.
He wants them identified and protected.
If you are curious what the seal depicts or looks like:
Revelation 14:1 “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.”
The seal is the name of Christ and God.
And this makes sense for we remember what the Lord told the church at Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:12 “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”
It is a sign of God’s ownership, God’s approval,
And also of divine protection which would make them
Off limits from the coming judgments.
And we know this is true, for by the time we get to Revelation 14 which is a preview of the second coming we find that all 144,000 are still there standing with the Lord.
Revelation 9:1-5 “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.”
They are sealed, they are protected, and neither the judgments of God, nor the persecution of Satan is able to touch them.
(Incidentally it is this seal that Satan will mimic as he will seek to enforce his own seal on humanity which you know as the mark of the beast)
Now we should make the distinction that this particular seal
WILL NOT BE for all believers in the tribulation.
Not every believer is off limits from the destructions that come.
• Certainly many will die as a result of the wars and famines and earthquakes .
• Certainly many will die at the hands of the antichrist and Satan.
• That is made clear because we have so many martyrs below the altar.
This seal then is not an indicator simply of salvation
(or all believers would have it)
This seal is an indicator of a specific ministry.
THESE ARE SEALED FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL
So we see that there is a plan of destruction in place,
But the Lord has chosen to pause that plan until He can seal His bond-servants.
3) THE PROTECTION OF SLAVES (4-8)
Here we find that it is important to the Lord
That you know who these are who are being sealed.
The most obvious answer we see is that they are 144,000 Jews.
• This is not the church.
• The church is not Israel.
• Israel is not the church.
• These are 144,000 Jews.
What is extremely remarkable here is that they are divided up by tribe.
• That is remarkable because Jews have absolutely no tribal records today.
• After the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple in AD 70
Israel lost all of that information.
• There is not a Jew alive who has a clue what tribe they are from.
• But God obviously knows and by His own sovereign decree He seals 12,000
from each of these tribes.
That is pretty remarkable.
This is sovereign election at it’s finest
Now also if you are one of those keen students
• You probably noticed that Dan is omitted.
• You may have also noticed that instead of Ephraim the tribe is listed as
Joseph,
• While Manasseh the other son of Joseph is listed.
Many have questioned and wondered at this,
And there is not a clear answer given.
Most assume that since the tribe of Dan was so closely associated with idolatry
That they disqualified themselves from this service,
But that is nothing more than a guess.
What is true is that in Ezekiel 48 the tribe of Dan is listed among the registry of those in the millennium so we know God is in the business of saving them.
In short, we don’t really know why Dan is omitted,
But we again chalk this up to God’s sovereign prerogative.
He is sealing a specific 144,000 from these 12 tribes.
He is marking them as His special ministers on the earth.
But aside from the being 144,000 Jews
I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE.
Back in verse 3 it was made clear that first and foremost they are “the bond-servants of our God”
“bond-servants” is DOULOS
At that was literally a slave.
Exodus 21:2-6 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. “If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. “If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”
This was a person who became a willing slave of his master.
Incidentally, this was the PREFERRED TITLE OF THE APOSTLES
When referring to themselves.
The term “Christian” was a derogatory term which was given to them as a term of derision by a non-believing world and certainly became a badge of honor.
However, the apostles referred to themselves as
“bond-servants of the Lord” or “slaves of the Lord”
THAT IS WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS.
In fact, if you are not a slave of the Lord
Then Scriptures says you are a slave of sin.
There is no notion of being a Christian who is not in total submission to Christ.
THAT IS WHAT WE CALL A FALSE-BELIEVER.
That is one like whom Paul described to Titus
Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”
These 144,000 are called “bond-servants”
So we know that MUST ALREADY BE BELIEVERS in Jesus Christ.
Now this is interesting as well,
Because we have to wonder WHEN THEY WERE SAVED.
They clearly were not saved before the rapture
Or else they’d be with the church in heaven.
I think a key phrase regarding this group is found in Revelation 14.
Revelation 14:4 “These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.”
There we learn that these 144,000 are the “first fruits to God”
Obviously they are the first fruits of the nation of Israel.
Perhaps you remember Paul’s letter to the Romans
And that famous section regarding Israel found in chapters 9-11.
Romans 11:11 “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”
And later:
Romans 11:25 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;”
And
Romans 11:28-29 “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
It would stand to reason then that immediately following the rapture,
There will be Jews who having heard the gospel previously
And will turn to Jesus Christ after the fact.
• Perhaps it is the abomination of desolation that Jesus spoke of.
• Perhaps it is simply due to the difficult events of famine and sickness and
death
But the real reason is because God has ordained to save them.
• These 144,000 will be the first.
• They will lead the way.
• They are those who have been “purchased” and are “first fruits”
They are the beginning picture of the harvest that is coming.
Obviously they had heard the gospel before the church was removed,
For no one is saved apart from it, but it is clear that now they have believed the gospel
And become bond-servants of Christ.
And God has taken these sovereign chosen believing Jews
And sealed them for His own purpose.
They are Jews
They are believers in Christ
And now they are sealed for a purpose
We would ask: WHAT PURPOSE?
Well if you want to fast-forward a little we can read about them again at the end of the tribulation.
Revelation 14:1-5 “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.”
• Revelation 7 marks the beginning of their ministry.
• Revelation 14 marks the end.
And let me tell you what is unmistakably clear:
THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONFUSION
REGARDING WHY THEY HAD BEEN SAVED AND SEALED.
THEY KNEW THEIR PURPOSE.
Some very interesting facts about them.
They “have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste.”
• Indicating their absolute moral purity and unwillingness to succumb to the temptations of the flesh.
• Their lives stood in absolute contrast to the sin of the culture.
“These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
• It speaks of their devotion to Christ.
• They don’t in fear, they don’t back down from the mission.
• When they sing “Wherever He leads I’ll go” they mean it.
“No lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless”
• These are truth speakers.
• They aren’t false prophets, they aren’t false teachers.
• They proclaim truth and they do it above reproach.
And the indication here is that
They were used of the Lord in a tremendous ministry.
And the effects of that ministry will be seen next week
• As we examine the unnumbered multitude of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue standing around the throne of God having been saved out of the great tribulation.
The Lord set these apart for the purpose of preaching the gospel,
And the end of the chapter makes it clear that they did their job.
They preached and multitudes of people were saved.
They preached and multitudes were “standing before the throne” as a result.
And that is THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION of chapter 6..
• You find yourself under the wrath of God…
• You find yourself facing eternal destruction…
You wonder what is necessary to make it possible to stand before God?
And the first answer that would be given to this sinful culture is this:
• Do you see those people who claim to be slaves of Jesus Christ?
• Do you see those people with the name of Jesus written on their foreheads?
• Do you see those people who don’t crave sexual immorality like everyone
else?
• Do you see those people don’t lie but speak the truth to you?
• Do you see those people who live above reproach?
• Do you see those people who only seem to care about what Jesus wants?
If you want to stand before God you’d better listen to what they’re saying.
They are telling you how to stand.
And we will find at the end of the chapter that many will listen.
Multitudes will be saved as a result.
Now obviously we are not yet living in that day.
• These who will be the 144,000 have yet to be saved (they may not even be born yet) and obviously they have yet to be sealed or to begin their ministry.
But that DOES NOT MEAN that
There is nothing that the church can learn from this.
In fact, again I remind you that the book of the Revelation
Was specifically written for the bond-servants of Christ.
“What are we supposed to learn from looking at these 144,000?”
• You are supposed to see what God is looking for in a bond-servant.
• You are supposed to see what type of person God seeks to use as He
calls His elect to Himself.
You see what they look like in the middle of their ministry.
You see what you should look like in the middle of yours.
We are also those who claim to be slaves of Christ.
We call him Lord, we say He is in control.
We are also those who are sealed.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
Ephesians 1:13 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
No, that doesn’t mean that nothing bad is allowed to happen to us on this earth.
But it does mean that regardless of what happens on this earth
NOTHING CAN STEAL OUR ETERNAL INHERITANCE.
And the Lord gives us that security
For the same reason He gave the 144,000 security.
SO WE CAN SERVE HIM RELENTLESSLY WITHOUT FEAR
OF LOSING OUR INHERITANCE.
2 Timothy 1:8-14 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
God sealed the 144,000 for ministry
And they took that security and used it to be faithful.
Wouldn’t it be something if everyone who claimed to be a Christian would do the same?
• If they would keep themselves from defilement through sexual immorality?
• If they would follow the Lamb wherever He goes?
• If they would speak only the truth in all things?
• If they would walk blameless on the earth?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if those who claimed Christ actually lived different from the world and designated themselves for the purpose of being used by God for His purpose of salvation?
And yet you know it and I know it…
The average “Christian” today is seemingly unconcerned.
I personally think the 144,000 should stand as
A tremendous source of conviction to the church
Because they will be what the church should be.
I don’t see how we can adopt any other mindset than the one they had.
• They knew why they had been saved.
• They knew why they had been sealed.
• They knew why they were there.
And they were faithful to that task.
They are a tremendous example to the church.
Do you understand why you are here?
Do you understand your obligation to the glory of God?
Do you understand your calling as a witness of Jesus?
