Are You Trusting His Seal? (Revelation 7)

 

VIDEO

Are You Trusting His Seal? (Revelation 7)

GIST: Salvation is Jesus’ active work rescuing His masses and bringing worship & life out of death & despair.

Today, we’re coming to Revelation chapter 7. This week, especially the past few days, my heart has very much been in another place. I’ve kept the newsfeed pulled up on my computer watching the developments as a part of the world I once called home is at war and families are being torn apart—a place my parents have called home for the past 22 years is now a battlefield. You guys have seen the news reports. You’ve heard the stories of people waking up to the sounds of bombs, and young families being separated as all men between the ages of 18 and 60 are being told to stay and fight while the women and children spend hours in the cold trying to get across neighboring borders. It’s heartbreaking. It should bring us to our knees in prayer. And it’s precisely the context chapter 7 of Revelation speaks into.

We could break down so many different things here, but I really want to focus on the driving message. Chapter 6 told us there would be devastation. Then, chapter 7 functions as an interlude of sorts reminding us why we shouldn’t lose hope in the midst of that. Here’s our gist for today: Salvation is Jesus’ active work rescuing His masses and bringing worship & life out of death & despair. Let’s break that down!

I. Salvation Is His Active Work

“1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 

This image begins with places of power and splendor. After these pictures of complete destruction, we see these angels holding the four corners of the earth, the whole earth, being told by an angel who is coming from the rising sun— which has to be a picture of Jesus, the light of the world because there is no physical sun in Heaven— to hold on a second so the servants of God can be sealed. What’s that about? Ultimately, →  

It’s A Reminder We Are His. Of course, there has been a lot of speculation about the sealing imagery in Revelation, and we’ll address this again when we get to the “mark of the beast” passage. However, I think it fits best with Scripture not to see this seal as a forehead tattoo. Instead, it’s a sign of being completely God’s—following Him, belonging to Him, being marked by thoughts, desires, and actions which are of Him. 

Remember what Jesus called the greatest commandment? Mark 12:30 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” That’s a picture of loving God with everything you do (strength), feel (heart), and think (mind) forever (soul)! It’s the same picture we get in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. “4“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” 

These seals are a reminder that we belong wholeheartedly to Him. We’ve been claimed, sent, and protected. However, let us not forget the beautiful truth: Jesus does the sealing. We like control. I like control. We like to think we can rescue ourselves and stand strong enough. Reality is better. Not only do we need a savior, but that savior chooses to pursue us with His love. Salvation is His work and our gift! And it is Him→ 

II. Rescuing His Masses

I previewed part of this last week, so I will try not to sound too redundant. However, I know I need to hear this every day, so I have a feeling you won’t mind the reminder. Look first at 4-8→ 

“4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed." 

This 144,000 has probably been interpreted at least 144,000 ways ☺️. However, what is never denied by faithful readers is that this is a group of people rescued by Jesus. These are His people. I would argue, this is actually a beautiful picture of all His people. We have this stylized recording of the tribes of Israel that reads like an Old Testament military roll call. 12, like 7, is a symbolic number. It, too, marks completion, especially when it comes to the people of God. You have 12 historic tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus. Here, you have 12 x 12… x 1,000! And 1,000 was a way of expressing… a lot. It’s kind of like how we use the word “a million” today (i.e. “there were a million people at Wal-mart before the snowstorm…etc.). 

Therefore, this seems to be a symbolic representation of the complete Israel. Now, it’s interesting to note that two of the typical names are missing from the 12 tribes. Levi isn’t usually included because they were the priestly tribe, so their inheritance was spiritual rather than physical, so to replace their spot, Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were typically included instead of just Joseph. (By the way, this isn’t something I would have noticed without it being pointed out to me, so don’t feel bad if you didn’t…but feel smarter than me if you did…which I’m sure you probably are!) This list has Joseph and Levi and Manasseh, but Dan and Ephraim are left out because these tribes had become seats of paganism. So, it seems the full picture is that complete and true Israel is everyone who is really part of the people of God. 

This is even more clear when we look at the verses we read last week. He hears the symbolic number, 144,000, but turns and sees the innumerable masses rescued from all over the world. Check out 9-10 again. “9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 

I know we covered this last week, but let me just summarize those points in lightning speed because this is so wonderful! There will be a multicultural multitude standing before the throne of God, purified by Jesus, declaring Him king, and worshiping Him as savior! 

So, salvation is His work rescuing His people→ 

III. And Bringing Worship & Life Out of Death & Despair

The entire chapter then ends in praise→  

“11 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, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” All of creation praises God for His incredible attributes. 

“13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Oh, I love this passage! I had originally planned on spending an entire Sunday just with these verses, but I didn’t want to leave this out of this beautiful message about His salvation. Here’s why we can see brokenness and face it with hope. Jesus is our salvation. He is working to rescue the lost from the sin-filled land. 

I love how the angel asks John if he knows who these people are ☺️. His response is so great too, “Sir, you know.”. I might be off here, but I imagine there’s a hopeful “don’t you?” implied in that statement ☺️. Thankfully, the angel does. He tells John these are those who have come→

Out Of Great Tribulation. I know there is a lot of discussion in Christian circles about when Jesus will return for His church. A common viewpoint is that Jesus will take His church back into Heaven before He returns and before a time known as the great tribulation. This would, of course, be awesome. However, throughout Scripture, God hasn’t taken His people away from times of trials, but rather worked through them and strengthened them in the midst of them. Tribulation will continue and will grow until Jesus returns. Therefore, it seems more consistent that this picture is showing us the redeemed who have been rescued from this fallen world. If you’re His, that’s a picture of you!

They have been restored. They are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb— Jesus’ sacrifice leads to your righteousness. They are also guided by the Shepherd Lamb! Here, again, we are reminded that this is all because of Jesus' love. We have this great statement: the Lamb is the Shepherd. The one who is in control, died in our place, as our sacrificial Lamb. Now, He leads us by springs of living waters. This probably reminds you of Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters...." Or possibly, the story of the woman at the well, when Jesus says, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4). This water, this salvation, will never run dry.

They are also comforted.   Oh, what comfort this is. There won’t be hunger, or thirst, or physical pain… or tears. There's nothing I can do to make this more clear. This world is hard. It is full of heartbreak and disappointments. We lose those we love. We experience ridicule. We are hurt by and hurt those around us. There are many causes for tears. Yet, this is not forever! Like Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for something eternally better. There will be no more need for tears. AND, if that wasn't encouraging enough, look at the verse again. He doesn't just say, “you won't cry anymore”. He says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes”. The hands that formed the universe will reach down to wipe away your tears. 

And this is why we, and the countless fleeing for their lives all across Ukraine at this very moment, can have hope. Let me just recap our gists as our→ 

TAKEAWAY

Salvation is Jesus’ active work rescuing His masses and bringing worship & life out of death & despair.