A Remnant of Israel is Sealed

Transcript

GR 1527
04-26-09
A Remnant of Israel Is Sealed
Revelation 7:1-8
Gil Rugh

I want to ask you to turn in your Bibles to Revelation 7. The book of Revelation is about future matters, primarily. From chapter 4 on through to the end of the book, chapter 22, we're talking about future events. In order to understand biblical prophecy about world events you need to understand something about the central role that the nation Israel plays in the plan of God. Misunderstanding over this issue really creates much of the confusion that exists when we talk about what the Bible says about future things. A failure to apply the hermeneutical principles, the principles of interpreting the Bible consistently, not only with past events and present events regarding salvation in the ministry of the church but future events, we don't change our hermeneutics because now we're dealing with eschatology, future matters. And what we do, we open the door to all kinds of confusion. The central rule to fix in your mind—when the Bible talks about Israel it is always talking about physical Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There are no exceptions in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Israel always refers to the same people—the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Turn back to Genesis 12. The Abrahamic Covenant was established with Abraham and his descendants, the Jews. Genesis 12. At this point there are no Jews, there is no Jewish nation. There is a man Abraham and his wife, they have no children, they will not have children for many years. Yet God enters into a covenant with Abraham. Look at verse 1, now the Lord said to Abram (whose name later will be changed to Abraham), go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. And so you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, the one who curses you, I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

I want you to note something, then we're going to look at a couple other passages on this covenant. Within the covenant there are promises to Abraham and his descendants and also to other nations. Verse 3, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. There need to be no changes regarding Israel and the promises to Israel for Gentile nations to experience blessings under the Abrahamic Covenant. They were included in the original covenant. And so we as Gentiles, as we will see, become spiritual descendants of Abraham. But I am not a physical descendant of Abraham. The promises to Abraham's physical descendants are fixed. Now it's true within the Abrahamic Covenant there was promise of blessings for the non-physical descendants of Abraham as well.

Turn over to Genesis 15. The chapter opens up with the word of the Lord coming to Abraham in a vision. Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you. Your rewards shall be very great. And Abram says, what reward? I'm getting on in years, I have no child, I am childless. The heir of my house is Eliezar of Damascus, a servant. Since you have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir. Then behold the word of the Lord came to him saying, this man will not be your heir but one who will come forth from your own body will be your heir. Then He took him outside and said, now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. In other words, start counting. Can you count them? It seems like they grow in number if you try. Sometimes it looks dark and you think, I can count them. But on a dark, dark night that is clear, we know now even more with our ability to see the impossibility. Count the stars if you are able to count them, He said, so shall your descendants be. Abraham believed in the Lord, He reckoned it to him as righteousness. You note in the context his seed, his descendants, those that come from his own body. That's the promise. He's talking about physical descendants here. Eliezar could be a spiritual descendant, he cannot be a physical descendant. He cannot fulfill the basic promises here to Abraham and his descendants.

Come down to verse 9, bring me a three-year-old heifer and a three-year-old female goat and a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon—God instructing Abram. So he brought these to Him, he cut them in two and laid each half opposite the other. But he did not cut the birds. When the birds of prey come down on the carcasses Abraham drives them away. So you have the animals split in two, half on one side and half on the other. There is a path down between. They are going to make a covenant, the literal interpretation of the Old Testament word for making a covenant is literally to cut a covenant because here you cut the animals in two, then you'll pass between them. And that establishes the covenant.

When the sun was going down a deep sleep fell upon Abram. You ought to underline that, a deep sleep fell upon Abram. Terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to him in his sleep, know for certain that your descendants, your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they'll be slaves and oppressed for 400 years. That's the Egyptian bondage. Then they'll come out with many possessions, you'll die, go to your fathers in peace, be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation they will return here.

Verse 17, it came about when the sun had set that it was very dark. Now remember back there, don't forget what you underlined, verse 12, a deep sleep fell upon Abram and the terror and great darkness fell upon him. When the sun had set it was very dark, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, to your descendants I have given this land, from the River of Egypt to as far as the great river, the River Euphrates and so on. You'll note who passed through the animals. Abram is asleep, but God represented with the smoking oven and the flaming torch passes through. He has established the covenant with Abram and it is a covenant that He Himself guarantees. It's a covenant with Abram but Abram doesn't have to pass through the sacrifices. It's a covenant totally dependent upon God for its fulfillment.

Come over to Genesis 17. The problems are growing. Abram is not getting any younger. Now when you get to chapter 17, when Abraham was 99 years old. Now if you're familiar with the movement of Genesis, chapter 16 has Abram and Sarah, his wife, coming up with an alternative plan for Abram to have a child by the servant girl of Sarah which could be counted as Sarah's offspring or child. The problem is God's promise was for Abram and Sarah's descendant, it has to be a child of Abram and Sarah. So helping God out by at least 50% so now God will be able to fulfill His promise because at least we have gone halfway. This will be Abram's child, it just won't be with Sarah. That doesn't fulfill it. When he is 99 years old, you'll note the end of chapter 16, Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born to Hagar. It was a bigger mistake than Abram could have realized. Another 13 years go by, now God is ready to act.

Abram is 99 years old. God appeared to him and said, I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly. Abram fell on his face, God talked with him saying, as for Me behold My covenant is with you and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. You understand, Abram is going to become the father of Israel with Sarah. But after Sarah died in Genesis 25 he marries Keturah who fathered a number of children who become heads of nations as well.

Abram fell on his face, God talked with him. Verse 5, no longer will your name be called Abram, your name shall be called Abraham. I will make you the father of a multitude of nations and the blessings that come. Verse 7, I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you through their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your generations and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and your descendants after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan. There will be other nations, there will be blessings for other nations but for you and the offspring that is born to you and Sarah and their descendants, the land of Canaan, which we know as Palestine today. We call it Israel after the name given to Jacob when God changed his name and called him Israel.

That's the foundational promise. In the intervening years there was disobedience, there was rebellion, there was judgment. Israel was under the judgment of God today for the rejection of their Messiah. But come over to Romans 9. See that Paul is talking in Romans 9-11 about physical Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We sometimes identify it that way, they are the patriarchs, the fathers, because Abraham had other descendants. But the line of promise is the line that comes from Abraham and Sarah through Isaac to Jacob and the twelve sons of Jacob which we are going to be dealing with in Revelation 7 in a moment. Paul starts out chapter 9 by saying, I have unceasing grief in my heart. Why? Verse 3, I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh who are Israelites. To whom belong the adoption of sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple services, the promises. Whose are the fathers, from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. It is not as though the word of God has failed, they are not Israel who are descendants of Israel. And he goes on, and that's an important line. The promises are not just to Abraham's physical descendants because he had other descendants, as I mentioned from Genesis 25, with his second wife Keturah. In addition he had Ishmael with Hagar. But not even all the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will fulfill the promises. Only those physical descendants of Abraham who have the faith of Abraham. Remember Genesis 15:6? Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness. That's what he means at the end of verse 6, for they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel. They are not all going to be the inheritor of the promises because you had to be a believing descendant of Abraham. Unbelieving Jews would not inherit the promises promised, only believing Jews. And that sorted out that through Isaac your descendants will be named. And so you have to have faith as a Jew to be in the line of the promises given to Abraham.

Come over to Romans 11. In light of what has happened to Israel the question is asked and Paul says, I say, then, God has not rejected His people, has He. This comes out of the end of chapter 10 verse 21, but as for Israel, he says, all the day long I have stretched out my hand to a disobedient and obstinate people. He's talking about physical Israel. Then he goes on to say, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be, magnoito. King James says God forbid. The word God does not appear there but they are trying to give you the force of that. May it never be, such a thought is inconceivable, it is not a possibility. I, too, am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.

Verse 11, I say, then, they did not stumble, Israel in light of the quotes from the Old Testament preceding, so as to fall, did they? May it never be. I just cannot for the life of me understand how people can read this and say, God is done with Israel, the church has replaced Israel. That kind of theology. They did stumble, they didn't stumble so as to fall, did they. Magnoito, that is not a possibility.

Come down to verse 25, I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery so that you will not be wise in your own estimation. The Gentiles need to be careful. They think they are superior to the Jews and think the nation Israel .......... Even believers need to be careful, you don't write off Israel. But a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. This is a time, the church age, of Gentile salvation. So all Israel will be saved. Verse 28, from the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake. This period of time when Israel is under the judgment of God, the salvation of God focuses among Gentiles. Doesn't mean no Jews are saved, but they are a strong minority. Look around, most here are Gentiles. The church is primarily comprised of Gentiles, Jews are few in number. This is a day of the fullness of the Gentiles. From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice, from the standpoint of election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers because of the promises given to the fathers, Abraham, repeated to Isaac, repeated to Jacob. For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. I don't know how scripture could be any clearer. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. We just read a sampling of what God said regarding His calling of Abraham and his descendants. We could have gone on and looked when it's reiterated to Isaac and when it is reiterated to Jacob and so on. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Is there a future for physical Israel? Yes. Is it the same future promised beginning in Genesis 12? Yes. You know what Israel did, they crucified their Messiah, they were under the judgment of God. Yes. Did they stumble? Yes. Did they stumble so as to fall? No. Has God rejected His people? No. I can find no excuse for any idea that God has rejected His people.

Jews and Gentiles who are saved today become part of the church. But there will come a day when the salvation work of God will again focus in the nation Israel. Now I mention that the church is nowhere called Israel in the Bible. I want to take a little bit more time on this. I took some material out of a commentary, and I didn't go to somebody strange. He has strange hermeneutics but he is a mainline commentator, well respected and quoted by other commentators. Here is how he reasons that the church has replaced Israel and really Israel's future has been changed. The idea of the church as the new Israel appears to have grown out of Jesus' promise to the disciples that they would one day sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Take a moment and look at each of these passages, Matthew 19. Saying here is how you ............ How do people come to the idea that the church has replaced Israel? Here is what they say. Starts out with when God promised His disciples, Matthew 19:28. Peter had asked Him in verse 27, behold we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us? Jesus said to him, truly I say to you that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne. That's when the kingdom is on earth. No doubt that it will happen. You shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Now how do you get out of that that we have the church replacing Israel? You sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel which are the twelve sons of Jacob. This is the start of understanding that now it's the church going to inherit the promises of Israel? I don't think I get that out of here, He made clear that you are on twelve thrones, you are judging the twelve tribes of Israel in the kingdom. They say well the disciples are going to become the foundation of the church, therefore Israel must become the church. All of a sudden now we are making changes of huge magnitude where the church replaces Israel in the promises of God. That's a serious change that I don't think you can get as the foundation in this verse.

Paul writes, he goes on that the believer in Christ is the true Jew, Romans 2:29. So we go there. The argument here is that Paul writes that the believer in Christ is the true Jew. Look at verse 28. And in this section, back to verse 17, if you bear the name Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God and know His will. Verse 19, you are confident you are a guide of the blind, a light to those in darkness, a corrector of the foolish and so on. You teach others, you don't teach yourself he says in verse 21. The Jews had come to think that being a Jew was enough. That gets you into the kingdom. Period. The dirty old Gentiles may need salvation and they need to convert to Judaism. But Jews are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they are going in. Paul says in verse 28, he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit and not by the letter. And his praise is not from men but from God. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, circumcision is that which is of the heart. He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but one inwardly. So this statement is, Paul writes that the believer in Christ is the true Jew. There is an element in that which is true, but he doesn't mean that the Gentiles now become the true Jews. The true Jew who will inherit the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the one who has had his heart circumcised. There shouldn't be any confusion on this.

Come back to Deuteronomy 30:1, so it shall be when all these things have come upon you. And he has laid out the blessings for obedience and the curse for disobedience. So we come into verse 1, so it shall be when all these things have come upon you. The blessing and the curse which I have set before you. You call them to mind in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you. No doubt you are going to be rebellious, you're going to come under the curse, you're going to be dispersed from the land into other nations. And you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all I command you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, have compassion on you, will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. If you are outcast or at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord God will gather you, from there He will bring you back. The Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed. You shall possess it, He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul so that you may live. The heart has to be circumcised for a sure relationship with God. That's true for Jews. So it's not enough to be a Jew outwardly. You can be a Jew outwardly and go to hell. You have to be a Jew inwardly by not only being a physical descendant of Abraham but having believed the promises God gave to Abraham, being of the faith of Abraham. I don't become a Jew when I believe, I'm a believing Gentile.

What did Paul say of himself? We read it in Romans. I am of the tribe of Benjamin. I mean, he identified himself, he didn't cease being a Jew. He is now a Jew in line of the promises because he is a believing Jew. So to say here that the believer in Christ is the true Jew, he's talking about the believing Jew is the true Jew, the one who can inherit the promises given to the father of the Jews, Abraham. And third point, Paul refers to the church as the Israel of God. The Bible never refers to the church as Israel, but this person says that Paul refers to the church as the Israel of God, Galatians 6. Now remember the battle in the book of Galatians. Paul is dealing with Jews who want to impose the law as a requirement for salvation and for sanctification. Believing in Christ is necessary but it is not enough. And they would impose that law on Gentiles as well as Jews. The problem in the churches in Galatia that Paul established.

So in Galatians 6:15, neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. Now unless you have predetermined your theology, why in the world would you read there upon the Israel of God, that refers to the church now. I mean the whole book has been about battles with Jews and those who are trying to require the Jewish Law for true salvation and sanctification. So Paul wants God's blessing upon the believers and upon the Israel of God that understands physical circumcision which the Judaizers wanted to require. Remember the council at Jerusalem in Acts 15. In addition to faith in Christ. So the issue is come within. Now the battle is not with Jews who deny that Jesus is the Messiah, it is with those who claim to believe Jesus is the Messiah but that's not enough. You must keep the Law. Paul says that he wants blessings upon the Israel of God, the Jews who truly belong to God because they are believers, they have had a circumcised heart. That's the Israel of God.

There are two elections relating to Israel. God has elected or chosen the nation for Himself. And then He has elected or chosen individuals within the nation who will experience His salvation and inherit the promises given to the nation. Not everyone born a physical Jew will enjoy the kingdom. That's what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, you must be born again or you'll never see the kingdom. It's as though the frustration of the Pharisees, the Saducees, your righteousness won't get you into the kingdom. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you'll never see the kingdom. I mean, I don't think it is so difficult. The Israel of God is believing Israel. Paul was part of the Israel of God, he is a Jew who believed, he had the faith of Abraham. That's the Israel of God. To say here that Paul refers to the church as the Israel of God, who says he refers to the church as the Israel of God? He asked God's blessing on the Israel of God. The same issue as Romans 2. You have to have a circumcised heart, physically keeping the Law, physically being circumcised, that doesn't mean you are saved. Jews aren't going into the kingdom by virtue of their Jewishness but it doesn't mean that now the church has become Israel. That's their argument.

James, these are their arguments we are walking through. James addresses his letter to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion when writing to the Christians scattered throughout the Roman world. Come to James 1:1, James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the dispersion, the diaspora. We use that term today, the diaspora—dia and spora. Dia is a preposition meaning through, spora is seed or scattered, scattered throughout. The diaspora are Jews scattered outside the land of Palestine. James is writing to the twelve tribes of the diaspora or in the diaspora, the dispersion. Where do you get here James addresses his letter to the twelve tribes in the dispersion when writing to the Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire? He was writing to Christian Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. We say this is the church now so see the church is being called the twelve tribes of the diaspora.. You talk about wanting to make confusion. If James is talking to the church and he calls the church the twelve tribes of the diaspora, how in the world do his readers have any idea? The twelve tribes, what are the twelve tribes? Eighteen times in the Old Testament the twelve tribes are listed for us. They always refer to the physical descendants of Jacob. Now you are going to say all of a sudden the twelve tribes of the diaspora, we talk about the diaspora today what are we talking about? We're talking about the Jews scattered throughout the world, dispersed in the world.

Peter when he speaks of believers as a chosen race, the royal priesthood, a holy nation. The phrase is taken directly from the Old Testament and reapplied to the church. Come to I Peter 2 and this is the last of the references in this person's summary paragraph. We have to be careful here because sometimes we have gotten confused on this. We come to I Peter 2:9 which he references. Verse 7 for the context, this precious value then. Value at the end of verse 6, he who believes in Him will not be disappointed. We saw that in an earlier study today. This precious value then is for you who believe, but for those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. For they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. And that is correct. That is drawn from the Old Testament, you can see it is set apart as a quote from the Old Testament and you can look in your margin and see references. So is he calling the church here a holy nation? And now we have become the nation Israel spiritually.

Well let's go back to I Peter 1. Who is he writing to? You know it's a good idea to start the letter at the beginning, find out who he is writing to. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, who are chosen. Now we have that laid out in English, let me just tell you what it says in Greek. Peter is an apostle of Jesus Christ and he is writing to those, literally to the elect of the dispersion, to the elect in the dispersion, to the elect in the diaspora. You have who are chosen at the end, scattered throughout. It's really the elect sojourners, the elect strangers, sojourners of the diaspora or in the diaspora. The elect sojourners in the diaspora. What are we talking about? A term referring to the Jews scattered outside of Palestine. He's writing to Jews who are believers, they are the elect of the diaspora. He's writing to believing Jews scattered outside of Palestine. You remember Peter was the apostle to the Jews, like Paul was to the Gentiles. That is who he is writing to. Now we benefit from this because he talks about believers but understand who he is writing to, so not everything here applies to us as Gentiles. The Jews are still Jews and as Romans would have talked about if we had elaborated on Romans 9-11, believing Jews are the elect remnant. So Paul was part of the nation Israel, the holy nation because God's faithfulness continues in electing and choosing Jews. And even though when they believe in Christ they become part of the church today, they are a testimony to God's faithfulness to His promises to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

So if you take the address of the letter it's to the elect sojourners in the diapora, believing Jews scattered outside of Palestine. So of course chapter 2 verse 9, you are a chosen race. I am not a chosen race, the Jews are the chosen race. There is only one chosen race, the Jews. A royal priesthood, a holy nation. We're not a nation. We have to be careful that we put this in the context. I've been taken to this verse numerous times by people who believe the church has replaced Israel and they say, right here it says we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. They are all quotes from the Old Testament. The church has replaced Israel. I say, let's go back to chapter 1. Who is it written to? The elect sojourners of the diaspora. These are believing Jews scattered out, they are still part of the nation Israel. And they are the believers in the nation so they are a holy nation, they are a chosen race.

All of that so we can do Revelation 7. Come to Revelation 7, we will get started here. It becomes tremendously important because in Revelation 7 the first eight verses, the focus will be in verses 4-7 on the 144,000. We are in the tribulation, we've gone through the first six seals. Now we're going to deal with the 144,000 within this context. If you don't understand Israel everything unravels. And that's what happens to many who write on the book of Revelation, they are unraveled here. So that's why we spent the time so we don't have confusion here.

Chapter 6 ended with the sixth seal. Verse 12 of chapter 6, he broke the sixth seal. Chapter 8 opens with the breaking of the seventh seal. So there are two visions in chapter 7 that prepare the way for the breaking of the next seal. And the breaking of the seventh seal contains everything that follows—the seven trumpets and the seven bowls, the rest of the book contained there. So these two visions contained in chapter 7 are like an interlude to prepare us for the opening then of the seventh seal.

After this, after the opening of the sixth seal. There is progression moving through the book of Revelation. 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. Four angels pictured here holding back the winds, the four winds at the four corners of the earth. Some people say, well this is old cosmology, they didn't .................. Well we still talk about it. The four corners of the earth encompassing the earth, the four directions—north, south, east, west. The four corners of the earth holding back the four winds that would blow, coming from all directions. And the picture here of the winds is of the destructive fury that will break out on the earth in connection with the breaking of the next seal, out of which will come the seven trumpets and what is associated with them. Judgment is going to come in connection with the opening of the trumpet judgments on the earth, the sea and the trees.

Come over to chapter 8. Verse 1, the seventh seal is broken, we'll do the details of this when we get here. But then the result is the seven angels prepare their trumpets to sound. And whenever each trumpet is blown a judgment will come. So the first trumpet is sounded in verse 7, there came hail and fire mixed with blood that were thrown to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, all the green grass was burned up. Then the second angel sounded and the sea is impacted in judgment, down in verse 9.

Now these angels are going to hold back so the end of verse 1 of chapter 7, no wind would blow on the earth, the sea or any tree. So the judgments of the first three trumpets are restrained here. We won't open the seventh seal which will provide the way for the trumpets to be sounded. These judgments coming on the earth, the sea, the trees are restrained. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. He cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea. Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond servants of our God on their foreheads. So an angel comes here with greater authority, there is hierarchy among the angels. We get glimpses of this. And he tells the four angels to wait longer, it's not time, he has a job to do.

These judgments can't come forth, verse 3, until we have sealed the bond servants of our God on their foreheads. And the seal indicates ownership, it indicates security. You come over to chapter 14 and we're told what the seal is. Verse 1, then I looked and behold the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion. With Him 144,000 having His name and name of His Father written on their foreheads. Back in chapter 7 verse 3 we were told they will be sealed on their foreheads. When we get to chapter 14 verse 1 we find the same group who have the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father on their foreheads. They are identified as belonging to God the Father and God the Son by having His name, just like you write your name. Some of you have written your name in the front of your Bible. Why? It belongs to you. So this seal is going to be applied and it will be the name of the Father and the Son. These belong to Him, they are His possession, they are under His protection.

You'll note in chapter 9 verse 4, the fifth trumpet is sounded and the judgment of the fifth trumpet is directed toward those, they were told not to hurt the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. So now judgment turns from where it had been focused to those who do not have the seal. So the seal becomes important to preserve them from judgment. But it is when you get to the fifth trumpet, the judgment will be directed on those who do not have this seal on the earth.

The background for this seal is in the Old Testament. Again, this is not something new for readers who have a background in the Old Testament. We go to Ezekiel 9. And the context in Ezekiel 9, in the opening verses the servants of God in Jerusalem are sealed in their foreheads and that is to preserve them from the coming slaughter that is going to take place in Jerusalem. So the seal was to protect them from coming judgment. Down in verse 6, utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children and women but do not touch any man on whom is the mark. So you go back to verse 1, he cried out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, draw near oh executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand. Six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his hand. And among them was a certain man, clothed in linen with a writing case at his loins. And he went in, stood beside the bronze altar. Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. The Lord said to him, go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem. Put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst. Remember the beatitude, blessed are those who mourn? These who mourn over the sin of the nation, who grieve that the nation is in rebellion against God, the people of God have turned against Him. You put a sign on the heads of those who mourn over the abominations being committed.

But to the others, He said in my hearing, go through the city after him. You follow the man, he'll put the mark, the seal on the foreheads of those who mourn. That preserves them. You follow after him and anyone who doesn't get the preserving seal or mark on their forehead, you destroy him. To the others, he said, go through the city after him. Strike, do not let your eye have pity nor spare. Don't touch, verse 6, anyone who has the mark. So that's what we're doing in Revelation 7, a similar kind of thing. Judgments are about to be poured out on the earth with a ferocity that has never been seen. But first we must preserve a remnant of believers from the coming destruction.

Who are sealed, we pick that up back in Revelation 7:4. I take it what is happening here is He is going to seal a remnant in Israel that will guarantee their preservation from destruction through the rest of the tribulation so that when we get to that preview in chapter 14 we'll see them standing on Mount Zion with the Messiah. They will be those who come to the kingdom.

Verse 4, I heard the number of those who were sealed—144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. In case you don't know what that means: from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 sealed; from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000; from the tribe of Gad, 12,000; from the tribe of Asher, 12,000; from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000; from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000; from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000; from the tribe of Levi, 12,000; from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000; from the tribe of Zebulon, 12,000; from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000; from the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000 sealed. Now I think if we just take the Bible literally it is clear, and yet there are people who say this all represents the church. He didn't just say 144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel. I want you to understand when I say from each tribe, let's go through each tribe, 12,000 from .......... And he names the tribe. This is the nineteenth time in the Bible the tribes are listed. The other eighteen are in the Old Testament. Where does the confusion come?

Now we're familiar with the cults like the Jehovah Witnesses. They started out by saying only 144,000 would be saved, of course Jehovah Witnesses. But then when the Lord didn't come on their schedule and they ended up with more than 144,000 Jehovah Witnesses, now it's only 144,000 Jehovah Witnesses are going to get into heaven, the rest are going to be serving on earth. But I am staying only within the framework of those who claim to be evangelicals. Here is what one commentator writes. The principle exegetical difficulty in chapter 7 centers around the identification of the 144,000 and the identification of the innumerable multitude. This is a major exegetical difficulty? If you were just reading the Bible with no theological training, you didn't Greek, you didn't know Hebrew, you didn't know Aramaic and you read it, what would you think? The number of those sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Then each of the twelve tribes are mentioned. I'd say, well I guess that means we are talking about those descendants of the sons of Israel. You know Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, he had twelve sons. Now there are going to be 12,000 from each of those.

Here is what this writer says. Those who argue that the term Israel in other New Testament books refers exclusively to Jews in my opinion are correct. So he gets the point that Israel always refers to Israel in other passages. However, he goes on to conjecture here, that perhaps the usage had changed by the time John wrote. So his conclusion is that by 144,000 he signifies the sealing of all or the total number of God's servants who will face the great tribulation. Those who are sealed come from all the tribes of Israel. This emphasizes even more the universality and comprehensiveness of the Christian gospel. Now how do you make sense out of anything? Now the 144,000 of the sons of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe just means everyone everywhere. Why didn't he just say everyone everywhere? Why will you confuse things by talking as though you are talking about Jews?
Another writes, a few commentators interpret the 144,000 as literal reference to the nation Israel. Walvoord accepts this passage as proving that the twelve tribes are still in existence. This interpretation seriously complicates the book of Revelation by bringing in racial distinctions which no longer exist in the New Testament preview. Who says racial distinctions no longer exist in the New Testament view? He does and he has a PhD from Scotland, no less. I mean, it must be true. No, no, no. It disregards the historical fact that ten of the twelve tribes disappeared in Assyria and the remaining two lost their separate identity when Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D. I mean, he can't be talking about the twelve tribes because we don't know who they are. I reread this, in fact I went back and reread it and highlighted it again with a different color. Maybe I've missed something here.

=It is true, Paul knew who he was, he said, I am of the tribe of Benjamin. And then the prophetess Anna, when Christ was born and she met Him in the temple, she knew she was from the tribe of Asher. This idea that after the Assyrian captivity of the ten tribes nobody knew who they were, it just is not true. And in 70 A.D. the records were lost and burned and that's true. So Jews today would have a hard time generally describing what tribe they are from. But you know there is one answer to this. I don't know who my ancestors were 400 years ago, I've never even tried to find out. I think I'm better off not knowing. I know it's not Abraham, Isaac or Jacob and that line, so why else do I care. I mean, I don't mind if people want to do genealogical searches, but there is one person who knows—God knows, right? I just don't understand this argument. It disregards the historical fact that the ten tribes disappeared in Assyria and the remaining two lost their separate identity. You mean God today doesn't know what the line is of the Jews, what tribe they came from? Of course He does. He could tell if He wanted to put it out, He could put it on the screen right now. Here is my line of descendants. All the way back to Adam He could trace me, how I came into being. Couldn't He? We are surprised at this kind of argument as though some scholar with a PhD has a profound statement—we don't know who the twelve tribes are so we can't be talking about a literal twelve tribes. You understand we're talking about God speaking. He didn't ask me to seal these twelve tribes, it's an angel going to do it with God's authority. I don't think He'll have any trouble. Oops, made a mistake, there are only six tribes I could find, Lord, so I sealed 24,000 from six tribes. Still got the right number, right?

And then there are those who say that the 144,000 is not literal because you have 12 x 12 x 1000, you're just talking about completion. And there are all kinds of .......... Let your imagination run. This is what happens.

Now there are some adjustments as you read the tribes. The tribe of Dan is not included here and in different lists you'll have a little bit of adjustment. Here you have the tribe of Manasseh listed in verse 6. And then you have the tribe of Joseph listed in verse 8. Manasseh was a son of Joseph. Remember Joseph got a double portion, two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh is listed here bu Ephraim is not, Joseph is mentioned. And you have Levi mentioned here, he is not always listed with the tribes because they didn't get a portion of the land. And then you have Dan not listed. But you know you're always dealing with the same people, the same names. And so as you go through the other eighteen lists, the list in Ezekiel 48:31-34 is closest to this list. There is adjustment of some names. Dan is out here, why was Dan out? Some say, well, Dan led the way in idolatry in Israel. It's a small tribe, it probably is joined to Naphtali here and so we add Levi, for example. But we're always dealing with the same name. You don't find now all of a sudden the tribe of Isaiah mentioned here or the tribe of Hosea or other Old Testament names. No, it's always the same group and adjusting one or two names within there. But there is no doubt we're dealing with the twelve tribes with an adjustment. So we're always dealing with this group in the descendants.

This is God's promise. We have God finishing and completing His program with the nation Israel. What happens here is this guarantees representation from each of the tribes when you get to the end of the tribulation and going into the millennium, the nation Israel. There will be others represented there, we'll get to that when we get to the kingdom. But Israel is guaranteed representation here and 12,000 from each tribe are going to be secured. There will be other Jews saved in the tribulation and martyred. These 12,000 will be specially marked out and preserved from destruction. And thus guarantee the fulfillment of God's promises.

We could go back to Daniel 9:24, seventy weeks are determined upon your people and your holy city Jerusalem to accomplish these six things. And these 144,000 will be there, standing on Mount Zion, we'll see when we get to chapter 14, with the Messiah for the establishing of the kingdom. The promises of God will be fulfilled for His people Israel. Remember the judgments of the 70th week of Daniel are pouring out God's wrath on an unbelieving world and bringing Israel to its knees to turn from their sin and believe in their Messiah so that the kingdom can be established.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word, for its clarity, for its beauty, Lord, for its simplicity. We must be diligent students of the Word to handle it accurately. But Lord the Holy Spirit is our teacher, if we are faithful to handle it properly, to allow it to speak for itself, much of the confusion goes away. Thank you, Lord, for your promises to your people, your people Israel, the nation, the only nation that you have chosen to belong to you. Lord, that you are faithful to your promises. Your gifts and calling are irrevocable and we take comfort in that as Gentiles who have placed our faith and hope in the promises you have given to all those who will place their faith in the Jewish Messiah who died to pay the penalty for the sin not only of Jews, but of Gentiles alike. We praise you for that truth. In Christ's name, amen.