seal of the living God

Revelation 14:1-5. The activity of the 144,000 (Part 2)

POST OVERVIEW. A detailed study of Revelation 14:1-5 where the 144,000 are with the Lamb on Mount Zion. This study explores the details of this scene and discerns the timing of these events.

This article will be included in a future larger work called “Studies in Revelation.”

See also Post #692 (2/8/2024) which addresses Rev. 7:1-8.

CONCLUSIONS FROM STUDY OF REV. 7:1-8

In the previous part of this study in Rev. 7:1-8 we made two important conclusions.

First, “the 144,000” represents all the elect, all the redeemed of all time. The 144,000 represents all those who will ever be justified by faith, all those who will ever be born again, all those who will ever pass from death to life (John 5:24), all those who will ever be called and justified and glorified (Romans 8:30). The 144,000 represents all old covenant saints (twelve tribes) together with all new covenant saints (twelve apostles), “a great multitude which no one could count.”

Second, we concluded that this picture of “sealing” in Rev. 7:2-4 is giving us a picture of God choosing His elect “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4) and then giving them an invisible “seal” identifying them as chosen by Him.

So, the sealing of the 144,000 is the figurative identification, in eternity past, of all the bond-servants of God of all time, the setting apart of those who will be purchased by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 5:9; 14:3), who will be called and justified (Rom. 8:30) and who will be glorified (Rom. 8:30; Rev. 7:9).

OBSERVATIONS FROM REVELATION 14:1-5

We will keep in mind that the 144,000 we see here in Rev. 14:1-5 are the identical group that we saw in 7:1-8 but at a different point in time. That means that the crucial interpretive task for this passage is to determine when this takes place.

14:1. In this vision, the Lamb (the glorified Jesus Christ) is “standing on Mount Zion” (Mount Zion represents heaven) with the 144,000.

THE LAMB IS STANDING. Notice that the Lamb is standing. Psalm 110 describes the reign of the Messiah on the last day and, according to Psalm 110:1, the Lord (Adonai, Jesus) was to sit at the LORD’s right hand until His enemies were made a footstool. Since in this scene the Lamb is no longer sitting at the LORD’s right hand but is now standing, we conclude that He is getting ready “to rule in the midst of His enemies” (Psalm 110:2). The Lamb is standing on Mount Zion as He prepares to mount His white horse (Rev. 19:11) and to come from heaven to judge the nations.

THE NAME HAS REPLACED THE SEAL. Remember that previously the 144,000 had the seal of the living God on their foreheads (7:3), but now, instead of a seal, that same group has the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. What is the meaning of the seal being replaced by the name?

Our study of Rev. 7:1-8 revealed that the invisible “seal of the living God” was given to identify those who had been chosen before the foundation of the world for salvation (Eph. 1:4). This seal, invisible to man but visible to God, remained on each individual believer to identify them as those who were predestined for glorification (Rom. 8:29-30) until their glorification was realized. So, when the elect person was “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), they were identified by the seal of the living God. When by grace he was saved through faith (Eph. 2:8), he was still marked with the seal. When he physically died and departed to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23), the seal continued to identify him. But at the resurrection, this elect person received his eternal glorified body and the intended end of his sealing had finally been realized. With his glorification, the final state of salvation had been reached and there was no longer any need for an identifying seal. Thus, where once there had been a seal, there was now “His name and the name of His Father” on the saint’s forehead. What we see, then, in Rev. 14:1 is the Lamb, the glorified Lord Jesus, standing in heaven amidst all His glorified saints.

There is other evidence in this passage that confirms that “the 144,000” represents all the elect and that, in this scene, the 144,000 have been glorified.

ALL THE REDEEMED. We observe that in Rev. 14:3, “the 144,000 had been purchased from the earth.” But we also see that in Rev. 5:9, they sang a new song to the Lamb, “You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Then in Rev. 14:4 we read again of the 144,000, that “these have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” The point is that, in each occurrence, those who have been purchased represent all the redeemed.

GLORIFIED SAINTS. Since the 144,000 are in heaven with the glorified Lamb, they, too, must be glorified (for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,” 1 Cor. 15:50).

So, again, in Rev. 14:1, we can see that this scene pictures the Lamb, the glorified Lord Jesus, standing in heaven amidst all His glorified saints.

WHEN DOES THIS SCENE TAKE PLACE?

We have identified what the various elements of this scene represent and now we are in a position to determine when this scene takes place. The fact that we see glorified saints means that the resurrection has taken place when the saints received their glorified bodies. In Revelation, glorified saints appear either on the last day or in eternity in the new heaven and the new earth. We know that this scene does not take place in the new heaven and the new earth because the Lamb (Jesus) is standing on Mount Zion (14:1) as He prepares to complete His work of judgment on the unrighteous (see “THE LAMB IS STANDING” above). Therefore, this scene must take place on the last day. In fact, this scene figuratively presents the glorified saints after they have been “caught up together to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17) in the resurrection. The Lamb is acting as the glorious warrior-King, marshalling His army of saints around Him (Psalm 110:3; see also Psalm 149:5-9) as He waits for heaven to open. And when heaven opens and the Rider on the white horse appears (Rev. 19:11), He will be followed by the glorified 144,000 because “these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4). That will be the time when Jesus comes with all His saints (1 Thess. 3:13), when “God will bring with Him (Jesus) those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). The glorified saints will be “the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, following Him on white horses” (Rev. 19:14). What we see, therefore, is that this scene in Rev. 14:1-5 takes place just after the resurrection and just before the coming of the Lord Jesus in judgment.

CONCLUSION

Our study has revealed that the 144,000 represents all the elect, all the redeemed, all those chosen by God for salvation. There are two appearances of the 144,000 in Revelation. The first appearance, in Rev. 7:1-8, pictures the setting apart (“sealing”) of all of God’s people for salvation in eternity past (see also Eph. 1:4, “chosen”), while the second appearance, in Rev. 14:1-5, represents all the saints, all the redeemed, now glorified in heaven after the resurrection and just before they follow the Lord Jesus as He comes to judge the earth (Rev. 19:11-21).

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 2/8/2024                     #693

Revelation 7:1-8. The activity of the 144,000 (Part 1)

POST OVERVIEW. A detailed study of Revelation 7:1-8 and the sealing of the 144,000. This study explores the timing of this “sealing,” the identification of the 144,000, and the nature of “the seal of the living God” in this scene. (The 144,000 also appears in Rev. 14:1-5. This will be another post.)

This article will be included in a future larger work called “Studies in Revelation.”

See also Post #693 (2/8/2024) which addresses Rev. 14:1-5.

THE PRIMARY INTERPRETIVE TASK

We encounter the 144,000 only in Rev. 7:1-8 and in Rev. 14:1-5. As is typical of the prophecy of Revelation, the primary interpretive tasks for the reader are discerning when these two scenes take place and who or what is represented by the figurative elements of the scene.

PRELIMINARY COMMENTS. Before we begin to dig into the text, we will make a few general comments. First, these two appearances of the 144,000 represent the same group of people. In other words, whoever the 144,000 represents in 7:1-8, it represents the identical group in 14:1-5. Second, we assume that the number 144,000 has figurative significance and is not to be taken literally. Third, knowing that numbers in Revelation often have symbolic meaning, we will begin our exploration of these two passages by noticing that the number 144,000 is the sum of twelve times twelve times one thousand. Twelve is significant because it recalls the twelve tribes in the Old Testament and the twelve apostles in the New Testament. In Revelation, the number one thousand represents a large unspecified number. Therefore, one possible interpretation of what the 144,000 represents would have something to do with a really large number of people from the Old Testament era and from the New Testament era. Fourth, in both appearances, it is clear that the 144,000 represents saints. In 7:3, the bond-servants of God are going to be sealed on their foreheads and in 14:1, they are standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion, “having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” Thus we know that the 144,000 are certainly redeemed.

OUR INTERPRETIVE APPROACH. Because the 144,000 in Rev. 7:1-8 is the identical group that is presented in Rev. 14:1-5, we can use clues taken from either appearance to help us identify who this group represents. Also, whatever is true of the group in one appearance must be true of the group in the other appearance, because it is the identical group in both scenes.

Our next step will be to simply read the two passages carefully and observe what we see occurring there.

OBSERVATIONS FROM REVELATION 7:1-8

7:1. Four angels are “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.” (A figurative picture, but the meaning is unclear). Reading ahead, we see that these winds, once released, will “harm the earth and the sea” (7:2) and will “harm the earth and the sea and the trees” (7:3). Thus these winds represent a threat of harm.

7:2. John “saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun (the east), having the seal of the living God.” Who is this angel who is ascending and who has “the seal of the living God” in his possession? Also, to what “angel” would the living God entrust His seal?

And we also must ask, “What does this ‘seal of the living God’ represent?” It must be of immense significance, for not only is it the “seal of the living God” but history cannot move forward until this sealing has been accomplished. These are clues to what this seal represents.

7:3. The angel ascending from the rising of the sun (7:2) cried out to the four angels, “Do not harm . . . until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” The interesting word here is “we” (see Genesis 1:26; 11:7). It seems that this “angel” is working together with the living God to seal the bond-servants of God. Again we ask, “Who is this ‘angel’ that shares the responsibility with God of sealing His bond-servants?” We conclude that this “angel” represents Jesus. Thus we see that Jesus and the living God are both involved in this sealing of the bond-servants of God. This gives us more information about what this “seal” represents.

SEALED PASSIVELY. It is also worth noting that the sealing of the bond-servants is accomplished by the living God without the active participation of those who were sealed. That is, the 144,000 were passive in their sealing. This is a clue to what the seal represents.

ALL ARE SEALED. We read that “the bond-servants of our God” were sealed (7:3, 4). We ask then, “Are these who are sealed all of ‘the bond-servants of our God’ or just some of ‘the bond-servants of our God?’” The only answer that makes sense is all. It must be that all the bond-servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God. Now we think, “What ‘seal’ would Jesus and the living God apply to all the bond-servants of God?” This, too, is a clue to what the seal represents.

IDENTITY. The identity of “the bond-servants of our God” is not difficult to determine. In Rev. 11:18 we read, “the time came to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great.” Again in Rev. 19:5, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Thus, as we suspected, “the bond-servants of God” is just a phrase for believers, for the redeemed, for the disciples of the Lord Jesus.

REVIEW. We should take a moment to review what we have learned so far.

  • The bond-servants are sealed together at the same time as a group.
  • All the bond-servants of God are sealed with the seal of the living God.
  • The 144,000 are passive in this sealing. That is, they are sealed by the will of the living God alone.
  • “The bond-servants of God” simply means believers (the elect, the redeemed).  
  • The 144,000 represents the full number of believers (proving that 144,000 is figurative).
  • The angel “having the seal of the living God” appears to represent Jesus.

We have gone through the passage very slowly and deliberately, making observations and venturing a few interpretations, but we must still answer three crucial questions.

  1. What does this sealing of the bond-servants of God mean? What is its significance?
  2. What or Who does the 144,000 represent?
  3. When does this sealing of the bond-servants of God take place?

CONCLUSIONS

First, since “the bond-servants of God” represent the full number of believers, we conclude that “the 144,000” represents all the elect, all the redeemed of all time. The 144,000 represents all those who will ever be justified by faith, all those who will ever be born again, all those who will ever pass from death to life (John 5:24), all those who will ever be called and justified and glorified (Romans 8:30). The 144,000 represents all old covenant saints (twelve tribes) together with all new covenant saints (twelve apostles), “a great multitude which no one could count” (7:9).

Second, as we consider the characteristics of the “seal of the living God” and what event of redemptive history this sealing could represent, we conclude that Rev. 7:2-4 is giving us a picture of God choosing His elect “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4) and then giving them an invisible seal identifying them as chosen by Him.

So, the sealing of the 144,000 is the figurative identification, in eternity past, of all the bond-servants of God of all time, the setting apart of those who will be purchased by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 5:9; 14:3), who will be called and justified (Rom. 8:30) and who will be glorified (Rom. 8:30; Rev. 7:9).

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 2/5/2024                     #692