“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb”
Revelation 7:10 (NLT)
At the close of Revelation chapter six we see that a great earthquake has just occurred with the opening of the sixth seal and all of the leaders of the earth are quivering in fear. Just as the seventh seal is about to be opened and more judgment is to be handed out John sees angels holding back the verdict until all of the people that belong to God are sealed with His mark. Only then will God unleash the decree of judgment upon the earth.
You see God places His seal as a mark of protection upon each of us that call upon the name of Jesus. This seal guarantees that God Himself will watch over our souls and protect them. Our physical bodies may be sick, battered, beaten, or even destroyed but nothing will harm our souls or our eternal resting place in heaven with our Savior.
And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people.
Ephesians 1:13-14 (NLT)
The 144,000 that John sees marked with the seal of God is an area that I am not sure I want to dive into. I am not a Bible scholar and I know that this number may mean different things to some of you depending on what you believe and where you go to church. Let me tell you what my NLT Study Bible says about it and we will leave it open for discussion.
My study Bible says that the number 144,000 is a representational number that symbolizes completeness which means that ALL of God’s followers will be brought safely to Him and that not one of those that have been sealed will be overlooked or forgotten. This may be pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib depending on your denomination and how these end times are interpreted. It could be in a rapture-like event that the people of God are saved or it could be by God granting them supernatural strength and power to go through this time of great persecution but one thing we can be sure of, if you are marked by God you will be saved.
As this chapter comes to a close we see a great crowd praising God and again the angels, elders, and four living creatures prostrate themselves before the Almighty. This crowd is made up of martyrs that died during the great tribulation and had their sins forgiven and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. This crowd who suffered greatly is now secure and safe in the presence of the Lamb. It says that they will never be hungry or thirsty, that they will be protected by the Lamb and that He will shepherd them to springs of life-giving water. It closes out the chapter saying that God Himself will wipe every tear from their eyes. This brings to mind a great song that I love to listen to. I close by sharing some of the lyrics with you.
I try to hold onto this world with everything I have
but I feel the weight of what it brings
And the hurt that tries to grab
And many trials that seem to never end
His Word declares this truth
That we will enter in this rest with wonders anew
But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
There will be a place with no more suffering
There will be a day, with no more tears, no more pain, no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more
We’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day
We’ll hold onto You always...
Jeremy Camp
“There Will Be a Day”
Speaking Louder Than Before, 2008
Next week we open the seventh seal and start looking at the trumpet judgments. Until then, have a great week and God bless you.
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