17 Dec Reflections on Revelation #134
Day 134
“AND I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WERE BEING SEALED, 144,000, SEALED FROM ALL THE TRIBES OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL.” REV 7:4.
The book of Revelation is filled with symbolism, and it is necessary for us to understand what is being described. In his description of the 7 churches, John spoke of Jezebel, who had lived 700 years before his day. Jezebel was certainly not alive, but he used her to represent the condition of the church.
The church of Pergamos had a Balaam in it – not in flesh and blood, of course, since he lived 1500 years before – but he had tried to curse Israel, and when he failed, he was able to lead them away from God through sexual immorality.
Revelation 11 speaks of spiritual Sodom and Egypt – not meaning the actual places, but as symbols of the condition of the people. Revelation 18 speaks of the fall of spiritual Babylon in the last days. Of course, literal Babylon is in ruins today. These are all symbols of comparison.
Therefore, when the book of Revelation refers to the 144,000, we should not expect that it should be a literal number, but a symbol of God’s people.
This passage in Revelation (7:4-8) echoes Old Testament passages where the armies of Israel are numbered (next reflection). The 144,000 are the End-time army of God. But this is a different kind of army. This army doesn’t win victory by forcing its will on others. Instead, the model of Christian warfare is the Lamb that was slain (Rev 5:6). Christians overcome not by intelligence or human power, but by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 12:11). In other words, Christian victory comes through weakness, not strength (see 2 Cor 12:7-10).
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent years resisting his captors in a Soviet gulag. He sought to achieve some semblance of control over his schedule, his food and other matters. But when he became a Christian, he relinquished such attempts at control. In so doing he “became free of even his captor’s power.”
An army is about more than just personal needs; close co-operation with others is required for success. So our lives together as Christians are an important part of our witness. The genuineness of our experience is seen in how we treat each other (John 13:35).
An army must be prepared for both offence and defence. There are times when the Christian soldier can do no more than hold a position against the devil’s schemes (Eph 6:11-14), But Christians are also issued an offensive weapon; the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph 6:17).
We are, therefore, called to do more than just worship and encourage each other in a church setting, waiting for the lost to come in. The 144,000 take the good news of salvation outside the walls of the church into the “highways and byways” of our communities. But Revelation makes it clear that every “offensive” is made in weakness, trusting in the power and the presence of our Lord.
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