The Messianic Army
REVELATION 7:1-8
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 ascend- ing 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.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 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 Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
Revelation 7 is an interlude between the breaking of the sixth and the seventh seals in John’s vision. John is allowed to see God’s plan to involve his people in the fight between good and evil.
The judgments seem overwhelming, but God has a role for his people in the midst of the judgments, and John sees that God’s people—the Church—will not be overcome by the judgments; they are protected so that they can fulfill their role.
The 144,000? It’s a holy army waging holy war; it is the church’s role in the outworking of history. Let me explain.
7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
The four angels mean that God is sovereign over the four corners of the earth.
2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
God holds back the judgments until his servants are set apart. But, who are the servants?
4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
John hears the identity of God’s servants: 144,000. (12 squared times 10 cubed—a number that shows the fullness of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.)
In the Old Testament, every time a census is taken it is for military purposes. The 12,000 that are listed come from each of the 12 tribes (though the list is slightly peculiar, a detail I do not have space to discuss at the moment).
The 144,000 are a holy army, ready for holy war.
BUT....
(Keep reading!)