Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation chapter 7 as we take a look at God placing His seal upon a group of people during the Tribulation Period and how that relates to us today. Before we get to our text this morning, let me share with you this true story about a missionary named John Paton. We are told:
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?”
Paton knew no men were present – but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
- Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18
You see, God had set His seal of protection upon John Paton and his wife and as we are going to see, God has placed an even more important seal upon believers, you and me. Yes, God still protects His people, but sometimes they will be martyred for their faith and the Bible tells us that these saints are precious to the Lord. But there is another sealing that is eternal and complete and we will see that this morning. Now for just a little background information before we dig into our text this morning.
In Revelation chapter 5 we saw Jesus, the Lamb as though He had been slain, step forward and take the scroll or the title deed to the earth out of the right hand of the Father. Upon this scroll were seven seals that correspond to judgments of God that will be unleashed upon the earth and the earth dwellers or those who have rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And please keep in mind that this is the 7-year Tribulation Period and the Church or the Bride of Christ, believers will be removed or Raptured before this period of time begins!
As that first seal was opened we saw the rider on the white horse come forth and he is the Antichrist who comes onto the scene with a false peace and becomes the leader of this world. Then came the second seal and the rider on the red horse, which represented wars that will break out all over the world. As the third seal was opened we saw the rider on the black horse come forth and he represented a worldwide famine upon the land and all will be affected accept the rich, they will have the money to buy food. And by the time we get to the fourth seal and the rider on the pale or ashen horse comes forth, ¼ of the earth’s population will be wiped out by: the sword, by hunger, by pestilence, by the wild beasts on the earth. That means over 1.5 billion people will die and this is only the beginning of sorrows!
Then in the fifth seal we see a cry from the martyred Tribulation Saints as they pray for God to do away with wickedness and establish His kingdom on this earth. By the time we get to the sixth seal we see all kinds of cosmic disturbances being poured out upon the earth. We see great earth earthquakes, the sun being darkened, the moon turning red like blood, the stars falling from heaven upon the earth, the sky being rolled up like a scroll and every island and mountain being moved out of its place!
And yet, in spite of all these cataclysmic events, the heart of man is so hard that they refuse to repent of their sin and come to God. They reject the Rock of Ages and cry out for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them and hide them from the presence of God. You see, John tells us the reason they are hiding from His presence, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:17.
Now in chapter 7 we have a break while John is going to fill in some of the details of this period of time. He shows us who is able to stand before God and he shows us that they are those who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and have received the righteousness of Christ into their life. And so in chapter 7 we will see John open up with one group of people who have been sealed by God during this Tribulation Period. With that as our background, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 7, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this morning.
Before God blows upon this earth with His winds of judgment, 144,000 Jewish Witnesses for Christ will be sealed by God for identification with Him and protection not only from His judgment but also from the Antichrist and his forces. The focus of their ministry is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world in darkness. And thus, they will need the protection of God to carry out this mission.
In Revelation 20:4 we are told of how these dear saints who get saved through their witness will be martyred for their faith, “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” There will be brutal martyrdom for these saints of God during the Tribulation Period. This is not the 144,000 but people from all walks of life, all backgrounds who have come to Jesus during the Tribulation Period.
Again, God seals the 144,000 and in Revelation 14 we are told of these sealed saints. “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. . . . These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Revelation 14:1, 4-5.
This seal or SPHRAGIZO, (sfrag-id’-zo) in the Greek, speaks of a signet ring of kings or other officials who would place this ring in wax affirming their authority over a document or object. It spoke of ownership or protection. Thus, God sealed these 144,000 because they were born of God; they were now Christians, saved by the redeeming work of Christ!
Now that is all very interesting, but what does that have to do with us? Think about it, we are with the Lord during this period of time, the Tribulation Period, so what does the seal of God have to do with us?
Let me say this, it all goes back to the cross and the finished work of Jesus on that cross of Calvary for us, the shedding of His blood for our sins and that has allowed us to be sealed by God! We looked at this on Thursday, but it is important that we understand it because it is laying the groundwork for our study this morning.
In Ezekiel chapter 9 God is going to pour out His judgment on the Southern Kingdom of Judah and specifically Jerusalem for her sins, her wickedness. But before God pours out His judgment upon Jerusalem, He needs to seal those who love Him and are broken over what they are seeing taking place among God’s people there in Jerusalem!
And so we are told in Ezekiel 9:1-11 of what is going to take place. We read, “Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.’ And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’ To the others He said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then He said to them, ‘Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!’ And they went out and killed in the city. . . .
. . . So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?’ Then He said to me, 'The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, “The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!” And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.’ Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, ‘I have done as You commanded me.’”
God placed a mark on those who loved Him so this judgment would not affect them. What I find interesting here is the Hebrew word for “mark” in verse 4 is TAV, (tawv) and it is the letter “t” or the shape of a small cross. Folks, salvation is only found in Jesus and His finished work on the cross of Calvary, apart from Him we are still dead in our trespasses and sins!
Now once a person has come to Christ, immediately they are sealed with the Holy Spirit! Paul, in II Corinthians 1:21-22 tells us this, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” The Amplified Bible puts these verses like this, “But it is God Who confirms and makes us steadfast and establishes us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and has consecrated and anointed us [enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit]; [He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].” And The Living Bible puts these verses like this, “It is this God who has made you and me into faithful Christians and commissioned us apostles to preach the Good News. He has put his brand upon us-his mark of ownership-and given us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee that we belong to him and as the first installment of all that he is going to give us.”
You see, the Lord has given to us the Holy Spirit as a down payment of our eventual total redemption, the redemption of our bodies. That work is not completed in us yet, but He who has begun a good work in us, will complete it! In fact, that word “guarantee” or “earnest” in the Greek is ARRHABON, (ar-hrab-ohn) and it speaks of a pledge or part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest. Think of it like an engagement ring that is given to the woman as a guarantee of his love and his future plans to make her his wife. That is the Lord’s promise to us, that one day we will be united with Him, our Bridegroom! The work He is doing in us will be completed!
The Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer, gives us a foretaste of the coming glory of heaven. He is therefore called the “earnest” or pledge of the inheritance we shall receive by God’s grace in eternity (Eph. 1:13,14). In biblical times, the word “earnest” was a trade term for the initial payment on a debt. It was made as a promise that full payment would be forthcoming. In principle, then, when an earnest was given, the final installment was guaranteed. Likewise, the joy we experience now through God’s Spirit is just a kind of first installment of the rich blessings that His children will receive in eternity.
A wealthy man called his faithful assistant into his office one day and said, “I’ve put your name in my will, and someday you’ll receive $10,000. Since it may be a while before you get that legacy, I want to make you happy now by paying you the interest on that amount each year. Here is a check for $600 as a starter.” The surprised clerk was doubly grateful. The prospect of the inheritance was certainly good news, but the money he received in advance gave him complete assurance that someday the entire $10,000 would be his.
As God’s children, let’s rejoice in the riches we now have in Christ through the Holy Spirit. He is our guarantee of the “exceeding and eternal weight of glory” that our Heavenly Father will one day give to the heirs of salvation (2 Cor. 4:17). Our present blessings are but a token of the greater inheritance we will eventually receive.
- Our Daily Bread
We also see this promise of being sealed by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee in Ephesians 1:13-14 as Paul tells us, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
The moment we believe in Jesus Christ we are sealed instantaneously by the Holy Spirit, we are the property of the King of kings and Lord of lord’s! You see, the seal signifies a few things for us:
A. SECURITY AND PROTECTION BY GOD
It is a total and absolute security that could only be broken by someone with greater power than has made the seal. Pilate set a seal upon the tomb of Jesus and that seal was broken by Jesus, He had greater power than Pilate, He is God and thus, as He rose from the dead the stone was rolled away, placed in another place and that seal was broken! No one can break the seal that God has placed upon us! Jesus said in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand . My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.” No one can take us out of the hand of the Father or the hand of Jesus!
B. OWNERSHIP
When we are sealed by God it is a completed transaction, He will not return us. We are His! Paul put it this way in I Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” That should bring us great comfort knowing that God owns us, not in a bad way, but a good way. The Holy Spirit indwells us and that shows we are of God!
C. AUTHENTICITY
Having the Spirit of God in our lives shows that we are authentic in our walk, we are real. You see, the fruit of the Spirit will be produced in our lives and without being saved; you can in no way produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life! In Galatians 5:22-25 we are told, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
D. DELEGATED AUTHORITY
We can go directly to God and speak to Him and He will speak to us. We are told in John 16:23, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” Also, notice what Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We don’t need to go through anyone else for we have access to the throne of God because we are His children!
Thus, when the Holy Spirit seals us it shows that we are secure in Christ, we are His possession, we are real and we have the ability to go before God. But it does not end there. Paul tells us in II Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’”
You see, God has sealed us for security and protection. He has placed His seal upon us showing everyone that we are His! Not only that but it shows that we are authentic, we are not just playing games but our faith is real since we now name the name of Christ. And He speaks to us telling us what is right and what is wrong, how to get right when we have gone astray and how to stay right as we walk with Him, we are guided by Him!
And listen to what Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:1-8, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
In other words, don’t put so much emphasis on this earthly tent, this body of flesh but build up the inner man. That does not mean we are to abuse our bodies because our bodies are the temple of God, but these bodies of flesh are not eternal! You see, God is preparing us for Heaven, thus, this tent will go back to the dust of the earth and the Lord will prepare a new body for our spirit and soul to dwell in.
Paul goes on to say in II Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
You see, if we are saved through Christ and we have the Holy Spirit in us as a guarantee of the future promise of the redemption of our body, then we should share our faith. Paul tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ or that we are to represent Him to a world that is lost in sin. That is what these 144,000 Jewish witnesses are doing during the Tribulation Period. We are to bring reconciliation to those who are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ!
In ancient Corinth there used to be staged the Isthmian Games, the forerunner of the modern Olympics. There were many events, but the one which received the most attention was the relay race. The competitors lined up side by side at the starting line, each bearing a torch. In the distance waited still another line of men, and still farther on other lines.
When the signal was given, the men started to run, bearing their lighted torches. When a runner reached his partner in the next line he would pass on his light, and so on from man to man until the finish line was reached. With the famous relay race in mind, the Greeks coined a phrase: “Let those who have the light pass it on.”
We have the light of God and we need to pass it on to others! You see, the salvation of souls is fruit that is born in our lives. We see these 144,000 bring forth much fruit for the kingdom of God during the Tribulation Period and obviously, not very ideal times! In Revelation 7:9-10 we are told, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” You see, as they minister during the Tribulation Period a record number of people will come to Jesus on a world-wide scale! We see revival break out in the midst of judgment!
Can that happen today? “Oh, this world is so bad. No one wants to hear about Jesus. It is so hard!” Do you really think it will be any better during the Tribulation Period? Of course not, it will be worse! Folks, as far as I can tell, God is still on the throne and we are called to go out into the world and share our faith.
Too often we look at past works of God and become frustrated that those things are not happening today. Let me ask you this, what are you doing about it? Have you left it up to others? Are you in prayer over it? Are you stepping out in faith and sharing what God has given to you? The mission of the church, those who are disciples of Jesus Christ, is to go out and spread the good news of Christ’s atoning work on the cross of Calvary and then to teach them the ways of God. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
Josh McDowell tells a story that makes a powerful point regarding the sharing of our faith. He tells us:
An executive hirer, a “head-hunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question.”
“Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.”
- Josh McDowell
May that be our hearts desire for it is truly the command of Jesus Christ for our life. To go out and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them or immerse them into the faith – an outward expression of what has taken place in their hearts – that they gave their life to Jesus to be Lord and Savior. And it does not end there. We are to go and teach them the things of God, give these babes in Christ the spiritual food they need to grow, don’t leave them out on their own.
Folks, we have a resource here to help you in that area. If you share your faith with someone and they receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, ask me for our New Believers packet and then take them through it yourself! Help them to grow because it is your responsibility!
This New Believers packet looks at five important points: Salvation, Jesus Christ, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible. And it is not just a booklet that you read, but there are questions that the person needs to answer with Bible verses to look-up. It is not what I have to say but what the Scriptures say and I truly believe this will help lay down a strong foundation for them in the faith!
As I begin to close this morning, let me share with you this story, this true story because many Christians live their lives like this. We are told:
In west Texas there is a famous oil field known as the Yates pool. During the depression this field was a sheep ranch, owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates was not able to make enough money on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family, like many others, had to live on a government subsidy. Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling west Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would be able to pay his bills.
Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told Mr. Yates that there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease.
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve, giving 80,000 barrels a day. In fact, thirty years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed that it still could flow 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he was living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty: What was the problem? He did not know the oil was there. He owned it, but he did not possess it.
That is like many Christians today who don’t realize how rich they are in Christ.
- Parables, Etc., vol. 3, No. 11, January 1984, 4
Paul, in Ephesians 1:3 tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!” God has given to us the resources we need but tragically, many will live in spiritual poverty because they do not use what they possess. You see, as we share our faith the Lord is with us. In fact, Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
You see, God wants to empower you as you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, not to act goofy but to spread forth the Good News of Jesus Christ. Think about the steam in a steam engine locomotive. What is the steam there for? Some may say to toot the whistle, but that is just a lot of noise, it does not move the train. The steam in a steam locomotive is there to move the engine down the track so it can reach its destination. And so too, the Holy Spirit empowers us to move the Gospel message forward!
God has sealed us and given to us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what is coming, may we share the Good News, the Gospel with others so they too may be sealed and receive that guarantee from God. May we be like the ancient Olympians in the relay race who passed the torch on to the next person. In other words, LET THEM WHO HAVE THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL PASS IT ON!