The sealed ones.
When John observed the great troubles associated with the opening of the sixth seal, he exclaimed, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” Revelation 6:17, NKJ. Then John heard an angel instructing the four angels not to damage the earth until they sealed the servants of God. Who are the servants of God? “Now I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel:” Revelation 7:4. The “all the tribes of the people of Israel does not refer to the Nation of Israel. It refers to the New Israel, Christianity. The list of tribes of Israel above does not list all the literal tribes. For example, Joseph and his son Manasseh are listed as separate tribes. However, only the tribes of Joseph’s sons entered the Promised Land.
The readers of the above text should notice that John only heard the number of those who were sealed. He did not see the formation of the 144,000 who were sealed. Therefore, the 144,000 sealed do not represent a numeric quantity. When John turned to see the 144,000, he saw “an enormous crowd that no one could count…standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9. The “Israel” here refers to those who, like Abraham, believed God. They did not only believe in God. But they also believed God that He would do what He said He would do. Because they believed God, not only in God; He credited it to them as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6). The multitude that John saw was dressed in white robes, indicating that they had received Righteousness from God – Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Only those who do not rely on their own righteousness and whose Christian experience is devoid of self will stand safe in Christ, regardless of the circumstances.
Justification by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ belongs to those who trust Him. Romans 5:9. Jesus came to save humankind. He remained faithful to His mission, and by his faithfulness, humankind stands justified from the sin in the Garden of Eden. That justification becomes our daily experience by trusting Jesus Christ that He has accomplished for us everything that was promised. Those justified by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ are also sealed as servants of God in Christ. “And you were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13). Those whom the Holy Spirit seals were crucified in Christ and have put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. They, therefore, will stand with Jesus Christ on Mount Zion. (Revelation 14:1 – 5). The righteous in Jesus did not defile themselves with the “woman.” The “woman” is the City that symbolizes self-sufficiency and human effort to secure long-term survival through human ingenuity. These, in contrast to the justified, did not trust God but trusted their wisdom and power.
The good news is proclaimed; read the next blog.