15: Who are these? [Excerpt]

“And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4)

How our hearts would rejoice if we were given a vision of thousands upon thousands of Jewish men, assembled together, worshipping their Messiah in glorious unison. John was granted just such a vision when he saw the Lamb of God in heaven, accompanied by the 144,000 singing a new song before Him, which only they could learn.

Each of the 144,000 is sealed for protection from the coming judgements of God.[1] This is reminiscent of the sealing of the righteous in the vision given to Ezekiel during a time of judgement for Jerusalem, when the angels of the LORD were poised to kill men, women and children. Anyone who had sighed and lamented over the abominations carried out in the temple was marked on the forehead and spared.[2] The Hebrew word for mark is tav, the final letter of the alphabet, which in ancient times was written like a slanted cross. This brings to mind how, through faith in the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise for the day of redemption, protected from the wrath of God [3]...

[1] Revelation 7:3

[2] Ezekiel 9:1-11

[5] Ephesians 1:13, 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:9

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