Revelation: Sealed and Sent

Revelation 7:1-8

When studying Revelation, four main perspectives are used to categorize how end-time prophecies are presented: historicist, preterist, idealist, and futurist. I won’t go into all the details, but understanding these different approaches is important. Here’s a quick overview of each:

Historicist: Interprets the prophecies of Revelation as representing major historical periods, such as the fall of Rome, the rise of Islam, the Middle Ages, and the Reformation. In this view, the Antichrist is seen as the popes of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Preterist: Holds that the prophecies in Revelation have already happened. According to this view, the “great tribulation” occurred in the first century, with figures like Nero symbolizing the Antichrist. Partial Preterists believe that Jesus’s second coming and final judgment are still future events. Full Preterists assert that all prophecies, including the second coming, have been fulfilled. 

Idealist: Believes all the prophecies of Revelation are symbolic and convey timeless spiritual truths, not literal events—past or future.

Futurist: Believes that the prophecies of Revelation (particularly Revelation 4-22) will occur in the future and be fulfilled before Jesus's second coming. 

These different perspectives matter as we examine the various studies and teachings on Revelation, the books about the end times we choose to read, and the YouTube personalities we follow. The viewpoint a person takes regarding the prophecies in Revelation will shape what is presented.

I adhere to the futurist view. I believe the prophecies in Revelation describe literal future events. As a futurist, I think that Christians will be raptured before the tribulation (pretribulational), and that Jesus will return to establish his millennial kingdom on earth (premillennial). Be sure to read the November 22 Weekend Recharge, where I explain this viewpoint more fully. 

I recognize that every interpretation has its challenges. Still, I believe the futurist approach is the best way to understand what will happen in the end times. 

To this point in our study, John saw the door of heaven opened by God, who was sitting on his throne in complete control. He held a scroll with seven seals that no one could open except the Lamb, “standing, as though it had been slain” (Rev. 5:6). This was Jesus who had “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).

The first four seals that Jesus opened described the tribulation, initiated by the Antichrist, who ushered in a false peace. However, war, famine, disease, and death soon followed. The fifth seal depicted Christian martyrs in heaven, and the sixth seal showed the terrible calamities on earth that made people wish for rocks to hide them from “the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16). They cried out, “for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:17).  

Can anyone be saved during the tribulation? The answer is in our passage today. 

After people called for the mountains and rocks to hide them from calamities (Rev. 6:16-17), John saw four angels “standing at the four corners of the earth.” The phrase “four corners of the earth” is used to represent the whole earth.[1]  These angels had been given the “power to harm earth and sea” (Rev. 7:2). But now they were “holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree” (Rev. 7:1). Most likely, the “four winds” represent the judgments that were taking place. The “four winds” could also denote the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. At this point in the tribulation, it seems the destruction is limited and held back for a short time.

John looked and saw another angel “ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God” (Rev. 7:2). This angel told the four angels to pause their judgments “until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (Rev. 7:3). The seal was a sign of protection for “144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel,” specifically, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes (Rev. 7:4-8). 

Who are the 144,000 who were sealed? I believe the 144,000 are a literal number of Jews who have trusted in Christ, and God will use them to evangelize during the tribulation.[2] They will be God’s protected missionaries, telling others about Jesus. 

Let’s consider this within a biblical context. 

After sin entered the world, God promised in Genesis 3:15 to send a Savior. He chose a people to represent him on earth, which became the Jewish nation through whom he would send the one who would defeat Satan. When the time was right, Jesus came. But in John 1:11, we are told that “his own people did not receive him.” Jesus was not the deliverer they expected. So, instead of the Jews leading the mission of proclaiming Jesus to the world, God entrusted that task to the Gentiles. In Romans 11, the apostle Paul states that “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”[3] 

God chooses 144,000 Jews and protects them during the tribulation so they can evangelize and tell people about Jesus amid the devastation. To be clear, this does not mean only 144,000 Jewish people will be saved. God alone knows the number of Jews and Gentiles who belong to him. But here, God selected a specific number for a special mission during the tribulation period. We’ll see the 144,000 again in Revelation 14. 

Next time, we’ll see the outcome of their efforts.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Revelation 7:1-8. Focus on God’s sealing and protection.

Talking to God: How does knowing you are sealed by God (protected, owned, and empowered) change how you face the pressures and uncertainties of today?

Have questions? Please send your questions to our team. We're happy to help as we explore God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll respond shortly. Let us know if you'd like to learn more about a relationship with Jesus or if you're seeking spiritual guidance.

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