2023_07_26 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- 2 Chronicles 5, Revelation 7, Psalm 2, Psalm 18
There are three words that many of us hate to utter, especially those of us that are looked at as experts in an area: “I don’t know.” There, I’ve said them. These three words can make us feel inadequate and make us feel as though others will look down on us as inferior. For me, I want to be perceived as knowledgeable and competent, so to say “I don’t know” feels like a failure. But if I’m being honest, there are a ton of things I don’t know, and it can actually be freeing to own it! Part of our reading this week is Revelation 7. The whole book of Revelation is full of symbolic and poetic language. Very wise and intelligent scholars disagree on the meaning of several things in the book and specifically in chapter 7. It starts out with, “Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” 4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel…” Revelation 7:1-4 (NLT)
In this passage, we see that God is bringing righteous judgment to the earth, but before it is completed, the 144,000 are identified as His. Who are these people? My answer is “I don’t know.” I believe that this number is symbolic of God’s perfect and completed work because it reflects the product of 12 times 12 times 10. The number 12 stands for perfection and 10 for completion. There are 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and 12 apostles in the New Testament. When history wraps up, God will fully complete His work in saving all who trust in Him. A good solution to the 144,000 could be that it reflects, not a specific number, but the finishing of God’s rescue plan that we see fulfilled in Revelation 7:9, “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” It could easily be that we have in verse 4 (144,000) a symbolic presentation of what verse 9 says is a multitude “too great to count”.
What I know for certain is that God has history past, present, and future under His command. He is completely sovereign and will accomplish all of His plans. I can fully trust Him to do what is right and know that He will never fail. Knowing this gives me confidence to face whatever comes my way.
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor