“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:13-14
Wax seals have historically been used to mark documents as officially endorsed by a powerful ruler. In Revelation 6 the scroll was sealed with seven of these seals and no one could open it until the Lamb arrived. Then in chapter 7 God pauses the action.
“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Revelation 7:3
Some have suggested that the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel are Jewish converts who become evangelists after the rapture of the church, leading to the salvation of numberless multitudes from all nations. While I usually agree with Got Questions, on this point I think their reasoning is a little shaky. Here is a broader view from Crossway.
Yes, we see 144,000 from 12 named tribes of Israel. Yes, right after that we see a multitude from all the nations, described as follows:
“These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:14
144,000 are sealed: marked as belonging to God. Then an enormous multitude is worshiping before God’s throne. But the connector between these two realities is, “After this” (Rev. 7:9).
I’m no math major. But the 24 elders in Revelation 4-5 are 12 x 2 = 24. That is either a doubling of Israel or Israel’s 12 tribes plus 12 apostles for the church (which seems more likely to me). 144,000 is 12 x 12 x 1,000. So that is either Israel multiplied by itself and by 1,000 or Israel multiplied by the church and then by 1,000. Again, the latter seems more likely to me, primarily because of how the book of Revelation concludes, with a description of the holy city of Jerusalem, the bride of Christ.
“It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:12-14
There we have an explicit 12 + 12 for the whole people of God. So it seems the natural understanding of those sealed by God to also be all who believe to Jesus and belong to Him by faith.
The people of God were also to be marked as belonging to the Lord.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
The great shema, the holy creed of Israel, was to be bound on the hand and marked on the forehead of all faithful Jews. Their faith and commitment to the One true God were His sign and seal upon them (further ratified with the personal mark of circumcision and the blood of the sacrifice system).
It isn’t clear in Revelation 7 if God’s seal on His people is visible or not, but it certainly has a very tangible effect.
“Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”
Revelation 9:3-4
And when the antichrist arises, the “beast” of Revelation 12-13, he forces everyone to be marked with his name on the hand or forehead.
“Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”
Revelation 13:16-18
So whatever we make of the seal of God on the 144,000 the clear teaching of Scripture is that everyone must choose to either identify with Jesus or not. In the end that is the only distinction that matters: you are in His book or you are not.
A key principle of Bible interpretation is to understand what is less clear by means of what is more clear. The identity of the 144,000 is less clear. The teaching of Scripture that God’s people are marked as belonging to Him is more clear. So let’s conclude for today with this clear and wonderful truth from God’s Word.
“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22