The Seal of God
Pastor Tan Thai · Jul 19, 2020
This sermon explains the meaning of God's seal upon His servants in Revelation 7, inserted before the seventh seal is opened. The message brings firm assurance of salvation and spiritual protection for God's people in every circumstance, including the great tribulation.
The sermon opens by recalling the terrifying context of the first six seals in Revelation 6, with war, death, famine, pestilence, and unprecedented natural disasters. Before the seventh seal is opened, the Apostle John records a special vision of great hope: four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of destruction until God seals His servants on their foreheads.
The pastor analyzes the theological meaning of the sealing. God's seal confirms His ownership over His people's lives, similar to the angel's mark on the foreheads of those who mourned over sin in Ezekiel 9. This seal stands in complete contrast to the mark of the beast 666 in Revelation 13, and Scripture clearly teaches there are only two choices: belonging to God or belonging to the devil. Paul's epistles teach that those who believe and receive Jesus Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit as evidence and assurance of salvation, according to 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:13, and Ephesians 4:30.
Regarding who the 144,000 sealed people are, the pastor presents two main interpretations. The first, a literal reading, holds that they are Jewish people who come to faith during the seven-year tribulation. The second interpretation, which the pastor endorses, understands 144,000 as a symbolic number representing all of God's redeemed people across every age, from every tribe, language, people, and nation, both Israel and Gentiles.
The pastor emphasizes that God's protection has two dimensions: physical protection in certain circumstances, as God protected Noah, Israel in Egypt, and Rahab at Jericho; and more importantly, spiritual protection so that His people maintain their faith to the very end. God does not promise His people will escape all physical suffering, but He does promise that no power can separate them from the love of Christ, as stated in Romans 8:35-39.
The sermon concludes with two practical lessons. First, the assurance of salvation is the foundation of absolute hope and confidence in God in every circumstance. Second, those redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb will sing a new song before the throne of God, a song that only the truly redeemed can learn and sing, expressing profound gratitude for the priceless gift of salvation.