In Greek mythology it was taught that the lives of men were controlled by three goddesses named Κλωθώ, Λάχεσις, and Ἄτροπος. According to their mythology, a person’s life was represented by a single thread. Κλωθώ spun the thread to give a person life, Λάχεσις measured the thread and thus determined what kind of life a person would have, and Ἄτροπος cut the thread to indicate how and when a person would die. Together these women were known as “The Fates”.
The Fates were said to be the daughters of Zeus himself. As such their power over the lives of men was absolute. There was nothing men could do to resist the Fates. What the Fates allotted was what you got, like it or not. You couldn’t even appeal to the almighty Zeus; it seems even the almighty Zeus was unable to interfere with the work of the Fates. Because of the absolute control these three spinsters had over the lives of men, the Fates were often depicted as callous, cold, and cruel old women who denied the dreams and hindered the hopes of men.
The idea that your fate is sealed can be an unsettling and discouraging thought and, though we may lack the imagination of the Greeks, sometimes it does feel like our lives are controlled by the whimsical wishes of an unseen force or power that quite frankly either has a bad sense of humor or is just downright mean.
It is not difficult to imagine saint John feeling that way. John had been exiled to Patmos, a desolate island in the Aegean Sea. In chapter one verse nine John tells us he had been exiled “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ”. You see the Roman emperor at that time, Domitian, was not exactly fan of Christendom. Domitian had what you might call a God complex; he insisted that people call him “Lord of the earth”. Well, as you might imagine, the Christians were not fond of Domitian’s new nickname and refused to give him the divine accolades he desired. As a result, Domitian persecuted Christian like John. Now, compared to the persecution some Christians suffered at the hands of Domitian, you might think that being banished wasn’t all that bad, but think again. Imagine you are John. Imagine you have been an eyewitness of Jesus’ miracles. Imagine you have learned your theology from the source. Imagine that you have been commissioned by God Himself to “go and make disciples of all nations”[1]. The one thing that John wanted to do above all others was tell people about Jesus, but that was the one thing Domitian had prevented John from doing. It is not difficult to imagine saint John looking out over the waters of the Aegean Sea wondering, “is this really my fate?”
We have not been banished to a desolate island like saint John but that does not mean that it doesn’t sometimes feel like the Fates are messing with us. You ever feel that way? 2020 kind of feels that way, doesn’t it? So far this year we have had wildfires to the west of us, earthquakes to the east of us, hurricanes to the south of us, bad politics to the north of us and a global pandemic all around us. My dear wife is becoming increasingly convinced that the end is near, and maybe you are hoping that she is right because your personal life is starting to feel like it could be the inspiration for a country and or western ballad where a person gets fired from their job, comes home to have an argument with their spouse about the truck that broke down and then learns their dog ran away. You ever look out over the sea of disaster, discord, and disease that surrounds you and wonder, “is this really my fate?”
Today, in Revelation 7:1-8, we are invited to lift our eyes above the things of this world so that we might be encouraged and find comfort in the knowledge that our fate is sealed, not by the whimsical wishes of three mythological spinsters but rather our fate has been sealed by our living God.
In verse 1 we read, “After this I saw…”. Before we talk about what saint John saw I should probably tell you what he has just seen. In the previous chapter, John tells us that he has seen the four horsemen of the apocalypse ride across the earth. He has seen the earth wrecked with famine, plagues, and natural disasters. He has seen the sun turned black, the moon turned red, and the stars fall from the sky. He has seen the greatest of rulers, the wealthiest of people, and the mightiest of men hiding in caves. “After this” saint John saw “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.” John sees that the impending destruction, that has been foretold by both the prophets and apostles, is ready to sweep across all creation. It is being held back by the command of God and the efforts of four of His angels. However, before the heavens disappear with a roar, the elements are destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it is laid bare[2] John sees a fifth angel.
In verses 2-3 we read, “2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” The fifth angel holds a seal in his hand. A seal such as the one the fifth angel holds was used to mark possessions and provide protection. The specific seal the fifth angel holds belongs to the living God. Anything or anyone with the seal of the living God on them would be identified as His possessions and would therefore be provided His personal protection against the impending destruction that was soon to sweep over all creation.
We have seen the seal of the living God before. In Ezekiel 9:4 the LORD instructed one of His servants to “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark (or seal) on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” Those who were given the “mark” or “seal” of the LORD; the living God were saved from destruction. I think you might be interested to know that the Hebrew word for “mark” or “seal” is תָּו(tav). ת (tav) is also the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet. For thousands of years now, the letter ת (tav) has served as a symbol of salvation for God’s people, so much so that it became the custom of some to write ת (tav) in the margins of Scripture where passages concerning the promised Messiah were identified. From at least the time of Ezekiel, ת (tav), the seal of the living God, has stood for salvation. What I find utterly fascinating about this seal is that in ancient Hebrew the ת (tav) was written as a two sticks of wood crossing over each other in the shape of cross.
For thousands of years the seal of God that saves has been pointing to the Son of God that was sacrificed. So also, here, at the end of all things, we are reminded that the only way a person can be protected from the impending destruction that is to sweep over all creation is for that person to be sealed in the blood of God’s one and only Son. Only those whose sins have been paid for and souls have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus; only those with the seal of the living God on their foreheads will be saved.
The obvious question that immediately leaps to our minds is, who are the servants who receive the seal of the living God and are saved? Our question is answered in verse 4. There we read, “4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” What then follows in verses 5-8 is an unusual listing of the tribes of Israel. Siegbert Becker, a recognized authority on the book of Revelation notes, “This list of the twelve tribes does not agree with any listing that was used in the Old Testament for the literal, historical twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” The unusual listing of the twelve tribes is easily understood when we remember that we are studying the book of Revelation, that is a book that is identified as a vision of Jesus that was shared with saint John and is understandably full of symbolism. We don’t have to look very far to understand the symbolism of the unusual listing of the 12 tribes. We are told the number that were sealed is “144,000”. Again, reminding ourselves that we are in book full of symbolism, we quickly notice that 144,000 is a multiple of 12. 12, being a multiple of 3, a number know to represent God, and 4, a number known to represent the earth, is often a number that represents the church. There are 12 tribes and there are 12 apostles. 12 times 12 is 144. It seems clear that the 144,000 is a symbol for the church of both the Old and the New testaments, including, by the way, gentiles who in Galatians 6:16 are referred to as “the Israel of God”. The understanding that the 144,000 refers to the church is confirmed in verse 9 (the verse immediately following our text) where the 144,000 are described as “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language”.
That was perhaps an overly exhaustive way for me to say that the servants who receive the seal of the Living God and are saved are all believers everywhere, which includes, you. You are one of the servants who have received the seal of the living God and are saved. You will be protected from the impending destruction that will sweep across all creation because you have the seal of the living God placed upon you. Because of the sacrifice of your Savior Jesus, salvation is now your fate. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Listen to what saint Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”[3] You have heard the Word of Truth. The Holy Spirit has worked faith in your heart. You have been marked as God’s possession. By the blood of Jesus your fate has been sealed.
The assurance that your fate is sealed, not by the whimsical wishes of three mythological spinsters, but rather, by the living God, no doubt will have an effect on how you deal with the sea of disaster, discord, and disease that swirls around you. So that you don’t allow yourself to become unsettled and discouraged by the things of this world you have been given a glimpse of things above, so that you can be encouraged and comforted in the knowledge that the living God, through the sacrifice of His one and only Son has sealed your fate. Praise, thanks, and glory be to our living God who has sealed our fate! Amen.
[1] Matthew 28:19
[2] 2 Peter 3:10
[3] Ephesians 1:13-14