Is there Room for Me?

 

And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:4-10 ESV).

Our reading today is full of symbolism; however, it is important that we not think that the symbolism is a reference to fact of redemption. Thus, we should not read the number 144,000 literally. But, we should understand the redemptive work of God as quite literal. So, let’s explore what the meaning of the numbers is. A foundational passage is found in the Gospel written by our author of this reading. The Apostle John says, “God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16). Obviously it would be too few to recognize the number here as literal. John clarifies when he writes that he also sees “a great multitude that no one could count” (v. 9). That, of course, is far more than 144,000 people.

 

There is poetic beauty in the numbering of 144,000 servants of God here. The use of 12’s and 1,000’s is symbolic of completion and fullness in God’s kingdom. In this scene God builds on three fundamental givens for all who put their faith in him. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are indebted to the story told and lived by the 12 tribes of Israel. Their story in the Old Testament part of the Bible is foundational to our faith in Jesus. We also stand on the story lived and told by the 12 apostles of Christ in the New Testament part of the Bible. We also know that 12 x 12 = 144. Then this is multiplied by the most common unit of numbering large quantities in John’s day, 1,000, to invite readers to imagine the vast impact that God is creating by shaping us as his servants. This is a picture of God’s grace flowing wider and deeper than we can fathom.

 

Since this is who we are and how many we are, there is certainly room for each of us in God’s plan!