The
Sealing of the Servants of God in their Foreheads
By Al Stoner
“And
I saw another angel ascending from the east, having
the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four
angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not
the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” (Rev. 7:2-3).
1. It is true that “judgment must begin at
the house of God” (I Pet. 4:17; cf. Ezek. 9:6; Isa. 10:12), as Peter declared,
as God will, in the end, be clear of any charges of partiality in His righteous
dealings with the sons of men.
2. If His people sin, He will visit their
transgression with the rod, as is recorded in Psalm 89,
3. But before any visitations of His wrath
come upon the ungodly, God will mark those who are His, sealing them in their
foreheads.
4. The seal will not necessarily spare His
people from calamity and woe, but it will ensure that they are brought safely
through tribulation and affliction with their faith intact.
5. Experientially, the seal manifests
itself in men by such things as the full assurance of faith, and confidence in
God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sealing of the Twelve
Tribes. “And I heard the number of them which were
sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the
tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses
were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed
twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand” (Rev. 7:4-8).
1. “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it
is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26).
2. The 144,000 which were redeemed from the
earth, speaks of completeness, as to the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose
in Christ Jesus.
3. In chapter 7 the completeness seems to
pertain to “the whole house of Israel” (Lev. 10:6; Jer. 13:11; Ezek. 37:11;
39:25; 45:6). But in Revelation 14:1 the
144,000 seems to include all redeemed personalities.
4. Like the number 7, the number 12 is one
that expresses completeness in Scripture.
And here we have 12 X 12,000, denoting completeness as a whole, and as
well completeness with regard to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
5. Even as the Lord has a particular regard
for His people as a whole, He likewise has a special regard for each individually.
6. The number 144,000 is symbolic of
wholeness and fullness, and cannot be taken as being literal, as the number is
elsewhere described as “so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as
the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable” (Heb. 11:12).
A Similar Marking of God’s
People in Ezekiel’s Prophecy. “He cried also in mine ears with a loud
voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even
every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came
from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a
slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen,
with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the
brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub,
whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man
clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the LORD
said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem,
and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the
abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he
said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your
eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and
little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark;
and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before
the house” (Ezek. 9:1-6).
1. Those who were marked were the men that sigh and cry for all the
abominations that are done in the midst of Jerusalem, and in our case, in the
midst of the church.
2. The sighing and crying involves thinking
God’s thoughts, at least, in measure, being in agreement with Him: His thoughts
about that which He loves and hates, approves of and disapproves of.
3. Those who sighed and cried were marked
for preservation from the evil to come.
4. The mark did not necessarily ensure that
trouble would not come to those who
sighed and cried for the abominations, but rather that they would be preserved
through the trouble.
The Fifth Trumpet. “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw
a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out
of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke
locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the
earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass
of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have
not the seal of God in their foreheads” (Rev. 9:1-4).
1. The locusts were commanded of God to
hurt only those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
2. For all other men it was open season.
This was the first of the last three woes that were uttered in Revelation 8:13.
3. Every man and woman must examine
themselves to see that they have this seal in their foreheads. Are we in fundamental agreement with the will
of God as it is revealed in the Scriptures?
Do we have a purged conscience?
4. If men have this seal of God in their
foreheads, this is their pledge that they will arrive safely in the world to
come, in spite of the persecutions and oppositions spawned by the Devil.
The Second of Two Beasts. “And
I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first
beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so
that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he
had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the
earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand,
or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of
the beast, or the number of his name” (Rev. 13:11-17).
1. “the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed.”
2. Both the first and the second beast
identified in Revelation 13 are animated by the Devil, the first beast being
worldly government, and the second, religious government.
3. Both have significance for the people of
God because of the fierce opposition of these two beasts against those who
“keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
4. The seemingly best of civil governments
finally raise their ugly heads in opposition against Christ and His brethren,
against God and His eternal purpose in Christ.
5. Perhaps, all the present oppositions and
assaults against Israel, and against the Jews are an indication of God
preparing to consummate His purpose with Israel, grafting them back into their
own olive tree (Rom. 11).
6. Papal Rome rose out of the ashes of
pagan Rome.
7. What is declared in Revelation 13 about
the first and the second beast is not a history lesson, although there are definite
connections with world history.
8. During the reign of Constantine (306-337
AD), Satan subtly change his tactic of opposition against the church. Instead of rabidly persecuting the church, as
in the past, “Christianity” was then adopted as the state religion.
9. “When Constantine moved his capital to
Constantinople (330 AD), the Pope inherited the power, prestige, and even
titles of the Roman emperors. The most significant of such titles is Pontifex Maximus, a pagan title that
means ‘Bridge builder between heaven and Earth.’”
10. In 476 A.D. pagan Rome fell to rise no
more, having already been invaded several times.
11. “In
538 AD, the emperor Justinian issued a decree, proclaiming the Pope to be
supreme in religious matters. Since then, the Pope has assumed the garb of
representative of Jesus Christ on Earth.”
12. The worship of the two beasts mentioned
in Revelation was imposed (forced) upon men.
They were caused to receive a mark in their right hand and in their
foreheads.
The One Hundred and Forty
and Four Thousand Standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion. “And
I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the
mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their
foreheads” (Rev. 14:1).
1.
Having their Father’s Name Written in
their Foreheads. In each of the references to God’s Name
being written in the forehead, there is no mention of His Name being written in
the hand.
2.
This
seems to speak of a willing submission on the part of those, in whose foreheads
God’s Name is being written.
3.
This
is characteristic of the New Covenant where God writes His laws upon the heart
and in the mind.
4.
The
hands are willingly affected by the writing in the forehead without coercion.
5.
Where
men happen to be amiss with regard to being duly affected by the writing in the
mind, James will have something to say to all such ones. Faith without works is dead.
A Warning against being
Identified with the Beast. “And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of
the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Rev. 14:9-11).
1. Satan capitalizes on “the fear of man”
which “bringeth a snare”, as Solomon expressed it. By this men are coerced into receiving the
mark in their right hand, and in their forehead.
2. The mark in the forehead speaks of men’s
thoughts being conformed to this world by coercion, where Satan is prince.
3. The mark in the right hand speaks of
men’s actions being conformed to this present world, and of their allegiance
being given unto the beast.
4. Being caused to receive a mark in their
hand and in their forehead means
that not even Satan, working through the beast and the false prophet, allows
secret discipleship.
5. But the warning here is against
receiving the mark in one’s hand or in
one’s forehead. Any identification at all with the beast and his image puts men
in danger of tasting of the wrath of God.
6. Men must, by the grace of God, purpose
in their hearts that they will not submit to the coercive powers of the beast
in any way.
7. With regard to the first beast (earthly
government) the people of God can and must be good citizens, so long as the
laws imposed are not contrary to the will of God.
A Name Written upon the
Forehead of the Whore. “And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”
(Rev. 17:5).
The Identity of the Souls
Beheaded for the Witness of Jesus. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4).
“And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads” (Rev. 22:4).
1.
This
speaks of the blessed prospect of new creatureship being the only creatureship,
and when this mortal shall have put on immortality, and this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption.
2.
It
speaks of the prospect of His Name being indelibly written in redeemed
personalities, when faith shall have given place to sight, and when men shall
appear with the Savior in glory.
3.
Let
every man examine themselves to be certain that God’s Name is written in their
foreheads.
