I was wondering what your thoughts are
in connection with Rev 7 and the second sealing ? If the number of annointed
was made up in 1935 how much longer does Jehovah need before he is sure of their
faithfulness ? Do the annointed need to be sealed again before the great
tribulation ?
The sealing in Revelation 7:3,4 does not
refer to a “final” or “second” sealing of the anointed, as some believe. The
scripture reads: “’Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until after we
have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of
those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every
tribe of the sons of Israel.”
What does it mean for a person to be sealed? According to Insight on the
Scriptures, page 883, a seal in Bible times was “an object used to make
an impression (usually on clay or wax) that indicated ownership, authenticity,
or agreement.” Concerning the figurative use of a seal it says this,
“First-century Christians are spoken of as being ‘sealed’ by means of holy
spirit, which is an advance token of their heavenly inheritance. (Eph. 1:13,14;
4:30) The seal signifies their being God’s possession (2Co 1:21,22) and shows
that they are truly in line for heavenly life. The book of Revelation shows the
number finally sealed to be 144,000.”
The scriptures indicate that a person is sealed by means of holy spirit at the
moment Jehovah chooses and anoints a person for the heavenly inheritance. Paul
writes, “By means of him also, after you believed, you were sealed with
the promised holy spirit, which is a token in advance of our inheritance.” (Eph.
1:13,14) The sealing had been done after they believed. This is further shown at
Ephesians 4:30, “Also, do not be grieving God’s holy spirit, with which you
have been sealed for a day of releasing.” And in writing to the Corinthian
brothers Paul wrote, “...he who has anointed us is God. He has also
put his seal upon us and has given us the token of what is to come,
that is, the spirit, in our hearts.” (2 Cor. 1:21,22) Clearly, the sealing was
done at the time and in connection with them being anointed. There is no mention
anywhere of any future sealing of those who have already been sealed.
What did Paul mean when he wrote, “Brothers, I do not yet consider myself as
having laid hold of it; but there is one thing about it: Forgetting the
things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead, I am pursuing down
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ
Jesus?” (Phil. 3:13,14) Did he mean that there would eventually be a second
sealing that he needed to attain? No! Paul was simply stating that he, like all
of us, needed to be faithful right to the end in order to be worthy of any
reward. “For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate
knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left.” (Heb.
10:26) What Jesus wrote to the congregation in Smyrna also applies to the
apostle Paul, “Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you
the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) Paul simply meant that he had not yet considered
himself as having laid hold of the reward of the upward call because there was
still the possibility of him proving unfaithful. He had seen some of his closest
associates return to the world. (Phil. 3:18,19; 2 Tim. 4:10) He did not consider
himself to be above his own counsel when he wrote, “let him that thinks he is
standing beware that he does not fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12) But Paul had the
assurance that once a person was sealed by means of holy spirit he would keep
that seal as an advance token of his heavenly inheritance as long as he
proved faithful to death.
We can use another scriptural example in connection with this, and that is the
figurative “book of life” the Bible speaks of. (Phi. 4:3) A person can have his
name written in God’s book of life, but it can also be wiped out from it. (Ex.
32:32,33) At what point is a person’s name entered into the book of life? Is it
when he is on his deathbed, having in the end proved faithful? How could his
name be wiped out then, if he proved unworthy, if it had not yet been written
into it? Clearly, his name must be written in the book at some time during
his life. As Jesus says, “He that conquers will thus be arrayed in white
garments; and I will by no means blot out his name from the book of life.” (Rev.
3:5) In the book of Malachi it indicates that a person has his name entered into
God’s book of remembrance while he is worshiping Jehovah. “At that time those in
fear of Jehovah spoke with one another, each one with his companion, and Jehovah
kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remembrance began to be
written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon
his name.” (Mal. 3:16)
Today, a person has his name entered into God’s book of life at the moment of
his baptism when the benefit of Jesus’ ransom is applied to him. (Acts 2:38;
Eph. 1:7) His name remains there for as long as he proves faithful. (Rom. 11:22;
Heb. 3:14) He does not need to have his name written in the book a second time
at some future day, as if the first time was only temporary, written with
disappearing ink. All who have their names written down in God’s book of life
are assured that they will survive the greatest of all tribulations at
Armageddon, provided their names remained in the book. (Dan. 12:1; Rev. 13:8) In
the same way, the 144,000 who are sealed by means of God’s holy spirit, and who
likewise have their names written in the book of life, keep that seal of
belonging to Jehovah for as long as they are faithful. There is no need for a
second time to seal them. The scriptures do not refer to any second and final
sealing.
The question arises, though, what is meant in Revelation chapter 7, that God’s
servants are sealed just before the destructive four winds of the great
tribulation are unleashed? It simply means that the final ones of the 144,000
are sealed at that time to finish the complete number. Why so late in the course
of events? The answer is found in Jesus’ words to his disciples, “Keep on the
watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. . .
You too prove yourselves ready, because at an hour that you do not think to be
it, the Son of man is coming.” When the master, Christ Jesus, returns “at an
hour that [we] do not think to be it,” to judge the slaves who had been
appointed to feed the members of his household, he will find a wicked slave
among them in the act of beating and oppressing them instead. Jesus says
concerning that evil slave that he “will punish him with the greatest severity
and will assign him his part with the hypocrites.” (Matthew 24:42, 44, 48-51;
Luke 12:45,46) That means that he will reject those who prove to be that evil
slave, although they had at one time been sealed by means of holy spirit, having
had a share in the hope of the heavenly inheritance. But because they proved
unfaithful in their responsibility, lording it over God’s sheep, they will now
lose that seal as a token of their reward, and also have their names blotted out
of the book of life. (Luke 22:25,26;1 Peter 5:3) Like unfaithful Judas Iscariot,
they will need to be replaced in order for the full number of 144,000, which God
determined “before the founding of the world,” to be completed. (Acts 1:24-26;
Eph. 1:4,5) Therefore, the final replacement members of the 144,000 will be
chosen and sealed shortly before the exterminating “four winds of the earth” are
let loose.
_________________________
I got to thinking about the idea that Jesus came to his earthly temple in
1918-1919 and declared the ones taking the lead (board of directors, governing
body etc.) faithful and discrete and appointing them over all his belongings.
If that were true there would nerry be a one left on earth today that was
approved. I would think that for a person to be taking the lead amongst God's
people would at least have to be an adult. Let's for the sake of argument use
the age of 20 as the lower limit in age of one fitting this profile. I'm
certainly not being dogmatic about this, just using the age of 20 as a starting
point. A 20 year old person in 1918 would have been born in 1898. That would
make the youngest of the "approved" brothers or sisters to be at least 107 to
108 years old today. If there is more than 1 or two that fit that description I
would be surprised. It would not be out of the question to come to the
conclusion that there are not any from that "generation" of people left. Does
that mean that there are no longer any among the anointed that have recieved
Christ's approval at this time?
As you note, If God's household was judged back in 1918-19 then there is no one
left alive today of those who were already judged. Therefore, the obvious
question is: Are any of Christ's anointed brothers approved at this time? The
Society gets around that illogical situation by claiming that God's household
was judged as a body, and not the individuals making up the
household, and thus as a group they were found “faithful and discreet.” But
there are no scriptures that we can point to that would indicate that Jehovah
would judge his people as a unit rather than on an individual basis.
For example, when the apostle Peter talks about the judgment starting with the
house of God, he asks, "Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of
those who are not obedient to the good news of God? And if the righteous man is
being saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly man and the sinner make a
showing?" (1 Peter 4:17,18) Peter shows that the judgment will be on an
individual basis, according to what each man is within God’s household, not
according to what the overall whole house is. It is not a matter of whether God
will reject his household and all those in it, or whether he will automatically
accept and bless everyone within it. “For we must all be made manifest
before the judgment seat of the Christ, that each one may get his award
for the things done through the body, according to the things he has practiced,
whether it is good or vile.” (2 Corinthians 5:10; Rom. 14:12; 1 Cor. 4:2-5)
Let us consider for a moment what is really involved in teaching that God's
house, as a body, was judged back in 1918/19.
Concerning God's household, the apostle Paul wrote that the "members of the
household of God . . . have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. In union
with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into
a holy temple for Jehovah. In union with him you, too, are being built up
together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22)
An obvious question is: Does Jehovah know who the members are that make up his
household? Has he himself not chosen and anointed each individual of those who
make up the foundation of his "holy temple" and built them into a place for him
to inhabit by spirit? Would there ever, at any time, be any doubt in Jehovah's
mind as to who constitutes his household? Would Jehovah ever wonder if maybe
Christendom might be his household? See “Is
Jehovah also the God of Christendom?”
Those who are claiming that God's household was judged as a group, almost ninety
years ago, are saying that Jehovah was evaluating Christendom and also the small
group of active Bible Students at that time, and he decided in favor of the
Bible Students for various reasons, such as having remained neutral during World
War I. He is said to have judged them as “faithful and discreet” as opposed to
the clergy of Christendom whose hands were drenched in blood due to their
participation in the war. Is that possible? Is God’s judgment about deciding who
his household was back in 1919? This is what the Watchtower said on this
point:
Mankind has entered a period of
judgment. We are informed at 1 Peter 4:17 that judgment started “with the house
of God”—a judgment of professed Christian organizations that has been apparent
since “the last days” got under way with the slaughter of World War I during
1914-18. How has Christendom made out in this judgment? Well, consider the stand
of the churches in supporting the wars since 1914. Are not the clergy stained
with “the blood marks of the souls of the innocent poor ones” that they preached
into the firing lines?—Jeremiah 2:34. —w96 4/1 p. 18 “Praise Jah, You People!”
If the judgment was about deciding between the churches of Christendom and the
small group of Bible Students, then we must conclude that there were no anointed
ones that Jehovah recognized as belonging to him prior to them being judged as a
group in 1918/19, as he had not yet rendered his verdict concerning who it was
that made up his household. That would mean that neither C.T. Russell, Judge
Rutherford, nor any other members of the board of directors of the Watch Tower
Society were recognized by Jehovah as his anointed servants prior to that year.
But if we dismiss that sort of reasoning then we must conclude that the judging
of God’s household is not about identifying the household. It is not
about Jehovah judging between Christendom and his anointed as a group, but
rather his judgment means the judging of the individual members within
his household that he already acknowledges as his people, the household which
had its foundation laid at Pentecost, “built up upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation
cornerstone.”
Jehovah has always known and recognized those who belong to him in union with
his Son, each and every individual branch in the vine. And as long as they
remain in the vine they have Jehovah’s and Christ’s approval. (John 15:1-8) He
deals with them individually, as Jesus pointed out, and they are judged in the
same way. This is acknowledged in theWatchtower:
This personal responsibility is strongly
emphasized when we recall that at the close of each message to the seven
congregations comprising the true church, the reward is promised individually
“to him that conquers.”
—w70 9/15 pp. 565-566 The Hour of Test Is On! (bold mine)
To teach that Jehovah judges his slaves as a body, or group, is unscriptural. It
did not happen back in 1918-19 and neither will it happen in the future. But he
will judge each individual member within his household in the near future.
Jehovah will maneuver events where he will expose what we are really like
at heart, without us even being aware that it is taking place. At that time
“wicked men and imposters will advance from bad to worse,” while also at the
same time “the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father.” (2 Tim. 3:13; Matt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3, 10) Not until his “day
of wrath” will Jehovah reveal his righteous judgment and “render to each one
according to his works.” (Rom. 2:5,6)
_________________________
. . . I launched into my own personal investigation of the Bible on [the New
Covenant]. After doing extensive research, I came to the conclusion that ALL
Christians are indeed in the New Covenant, but only the anointed with the
heavenly hope partake of the emblems. I hold this opinion based on my research
on the similarities between the Old and New Covenants.
I am sure you are familiar with the showbread that was placed before the altar
in the temple on the Sabbath day of each week. Only the priests who served in
the temple were permitted to eat it. Is it possible that this pictured who may
partake of the emblems under the New Covenant? Personally, I think it does.
Under the Old Covenant, Moses sprinkled the blood of the covenant on ALL of the
sons of Israel, but yet, when the Levite tribe was created and Aaron and his
sons anointed to service in the temple, ONLY these ones could eat the showbread.
In conclusion, all the sons of Israel were included under the Old Covenant. All
the sons of spiritual Israel are included in the New Covenant. Only the
anointed priests serving in the temple could eat the showbread. Only the
anointed priests serving in the spiritual temple can eat the emblems.
Your thoughts would be appreciated...
Jesus instituted the memorial of his
death right after celebrating the Passover with his twelve apostles. This new
celebration was meant to replace the Passover which had been a “shadow of the
good things to come.” (Heb. 10:1) According to the Passover instructions there
were present the unfermented cakes (the bread of affliction) and the lamb, which
represented the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29;
1 Cor. 5:7)
As you know, it was not just the priests who ate the unleavened bread and the
lamb at the Passover, but all the people. There was no showbread present during
the Passover celebration. Jesus used the unleavened bread of the Passover, along
with red wine to institute the memorial of his death. The bread, he said, meant
his body "which is to be given in your behalf," while the wine represented his
"blood of the covenant" which was "to be poured out in behalf of many for
forgiveness of sins." (Matt. 26:26-28; Luke 22:19; John 6:48-51)
The question therefore arises: If, as you suggest, the bread that Jesus gave his
disciples to eat was represented by the showbread that only the priests could
eat, then what of the wine that represents the blood of the covenant, which was
“poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins?” (Matt. 26:28) Should
only the anointed priests partake of the bread while all Christians can drink of
the wine at the memorial?
The showbread had nothing to do with celebrating the Passover. The showbread, or
“loaves of presentation,” consisted of twelve cakes that were placed in two sets
of layers on a table in the Holy compartment of the tabernacle or temple, in
front of Jehovah as an offering before him constantly. (Ex. 25:30; Mark 2:26)
They were replaced with fresh ones each Sabbath. According to Jehovah’s
instructions pure frankincense was to be put on each layer set. (Lev. 24:7) That
excludes the showbread from representing Christ’s sinless body, for frankincense
could not be included with sin offerings. (Lev. 5:11; Heb. 10:5, 10,12)
Therefore, the showbread has nothing to do with eating the bread and drinking
the wine at the Lord’s evening meal. It is also important to note that whenever
Jehovah put restrictions on eating anything holy it was always clearly stated,
along with any penalty for disobedience. (Lev. 22:9,10, 14-16 ) There is no such
Scriptural prohibition on partaking of the bread and wine at the Lord’s evening
meal.
Jesus' command to "keep doing this in remembrance of me," in the manner that he
introduced, applies to all Christians, not just anointed ones, and is part of
the commission he gave when telling us to make disciples, baptizing them, and
"teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you." (Matt. 28:20)
_________________________
. . . there is something you must know concerning the multitude. . . Read
Revelation chapter 4 verse 2 and ask yourself where is the location of the
throne of the Most High. Read Revelation chapter 7 verse 9 and ask yourself
where the great crowd is in relation to the throne. In Revelation chapter 19
verse 1 you will hear of the great crowd a second time, ask yourself where they
are?
In Revelation Chapter Seven the great crowd is pictured as standing before the
throne of God. (Rev. 7:9,15) Jehovah's throne is of course in the heavens, but
as you are also aware, one does not need to be physically present in heaven in
order to "stand before Jehovah." (compare Numbers 5:16,18,30; Deut. 10:8) A
person can stand before God while at his footstool. (Ps. 132:7; Isa. 66:1) Tell
me, in what way did Jehovah speak to Moses and the sons of Israel “face to
face”? (Ex. 33:11; Deut. 5:4) How will Jerusalem be called “the throne of
Jehovah” where all the nations must be brought together to the name of Jehovah?
(Jer. 3:17)
The great crowd comes "out of the great tribulation" by surviving it, not
by dying and then being resurrected to heaven. Satan is the one teaching his
household of Christendom that all good people go to heaven. Jesus' words to
Martha are applicable to the great crowd of Revelation Chapter Seven, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies,
will come to life; and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will
never die at all. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25,26) What about you? Do
you believe this?
The “great crowd” of Revelation 19:1, 6, is not the same as the great crowd "out
of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.” (Rev. 7:9) Actually,
Revelation 19, verses 1 and 6, says that John “heard what was as a
loud voice of a great crowd, and as a sound of many waters and
as a sound of heavy thunders.” This is how the Amplified Bible
translates it: “1
AFTER THIS I heard what sounded like a mighty shout of a great crowd in
heaven, exclaiming, Hallelujah (praise the Lord)! Salvation and glory (splendor
and majesty) and power (dominion and authority) [belong] to our God! . . .
6
After that I heard
what sounded like the shout of a vast throng, like the boom of many pounding
waves, and like the roar of terrific and mighty peals of thunder,
exclaiming, Hallelujah (praise the Lord)! For now the Lord our God the
Omnipotent (the All-Ruler) reigns! 7 Let us rejoice and shout for joy
[exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor,
for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared
herself.”
This tremendous outburst of praise to Jehovah is in connection with the
establishment of his Messianic kingdom and the marriage of the Lamb. The prophet
Daniel also saw in vision this long awaited event.
9“I kept on beholding until there were
thrones placed and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white just
like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames
of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. 10
There was a stream of fire flowing and going out from before him. There were
a thousand thousands that kept ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand that kept standing right before him. The Court took its seat, and
there were books that were opened.
13
“I kept on beholding in the visions of the night, and, see there! with the
clouds of the heavens someone like a son of man happened to be coming;
and to the Ancient of Days he gained access, and they brought him up close even
before that One. 14And to him there were given rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the
peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership
is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom
one that will not be brought to ruin.” (Daniel 7:9,10, 13,14) At Revelation 19:7 the marriage of the
Lamb ties in with the time of God’s kingdom being established. Daniel also shows
this, for after the Son of man receives “rulership and dignity and kingdom,” and
the rulership of the nations is taken away and they are destroyed, then the holy
ones of the Supreme One, who make up the bride of the Lamb, will themselves
receive their kingdom.
26“And
the Court itself proceeded to sit, and his own rulership they finally took away,
in order to annihilate [him] and to destroy [him] totally.
27
“‘And the kingdom and the rulership and the grandeur of the kingdoms under
all the heavens were given to the people who are the holy ones of the Supreme
One. Their kingdom is an indefinitely lasting kingdom, and all the
rulerships will serve and obey even them.’
(Dan. 7:26,27; compare Daniel 7:27 and Rev. 20:6; 5:9,10)
We see that the great crowd of Revelation 7 does not need to be in heaven in
order to stand before Jehovah and his throne, to render him sacred service.
Also, they are not the same as the sound of a great crowd
in heaven as mentioned in Revelation 19. According to Daniel’s vision and that
of John, the resounding praise comes from Jehovah’s mighty throng of holy
angels. “Then
I looked again, and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels
around the throne and the living beings and the elders.”
(Revelation 5:11, New Living Translation)
The mighty singing of praise to Jehovah by his myriad of angels is in connection
with the establishing of his Messianic kingdom and the marriage of the Lamb,
Christ’s bride of anointed followers, who will rule with him after the rulership
of the nations is taken away and they are annihilated and destroyed at
Armageddon. (Rev. 5:9,10; 19:11-20:6) The great crowd “out of all nations and
tribes and peoples and tongues” will have survived that greatest of all
tribulations because Jehovah provided escape for them. They will possess the
earth and will reside forever upon it. (Psalms 37:29, 34, 38, 40; Matt. 5:5)