And I heard the number of those who were being sealed, 144,000, sealed from all the tribes of the sons of Israel. Rev. 7:4.
Revelation 7:4-8 echoes Old Testament passages that number the armies of Israel (see tomorrow's devotional). The 144,000 are God's end-time army. But it is a different kind of army. It doesn't win victory by forcing its will on others. Instead, the model of Christian warfare is the Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:6). Christians overcome not by intelligence or human power, but by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 12:11). In other words, Christian victory comes through weakness, not strength (see 2 Cor. 12:7-10).
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent years resisting his captors in the Soviet gulag. He sought to achieve some semblance of control over his schedule, his food, and other matters. But when he became a Christian, he relinquished such attempts at control. In so doing he "became free of even his captor's power."
A Hezbollah leader reacted in shock when Brother Andrew offered his life in exchange for that of a prisoner. The Muslim official became Brother Andrew's friend. But observing the lack of commitment among most Christians, he later protested, "Andrew, you Christians...are not following the life of Jesus anymore....You must go back to the book, the New Testament." What he meant was that the teaching of Jesus includes loving our enemies, something the Hezbollah leader had not experienced from Christians until he met Brother Andrew.
An army requires close cooperation to achieve success. So our lives together as Christians are an important part of our witness. The genuineness of our experience reveals itself in how we treat each other (John 13:35).
An army must be prepared for both offense and defense. Sometimes the Christian soldier can do no more than hold a position against the devil's schemes (Eph. 6:11-14). But God also issues Christians an offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (verse 17).
We are, therefore, called to do more than just worship and encourage each other in a church setting, waiting for the lost to come in. The 144,000 take the good news of salvation outside the walls of the church into the "highways and byways" of our communities. But revelation makes it clear that every "offensive" takes place in weakness, trusting in the power and the presence of our Lord.
Lord, I wish I were bolder in witness. It is not that I am ashamed of You, but that I am afraid that people will think differently of me. Help me to remember that in humiliation and weakness I am following Your steps. I have nothing to fear, because Your path leads to victory.
Revelation 7:4-8 echoes Old Testament passages that number the armies of Israel (see tomorrow's devotional). The 144,000 are God's end-time army. But it is a different kind of army. It doesn't win victory by forcing its will on others. Instead, the model of Christian warfare is the Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:6). Christians overcome not by intelligence or human power, but by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 12:11). In other words, Christian victory comes through weakness, not strength (see 2 Cor. 12:7-10).
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent years resisting his captors in the Soviet gulag. He sought to achieve some semblance of control over his schedule, his food, and other matters. But when he became a Christian, he relinquished such attempts at control. In so doing he "became free of even his captor's power."
A Hezbollah leader reacted in shock when Brother Andrew offered his life in exchange for that of a prisoner. The Muslim official became Brother Andrew's friend. But observing the lack of commitment among most Christians, he later protested, "Andrew, you Christians...are not following the life of Jesus anymore....You must go back to the book, the New Testament." What he meant was that the teaching of Jesus includes loving our enemies, something the Hezbollah leader had not experienced from Christians until he met Brother Andrew.
An army requires close cooperation to achieve success. So our lives together as Christians are an important part of our witness. The genuineness of our experience reveals itself in how we treat each other (John 13:35).
An army must be prepared for both offense and defense. Sometimes the Christian soldier can do no more than hold a position against the devil's schemes (Eph. 6:11-14). But God also issues Christians an offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (verse 17).
We are, therefore, called to do more than just worship and encourage each other in a church setting, waiting for the lost to come in. The 144,000 take the good news of salvation outside the walls of the church into the "highways and byways" of our communities. But revelation makes it clear that every "offensive" takes place in weakness, trusting in the power and the presence of our Lord.
Lord, I wish I were bolder in witness. It is not that I am ashamed of You, but that I am afraid that people will think differently of me. Help me to remember that in humiliation and weakness I am following Your steps. I have nothing to fear, because Your path leads to victory.
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