Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“‘Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every ”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, August 16, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Let’s talk about this 144,000, shall we? Those who were sealed were like official documents sealed by a king’s signet ring. It was a sign that they belonged to God. “The explicit number, 144,000, symbolizes completeness—not one of the redeemed is missing.” (Metzger, p. 61) It’s not a literal number. There are some people who believe it is. That there will be 144,000 people in heaven, already pre-determined. And considering the millions and millions of Christians out there, I’m thinking my odds wouldn’t be all that good. It makes far more sense to acknowledge that in the Bible’s frequent use of numerology (especially John of Patmos) is symbolic. That this seemingly random number (yes, it’s 12 twelves times a thousand, so it’s in keeping with the Biblical love of the number 12) basically just means “everybody.” No one who is redeemed will be lost. And… um… Jesus’ death redeemed everyone without exception, and all of creation with us. So consider yourself signed, sealed, and delivered. Because you are.
What are my feelings about symbolic numbers? Fun? Distracting? Un-Christian? Where do those beliefs and feelings come from?
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Metzger, Bruce M. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1993.
