In the last two articles (here and here), I attempted to show that Revelation should be interpreted figuratively rather than literally. In the first article, I gave reasons why a literal interpretation is problematic. Last time, I gave the first of four reasons why the book should be interpreted figuratively. Now, I'll continue that list and give some final thoughts.
5. A figurative interpretation coincides with New Testament teaching about those who are sealed.
The 144,000 are said to be sealed servants of God. In the New Testament epistles, this language is used of the church. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Cor 1:21-22). In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory (Eph 1:13-14). And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Eph 4:30). Those sealed in the New Testament are the believing church.
6. Numbers are used figuratively throughout the book of Revelation.
Revelation uses several numbers and permutations of those numbers over and over: 3, 4, 7, 10, and 12. John is pulling from recognizable symbols in the Old Testament.
10 is a number indicating fullness or completeness. There are ten commandments. All the other commandments in the law are applications of those ten commandments. Job said to his buddies, “These ten times now you have reproached me...” (19:3). It wasn’t ten literal times. It was only five. The point was, “This is all the abuse a man can take!” In Daniel, the last of the four beasts had 10 horns (7:7-24). This was the ultimate human world power.
12 is the number of the covenant community. There were 12 tribes. The Lord affirmed this by choosing 12 disciples, a new covenant community. In Revelation 21:12-17, a number of permutations of twelve are used to depict the New Jerusalem, the eternal dwelling of God’s new covenant people:
12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed--
13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 ¶ And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.
16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. (Rev 21:12-17)
3 is the number for God. The Trinity is God in three persons. There are also three-fold expressions like, “holy, holy, holy” (Isa 6:3) and “who was, and who is, and who is to come” (Rev 1:4, 8).
4 is the number of creation. Four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds (Rev 7:1).
7 represents perfection. The Holy Spirit is depicted as the seven spirits of God (Rev 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6). In seven days, God created the earth and repeatedly we are told that creation was good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). The Lamb in Revelation 5 has seven horns and seven eyes; He’s perfect in power and knowledge.
There are numerous places where numbers are obviously symbolic, which should cause us to question an automatic literal interpretation elsewhere. Are there literally seven spirits of God that constitute the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit? Clearly not. The orthodox doctrine of the Trinity does not teach that there are three persons in the one God, with the third person being further subdivided into seven more persons. Obviously this is symbolism.
Likewise with the Lamb having seven eyes and horns. Does Jesus really have seven eyes and horns? I imagine at least one of the four Gospel writers would have mentioned something about that. No, clearly it’s symbolism. So why when we come to 12’s and permutations of 12’s (144,000) do we jump to a literal understanding?
What might be a possible figurative understanding of the 144,000 based upon how these numbers are used elsewhere?
If 12 is the covenant community or the people of God, then a multiplication of 12’s could indicate the joining of the Jewish remnant of the OT covenant community and the NT covenant community, the church. 12 x 12 = 144. 10 being the number of fullness, multiplied three times over is 1,000. 144 x 1,000 = 144,000. The number may symbolize the fullness, the totality of the people of God, Jew and Gentile.
So if we reject a literal interpretation of the 144,000, where might a figurative interpretation lead us?
As always, context is key. Chapter 6 ends with the opening of the sixth seal:
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev 6:12-17)
“Who can stand?” That is, who can survive the wrath of the Lamb? Immediately, John sees the sealing of the 144,000.
With no transition, this is followed by another scene in 7:9ff:
9 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,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10)
The rest of the passage is clear that this second scene takes place in heaven and coincides with the creation of the new heavens and the new earth:
15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:15-17)
To recap, ch6 describes a time of horrible suffering. People want the mountains to fall on them and kill them because it is so bad. And they ask “who can stand in the great day of wrath?” The answer is those who are sealed by God (7:1-8). And then in 7:9ff, he fast-forwards to the new heavens and the new earth showing that those sealed did indeed stand. In other words, the two groups--the 144,000 and the innumerable multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language--are the same group.
This would not be the first time in Revelation for John to hear something and then see its fulfillment. In 5:4-5, he heard of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, then in 5:6 he saw the lamb that was slain. So also in ch7, John heard the number of the sealed—144,000—then he saw the great number that could not be numbered. They refer to the same group.
A possible understanding of the 1,000 years in Revelation 20.
The preceding three articles have been intended to demonstrate this: there is no compelling reason to apply a literal interpretation to the book of Revelation. In fact, to do so only introduces serious problems. A figurative hermeneutic is intended by the biblical authors of apocalyptic, prophetic, and poetic literature.
For that reason, I see no reason to understand the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 as a literal 1,000 years. Rather, as I argued in the sermon on 2 Thessalonians 2:5-12, this chapter coincides with the present church age. It is likely that the 1,000 years represents the fullness of time for Christ to return.
As has been said in the past, eschatology is not a hill to die on at PBF. We can disagree and still gladly worship together. At the same time, I hope I have at least given you something to think about and challenged you to spend more time in the Word!
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