For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
There are some things which cause trouble. When the oppressed rise to power they become an even worse oppressor. When a fool gets lucky, he will use it to claim that he was wise. When a servant displaces his, or her, master, they become worse than the one they replaced. The common thread in all of these are people who rise to a position upon which none of their experience has bearing. Often they have no desire to truly do a good job, but even when they do, they do not know how to tell if they are doing so.
When we reach the end of our rope and no longer know what to do we can turn to God for guidance. Ideally however we will turn to Him before we reach that point and He will show us how to reach that level of despair. God always knows the actions we should take. He will guide us on His paths so that we can serve Him. If we faithfully serve God we will never find ourselves in a desperate situation because we will know that we have followed the righteous path.
I am unsure what is meant by the 144,000. Is it literally only 144,000? Or is that number purely symbolic? The number is clearly symbolic, but I am not sure if it is also literal. However, there is a message here that is more than symbolic. There will be a number of people who are able to keep themselves pure (or perhaps are kept pure by the Holy Spirit). They will be rewarded by becoming members of the choir described in this passage. While even the most vile of sinners will be forgiven if they repent of their sin and turn to God, there is something to be said for not needing such extreme forgiveness, for struggling to maintain one’s purity to the extent which it is humanly possible.
On a different theme which carries through John’s vision, those who succumb to the temptation and allow themselves to receive the mark of the beast will face God’s judgment. The writer reminds us that those who choose to serve Christ will face persecution and suffering. We must never allow ourselves to be seduced into worshiping the beast or its image. The context here makes me think perhaps I should revisit my understanding of the beast because it suggests that worshiping the beast is something which happens all throughout history, not just at some time just before the end. Let us be on guard so that we do not fall to the temptation to worship the beast.
While this passage was directed at Zerubbabel, I believe that it contains a message for everyone who strives to serve God. We will not accomplish God’s will by our strength, nor by our intelligence, nor by any other ability which we possess. While those things may serve us as we strive to do God’s will, it is only by relying on His Spirit and keeping ourselves focused on Him that we will accomplish anything of lasting value in this world.