Rv 7:2-4, 9-14 “I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel.” Makes me wonder if the souls in Heaven are limited. Or was that the count at the time of John and this number has grown? I don’t know if any of this is correct.
My mind goes in a lot of different directions. We all know people who love math and maybe using numbers is a way for God to call these people to Himself.
My mom always said the book of Revelation was the hardest part of the Bible for her to understand. I find myself in the same situation. “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” Are these the number that are talked about? Like the family talked about in this coming Sunday’s readings [2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14] from 2 Maccabees who died a cruel death because of their faith.
As I read further in the readings from today, I think I see why I am confused “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” [1 Jn 3:1-3] What Heaven is has not been revealed to us yet.
In the Gospel [Mt 5:1-12a] Jesus does promise that we can count on Heaven being real and we can get there if we can control our humanness and conduct ourselves in faith.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
This is not easy and I pray that God gives me strength to persevere.
GVW4U 