The 144,000 & The Lamb (2/7) | Jëan Ross

happy sabbath again everyone we're nearing the end of these blessed hours and what a blessed day this has been being able to be at camp meeting i've missed it i know you have and the lord's still got many blessings in store for us as we continue to gather together to study his word to seek his face we're going to continue our study this evening talking about the three angels messages of revelation chapter 14. now we'll be getting into the three angels messages in depth over the next few days but we're sort of laying the foundation we're preparing the way for our study of the three angels messages as mentioned this morning the book of revelation is divided up roughly into three parts the first five verses talks about a group of people that the bible refers to as the hundred and forty four thousand that's our subject that we're going to study this evening then you have the three angels message itself that goes all the way through to about verse 13 and then starting in verse 14 you have a picture of the second coming of christ now an interesting feature that you see from time to time in the book of revelation is that the reward or the goal is portrayed first and then the prophet backs up and tells you how you get to that goal or the reward so in revelation chapter 14 before we even get to the three angels messages and before we even get to a description of the second coming of christ john begins to describe those who are proclaiming the three angels messages but he describes them he sees them in vision not on the earth proclaiming the message although they are to proclaim the message on the earth but john begins by describing them victorious and they're in heaven and they standing on mount zion with the lamb and descriptions are given concerning this group of people and then after the description of the hundred and forty four thousand then john goes into more detail and explains to us how they ended up getting there it was through the proclamation of the three angels messages and of course the second coming of jesus then they're in heaven so he kind of does things a little backwards revelation is not always written in chronological order so with that as a bit of a background let's let's get to our study for this evening we're talking about the 144 000 and this is going to be an old-fashioned bible study so we're going to be looking at this verse by verse we're going to be digging in some cross references but beginning verse 1 john writes then i looked and behold a lamb standing on mount zion now the first reference of lambs that we find in the bible is actually in genesis chapter 21 and there's an interesting story now of course sheep are spoken of earlier than this but specifically a lamb is referred to in genesis 21 or lambs and the story behind that is there was a well that abraham's servants had dug and then the servants of abimelech had confiscated the well and there was a dispute that occurred and then abraham again went to abimelech and he gave seven lambs to buy back the well that was originally his now it's interesting that this is the first reference that we have of lambs spoken of in the bible incidentally at seven lambs numbers are significant when you get to the book of revelation we'll talk more about that later but here we find the first reference to the lamb is involved in buying back something that originally belonged to somebody else and so when you think of that in the context of creation the earth belongs to christ but the devil confiscated the earth but jesus the lamb of god has brought it back so you find the beginning the very first reference to lambs in the bible are pointing us to to jesus the lamb of god that takes away the sins of the world and of course we find in john chapter 1 verse 29 john the baptist baptizing in the river jordan and he says the next day john saw jesus coming towards him and said behold the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world now of course john the baptist said this under inspiration of the holy spirit he didn't quite fully understand what it was that he had just said because even john the baptist did learn somewhat concerning the nature of the kingdom that christ had come to establish and yet the holy spirit spoke through him and john the baptist pointing to jesus said behold the lamb of god it takes away the sins of the world and the writer the author of revelation john the apostle was standing by and he saw john the baptist point to jesus and john followed jesus and here john in revelation many years later he's talking about the lamb of god jesus standing on mount zion now what about this mount zion what does that mean originally zion was the hill upon which the old jebusite fortress which david had conquered and renamed the city of david eventually of course it became known as jerusalem and when the ark was transferred to jerusalem zion became known as the dwelling place of god in revelation mount zion then symbolizes the new jerusalem and of course the new jerusalem also symbolizes god's church or god's people in the old testament you find two cities you have jerusalem and you have babylon these two cities represent two systems the one is the fountain of truth jerusalem the other one is the fountain of era babylon and these two cities kind of go back and forth throughout the old testament and when you get to the prophetic books of the bible especially revelation suddenly you discover jerusalem and babylon again symbolically representing two groups in this great cosmic conflict near the end of time now revelation chapter 3 verse 12 talks about this new jerusalem and the promise is made to those who overcome revelation 3 verse 12 he overcomes jesus speaking i will make him a puller in the temple of my god and he shall go no more out and i will write on him the name of my god and the name of the city of my god the new jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my god and i will write upon him my new name so the ultimate reward of the redeemed they inherit a city whose builder and maker is god it's the new jerusalem that is the home that jesus went to prepare for us so then it says i looked and behold the lamb standing on mount zion and with him a hundred and forty four thousand now of course the number 144 000 if you look at it it is 12 times 12 times a thousand and as i mentioned numbers are significant in bible prophecy of course the number 12 represents what represents the church represents god's people you have the 12 tribes of the old testament you have the 12 apostles the new testament there are 12 gates into the new jerusalem there are 12 foundations so the number 12 in the bible often is associated with god's people associated with the church but there are other numbers that we find in scripture as well and some of them are rather important and significant when you study bible prophecy for example let me just give you a few of the highlighted numbers the number one in bible prophecy represents what it represents unity of purpose unity of purpose hear he israel the lord thy god is one god is the father the son and the holy spirit but they are united in their mission to save mankind jesus said for this reason shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife and the two shall become one united united of course the number two in the bible represents the law and the prophets the two witnesses symbolized by moses representing the law and elijah representing the prophets in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word or truth is to be established oh incidentally so if moses represents the law and elijah represents the prophets jesus took three of his disciples peter james and john and he took them up into a high mountain and he was transfigured or glorified and there appeared with jesus two individuals moses and elijah and you remember the story there in the gospels the three disciples saw this sight and they were overcome with fear and peter not quite sure what to say he said lord it's good for us to be here because now we'll build three tabernacles one for you one for moses one for elijah and the bible says there was a shadow or a cloud that overshadowed them and god himself spoke and said this is my beloved son here here now on that mount you've got moses representing the law or the first five books of the old testament you got elijah or the prophets elijah represents the rest of the old testament remember when you think of the two witnesses i know sometimes you think of the old and the new testaments but strictly speaking even in the time of jesus the old testament was divided up into the law the first five books written by moses and the prophets which was everything else and strictly speaking the new testament would be an extension of the prophets so moses represents the law elijah represents the prophets the law testified that jesus is the christ the prophets testify that jesus is the christ so you have your two witnesses but the bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses who was the third witness that jesus was the christ it was god the father this is my beloved son hear him so the number two in the bible represents the law and the prophets it's the two witnesses that you read about in revelation chapter 11. what about the number three in the bible any significance the number three yes what does the number three represent the father the son and the holy spirit represents the godhead the number four any significance to number four while in revelation chapter seven we have a description of four angels that are standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth the number four represents the earth as a whole it's the four points of the compass north south east and west incidentally talking about the number four how many of the ten commandments was written on the first table of stone there were four what did those first four commandments have to do with our relationship to god the last six had to do with our relationship to our fellow man all the world owes worship to god because he has made all things so the number four represents the earth what about the number five any significance to number five five represents doctrine or teaching the first five books of moses five represents doctrinal teaching the number six any significance to number six number six is man's number man was great on the sixth day of the week the first miracle that jesus ever performed in canaan of galilee was turning watering the wine and by the way that is just an incredible miracle if you think about everything connected with that the bible tells us that there was this wedding in cane of galilee jesus and his disciples about five of his first disciples they were invited to the wedding and while the wedding was progressing it says the wine literally failed they ran out of wine mary the mother of jesus comes and says the wine has failed and it says there were six stone water jugs used for the purifying of the jews jesus told the servants to fill the water jacks with water and some were in the process of that and they scooped the water out it became wine and it was taken to the governor of the feast the governor of the feast gave his approval and then the guests could drink the wine of course that was pure grape juice it was unfermented it was a symbol of christ's atoning blood his sacrifice but it's amazing to me that the first miracle jesus performed he performed for a wedding and in order for the wedding to be successful there was a need to turn the water into wine and it took place in six stone water jugs used for the purifying of the jews in order for the married supper of the lamb to take place jesus took upon himself humanity and on the cross jesus provided the blood allows the wedding to take place and before the grape juice was given to the guests it had to have the approval of the mast of the feast and when jesus rose from the dead and mary was there jesus said do not cling to me do not detain me for i have not yet ascended to my father in heaven the spirit of prophecy tells us that jesus ascended to heaven it's a beautiful description in desire of ages and she says how that jesus as he entered into heaven the angels were wanting to worship jesus but he almost waved off their worship he was on a mission she describes how that jesus went into the presence and he had the presence of the father and he had just one question he said lord i wilt that those whom thou has given me be with me where i am jesus wanted to know from the father wasn't enough and the father said oh let all the angels worship him it was good enough then jesus came back to the earth and he received the worship of his disciples so number six significant in the bible of course the mark of the beast or the number of the beast i should say is six six six you got three sixes it's the counterfeit of the godhead it's the dragon the beast and the false prophet and of course the number seven in the bible represents completion or perfection that's that's god's number not a whole lot of significance the number eight in the bible number nine not a whole lot but what about the number 10 any significance the number set 10 the 10 represents the 10 commandments very important not a whole lot to the number 11 number 12 significant represents the church and then the big the next big number after that is the number 40 which represents a time of testing or purifying it rain for 40 days and 40 nights jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days 40 nights without eating anything incidentally there are three individuals spoken of the bible who fasted or went without food for 40 days jesus elijah and moses when moses went up into the mount to receive the 10 commandments he didn't eat for 40 days he was supernaturally sustained elijah when he fled from jezebel he had an angel providing food and in the strength of that food the bible says he went for 40 days interesting to note that jesus was on mount on the mount of transfiguration and moses and elijah all three of them had not eaten for 40 days at some point and of course moses and elijah they were supernaturally sustained but jesus was not during his wilderness experience so the number 40 represents the time of testing at purifying now what about the 144 000 then what does that represent the 144 000 is 12 times 12 times a thousand often in the bible when you see a thousand or thousands of thousands when speaking of the angel or the angels it's talking about a large number so people often ask me are you saying that only 144 000 are going to be alive and translated to heaven when jesus comes i don't think so now if it works out that way we'll find out but i think following the symbolism that we have in the bible it's more than just a hundred and forty four thousand that will be alive on the earth when jesus comes the second time now of course this was something that was discussed even back in ellen white's day there was some controversy about the 144 000 and i liked the response she gave and that's my response to you don't worry you'll find out soon enough and we will find out soon enough but the important thing for us is that by god's grace each and every one of us have the opportunity to be amongst those if our lives should last and jesus should quickly come some of us right here might be alive when jesus comes the second time and see him coming in glory so the hundred and forty four thousand of those who are able to stand through the events portrayed in revelation uh chapter six and the opening of the sixth seal they have the seal of the living god they are protected in a time of universal destruction when the seven last plagues are poured out now revelation chapter six you have the sixth seal and this is what it says beginning verse 12 i looked when he had opened up the sixth seal and behold there was a great earthquake we've identified that as the lisbon earthquake in 1755 and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became his blood that was 70 80 the dark day and the red or blood moon and then verse 13 says and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree when it drops its late figs when it is shaken with the mighty wind that has been identified as the great meteor shower of 1833. so at the opening of the sixth seal we have the earthquake we have the dark day and the blood moon and we have the falling of the stars all of those events have already taken place it announced the beginning of the pre-advent or the investigative judgment that started in 1844 it announced what we call the time of the end today we are living in the time of the end there is a difference between the time of the end and the end of time the time of the end just precedes the end of time are you with me and we have entered into the time of the end at the end of the 2300 day prophecy in 1844 so currently we are living in what the bible refers to as well we're in the time of the end soon it'll be the end of time then it goes on to the next verse this is between verse 13 and 14 of revelation 6. then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain an island was moved out of its place and the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the commanders and the mighty men every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks in the mountains incidentally we living between verse 13 and verse 14 of the opening of the sixth seal and they said to the mountains and the rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb it's interesting that you have a lamb connected with wrath but jesus is coming to defend his people verse 17 for the great day of his wrath has come and who shall be able to stand so the sixth seal ends with the question the question is jesus is coming who's gonna be able to stand when jesus comes now the seals are interrupted and the question is answered in revelation chapter 7. it describes a group of people 144 000 who have the seal of god in their foreheads this is the same group that we read about in revelation chapter 14 1-5 same group of people and then when you get to revelation chapter 8 it finishes up the seals and the seventh seal is silence in heaven about the space of a half an hour the reason heaven is silent is because jesus and the angels have come it's the second coming so christian is asked who's going to be able to stand when jesus comes the answer is those who have the seal of god they are the ones who are able to stand at the second coming of christ now of course there is great significance to the order in which john lists these tribes in revelation chapter 7. remember that 144 000 come from the 12 tribes 12 thousand from each of the tribes you read that in revelation chapter seven each tribe has a specific meaning and when you link them together you find a description of the experience that god's people will go through just before the second coming this is amazing to me if you look in revelation chapter 7 you've got a list of the tribes now the tribes are listed in revelation 7 uniquely there is no other place in scripture that lists these 12 tribes in this order also you'll notice that one of the tribes is missing the tribe of dan is not included in the list and you have both joseph and one of his sons manasseh also included you have levi included to make up the full 12 tribes also what's interesting is the way that it's listed in revelation chapter 7 it begins with judah judah was not the oldest of jacob's sons reuben was the oldest and so they even changed that in other words there is a message in these tribes that god is trying to give us by placing them in this order so here it is if you look at these tribes this list you've got judah reuben gad asha nephthali manasseh simeon levi issachar zebulun joseph and benjamin now if you look at the meaning of these names you get an experience of god's people and here it is if you just look at the highlighted text that says the meaning of the names i will praise the lord he has looked on me and given good fortune happy am i for my wrestling will god's people have a time of wrestling before jesus comes god is making me forget god hears me and he's joined to me he has purchased me a dwelling god shall add to me the son of his right hand wow there's a description of what god's people are going to go through just before jesus comes will there be a time of wrestling yes but will god hear our prayers yes what is the ultimate reward of the redeemed he will give to us the son of his right hand who's that that of course is jesus the last part of verse 1 says having the father's name written on their foreheads now in the bible a name is synonymous with character so in revelation chapter 3 or 7 verse three the hundred and forty four thousand are said to be sealed in their foreheads there is a close connection between the seal of god and the father's name applied to the hundred and forty four thousand the seal in the name of god represents two things number one ownership the hundred and forty four thousand belong to god number two character the hundred and forty four thousand reflect the image of god so here is a group of people that belong to jesus in the last days of earth history and they reflect his character they keep the commandments of god they have the faith of jesus the last part of verse 1 says they have the father's name written in their forehead the decision-making powers of course is in the mind the forehead to have the father's name written in the foyer it is to have the commandments of god written in your heart by the holy spirit this is the fulfillment of the new covenant promise ezekiel chapter 36 says i will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you i will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh i will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them thus you have a group of people who have embraced the new covenant experience they have surrendered themselves to jesus god has written his law on their heart and on their mind thus in revelation chapter 14 verse 12 they keep the commandments of god and they have the faith of jesus they are the recipients of the new covenant experience we spoke about that this morning in sabbath school we spoke about the new covenant and what it means okay looking at verse two i need to keep moving here we're gonna run out of time verse two says and i heard a voice from heaven john describes what he hears 38 times in the book of revelation and what he sees 78 times in other words the book of revelation is an i ear account of the things that john has revealed in vision we actually find that at the very beginning of the book of revelation where it refers to the revelation of jesus christ which god gave to him to show to his servants things that must shortly take place and he sent and signified it the way they signify can mean symbol or symbolized it by his angel to his servant john now notice what john does in verse 2 who bore witness of the word of god that's the things that he heard the testimony of jesus that's the holy spirit revealing to him and the things that he saw it's rather interesting as you study the book of revelation there are times where john will see something in vision and he begins to describe it and he doesn't quite know what it means after all how could he know all the symbols that we know today he writes things he hears things he just faithfully records it so it's amazing to me when you think about it revelation is a message that god gave directly to john and john wrote down whatever he heard and it's given to us today it is a message from heaven that god has given us for these last days verse 2 i heard a voice from heaven like the voice of many waters jesus has the voice of many waters in revelation chapter 1 verse 15. it says like the voice of loud thunder thunder is often connected with the presence of god in revelation and it says the last partner heard the sound of harpists playing their harps john now hears the 144 000 playing their harps and singing of their experience of deliverance and we get to that a little later in the same passage verse 3 says and they sang as it were a new song so here the 144 000 they're standing on mount zion it's describing them in the new jerusalem and they are worshiping they are singing and it says they are singing a new song this new song is the song of moses and the song of the lamb which the hundred and forty four 000 will sing those who have stood with jesus and have gained the victory now you might be wondering well what is the song of moses and what is the song of the lamb revelation chapter 15 verse 2 and 3 gives us a little more detail on this it says and i saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire and those who had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over the market and over the number of his name standing on the sea of glass having the harps of god they sing the song of moses the servant of god and they sing the song of the lamb great marvelous are your works lord god almighty just and true your ways o king of saints now when we talk about the song of moses probably the event that comes to mind is when the children of israel came up out of egypt and they came to the red sea and the egyptians were coming behind them they couldn't go to the left they couldn't go to the right there were mountains the sea was in front of them their enemy was coming to destroy them and they had to cast themselves fully on god and god opened the red sea and delivered them on dry land of course the egyptians were eventually destroyed as they tried to follow in the sea and then after this great deliverance the bible says that miriam led out in worship and praise of god's deliverance there is a song of moses that you can read about in the book of deuteronomy but it really recounts the experience of god's deliverance of israel so when it says 144 000 they sing the song of moses it's describing their experience because according to revelation chapter 13 before jesus comes there is a worldwide death decree that is passed against the people of god just like the children of israel standing by the banks of the red sea they have to rely fully on god to deliver them and in the last moment jesus opens the sky and comes to redeem his people incidentally the enemy of god's people are destroyed with the brightness of his coming so when 144 000 sing the song of moses it's a song of their experience of deliverance what about the song of the lamb we don't have too many times recorded in scripture where jesus sang it is interesting that the bible does say that just before jesus and the disciples went to the mount of gethsemane or the garden of gethsemane that they sang a hymn but i think the song of the lamb can best be described in jesus in the garden of gethsemane when he cried out and he said father not my will but thy will be done full surrender to the father so likewise the 144 000 god's people in the last days that have the seal of god they will have that same attitude of jesus not my will but thy will be done whatever it is lord glorify your name i trust in you thus the 144 000 will sing the song of moses and the song of the lamb verse 3 goes on to say that they sing this before the throne of course the first reversal of revelation 14 described 144 000 in heaven so the throng or the throne has earlier been introduced as the throne of the father in revelation chapter four verse two this new song is sung by the hundred and forty four thousand in the presence of the lamb and in the presence of the father now i want you to just think about this for a moment john sees a group of people in heaven standing on the sea of glass and they are singing their praises to god and they are joined in eventually with the angels 24 elders the four living creatures all participating in this praise and adoration of god but the singing is not just coming from the redeemed and the angels but at some point in this experience there is a hush that falls over the redeemed and the angels and every eye is turned to the great white throne and as god the father looks out on the redeemed his heart is so filled with joy that god breaks forth into singing now you might say pastor ross where did you get that from well here's the verse zephaniah 3 verse 17 a verse that we don't always go to but here it is verse 17 the lord your god is in the midst that's describing this experience in heaven god the father is on the throne the mighty one will save god has saved the redeemed he will rejoice over you the redeemed with gladness he will quiet you with his love notice the last part he will rejoice over you with singing can you imagine that standing looking at the throne of god and as god looks at you as he looks at me his heart is so filled with joy that this great thundering voice breaks forth throughout the whole universe as the father sings over his children what an experience that'll be i mean if heaven ends right at the end of that song it's good enough for me i mean what an experience there would be to stand in the presence of god and hear the father sing for joy because the lust has been found the prodigal has come home redeemed oh brothers and sisters barely wait the verse goes on it says before the four living creatures so the singing happens there in heaven now who are the four living creatures well revelation chapter 4 talks about them and i don't have time to get into them in too much detail but each of the four living creatures are described to have faces and interesting looking faces the first has the face likened to a lion the second a calf the third has a face likened to a man and the fourth has the face of a flying eagle these four living creatures surrounding god's throne can represent four phases of the ministry of christ in man's redemption the lion symbolizes royalty and kingship in one sense that can describe jesus before the incarnation a calf or an ox is a beast of burden it is a sacrificial animal when jesus took upon himself humanity he came to bear our sins and to die a sacrifice the man represents jesus as our high priest ministering for us in heaven even now he is our older brother he is our high priest one who understands and knows what it's like to be human for he took upon himself humanity an eagle is a symbol of judgment and royalty and when jesus removes these priestly robes and he puts on his kingly robes and he comes back as king of kings and lord of lords he's coming forth to deliver his people and to execute judgment upon the wicked so these four living creatures in a sense can represent four phases of christ's ministry in man's redemption it is also interesting to note that in the camp of israel during the wilderness wanderings instructions were given as to how each of the tribes would have pitched their tents surrounding the sanctuary there was a leading tribe so there were three on each side of the sanctuary there was a leading tribe in the midst of those different tribes they were told to take their symbol or their sign the emblem and they would to preach it facing towards the sanctuary where the shekinah glory or the visible presence of god where the cloud was and the pillar of fire by night it's interesting to note you can read about this in numbers chapter 2 it says on the east side you've got the standards of the forces of judah on the south you've got reuben on the west you've got ephraim and dan is on the north interesting to note that the symbol of the tribe of judah is a lion the symbol of the tribe of reuben is an ox or a calf the symbol of the tribe of ephraim is a man and the symbol of the tribe of dan is an eagle it's as if looking down from heaven looking down upon the camp of israel it's sort of a miniature of what john sees in revelation chapter 4 surrounding the throne of god the lion the ox you've got the man and the eagle verse 3 going on what about these elders that are sitting around the throne again we go back to revelation chapter 4 it describes 24 elders surrounding the throne of god who are they there are two suggestions as to the identity of the 24 elders the one is that they are the ones who were resurrected at the time of christ's resurrection and they were taken to heaven have you heard that before yes some of us have another suggestion is that they are the created beings from other worlds that have not sinned now there's scriptures for both and i'll share some of them with reference to representing those who were resurrected at the time of christ's resurrection we go to matthew 27 verse 52 and it says the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of their graves after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many and that's the last reference that we have of this group of people who were resurrected at the time of christ's resurrection apparently they did go into jerusalem for a while but then we have no further reference of them you don't hear about them in the book of acts they played no role in the early christian church so so what happened to them well ephesians gives us a clue matter of fact it makes it quite clear ephesians chapter 4 verse 8 therefore he saith when he ascendeth on high it's talking about the ascension of jesus he led captivity captive and he gave gifts unto men so when jesus ascended up to heaven those who were resurrected at the time of his resurrection they ascended up as sort of first fruits of the resurrection and they're in heaven right now so we know that moses is in heaven we know that elijah is in heaven we know that enoch is in heaven and this group we don't know how many they're in heaven now the point i want you to notice here is it says in ephesians chapter 4 verse 8 it says he jesus led captivity captive in other words those who were held captive by the grave now they are following jesus as he ascends to heaven so some have wondered well could the 24 elders be that group of people well there's a few other verses job chapter 1 verse 6 talks about another group it says in verse 6. now there was a day when the sons of god came to present themselves before the lord and satan also came amongst them this general conference that occurs satan comes from the earth he's the representative of the earth and of course you remember the story god said where did you come from satan said oh from walking up and down on the earth and god says did you see my servant job in other words there's somebody in your kingdom that really belongs in my kingdom and you know the way the story ended but here are these representatives of these unfallen worlds could could they be the 24 elders isaiah chapter 24 verse 23 speaks of this group it says the moon will be disgraced the sun is shamed for the lord of hosts will reign on mount zion in jerusalem before his elders gloriously so could the 24 elders be these representatives of the unfallen worlds i'm going to share with you a quote that comes from the book desire of ages and then i'll let you make up your own mind here is the description of christ's ascension it says as he ascended he led the way speaking of jesus and the multitude of captives set free at his resurrection followed so here we have jesus ascending to heaven those who were resurrected are behind him then she jumps to where they're going there is the throne talking of heaven around it the rainbow of promise you find this in revelation 4. there are the cherubim and the seraphim otherwise known as the four living creatures in revelation 4. the commanders are the heavenly hosts then she says the sons of god the representatives of the unfallen world they are all assembled the heavenly council before which lucifed accused god and his son the representatives of the sinless realm of which satan had thought to establish a dominion all are there to welcome their redeemer so if you ask me i think the 24 elders are the representatives of the unfallen worlds because in revelation chapter 4 before jesus gets to heaven you have a description of the 24 elders waiting for jesus it's not until revelation chapter 5 that you see a lamb as it had been slain and then jesus takes the scroll sealed with seven seals so the 24 elders i think it's the representatives of the unfallen worlds but if somebody has a different view that's okay we shall know soon enough that's a good answer you can give right then it goes on and it says no one could learn that song except 144 000 who redeemed from the earth so this song is sung by those who've stood firm for jesus in the final moments of earth's history and have been taken to heaven without tasting death this song is the expression of their own experience thus only the 144 thousand can sing it it says they were redeemed from the earth they are translated without seeing death the hundred and forty four thousand are redeemed from the earth from amongst the living at the second coming of jesus revelation chapter seven verse 13 14 gives us some further clues as to the 144 thousand it says then one of the elders answered saying to me who are these eradian white robes where did they come from so here john envisioned has one of the 24 elders asking him a question and john answers in verse 14 and says so you know now that's an important thing to remember if ever an angel asks you a question and you don't know the answer just say sir you know one of the elders sir you know and john says sir you know and then he explains and he said to me these are the ones who have come out of great tribulation they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb it's referring to those who are redeemed from the earth those who have the seal of god right verse 4 these are the ones who were not defiled with woman for they are virgins now of course in the bible a woman often represents a church you've got a pure woman representing the true church revelation 12. you have an immoral woman representing an apostate church revelation 17. so here is a group of people who have been faithful or true they are fully committed to christ they are fully dedicated to him thus they are described as being described as virgins they are faithful for christ or faithful to christ revelation 12 17 describes them the dragon satan was enraged with the woman the church and he went to make war with the remnant of her offspring those who keep the commandments of god and who have the testimony of jesus christ what is the testimony of jesus christ revelation 19 10 it's the spirit of prophecy the next part of the verse says these are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes the 144 thousand have faithfully followed jesus on the earth now it is their privilege to follow jesus in heaven don't miss that if we want to follow jesus in heaven what do we have to do now by god's grace we need to be following him submitting to him surrendering to him talking of this group in revelation 7 16 says they shall neither hunger any more nor thirst the sun shall not strike them nor any heat now that's an interesting phrase there here it's talking about this group of people redeemed from the earth it says the sun won't strike them neither any heat why specifically talking about the sun and heat well remember you have the fourth plague is an intense heat that comes upon the earth here are a group of people who will be alive on the earth they'll be delivered and yes they'll be protected from the plagues but at least in this case they will feel some of the heat of the sun during that time verse 17 for the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water and god will wipe away every tear from their eyes amen no more pain no more sorrow middle of verse 4 says these were the ones who redeemed from among men 144 000 are translated from amongst the living they are taken to heaven without seeing death how many people have been taken to heaven without seeing death you got enoch before the flood you got elijah after the flood of course moses he died but he was resurrected read about that in in jude and he was taken to heaven but he wasn't translated without seeing yet only two and then you have this group of people at the end of time those who have the seal of god in their foreheads and then it goes on the end of verse four being first fruits to god in the lamb 144 000 may be considered as first fruits in the sense of being the first part of a larger harvest and also a special gift to christ this group follows the lamb wherever he goes verse 5 says and in their mouth but foul no deceit or as the king james says was found no guile the form of the greek verb suggests that at a certain time of investigation the 144 000 are found to be faultless it doesn't mean that they've never sinned but at some particular point they are found to be fully clothed in the righteousness of christ not only imputed righteousness but imparted righteousness and of course we read about this special work of judgment in daniel chapter seven verse nine says i watched till thrones were put in place the ancient of days was seated that's god the father his garment was white as snow the hair of his head was like pure wool his throne was a fiery flame its wheels of burning fire a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him a thousand thousand ministered unto him ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him it's the angels the court was seated and the books were open i want you to just notice the phrase there a thousand thousands ministered before him again it's talking about a large number here we have a description of a judgment scene in heaven that takes place just before jesus comes you read later in that same passage where one likened the son of man comes in before the father the judgment takes place after the judgment is finished the kingdoms of this world are given to christ and jesus comes back as king of kings and lord of lords now at the conclusion of this judgment revelation 22 11 a declaration is made jesus says he who is unjust let him be unjust still he is filthy let him be filthy still who is righteous let him be righteous still he who is holy let him be holy still and behold i am coming quickly and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work so at the conclusion of this investigative judgment that takes place in heaven just before probation closes jesus says he that is holy let him be holy he that is filthy let him be filthy probation closes the seven last plagues are poured out and jesus comes to take his people home at that point when jesus says he that is holy let him be holy still in their mouth will be found no deceit they are fully surrendered to christ their attitude is lord whatever your will is so let it be done like shadrach meshach and abednego on the plane of dura they are willing to die then knowingly disobey god that's the experience of this group of people at the end of time by god's grace we want to be amongst them amen verse 5 says in their mouth was found no deceit for they are without fault before the throne of god by the grace of god they have overcome every defect of character they have been completely transformed by the grace of christ now i look at that and i think well lord i don't know i don't know if i'll ever be able to be amongst that group of people but the bible says is not by might nor by power but by thy spirit saith the lord don't underestimate the power of the holy spirit incidentally none of us will be able to stand in that day if we are not filled with the latter rain god is going to give us a special portion of his spirit the only reason why we'll be able to stand when that comes that time comes is because god is sustaining us we may fill by his spirit but even now is the time for us to experience with jesus we know the time is coming we had to be seeking for that experience with jesus oh here it is jude 1 24 now unto him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before his presence of his glory with exceeding joy one of my favorite verses ephesians 3 20 now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us to him be glory in the church how do we as a church bring glory to god by a revelation of his character to him be glory in the church by christ jesus to all generations forever and ever amen in the book christ object lessons we read christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of himself in his church when the character of christ shall be perfectly reproduced in his people then he will come and claim them as his own friends we are living through some of the most exciting times of this earth's history we look at the world around us and we get discouraged we look at the condition of our own hearts and lives we get discouraged we look at the challenges facing the church we get discouraged but take heart our greatest days are yet ahead the bible describes a group of people who are so filled with the glory of god that the earth is illuminated and they proclaim with a loud voice babylon is fallen is fallen and jesus is able to call his people to come out of religious confusion and make this stand upon bible truth oh god is going to do a mighty work a mighty work in the hearts and the lives of his people he's looking for willing individuals to say lord i am all yours whatever your will is fulfill your work in me before you even get to the three angels messages john begins by describing a group of people standing with the lamb on mount zion so clothed in the righteousness of jesus reflecting reflecting the character of god friends it's our opportunity to be amongst them we can make that stand today say lord please do a work within me let's pray dear father we've looked at a group of people described in the bible today a group that we look at and say father if if that's what you want to do lord please begin with me father we need your spirit we need your spirit to sow work within our hearts and lives so take the principles of your law and and write it upon our minds that that we will love you supremely that we will indeed be able to sing the song of moses and the song of the lamb not my will thy will be done father we recognize that in us they dwelleth no good thing but we also know father that with you all things are possible and all we can do tonight is to say lord here we are please father forgive us cleanse us give us of your spirit empower us help us to stand true and faithful to you for lord we long to be in that kingdom and more than anything else we want to hear you sing keep us faithful for we ask us in jesus name amen god bless you [Music] you

Channel: Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Views: 1,946

Rating: 4.7837839 out of 5

Keywords: Seventh-day Adventist, Campmeeting, Michigan Conference

Id: novg-Y16lUg

Length: 53min 55sec (3235 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 20 2021