1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:05,680 It really is amazing to think that you and I, for the past few 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:10,640 months and hopefully in the months to come, are looking at a 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,360 book that predicts the future. Just think about that. 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,640 We're looking at God's claims and his predictions and his 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,360 foreshadowings of what is yet to come. 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,880 That that thought alone is mind boggling. 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,160 And we will continue to do that today as we come now to the Book 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,680 of Revelation and open up chapter 14. 9 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,840 Please meet me there in Revelation chapter 14. 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:42,320 We have spent three Sundays in chapter 13 alone. 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,720 And if you've been with us, then I'm sure that you would agree 12 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,040 that what is presented in that chapter is quite weighty and 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,520 sobering in terms of prophecy. And if we're not careful, we can 14 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:59,480 easily allow the truths in it to instill distress and angst as we 15 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:04,680 consider the condition of the world as it approaches its end. 16 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,040 I mean, to think that one single man will have success in 17 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:13,880 deceiving the nation's to become a concentration camp on a global 18 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:20,800 scale is alarming. But thanks be to God that 19 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,480 Revelation chapter 13 is not the final chapter of this book. 20 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,720 As we come to this new chapter, you'll realize that the very 21 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,440 introduction is presented in a way that quickly extinguishes 22 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,360 any fear or any kind of misconceptions that the visions 23 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,440 presented before concerning the two beasts might have created. 24 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,320 And the way this new chapter does that is by giving us a 25 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:50,080 preview, a trailer of the reign of Christ and the triumph of the 26 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,320 Saints with Him. But before we look at these 27 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,160 things in greater detail, we have to remember that although 28 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,240 the Book of Revelation is framed chronologically, it does not 29 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:06,640 follow a rigid linear sequence of events like many other books, 30 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,840 especially the prophetic ones. Sometimes the author, led by the 31 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:16,400 Holy Spirit, steps in and out of the timeline in order to convey 32 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,360 a message or present a theme. So there are moments where 33 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,840 sometimes you're reading prophetic literature and it 34 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,400 seems like things are unfolding in order and all of a sudden in 35 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:32,000 the next scene, you're taken back to the past or it fast 36 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,960 forwards again to the future. Because there's something that 37 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,920 you and I need to be aware of that's coming ahead in order to 38 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:42,320 clarify something that we are engaging with in the moment. 39 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,240 And that's exactly what Revelation 14 is all about. 40 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:49,720 John is giving us a glimpse of Christ, his Kingdom, his reign, 41 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:55,840 his people, his victory, in order to encourage his people 42 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,560 today in order to speak to us at this point. 43 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,400 They have not yet been realized in the prophetic timeline of 44 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,880 Revelation, but he reaches ahead and brings it to this juncture 45 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,760 in order, you and I to be reminded, oh, it's not going to 46 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:12,520 end with the reign of the Antichrist. 47 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:15,640 He's not going to have the final say. 48 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,880 He's not going to have total and lasting victory. 49 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,480 Let's not forget that the horrible events of Revelation 50 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:33,400 chapter 13 take place within 3 1/2 years in that time span, 51 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,200 because Revelation 13 five says that the beast will exercise 52 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:41,080 authority for 42 months. But what we're going to see now, 53 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,440 as we read these first few verses is the end of the Great 54 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,400 Tribulation. We got a taste of what's going 55 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,040 to happen in the latter portion of it in Revelation 13. 56 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,720 And now in these opening words, we're going to see what's going 57 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,680 to take place at the consummation, at the completion, 58 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,600 at the end. And it will replace any dread, 59 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:07,120 any concern, any fear, with thrill and with hope. 60 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:09,520 Let's look at the first 5 verses together. 61 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:18,360 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and 62 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,320 with them 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name 63 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,600 written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, 64 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,400 like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of loud 65 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,000 Thunder. The voice I heard was like the 66 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,240 sound of harpist playing on their harps, and they were 67 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,760 singing a new song before the throne and before the four 68 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,000 living creatures and before the elders. 69 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:45,560 No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been 70 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,000 redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled 71 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,240 themselves with women, for they are virgins. 72 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,440 It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 73 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,240 These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God 74 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:02,080 and the Lamb. And in their mouth no lie was 75 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:08,080 found, for they are blameless. Let's pray together, Lord. 76 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,520 We can feel the force of these verses just by reading them, but 77 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,040 we pray for greater power as we understand it through 78 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,680 explanation and proclamation. We pray, Lord, that we would 79 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:25,000 become like this group that we're about to read about who 80 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,840 followed wherever the Lamb went. We want to follow wherever the 81 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:32,440 Lamb goes. And we pray that you would use 82 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,000 this message to inspire us to live with that ultimate 83 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,680 ambition. We pray these things in the name 84 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,240 of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 85 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:49,600 So if you remember, one of the outcomes that are difficult to 86 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,880 come to terms with regarding the global reign of the Antichrist 87 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,640 is that he will be allowed to make war on the Saints and to 88 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,280 conquer them. That's what we find in verse 7 89 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:01,760 of Revelation 13. And we left a question then, to 90 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:05,520 what extent will the Antichrist have domination over the people 91 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,640 of God? And what this chapter shows us 92 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:13,240 is that as impressive as the Antichrist empire might be, he 93 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:17,120 will not have complete victory. He will not be able to totally 94 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:22,640 annihilate Christian witness, the light of the gospel in that 95 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,200 dark hour of human history, the darkest hour. 96 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,960 And one way that this is demonstrated is by the Holy 97 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:35,320 Spirit reintroducing to us the 144,000. 98 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,760 We remember them, right? We learn about them back in 99 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:43,080 Chapter 7. They describe a select group of 100 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:48,120 Jewish believers who were saved early in the Tribulation period. 101 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:54,080 And because they were saved early, God took steps in order 102 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,640 to safeguard them from the troubles and the judgments that 103 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,720 would come ahead because they would be set apart to serve a 104 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,440 particular purpose on the earth, very likely to be a witness to 105 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:06,920 the rest of the nation of Israel and to the world. 106 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:11,760 Go to Chapter 7 and let's see what God did for this group of 107 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,960 people in order to protect them ahead. 108 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,480 Revelation Chapter 7, verse 2 and 3. 109 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,400 John says, Then I saw another Angel ascending from the rising 110 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,840 of the sun with the seal of the living God, and he called with a 111 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,200 loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm 112 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:37,880 earth and sea, saying, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the 113 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,920 trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their 114 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,040 foreheads. Then he goes on to describe the 115 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,000 144,012 thousand from distinct tribes of Israel. 116 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,360 Now whatever the seal was, whatever the seal will be, we 117 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,880 know for certain that it is meant to shield this group of 118 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,800 people, that they would be untouched specifically by the 119 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,840 judgments of God that would be unleashed from this point 120 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,920 forward. And this tells us something 121 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:11,160 significant because we read about them in Chapter 7, they 122 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,880 reappear in chapter 14. And what do we discover about 123 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,880 the 144,000? If Chapter 7 was about them 124 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,720 early in the tribulation, being saved, being sealed so that they 125 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,160 would be protected. Now we come to chapter 14 and 126 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,120 we're looking at the end of the tribulation. 127 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:33,200 What do we discover? Not one of them was lost, not 128 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,280 one. With all the tribulation, with 129 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,240 all the tragedies, with all the trauma, God did not lose a 130 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,000 single one of them. It doesn't say that there were 131 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:49,000 139,999 standing on Mount Zion. 144,000 You know what that tells 132 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,280 me? Whomever God seals, he secures. 133 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,800 That's what that tells me. And if you think, well, this has 134 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,560 to be some special privilege for this distinct group of people in 135 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,280 the future, you're dead wrong. May I remind you of the promise 136 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,360 in Ephesians 1? You know this very well. 137 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,400 Just sit back and hear it again because it's your inheritance. 138 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:13,080 Ephesians one, verse 13 to 14 in him. 139 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:15,800 Oh, Paul loves to use that in him. 140 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:19,280 He wants to talk about what it's like to be in Christ. 141 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,000 Listen what he says at this point in him. 142 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,920 You also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of 143 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:28,760 your salvation and believed in him. 144 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,200 So pause. If you heard the pure gospel and 145 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,520 if you believed in him and believed in that message, this 146 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:37,240 is your inheritance. What is it? 147 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:39,840 We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 148 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,200 How do I feel the seal? Whether you feel it or not 149 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:48,080 doesn't matter. It's by faith you were sealed 150 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,520 with the promised Holy Spirit. To what end? 151 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:52,720 Verse 14. Who is the guarantee of our 152 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:54,720 inheritance? You know what that word means? 153 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,200 Down payment. Who is the guarantee of our 154 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,320 inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise 155 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:06,120 of His glory. On my way here, or earlier this 156 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,920 morning rather, my mind went to the words of Jesus in John 157 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:13,960 chapter 6 when He defined what the will of God was for Him and 158 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,600 His mission. Listen to John 6 verse 39. 159 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:20,160 And this is the will of him who sent me. 160 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,840 Let me ask you this, if you were to explain to somebody, hey, 161 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:28,040 what's what was the will of God the Father for Jesus Christ his 162 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,480 Son as He came to the earth, what would you say to die on the 163 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:33,880 cross for our sins? Surely that's the safest answer. 164 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,440 That's the most glorious answer, but it's more than that. 165 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,680 He goes on to say that I should lose nothing of all that He has 166 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:45,640 given me, but raise it up on the last day. 167 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,400 You understand this? Christ didn't just come to save 168 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:58,040 us, He came to secure us. Which means if you are His, you 169 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,880 will be raised on the last day. He won't overlook any single one 170 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,160 of us. He won't forget any one of us. 171 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:10,360 He has you and your name in mind up to that final moment when all 172 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,200 things will be made new, including yourself. 173 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,120 He will not lose 1. He did not lose 1. 174 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:19,720 And if it was true for them, surely it is true for us. 175 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,480 Now with many parts, like with many parts of the Book of 176 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,720 Revelation, there is some debate about the verses that we read 177 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,720 primarily with the location of the vision that John is 178 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,520 experiencing. Before we read about the Lamb 179 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:37,640 and the 144,000 he mentions how they stood on Mount Zion. 180 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:44,000 Now many believe that John here is seeing a vision of heaven, 181 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,720 and they equate Mount Zion here with what you read in Hebrews 182 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:54,440 chapter 12, verse 22, where Mount Zion is a reference for 183 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,920 heaven, a component of the spiritual heavenly realm. 184 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,960 So they make that automatic connection. 185 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,000 But there are two reasons why Mount Zion can't mean heaven in 186 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:10,200 this instance #1 if the scene was in heaven, then that would 187 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,320 imply that the 144,000 died and went there. 188 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,480 But then that would put into question the seal that they 189 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,920 received back in Chapter 7, and it might even call into question 190 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:26,520 God's protective power. Moreover, look at the language 191 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,560 in the beginning here at verse 2, where John says, and I heard 192 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:33,600 a voice from heaven. Again, this suggests that he's 193 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,440 not in heaven in this vision. He's on the earth and he's 194 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,760 hearing something from above. He's hearing something in a 195 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:43,160 parallel world. It's from heaven. 196 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:45,840 He's not in heaven. So if Mount Zion here does not 197 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,160 speak about the dwelling place of God above, then what does it 198 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,400 refer to? And if you were there yesterday, 199 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:53,000 then you're going to hear it again. 200 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,840 This is where the Old Testament helps us illustrate and 201 00:12:55,840 --> 00:13:00,160 understand passages in the new over and over again. 202 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:04,040 The prophets of old when proclaiming what Messiah would 203 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:08,080 accomplish, the Savior, the Anointed 1 frequently what is 204 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:12,280 brought up is that part of his victorious arrival is that He 205 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,960 will rule and reign from physical Jerusalem, that He will 206 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:19,840 establish His headquarters on where Mount Zion. 207 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,200 So listen to these words. I'm going to just quote 3 208 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,320 passages. There are many, but listen to 209 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,320 these notable ones. I mean, how can you miss Psalm 210 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:34,280 chapter 2 verse 6? As for me, I've set my king on 211 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:43,800 Zion, my holy hill. Isaiah 2421 and 23 On that day 212 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,800 the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven and the kings 213 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,240 of the earth On the earth they'll be gathered together as 214 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,680 prisoners in a pit. They'll be shut up in a prison, 215 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,440 and after many days they shall or they will be punished. 216 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,080 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed. 217 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:10,920 For the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and 218 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,280 his glory will be before his elders. 219 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,200 If it wasn't clear, listen to the words of Micah. 220 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,800 Micah chapter 4, verse six to seven in that day. 221 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:23,200 Notice they're speaking about the day to come. 222 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,200 In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and 223 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,200 gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I've 224 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,720 afflicted, and the lame I will make the remnant and those who 225 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:39,200 are cast off a strong nation, and the Lord will reign over 226 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:40,520 them. Where? 227 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,960 In Mount Zion, from this time forth and forevermore. 228 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:49,720 Is there any wonder why there's so much contention around that 229 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,520 piece of real estate even now? You think this is political? 230 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,080 We're a spiritual people, and the Bible tells us that there is 231 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,120 good and evil, the Kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of 232 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:03,080 light. There's a spiritual battle going 233 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:10,200 on, and we see it here. Jesus Christ, the risen Savior, 234 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,400 has his eyes on Jerusalem because he's going to rule from 235 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:15,640 there. Whether you like it or not, He 236 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,080 will. And what John is seeing here is 237 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,200 a fast forwarded vision. He is seeing a preview again of 238 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,840 how Christ will fulfill those very prophecies. 239 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,400 What do we learn from this? John is completely consistent 240 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:31,280 with the Old Testament. He's in concert with these 241 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,160 prophecies and he's giving us a preview of the same truth. 242 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,680 And the reason it's mentioned at this point is to remind us again 243 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,920 that the empire of the Antichrist will not adore. 244 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:44,480 It will be overthrown. There will come a time when 245 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,560 Christ descends and put an end to all these things, and He will 246 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:51,280 establish His millennial reign for 1000 years. 247 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,760 But the sight of the millennial reign is not the only thing that 248 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:57,840 captivates John. He goes from seeing the Lamb 249 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:02,560 with the 144,000 standing with him on Mount Zion to a sound. 250 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,680 He hears something. And what is it that he hears? 251 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,520 We'll look again at verse 2 and 3, And I heard a voice from 252 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,440 heaven, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of 253 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,960 loud Thunder. The voice I heard was like the 254 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,880 sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were 255 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,680 singing a new song before the throne and before the four 256 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:22,440 living creatures and before the elders. 257 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:29,360 So as he has this vision that's so clear and so consistent with 258 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,320 the Old Testament especially, the next thing that catches his 259 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,760 attention is this swelling sound from heaven. 260 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:41,040 There is this overflowing praise from above that's spilling unto 261 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:45,920 the earth, because now heaven and earth is seeing Christ 262 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,800 ruling and reigning. Now the manifestation of His 263 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,320 Kingdom has arrived, and all of heaven rejoices because of it. 264 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:57,160 And it makes you wonder whether in the millennial reign, at the 265 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,520 end of the Tribulation, when Christ does descend and rule for 266 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,720 that period of time, if there will be some kind of awareness 267 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:06,000 or special connection between heaven and earth. 268 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:09,720 It's one thing to just think about, I think. 269 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:12,560 And as tempting as it is to explore that further, there is 270 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:14,680 something else that really stands out in this passage. 271 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:20,960 Not only that John hears this song, but he realizes that there 272 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:25,599 is a select group who alone can learn it and sing it with them. 273 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:32,360 So it's not this corporate thing where everybody is involved. 274 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,840 Yes, all of heaven is rejoicing, but on earth there's only one 275 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:40,280 group who participates. Look again at the last part of 276 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,240 verse 3. No one could learn that song 277 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:46,000 except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 278 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,160 You know, at face value, your first reaction might be that's 279 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:52,760 not fair. Why am I restricted from 280 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,920 learning this melody and learning these lyrics? 281 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:01,320 And I think we have the answer at the very last part of the 282 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,880 last statement there in verse three. 283 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:08,800 Look at it again, who had been redeemed from the earth? 284 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:15,520 Now again, at first, that may be a description that includes 285 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:17,360 anybody who's been saved by Christ, right? 286 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:18,880 I've been redeemed from the earth. 287 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,560 I'm delivered. I'm no longer a part of this 288 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,000 world and its system. So. 289 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:28,960 So isn't this for me as well? Well, the meaning of that 290 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,240 phrase, according to the context, is not exactly that. 291 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:35,880 More accurately, this is a more specific redemption that John is 292 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:39,560 conveying. Again, it's the 144,000 who had 293 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:43,000 been redeemed from the earth, meaning that what John is 294 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,880 describing is the preservation and the ultimate deliverance of 295 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:49,160 this group during the Great Tribulation. 296 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,520 It's their own unique deliverance, their own unique 297 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,720 salvation, not the salvation that we can partake in, but a 298 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,640 salvation from the horrors and the terrors of the Tribulation 299 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,440 period. In other words, the privilege of 300 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:07,040 this participation is the outcome of the testimony of the 301 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:11,600 144,000 who endured much during that period of time as God's 302 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:17,560 faithful servants. And so they are singing in great 303 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:21,280 part from their experience, and that's why they alone can sing 304 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,640 it now. It's making a little bit more 305 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,800 sense. And the lesson from this, when 306 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,480 that is unlocked, is so moving. And I really do pray that it 307 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:39,080 blesses you as it blessed me. All the pain, all the suffering, 308 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:44,800 all the anguish, all the loss, all the betrayal, all the doubt, 309 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:49,360 all the fear, all the loss that you and I encounter in this 310 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:53,240 life, especially those that we believe to be uniquely ours. 311 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,760 Like nobody else is going through what I'm going through. 312 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:58,920 Nobody knows the feelings that I'm feeling. 313 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:00,520 You know what I get from this verse? 314 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,200 All of that will one day become something you sing about. 315 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:09,640 That's what we see here. Yeah. 316 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,600 You have to understand they were sealed. 317 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,320 But they weren't completely sheltered from all the 318 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,080 nightmarish realities of the Tribulation period. 319 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,960 There's some debate to what extent they were sealed from. 320 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,920 I'm not going to get into that. But what is clear here is that 321 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:30,000 they are singing on the other side of their sorrow. 322 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:36,400 They are singing from the place of being totally redeemed and 323 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,560 realizing that God was faithful to us in these past years of the 324 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:44,040 most scrutinizing and horrible moments of human history. 325 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,120 Now, the Bible does teach us that there are songs that we can 326 00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:52,320 and should sing in the midst of our tribulation, right? 327 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:54,920 You see with Paul and Silas where they're shackled in the 328 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,320 jail in Philippi and they're singing hymns. 329 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:01,840 But the Bible also does teach us that there's a song that awaits 330 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,560 us on the other side of suffering, that there are 331 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,240 special lyrics and a special tune when all things are said 332 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,400 and done. And in this case the 144,000 333 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,280 have their own song. But all surely we will be able 334 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:23,360 to to rejoice when every kind of suffering imaginable is subdued 335 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:26,640 by the Lamb. And you and I for endless days 336 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:33,320 will be outside of its reach. If you are heavy laden today, if 337 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:40,960 you are hanging by a thread, if you're in Christ, one day you'll 338 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:45,320 sing about it. Well, let's continue to read 339 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:47,360 here what we find in Revelation 14. 340 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,680 In verse 4 it says it is these who have not defiled themselves 341 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:54,320 with women, for they are virgins. 342 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,240 It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 343 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,680 These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God 344 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:01,640 and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are 345 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,000 blameless. So again, all of this is meant 346 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,720 to encourage the reader. Just coming out of Revelation 347 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,400 chapter 13, Christ will defeat the Antichrist. 348 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:15,800 Every sorrow and sin will be placed with a heavenly song. 349 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,800 And no matter how much evil seems to gain control of this 350 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:23,720 world, Christ will stand on Mount Zion. 351 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,360 And so it's looking ahead. And yet, before we move on to 352 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:31,760 the next section, which we won't touch on today, something 353 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:38,080 special is added. We go from seeing the 144,000. 354 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,760 Not one is lost, and every single one of them are singing 355 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:46,200 on Mount Zion with the Lamb. But then we receive a 356 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:50,080 description of their character and their convictions. 357 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:54,120 Three times John says it is these, it is these, it is these. 358 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,720 He wants us to know something about them even before we see 359 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:02,000 them on Mount Zion triumphant. Why is he doing that? 360 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,560 I believe in great part to show us that there was a measure of 361 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,640 victory that was displayed even during the great Tribulation, 362 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:15,440 that although Christians were haunted and they were killed and 363 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:20,160 they were massacred, John wants to let us know, let us know that 364 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:25,880 this 144,000 lived a certain way during that time and that 365 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:30,560 demonstrated a level of victory. And here's here's what this 366 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,800 means for us. These details, if we look at 367 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,960 them carefully, teaches us something about how you and I 368 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,320 can overcome the spirit of the Antichrist today. 369 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:43,080 I firmly believe that because again, we have to be reminded of 370 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,880 this, we're looking ahead. But the spirit of this wicked 371 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:50,240 tyrant, the Bible tells us, is still an operation. 372 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:54,520 It always has been since the days of Christ manipulating and 373 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,920 perverting and influencing and infiltrating. 374 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,560 And this is will be the climax where that spirit now takes 375 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,680 flesh and blood and does what it wants for a period of time. 376 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,920 So I'm looking at these verses of what the 144,000 were like. 377 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,360 These were, these were, these were, these are. 378 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,560 And I think to myself, OK, I'm sure that there is something 379 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,520 here for me to be able to display some level of victory 380 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,600 with all the garbage that's around us today. 381 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:25,240 There are three things that stand out, three things that we 382 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,240 have to consider. The first thing that's 383 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:29,000 highlighted is their sexual purity. 384 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,480 Do you and I want to overcome the spirit of the Antichrist, 385 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:38,280 all the temptation and filth that he projects and pollutes 386 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,480 with? Well, I see how the 144,000 were 387 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:43,840 able to. It says here in verse four that 388 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:46,720 it is these who have been, who have not been defiled or have 389 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,440 not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. 390 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,360 You know, when we think about the Tribulation period, most 391 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:56,920 people limit the darkness of that time to the disasters that 392 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:03,000 will break out, to the wars that will cause calamity and 393 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,560 devastation. But you and I also have to 394 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,640 remember that with every kind of upheaval in that generation, 395 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:13,160 there will be new levels of darkness in terms of sin, in 396 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,240 terms of temptation, in terms of perversion. 397 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:18,840 Think about it. You have the Antichrist ruling 398 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,520 and reigning. Don't make the mistake in 399 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:24,840 thinking that people will be so preoccupied with their daily 400 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:27,120 survival that they're going to stop sinning or sin less. 401 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,480 In case you don't believe me, scroll back to Revelation 9 to 402 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,240 be reminded of some of the things that will take place in 403 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,840 the most turbulent moments that we have ever known. 404 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,800 Revelation 9, verse 21. The Lord makes us remark. 405 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:43,960 Nor did they repent of their murders. 406 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:48,240 People are going to be murdering during this time, or their 407 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:50,000 sorceries. There's going to be people 408 00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:55,360 practicing witchcraft during this time, or their sexual 409 00:25:55,360 --> 00:26:02,520 immorality, or their thefts. It shouldn't be too difficult to 410 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,560 grasp that there will be new levels of indecency and lewdness 411 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,920 that will be practiced and promoted in these final years. 412 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:16,000 But even with this heightened temptation and allurements and 413 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:22,160 lusts, apparently the 144,000. Will not. 414 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:25,560 Defile themselves and probably the most difficult place to 415 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:27,320 remain pure. And that's our sexuality. 416 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:31,320 That's John's evidences in verse 4. 417 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:32,880 Now there's debate about this. Is this talking about a 418 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:34,840 spiritual purity, a spiritual virginity? 419 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:36,880 And the reason why there's debate about that is because it 420 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,120 seems as though John is condemning sexual relations even 421 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:41,640 within the confines of marriage, right? 422 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:44,640 Because he says they didn't defile themselves with women, 423 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,160 which might be clue that this 144,000 are predominantly men. 424 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:50,960 Again, that's debated. No, it's really more spiritual. 425 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,880 OK, let's go, let's go with the more literal here and see how 426 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:58,480 it's possible. And that they are virgins. 427 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,960 So more than just men, perhaps they they don't ever get 428 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:05,160 married. So in order to avoid perhaps a 429 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:09,240 condemnation towards marriage itself, people like to say that 430 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,920 this is more about a spiritual purity and spiritual chastity. 431 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,000 But hold on, there are many ways that that can be defined. 432 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:21,200 And is it totally unrealistic for these individuals to 433 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:25,240 actually be virgins without a condemning marriage? 434 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,040 Again, marriage is not in view here. 435 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:32,880 What's in view here is that these specific people did not 436 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:39,800 corrupt themselves sexually. And the Bible even shows us in 437 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,880 different places how in distressing times especially, we 438 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:48,240 have to prioritize our values and our pursuits as the people 439 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:49,600 of God. Let me give you one example. 440 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,600 You've probably heard teachings about marriage and relationships 441 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,320 from First Corinthians 7. I've said this before, it's 442 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,280 worth repeating. You have to be extremely careful 443 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:00,880 how you apply First Corinthians 7. 444 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,400 Why? Because it hinges upon and it 445 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,160 orbits around 1 contextual point. 446 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,680 The Corinthian church was going through something when Paul was 447 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,640 giving those instructions. Listen to what he says in First 448 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,760 Corinthians 7 verse 26. I think that in view of the 449 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:23,600 present distress, it is good for a person to remain as he is. 450 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:26,080 Verse 27, are you bound to a wife? 451 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:29,640 Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? 452 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,040 Do not seek a wife. You know how they can be 453 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:36,480 misapplied. So all these surrounding verses 454 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,320 and you're teaching on marriage and then you come to this point 455 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,800 and say don't seek a wife if you can stay single. 456 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:42,560 That's the most the most spiritual thing you can do. 457 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:46,320 Hold on. Read verse 26 in light of the 458 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:51,200 present distress. Whatever the Corinthians were 459 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,840 experiencing, most believe it was intense persecution. 460 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,360 What Paul is saying is, hey, maybe this is not the best time 461 00:28:57,760 --> 00:28:59,800 to look for a wife and plan a wedding. 462 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,520 Your life is in danger. You might have to relocate as a 463 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,400 as a church. You might have to hide for some 464 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,240 time. Do you remember what Jesus said 465 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,160 when he pronounced woes concerning the Tribulation and 466 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:15,360 the great Tribulation period? How difficult it will be for 467 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:18,960 families and nursing mothers, let me remind you, in Matthew 468 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,520 2419. And alas, the Lord says, and 469 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,360 alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing 470 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:29,040 infants in those days. So it's not so strange as a 471 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:33,840 concept then to read about this 144,000 who chose, recognizing 472 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:36,760 that they were the first fruits of God's work among the nation 473 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:41,400 of Israel to say, you know, we understand that we are in the 474 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:47,880 final moments. Let's remain unmarried and in 475 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,480 their unmarried state, they did not defile themselves with 476 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:57,400 women. Here's what moved me. 477 00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:06,360 If 144,000 more likely men, we can debate. 478 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:10,920 Let's just say men for now. We're able to remain undefiled 479 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,200 in the most corrupt era of human history. 480 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:20,640 Can't you and I remain pure today if it was possible? 481 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,480 Well, they seem a little bit like more like super Christians, 482 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,680 really. Are they less human than you? 483 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,000 They might have a unique seal. Aren't we sealed? 484 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,520 Is the Bible being poetic about purity or is it possible? 485 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,080 That's what I want to know, and here's what I've discovered. 486 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,320 It's possible because the Bible says it's possible. 487 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:43,960 And here's an illustration of it. 488 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:47,800 There was a group in the final moments of human history who are 489 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:53,360 able to remain focused, strong, Worshipful in their sexuality. 490 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:56,520 And we'll get more to that in a moment. 491 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,640 But we have to look here to the second thing that stands out 492 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:02,280 about how they were able to demonstrate victory even while 493 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,360 it seemed like the Antichrist had victory. 494 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,360 It's their unreserved devotion. We looked at their sexual 495 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,800 purity, but look now to their unreserved devotion. 496 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,360 In the middle there a verse 4 we read. 497 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,840 It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 498 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:22,800 Oh, I want to frame that statement somewhere. 499 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,240 What a remarkable thing to say about anybody. 500 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,000 And you have to remember this is a summary of their devotion in 501 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:34,240 the Tribulation period. And most of the world at the 502 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,680 latter portion of that period will be following the Antichrist 503 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:40,480 up all his deception. We'll be betraying all truth. 504 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,920 We'll be worshipping a man. We'll be living in their sin. 505 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:46,160 We'll be doing all these heinous things. 506 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,320 And while most of the world is headed in One Direction, this 507 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:53,480 group, according to this verse, are following the Lamb wherever 508 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:56,920 he goes. Wherever the Lamb says you go, 509 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,120 they went. Whatever the Lamb said you're 510 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,720 going to do, they did. It was a. 511 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:05,720 Complete commitment to. The cause of Christ when 512 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,400 literally everything around you. There was not one nation you can 513 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:14,080 escape to. There was no refuge there. 514 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:18,160 Was no hint here of an America like we know it today according 515 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:22,640 to Bible prophecy, all nations will be under a spell and there 516 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:28,400 will be nowhere to hide but this group they're. 517 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,120 Marching to a different drummer. And the fact? 518 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:35,320 That Christ is referred. Tier, tier to year as a lamb of 519 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,320 all things. A lamb implies that it is his 520 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,320 humility, it is his sacrifice, it is his innocence that's being 521 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:45,520 imitated by this group. This does make you want to pray 522 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:46,520 something. It made me want to pray 523 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:48,920 something. Lord I, and I mean this 524 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:53,040 sincerely, I would love for it to be said of me that He 525 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:54,600 followed the Lamb wherever he goes. 526 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:00,640 So countercultural. That everybody's being swept up 527 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,120 with this trend and they're believing these ideas and 528 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,360 they're falling for this frenzy. But that man. 529 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:10,760 He has the lamb. Before him at all times. 530 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,560 Make that your prayer. Lord, wherever you go, I want to 531 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:19,240 go. However you lead, I will follow. 532 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,160 Whatever you want me to do, I will do it. 533 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,200 On a side note, did you? Notice how in that same 534 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,440 statement says here that they've been redeemed from mankind as 535 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:30,280 first fruits for God and the Lamb. 536 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,960 Now again. There are those who prefer 537 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,360 spiritualizing passages like this, and one of the things that 538 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:40,800 they like to do with 144,000 is that this is a symbolic number 539 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:43,960 which identifies the totality of God's people. 540 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,520 And there are many reasons why. That can't be the case, and one 541 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,360 of them is what we find here. If they are speaking about the 542 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:56,040 sum of the redeemed, why are they mentioned as the first 543 00:33:56,040 --> 00:34:00,040 fruits at this juncture? That's a strange way of speaking 544 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:05,160 about the totality of something. And again, if we just honor the 545 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:09,760 literal interpretation of these verses, then we understand that 546 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:15,040 this 144,000 are Jewish believers and they. 547 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:19,280 Were saved early in the. Tribulation as a form of pledge, 548 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,639 as the first fruits that's predicting a greater harvest to 549 00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:29,000 come in which God will reap according to Romans 11, all 550 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:33,120 Israel will be saved So what we find here with this 145,000 is 551 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:39,679 the beginnings, it's the budding of a greater promise to come and 552 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:41,040 so even. In this we have yet. 553 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:45,960 Another layer of encouragement that what God promised centuries 554 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:49,000 ago, millennials ago, what we find even in the New Testament 555 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:54,639 has not been forgotten. God will save the people that he 556 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:56,199 had made a covenant with, with Abraham. 557 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:00,000 And it's starting here. So it just do you see what's 558 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:01,880 happening? We're being having encouragement 559 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:05,360 heaped upon us, heaping of these truths layered. 560 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,080 And there's one more. Thing to consider about this. 561 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,480 Group it is. That they are blameless in. 562 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:16,840 Their testimony verse 5 And in their mouth no lie was found, 563 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:20,200 for they are blameless. So in an age of incredible 564 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:23,440 deception. At a time of. 565 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:28,400 Propagating all these falsehoods by the Antichrist, there will be 566 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,680 a group of truth tellers. There will be a group that are 567 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:36,560 going to refreshingly tell you what God's Word says who will 568 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,400 not waver with the true gospel, who will give you exactly what 569 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:42,480 the Lord has laid out in His eternal Word. 570 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:46,400 So again, what John is doing here is describing the 144,000 571 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,840 to show us that there is a threat of victory in the 572 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:51,640 tribulation period. Not just at the end of it. 573 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:55,080 There is a great victory to come, but even during it there 574 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:58,080 was this group who didn't lie with their mouths. 575 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:05,360 And if we want to do our. Part to combat that evil spirit 576 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:08,400 it seems to. Be more rampant than ever. 577 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:10,920 The may we be. Truth tellers as. 578 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:13,960 Well, I have nothing to apologize for with the truth. 579 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:16,640 I want to be. Faithful with the truth. 580 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,000 I want to be faithful when I sit across a coffee table with a 581 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:24,400 friend who is justifying sin and to say with love in my eyes, but 582 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:29,760 this is what God's Word says. I want to say it, God forbid. 583 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:31,680 Should there ever come a day where there's pressure from 584 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,720 people to conform this church to be something apart from what God 585 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:36,760 had said to say, but this is what God has said. 586 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:43,240 There was no lie found. In their mouth, and they were 587 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:46,400 blameless because of it. And if you're sitting here today 588 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,040 yearning to reflect the purity and the devotion of this group, 589 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:50,400 I want to give you some good news. 590 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:53,480 I don't think it's accidental that out of all the things that 591 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:57,000 could be said of Christ, the title the Lamb appears three 592 00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:00,960 times in this one section. The Lamb, the lamb, the lamb. 593 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:04,640 Telling us many things and one of the. 594 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:09,840 Things that encourages me for and about is that again, if I'm 595 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,880 looking at this and I'm saying, oh, I want to I want that same 596 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:14,720 resume. If I can use that word, that 597 00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:18,480 same portfolio, that same kind of summary of my life, then I 598 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:21,680 must draw. I must draw from the love of the 599 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:26,040 lamb. I must realize the the promises 600 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:28,680 and the empowerment that is available through the sacrifice 601 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:32,400 of the Lamb I. Must have a fresh revelation. 602 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:37,040 Of what the Savior has done by becoming a man and laying his 603 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:41,600 life down like a lamb and trusting that even even in his 604 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:46,640 humility, even in his innocence, even in his personal sacrifice, 605 00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:49,640 He will empower me to walk in it. 606 00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:54,240 The Lamb and. In God's Providence, we. 607 00:37:54,240 --> 00:37:58,200 Approach the Lord's Table today to be reminded about that facet 608 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:02,440 of our Messiah that he took on flesh, that he shed his blood 609 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:08,320 and he was innocently led, took place of sacrifice because He 610 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:11,360 loves us. He loved us. 611 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:12,680 Enough to lay his life. Down. 612 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:15,960 And he loves us enough to promise to keep us until the 613 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:17,920 end. Let's celebrate that together. 614 00:38:36,940 --> 00:38:39,060 Father, we ask that. You make these truths real to 615 00:38:39,060 --> 00:38:46,270 us. We long to be pure. 616 00:38:46,270 --> 00:38:49,840 We long to be devoted without reservation, we long to be 617 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:53,440 blameless in our testimony, and we know that none of those 618 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:56,440 things are available or achievable apart from the 619 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,360 starting point of what you have done as the Lamb of God. 620 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:06,960 Thank you for those who have put their faith. 621 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,200 In you today, we get to taste again. 622 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:13,680 That you have saved. Us and you will secure us until 623 00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:16,640 the end. Receive glory from this time of 624 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:21,240 rejoicing, knowing that not only have you justified us forever, 625 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:24,280 but that these are the same means by which you can empower 626 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:26,760 us to imitate and follow the Lamb. 627 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:29,480 We ask these things in Jesus name. 628 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:31,280 Amen. Amen. 629 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:38,280 Let's stand, Let's worship. And let's prepare our hearts. 630 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:39,040 To eat together.