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The
interpretation of the 144,000 bond servants of God has always been a serious
challenge for Bible students. And of course, every one of these students think
that their understanding is the correct one. And guess what? I am no
different. I believe that through a balance between the literal and the
symbolic, and comparing Scripture with Scripture, the presentation in the
following treatise provides the right interpretation of John’s vision
concerning this unique and mysterious group of God’s people. In addition to
presenting my understanding of the 144,000 bond servants, this treatise will
also present a brief chronology of end times events within the context of the
PreWrath rapture of the church.
We first encounter the 144,000 Jews at Revelation 7:1-8.
In chapter five, we are shown a book (a scroll), that is bound by 7 seals. We
learn later that the scroll contains the events of the DAY OF THE LORD (The
trumpet judgments, Rev. 8:1-2; and the bowl judgments, 11:14-19;
15:1).
The seals are wrapped around the SCROLL of God’s wrath and must be removed one
at a time before God’s wrath can be READ, and poured out on the earth
dwellers. The book and the seals are all symbols of events that will begin the
final 7 years before Jesus sets up His earthly kingdom. There is no REAL BOOK
and seals. When the time comes for fulfillment, the events portrayed by the
seals and the book will occur, but there will be no seals to release and no
book to read.
In chapter 6 we are shown 6 of those 7 seals, which outline events starting
with the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel and ending with the return of
Jesus. Shortly after the return of Jesus, the judgment of God will start to be
executed on the earth dwellers (the unbelievers who are left behind). This is
represented by the 7th seal, which is shown to us starting at Chapter 8:1.
OUTLINE
OF THE SEALS
V. 1-2, First seal: a worldwide "political" conquest via a
powerful, charismatic world ruler. This establishes a religious PEACE on the
earth based on verses 3-4, where we learn that THE PEACE is taken from the
earth. this corresponds with Daniel 7:8, 20 and 8:23. It also corresponds with
Daniel 9:27, “And he (the prince who is to come) will establish a
covenant with the many (the people of Palestine) for one week (7 years).”
V. 3-4, Second seal: a disruption of THE political and religious peace by the
same world ruler becoming oppressive. This is the beginning of the reign of
the beast and the tribulation (Rev. 13:3-7). It corresponds with Daniel 9:27,
“But in the middle of the week he (the prince who is to come) will put a stop
to sacrifice and grain offering.”
V. 5-6, Third seal: stringent economic controls via the mark
of the beast (Rev. 13:16-17). This is not famine.
V. 7-8, Fourth seal: worldwide death from several different causes as a result
of the oppressive reign of the beast.
V. 9-11, Fifth seal: The martyrs killed via the oppressive reign of the beast.
This corresponds with Daniel 7:21, Revelation 13:7 and 12:7.
V.12-17, Sixth seal: The Day of the Lord is announced and Jesus arrives, which
interrupts the oppression of the beast which ends the great tribulation by
cutting it short as per Matthew 24:22.
Joel 2:31; Mat. 24:29-31; Luke 21:25-27
V. 8:1, The 7th seal is broken and the wrath of God starts to fall upon
the earth via the 7 trumpet judgments.
The 6th seal arrival of Jesus occurs at an unknown day and hour after the
midpoint of the 70th Week of Daniel (Mat. 24:36-44). That midpoint is when the
beast begins his oppressive reign, which is known as the tribulation (Mat.
24:9-15; Dan. 9:27; 12:1, 6-7).
The tribulation will be CUT SHORT at an unknown day and hour by divine decree
followed by the signs in
the sun, moon and stars, which announce the arrival of Jesus (Mat. 24:21-22,
29, 36).
The signs in the sun, moon and stars, will cause an all encompassing darkness,
that gets everyone’s attention (Mat. 24:29), and then the SIGN OF THE SON OF
MAN will appear in the sky (Mat. 24:30a). Then there will be TWO types of
response. (1) the believers will look up with expectation (Luke 21:28) and (2)
the earth dwellers will mourn and panic (Mat. 24:30b). Then immediately,
everyone will see the Lord arriving in the clouds (Mat. 24:30c; Luke 21:27).
At that moment two things will happen. (1) the believers will be taken out of
the earth and gathered to the Lord in the sky (Mat. 24:31; 1 Thes. 4:14-17),
and (2) the earth dwellers, still in panic, will try to hide (Rev. 6:15-17).
It is significant that in the gospel accounts, the panic actually occurs as a
result of the SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN rather than His presence (Luke 21:26-27;
Mat. 24:30). At Revelation 6:12-17, we are not shown the SIGN of the Son of
Man or the ARRIVAL, but we are shown the mourning and the panic-motivated
attempt to hide that will happen after the SIGN and Christ’s arrival.
At Isaiah 2:12-18, we are shown prophecy of the judgment that will begin at
the arrival of the Lord. And in verses 19-21, we are shown how the earth
dwellers attempt to hide from the presence of the Lord when He arrives.
At Revelation 6:12-14, we see the signs in the sun, moon and stars.
Then at verse 15, we see the PANIC of the earth dwellers.
That means that we must place the ARRIVAL immediately after verse 14.
That also means that we must place the RAPTURE immediately after verse 14.
Neither the ARRIVAL or the RAPTURE are mentioned in the vision.
What we see in verses 15-17 is the EFFECT of Christ’s arrival upon the earth
dwellers.
We should then expect to see the RESULT of the rapture as well. We do. At
chapter 7:1-8, we are shown the RESULT on the earth, after the ARRIVAL, and at
chapter 7:9-17, we are shown the RESULT in heaven. Here John sees the raptured
saints STANDING before the throne. He does not see them ARRIVING in heaven,
but ALREADY there. The language is very clear and does not leave room for any
guesswork.
At Revelation 4:6, John sees in heaven a SEA OF GLASS before the throne, but
it is EMPTY. At verse 7:9, he sees the saints standing before the throne,
which means they would be standing ON the sea of glass.
At Revelation 15:1-4, just before the FINAL wrath of God is to be poured out
on the earth, we see the saints in heaven praising God. These saints are
STANDING ON THE SEA OF GLASS holding harps. This is therefore, BEFORE THE
THRONE and we are seeing AGAIN, the raptured saints in heaven. BUT this is not
the rapture EVENT, It is symbolic of the heavenly abode where the raptured
saints “reside” AFTER the rapture. The raptured saints will not ALWAYS be
standing on the sea of glass. This is just where John sees them IN THE VISION
as a SYMBOL of their heavenly abode. The heavenly abode of the raptured saints
is taught by Jesus at John 14:1-3.
It is the EXACT same idea that is seen at chapter 7:9. In the same way that
Rev. 15:2 is NOT the rapture, but the result of the rapture, so also Rev. 7:9
is NOT the rapture, but the result of the rapture.
In addition, the FOCUS is on the TIMING of the rapture, which will take place
during the reign of the beast, for the emphasis is on those who have come off
victorious against the beast and have come out of the great tribulation.
The RESULT ON THE EARTH after the arrival of Jesus and the rapture, is the
impact on a large body of orthodox Jews probably scattered throughout the
world AND in Israel. These are probably well studied Jews who could perhaps be
equated to 144 thousand little “Sauls of Tarsus.” When they witness the
arrival of Jesus AND witness the rapture of the Christians, they will be able
to “put two and two together” and will be convicted of sin, righteousness and
judgment by the Holy Spirit using the words of the gospel that has been
communicated by the Christians and by the two witnesses. They will express
faith in Christ as the Messiah-Savior and become children of God AND
bondservants of God to serve Him during the remaining months that God will
deal with the people on the earth.
THE SECOND COMING AGENDA
When Christ arrives in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, there
are TWO items on His agenda.
The first item is to rescue His saints, by removing them from the earth.
The second item is to bring wrath and judgment upon the unbelieving world.
ITEM ONE
The rescue of His saints is the focus of Christ’s teaching at Matthew 24:22.
“And unless those days (the tribulation) are shortened, no (believing) life
would be delivered, but because of the elect ones, those days will be
shortened.”
When it is therefore time for the arrival of Jesus according to the specific
timing of the Father (1 Tim. 6:15; Romans 11:25) the tribulation will to be
cut short by His decree. Then the SIGNS in the sun, moon and stars, will cover the earth in a
world wide darkness. The SIGN of the Son of Man will then appear, piercing
that darkness with its universal brightness. And then Jesus will arrive in the
clouds of the sky, and every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7).
The precise ORDER of the events at this time are recorded for us at Matthew
24:29-31.
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days (V. 29a)
THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS
WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, (V.
29b), and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky (V. 30a), and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (V. 30b), and they will see the
SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory (V.
30c). And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL
GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the
other (V. 31).”
(1) Verse 29a, immediately after the tribulation: At the time that God has
determined to CUT IT SHORT.
(2) Verse 29b, the signs in the sun, moon and stars, causing darkness.
(3) Verse 30a, The SIGN of the Son of Man appears in the sky.
(4) Verse 30b, The earth dwellers mourn and panic.
(5) Verse 30c, Then they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds.
(6), Verse 31, Then the gathering of the saints.
(7) From Rev. 6:15-17, Then, MANY of the earth dwellers will try to hide.
Concerning this rapture and resurrection of the believers, Paul writes at 1
Corinthians 15:51-52,
“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be
changed.”
At 2 Thessalonians 1:7, this is the promise of deliverance; relief and
comfort, that Paul promises us will occur in direct connection with Christ’s
return, for he writes, “and to give back relief to you who are in tribulation
(being pressured) together with us at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ
from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.”
This PERSONAL application to them simply indicates the POSSIBILITY that the
persecution situation in the Roman world could escalate into the prophesied
great tribulation of Matthew 24:9-29.
The priority of this FIRST item on Christ’s second coming agenda is also seen
at 1 Thes. 4:16-17 where we read, “For the Lord Himself will descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of {the} archangel, and with the trumpet
of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the
Lord.”
This priority is also seen in the next chapter, at 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For
you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord will come just like a
thief in the night.”
This IMAGE of the thief was first introduced to us by the words of Jesus at
Matthew 24:42-44.
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of
the night the THIEF was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not
have allowed his house to be broken into.
“For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
when you do not think.”
This is taught in direct connection with the gathering of the saints, which is
described as, “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken (to
the Lord), and one will be left (for judgment).
Two women {will be} grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be
left” (Matthew 24:40-41).
SECOND COMING AGENDA: ITEM TWO
The SECOND ITEM on Christ’s agenda is to pour out judgment on the earth
dwellers; the unbelievers who remain behind after the rapture. It should be
obvious that this judgment will not begin until after the believers have been
removed. Paul tells us at 1 Thes. 1:10 that it is Jesus at His return “who
delivers us from the wrath to come.”
At 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, the coming of the Lord arrives like a thief and
brings sudden destruction on the earth dwellers. At this arrival, BOTH the
removal of believers AND the time of judgment will occur like a thief;
suddenly and unexpected. However, the believer is in the LIGHT and for those
who are watching and waiting, that day, the arrival of Jesus, will not come on
them like a thief.
But wait, there is a delay in judgment; a delay to the pouring out of wrath.
John’s vision in Revelation 7:2-3, continues, “And I saw another angel
ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and
he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to
harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the
trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads.”
The wrath of God is about to be poured out, and the people who remain on the
earth after the rapture react in fear and mourning, and vain attempts to hide
from Christ’s presence (Matthew 24:30; Luke 21:25-26; Isaiah 2:19-21).
But many will understand what has happened and respond in faith toward Jesus
as the Messiah and Savior of the world. This is taught at Joel 2:30-32. After
the signs in the sun, moon and stars, “it will come about that whoever calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
This is just as it has been BEFORE the second coming of Christ (Romans 10:13),
and it will be the same after His return. Salvation is gained by personal
trust in Jesus as the Messiah/Savior.
The first ones to do this will be the 144,000 Jews mentioned in Rev. 7:1-8 and
14:1-7.
I repeat for emphasis that it is important to understand that Jesus returns in
connection with the 6th seal symbol of Rev. 6:12-17.
According to Mat. 24:29-31, after the signs in the sun, moon and stars occur,
bringing universal darkness to the earth, the SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN will
pierce the darkness announcing the arrival of Jesus. Jesus will then arrive in
the clouds of the sky and send forth His angels to gather the elect
(believers) up into the clouds to meet Jesus there. According to Joel 2:31,
these signs in the sun, moon and stars portend the DAY OF THE LORD.
According to 1 Thes. 5:2-3, The DAY OF THE LORD will come unexpectedly, like a
thief in the night just as Jesus taught at Mat. 24:42-44; Rev. 16:15; and
Peter at 2 Peter 3:10.
This is the same unknown day and hour that the believers will be TAKEN out of
the earth and the unbelievers will be LEFT BEHIND (Mat. 24:36-42). Thus, the
SIGNS, the SIGN, the ARRIVAL and the RAPTURE all occur within the same few
minutes.
It is now time for the DAY OF THE LORD to begin, when the wrath and judgment
of God will be poured out on the earth. Those who remain behind will recognize
that this judgment is about to come, for they will proclaim, “Hide us from the
presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for
the great day of their wrath has arrived; and who is able to stand?” (Rev.
6:16-17).
The 6th
seal symbol represents the arrival of THE DAY OF THE LORD, at which time the
second coming of Christ and the rapture will occur. All the passages that deal
with the second coming place the gathering of the saints immediately upon the
arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky. There is no GAP or DELAY for the
rapture.
The order is, (1) arrival, (2) rapture, (3) judgment.
According to this and the other pertinent passages it is, (1) SIGNS in the
sun, moon and stars, (2) SIGN of the Son of Man, (3) MOURNING and panic, (4)
ARRIVAL, (5) RAPTURE (6) more PANIC. Some have suggested that there is a GAP
of time between the arrival of Jesus and the gathering, but all the passages
teach that the gathering occurs immediately upon the arrival of Jesus in the
clouds of the sky. Of special note is 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
{the} archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first.”
This trumpet blast is seen in direct and immediate connection with the descent
of the Lord. The TRUMPET is the same as the “great trumpet” at Matthew 24:31
and “the last trumpet” at 1 Cor. 15:51-52.
However, it is NOT the same as the 7th trumpet of Revelation 10:7 and 11:15.
The “great trumpet” is the AUDIBLE announcement and call to assembly for the
believers on the earth. The 7th trumpet is a SYMBOL of events seen by John in
his vision. See Article: THE 7th TRUMPET
It is thus clear that WHEN the Lord descends from heaven on the clouds with
power and great glory, at that very instant, the gathering of the saints
occurs.
SALVATION OF THE BONDSERVANTS
After the arrival of Jesus at the 6th seal, we are shown two results that are
recorded in Revelation chapter 7.
The first result is ON EARTH, and is recorded in verses 1-8. It is the
conversion and sealing of 144,000 Jews who will trust in Christ shortly after
He returns and gathers out (raptures) the believers.
The CONVERSION PROCESS of
the 144k Jewish servants will come about through the evangelistic ministry
of the church and the two witnesses. This
process is explained in the commentary on Malachi 3.
The second result, recorded in verses 9-17, is IN HEAVEN, and is the PRESENCE
of the raptured believers standing before God on the sea of glass.
Some teach that the 144,000 are saved prior to the rapture and sealed prior to
the rapture, but stay behind because of their bondservant ministry that God
has planned for them.
However, this view is untenable in view of several factors found in the
Scriptures.
The 144
thousand are saved AFTER the ARRIVAL and after the RAPTURE.
It is at that time of salvation that they become bondservants.
If they were saved before the arrival, then they would be OF THE CHURCH and
would be raptured along with all the other saints. However, they are viewed as
FIRST FRUIT converts at Rev. 14:1-4, and that would have to mean first fruits
of the day of the Lord. And that requires a conversion AFTER Jesus arrives in
the clouds of the sky in power and great glory.
If one wants to view the SEAL as a mark of ownership BEFORE they are saved
that occurs before the rapture, this is not consistent with the rest of
Scripture. The seal is the Holy Spirit, whose presence in the soul of the
believer marks that believer out as purchased and owned by God (2 Cor. 1:22;
Eph. 1:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:19a; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Those who hold to the view that the 144k are sealed before the rapture, do so
because of the ORDER given to us in Revelation 7. However, the order is NOT an
order of OCCURRENCE, but an order of FOCUS.
At Revelation 7:9ff, we are not shown the EVENT of the rapture; we are shown
the RESULT of the rapture. The language does not have John SEEING the
multitude arrive, but seeing them ALREADY IN HEAVEN. The rapture occurs IN
CONNECTION with Rev. 6:14-15. These unbelievers can not make the confession
that is made in verses 16-17 UNLESS they have seen the Lord’s arrival, which
is exactly what they see as recorded at Mat. 24:29-30. “And they will SEE The
Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” And,
as already established, the rapture occurs IMMEDIATELY upon the arrival of
Jesus.
Some argue that since the two witnesses are not taken at the rapture, the same
thing could apply to the 144 thousand. However, the fact that the two
witnesses are not raptured is an entirely different situation. The two
witnesses are Moses and Elijah who have been brought back for a prophetic
ministry unique and special. The 144 thousand bondservants are the FIRST FRUIT
converts of the day of the Lord and will function AS bond servants of God.
Their ministry will be to proclaim the everlasting gospel with the result that
by the end of the time period in view, there will be many Jew and Gentile
believers to go alive into Messiah’s earthly kingdom after the battle of
Armageddon.
There is just no indication that these people should be viewed differently
than anyone else who is left behind after the rapture, other than the fact
that they are the first ones to believe. Furthermore, as already established,
the chronology of the passages involved show that the Lord returns and the
rapture occurs BEFORE the conversion/sealing of the 144,000.
REVELATION 7:1-8
In the book of the Revelation, God uses angels to teach John things that will
occur in the future. Not only are angels the teachers, but angels also occur
in the vision as SYMBOLS of some of the things that will be done. When the
historical reality of these events takes place, those angels will NOT be
involved. God does sometimes use angels to administer His desires on the
earth. In the “END TIMES” Scenario, it is possible that there will be some
angels who will work “behind the scenes” of God’s plan to carry out His
judgments on the earth, but there is no way to know for certain when that is
the case. In the book of the Revelation, the safest course of interpretation
is to view ALL the “event” angels as symbols and not ACTUAL participants. They
are just being used IN THIS VISION to teach John what is going to happen. I
don’t even think there will be TRUMPETS blown when the time comes for these
judgments to be executed. You see, all of these things are shown to John and
he describes them in a PAST TENSE format. These things are what he saw in the
vision, but the actions and symbols are only REPRESENTATIVE of the events that
will occur. The EVENTS will occur but the symbols will NOT OCCUR.
Verse 1
1. And I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth:
These are four angels used symbolically in the vision to portray divine
control over the impending judgments. The four winds are symbols for the
administration of that judgment. In actuality, there are no angels holding
back the winds. God controls these things directly.
2. holding back the four winds of the earth: The specific administration of
the DAY OF THE LORD judgments awaits His perfect timing, which here, is
dependent on the conversion of the 144,000 bondservants. This symbol of the
four winds is used 2 times in the Old Testament; Jer. 49:36; Dan. 7:2. And the
term 4 spirits is used once at Zech. 6:5.
3. so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree: it
is time for the judgment of God; His wrath upon the unbelievers remaining on
the earth; the beast and his kingdom.
The WINDS represent the administration of divine judgment that will be shown
to John through the 6 trumpet symbols later in his vision.
But before these judgments can be executed, a certain group of men need to
trust in Christ for salvation, and as a result of that be protected from the
effects of those judgments.
Revelation 7:2-3
And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal
of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to
whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the
earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our
God on their foreheads.”
John is shown another angel who is given administrative control over the
actions of the four judgment angels. This angel HAS the seal of God to place
on the forehead of those who will trust in Christ as Savior. Again, this is
symbolism. The angels do not stamp a literal seal on the foreheads of the ones
who believe.
Whether
this conversion/sealing of the 144,000 Jews will take a few hours or a few
days, we do not know, but judgment is held back until all are saved AND SEALED
with the mark of divine ownership. At 2 Timothy 2:19, we read, “the firm
foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His.”
This is not something that is VISIBLE, but something that is an acknowledgment
and CLAIM by God upon those who have trusted in Christ.
Since 30 AD, when God sent the Holy Spirit to the church, the SEAL of
salvation and divine ownership has been the indwelling presence of the Spirit
(Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5). There is no reason for that
to change with converts after the rapture for the Holy Spirit is still
involved with the whole salvation process. Some believe that the Holy Spirit
LEAVES the earth at the rapture but there is no scriptural basis for this
speculation. The Holy Spirit is not the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7.
See Commentary for 2 Thessalonians 2
At Revelation 14:1, we learn that the 144 thousand have the name of the Lamb
and the name of the Father written on their foreheads. At Revelation 9:4, we
see that there are those who do NOT have the SEAL of God on their foreheads.
This indicates that the SEAL is a claim of ownership that is represented in
John’s vision by the NAME of God on the forehead. Again, this is not a VISIBLE
seal, but a spiritual FACT that is known only in a “spiritual” context and not
known or seen by humans on the earth.
God knows and the angels involved know and divine protection will not let the
demon oppressors of the 5th trumpet judgment hurt anyone who has that divine
seal.
To repeat, the seal is said to be THE NAME OF GOD ON THE FOREHEAD (Rev. 14:1).
This is a symbol of divine possession (2 Tim. 2:19) which is actually the
indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). It is
not something that is given to them by an angel. John is seeing a vision of
symbols that portray events. The symbol, an angel sealing the believers, will
not occur, but the EVENT ITSELF, THE SEALING, which is the indwelling presence
of the Holy Spirit, will occur.
THE NEW EVANGELISTIC AGENT
God’s plan is to use chosen members of the human race to represent HIM and His
viewpoint to others who live on the earth. The primary concern in this
representation is to proclaim the message of salvation through the Messianic
promise. God will never leave Himself without representation here on the
earth.
From Adam to the Exodus (the deliverance of Israel from Egypt), God used
INDIVIDUAL “family” priests as the evangelistic agent, to bring spiritual
truth and the gospel to the rest of mankind. We can view this period of time
as the AGE or ADMINISTRATION (dispensation) of the FAMILY PRIEST. Adam, Seth,
Noah, Shem, Job, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jethro, and
others.
Eventually, the time came for there to be a larger, more specialized
evangelistic agent to minister to the world. In anticipation of this, God
genetically manufactured a new race of people, who were called Hebrews. After
establishing their numbers in Egypt, He CREATED them into a new nation and
commissioned them with the job of evangelistic agent to bear His name and
message of salvation to others (Ex. 19:5-6; Deut. 4:6; Psalm 60:4. The age of
the family priest was discontinued and once the individual “priests” died off,
ONLY Israel
was the OFFICIAL herald of truth. An appropriate designation for this is the
age of the NATIONAL priesthood, or the age of Israel.
The nation of Israel
had times of success and failure in her role as evangelistic agent. However,
after many years of consistent failure God temporarily removed them by giving
them a disciplinary vacation in Babylon
which was to last for 70 years. When the time neared for that 70-year vacation
to come to an end, Daniel was told that the nation would be given ANOTHER
CHANCE and be given 490 years to accomplish its purpose of representing the
Messianic promise to the world.
In the famous prophecy of 70 weeks found at Daniel 9:24-27, God gave Israel
490 additional years to be a successful evangelistic agent. Prior to the
Babylonian captivity, the Southern Kingdom of Judah had the responsibility to
be the evangelistic agent of God. They failed time and time again, and finally
God disciplined them by removing them from the land, destroying the temple in
Jerusalem, and sending most of the population into captivity in Babylon.
Beginning with the nation’s return from the Babylonian captivity via the
decree of Cyrus, God once again established Israel
as His evangelistic agent.
Of course, in anticipation via God’s foreknowledge, He knew that Israel would
fail again, and ultimately reject the Messiah whom God sent to them. So once
AGAIN, God temporarily removed them from being the evangelistic agent and
TEMPORARILY replaced them with a SPIRITUAL nation and priesthood; the church.
Matthew 21:33-43; 23:37-39. But this time, the discipline would last for an
indefinite amount of time, “until the fulness of the Gentiles comes in,”
(Romans 11:25).
Based on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, God established a new
evangelistic body, made up of ALL believers in Jesus. Since ALL believers are
designated as priests and ambassadors, to carry the message of salvation to
the rest of the world, this period of time can be designated as the age of the
UNIVERSAL priesthood, or the age of the church.
Mat. 21:33-43; 1 Peter 2:9-10
He did this after 483 years had passed from the decree of Cyrus; 7 years SHORT
of the promised 490 years. His plan of course was to use the church for an
undesignated number of years until the time was right for Israel to ONCE AGAIN
function as the evangelistic agent. There was a TRANSITION period for this
CHANGE, which was 40 years in length, and ended when God judged the nation and
destroyed the city of Jerusalem
and the temple in 70 AD.
In the future, God will return to Israel and give her the remaining promised 7
years and once again make the nation, the evangelistic agent to bring the
gospel to the world.
However, there will be several months of transition for this NEW CHANGE to
take place. During this time of transition, the church will continue to
function as the evangelistic agent in order to PREPARE Israel to TAKE OVER
when the church is removed.
Thus, at Matthew 24:14, “and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in
the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall
come.”
The END, is the end of the church age, which occurs when Jesus returns in the
clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
This occurs at some unknown day and hour after the midpoint of the 70th week
(that final 7 years promised to Israel) and will result in the removal of the
church from the earth.
God will then REESTABLISH Israel as the evangelistic agent for the remaining
months before the battle of Armageddon, after which Jesus will establish His
earthly kingdom and reign on the throne of David in Jerusalem.
The EVANGELISTIC AGENT of Israel will function via the 144,000 Jews who will
be converted very shortly after Jesus returns and raptures the church. As the
NEW EVANGELISTIC agent, these men will function as bondservants of God to take
the message of salvation to the world, giving those who have not taken the
mark of the beast one last chance to trust in Jesus as the Savior before the
bowl judgments are completed.
God’s purpose for returning to Israel is to use them once again as the
EVANGELISTIC agent until the Millennial kingdom begins.
This is THE PURPOSE for the 144,000 “first fruit” converts from among the
Jews, and is why they are called, “bondservants of God.” This is the primary
issue in service and the primary issue for all the unbelievers still alive on
the earth who have not taken the mark of the beast.
THE 144,000 BONDSERVANTS
The term, BONDSERVANTS that is used at Revelation 7:3, indicates the SERVICE
activity of these new believers. In the context of Messiah’s arrival, the ONLY
issue in service will be evangelistic, as israel is once again appointed as
the evangelistic agent. This will be the ministry of these 144,000 Jewish
believers, who will function as the NEW EVANGELISTIC AGENT until the beginning
of the millennial kingdom. It is clarified for us at Rev. 14:4-7, which will
be studied later. But to anticipate, these bondservants FOLLOW the Lord
wherever He goes, which indicates devotion and service (not literally
following along behind Him). In addition, I believe that the everlasting
gospel is proclaimed world wide by these new converts, and that it is
symbolized by the angel who is seen at Rev. 14:6. I do not believe that the
angel is soaring through the sky proclaiming the gospel. This is just another
one of those SYMBOLS to portray an event. The symbol will not happen, but the
EVENT that the symbol portrays will happen. The event - the gospel will be
proclaimed worldwide by the new priestly agent. That is why this symbol
follows the description of the 144,000 at verses 6-7.
Someone might question how these UNBELIEVING Jews can be qualified to function
as evangelistic bondservants of God so quickly after their conversion.
It is
just like what happened to Saul of Tarsus. Just like Saul, the converted Jews
will have been taught about the Messiah from the Old Testament scriptures. In
addition to that, there will be the testimony of the two witnesses of
Revelation 11:3-6, and the testimony of the church. Thus, as soon as they
accept Jesus as that Messiah, they will be able to “put it all together” with
the help of the Holy Spirit - just like Saul did, who “immediately began to
proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20).
This is portrayed for us with the VISION-SYMBOL of the angel “flying in
midheaven, having an everlasting gospel” at Rev. 14:6-7. God provides these
bondservants with the specific gospel information they need to be effective as
evangelists in the time remaining between the rapture and the battle of
Armageddon.
Imagine 144,000 “little Pauls” traversing the world proclaiming Jesus as the
Messiah and exhorting people to accept the everlasting gospel!
Another
view is that this group of 144,000 Jews is the same as “the woman” of
Revelation 12:6, 13-16. This cannot be because “the woman” represents a group
of Jews who flee into the wilderness AT the midpoint of the week and are
protected through the duration of the great tribulation. They are not even
saved at this time, for they are clearly distinguished from “those who hold to
the testimony of Jesus,” at Rev. 12:17. Although some of them, if not all will
probably trust in Jesus as the Messiah after the Day of the Lord begins. The
144,000 are a separate group of Jews who come into play AFTER the arrival of
Jesus in the clouds of sky and AFTER He raptures the church out from the
earth.
Now, as mentioned above, many if not all of those who are of “the woman” might
become believers after the rapture, and it is quite possible that some of
these would be numbered with the 144,000 FIRST FRUITS. But the group of
144,000 “as a whole” is an evangelistic body that has a ministry to conduct
world wide, and cannot be effective bond servants of God if they are hiding in
the wilderness.
There are also some who are unwilling to assign the function of evangelist to
the 144,000. I hope that the information in this treatise will adequately
explain why they ARE, and in fact, why they NEED TO BE men with a specialized
ministry of evangelism during the time they are on the earth after the rapture
of the church.
Details:
The
144k as evangelists
REVELATION 7:4-8
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four
thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
The newly converted Jews will be comprised of a specific number of 12,000 from
each of the 12 tribes mentioned in verses 5-8.
This is because God will now RETURN to Israel as the designated EVANGELISTIC
AGENT to represent God to the world.
According to Rev. 14:4, these are the FIRST FRUITS to be redeemed from among
men on the earth after the rapture. All subsequent converts will be sealed as
well, for it is the FACT of their salvation via the indwelling presence of the
Holy Spirit that is the seal. THESE are signaled out here because AS THE FIRST
FRUITS and AS JEWS, they will be the special evangelistic agent of God to take
the everlasting gospel throughout the world.
There is no basis for viewing the mention of the 12 tribes of Israel as
symbolic because there is nothing that the symbol can point to other than
speculative and fanciful denials of the intent of the vision. It is perfectly
consistent with both Old Testament and New Testament truth that LITERAL ISRAEL
will once again function as the evangelistic agent of God on the earth.
The challenge to anyone trying to interpret The Book of Revelation is how to
determine what is and what is not a symbol.
We have to be careful in arbitrarily CHOOSING what “we” personally THINK is or
is not symbolic. There will, of course, be disagreements, however, what is
usually a safe axiom is: Take everything at its normal, natural, and literal
sense UNLESS there is something in the context that takes the meaning OUT OF
THE ORDINARY. For example, the image of the LAMB that John sees throughout his
vision. John is seeing a SYMBOL of Jesus. In the scenes of heaven, and when
the future events that are symbolized actually occur, it WILL NOT BE A LAMB
that is seen, but the actual person of Jesus.
Here, there is NOTHING “out of the ordinary” that can be assigned to the
144,000 Israelites. It should therefore be taken as literally referring to
144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes mentioned.
It mentions the 12 tribes because that is EXACTLY what is intended for it to
mean. In argument against this, it is commonly taught that, today, no one is
able to trace their family lineage back to any particular tribe. But the
individuals don’t need to know - God knows.
The tribes that are listed are: Judah, Reuban, Gad, Asher, naphtali, Simeon,
Levi, Issachar, Zebulan, Joseph, and Benjamin.
There are two of the REGULAR tribes that have been left off of this list and
replaced respectively by Levi and Joseph.
Levi, which is not an independent tribe, but shares inheritance with all the
others, replaces Dan PROBABLY for 4 reasons:
(1) Leviticus 24:10-16
A man from the tribe of Dan is the first recorded person to blaspheme the Name
of Yahweh.
Lev. 24:10-11
Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out
among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel
struggled with each other in the camp.
And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they
brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of
Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)
(2) Judges 18:30-31
The tribe of Dan is the only tribe guilty of slaughtering a city of innocent
people.
Judg. 18:27-29, Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had
belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck
them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. And there
was no one to deliver {them,} because it was far from Sidon and they had no
dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob. And
they rebuilt the city and lived in it. And they called the name of the city
Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel; however, the
name of the city formerly was Laish.
(3) Judges 18:30-31
The tribe of Dan is the first tribe to go into idolatry.
Judg. 18:30-31, And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image;
and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were
priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the
land. So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image which he had made,
all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh.
(4) Genesis 49:16-17
The dictator of Palestine
during the tribulation; the one who forces beast worship on Israel will
probably be from the tribe of Dan. There is no other historical event that can
fulfill this passage.
“Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the
horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward.”
Joseph, who is not even officially a TRIBE, but has two sons who are tribes
(Ephraim and Manasseh), replaces Ephraim PROBABLY because Jeroboam, from the
tribe of Ephraim, established idolatry in the Northern kingdom of Israel. 1
Kings 11:26;
12:28-31; 2 Chron. 11:14-15
God took half the kingdom from Solomon and gave it to Jeroboam, promising him
great spiritual and social blessing (1 Kings 11:29-38). But Jeroboam rebelled
against and rejected the law of Moses and proper worship of Yahweh.
1 Kings 12:28-31
So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is
too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that
brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And he set one in Bethel,
and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went
{to worship} before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places,
and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
This EXCLUSION of the tribes of Dan and Ephraim does not mean that no one from
those tribes will trust in Jesus as the Messiah during this time. It just
means that no one from among those tribes will be part of the FIRST FRUITS and
evangelistic bondservants of God.
The next time we see the 144,000 is at Revelation 14:1-7.
REVELATION CHAPTER 14
To understand where this passage fits into the whole end-times scenario, we
need to back up just a bit and review some of the chronology of the Book of
The Revelation.
We have already seen that the first 6 seals take us from the beginning of the
70th week of Daniel, beyond the midpoint of the week and the start of the
tribulation, to the return of Jesus in the clouds of the sky at the 6th seal.
After the conversion of the 144,000 Jewish bondservants of God, the wrath of
God begins to be poured out through the 7 trumpets.
These are covered in chapters 8-10.
Chapter 11 BACKS UP to the midpoint of the 70th week when the tribulation
officially begins via the oppressive reign of the beast. Verse one represents
an evaluation AT the midpoint of the week of what has been going on from the
beginning of the week. The temple is already there. The people are already
falsely worshipping before the measuring begins. From the midpoint onward,
there will be no more such worshipping there, for the beast will have placed
his image in the Holy Place
as per Matthew 24:15 and 2 Thes. 2:4 and Daniel 9:27. From verse 2 forward, we
see the 2nd half of the week portrayed with two points of focus. (1) the
Gentile domination of the temple area in verse 2 through the reign of the
beast. And (2) the ministry of the two witnesses, who prophesy for 1260 days;
from the beginning of the tribulation until the end of the 70th week. Their
ministry takes place before and after the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of
the sky; both before and after the rapture of the church; and before and after
the wrath of God is being poured out on the earth via the trumpet judgments.
There is no mention of these events, just the chronological factor of 1260
days PLUS an additional 3 1/2 days.
Verses
1-6, their ministry will last 1260 days; the last 3 1/2 years
of the 7 year 70th week of Daniel.
Verse 7, When the 1260 days is over they will be killed by the beast
And then will begin the 30 days of God’s final wrath on the
world which will culminate in Armageddon and the cleansing
of the temple in Jerusalem (Dan. 12:11).
Verses 8-12, For the first 3 1/2 days of this 30 day period, the two
witnesses will lie in the street and then be raised and
ascend into heaven on the 4th day.
Verse 13, On the 4th day there will occur a massive earthquake which
will bring about the salvation of a large group in Jerusalem.
Verses 14-19, The 7th trumpet announces the third woe, which is the final
wrath of God, and is portrayed by the 7 bowls that begin at verse 15:1.
Chapter 12 backs up again to the midpoint of the 70th week.
The focus is on the persecution of Israel and Christians by Satan. He uses the
beast, but this is not portrayed to John until chapter 13. Israel is given
protection in the wilderness for 1260 days and because Satan cannot reach
them, he begins a massive attack on the Christians.
There is no mention of the arrival of Jesus, the rapture or the beginning of
God’s wrath. The focus is on the GENERAL persecution activity of Satan with no
chronological notations other than the time that the Jews are protected in the
wilderness.
Chapter 13 backs up once again to the midpoint of the 70th week.
Here, the beginning of the beast’s oppressive reign is highlighted, including
operation MARK of the beast which will be the great millstone around the neck
of the world’s population.
The details do not focus on any chronological factors other than stating the
official length of the beast’s reign as 42 months.
The chapter does not mention the SIGNS, the arrival of Christ, the rapture, or
the wrath of God.
Chapter 14
There are several different interpretations assigned to this chapter which
vary from one another considerably. My purpose here is to simply present my
understanding and let the reader determine for himself the viability of what I
suggest.
There are no chronological factors in the chapter so we have to try to find
its chronological PLACEMENT through the context.
The
chapter gives us a summary of the high points of the 2nd half of
the week. Since the first thing mentioned is the presence of the 144 thousand
bondservants of God, I suggest that the chapter begins with the "sealing" of
the 144,000 Jewish bondservants after the rapture and concludes with the
gathering of the nations to Armageddon which is the 6th bowl judgment.
It does not begin AT the midpoint of the week, but later, after the
tribulation has been cut short by the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the
sky as per Matthew 24:29-31, which is portrayed by the 6th seal. After the
rapture, the 144,000 servants are saved and sealed, and begin their
evangelistic function as representatives of the nation of Israel. However,
this chapter concludes just beyond the end of the 70th week, at the end of the
30 day time of "final" wrath which immediately follows the end of the week;
the battle of Armageddon (Verse 14:20).
However, for this article, we are only interested in the first 8 verses, for
they are what reveal truths about the 144,000 Jewish bondservants.
The chapter begins with a vision of the 144,000 Jews whom we saw sealed at
chapter 7:1-8. The chapter divisions are man-made and are not divinely
inspired, and therefore do not represent any divinely intended division of
events.
According to Revelation 9:12-21 and 11:14-19, the 7 years of the 70th week
will come to an end at the death of the two witnesses and WHILE the military
horde of the 6th trumpet (which is the 2nd woe) is devastating the earth, and,
based on the time frame, is moving in the direction of Jerusalem and Megiddo.
There is still one woe to come, which will be announced at the 7th trumpet. It
is the FINAL outpouring of God’s wrath through the 7 bowl judgments. Before
the 3rd woe begins, we are shown the several flashback scenes of John’s
vision.
(1) Chapter 12 backs up to focus on the persecution activity of Satan, and
although it sees the 2nd half of the 70th week as a unit, it does not go any
further than the FIFTH seal in its chronology. This is based on verse 17,
where the focus is on the persecution of the church age saints prior to the
rapture.
(2) Chapter 13 backs up to focus on the two MEN that Satan uses to carry out
his persecution agenda; the beast and the false prophet. Once again, it sees
the 2nd half of the week as a unit, but does not bring us to the end of that
time period. Thus, the church would still be on the earth undergoing the
persecution from the beast.
(3) Chapter 14 is a continuation of chapter 13 and picks up DURING the reign
of the beast AFTER the rapture has occurred and the church has been removed
from the earth. Now we have a situation very similar to what we saw at the 6th
seal. The 6th seal portrays the return of Christ as it was prophesied at
Matthew 24:29-31; a return that interrupts and cuts short the tribulation.
Chapter 7 shows us the two immediate results of Christ’s return; (1) a scene
on the earth, and (2), a scene in heaven. The scene on the earth is the
conversion and sealing of the 144,000 Jewish bondservants. The scene in heaven
is the raptured church standing on the sea of glass before the throne of God.
Here, at chapter 14, we are shown the 144,000 bondservants ON THE EARTH, at
some time DURING the reign of the beast (chapter 13). But to see the 144,000
requires that the rapture has already occurred, and just like the 2nd coming
of Jesus is not mentioned in this section, likewise the rapture is not
mentioned.
Now what follows in chapter 14 are events that lead up to the final
confrontation between Christ and the armies of the nations at Armageddon. This
section is independently chronological, just as is every other section in the
book.
(4) chapter 15, then returns to the PRIMARY chronological chain that was
interrupted at verse 11:19, and prepares for the administration of the 3rd
woe, the 7 bowl judgments.
VERSES 1-7
First of all, the idea that this group of 144,000 men is different from the
144,000 of chapter 7 is contrary to all interpretive logic. God is not playing
games with us. There is absolutely no indication or even a hint that this is a
different group. Any suggestion that it is, is entirely speculative and
fanciful. Scripture interprets scripture, and unless there is CLEAR indication
to the contrary, IDENTICAL terms should be considered as identical.
Verse 1
1. And I looked, and behold: “and I looked” occurs 8 times in the Book of
Revelation. The last time was at verse 8:13.
Five times, it is followed by “and behold,” (V. 6:2, 5, 8; 14:1, 14). Two
times it is followed by “and I heard,” (v. 5:11; 8;13). And one time with
simply the vision that is seen (v. 6:12).
This FORMULA for seeing a vision is also used by Ezekiel at v. 37:8 and 44:4.
2. the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion:
This is in VISION-FORMAT. These are SYMBOLS. The symbols will NOT happen, but
the events and people that the symbols represent will happen. The Lamb
REPRESENTS Jesus. In actuality, Jesus will not come as a LAMB.
Mount
Zion refers to an EARTHLY scene that portrays PHYSICAL ISRAEL. Some teach that
this scene on MT ZION is in heaven and that the 144k are there with the Lord
after their ministry on earth is completed. However, this scene in Rev. 14:1
is a symbolic VISION of what will happen after the rapture. They are shown to
be with the Lord on an EARTHLY Mt.
Zion, to indicate (1) they are Jews, (2) they have a ministry ON THE EARTH to
represent God in an evangelistic capacity, and (3) they are totally devoted to
the Lord, following Him “everywhere.” When the time actually comes, they will
NOT appear on Mt. Zion with the Lord, but will minister throughout the earth
as evangelistic bondservants of God. There is no basis for placing these Jews
on a literal Mt. Zion at some time in the future.
We must remember that John is seeing SYMBOLS of events that will happen. The
SYMBOLS will not happen; the events that the symbols portray will happen.
The main reason that Mt.
Zion should be interpreted as an EARTHLY scene, is because in verse 2, he also
hears a voice FROM HEAVEN. This gives us a clear distinction between Mount
Zion and heaven, and helps us to identify these 144,000 men as Jews.
The VOICE of verse 2 comes FROM heaven, which comes from the harpists who are
in heaven, and are the church (Rev. 15:2; 7:9; 4:6).
At verse 5, the phrase, “before the throne,” which occurs in the King James
Version, has no Greek manuscript evidence to support it as genuine. It does
not even occur in the “majority text.” It was added later to a LATIN
manuscript by an over zealous copyist who added his own interpretation, and it
is not part of the word of God.
The translators of the KJV had only the Latin for the Book of the Revelation;
they did not have a Greek manuscript of the book available.
3. and with Him, 144,000: These are clearly the same people introduced to us
at verses 7:1-8.
There, we learned -
(1) that they are BONDSERVANTS of God.
(2) that they are saved and sealed AFTER the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of
the sky.
(3) that they are sealed BEFORE God begins to pour out His wrath.
(4) that they are clearly men from the nation of Israel.
Here, we are given some additional information about these men.
4. having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads:
This amplifies the SEALING mentioned at Verse 7:3, which has already been
explained. The point of equation is the phrase, “on their foreheads.”
But what John sees is a SYMBOL. In actuality, these 144,000 (and all
believers, both before and after the rapture) do NOT have a visible STAMP of
God’s name on the forehead. They have the ACTUAL seal IN THE HEART, which is
the indwelling Holy Spirit.
This is
not a VISIBLE seal, but a spiritual FACT that is known only in a “spiritual”
context and not known or seen by humans on the earth.
God knows and the angels involved know and divine protection will not let the
demon oppressors of the 5th trumpet judgment hurt anyone who has that divine
seal.
The SEAL is a claim of ownership that is represented in John’s vision by the
NAME of God on the forehead.
The seal is a claim of divine possession (2 Tim. 2:19) and
ownership (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
It is actually the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; 1 Cor.
6:19-20). It is not something that is given to them by an angel. John is
seeing a vision of symbols that portray events. The symbol, an angel sealing
the believers, will not occur, but the EVENT ITSELF, THE SEALING, which is the
indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, will occur.
Thus, here at Rev. 14:1, John sees the 144,00 AS HAVING THE SEAL. They are
saved and BELONG to God. The VISIBLE seal that John sees is the SYMBOL within
the vision of the INVISIBLE claim that God has on the soul of the believer.
The symbol will not occur but the FACT of the believer having the seal does
occur.
VERSE 2
1. And I heard a sound from heaven: the word is phonA, and means simply - A
SOUND. This word occurs 4 times in this verse and should be rendered SOUND
each time. The sound is FROM HEAVEN which clearly contrasts it with the scene
on
Mt. Zion, which is on the earth.
We can debate among ourselves whether this is after the rapture or after the
70th week or after Armageddon, but there is no contextual basis for
interpreting the 144,000 as being in heaven, when the contrast is clearly made
by the “sound from heaven.”
2. The sound was LIKE many waters and loud thunder:
This is what John heard. There is nothing beyond it.
The sound that John heard was LOUD.
3. And the sound that I heard was like that of harpists playing on their
harps:
John hears harpists in heaven playing on their harps. In order to identify
these harpists we need more information.
Verse 3
Here we learn FOUR things about the harpists.
(1) They are BEFORE THE THRONE
(2) before the 4 living creatures
(3) before the 24 elders
(4) and they sang a new song.
At Rev. 15:2, we learn that these harpists are standing on the sea of glass.
The sea of glass is located BEFORE THE THRONE.
At Rev. 4:6, the sea of glass was empty.
“and before the throne {there was,} as it were, a sea of glass like crystal;
and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in
front and behind.”
At Rev. 7:9, This AREA before the throne is filled with the raptured saints.
If they are standing BEFORE THE THRONE, they are standing ON THE SEA OF GLASS.
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one
could count, from every nation and {all} tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and
palm branches {were} in their hands.”
The harpists that John sees in his vision at Rev. 15:2-4 and at 14:2-3,
represent the raptured body of Christ in heaven. And both passages tell us
that they sang a song. At verses 15:2-3, they sang the song of Moses and the
song of the Lamb. This refers to ONE song, not two. It is the song of praise
reflecting the combination of both Old Testament saints and church age saints.
As at Revelation 7:9ff, the group viewed is restricted to those who were
martyred under the persecution of the beast during the great tribulation. This
does not exclude believers of all ages who were resurrected at the rapture,
but here we have a specific FOCUS to emphasize the time frame for the rapture.
The emphasis is on those who were delivered from the great tribulation as at 2
Thessalonians 1:6-7.
“For after all it is {only} just for God to repay with affliction those who
afflict you, and {to give} relief to you who are afflicted (in tribulation)
and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels in flaming fire.”
Paul’s language anticipates the POSSIBILITY that the affliction that they were
going through at that time, could easily escalate into the tribulation that
Jesus taught about at Matthew 24:9-29.
I believe that this is the same group of resurrected saints as the harpists
that John HEARS in heaven at verses 14:2-3. They will be raptured at the 6th
seal vision, and will remain in heaven after the rapture and during the events
portrayed by the symbols in the rest of the book.
4. and no one could learn the song except the 144,000:
The NEW song is a song of praise reflecting God’s deliverance of His people,
both spiritually (through redemption) and physically (through protection on
the earth).
At the rapture of the church, the BATON of evangelistic service will be passed
to the new priestly agent (bondservants of God). The “spiritual” priesthood of
the church will be removed and God will RETURN to the previous NATIONAL
priesthood of Israel.
This NEW evangelistic agent will be EQUIPPED with (1) protection, (2)
specialized instruction, and (3) the gospel message itself.
The protection is from the judgments of God’s wrath that will be poured out on
the unbelievers of the earth, as well as protection from the beast.
The specialized knowledge will be the MYSTERY truths based on the crucifixion
and resurrection of Christ, as at 1 Cor. 2:6-9.
The gospel message which IN VISION FORMAT is symbolized by the angel who has
the everlasting gospel at Rev. 14:6-7.
5. who had been purchased from the earth:
Purchased refers to REDEMPTION. Christ paid the penalty (payment) for sin
demanded by God’s justice. Those who trust in Him will have that payment
credited to their account, and be forgiven all sins as at Eph. 1:7.
The phrase, from the earth, refers to the earthly location of these who trust
in Christ.
At verse 4, we find, “purchased from among men.”
The 144,000 are redeemed out from the human race. They are specifically OF
Israel, which we designate today as Jews.
We are told that they are the FIRST FRUITS to God and the Lamb.
This indicates that they are the FIRST ONES to trust in Christ after the
church age saints are removed from the earth at the rapture.
It does not mean that they are the ONLY ones - just the FIRST ones. There will
be many more people out from both Jew and Gentile who trust in Christ as the
days pass leading up to Armageddon. This is the whole focus of Joel 2:32,
“And it will come about (after the Day of the Lord begins) that whoever calls
upon the name of the LORD, will be saved.”
Verse 4
1.
“These are ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins.”
Some understand this to be symbolic of SPIRITUAL purity.
If “defiled” is taken as “spiritual” defilement, then it indicates no
compromise with the religion of the beast or the other idol activities that
will be taking place (Rev.9:20-21). The concept of virginity is often used to
indicate spiritual purity as at 2 Cor. 11:2 and Eph. 5:27). Also the statement
that they follow the Lamb would be indicative of their spiritual purity.
However, the PHYSICAL meaning is more likely what is in view. Any SYMBOLISM
would be adequately expressed with just the phrase, “have not been defiled
with women.” But the phrase, “for they are virgins,” AMPLIFIES and explains
how it is that they have not been defiled. It is NOT because they are not
married (which is certainly the case), but because they have NEVER had sexual
relations. Thus, the emphasis is on the idea of undistracted devotion to the
Lord.
Men who have had sexual intercourse with a woman were considered to be
CEREMONIALLY unclean for that day. Leviticus 15:18
“If a man lies with a woman {so that} there is a seminal emission, they shall
both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.”
Since they were to be considered UNCLEAN for the day, that means that they
were to remain separate from others during that time.
Sexual intercourse, EVEN with one’s wife, indicated a division of devotion.
And the believer’s devotion must ever be undivided in its expression toward
God. However, this does not mean that a man could not be married and have sex
with his wife. Marriage was designed by God, and it does not really put into
doubt a believer’s devotion. It simply creates a situation where there is a
necessary division of attention and devotion. This is taught in the New
Testament at 1 Corinthians 7:32-35.
“But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned
about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is
married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his
wife, and {his interests} are divided. And the woman who is unmarried, and the
virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both
in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of
the world, how she may please her husband.
And this I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to
promote what is seemly, and {to secure} undistracted devotion to the Lord.”
Of course, there is nothing WRONG or UNCLEAN about the marriage relationship
which is to be held in honor among all, (Heb. 13:4)
And their is nothing WRONG or UNCLEAN about sex (1 Cor. 7:1-5), so the concept
of ceremonial uncleanness in association with sex is simply SYMBOLIC of
worldly distractions.
Thus, when God was about to give the MEN of Israel the ten commandments, part
of their preparation for this “meeting” was that they were not to have sex on
the day the meeting was to take place. Exodus 19:15.
And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a
woman.”
And when Ahimelech the priest offered David and his men the consecrated bread
of the sanctuary, he stipulated the need for the men to have abstained from
sexual activity with women. 1 Samuel 21:3-4
“Now therefore, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or
whatever can be found.”
And the priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand,
but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves
from women.”
So, as I see it, the description of sexual purity is to be taken LITERALLY,
and is used to INDICATE that these men have undistracted devotion to the Lord.
2. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes:
Again, the SYMBOL will not occur, but the image that the symbol communicates
will occur. There is NO LAMB to follow behind.
The issue of following JESUS, is to be diligent in His service on a daily
basis. It does not mean that they LITERALLY follow behind him “step by step,”
but they follow His word and guidance in faithfulness to the evangelistic
commission with which they have been entrusted.
3. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the
Lamb.
This has previously been explained as indicating that these were the FIRST
ones to trust in Christ after the rapture.
SINLESS CONSISTENCY
Verse 5
1. and no lie was found in their mouth:
The emphasis here is on moral integrity and the truthfulness of their message.
Their motivation is also in view, as they will make no attempts to deceive or
mislead or deny concerning the truths of the Christian value system.
2. they are blameless: the adjective, amomos, refers to sinless consistency.
That is, a testimonial impact that no one can impeach. So there will be an
impact on those who hear; an impact from both the message proclaimed and the
life that is lived. Such a testimony will have great impact in an environment
where deceit and duplicity is the order of the day.
3. The phrase in the KJV that occurs at the end of this verse has already been
explained, but I repeat it here.
This phrase has no Greek manuscript evidence to support it as genuine. It does
not even occur in the “majority text.” It was added later to a LATIN
manuscript by an over zealous copyist who added his own interpretation, and it
is not part of the word of God.
The translators of the KJV had only the Latin for the Book of the Revelation;
they did not have a Greek manuscript of the book available.
THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL
The gospel message that they will take to the world is described in verses
6-7.
John sees in His vision another angel who brings “the eternal gospel to
proclaim to those who live on the earth.” This is still a VISION showing John
SYMBOLICALLY what will happen. The angel is seen to SYMBOLICALLY have the
gospel. This is simply to show to John that the message of the 144 thousand
will be the same gospel that has been proclaimed all throughout history. It is
the ETERNAL gospel.
This is the message of the 144 thousand bondservants. It does not refer to an
angel who proclaims the gospel. It does not say that the angel proclaims the
gospel; it says that the angel HAS the gospel. It is the ones who follow the
Lord who will be responsible for proclaiming the message.
The content of the message is described at verse 7, “fear God, and give him
glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the
heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
Reverencing (fear) God is the attitude of humility that recognizes His
authority. To give Him glory refers to accepting His plan of salvation. And
worship is the expression of love and devotion shown to God in view of being
saved.
Notice that this exhortation to respond to God is associated with the THREAT
of judgment. This is as it is with all the gospel messages. That is in fact,
what the idea of SAVED is all about; saved from judgment. John 3:16-18, 36.
As a result of Israel
fulfilling her evangelistic commission through the 144,000 bond servants, as
well as the ministry of the two witnesses of Rev. 11:3-6, there will be many
people who believe in Christ after the rapture of the church.
1. At Rev. 11:13, there is a large group of Jews in Jerusalem who respond to
this gospel message and become believers in Jesus. “And the rest became
reverent and gave glory to the God of heaven.” These are probably the ones
seen in Zechariah 12:5-8 as being strong “through Yahweh of hosts, their God.”
2. The clans of Judah
who are also present in that Battle
at Jerusalem, would have become believers sometime after the rapture.
3. When Armageddon is over and Messiah’s earthly kingdom is established, there
will be many Gentile believers within the nations who will be part of that
kingdom (Zech. 14:16; 2:11; Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 56:6-8; 60:10-14; Micah
4:1-3). These will be among those evaluated to be believers through the “sheep
and goat judgment” that takes place during the 45 days before the kingdom
officially starts. Mat. 25:31-46 with Daniel 12:12.
4. Since it is not mentioned, it is safe to think that the 144k servants will
remain alive and go into the mil kingdom to continue their service to the
Godhead.
5. During the kingdom, the New Jerusalem will be located ON or ABOVE the earth
and the BELIEVING Gentile nations will walk by its light. To be present in the
kingdom, they would have become believers between the rapture and Armageddon.
Rev. 21:22-27.
To summarize:
1. At the midpoint of the week, the beast will begin his persecution directed
against both the Jews (Rev. 12:13-16) and the Christians (Rev. 12:17 and
13:7). The attack against the Christians, the SAINTS, is mentioned at Daniel
7:21, “waging war with the saints and overpowering them.”
2. Many of those Jews will escape to the wilderness and will be protected by
God because they are still His chosen people (Rev. 12:6, 13-16). After the
rapture many, if not all of them will trust in Jesus as the Messiah. Later, He
has a plan for them during the millennial kingdom. But prior to the rapture,
they are to be distinguished from BELIEVERS. Rev. 12:17 shows us a DIFFERENT
group who are characterized by the fact that they “hold to the testimony of
Jesus.”
3. Many months into the beast’s reign, at an unknown day and hour, the Lord
will come back in the clouds of the sky and take all the believers from the
earth and gather them to Himself (Mat. 24:29-31, 40-42, 1 Thes. 4:13-17). The
day and hour of this return is unknown, but not the SEASON (Mat. 24:32-33).
The SEASON is clearly identified as the time after the man of lawlessness has
taken his seat in the temple
of God as is taught at 2 Thes. 2:1-4.
4. At this time only unbelievers will be left on the earth. But out from among
them (from among men, Rev. 14:4), the first ones to trust in Christ will be
144,000 Jews. Accordingly, they are seen to be “the first fruits to God and to
the Lamb,” that is, the first ones to believe from among men after the
rapture. At the moment of their salvation, they are sealed for protection from
the wrath to come (Rev. 7:3). This SEAL is not identified in Rev. 7, but only
the ACT of sealing is in view. It is at Rev. 14:1 where the seal is identified
as “His name and the name of His Father.” This picture of God’s name present
on the forehead is SYMBOLIC. It portrays divine ownership (2 Tim. 2:19)
and entails the indwelling of the Holy Spirit just as it did prior to the
rapture (2 Cor. 1:22; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
At Rev. 7:3, these believers are described as “bondservants of our God.” This
communicates a ministry of evangelism, for there is certainly no other work
that would be pertinent and crucial during this time of judgment. Their
evangelistic service is described at Rev. 14:4-7 as “ones who follow the Lamb
wherever He goes.” This does not refer to a LITERAL WALKING behind Him, for
Jesus will not be ON THE EARTH at this time. It refers to their spiritual
devotion to follow the teaching of Jesus and to take that teaching to the rest
of the world. Their devotion is indicated also by their avoidance of all
worldly distractions, which includes marriage. Their sinless consistency is
mentioned by the words, “and no lie was found in their mouth; they are
blameless,” Rev. 14:5).
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