Jesus Selects 144,000
Prophets
page l 1 l 2 l
-1-
The book of Revelation
is carefully designed. Every detail
is perfectly choreographed. Every
scene is deliberately set up, and
each of the seventeen prophecies in
Daniel and Revelation produce a
matrix of timing and events that
harmoniously conforms with valid
rules of interpretation. A proper
understanding of apocalyptic prophecy
produces an incredible story about
Jesus and His offer of salvation. In
fact, the entire Bible dovetails into
the “Revelation of Jesus
Christ” much like all the
electrical wires in a house connect
to the breaker box. The role and
character of the Godhead, their love
for each other and mankind, the
sovereign authority of Jesus, the
ministry of the Holy Spirit, the
Father’s plan for our salvation,
and its timing – all this is
found in apocalyptic prophecy. I have
said many times that apocalyptic
prophecy is not so much about future
telling as it is about the love,
plans, and ways of God. If you
really want to appreciate the
fullness of salvation’s process,
you have to study the books of Daniel
and Revelation.
Revelation 10:1 occurs
prior to the casting down of
the censer in Revelation 8:5. When
the time for Revelation 10:1 arrives,
Jesus will quietly descend to Earth
to make Himself known to those whom
He has chosen to be His servants.
Like Saul of Tarsus on the road to
Damascus, most of the 144,000 do not
personally know Jesus currently, but
when they are called, they will see
Him and understand His sovereign
authority over Heaven and Earth. No
one else will see Jesus descend.
(Compare with Daniel 10:7 and Acts
9:7.) This appearing parallels the
Lord’s unannounced appearing to
Abraham. Remember how the Lord and
two angels came down from Heaven (in
the form of three men) to see for
themselves how great the wickedness
of Sodom and Gomorrah had become.
(Genesis 18) The two angels who came
with the Lord came to serve as two
witnesses. In a similar way, the Lord
will quietly descend from Heaven to
physically appear before His
servants. He will tell them of His
selection, He will empower them with
His Two Witnesses and the destruction
of Earth (the first four trumpets)
will begin.
“Then I saw
another mighty angel [this angel
is Jesus] coming down
from heaven. He was robed in a cloud,
with a rainbow above his head; his
face was like the sun, and his legs
were like fiery pillars. He was
holding a little scroll, which lay
open in his hand. He planted
his right foot on the sea and his
left foot on the land [His stance
declares sovereign rule over land and
sea], and he gave a loud shout [a
thunderous announcement] like the
roar of a lion. When he shouted, the
voices of the seven thunders
spoke.” (Revelation 10:10-3,
italics and insertions mine)
Timing
Rule One of
apocalyptic prophecy says that each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning
and ending point in time. I
understand that Revelation 10:1
occurs a few days before the
censer is cast down in Revelation 8
and before the seven trumpets begin.
Please examine the chart on the
following page and notice the
relationships between the prophecies
in
Revelation 7,8, and
10:
A= In 1994, the limits
of God’s patience were reached.
The Jubilee Calendar expired. The
seven angels were given the seven
trumpets.
B= The first four
angels of the seven trumpets were
told not to harm the earth –
until the sealing of the 144,000 is
completed.
C= At approximately
the same time, I believe a great war
begins. Jesus descends from Heaven,
declares His sovereign authority over
Earth, and announces that the
appointed time for God’s wrath
has come. Jesus selects and empowers
the 144,000.
D= A possible nuclear
exchange occurs. The saints pray for
God’s intervention.
E= A few days later,
the first of the seven thunders
occurs, Jesus declares there will be
no more delay, the censer is cast
down, and the 144,000 begin preaching
for 1,260 days.
Who Is The Mighty
Angel?
John wrote, “Then
I saw another mighty angel coming
down from heaven. He was robed in a
cloud, with a rainbow above his head;
his face was like the sun, and his
legs were like fiery pillars.” (Revelation
10:1) The mighty angel in Revelation
10:1 is Michael/Jesus. Jesus is
depicted as the angel Michael for
several reasons. Consider the
following:
1.
John’s description of Jesus in
Revelation 10 and Ezekiel’s
description of Jesus in Ezekiel 1 are
in perfect harmony even though these
men lived approximately 700 years
apart. Ezekiel wrote, “Above
the expanse over their heads [the
four living creatures] was what
looked like a throne of sapphire, and
high above on the throne was a
figure like that of a man.
I saw that form what appeared to be
his waist up he looked like glowing
metal, as if full of fire, and from
there down he looked like fire;
brilliant light surrounded him. Like the
appearance of a rainbow in
the clouds on a rainy day, so was the
radiance around him. This was the
appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the Lord.
When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I
heard the voice of one speaking. He
said to me, “Son of
man, stand up on your feet
and I will speak to you.’” (Ezekiel
1:26-2:2, insertion and italics mine)
Ezekiel saw the Lord
sitting on His throne and He
resembled the form of a man because
mankind was created in God’s
image! Angels look something like
men, as well. (Genesis 1:26,27; 19:1;
Daniel 9:21; Hebrews 13:2; Revelation
9:7) The fiery appearance of Jesus in
Ezekiel 1 and the rainbow surrounding
Him indicates that He is God. (Daniel
10:5,6) Jesus is the Creator of
light. (Genesis 1:1; 1 John 1:5; John
8:12) The rainbow testifies that this
angel is the Source of light and
everything that exists. (Colossians
1:16) No other being, other than
God, is surrounded by a rainbow in
the Bible. When God made the
promise that he would not destroy the
world with another flood, He said, “I
have set my rainbow in the
clouds….” (Note the
possessive pronoun) in the sky for
everyone on Earth to see. (Genesis
9:13, italics mine) No throne, other
than God’s throne, has a rainbow
encircling it. The angel in
Revelation 10:1 is a member of deity
and there is only one angel who is
deity – Michael. The rainbow is
telling. (Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation
4:3)
2. The
angel in Revelation 10 takes a
deliberate stance. John says, “He
planted his right foot on the sea and
his left foot on the land.” The
angel’s posture and location
indicates sovereign authority over
Earth (both land and sea).
John saw Jesus as a mighty angel in
this prophecy for several reasons.
Angels are a higher order than
mankind. Angels have strength and
powers that go far beyond human
ability. Michael, the Archangel, is
King of kings and Lord of lords over
all creation, Heaven and Earth
combined. (Philippians 2:9,10) Prior
to living among us as a man, Jesus
lived in Heaven in the form of an
angel. This is why Jesus is also
called, Michael, the archangel. When
Jesus returned to Heaven on
Resurrection Sunday (John 20:17), He
resumed His identity and authority as
Michael, and He led His angels in a
successful battle to evict Lucifer
and his angels from Heaven.
(Revelation 12:7-9)
3. Jesus
is represented as a mighty angel in
Revelation 10:1 because He is the commander
of the seven angels who have the
seven trumpets. In the chapter on the
seven trumpets, we found that seven
exalted angels stand before
God’s throne. These angels were
given the seven trumpets in 1994 and
they have been waiting for several
years for a command from Jesus to
begin destroying Earth. Jesus will
release the first four angels with
their trumpet destruction when He
announces, “… there will
be no more delay.”
(Revelation 10:6) This mighty angel,
actually Michael, is the
commander-in-chief of the seven
angels. Michael/Jesus is not a
created being like angels or human
beings. Michael is God, a co-eternal
member of the Godhead. Michael is
equal in every way to the Father.
Many people stumble over the idea
that Michael is Jesus, but whether He
lives among the angels as one of them
or among men as one of us –
neither position diminishes the
divinity or fullness of Jesus. In
fact, both incarnations expand the
divinity of Jesus by revealing the
love of God has for His creation!
Think about this: The Creator of
angels and human beings lives and
walks in the shoes of His own
creation. Michael/Jesus lives among
us as one of us! Jesus is called by
His angelic name, Michael, in
Daniel10:13, 21, 12:1, Jude 1:9 and
Revelation 12:7 because the Father
wants us to know that even after
assuming humanity, Jesus remains the
arch-angel, the commander of
Heaven’s angels. (The prefix
“arch” comes from the Greek
word that means “above
others” – the English words
“mon-arch” means
“one-ruler” and arch-bishop
means a “bishop above
others.”)
4.
Another clue proving that the angel
in Revelation 10:1 is Jesus comes
indirectly from John and the apostle
Paul. Paul tells us that Jesus
Himself will come down from Heaven,
and speaking with the authority of
the archangel, Michael, the dead in
Christ shall come out of their
graves. “For the Lord himself
will come down from
heaven, with a loud command, with the
voice of the archangel and
the trumpet call of God, and the dead
in Christ will rise first.” (1
Thessalonians 4:16, italics mine)
Paul says that the Lord Himself is
the archangel. No one but Jesus has
authority to give this command and
the power to create life. (John 1:4)
Jesus says that He holds the keys to
life and death. “I am
the Living One; I was dead, and
behold I am alive for ever and ever!
And I hold the
keys of death and Hades [the
grave].” (Revelation
1:18, italics and insertion mine) But
even more important, Jesus said, “I
tell you the truth, a time is coming
and has now come when the dead will
hear the voice of the Son
of God and those who hear
will live.” (John 5:25,
italics mine)
5.
Finally, the best clue comes from the
actions of this angel. No other
being can say and do what is done in
Revelation 10, but Michael/Jesus. Specifically,
Jesus swears by Himself in verse 6,
to flawlessly carry out the
“Great tribulation Plan”
which the Father gave Him. “And
He swore by him who lives for ever
and ever, who created the heavens and
all that is in them, the earth and
all that is in it, and said,
‘There will be no more delay [of
God’s wrath]!’” (Revelation
10:6, insertions mine)
We know from John
1:10, Hebrews 1:2, Colossians 1:16
and other places in the Bible, that
Jesus is the Creative Agent of the
Godhead. Jesus has made everything
that exists. So, if the mighty angel
in Revelation 10:1 is our Creator,
why does the language in verse 6
suggest that Jesus is swearing by
someone other than Himself? We
find this literary technique used in
other places in the Bible and the
purpose for this technique is emphatic
disclosure, that is, Jesus refers to
His office as the Creator of the
universe because there is no higher
authority. Consider three other
references where Jesus refers to
Himself in the third person:
page l 1 l 2 l
-1-
