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Segment
XI
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Segment XI
After the Second Coming
The following verses
describe a wonderful scene that occurs after
the Second Coming. John saw a numberless
multitude of saints, who came out of the Great
Tribulation, standing before the throne of God.
Please review the following verses from the KJV
(I have inserted some clarifying texts in
brackets and italicizes a few words for
emphasis):
After this [the
sealing of the 144,000] I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation [belongs] to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb [for
we are unworthy of this great reward].And
the angels stood round about the throne, and
about the elders and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshiped
God, Saying, Amen: [Yes, everything belongs
to God and the Lamb] Blessing, and glory, and
wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power,
and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.
Amen.
And one of the [24]
elders answered, saying to me, What are
these which are arrayed in white robes? And
whence came they? And I said unto him,
Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me,
These are they which came out of [the] Great
Tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of
God, and serve him day and night in his temple:
and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them.
[Because these
particular saints experienced hunger and thirst
during the Great Tribulation,] They shall
hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away
[their memories of suffering and] all tears
from their eyes. (Revelation 7:9-17,
KJV)
Summary
In keeping with the
distinction between saints and prophets,
Revelation 7 describes two groups of people who
will live during the Great Tribulation. The
prophets are numbered and the saints are
numberless. A numberless multitude will be saved
out of all nations and cultures during the Great
Tribulation. The 144,000 will be sealed first
(before the Great Tribulation begins) and the
saints that receive their testimony will be
sealed during the Great Tribulation.
Specification
#5
This specification is not
often discussed, because it is poorly understood.
The Bible indicates that the 144,000 will
experience and successfully endure the sufferings
of Christ. The highest honor that God can bestow
on the followers of Jesus is to allow us to
experience the sufferings of Christ. This concept
may sound strange at first, so please consider
the nature and purpose of Christs suffering
for us. Paul wrote, In bringing many
sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom
and through whom everything exists, should make
the author of their salvation perfect
through suffering. Both the one who makes men
holy and those who are made holy are [members]
of the same family. So Jesus
is not ashamed to call them brothers.
(Hebrews 2:10,11, insertion and italics mine)
The word
fellowship is defined as two or more
people having the same experience or said in the
vernacular, tow or more people in the same
boat. When we suffer for Jesus, we enter
into fellowship with Jesus. He becomes our
brother in suffering and we become connected to
Jesus in an intimate way that words cannot
adequately express. There is no stronger bond
than brotherhood through suffering. Men and women
who have not been on the battlefield find it hard
to understand or appreciate the brotherhood that
develops among warriors. You have to experience
it to understand it. It is a very powerful thing,
and I have talked with people who have
experienced it.
Amazingly, people from
different backgrounds and different cultures can
be thrown together in an infantry unit during a
war, and over the course of time, they become
one in purpose, plan and action. Of
course, they recognize each others
strengths and weaknesses and they know each
others faults, but these things do not
matter because a powerful bond of love springs
up. When men are willing to lay down their life
for each other, a union forms that cannot be
broken. This is a phenomenon that, if
experienced, is never forgotten. Though separated
by thousands of miles and decades without
communication, comrades never forget the
sacrifices made for their brothers. I have seen
many veterans reduced to tears when interviewed
about their war experiences. This emotion
involuntarily rises because through the deepest
bonds of love, they are forever connected to
their brothers in battle. This
brotherhood, forged in the heat of battle,
partially explains the great love that existed
between David and Jonathan. (1 Samuel 18:3)
The brotherhood of
suffering with Jesus is presented in this last
segment because the 144,000 will form a powerful
bond of love for Jesus through their suffering
for Christ. We have already learned they
will be called on to give up their closest human
ties, as necessary, to serve the Lord. As
prophets of God, the 144,000 will face the wrath
of the devil and his demons, not to mention
persecution and torture by wicked people who hate
the ways of God. Jesus said, Anyone who
loves his father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew
10:37-39)
Because of their steadfast
devotion to Jesus, the 144,000 will lose
everything they own their family, their
possessions, their respect in their community,
and like the apostle Paul, their self-worth, to
glorify Jesus. In the heat of battle, they will
become one with Jesus in purpose,
plan and action. This is why the 144,000 will
serve as priests throughout ages to
come. They will fearlessly go to their death for
the cause of Christ when necessary. Because of
their devotion and fidelity to Jesus, the 144,000
will be honored above the rest of the redeemed.
No one else, not even the twelve apostles, will
be able to sing their song. And they
sang a new song before the throne and before the
four living creatures and the elders. No one
could learn the song except the 144,000 who had
been redeemed from the Earth.
(Revelation 14:3) Because they will share in the
sufferings of Jesus, the 144,000 will be closest
to Jesus. They will literally wear the names of
the Father and the Lamb in their foreheads
(signifying their exalted position) and they will
attend Jesus wherever He goes. (Revelation 14:4)
Two
levels of Suffering
Jesus suffered on two
levels for our salvation. First, in the physical
dimension, Jesus was treated with contempt; He
was mocked, denied justice, flogged and
crucified. Ironically, Jesus died on the cross
because of mans hatred and Gods love.
Men hated Jesus because they could not tolerate
the truth about God, so the attempted
to murder Jesus on the cross. On the other hand,
God loved the world so much that He was willing
to give us Jesus as an atonement for sin. Jesus
did not die at the hands of men, even though that
was their intent. The Father took the life of the
Son after Jesus gave it to Him. (Luke 23:46)
Never in the Bible is Jesus called the Lamb
of man. Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb of
God. The Father provided the Lamb for
our salvation and the Father took the life that
the Lamb willingly gave up. The Son of God died
at the hands of the Father. This truth was
powerfully demonstrated when Abraham was required
to offer the love of his life, Isaac, on Mount
Moriah. (Genesis 22:2)
Deeper
Level
The second level of Jesus
suffering is more difficult to explain. Jesus
suffered within His soul to the point that He
would have died in the Garden of Gethsemane if an
angel had not strengthened Him. The Bible says
His perspiration was like great drops of blood.
(Luke 22:43, 44) Of course, the prospect of death
on a cross was part of Jesus anguish in the
garden, but Roman history tells us that thousands
of people hung on crosses in that era. Therefore,
Christs anguish concerning the cross was
similar to the anguish that the two thieves must
have felt. Jesus broke into a sweat like blood
and would have died in the garden because He was
made deathly ill by the presence and power of
sin. God made him who had no sin to be
sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians
5:21) Please consider this text: During
the days of Jesus life on Earth, he
offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries
and tears to the one who could save him from
death, and he was heard because of his reverent
submission. Although he was a son, he learned
obedience from what he suffered and, once made
perfect, he became the source of
eternal salvation for all who obey him. (Hebrews
5:7-9) Twice in the book of Hebrews, Paul
indicates that Jesus was made perfect
through suffering! The Greek word for perfect, teleioo,
means mature, completed or finished. Of course,
Jesus was perfect having no sin or rebellion from
birth. He never sinned! (Hebrews 4:15) So, how
could Jesus be made perfect through
suffering?
Suffering is a powerful
force that drives a human being into rebellion or
submission. I would venture that many of the
people in prison today are there because of
suffering that began in childhood. The carnal
nature hates suffering. Suffering produces anger
and anger predisposes people to rebel against
authority in general and humanity in particular.
On the other hand, pain has been used for
centuries to force people into submission. Since
wicked people are not interested in a system of
justice, torture is their best tool because it is
a powerful force that drives a human being toward
submission. A sinless Jesus was born into a
world of suffering so He could demonstrate
the importance of being perfected through patient
suffering. We cannot totally appreciate the
sufferings of Christ at the deeper level because
our carnal nature has not been removed, but this
will change.
Sin was grossly offensive
to Christs sinless nature. Patiently living
among sinners and dealing with the selfishness,
blindness and arrogance of the human heart was
very hard even for Jesus. However, Jesus
was made perfect in patience through suffering.
He faced the tenacious power and degenerate
influence of sin every day. Jesus learned how to
receive grace from God as it was needed each day,
and this is how suffering perfected His patience.
Patience is how Abraham and Sarah failed when
they decided Abraham should have a son by Hagar.
Patience is how Moses failed when he killed the
Egyptian. He had to spend forty years herding
sheep in the wilderness before God could use him.
Patience is how Moses failed when he struck the
rock twice and God refused to let Moses enter the
Promised Land. Patience is the hardest thing on
Earth to perfect! Through faith in God and
patience in suffering, Jesus overcame the world.
The plan of salvation was perfectly worked
out because Jesus patiently submitted to
the Fathers will each day.
James wrote, Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete [perfect], not
lacking anything. (James 1:2-4,
insertion mine) The 144,000 will suffer
physically, emotionally and spiritually because
of the presence and power of sin. They will
suffer most because (a) they will be the first to
be sealed, and (b) they will have an overwhelming
task to accomplish. Because they have sinless
natures, it will be painful for them to deal with
the power and presence of sin. The irony is that
Gods prophets will love sinners, but they
will hate the bondage of sin that controls their
listeners! The challenge of the 144,000 during
the Great Tribulation will be to lead people to
suffer Babylons wrath for Christs
sake, so that the carnal nature can be removed! Their
burden for souls, their frustration with the
power of sin and their love for Jesus and sinners
will cause deep anguish within the 144,000. They
will agonize, as Jesus did in Gethsemane, for
strength to fulfill Gods will. Like the
shepherd looking for that one lost sheep, the
144,000 will exhaust every physical and emotional
fiber in their being to find one last soul so
that person can be saved from the jaws of sin.
Summary
John indicates that many,
if not all, of the 144,000 will be killed
because of the Word of God and the
testimony they maintained. We also know
that millions of saints will be killed during the
Great Tribulation because of their faithfulness
to Jesus. This is why Jesus said, If
anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he
will go. If anyone is to be killed with the
sword, with the sword he will be killed. This
calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on
the part of the saints. (Revelation
13:10) This text epitomizes Jesus
experience: patience and faithfulness. Because
the 144,000 will faithfully endure the sufferings
of Jesus with success, no other person will be
able to sing their song. Here is the
patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus. (Revelation 14:12, KJV)
Specification
#6
The sixth specification
concerning the 144,000 is that no lie or
falsehood will be found in their mouths.
(Revelation 14:5) Again, the topic of the 144,000
is like an iceberg - one third of this topic is
above the water line and two-thirds are below.
This particular specification goes far below the
water line. Consider the text: But the
cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the
murderers, the sexually immoral, those who
practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars
their place will be in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation
21:8) This verse indicates that no liar will
enter the kingdom of Heaven. In this sense, the
144,000 will be no different from anyone else
going to Heaven! So, how does Revelation 14:5
exalt the accomplishments of the 144,000 when it
says, No lie was found in their mouths;
they are blameless.
After the 144,000 are
sealed, the Great Tribulation will begin with a
global earthquake. Gods prophets will be
empowered to speak and they will present the
demands of the sovereign Jesus to the people of
Earth. Now, it is one thing to get angry and to
let loose in the heat of the moment,
but it is quite another to have to stand before
hostile groups of people and tell them things
they do not want to hear day after day!
The 144,000 will polarize the people of Earth
with their speech. People who love truth will
follow their lead. People who hate truth will
produce every reason why the 144,000 should be
silenced. The 144,000 will fearlessly declare the
Word of God regardless of personal consequences.
Because they will not take up arms to fight and
because they will not run from their post, their
brazen actions will be stunning and relentless.
When the Pharisees and
Sadducees went out in the desert to see John the
Baptist, pretending to be interested in his
revival message, John quickly detected their
hypocrisy and deceit. They were not interested in
his message, they were spies sent from the
temple. The Bible says, But when he saw
many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to
where he was baptizing, he said to them:
You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee
from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping
with repentance. (Matthew 3:7,8)
No doubt, those Pharisees and Sadducees were
embarrassed, but they could not do anything about
his remarks because they were outnumbered. John
the Baptist was to the first advent what the
144,000 will be to the second advent. The 144,000
will not blunt the double-edged sword of truth by
compromising their message. The Great Tribulation
will not be a time for soft peddling the gospel.
That day will be a valley of decision for
multitudes. The 144,000 will cry out,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight. (Matthew 3:3)
Hopefully,
a picture is forming in your mind and heart. The
Bible exalts the integrity and honesty of the
144,000 saying, No lie was found in
their mouth; they are blameless, because
they will be faithful spokespersons. They will
proclaim the terms and conditions of salvation
and their message will not be compromised or
varnished. They will openly call sin by its right
name and the Holy Spirit will work signs and
wonders through them, confirming their message.
Looking forward to their fiery assignment, these
words in Revelation 22 will be particularly
potent because there will be many who will reject
or attempt to deflect their testimony. I
warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy
of this book: If anyone adds anything adds
anything to them, God will add to him the plagues
described in this book. And if anyone takes words
away from this book of prophecy, God will take
away from him his share in the tree of life and
in the holy city, which are described in this
book. (Revelation 22:18,19)
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