The 144,000
– Parts 7-8
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I believe the
seven thunders will occur at seven
crucial stages during the Great
Tribulation. I cannot say with a high
degree of certaintywhen Jesus
will speak these announcements
because the Bible doesn’t reveal
the timing of the seven thunders. So,
here’s my best guess on the
timing of the seven thunders:
Thunder #1. “No
more delay” Censer cast down. The
144,000 hear and understand this
one….
Thunder #2. During
the first angel’s message (during
the first four trumpets?)
Thunder #3. During
the second angel’s message (sometime
between 4th and 5th trumpet
--- 890 days?)
Thunder #4. During
third angel’s message (fifth
trumpet?)
Thunder #5. During
the martyrdom of the saints (fifth
seal/sixth trumpet?)
Thunder #6. At
the close of mercy (7th trumpet?)
Thunder #7. Just
before the Second Coming (7th bowl?)
The seven
thunders will be heard simultaneously
all over the world – so keep
your ears open!
3. So
what is the essential purpose of the
144,000? The revealing of Jesus. Will
they be successful? Yes! The Bible
indicates the 144,000 will gather up
a numberless multitude of people:
Revelation
7:9 “After this
I looked and there before me was a great
multitude that no one could count, from every
nation, tribe, people and
language, standing before the throne
and in front of the Lamb…
Revelation
7:13 Then one of the
elders asked me, “These in white
robes – who are they, and where
did they come from?”
Revelation
7:14 I answered,
“Sir, you know.” And he
said, “These are they
who have come out of the great
tribulation;they have washed
their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.”
This
numberless multitude will be made up
of people who lived during the
great tribulation. In other
words, Revelation 7:9 is not concerned
with the redeemed of all ages.
Rather, this verse is focused on the
numberless multitude who are saved
during Earth’s last days.
The numberless multitude in Revelation
7 stands in contrast with the numbered multitude,
that is, the 144,000. Notice these
contrasts:
Small Big
Numbered -----------
Numberless
144,000
--------------- Hundreds of millions
Uniform
--------------- Diverse
In message
------------ in religion
3. Now,
let’s examine the experience
that each of the 144,000 will have
when they are selected and sealed.
Revelation
10:5 Then the angel
I had seen standing on the sea and on
the land raised his right hand
to heaven.
Revelation
10:6 And he swore [he
made a solemn promise before God] by
him who lives for ever and ever [the
Father], who[commissioned] created
the heavens and all that is in them,
the earth and all that is in it, and
the sea and all that is in it, and
said, “There will be no
more delay…
Revelation
10:7 But in the days
when the seventh angel is about to
sound his trumpet, the mystery of God
[the sealing] will be accomplished,
just as he announced to his [144,000]
servants the prophets.”
Why do
these words require a solemn oath? With
these words Jesus makes a solemn
promise to faithfully carry out the
plans of the Father. What are the
plans of the Father? Jesus
promises to faithfully administer
God’s wrath upon the Earth and
accomplish the sealing of the
faithful without any deviation
from the plan. In other words, when
Jesus declares there is no more
delay, He is then required to
impose the sequence of seven trumpets
and seven bowls upon
mankind.
This is not a
pleasant task for our Creator. It
crushes the heart of Jesus to do what
He has to do. Imposing
God’s wrath upon Earth will be
difficult for Jesus as going to
Calvary. Why does Jesus make a
solemn promise to do everything that
the Father demands?
Consider this
parallel:
When our
newly elected president raises his
right hand and takes “the oath
of office” on inauguration day,
the president promises at any and all
costs to uphold and defend the
constitution of the United States
– our highest law.
This oath is
given at a public gathering. The
citizens of the United States,
including those who have elected him
and those who voted against him, are
assured by the president’s oath
that he will uphold the law of the
land and govern honorably. This mean,
the president solemnly promises
before God and citizens that he
will not deviate from the
constitution no matter what!
With this
oath, every president confesses that
(a) the law is supreme (b) the law
has greater authority than he does
and (c) he agrees to uphold the
intent and demands of the law at all
costs.
In a similar
way, Jesus raises His right hand and
makes an oath to the Father and the
angelic host including the 24 elders. He
makes a promise to fulfill the will
of the Father – regardless of
the horrors that will follow.
4. Now,
we want to consider the authority
given the 144,000:
Revelation
10:8 Then the voice
that I heard from heaven spoke to me
once more: “Go, take the scroll
that lies open in the hand of the
angel who is standing on the sea and
on the land.”
Revelation
10:9 So I went to
the angel and asked him to give me
the little scroll. He said to me,
“Take it and eat it. It
will turn your stomach sour, but
in your mouth it will be as
sweet as honey.”
Revelation
10:10 I took the
small scroll from the angel’s
hand and ate it. It tasted as
sweet as honey in my mouth, but when
I had eaten it, my stomach turned
sour.
Revelation
10:11 Then I was
told, “You must prophesy
againabout [before] many
peoples, nations, languages and
kings.”
Look at
Ezekiel parallel experience:
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