Revelation 14:1-20 May 23, 2021 Last Week We Studied Revelation 13:1-18 Which Inclu

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Revelation 14:1-20 May 23, 2021 Last Week We Studied Revelation 13:1-18 Which Inclu Screen 1 Screen 2 “The 144,000, The Three And The Harvest” Revelation 14:1-20 May 23, 2021 Last week we studied Revelation 13:1-18 which included the first quote, “beast rising out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1-10) “the Antichrist”/ “the other Jesus” / “the opposite Jesus” / “the instead of Jesus” / “the false Messiah”; and the second “beast rising out of the earth” (Revelation 13:11-18) – “the false prophet.” Of course, the Antichrist speaks of the political. He will be a world- dominating ruler over all the earth, especially including a revived Roman Empire. He is believed to be a Gentile because he is from “the sea.” The false prophet speaks of the religious aspect of it. The false prophet will be his right-hand man and will enact the outright worship of the Antichrist by erecting an image of him in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. He is believed to be a Jew because he comes from “the land.” So, together, we will have the marriage of the state and the church – a new world order (which is really nothing new at all). Rome did this 2,000 years ago with its Empire worship – that is the political aspect of it – and its state-sponsored religion – the state priesthood. That is the religious aspect of it. Almost everyone will fall for it, sadly! If Revelation ended right here, at the conclusion of Chapter 13, we would be thinking that Satan would win with his false trinity (666) – the dragon (False Father); the beast from the sea (the false Christ); the beast of the land (False Prophet). Thank God the book continues, and that God in Chapter 14 clears up this possible triumph of evil. PRAY HERE and thank God that ultimately evil is defeated. We simply need to “stay the course.” Amen! 1 Chapter 14 is a discussion of God’s response to the diabolical attack from the three . Revelation 14:1 “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, Screen 3 and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” “Mt. Zion” – Jerusalem is built on several hills, such as Mount of Olives, Mount Moriah, where the Temple area is, Mount Ophel, which was the original Jerusalem, and Mount Zion, which was David’s place and finally came to mean all of Jerusalem. “stood the Lamb” – Hallelujah! Did you know that Jesus is indestructible today? He will never suffer defeat again – never die . the lamb of God stands – NO MATTER WHAT! And, he does not stand alone – “and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” – These are the same 144,000 who first appeared in Revelation 7. God has intervened in the lives of his people to keep these 144,000 – 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes – Jewish/Christian evangelists alive and well through the Tribulation. The Father’s name and the Lamb’s name both are written on the foreheads which is the opposite of the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:17-18). This “mark” denotes ownership and also is an indication of protection. They stand with Jesus on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. This has been interpreted as an allegory by some to simply mean that they belong to God – that they have had Christ’s presence with them throughout the Church Age (preterist, G.K. Beale). Others have interpreted this verse, Mount Zion to be a “heavenly Mount Zion” (as 2 Heaven). The third way of interpretating Mount Zion is that it is actually that portion of the Holy City, Jerusalem, which is referenced as Mount Zion. [LEAN TOWARD THE LITERAL, ALWAYS UNLESS SCRIPTURES EXPLICITLY STATE OTHERWISE!] Not everyone (believers) is killed/martyred during the Great Tribulation. The beast is not completely victorious over all God’s people. In Revelation 7, the 144,000 are seen at the beginning of the Great Tribulation – in this chapter (Chapter 14) it shows them in triumph still standing with Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation. They stand on Mount Zion because this is the place where the Messiah gathers his redeemed and reigns over the earth (Psalm 48; Isaiah 24:23; Joel 2:32; Obadiah 17; Micah 4:1, 7). Revelation 14:2 “And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters Screen 4 and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,” “a voice from Heaven” – This is the voice of God like in” Revelation 1:15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. Revelation 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, It is a very loud voice, like the “roar of many waters” or “the sound of loud thunder” – super, almost deafening in volume “sound of harpist” the loud voice or the noises turns to music. Harps have a soft and soothing sound to them (very relaxing) “Heaven strikes up the band!” “Elders” in Revelation 5:8 have harps. 3 Revelation 14:3 "and they were singing a new song before the throne and Screen 5 before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” “they” – the 144,000 – quite a choir! “singing a new song” – I love this (old Newsong Song) “before the throne” – of God “before the four living creatures” – as introduced to us way back in Revelation 4:6 “before the elders” – representatives of all the redeemed of mankind in Heaven. So, Billy, are you saying when people – the people of God – begin to sing praises unto God – God and all of Heaven come close to them and the Earth, literally? YES! God inhabits/dwells in the presence of His people. Psalm 22:3 “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” “who had been redeemed from earth” – this unique group have been sealed – protected all through the Great Tribulation, while many others have not. (Others, arguably most all of the people who come to faith in Christ during this time period will be put into captivity and martyred - Revelation 13:10). Revelation 14:4 “It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for Screen 6 they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,” “they are virgins” – some commentators view the 144,000 as symbolic for all the redeemed during the Church Age – but to me personally, this makes no sense all 4 things considered. If this view is taken, though, this could mean that these true believers have not committed spiritual fornication – idol worship in the Bible. I understand the no idol worship angle, and believe it to be true as well, as they are literal virgins. The Great Tribulation will merit such vows to chastity from these Jewish/Christian evangelists so they can commit themselves totally to their faith. 1 Corinthians 7:8 “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.” Mathew 19:12 “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. See also Genesis 3. 1. They are celibate/virgins. 2. “It is these who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” [My favorite!] This is true discipleship. The word “follow” means “walking the same road with someone.” When Jesus called his twelve apostles, he used this word and what he meant was “come and live with me. Come, let’s be companions every day, not just seeing each other once a week. Follow Me. Let’s share life together. Be my companion. Let’s walk together every day.” The twelve did it and so can we. The apostles had wives/families and 5 houses just like us – but they did what Jesus invited them to do and so can we. (Jewish/Biblical Discipleship is: Study = 50%; Doing = 50%)! 3. “These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb” – premillennial dispensationalists/futurists view this as the firstfruits of the next age – the Great Tribulation and the Millennial reign of Christ – which do not belong to the current Church Age (Patterson). Revelation 14:5 “and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.” Screen 7 4. “they are blameless” – blameless is a word used of sacrificial animals without defect, and these believers were free from lying in an age where lies are nothing but the NORM (sound familiar?). What an example these 144,000 are for us today – to follow the Lamb wherever He goes NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR CULTURE/SOCIETY/WORLD. *Follow Jesus and have the character/morality that proves it!* THE THREE ANGELS Revelation 14:6 “Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.” This verse is a reason why more and more scholars deny that the book of the Revelation is strictly speaking as a book of apocalyptic genre.
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