We Can't Let Truth Fail
Sometimes you just have a lot to say and to condense it steals the magnitude
of what's being said.
I know that some people scoff at the Old Testament and want to hear on things
from the New Testament as if the Old were done away, replaced by the new, which
in truth is a conception that we old to with many day to day things. The old
becomes obsolete. It's not truth always. Sometimes you need the old to build a
platform to the new. Sometimes the older things are the more valuable they
become. Sometimes a merger of the two both old and new are needed to reap the
most benefits.
It's a shame that more reverence isn't given the Old Testament because that's
the only scripture Jesus had when He walked the earth as man to use when He
spoke from the scriptures.
Jesus didn't come shouting for all to do away with the Old Testament. He
didn't say it was obsolete. He said this...
John {5:39} 'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal
life: and they are they which testify of me. {5:40} And ye will not come to me,
that ye might have life. {5:41} I receive not honour from men. {5:42} But I know
you, that ye have not the love of God in you. {5:43} I am come in my
Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive. {5:44} How can ye believe, which receive honour one of
another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only? {5:45} Do not
think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is [one] that accuseth you,
[even] Moses, in whom ye trust. {5:46} For had ye believed Moses, ye would have
believed me: for he wrote of me. {5:47} But if ye believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words?'
Search the scriptures- what we know as the Old Testament.
For had you believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote of me.
But if you don't believe his writings, how shall you believe my words.
Do you see? This is Jesus speaking of the Old Testament. Clearly He is not
saying that He has a New Testament that will replace the old stuffy Old
Testament which He's making obsolete. He speaks of Moses who wrote of Him. Those
who don't believe Moses, how can they believe in Him?
God's love is reveal in the Old and New Testaments.
We might scoff at the Old Testament and say much of it is irrelevant, done
away with, replaced, made new, but Jesus never said that. Jesus shed light upon
the teachings of the Old Testament, He brought it to life in a way it was meant
to be brought to life, He came to fulfil the prophecies spoken of about Him, He
came to right the twisted and perverted truths, to be the embodiment of the love
God has for us. He showed perfect love for God His Father and perfect love for
His fellow mankind.
I've been studying the word truth lately and it lead me to this lengthy bit
in the Old Testament- I could just pick up the single verse with the word
'truth' in it but I feel compelled to bring all of this as a we study. When you
read it please try to remember that Isaiah was a prophet, he too spoke of Jesus
and you'll see it here.
Isaiah
{58:1} Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my
people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
** We need our sins revealed so that we may repent of them. As long as they
are hidden from us we cannot forsake them.
Isaiah
{58:2} Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that
did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me
the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
**Imagine that? Seeking God daily, delighting to know His ways, wanting to
know justice, delighting to approach God. How wonderful!
Isaiah
{58:3} Wherefore have we fasted, [say they,] and thou seest not? [wherefore]
have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of
your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
{58:4} Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of
wickedness: ye shall not fast as [ye do this] day, to make your voice to be
heard on high.
{58:5} Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his
soul? [is it] to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth
and ashes [under him?] wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to
the LORD?
{58:6} [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and
that ye break every yoke?
{58:7} [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the
poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou
cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
**
Remember--
Luke
{3:10} And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
{3:11} He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him
impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
God would not have men fast and pat themselves on the back for doing so,
calling it righteousness. God would rather we love one another with brotherly
love- seeing to one another's needs before He would ask us to fast and call that
duty to God over helping one another.
Isaiah
{58:8} Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health
shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the
glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
{58:9} Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and
he shall say, Here I [am.] If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke,
the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
{58:10} And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the
afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as
the noonday:
{58:11} And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in
drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and
like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
{58:12} And [they that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places:
thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be
called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
**Think about it, when you've helped another doesn't that feed your own soul?
Seriously, helping another person makes us feel good, being able to help. We
grumble and gripe when asked to do something, when our help is needed in various
ways that would interfere with our own plans, and yet helping others is so
important. If only we could keep forever in our minds that helping others is
truly loving as we want ourselves to be loved. We ask for help and when it is
given lovingly we are pleased. We ask for help and when it's given begrudgingly
it stirs up things inside us- resentment, ire. Loving one another is such a huge
focus of the Bible. We reap so much benefit from helping others lovingly and
being able to help is a reward in itself without getting a thing for helping.
Isaiah
{58:13} If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy
pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the
LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words:
{58:14} Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to
ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob
thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it.]
**Delight thyself in the Lord. Taking our eyes off ourselves and delighting
in the Lord, a weekly reminder of our God, of our loving heavenly Father,
delighting solely in Him is so special and yet some make it burdensome, others
make it obsolete, is it no wonder the world seems to be so completely engulfed
in sin?
Isaiah
{59:1} Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither
his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
{59:2} But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your
sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
**Sin separates us from God. Our mediator, our healer of the breach is
Jesus.
Isaiah
{59:3} For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
{59:4} None calleth for justice, nor [any] pleadeth for TRUTH: they trust in
vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
**None call for justice, none plead for truth... how incredibly sad.
Trusting in vanity, speaking lies, when the focus is on self, and the belief
that you and you alone control things, there is little truth, little justice,
and people fool themselves that their idea of truth and justice is good when it
is vain and wrong, so wrong. Real justice, real truth, these call for looking
away from ourselves and to God where it is found.
Isaiah
{59:5} They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that
eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
{59:6} Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves
with their works: their works [are] works of iniquity, and the act of violence
[is] in their hands.
{59:7} Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood:
their thoughts [are] thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction [are] in
their paths.
{59:8} The way of peace they know not; and [there is] no judgment in their
goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not
know peace.
{59:9} Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us:
we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, [but] we walk in
darkness.
{59:10} We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no
eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead
[men.]
{59:11} We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for
judgment, but [there is] none; for salvation, [but] it is far off from us.
{59:12} For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins
testify against us: for our transgressions [are] with us; and [as for] our
iniquities, we know them;
{59:13} In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from
our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the
heart words of falsehood.
{59:14} And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off:
for TRUTH is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
{59:15} Yea, TRUTH faileth; and he [that] departeth from evil maketh himself
a prey: and the LORD saw [it,] and it displeased him that [there was] no
judgment.
{59:16} And he saw that [there was] no man, and wondered that [there was] no
intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his
righteousness, it sustained him.
**Truth is fallen, Truth fails, people don't want the truth, they want things
soothing to their ears so that they may believe in the falseness that their sins
are acceptable. Those that do depart from evil are like a small animal caught in
the sights of huge, hungry lion, as the world looks upon them wanting them to
die rather than live as a reminder to them of their own evil state. God sent
salvation for all those who would turn from evil. Those who set themselves up as
prey are given heavenly armor to protect them, maybe not here on earth for this
life but the protection is heavenly and will hold true until Jesus comes and
takes us to heaven with him.
Isaiah
{59:17} For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of
salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance [for] clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
**Remember-
Eph.{6:13} 'Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {6:14} Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; {6:15} And your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; {6:16} Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. {6:17} And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God: {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints'
There is so much more to this and I know it's going to be very lengthy, that
it already is, so I'll break it into two parts.
Truth.
We don't want truth to fail us. We don't want truth to be fallen. We need to
hold the truth up high and let it live within us everyday.
The truth of God.
The truth of His love and the beautiful truth of His salvation found in His
only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever! All mercy, all grace
in Him.
Amen.
10/10/09
Psalm 149
{149:1} Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and]
his
praise in the congregation of saints.
{149:2} Let Israel rejoice in
him that made him: let the children of
Zion be joyful in their
King.
{149:3} Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing
praises
unto him with the timbrel and harp.
{149:4} For the LORD taketh
pleasure in his people: he will beautify
the meek with salvation.
{149:5}
Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon
their
beds.
{149:6} [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and
a
twoedged sword in their hand;
{149:7} To execute vengeance upon the
heathen, [and] punishments upon
the people;
{149:8} To bind their kings
with chains, and their nobles with fetters
of iron;
{149:9} To execute
upon them the judgment written: this honour have all
his saints. Praise ye
the LORD.
Proverbs {5:3} For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an
honeycomb,
and her mouth [is] smoother than oil: {5:4}
But her end is bitter as
wormwood, sharp as a twoedged
sword.
Hebrews {4:12} For the word of God [is] quick, and
powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirt and of the
joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the
thoughts and
intents of the heart.
Rev. {1:16} And he had in his right hand seven stars: and
out of his
mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his
countenance [was] as the sun
shineth in his strength
The ultimate discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart- Jesus.
Psalms {51:10} Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit
within me.
{51:11} Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not
thy holy
spirit from me.
{51:12} Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me [with
thy] free spirit.
This is my prayer now and always.
I will never feel *clean* enough, I will never feel *right* enough. My
thoughts and intents of my heart are not as they should be and Jesus can discern
this, He knows and I come before Him begging His mercy and grace- asking that He
create a clean heart in me, that He renews a right spirit in me. I cry out with
David, 'Cast me not away from thy presence and take not the holy spirit
from me, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free
spirit.'
John
{17:1} These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to
heaven, and
said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son,
that thy Son also may
glorify thee: {17:2} As thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him. {17:3} And this
is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent. {17:4} I have
glorified thee on the earth: I
have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. {17:5} And now, O Father,
glorify
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with
thee
before the world was. {17:6} I have manifested thy
name unto the men which
thou gavest me out of the world:
thine they were, and thou gavest them me;
and they have
kept thy word. {17:7} Now they have known that all
things
whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. {17:8} For I
have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me; and
they have received [them,] and
have known surely that I
came out from thee, and they have believed that thou
didst
send me. {17:9} I pray for them: I pray not for the world,
but for
them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
{17:10} And all mine are
thine, and thine are mine; and I
am glorified in them. {17:11} And now I am
no more in the
world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.
Holy
Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me,
that they may be one, as we [are. ]{17:12} While
I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name: those
that thou gavest me I have kept, and
none of them is lost,
but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled.
{17:13} And now come I to thee; and these things I speak
in the
world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves. {17:14} I have
given them thy word; and the
world hath hated them, because they are not of
the world,
even as I am not of the world. {17:15} I pray not that
thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest
keep
them from the evil. {17:16} They are not of the world,
even as I am not of
the world. {17:17} Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth.
{17:18} As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them
into
the world. {17:19} And for their sakes I sanctify myself,
that they
also might be sanctified through the truth. {17:20}
Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word;
{17:21} That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in
thee, that
they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that
thou hast sent me. {17:22} And the glory which thou gavest
me I have
given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: {17:23} I in them, and
thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved
me.
{17:24} Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory,
which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world. {17:25} O righteous
Father, the
world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and
these
have known that thou hast sent me. {17:26} And I
have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare [it:] that
the love wherewith thou hast loved me may
be in them, and
I in them.
AMEN!
10/10/10
10/10/11
This study is guided by the thought paper of William
Grotheer. He was a former SDA member who clearly saw and revealed the apostasy
within the SDA corporate church. A lot of what he wrote on makes a person think
for themselves, study for themselves. He's not trying to convince anyone to
believe as he believes, any more than I am trying to get a single person to
believe what I believe. I would much rather everyone study for themselves.
Study, study, study, study, study! We can never cease to study God's word,
never. We need to pray and ask for guidance and clear understanding. When we
face things we aren't sure about we have to keep praying and keep studying,
never giving up but always receptive to the truth as God will reveal it to us.
If we don't have this very REAL active faith, this very REAL active belief in
God then we need to pray harder, pray for a clean heart, for a renewed spirit.
Satan is going to do all he can to keep as many people as he can with him and
he'll stop at nothing to deceive us, nothing. With an open heart, with an open
mind all before God may we study and understand. Let the Holy Spirit bring us
all the enlightenment we need, and may we never be discouraged, never despair of
being in our Savior's will, wholly His.
Thought Paper - Watchman What of the Night- 1995 Jul -- XXVIII -- 7(95)
-- EXEGESIS OF REVELATION -- THE 144,000 AND THE THREE ANGELS -- Part 3 --
The first vision given to John after he was told, "Here is wisdom," is a
climax to a series of revelations given in the previous chapters.
He was told that "all that dwell on the earth shall worship" the first beast,
except those whose names are in "the book of life of the Lamb." (13:8)
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the
world.
It was also stated that those who would "not worship the image of the beast
should be killed." (13:15)
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the
image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be killed.
In Chapter 12, it was declared that those who overcome "the dragon" do so "by
the blood of the Lamb," and these "loved not their lives unto death."
(12:11)
Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Now John sees a company with the Lamb on mount Sion, 144,000.
This number stands in direct CONTRAST to the "all" who worship, the dragon,
beast, and image. (13:4, 15)
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to
make war with him?
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of
the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many
as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
These are commandment keepers; they have no other gods before
Jehovah Elohim. (Ex. 20:2-3)
Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.
Further, they do not bow down to, nor serve any "image." (Ex. 20:4-5)
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me
God honors them for their FIDELITY in the midst of universal apostasy
by placing His name in their foreheads.
The 144,000 on mount Sion, the remnant of the seed the of the woman who face
the death decree in the warfare with the dragon, are also revealed in the first
section of the book.
(Chapter 7) There these victors are portrayed as having "washed their robes,
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (v. 14)
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me,
These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes,
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The picture is heightened by further comparison.
The 144,000 receive "His Father's name."
These "follow the Lamb
whithersoever He goeth." (14:4)
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
*******
The high point of this last section of Revelation before the Millennial
reign is that "the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself
ready." She is clothed in"fine linen, clean and white," a righteousness obtained
by the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7 Let us be
glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is
the righteousness of saints.
There is another "knitting" back into the first section.
The victors of "Laodicea" sit with "the True Witness" (Gr. ho martus) on His
throne. (3:21)
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
They REFUSE to worship the dragon, beast and image - they KEEP the
commandments - and they HAVE the "witness" (Gr. marturian) of Jesus Christ.
They are the "remnant" of the woman's seed, the "Queen" - the wife of the
Lamb accepting only "His Father's name."
The 144,000 with the Father's name in their foreheads "the seal of God" (Rev.
7:3)
Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,
till we have SEALED the servants of our God in their foreheads.
- are in contrast to the "ALL" who worship the beast and receive "a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." (13:16)
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free
and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads
With the emphasis on "the blood of the Lamb" as the means of victory, the
144,000 have nothing in their hands to bring, simply to the Lamb they
cling. *******AMEN!
Those who trust in the merits of their own works - Cain worship - receive a
mark in their right hand.
*******
John next heard a duo singing "a new song" in which the 144,000 unite their
voices.
These voices are accompanied "by harpers harping on their harps."
(14:2-3)
Rev 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping
with their harps:
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before
the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn
that song BUT the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from
the earth.
"The voice of many waters" is the voice of "the Son of man." (1:15)
Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
The voice "of a great thunder" is God Himself.
Zephaniah seeing "the remnant of Israel" who do no iniquity, neither is a
"deceitful tongue found in their mouth," foretells that the Lord God "will joy
over (them) with singing." (3:13, 17)
Zep 3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies;
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed
and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
Zep 3:17 The LORD thy
God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with
joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
[See John 12:28-29….
Joh 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from
heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Joh
12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it
thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
... and note the phrase, "lightnings and thunderings and voices" associated
with descriptions of the Throne of God in Revelation 4:5; 16:17-18.]
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and
voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are
the seven Spirits of God.
Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out
his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices,
and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not
since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
An interesting question for consideration is why, and what is the "new song"
which only God, the Lamb and the 144,000 will sing together.
The 144,000 are indicated as having been "redeemed from among men."
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
REDEEMED from among MEN, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
James White made an insightful observation on this point.
He wrote: "Not out of their graves;
no, no, - 'from among men.' They must, therefore, be the living saints who are
changed to immortality at the coming of the Lord." (R&H, May 9, 1854, p.
124; emphasis his)
These are declared to be "the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb." Here
again is the Divine Duo with a stated relationship of the 144,000 to Them. This
entwining picture should be carefully considered:
1) The 144,000 are with the Lamb on mount Sion with God's
name in their foreheads.
2) The Lamb and God sing a "new song" in which only the
144,000 can unite their voices.
3) The 144,000 become "first fruits" to God and the
Lamb.
If James White's observation first penned in 1850 is correct, and we believe
it is, this relationship between the 144,000 and the Divine Duo is further
heightened by the fact that those who are translated without seeing death put on
"immortality" in contrast to the "incorruption" of the resurrected saints. (I
Cor. 15:51-54)
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
The word translated, "immortality" (athanasia) is used only three times
in the New Testament, twice in I Corinthians 15:53-54,
and once in I Tim. 6:16.
1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man
can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and
power everlasting. Amen.
Here in these related verses is a clear suggestion that the 144,000 will
share in an attribute of God as did the exalted Jesus who had laid aside this
prerogative to accomplish redemption. This resurrected Christ is also called,
"the first fruits." (I Cor. 15:23
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
There is an interpretation read into these verses which designates the
144,000 as the instruments by which God brings together the "great multitude" of
Revelation 7:9
Rev 7:9 After this 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
Inasmuch as the 144,000 are discussed in both Revelation 7, and 14, we
need to pause and consider the two prophetic pictures together.
In Revelation 7, the question is asked, "Who are these arrayed in white
robes, and where did they come from?" (v. 13 NKJV) There is no question but that
the great multitude are arrayed in white robes. The text so states. (7:9) It
also declares that the "multitude" come from "all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues."
Applying the same question asked by "one of the elders" in Chapter 7 to
Revelation 14 in regard to the 144,000, the answer is - they result from the
Three Angels' Mesages, which are likewise given not only to "every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people" (14:6)
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people
... but also to them "that dwell on the earth."
The 144,000 are not only "redeemed from among men," but also are "redeemed
from the earth." (14:3)
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and
before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the
hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Here a judgment call must be made once again.
Are we to interpret "earth" as the symbolic "earth" of the continuous
prophecy of Revelation 12 & 13, or do we interpret the word as applied to
the planet as a whole?
From the picture in Revelation 14, must be added the descriptive concept of
the 144,000 -
"in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the
throne of God." (v. 5)
In other words, "they keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
(v. 12)
Compare Rev. 14:5
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without
fault before the throne of God.
with I Peter 2:22,
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth
... and consider the basic revelation of Chapter 12 - the "Seed" of the
Woman, the Man-child, and the "remnant of her seed" which keep the commandments
of God, and have the witness of Jesus. (12:17) Where then does the "great
multitude" enter the picture?
In Rev. 14:13 "a voice from heaven" is heard. The Holy Spirit speaks -
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth."
There is a point of time from which those who die in the Lord are called
"blessed." The text would suggest that point as the beginning of the Three
Angels' Messages.
We next turn our attention to the Three Angels and their messages.
Immediately we face a problem. How are we to identify these angels, as symbols
or real angels?
We have said that they represent a movement.
We have perceived that movement to be the Adventist Movement.
However, there are more than three angels in Revelation 14.
Besides the three which "fly in the midst of heaven," there are three other
angels: two come "out of the temple," and one "out from the altar." (vs.
15-18)
Rev 14:15 And ANOTHER ANGEL came out of the temple, crying with a loud
voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time
is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev
14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and
the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17 And ANOTHER ANGEL came out of
the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev
14:18 And ANOTHER ANGEL came out from the altar, which had power
over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth;
for her grapes are fully ripe.
One from the "temple" and the one from the "altar" are involved with
"the great winepress of the wrath of God" and "the city." (vs. 19-20)
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the
wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the
city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the
space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The previous reference where "temple," "altar," and "city" are associated
together is Rev. 11:1-2.
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel
stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that
worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple
leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The
references previous to Rev. 11:1, where the "altar" is seen is in Chapters 8
& 9. There it is called, "the golden altar before the throne." (8:3;
9:13)
Our problem is that if we interpret the three angels flying in the midst of
heaven as an earthly movement, how can we interpret the last three as literal?
If all are symbolic of "movements," what movements do the last three
represent?
How do we interrelate these angels which come out of the temple with
the two temple scenes of Chapter 11:1, 19?
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel
stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that
worship therein.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven,
and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were
lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Either we say that they mean something different in Revelation 14, or
we say that they must be given a consistent identification in each reference
where the term is used.
Whichever interpretive decision we make, we come face to face with the
realization that there are still areas in the book of Revelation that need
prayer and study. *******AMEN!
A suggestive interpretation of the angels of Revelation 14 might be found in
the designation of the sixth angel.
He had "authority ("power" - KJV) over the fire." (v. 18 Gr.)
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power
over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth;
for her grapes are fully ripe.
In Revelation 16,the angel of the third plague is spoken of as "the
angel of the waters." (16:5)
Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O
Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Throughout the ENTIRE BOOK, angels are given specific responsibilities in
carrying out the directives that come from the throne of God.
Thus we could say that the first angel of Revelation 14 was given the
"authority" to see that the everlasting gospel with its specific emphasis for
earth's last hour was implemented. This he did through the Advent Movement.
From this viewpoint, the "angels of God" in Revelation are REAL BEINGS -
"ministering spirits" - placed in charge of God's plans and purposes to bring
about the full realization of the victory of "His Christ." (12:10)
Considering the messages of the first three angels of Revelation 14, as we
seek to let the text speak, we face problems in harmonizing what the text says
with what our tradition has read into these verses.
The first angel comes in the midst of heaven "having the everlasting gospel."
(14:6)
It is age-long (aionion); the same gospel as promised to Eve in the
beginning, and realized in the victory of the Man-child. It is to go not only to
"them that dwell on the earth," but also to "every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people."
It carried a specific message. "The hour of God's
judgment is come."
"Is come" (elthen) is in the past tense (Gr. aorist).
When this angel gives its message, the judgment has commenced.
The
message of the first angel is NOT a message telling of something to come, but a
PROCLAMATION of what HAS begun - God's judgment hour.
Further it is connected
with three imperatives:
1) "Fear God,"
2) "Give
glory to Him," and
3) "Worship Him who
made."
This message could not be given until the Judgment had begun in Heaven no
more than the Spirit could come on Pentecost until the enthronement of Christ as
High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary. (See Acts 2:33)
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this,
which ye now see and hear.
Thus the first angel began to sound AFTER 1844, NOT before.
It is also a historical fact that the Movement directed by this angel did not
see the sanctuary truth of the final atonement of the great High Priest, or the
Sabbath truth until AFTER October 22, 1844.
Further, since this message is a part of the age-long gospel, it will
continue to be proclaimed till the close of all human probation.
The other two which follow only JOIN their voices with this first angel.
The second angel proclaims - "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."
Again, this
is in the past tense (epesen).
When this angel sounds, there is an
ACCOMPLISHED FACT.
In fact, the reason for the fall of Babylon -
"because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication"
- is in the Greek perfect tense (pepotiken), indicating COMPLETED action.
The message of this angel is that the "nations" to whom "the everlasting
gospel" was to be proclaimed, INSTEAD of accepting it, chose to drink of
Babylon's wine under religious duress.
The third angel joins the other two. However, in John's recording of this
message, he places it in the present tense -
"If any man is worshiping (proskunei) the beast and his image, and is
receiving (lambanei) a mark ...." (14:9)
This message, therefore, except in a warning of what will be, cannot be
"present truth" until the "mark" is in place, and the proclamation to worship is
made.
It needs to be kept in mind that the cause to worship this beast is
contingent on the fact that "the deadly wound was healed." (13:12)
When we consider the "wisdom" and "under-standing" given to John in the
previous chapter (13:18), we discover that the basic element in this warning is
against the worship of man for the "beast" is a man!
The third angel joins his voice in warning that the rejection of the
everlasting gospel's imperatives -
"Fear God, and give glory to Him ... and worship Him who made" -
- and in its place, worshiping man in whatever form that may take, brings
"the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture." (14:10)
In the final confrontation when all that dwell on the face of the earth bow
in worship to the beast that had a deadly wound and "was healed," there will be
a "remnant of Israel" who, as the Three Worthies before them, refuse to bow to
the image - they will keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
(14:12)
It will be a trying ordeal for it will reveal the "endurance" (patience
- KJV) of the saints. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved." (Matt. 24:13)
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved.
This verse - 14:12 - is interesting in that not only do the "saints" keep the
commandments of God, they ALSO keep the faith of Jesus.
We hear much about "keeping" the commandments of God, but we hear little, if
any thing, about keeping the faith of Jesus.
This word, "keep" (tereo) is the same word as used in the blessing pronounced
upon those who "keep those things which are written" in the book of Revelation.
(1:3; 22:7, 9)
John uses this word frequently in both his Gospel and first Epistle. In these
books, it is used primarily with keeping the commandments, and the sayings of
Jesus.
We might ask, does the keeping of the faith of Jesus mean entering into the
experience He entered, in both Gethsemane and Calvary, where unable to see
through the darkness, He simply prayed, "Thy will be done. Father into thy hands
I commend my spirit."
Will the 144,000 who go with the Lamb "withsoever He goeth," have also gone
with Him through their Gethsemane and Calvary?
" One thing will certainly be understood from a study of Revelation, - that
the connection between God and His people is close and decided. "
(TM, p.
114)
*******
We who despise hardships. We who run to the pharmacy at the least sign of
discomfort. We who bemoan our existence so often when we lack the things we
believe we need, deserve, desire. We who are taught that any anxiety is a bad
thing. We who are raised to believe that depression is a state we must shun at
all costs - rather than use it to examine our lives and learn to develop a trust
in God unlike any can imagine. We who are so incredibly far from where we need
to be- is it ANY wonder at all that there will be so few people who have the
true FAITH of Jesus? We suffer and we are supposed to suffer. We aren't supposed
to like it at all. We need to put our lives in God's hands NOW, not later. We
need to develop a trust in God that can withstand everything and anything Satan
wants to throw at us. We have to submit to God, we need to learn this
submission. God will NOT force us to love Him. God will NOT force us to trust
Him. God will NOT force us to believe. We have a choice and making that choice
decides our eternal fate. It's a choice that needs to be made so much more often
than people realize. It's a choice we make throughout our daily lives in ALL we
do. Are we REALLY, HONESTLY letting our Savior guide our every action? Is
that too much to ask of us sinners? I didn't ask are we really doing everything
right? You might say that's what His guiding our every action means, but it
isn't. We are sinners, we are humans, we are fallible, we will make mistakes, we
will fail, we will mess things up bad, but if we are really doing ALL we can to
put our Savior in all we do then we are choosing Christ. When we fail to choose
Christ we are sinning every bit as much as the sinful action. It's putting
Christ second, it's putting other things before God that causes us to fail. We
need to ask ourselves if we ARE putting Christ first in our choices. If we're
afraid to even ask ourselves that question we need to pray so much more than we
are doing now. Christ is our Salvation. Christ is our Rock. Christ is
Everything. We need the FAITH of JESUS, a faith that is fully in God in all
things.
Please Lord, help us! We are desperately in need of Your help. We don't
always see a way out of our situations, a way to be Yours in all things, help us
find a way PLEASE!
Guide us.
Love us.
Forgive us.
Please…forgive us.
All in YOUR righteousness!
Amen.
of what's being said.
I know that some people scoff at the Old Testament and want to hear on things
from the New Testament as if the Old were done away, replaced by the new, which
in truth is a conception that we old to with many day to day things. The old
becomes obsolete. It's not truth always. Sometimes you need the old to build a
platform to the new. Sometimes the older things are the more valuable they
become. Sometimes a merger of the two both old and new are needed to reap the
most benefits.
It's a shame that more reverence isn't given the Old Testament because that's
the only scripture Jesus had when He walked the earth as man to use when He
spoke from the scriptures.
Jesus didn't come shouting for all to do away with the Old Testament. He
didn't say it was obsolete. He said this...
John {5:39} 'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal
life: and they are they which testify of me. {5:40} And ye will not come to me,
that ye might have life. {5:41} I receive not honour from men. {5:42} But I know
you, that ye have not the love of God in you. {5:43} I am come in my
Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive. {5:44} How can ye believe, which receive honour one of
another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only? {5:45} Do not
think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is [one] that accuseth you,
[even] Moses, in whom ye trust. {5:46} For had ye believed Moses, ye would have
believed me: for he wrote of me. {5:47} But if ye believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words?'
Search the scriptures- what we know as the Old Testament.
For had you believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote of me.
But if you don't believe his writings, how shall you believe my words.
Do you see? This is Jesus speaking of the Old Testament. Clearly He is not
saying that He has a New Testament that will replace the old stuffy Old
Testament which He's making obsolete. He speaks of Moses who wrote of Him. Those
who don't believe Moses, how can they believe in Him?
God's love is reveal in the Old and New Testaments.
We might scoff at the Old Testament and say much of it is irrelevant, done
away with, replaced, made new, but Jesus never said that. Jesus shed light upon
the teachings of the Old Testament, He brought it to life in a way it was meant
to be brought to life, He came to fulfil the prophecies spoken of about Him, He
came to right the twisted and perverted truths, to be the embodiment of the love
God has for us. He showed perfect love for God His Father and perfect love for
His fellow mankind.
I've been studying the word truth lately and it lead me to this lengthy bit
in the Old Testament- I could just pick up the single verse with the word
'truth' in it but I feel compelled to bring all of this as a we study. When you
read it please try to remember that Isaiah was a prophet, he too spoke of Jesus
and you'll see it here.
Isaiah
{58:1} Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my
people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
** We need our sins revealed so that we may repent of them. As long as they
are hidden from us we cannot forsake them.
Isaiah
{58:2} Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that
did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me
the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
**Imagine that? Seeking God daily, delighting to know His ways, wanting to
know justice, delighting to approach God. How wonderful!
Isaiah
{58:3} Wherefore have we fasted, [say they,] and thou seest not? [wherefore]
have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of
your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
{58:4} Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of
wickedness: ye shall not fast as [ye do this] day, to make your voice to be
heard on high.
{58:5} Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his
soul? [is it] to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth
and ashes [under him?] wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to
the LORD?
{58:6} [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and
that ye break every yoke?
{58:7} [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the
poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou
cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
**
Remember--
Luke
{3:10} And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
{3:11} He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him
impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
God would not have men fast and pat themselves on the back for doing so,
calling it righteousness. God would rather we love one another with brotherly
love- seeing to one another's needs before He would ask us to fast and call that
duty to God over helping one another.
Isaiah
{58:8} Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health
shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the
glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.
{58:9} Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and
he shall say, Here I [am.] If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke,
the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
{58:10} And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the
afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as
the noonday:
{58:11} And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in
drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and
like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
{58:12} And [they that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places:
thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be
called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
**Think about it, when you've helped another doesn't that feed your own soul?
Seriously, helping another person makes us feel good, being able to help. We
grumble and gripe when asked to do something, when our help is needed in various
ways that would interfere with our own plans, and yet helping others is so
important. If only we could keep forever in our minds that helping others is
truly loving as we want ourselves to be loved. We ask for help and when it is
given lovingly we are pleased. We ask for help and when it's given begrudgingly
it stirs up things inside us- resentment, ire. Loving one another is such a huge
focus of the Bible. We reap so much benefit from helping others lovingly and
being able to help is a reward in itself without getting a thing for helping.
Isaiah
{58:13} If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy
pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the
LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words:
{58:14} Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to
ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob
thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it.]
**Delight thyself in the Lord. Taking our eyes off ourselves and delighting
in the Lord, a weekly reminder of our God, of our loving heavenly Father,
delighting solely in Him is so special and yet some make it burdensome, others
make it obsolete, is it no wonder the world seems to be so completely engulfed
in sin?
Isaiah
{59:1} Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither
his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
{59:2} But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your
sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.
**Sin separates us from God. Our mediator, our healer of the breach is
Jesus.
Isaiah
{59:3} For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
{59:4} None calleth for justice, nor [any] pleadeth for TRUTH: they trust in
vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
**None call for justice, none plead for truth... how incredibly sad.
Trusting in vanity, speaking lies, when the focus is on self, and the belief
that you and you alone control things, there is little truth, little justice,
and people fool themselves that their idea of truth and justice is good when it
is vain and wrong, so wrong. Real justice, real truth, these call for looking
away from ourselves and to God where it is found.
Isaiah
{59:5} They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that
eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
{59:6} Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves
with their works: their works [are] works of iniquity, and the act of violence
[is] in their hands.
{59:7} Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood:
their thoughts [are] thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction [are] in
their paths.
{59:8} The way of peace they know not; and [there is] no judgment in their
goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not
know peace.
{59:9} Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us:
we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, [but] we walk in
darkness.
{59:10} We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no
eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead
[men.]
{59:11} We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for
judgment, but [there is] none; for salvation, [but] it is far off from us.
{59:12} For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins
testify against us: for our transgressions [are] with us; and [as for] our
iniquities, we know them;
{59:13} In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from
our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the
heart words of falsehood.
{59:14} And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off:
for TRUTH is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
{59:15} Yea, TRUTH faileth; and he [that] departeth from evil maketh himself
a prey: and the LORD saw [it,] and it displeased him that [there was] no
judgment.
{59:16} And he saw that [there was] no man, and wondered that [there was] no
intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his
righteousness, it sustained him.
**Truth is fallen, Truth fails, people don't want the truth, they want things
soothing to their ears so that they may believe in the falseness that their sins
are acceptable. Those that do depart from evil are like a small animal caught in
the sights of huge, hungry lion, as the world looks upon them wanting them to
die rather than live as a reminder to them of their own evil state. God sent
salvation for all those who would turn from evil. Those who set themselves up as
prey are given heavenly armor to protect them, maybe not here on earth for this
life but the protection is heavenly and will hold true until Jesus comes and
takes us to heaven with him.
Isaiah
{59:17} For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of
salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance [for] clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
**Remember-
Eph.{6:13} 'Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {6:14} Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; {6:15} And your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; {6:16} Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. {6:17} And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God: {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints'
There is so much more to this and I know it's going to be very lengthy, that
it already is, so I'll break it into two parts.
Truth.
We don't want truth to fail us. We don't want truth to be fallen. We need to
hold the truth up high and let it live within us everyday.
The truth of God.
The truth of His love and the beautiful truth of His salvation found in His
only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever! All mercy, all grace
in Him.
Amen.
10/10/09
Psalm 149
{149:1} Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and]
his
praise in the congregation of saints.
{149:2} Let Israel rejoice in
him that made him: let the children of
Zion be joyful in their
King.
{149:3} Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing
praises
unto him with the timbrel and harp.
{149:4} For the LORD taketh
pleasure in his people: he will beautify
the meek with salvation.
{149:5}
Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon
their
beds.
{149:6} [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and
a
twoedged sword in their hand;
{149:7} To execute vengeance upon the
heathen, [and] punishments upon
the people;
{149:8} To bind their kings
with chains, and their nobles with fetters
of iron;
{149:9} To execute
upon them the judgment written: this honour have all
his saints. Praise ye
the LORD.
Proverbs {5:3} For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an
honeycomb,
and her mouth [is] smoother than oil: {5:4}
But her end is bitter as
wormwood, sharp as a twoedged
sword.
Hebrews {4:12} For the word of God [is] quick, and
powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirt and of the
joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the
thoughts and
intents of the heart.
Rev. {1:16} And he had in his right hand seven stars: and
out of his
mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his
countenance [was] as the sun
shineth in his strength
The ultimate discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart- Jesus.
Psalms {51:10} Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit
within me.
{51:11} Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not
thy holy
spirit from me.
{51:12} Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me [with
thy] free spirit.
This is my prayer now and always.
I will never feel *clean* enough, I will never feel *right* enough. My
thoughts and intents of my heart are not as they should be and Jesus can discern
this, He knows and I come before Him begging His mercy and grace- asking that He
create a clean heart in me, that He renews a right spirit in me. I cry out with
David, 'Cast me not away from thy presence and take not the holy spirit
from me, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free
spirit.'
John
{17:1} These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to
heaven, and
said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son,
that thy Son also may
glorify thee: {17:2} As thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him. {17:3} And this
is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent. {17:4} I have
glorified thee on the earth: I
have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. {17:5} And now, O Father,
glorify
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with
thee
before the world was. {17:6} I have manifested thy
name unto the men which
thou gavest me out of the world:
thine they were, and thou gavest them me;
and they have
kept thy word. {17:7} Now they have known that all
things
whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. {17:8} For I
have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me; and
they have received [them,] and
have known surely that I
came out from thee, and they have believed that thou
didst
send me. {17:9} I pray for them: I pray not for the world,
but for
them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
{17:10} And all mine are
thine, and thine are mine; and I
am glorified in them. {17:11} And now I am
no more in the
world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.
Holy
Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me,
that they may be one, as we [are. ]{17:12} While
I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name: those
that thou gavest me I have kept, and
none of them is lost,
but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled.
{17:13} And now come I to thee; and these things I speak
in the
world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves. {17:14} I have
given them thy word; and the
world hath hated them, because they are not of
the world,
even as I am not of the world. {17:15} I pray not that
thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest
keep
them from the evil. {17:16} They are not of the world,
even as I am not of
the world. {17:17} Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth.
{17:18} As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them
into
the world. {17:19} And for their sakes I sanctify myself,
that they
also might be sanctified through the truth. {17:20}
Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word;
{17:21} That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in
thee, that
they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that
thou hast sent me. {17:22} And the glory which thou gavest
me I have
given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: {17:23} I in them, and
thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved
me.
{17:24} Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given
me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory,
which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world. {17:25} O righteous
Father, the
world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and
these
have known that thou hast sent me. {17:26} And I
have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare [it:] that
the love wherewith thou hast loved me may
be in them, and
I in them.
AMEN!
10/10/10
10/10/11
This study is guided by the thought paper of William
Grotheer. He was a former SDA member who clearly saw and revealed the apostasy
within the SDA corporate church. A lot of what he wrote on makes a person think
for themselves, study for themselves. He's not trying to convince anyone to
believe as he believes, any more than I am trying to get a single person to
believe what I believe. I would much rather everyone study for themselves.
Study, study, study, study, study! We can never cease to study God's word,
never. We need to pray and ask for guidance and clear understanding. When we
face things we aren't sure about we have to keep praying and keep studying,
never giving up but always receptive to the truth as God will reveal it to us.
If we don't have this very REAL active faith, this very REAL active belief in
God then we need to pray harder, pray for a clean heart, for a renewed spirit.
Satan is going to do all he can to keep as many people as he can with him and
he'll stop at nothing to deceive us, nothing. With an open heart, with an open
mind all before God may we study and understand. Let the Holy Spirit bring us
all the enlightenment we need, and may we never be discouraged, never despair of
being in our Savior's will, wholly His.
Thought Paper - Watchman What of the Night- 1995 Jul -- XXVIII -- 7(95)
-- EXEGESIS OF REVELATION -- THE 144,000 AND THE THREE ANGELS -- Part 3 --
The first vision given to John after he was told, "Here is wisdom," is a
climax to a series of revelations given in the previous chapters.
He was told that "all that dwell on the earth shall worship" the first beast,
except those whose names are in "the book of life of the Lamb." (13:8)
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the
world.
It was also stated that those who would "not worship the image of the beast
should be killed." (13:15)
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the
image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be killed.
In Chapter 12, it was declared that those who overcome "the dragon" do so "by
the blood of the Lamb," and these "loved not their lives unto death."
(12:11)
Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Now John sees a company with the Lamb on mount Sion, 144,000.
This number stands in direct CONTRAST to the "all" who worship, the dragon,
beast, and image. (13:4, 15)
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to
make war with him?
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of
the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many
as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
These are commandment keepers; they have no other gods before
Jehovah Elohim. (Ex. 20:2-3)
Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.
Further, they do not bow down to, nor serve any "image." (Ex. 20:4-5)
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me
God honors them for their FIDELITY in the midst of universal apostasy
by placing His name in their foreheads.
The 144,000 on mount Sion, the remnant of the seed the of the woman who face
the death decree in the warfare with the dragon, are also revealed in the first
section of the book.
(Chapter 7) There these victors are portrayed as having "washed their robes,
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (v. 14)
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me,
These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes,
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The picture is heightened by further comparison.
The 144,000 receive "His Father's name."
These "follow the Lamb
whithersoever He goeth." (14:4)
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
*******
The high point of this last section of Revelation before the Millennial
reign is that "the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself
ready." She is clothed in"fine linen, clean and white," a righteousness obtained
by the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7 Let us be
glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is
the righteousness of saints.
There is another "knitting" back into the first section.
The victors of "Laodicea" sit with "the True Witness" (Gr. ho martus) on His
throne. (3:21)
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
They REFUSE to worship the dragon, beast and image - they KEEP the
commandments - and they HAVE the "witness" (Gr. marturian) of Jesus Christ.
They are the "remnant" of the woman's seed, the "Queen" - the wife of the
Lamb accepting only "His Father's name."
The 144,000 with the Father's name in their foreheads "the seal of God" (Rev.
7:3)
Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,
till we have SEALED the servants of our God in their foreheads.
- are in contrast to the "ALL" who worship the beast and receive "a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." (13:16)
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free
and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads
With the emphasis on "the blood of the Lamb" as the means of victory, the
144,000 have nothing in their hands to bring, simply to the Lamb they
cling. *******AMEN!
Those who trust in the merits of their own works - Cain worship - receive a
mark in their right hand.
*******
John next heard a duo singing "a new song" in which the 144,000 unite their
voices.
These voices are accompanied "by harpers harping on their harps."
(14:2-3)
Rev 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping
with their harps:
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before
the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn
that song BUT the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from
the earth.
"The voice of many waters" is the voice of "the Son of man." (1:15)
Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
The voice "of a great thunder" is God Himself.
Zephaniah seeing "the remnant of Israel" who do no iniquity, neither is a
"deceitful tongue found in their mouth," foretells that the Lord God "will joy
over (them) with singing." (3:13, 17)
Zep 3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies;
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed
and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
Zep 3:17 The LORD thy
God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with
joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
[See John 12:28-29….
Joh 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from
heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Joh
12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it
thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
... and note the phrase, "lightnings and thunderings and voices" associated
with descriptions of the Throne of God in Revelation 4:5; 16:17-18.]
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and
voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are
the seven Spirits of God.
Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out
his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices,
and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not
since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
An interesting question for consideration is why, and what is the "new song"
which only God, the Lamb and the 144,000 will sing together.
The 144,000 are indicated as having been "redeemed from among men."
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
REDEEMED from among MEN, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
James White made an insightful observation on this point.
He wrote: "Not out of their graves;
no, no, - 'from among men.' They must, therefore, be the living saints who are
changed to immortality at the coming of the Lord." (R&H, May 9, 1854, p.
124; emphasis his)
These are declared to be "the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb." Here
again is the Divine Duo with a stated relationship of the 144,000 to Them. This
entwining picture should be carefully considered:
1) The 144,000 are with the Lamb on mount Sion with God's
name in their foreheads.
2) The Lamb and God sing a "new song" in which only the
144,000 can unite their voices.
3) The 144,000 become "first fruits" to God and the
Lamb.
If James White's observation first penned in 1850 is correct, and we believe
it is, this relationship between the 144,000 and the Divine Duo is further
heightened by the fact that those who are translated without seeing death put on
"immortality" in contrast to the "incorruption" of the resurrected saints. (I
Cor. 15:51-54)
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
The word translated, "immortality" (athanasia) is used only three times
in the New Testament, twice in I Corinthians 15:53-54,
and once in I Tim. 6:16.
1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man
can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and
power everlasting. Amen.
Here in these related verses is a clear suggestion that the 144,000 will
share in an attribute of God as did the exalted Jesus who had laid aside this
prerogative to accomplish redemption. This resurrected Christ is also called,
"the first fruits." (I Cor. 15:23
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
There is an interpretation read into these verses which designates the
144,000 as the instruments by which God brings together the "great multitude" of
Revelation 7:9
Rev 7:9 After this 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
Inasmuch as the 144,000 are discussed in both Revelation 7, and 14, we
need to pause and consider the two prophetic pictures together.
In Revelation 7, the question is asked, "Who are these arrayed in white
robes, and where did they come from?" (v. 13 NKJV) There is no question but that
the great multitude are arrayed in white robes. The text so states. (7:9) It
also declares that the "multitude" come from "all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues."
Applying the same question asked by "one of the elders" in Chapter 7 to
Revelation 14 in regard to the 144,000, the answer is - they result from the
Three Angels' Mesages, which are likewise given not only to "every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people" (14:6)
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people
... but also to them "that dwell on the earth."
The 144,000 are not only "redeemed from among men," but also are "redeemed
from the earth." (14:3)
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and
before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the
hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Here a judgment call must be made once again.
Are we to interpret "earth" as the symbolic "earth" of the continuous
prophecy of Revelation 12 & 13, or do we interpret the word as applied to
the planet as a whole?
From the picture in Revelation 14, must be added the descriptive concept of
the 144,000 -
"in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the
throne of God." (v. 5)
In other words, "they keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
(v. 12)
Compare Rev. 14:5
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without
fault before the throne of God.
with I Peter 2:22,
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth
... and consider the basic revelation of Chapter 12 - the "Seed" of the
Woman, the Man-child, and the "remnant of her seed" which keep the commandments
of God, and have the witness of Jesus. (12:17) Where then does the "great
multitude" enter the picture?
In Rev. 14:13 "a voice from heaven" is heard. The Holy Spirit speaks -
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth."
There is a point of time from which those who die in the Lord are called
"blessed." The text would suggest that point as the beginning of the Three
Angels' Messages.
We next turn our attention to the Three Angels and their messages.
Immediately we face a problem. How are we to identify these angels, as symbols
or real angels?
We have said that they represent a movement.
We have perceived that movement to be the Adventist Movement.
However, there are more than three angels in Revelation 14.
Besides the three which "fly in the midst of heaven," there are three other
angels: two come "out of the temple," and one "out from the altar." (vs.
15-18)
Rev 14:15 And ANOTHER ANGEL came out of the temple, crying with a loud
voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time
is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev
14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and
the earth was reaped.
Rev 14:17 And ANOTHER ANGEL came out of
the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Rev
14:18 And ANOTHER ANGEL came out from the altar, which had power
over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth;
for her grapes are fully ripe.
One from the "temple" and the one from the "altar" are involved with
"the great winepress of the wrath of God" and "the city." (vs. 19-20)
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the
wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the
city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the
space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The previous reference where "temple," "altar," and "city" are associated
together is Rev. 11:1-2.
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel
stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that
worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple
leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The
references previous to Rev. 11:1, where the "altar" is seen is in Chapters 8
& 9. There it is called, "the golden altar before the throne." (8:3;
9:13)
Our problem is that if we interpret the three angels flying in the midst of
heaven as an earthly movement, how can we interpret the last three as literal?
If all are symbolic of "movements," what movements do the last three
represent?
How do we interrelate these angels which come out of the temple with
the two temple scenes of Chapter 11:1, 19?
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel
stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that
worship therein.
Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven,
and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were
lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Either we say that they mean something different in Revelation 14, or
we say that they must be given a consistent identification in each reference
where the term is used.
Whichever interpretive decision we make, we come face to face with the
realization that there are still areas in the book of Revelation that need
prayer and study. *******AMEN!
A suggestive interpretation of the angels of Revelation 14 might be found in
the designation of the sixth angel.
He had "authority ("power" - KJV) over the fire." (v. 18 Gr.)
Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power
over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth;
for her grapes are fully ripe.
In Revelation 16,the angel of the third plague is spoken of as "the
angel of the waters." (16:5)
Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O
Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Throughout the ENTIRE BOOK, angels are given specific responsibilities in
carrying out the directives that come from the throne of God.
Thus we could say that the first angel of Revelation 14 was given the
"authority" to see that the everlasting gospel with its specific emphasis for
earth's last hour was implemented. This he did through the Advent Movement.
From this viewpoint, the "angels of God" in Revelation are REAL BEINGS -
"ministering spirits" - placed in charge of God's plans and purposes to bring
about the full realization of the victory of "His Christ." (12:10)
Considering the messages of the first three angels of Revelation 14, as we
seek to let the text speak, we face problems in harmonizing what the text says
with what our tradition has read into these verses.
The first angel comes in the midst of heaven "having the everlasting gospel."
(14:6)
It is age-long (aionion); the same gospel as promised to Eve in the
beginning, and realized in the victory of the Man-child. It is to go not only to
"them that dwell on the earth," but also to "every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people."
It carried a specific message. "The hour of God's
judgment is come."
"Is come" (elthen) is in the past tense (Gr. aorist).
When this angel gives its message, the judgment has commenced.
The
message of the first angel is NOT a message telling of something to come, but a
PROCLAMATION of what HAS begun - God's judgment hour.
Further it is connected
with three imperatives:
1) "Fear God,"
2) "Give
glory to Him," and
3) "Worship Him who
made."
This message could not be given until the Judgment had begun in Heaven no
more than the Spirit could come on Pentecost until the enthronement of Christ as
High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary. (See Acts 2:33)
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this,
which ye now see and hear.
Thus the first angel began to sound AFTER 1844, NOT before.
It is also a historical fact that the Movement directed by this angel did not
see the sanctuary truth of the final atonement of the great High Priest, or the
Sabbath truth until AFTER October 22, 1844.
Further, since this message is a part of the age-long gospel, it will
continue to be proclaimed till the close of all human probation.
The other two which follow only JOIN their voices with this first angel.
The second angel proclaims - "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."
Again, this
is in the past tense (epesen).
When this angel sounds, there is an
ACCOMPLISHED FACT.
In fact, the reason for the fall of Babylon -
"because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication"
- is in the Greek perfect tense (pepotiken), indicating COMPLETED action.
The message of this angel is that the "nations" to whom "the everlasting
gospel" was to be proclaimed, INSTEAD of accepting it, chose to drink of
Babylon's wine under religious duress.
The third angel joins the other two. However, in John's recording of this
message, he places it in the present tense -
"If any man is worshiping (proskunei) the beast and his image, and is
receiving (lambanei) a mark ...." (14:9)
This message, therefore, except in a warning of what will be, cannot be
"present truth" until the "mark" is in place, and the proclamation to worship is
made.
It needs to be kept in mind that the cause to worship this beast is
contingent on the fact that "the deadly wound was healed." (13:12)
When we consider the "wisdom" and "under-standing" given to John in the
previous chapter (13:18), we discover that the basic element in this warning is
against the worship of man for the "beast" is a man!
The third angel joins his voice in warning that the rejection of the
everlasting gospel's imperatives -
"Fear God, and give glory to Him ... and worship Him who made" -
- and in its place, worshiping man in whatever form that may take, brings
"the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture." (14:10)
In the final confrontation when all that dwell on the face of the earth bow
in worship to the beast that had a deadly wound and "was healed," there will be
a "remnant of Israel" who, as the Three Worthies before them, refuse to bow to
the image - they will keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
(14:12)
It will be a trying ordeal for it will reveal the "endurance" (patience
- KJV) of the saints. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved." (Matt. 24:13)
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved.
This verse - 14:12 - is interesting in that not only do the "saints" keep the
commandments of God, they ALSO keep the faith of Jesus.
We hear much about "keeping" the commandments of God, but we hear little, if
any thing, about keeping the faith of Jesus.
This word, "keep" (tereo) is the same word as used in the blessing pronounced
upon those who "keep those things which are written" in the book of Revelation.
(1:3; 22:7, 9)
John uses this word frequently in both his Gospel and first Epistle. In these
books, it is used primarily with keeping the commandments, and the sayings of
Jesus.
We might ask, does the keeping of the faith of Jesus mean entering into the
experience He entered, in both Gethsemane and Calvary, where unable to see
through the darkness, He simply prayed, "Thy will be done. Father into thy hands
I commend my spirit."
Will the 144,000 who go with the Lamb "withsoever He goeth," have also gone
with Him through their Gethsemane and Calvary?
" One thing will certainly be understood from a study of Revelation, - that
the connection between God and His people is close and decided. "
(TM, p.
114)
*******
We who despise hardships. We who run to the pharmacy at the least sign of
discomfort. We who bemoan our existence so often when we lack the things we
believe we need, deserve, desire. We who are taught that any anxiety is a bad
thing. We who are raised to believe that depression is a state we must shun at
all costs - rather than use it to examine our lives and learn to develop a trust
in God unlike any can imagine. We who are so incredibly far from where we need
to be- is it ANY wonder at all that there will be so few people who have the
true FAITH of Jesus? We suffer and we are supposed to suffer. We aren't supposed
to like it at all. We need to put our lives in God's hands NOW, not later. We
need to develop a trust in God that can withstand everything and anything Satan
wants to throw at us. We have to submit to God, we need to learn this
submission. God will NOT force us to love Him. God will NOT force us to trust
Him. God will NOT force us to believe. We have a choice and making that choice
decides our eternal fate. It's a choice that needs to be made so much more often
than people realize. It's a choice we make throughout our daily lives in ALL we
do. Are we REALLY, HONESTLY letting our Savior guide our every action? Is
that too much to ask of us sinners? I didn't ask are we really doing everything
right? You might say that's what His guiding our every action means, but it
isn't. We are sinners, we are humans, we are fallible, we will make mistakes, we
will fail, we will mess things up bad, but if we are really doing ALL we can to
put our Savior in all we do then we are choosing Christ. When we fail to choose
Christ we are sinning every bit as much as the sinful action. It's putting
Christ second, it's putting other things before God that causes us to fail. We
need to ask ourselves if we ARE putting Christ first in our choices. If we're
afraid to even ask ourselves that question we need to pray so much more than we
are doing now. Christ is our Salvation. Christ is our Rock. Christ is
Everything. We need the FAITH of JESUS, a faith that is fully in God in all
things.
Please Lord, help us! We are desperately in need of Your help. We don't
always see a way out of our situations, a way to be Yours in all things, help us
find a way PLEASE!
Guide us.
Love us.
Forgive us.
Please…forgive us.
All in YOUR righteousness!
Amen.