THE 144,000 SAINTS

PROCLAMATION

“Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.”  Revelation 7:4 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of prophecy which were revealed to, and written by, the Apostle John, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this seventh chapter of Revelation, while he was still in the spirit (Revelation 4:2), John was shown a vision. (Revelation 5:1 and 6:1-17)  After this John saw four angels holding back the four winds to prevent them from harming the earth. (Revelation 7:1)  Then another angel appeared and told the four angels not to release the winds until seals had been placed on the foreheads of the servants of God. (Revelation 7:2-3)  These are the 144,000 Jewish male servants of God who were sealed and preserved during the Tribulation.  After this John saw a great multitude of believers, too many to count, from every nation and tribe and language wearing white robes standing before the throne.  These are the Gentile believers, the elect of God, the saints from the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 7:9-10)

 

APPLICATION

The 144,000 saints are virgin Jewish men (Revelation 14:4) who are the remnants of Israel who are sealed to preserve them as they witness for Christ during the Great Tribulation.  There are 12,000 from twelve of the thirteen tribes of Israel.  The tribes of Dan and Ephraim were omitted from the list.  These are not the only Jews in heaven.  The Old Testament saints will be there as well as the martyrs who died prior to the Tribulation, the souls that John saw under the alter. (Revelation 6:9-11)  The church will have been raptured before the wrath of God is unleased on the earth.  There are some Bible scholars who believe that these 144,000 saints will translated without dying because they were sealed and protected during the Great Tribulation.  While we may not be in that 144,000, we need to make sure that we are in the number with their name recorded in The Lamb’s Book of Life.

 

STAND FIRM AND HOLD ON TO THE BELIEF IN THE WORD OF GOD

Proclamation:

“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.  May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”  2 Thessalonians 2:15-16 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  He began this second chapter by discussing the antichrist and reminded them that he had told them about these things when he was with them. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-5)  The coming of the antichrist will be in accordance with how Satan works using displays of power through signs and wonders to support his lies. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10)  The false prophets were spreading the word that the Day of The Lord had already come and Paul was telling the believers that it had not come yet. (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3)  Then Paul encourages them to stand firm and hold on to the teachings which they had received.  He ends by praying that God will encourage and strengthen them.

Application:

After the rapture, the day of The Lord will begin.  The Day of The Lord is a technical phrase which refers to the period of time beginning with the Great Tribulation. (Read Matthew 24:3-28)  The antichrist will reveal himself during this period and present himself as God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)  He will have power and he will deceive the world. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10)  As bad as thing are in the world today, they will get worse because the day of The Lord has not yet come.  When it does come, believers will not be here to see it because it will occur after the rapture.  So, keep the faith and keep spreading The Word of God by mouth and by actions.  We can rest assured that we are safely within God’s hands. (John 10:29)