Participants:
Series Code: ICJ
Program Code: ICJ190008B
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00:01 We left off in Revelation 7:1-3 with these four mighty angels
00:07 holding back the winds of strife. 00:09 And they are holding those winds for a very good reason. 00:13 We'll go ahead and continue with the text. 00:15 "Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, 00:19 having the seal of the living God." 00:22 We might come back to that if we have a chance. 00:24 "And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels 00:28 to whom it was granted to them to harm the earth and the sea, 00:32 saying, 'Do not harm the sea, or the earth, or the trees 00:37 till we have sealed the servants of our God in their forehead.'" 00:44 So this mighty angel cries out to those angels, 00:47 "Keep holding. 00:48 Keep holding till we have sealed, 00:52 till we have gotten God's people ready. 00:55 To answer that question, 'Who will be able to stand,' 00:58 till we've got them ready to be able to stand 01:01 for this mighty event of the coming of the Lord Jesus." 01:07 So they're holding back the winds of strife. 01:11 And the Bible pictures them holding back the winds of strife 01:14 while twelve thousand from each one of the 01:16 tribes of Israel are sealed. 01:19 Now some people have tried to maybe say, 01:21 "Oh, so this is real Israel." 01:23 No, no, wait a minute. 01:24 You have to go back to the seven churches, 01:26 and there you will see the church referred to 01:29 as the synagogue, and you'll find them 01:32 referred to as the Jews. 01:34 Sometimes they were impostors and say they were Jews, 01:37 but they're not Jews. 01:38 No, this is symbolic of the Christian church. 01:41 And the tribes of Israel, of course, had 01:43 all kinds of different characters. 01:46 And I think it's given to us from hope. 01:47 If you study the characters of those twelve tribes, 01:51 or those twelve sons of Jacob, if God can bring people 01:55 ready to meet Him out of that group, 01:57 there's hope for all of us. 01:59 And that's good news. 02:00 So in the midst of this, God is saying, "I'm going to have a 02:03 people ready to stand, and I can bring them out of 02:05 some pretty tough characters." 02:08 So the picture is 144,000. 02:10 Now some people think that maybe that's a symbolic number 02:15 or a real number. 02:16 I tend to think it's a symbolic number. 02:18 And the reason for that is because just a little while 02:20 later we see the 144,000, and it's called a number that 02:27 cannot be numbered, we see them in the kingdom of heaven. 02:30 We'll see that in just a little bit here. 02:32 The joy of a great multitude. 02:34 So there's, I think, a symbolic group. 02:37 And I believe it will be a large group from all over the earth. 02:40 Certainly not the majority. 02:42 But listen to me. 02:43 There are seven some billion, between seven and eight billion 02:48 people on the earth. 02:51 Even if one in ten were ready, that would be 02:53 seven hundred million people that heeded the message. 02:57 I don't know how many people will be ready for Jesus to come. 03:00 But I believe that the great gospel commission 03:03 is going to end, not in a whimper, 03:05 but in a mighty successful onslaught against the devil 03:10 and all the victims that he's been holding in his hand. 03:13 We're going to see the power of God do amazing things. 03:16 God is going to have a people who are ready to meet Him. 03:20 And they're going to get ready, 03:22 and heaven is going to rejoice over it. 03:24 So then we see this next picture in Revelation 7:9-10. 03:29 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude 03:33 that no one could number..." 03:35 Still talking about the 144,000. 03:37 I think that's symbolic. 03:38 I don't have time to get into the symbolic numbers right now. 03:41 You can do that on your own. 03:43 "...of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues..." 03:45 From all over the earth they're going to come. 03:50 "...standing before the throne and the Lamb, 03:52 clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands..." 03:56 That's palm branches of victory. 03:57 Remember the seven churches and how it ends every time 04:01 a promise to the overcomers? 04:03 Well these are victorious people. 04:05 They've got palm branches in their hands. 04:07 "...and they're crying out with a loud voice, saying, 04:10 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, 04:14 and to the Lamb!'" 04:15 In other words, the reason we've been able to come through this, 04:18 the reason we have salvation, is because of the Lamb of God 04:22 that's taking us through. 04:24 Then John has a conversation with one of the elders. 04:27 One of the elders comes up to John and says, 04:30 in chapter 7:13-14, he says to John, 04:35 "Who are these arrayed in white robes, 04:38 and where did they come from?" 04:41 He's just re-emphasizing the fact that this mighty 04:44 Jesus has been able to bring them through. 04:47 Who are they? Who are they? 04:49 And John says to him, "You know. 04:51 You know who they are." 04:53 And then the elder says to John, he says, "These are the ones 04:58 who've come out of great tribulation." 05:02 That's a sobering thought. 05:03 Because this great tribulation is coming on the world. 05:07 But I want to tell you that we have the incomparable Jesus, 05:10 the invincible Jesus, who's able to bring His people through. 05:14 You can be brought through. 05:16 Your Savior is not a weak Savior. 05:18 He's got power to help you overcome, 05:21 and to help me overcome. 05:23 We've got to quit concentrating and worrying about the 05:25 power of the devil and focus on the power 05:28 of the One who created the universe, 05:30 the One who went to Calvary's cross, 05:33 who lived a sinless life and was resurrected. 05:35 He has the power of salvation. 05:39 And all of them are rejoicing in Jesus 05:42 and what's He's been able to do for them. 05:45 Then he goes on to say this: 05:47 They not only come out of great tribulation, 05:49 but then he says something, and this is emphasized. 05:52 It's emphasized with the bride of Christ in chapter 19, 05:55 it's emphasized with this symbolic, I believe, 144,000, 05:59 that says, "...they've washed their robes and made them 06:04 white in the blood of the Lamb." 06:06 Notice again, they wash their robes. 06:10 They wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb. 06:17 Why do they wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb? 06:20 And what does it mean when it says they do the washing? 06:26 What does it mean? 06:27 Scripture is pretty clear on that. 06:29 So we have to answer that question. 06:31 First of all, they come out of great tribulation, 06:33 great chaos, great trouble. 06:36 And with it comes great temptations and great pressures. 06:40 The mark of the beast is not going to be 06:41 an easy thing to come through in the end of time. 06:44 It's going to be a very difficult thing. 06:46 But those who wash their robes are in contrast 06:49 to those who cry for the rocks and the mountains 06:52 to fall on them. 06:54 When people wash their clothes, why do they wash their clothes? 07:00 They wash their clothes because they're 07:01 getting ready for some event. 07:02 They want to look good. 07:04 They want to be ready for the event. 07:06 They don't want to be like the man in the parable 07:08 of Jesus who showed up without a wedding garment. 07:11 He wasn't ready for the event. 07:14 So these people who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, 07:20 they're getting ready for Jesus to come. 07:24 And this washing is helping them to be ready 07:27 to stand through this time when probation closes. 07:32 I want to say that, yes, the blood of the Lamb 07:35 cleanses us from sin, but it also does something else. 07:40 It not only forgives our sins, now listen to me carefully, 07:44 it delivers us from the power of sin. 07:50 The power of sin is broken in our life 07:53 when the love of sin is broken. 07:56 And when you love this incomparable Jesus enough, 08:01 sin will not have power in your life. 08:05 Now we are all, of course, sinners. 08:07 We all have a carnal nature. 08:08 We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. 08:11 And heaven knows that we're not perfect, 08:13 but Jesus said to be perfect, even as your Father 08:15 in heaven is perfect. 08:17 And as I mentioned in one of the other presentations, 08:22 Jesus made that clear that we need to learn 08:24 to be like our heavenly Father, to love like He loves. 08:28 Because He loves everybody. 08:30 I don't have time to go into that, but I want to come back 08:32 to this, the blood of the Lamb here. 08:34 He delivers us from sin. 08:36 You know, if you die in Christ right now, 08:39 you'll be sealed. 08:41 Isn't that right? 08:42 If you die in Christ, you're sealed. 08:44 You can't be tempted anymore. The devil can't get to you. 08:46 Your old carnal nature is going to be left in the grave 08:48 on the morning of the resurrection. 08:50 So everybody that dies in Christ right now, 08:52 they're sealed. 08:54 They're ready for the coming of Jesus. 08:56 But when you come to the close of probation, 08:58 something different happens. 09:02 Because everybody has made up their mind. 09:04 Nobody else wants any forgiveness. 09:06 Then Jesus changes His role in heaven. 09:09 Those who love Him, they have made up their mind. 09:12 They're not changing, by the power of the Holy Spirit. 09:15 And so Jesus takes off His intercessory robes 09:19 and He puts on His kingly judgmental robes, if you please. 09:23 Because He's coming back in judgment. 09:26 And so, if somebody sins between the close of probation... 09:29 People ask this. They ask it very seriously. 09:31 I had some young people not long ago ask me, 09:33 "What happens if we sin during that time 09:36 between the close of probation, 09:38 and there's no forgiveness in heaven? 09:40 What will happen?" 09:42 Well here's the good news. 09:44 The good news, if you come up to that time and you're ready, 09:48 by the power of the Holy Spirit you're not going to sin. 09:51 Because you're going to be kept by the power of the Holy Spirit. 09:54 And that's the good news. 09:55 But let's take a look at this just a little bit more. 09:58 If a person dies, as I just mentioned, they're not subject. 10:02 But if you come to the close of probation, 10:04 then you're still alive. 10:07 And Jesus has changed His role in heaven. 10:10 You're still alive. 10:12 So you're still subject to temptation. 10:14 The carnal nature is still there, it hasn't gone away. 10:17 Because you don't have that new body yet. 10:19 The devil and his evil angels, they're still active. 10:21 It's still a selfish world. 10:23 The mark of the beast and all of its deceptions, 10:25 Jesus said if it were possible, it would deceive the very elect, 10:27 all of that stuff is swirling around you. 10:30 How are you going to make it, so to speak? 10:35 Well the good news is we have this wonderful, wonderful Jesus. 10:39 And He is able. 10:41 Because the saints that are going to be ready 10:43 have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. 10:46 What does it mean to wash your robe in the blood of the Lamb? 10:50 Well let me just tell you this. 10:52 And I want to say this again just in case somebody forgets. 10:54 Jesus has earned our salvation. 10:56 It's not about us earning our salvation. 10:58 This is about getting ready for Jesus coming in glory. 11:02 What are our robes? 11:03 Our robes are our characters. 11:05 And our character is made up of our actions. 11:08 And our actions are made up of our choices. 11:12 So when the sealing time comes, what Jesus is doing, 11:15 He's saying, "I want you to be so close to Me 11:18 that all your choices will be My choices, 11:22 and that your character is going to be transformed 11:26 because I'm going to be in charge of your character." 11:30 Now the blood of Jesus was unselfishly 11:34 shed for all of us. 11:36 And in the unselfish blood of Jesus... 11:39 And the Bible says the life is in the blood. 11:42 In the unselfish blood of Jesus we are going to wash our robes. 11:48 We not only find forgiveness, but we find power for obedience. 11:52 In the unselfish blood of Jesus we are empowered 11:57 to wash our selfish thinking into unselfish thinking. 12:02 We're empowered to wash our selfish deeds 12:06 into unselfish deeds. 12:08 We're empowered to wash our lawless living 12:12 into lawful living and come into harmony with the universe. 12:18 We are empowered by the blood of Christ 12:21 to wash ourselves so that our feebleness 12:24 become strong and vigorous, our faulty characters 12:28 become like the character of Jesus. 12:31 All of this is an exercise of faith. 12:35 Faith drives our behavior. 12:37 I tell some people sometimes, I say, "Listen, 12:41 everything you do is because you trust in someone or something." 12:45 Our faith in Christ must become so powerful 12:49 that there are no gaps in our faith, 12:51 that there's no stopping of becoming 12:55 like our wonderful Jesus. 12:57 I want to tell you that getting ready means living by faith now. 13:04 Living by faith in Jesus, having this union with Jesus. 13:08 We have to have a faith in Jesus, 13:10 a faith that has no interspersion, 13:13 that's continually strong and constant. 13:17 We can have this invincible faith in Jesus 13:21 because He will come in answer to our prayer 13:24 to develop a character like Him and be ready for Jesus to come. |
Revised 2019-07-22