Participants: James Rafferty (Host), Ivor Meyers (Host), Yvonne Lewis, Jason Bradley
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000027A
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00:31 Okay we are back and we left off with a cliffhanger
00:34 Ivor was getting ready to pour out on us 00:36 and then we're going to move into more of the 144,000... 00:39 this is kind of like a Part 2... because we need a Part 2... 00:42 because this is a big subject and it's an important subject 00:45 it's a question a lot of people ask... who are the 144,000... 00:48 are these talking about literal Jews 00:50 because there are the 12 tribes there or... is this spiritual 00:53 or is it... is the number symbolic or is it literal 00:56 or how does that all... I think we get... 00:58 we've gotten a good start on it, 00:59 we've really cracked open and started to understand it 01:02 but we really need to nail this down 01:04 there's more than we can see 01:05 because there's a whole other chapter 01:06 or at least another section in chapter... chapter 14 01:09 that describes a 144,000, what about all of that? 01:12 so we need to identify all of that and bring it in 01:14 to chapter 7 here even though we're going ahead 01:16 I still think it's important to bring that in 01:18 so Yvonne, would you start us out with a word of prayer 01:20 and then we'll throw it over to Ivor. 01:21 Yvonne: Absolutely... 01:22 "Father God, thank you so very much for bringing us 01:24 together again to study your Word, 01:27 and help us to be able to understand 01:29 and apply what we've learned, 01:31 we bless your name, Lord, You are welcome in this place 01:34 in Jesus' name. Amen. " 01:35 All: "Amen... " 01:36 James: All right, Ivor, take it... 01:38 Ivor: All right... so we are in Revelation chapter 14... 01:41 James: Okay... Revelation 14... 01:42 Ivor: And we're going to take a look at verses 1 to 5 01:47 which is the second description of the 144,000 01:51 and so it said in chapter 14 and verse 1, 01:56 "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, 01:59 and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, 02:01 having his Father's name written in their foreheads. " 02:05 Just make a mental note of that... 02:07 the 144,000 have the Father's name in their foreheads 02:12 so the name of the Father would be synonymous 02:15 with the seal... okay, 02:17 and so it goes on to say, 02:20 "And I heard a voice from heaven, 02:21 as the voice of many waters, 02:23 and as the voice of a great thunder: 02:24 and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 02:27 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, 02:29 and before the four beasts, and the elders: 02:31 and no man could learn that song 02:33 but the hundred and forty and four thousand, 02:35 which were redeemed from the earth. 02:38 These are they which were not defiled with women; 02:40 for they are virgins. 02:42 These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. 02:44 These were redeemed from among men, being the... " what? 02:47 "firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 02:49 And in their mouth was found no guile: 02:51 for they are without fault before the throne of God. " 02:53 So a couple of things we want to look at here 02:56 and one of the first things I mention 02:57 is the fact that the Bible says, 03:00 "These were they which were redeemed from the earth... " 03:04 okay, so this group... the 144,000... 03:09 according to this verse represents 03:14 those that are redeemed from the earth. 03:17 So we've got two options, 03:18 either 144,000 literal people are redeemed from the earth, 03:24 or we've got a great multitude standing before God. 03:27 Do you see what I'm saying? Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 03:31 James: They're identified as a 144,000. 03:32 Ivor: Yeah, they're identified as 144,000... 03:34 either the number is literal or it's symbolic. 03:37 Ivor: So, if it's literal... 03:38 then would mean that only, right? 03:41 144,000 people would be redeemed from the earth 03:43 but we know that's not the case 03:45 because we've already seen in Revelation 7:9, 03:46 that there was a great multitude 03:49 now, let's go to Isaiah 51 verse 11 03:52 I want you to read this verse, Isaiah 51 and verse 11 03:59 and whichever one of you finds that first, 04:02 just go ahead and read that. 04:05 All finding the verse... 04:08 Yvonne: "Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, 04:14 and come with singing unto Zion; 04:16 and everlasting joy shall be upon their head... " 04:19 Ivor: Okay, that's good right there, 04:21 "therefore the... " who? 04:22 Yvonne: Redeemed of the Lord... 04:24 Ivor: "redeemed of the Lord shall go... " where? 04:26 Yvonne: Return... 04:27 Ivor: To where? Yvonne: Zion... 04:28 James: Mount Zion... 04:30 Ivor: With singing... Yvonne: singing... 04:31 James: Yeah... singing... that's it, right there. 04:34 Ivor: Okay, so, again, either this group is saying 04:36 only 144,000 are redeemed, 04:39 or the 144,000 represents the "redeemed of the Lord," 04:44 so, let's just say this then, 04:45 that the 144,000 is a symbolic number for the redeemed. 04:51 James: All right... since we've said that... 04:53 we need to then identify what it means 04:55 that they have the Father's name that they're firstfruits, 04:58 that they're virgins, they have no guile, 05:01 they stand without faults 05:03 because a lot of times we can take those characteristics 05:06 and try to apply them to an elite group of people, 05:10 not everyone is going to stand without fault 05:12 before the throne of God always, 05:13 not everyone is going to be the "first fruits... " 05:15 not all the redeemed will be the "first fruits," 05:16 not all the redeemed are going to be virgins, 05:18 not all the redeemed are going to have 05:19 the Father's name in their forehead... 05:20 it's not just the end-time people 05:22 that have the name of the Father on their forehead, 05:23 these are the questions that I receive 05:26 and the questions that I've had in relation to this subject 05:28 so let's take those down one by one, 05:30 the first one I'd like to look at is the Father's name, 05:33 you said it's synonymous... 05:34 you inferred "synonymous" with the Seal of God 05:37 and we need to do a whole 05:38 'nother program about the Seal of God in the next segment 05:41 but I agree with that... 05:42 I think that what we have in Revelation 7 05:45 is further elaborating Revelation 14, 05:47 the Seal of God is the character of God, 05:50 it's His name, that word "name" means character 05:52 it's His character and of course, God's character 05:55 is the transcript of His Law, 05:56 "The Law of God... " Matthew 22 is a Law of love 05:59 and these guys are filled with His Law... 06:01 with His character... the Ten Commandment Law... 06:04 loving God and loving our neighbor 06:06 is reflected in their foreheads, in their characters 06:10 so, the character of God... the name of God 06:12 is that only going to be on a few of the redeemed, 06:16 an elect group of redeemed or all the redeemed... 06:20 going to be having that character... that Law of God... 06:23 are all the redeemed going to be keeping the commandments of God 06:24 in heaven... so to speak, 06:26 I'd like us to look at one verse again, it's in Revelation 22, 06:30 going now to the "Eden restored" 06:33 we're going to get a picture 06:34 of what it's going to look like in Eden restored... 06:36 okay, in Eden restored we have this verse 06:39 Revelation 22 and Jason, just start reading here... 06:43 verse... start with verse 1... 06:45 and let's read all the way through verse 4. 06:47 Jason: Okay... "And he shewed me a pure river 06:49 of water of life, clear as crystal, 06:51 proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 06:53 In the midst of the street of it, 06:55 and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, 06:59 which bare twelve manner of fruits, 07:01 and yielded her fruit every month: 07:03 and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 07:05 And there shall be no more curse: 07:08 but the throne of God and of the Lamb 07:10 shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 07:12 And they shall see his face; 07:14 and his name shall be in their foreheads. " 07:16 James: And there's a lot here in this, first of all... 07:19 you notice this... there's some fruit there... 07:22 never tasted like this... Jason: I believe it. 07:25 James: This is going to be great. 07:27 Yvonne: Every month it yields. 07:28 James: Every month... oooh... ooooh... 07:30 and then, notice it's talking about 07:32 the throne of God and the Lamb... 07:34 "Who's going to be able to stand before the throne and the Lamb?" 07:36 was the question asked in Revelation 6... okay... 07:39 Jason: There's an answer in Psalm chapter 1. 07:41 James: There's an answer in Psalm chapter 1. 07:43 Jason: Let's go there real quick. 07:44 James: You go there while we finish... 07:45 I'll finish this thought, 07:47 and then it says, that His servants serve Him 07:49 and that was the picture of the great multitude, 07:51 they're the ones that serve Him and night in the temple 07:53 in other words, only with the redeemed, 07:55 only the great multitude, only the 144,000 07:59 actually go into the temple, the lost, the wicked... 08:02 none of those... no one can go into that temple 08:04 unless they've been redeemed... 08:06 unless they're a part of the 144,000... 08:08 Ivor: If you're not a part of the 144,000 08:10 you can't go into the temple. 08:11 James: Exactly... Yvonne: Hmmm... 08:13 James: You can't go in... but yet... the great multitude 08:15 served Him in the temple day and night. 08:16 Yvonne: So angels... then... 08:19 James: No, we're talking about in relation with the redeemed 08:21 from the earth. Yvonne: Oh, okay, okay... 08:22 James: Yeah... yeah... the angels... 08:24 we know they're in there, God's in there, 08:26 all the unfallen... they're in there... 08:27 but we're talking... the context now is... 08:29 Eden restored... who from the earth 08:32 is going to be able to go in that temple? 08:33 Is it just going to be an elect group... lasting... 08:36 or is it going to be the redeemed? 08:37 All the redeemed... are they going to go into that temple? 08:39 And then, notice what it says here, it goes on to say, 08:42 "And we shall see His face 08:45 and His name shall be in our foreheads. " 08:47 Yvonne: In... James: Yes... "in... " 08:50 Yvonne: The difference with this... these verses 08:52 in Revelation and the verse in Ezekiel that we just read 08:56 of was it Isaiah? Where we just read, 08:59 it's going to be on the forehead... that mark... 09:02 James: Yeah, the Mark... you're talking about Ezekiel 9. 09:05 Yvonne: Ezekiel 9... but... but this is "in" the forehead... 09:09 James: Yeah. 09:10 Yvonne: meaning cognition... what we know... 09:13 James: Right... our character, how we're reflected, et cetera, 09:16 now what Ezekiel's doing, the emphasis that Ezekiel has 09:19 is he is emphasizing protection 09:22 from the "slaughtering" weapons, 09:25 so he's emphasizing that on 09:27 because the mark has to be seen by the slaughtering angels, 09:29 it's symbolic, you understand. 09:30 Yvonne: Kind of like the Passover... 09:31 James: Yeah, yeah... Yvonne: Right, ah ha... 09:33 James: But the inference is the same... 09:34 it is God's character that we are settled into 09:37 or sealed into, so that we we're protected from those four winds 09:40 when they're let loose. Yvonne: Hmmm... 09:42 James: How many people in eternity? 09:43 How many of the redeemed 09:45 are going to have His name on their forehead? 09:46 Ivor: All of them... so what we're saying then is that 09:49 the 144,000 is a representation of the great multitude 09:53 but the great multitude are the redeemed 09:55 from all ages. James: Right. 09:57 Ivor: So the great multitude would cover 09:59 those crying under the altar 10:00 from Abel on down to that time period 10:04 and those who under the sixth seal 10:07 would be ultimately given white robes as well... 10:11 James: Right, because they're going to go through what the... 10:13 the great... the... Yvonne: Tribulation... 10:14 James: Tribulation. 10:16 Ivor: Absolutely, absolutely, so the redeemed... 10:18 let's say this way... 10:19 "the 144,000 is the symbolic name for God's church... 10:23 God's redeemed... the saved... throughout all ages" 10:27 and I want to demonstrate that there's a... 10:30 I want to take you to three... or two verses in the Scripture 10:34 the first is the one that we actually covered 10:36 in a previous study 10:38 and there was the parable that you shared, James, 10:41 about the sower and the seed and the four different grounds 10:44 and we saw that Christ was the one sowing the seed 10:47 and that you have these four different grounds 10:50 and the fourth ground was the good ground. 10:53 James: Yes, Matthew 13... 10:54 Ivor: Matthew 13... and those who received the seed 10:57 or the Word... right, bring forth much fruit, 11:01 okay, so... so... we compare that parable 11:05 with the four horses of Revelation... 11:09 that's the four seals 11:10 and we saw that the rider on the white horse 11:13 which represents the Word of God 11:15 represents the going forth of the Word of God 11:19 in order to prepare a people to stand. 11:22 James: Right... Ivor: Okay... Yvonne: Hmmm... 11:23 Ivor: Now, in that parable the end result was much fruit, 11:27 much fruit... the Word brings forth much fruit. 11:31 What do we see the 144,000 being called in Revelation 14? 11:36 Yvonne: First fruits... 11:38 Ivor: They are called the first fruits... 11:39 they are the end product of the Word of God going forth 11:42 now I'm going to show you something that's really amazing, 11:44 so, go with me to Revelation 14 and I want you to notice this, 11:47 while you're turning there, 11:50 I want to share with you just a little bit 11:53 about this concept of first fruits, 11:56 in the Book of Jeremiah 2 verse 3 the Bible says that 12:02 Israel was "holiness unto the Lord 12:04 and the firstfruits of his increase: 12:06 all that devour him shall offend; 12:08 evil shall come upon them... " 12:10 all right, so Israel is here called the "firstfruits" 12:12 but what are the firstfruits about? 12:15 Really just to summarize, in the Old Testament... 12:17 the first fruits were... 12:20 were the offering that were to be brought into the temple, 12:23 James: Okay... Ivor: Now... 12:25 you know some people have this concept... 12:26 James: Give them to God. Ivor: Yeah, give them to God... 12:28 some people have this concept of second fruit 12:30 but let me assure you that 12:31 in the Bible there's no real concept of "second fruits" 12:34 it's just the fact that 12:35 the second fruits were allowed to be consumed 12:38 by the people. James: For temporal needs. 12:40 Ivor: Yeah, but the first fruits were taken into the temple... 12:43 the second fruits consumed. Yvonne: Hmmm... 12:46 Ivor: The second fruits... consumed. 12:49 James: We're talking about second death now 12:50 we're talking about "consumed... " 12:52 perish... lost... Yvonne: Ahh... 12:53 Ivor: So watch this... 12:54 James: what's preserved is what goes into the temple 12:56 and what's lost... is what stays out. 12:58 Ivor: So the first fruits go into the temple 13:00 now, notice Revelation 14, Revelation 14 again... 13:03 we see the description verses 1 through 5, 13:06 we just read it, notice verse 4 though 13:09 latter part of verse 4, it says, 13:11 "These were redeemed from among men, 13:13 being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. " 13:16 Right, this means these are they that go into the temple 13:20 now, all of a sudden verse 6 switches... 13:24 it's like you have a whole new picture... 13:25 you have the preaching of the three angels' messages, right? 13:27 James: Yes, "And I saw... 13:29 Ivor: "And I saw the first angel... 13:30 another angel fly in the midst of heaven, 13:32 having the everlasting gospel" 13:33 now why is it doing this? I want you to notice this. 13:35 James: White horse rider right there. 13:36 Ivor: Yeah, you got the white horse rider... 13:38 the everlasting gospel so then you got 13:40 the first angel's message, the second angel's message, 13:43 the third angel's message. 13:44 James: I get where you're going, I get where you're going. 13:46 Ivor: now watch this... 13:47 Yvonne: Ha ha ha ha ha... come on now, come on now. 13:50 James: If you can't do this, I can finish it up for you... 13:52 Yvonne: I love it, I love it. 13:54 James: I can finish it up for you. 13:55 Yvonne: This is good... oh, I'm getting chills. 13:58 Ivor: I know we're running out of time 13:59 but I just got to tell you in two minutes... 14:00 James: We're not running out of time... what do you mean 14:02 we're running out of time? 14:03 we've got all year long to do this. 14:04 Ivor: So watch this. 14:06 James: We're in verse 14 now. 14:07 Ivor: Verse 14... "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, 14:10 and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, 14:13 having on his head a golden crown, 14:15 and in his hand... " what? 14:17 Yvonne and Ivor: "a sharp sickle... " 14:18 Yvonne: For the first fruits. Ivor: Yes... 14:21 "And another angel came out of the temple, 14:24 crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, 14:26 Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: 14:28 for the time is come for thee to reap; 14:31 for the... " Yvonne: "harvest... " 14:33 Ivor: "of the earth is ripe. " Right? 14:35 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 14:37 Ivor: Right? So the Bible says, 14:38 "he that sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth; 14:40 and the earth was reaped. " 14:41 Now, "another angel came out of the temple 14:44 which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 14:46 And another angel came out from the altar, 14:49 which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry 14:52 to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, 14:54 Thrust in thy sharp sickle, 14:56 and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, 14:58 for her grapes are fully ripe. 14:59 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, 15:02 and gathered the vine of the earth," 15:04 and cast it where...? 15:05 "into the great winepress of the wrath of God. " 15:08 So the first fruits... right... 15:13 are they that are seen in the temple 15:16 standing on Mount Zion. 15:17 The "Second Fruits... " 15:19 James: And they're reaped by the Son of God 15:20 when He comes at the second coming. 15:22 Ivor: Absolutely, the second fruits are left upon the earth 15:26 to be consumed... 15:27 James: Right, by the wrath of God. 15:28 Ivor: So, here's the question, 15:30 who is a part of the first fruits? 15:34 All the redeemed... 15:37 James: This is now... 15:38 this is really good, I got to jump right in here, 15:40 this is why Jesus said in John chapter 3, 15:43 "Except ye be born again, 15:45 you cannot see the kingdom of God" 15:47 you cannot enter into the kingdom of God... 15:49 why? because look at James, just back a few pages here, 15:52 I want you to get your verse in Psalm one... 15:55 if you go there, look at James... 15:56 this is really... this is really powerful 15:59 in its connection with what Ivor said, 16:02 James chapter one and read for us, Yvonne, read for us, 16:06 because, we still got Jason holding on in Psalm one, 16:10 read for us in James chapter 1, read for us verse 18... 16:14 Yvonne: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, 16:18 that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. " 16:22 James: What are we to be? Firstfruits... 16:25 now, in order to be a "firstfruits," 16:27 according to James 1:18, 16:29 what do we have to experience to be a firstfruit? 16:31 Yvonne: Be born again... 16:33 James: Be born again... 16:34 "Of his own will begat he us with... " what? 16:35 the word of truth, the 12 Shewbread... 16:38 the Table of Shewbread... twelve... okay... 16:42 Jesus says, "Unless you're born again, 16:44 you cannot see the kingdom of heaven, 16:47 only the 144,000 go into the temple, 16:50 only the 144,000... 16:51 because they're the first fruits... 16:53 what does it mean "they're the firstfruits?" 16:54 They've been born again, 16:56 only those who are born again are going to win... 16:58 they're the only ones that can stand... 17:00 okay... get us that verse... 17:03 Jason: Psalm chapter 1 verse 5 says, 17:06 "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, 17:09 nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. " 17:12 So, when it says, 17:13 "only the 144,000 are going to the temple... " 17:16 and in Revelation 7, he sees the great multitude 17:19 that no man can number and John is asked by the elder, 17:22 "Who are these?" And he says, "I don't know... " 17:24 and he says... the elder says... 17:25 "Well, these are they that come out of the great tribulation 17:28 they've washed their robes in the blood of the lamb 17:29 and made them white and they serve God 17:31 'in His temple... '" 17:35 see, the redeemed only... 17:38 the 144,000 only because they're the firstfruits 17:40 because they've been born again 17:41 because they have been eating the Word of God. 17:43 Ivor: Hmmm... hmmm... 17:45 Yvonne: Now, the... the... passage you just quoted... 17:50 sounds as though they've been through the great tribulation 17:53 because they... so... how does that...? 17:57 James: Let's go back now to another verse... 18:01 Ivor: As you're going there let me mention this, 18:05 if I were to say to you, "the church has experienced 18:08 martyrdom... " would that be... would that be true? 18:11 Yvonne: Yes. Ivor: If I were to say to you 18:13 "the church is going to go through the time of trouble," 18:15 would that be true? Yvonne: Yes... 18:17 Ivor: Yes, both can't... in other words... 18:19 the only way that both of those things could be true, 18:22 is if we look at different parts 18:24 and different errors of the church, 18:26 in other words... James: And see it as a body... 18:28 Ivor: And see it as a body... 18:30 right, so, there are those who would have died 18:34 and been resurrected... right... 18:36 and who receive the seal of God... 18:38 who have the white robes, 18:39 remember the martyrs under the altar 18:41 they are given white robes so they're a part of this group 18:45 there will be those who are alive and will not taste death, 18:49 when Christ comes again, they are part of the redeemed 18:53 part of the 144,000... right, 18:56 but as we're looking at this evidence 18:58 we're seeing that, you know, 19:00 God doesn't have... you know, it's like this... 19:03 God doesn't have like, 144,000 favorite people 19:05 like super duper, "I like these... 19:08 but then... the rest of you... yeah, you know... 19:11 you... you're the great multitude... " 19:13 and I'll tell you... I think there a danger 19:17 in that... when we have the mentality that 19:20 "yeah, you know, I got to be part of that 144,000 19:23 that's a literal number... "man, that's a small group of people," 19:25 so, I, in my mind have to make a whole lot of people 19:30 wrong in the stuff that they're doing 19:32 if I want to be a part of the 144,000... " 19:34 Yvonne: Hmmm... James: It's a Peter mentality... 19:35 Ivor: That's right... so now... 19:36 James: "They'll forsake you but I won't... " 19:38 we're getting ready for the fall we're ready for the fall... 19:40 Ivor: Man! the whole church is going crazy 19:42 but man! if it were not for me and my buddy, here, 19:45 ooooh! what would happen to the church of God? 19:47 James: Yeah... Yvonne: Ah ha... 19:49 Ivor: So, in essence... the 144,000 is a small number 19:53 compared to those that will be lost... 19:55 James: It still is... 19:56 Ivor: It still is small... the great multitude... 19:58 even though it's a great multitude, 20:00 it's a small number compared to those that are going to be lost, 20:02 so yeah... you still have to strive 20:05 to be a part of the 144,000... I'm not saying, 20:08 "Oh yeah, the road is broad, don't worry about it, man! 20:11 great multitude... you're going to make it... " 20:12 no, no, no... it would be... 20:14 I hope this doesn't sound discouraging but 20:17 if the number were just 144,000... 20:19 it would be as difficult still, you know what I'm saying, 20:22 its difficulty is not in the size of the group 20:24 it's in, "Am I able to overcome my sin, 20:27 am I able to overcome the... am I able to conquer 20:31 as that white horse has... " you know... 20:33 the rider on the white horse... 20:35 James: Can I give Jesus the reins, 20:36 can I give Jesus the reins? Ivor: Absolutely. Yvonne: Hmmm. 20:38 James: Now, two illustrations I want to give, 20:40 I work with Light Bearers Ministry, 20:41 we have printed 165 million pieces of literature 20:47 in the last 25 years... Yvonne: Wow! 20:48 James: And I haven't printed any of them... 20:51 but we've done it why? because we... 20:56 means Light Bearers...we got a printer, we got a folder 20:59 we got guys who work in the Publishing House 21:01 that's what they do... but we... see... we... 21:03 I use that word "we" 3abn... 21:05 3abn Dare to Dream, 3bn Latino, 21:07 3abn Parent Channel, 3abn Kids Time, 21:09 3abn... we... are a body so... 21:11 we... the 144,000... well, they are part of us, 21:16 it's kind of like a football team 21:17 every year... a football team wins the Super Bowl 21:20 and there are some players on that team 21:23 that never played a minute of football... 21:25 but they still get a ring because they're part of the team 21:28 they're part of the team. Yvonne: Hmmm... I got you... 21:30 when you go to heaven, you're not there 21:33 because you are part of the final generation 21:36 that met with the final test and overcame, 21:38 you're there because of the blood of the Lamb, 21:41 the thief on the cross in heaven is there 21:44 because of the blood of the Lamb, 21:45 if the thief on the cross 21:46 would have been able to come down from that cross, 21:48 if the thief on the cross 21:49 would have lived in the final generation, 21:51 guess what? By the blood of the Lamb, 21:52 he would have been part of that group 21:54 and doing what that group's going to do, 21:55 so we are privileged 21:57 to live where we live and to do what we do 21:58 but we're not saved any differently 22:00 than any other generation was saved, 22:01 you see, every generation... 22:03 here we are in Acts chapter 14 and verse 22, 22:06 every generation has come through great tribulation 22:08 it says here, "Confirming the souls... " 22:10 Acts 14:22... "Confirming the souls of the disciples, 22:14 and exhorting them to continue in the faith, 22:16 that we must through much tribulation 22:19 enter into the kingdom of God. " 22:21 That was the question you asked... 22:22 you asked the question. Yvonne: Right... 22:24 James: But it looks like we've come to the great tribulation, 22:25 oh there's a great tribulation and then Jesus says, 22:28 "The Dark Ages was a great tribulation 22:29 such as never was or ever will be... " 22:31 and then Paul says, in the early Apostolic Age, 22:34 we've got to come through much tribulation 22:37 to enter into the Kingdom of God, you see, 22:39 and what is the greatest enemy that we need to overcome? 22:43 What is the greatest thing that gives us the most tribulation? 22:46 Ivor: Self... 22:47 James: Yeah, Martin Luther said it that way. 22:48 He said, "You know what? 22:50 I fear self more than I fear the Pope and all his Bishops. " 22:52 Yvonne: Hmmm... 22:54 James: "That's the great enemy," so... so the principle is there, 22:57 when we get to the Book of Revelation, 22:59 sometimes you want to, again, selfishly take it for us 23:02 and we don't want to spread it out and understand that, 23:05 "Hey, all of God's people that are dedicated to Him, 23:08 born again, going through tribulation 23:10 overcoming self, making that surrender 23:12 by the blood of the Lamb, so the principles... 23:15 the characteristics here apply 23:17 in every generation. Yvonne: Hmmm... 23:19 James: Every generation... when we get to Revelation 15 23:21 it's going to be a little bit more challenging 23:22 because it's... it doesn't say that there are a 144,000 23:25 but it does say that they sing the song of Moses and the Lamb 23:27 here's what it says, it says, 23:29 "they overcome the beast his mark, his image 23:33 and the number of his name," and we say, 23:35 "Wait a minute... that can't be 23:37 all the generations of people 23:39 because that's an end-time issue right there... " 23:42 well, wait a minute, what beast do they overcome? 23:44 They overcome the Revelation 13 beast 23:47 and the Revelation 13 beast has a feet like a bear 23:50 and a body like a leopard and mouth like a lion 23:52 and that will seek authority from a dragon, 23:55 the Revelation 13 beast is a composite 23:57 of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, 23:59 Daniel had to overcome that beast, yes, 24:01 Daniel had to overcome that beast, 24:03 all of God's people have had to overcome the dragon, 24:07 Adam and Eve were taken out by the dragon, 24:10 you see, so the Mark of the Beast issue 24:13 is an issue that's gone on for complete... 24:16 ever since Satan wanted to 24:18 sit in the sides of the north. Ivor: Yeah. 24:20 James: And the redeemed are those 24:22 who are following the lamb wherever He goes 24:24 in every generation, 24:25 whether they're looking forward or looking back. 24:27 Ivor: I wanted to mention this, the Bible tells about 24:29 how they sing the song of Moses 24:32 and of the Lamb 24:33 so, that would be a good thing to do, 24:35 like, where was the song of Moses, 24:38 when was the song of Moses sung? 24:40 James: The horse and it's rider had been thrown into the sea... 24:41 Ivor: So, guess what? the song of Moses... 24:45 it was sung after they had crossed the Red Sea 24:48 and got on the other side of the Red Sea 24:52 the only ones that... 24:54 James: And the black horse and the red horse and the pale horse 24:55 had been taken out. 24:56 Ivor:... that was taken out... 24:58 the only ones that could sing that song, 24:59 were those who made it across the Red Sea... 25:01 James: Yes... yeah. 25:03 Ivor: Right, so, Moses... he... he comes to Egypt, 25:08 delivers his people out of captivity, 25:10 parts the Red Sea... 25:11 they cross over to the other side 25:13 by the blood of the lamb, by His sacrifice 25:16 and then they sing the song, so guess what? 25:19 that is a shadow of... 25:22 because Jesus is the end-time Moses 25:25 who has gone away 25:27 but He's going to come back to deliver His people, 25:30 right, just like Moses went away and he comes back... 25:32 so Jesus is coming back and guess what? 25:33 He's going to part the sky and everyone that crosses over... 25:39 the only ones that cross over and gets to the other side 25:44 will be the ones who can sing the song of Moses 25:47 now... and the Lamb... Yvonne: Hmmm... 25:49 James: It's a beautiful picture. Yvonne: Wow! Yes. 25:52 Ivor: It's all the redeemed, it's all who cross over. 25:55 James: Yeah, we know when He parts the sky 25:57 resurrection takes place so this question, 26:00 "who's going to be able to stand?" 26:01 is answered by a multitude that is in heaven, 26:04 well, who's in heaven, who is there? 26:06 All the resurrected are there 26:07 as well as those translated without sin, 26:09 so that's why the picture... when John hears the number, 26:12 when he sees the picture, the picture takes us 26:14 to this heavenly place rather than this earthly place 26:18 in Revelation 14 it's the same thing 26:20 they're on Mount Zion, 26:22 it's a heavenly place rather than an earthly place, 26:24 well, who's going to be in the heavenly place? The 144,000... 26:26 "Oh! the 144,000... who are they?" 26:28 Well, they are virgins, 26:31 that's what we're going to get to next, 26:33 we don't have time to get to that right now 26:34 but we need to cover virgins without fault, 26:36 no guile in their mouths, 26:37 we need to cover those principles 26:39 because just like the firstfruits, 26:40 just like the name... sometimes we apply that to an elite group 26:44 and we need to see how the Bible applies it. 26:46 Yvonne: Yes. 26:47 James: The Bible applied virgins 26:49 to more than just this end-time elite group of people, 26:52 so that's what we'll pick up as we continue in Part 3 26:55 actually, we might not call it Part 3, 26:57 we might call it the Seal of God because we got to... 26:58 we got to really get into the Seal of God. 27:00 Ivor: Yeah, I think it's important 27:01 that we need to realize that all the redeemed are elite. 27:05 James: Yes... yes... 27:07 Ivor: That's it... I mean, yes there's... 27:09 there's going to be an end-time generation 27:12 that goes through things that none other have experienced 27:15 but they all... in other words... 27:18 as a body... this is the elite that overcome the dragon 27:22 and overcome these issues so that's what we need to consider. 27:24 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 27:26 James: Amen... Jason, close us out with prayer would you Bro? 27:27 Jason: Sure... "Dear Heavenly Father, 27:29 thank you so much for another blessed study 27:31 help us to internalize everything that we're learning 27:34 and to be able to share it with others 27:36 and put it in a form that they may understand as well, 27:39 please be with us on our next study 27:43 and be with the Viewers that are watching 27:45 and help them to retain the information 27:48 and be able to repeat it as well, 27:49 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 27:50 All: "Amen... amen... " 27:52 James: So we want to tell Viewers 27:53 to get a hold of us through what? 27:55 Jason: They can send an e-mail to: sss@3abn. org 27:58 that's sss as in Salvation in Symbols and Signs. 28:02 James: Amen... |
Revised 2016-09-20