Study of the 144,000

Today's title is a study of the 144,000. There have been all kinds of theories about the 144,000. They will be after I speak today.

No, seriously, I think we can narrow it down a lot more than maybe some have in the past. I know that even Mr. Armstrong went back into various theories or ideas about this. But let's really see as much as we can what the Bible says about this today. We'll talk, first of all, about the resurrection because resurrection will be referred to when we get to Chapter 14. We talk a great deal about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the resurrection. But almost everyone tends to forget that it is the Father who raises us from the dead. Let's look at Romans 8 and 11. Romans 8 and 11, I've encouraged you many times to memorize this Scripture.

There is one Spirit, the same essence that is in God as in Christ as in us. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12, 12 and 13, that by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. God the Father is the one who begets us with His Spirit, and He is also the one who brings us to birth. He resurrects us from the dead. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also make alive quicker than your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. You are raised from the dead. You come up out of your grave. In Revelation 1, verse 5, another Scripture I think we've read in the past, I know two out of the last three Sabbaths, another one that should be memorized. Jesus Christ is the first being that ever lived in the flesh to be resurrected to Spirit life.

There were those who were resurrected to physical life. Elijah resurrected a person. Jesus Christ resurrected Lazarus to physical life. The Apostle Paul in his preaching, the man fell out of the loft. A parent who was dead was resurrected. After Christ was, after He died on the stake somewhere about the ninth hour or so, 500 came out of their graves. They were resurrected to physical life. But Jesus Christ is the first born from the dead. In Revelation 1, verse 5, and from Jesus Christ, who is a faithful witness and the first born, prototikos, of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

In 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 19, well, let's read 12 and 13. In 1 Corinthians 15, we had in Corinth, in every chapter, there was some kind of division, yet all of these people were apparently claiming to be members of the body of Christ. They were divided on men, they were divided on doctrine, they were divided on so many issues, even to the point that some were saying in Corinth that there was no resurrection from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, 12, may have Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? The resurrection from the dead was one of the keystones of Paul's gospel that he preached on Mars Hill. There, when he confronted the philosophers in the environs of Athens, they were really taken back by his talking about the resurrection from the dead. In his defense, as he bounced from one Roman-appointed ruler, Festus Agrippa, and so on, on his way to imprisonment in Rome, it all started with him talking about the resurrection from the dead. Paul continues here, verse 13, but if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ risen? Then is Christ not risen? And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Paul in Ephesians 3, 11, talks about how he hopes to attain unto the resurrection from the dead. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ, I'm as Philippians 3, 11. Paul says that he hopes to attain to the resurrection from the dead. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. You know, if man has an immortal soul, or if man has instantly changed upon death, there would be no need for the resurrection of the dead. No resurrection whatsoever. Of course, the Protestants say that you have an immortal soul upon death, your soul immediately goes to heaven or hell. And when Christ comes again, and the resurrection, your soul is joined with the body.

Moreover, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then the incorrigibly wicked that die would have to be... Would they go to Gehenna Fire? If they've already been resurrected, where are they burning today?

And what about those who've never heard the Word of God preach?

Does the Old Testament speak of Gehenna Fire? And what about it? Look at Isaiah 66. In Isaiah 66, the first part of Isaiah talks about the church coming to birth, the church in travail that comes to birth, that those who live over in the millennium go out as emissaries around the earth, helping God and Christ along with the resurrected saints to bring all nations into a relationship with God and Christ. In Isaiah 66, verse 22, For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Eternal, So shall your seed and your name remain, And it shall come to pass from one new moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Eternal. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me, For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, As you know, outside the environs of Jerusalem, and the valley of Hinnom to the south of what is now called the Temple Mount, the valley of Hinnom, the garbage dump for the city, where it was smoldering all the time, where the maggots were, where the worms were, God did not create immortal worms, neither did He create immortal souls. Be the cruelest thing there could be, create an immortal soul, put it in a body subject to sin and death, turn around and say, now I challenge you to save your soul. And by the way, in order to do this, I've got to give my son a mistake to do it. Of course, it doesn't make sense.

Their worms shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be in a pouring unto all flesh. When the kingdom of God is set up, this is what it says. God's plan is to give every person who's ever lived an opportunity to attain to eternal life in the kingdom of God. Now let's go to Revelation 7, the ceiling of the 144,000 here. There are two places in the Bible that speak of the 144,000. Revelation 7 and Revelation 14 that uses the number, 144,000, as we shall see in Revelation 9.4, 144,000 are referred to.

In Revelation 7 and verse 1, And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given, to hurt the earth and the sea. Now the first four trumpet plagues that you read about in Revelation chapter 8 are basically poured out on the environment. Now some people die as a result of that, but it's basically directed toward the environment, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, 144,000, 12 times 12. Now there have been, of course, some say, Jehovah's Witnesses say, that that's a literal number. The 144,000 are the only ones who will be resurrected as spirit beings. Then there will be lesser beings, some even, who will live forever in the flesh, in eternity. We have had those who say, well, the 144,000 pictures the complete church, 12 times 12, number of completion, 12 also can be the number of beginnings, where 12 apostles, 12 tribes of Israel, and so on. And then the 144,000 might be those who live over into the millennium. Let's see what we can ferret out here. So 144,000 are sealed, 12,000 from each of the tribes that are listed here. Down in verse 8, the tribe of Zebulon, the tribe of Joseph, Joseph is listed instead of Ephraim. Ephraim and Joseph are used generically and interchangeably in the Old Testament. Benjamin were sealed, 12,000. So here we see that there are 12,000 sealed from each of the tribes of Israel. And then you look at Revelation 9 and verse 4. As we go there, once again, we reiterate that in chapter 8, the first four trumpet plagues are poured out basically on the environment. Then in chapter 9, the first of the three woes, the plagues are directed toward human beings. These plagues take the lives of millions.

In verse 4, it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, basically those things had already been taken care of with the first four trumpet plagues, neither any tree, but only those men which have not the seal of God and their forehead. So these plagues do not harm the 144,000 that are sealed in Revelation 7. Note carefully that they are sealed before the trumpet plagues are poured out. And when it comes to those plagues that are directed toward humankind, the two woes that are described in Revelation 9, the first woe, the second woe, being the fifth and sixth trumpet plagues, they're protected. So we could ask the question, why are they protected from these plagues? What would be the purpose of that? I believe they are sealed for the purpose of saving their physical lives. There will be representatives of the twelve tribes that live over into the millennium. Now, some speculate that perhaps this will be children of church members when Jesus Christ returns. And some have speculated, well, it's literally from the twelve tribes. We know that the twelve tribes will be represented in the flesh in the millennium and live over into the millennium. And they are protected from these trumpet plagues. So if this 144,000 are destined to be in the first resurrection, then it would seem that providing them with physical protection would not be all that important because they're going to be in the first resurrection anyhow. Of course, I would say I don't want to go through the tribulation. If there is a place of safety, I believe there is. I want to be there if I'm alive during this time.

God is going to make sure that the descendants of Israel will live over into the millennium. Now, let's go to Zephaniah chapter 3. Zephaniah chapter 3. Zephaniah just before Haggai, Haggai before Zechariah, Zechariah before Micah of Malachi. Zephaniah, the theme of Zephaniah is the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord. When God directly intervenes in world affairs, the day of the Lord. Look at Zephaniah 1.14. The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastens greatly. Even the voice of the day of the Lord, the mighty men shall cry there bitterly. It's the day of wrath, the day of trouble, distress, the day of waste-ness, desolation, the day of darkness, gleaminess, the day of clouds and thick darkness, the day of the trumpet and alarm against the fence cities, against the high towers, and God is going to judge the world. But in contrast to that, as in the case of nearly all of the minor prophets, then there is this part about restoration, especially beginning with the millennium. And that brings us to Zephaniah 3. In Zephaniah 3, verse 1, woe to her that is filthy and polluted to the oppressing city. That city is Jerusalem. See, in Revelation 11, long about verse 7 or 8, it says that the two witnesses' bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem. After being killed by the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, that great city where our Lord was crucified, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, that's Jerusalem. Jerusalem is going to become the headquarters for the beast's power. Very clearly, in Daniel 11, verses 44-45, he shall plant his tabernacles between the two seas. He will be troubled by news out of the north and out of the east. He shall go to wait to conquer many nations, yet he shall be brought down, and none shall help him. That's the paraphrase of those last two verses in Daniel 11. So this oppressing city, before God intervenes, before he brings them to their knees, before they look on him whom they have pierced, and they repent, that's the condition of the city. She obeyed not the voice, she received not correction, she trusted not in the Lord. She drew not near to her God. Her princes within are roaring lions, her judges are evening wolves. They gnaw not the bones till tomorrow. They can't wake up and oppress the next day. You see, even with the first four trumpet plagues, in which great destruction takes place on the face of the earth, even with the fifth and sixth trumpet plagues, the first two woes, the incorrigibly wicked do not repent. How your place look at Revelation 9. Revelation 9.

The last couple of verses there in Revelation 9, 20 and 21. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils and idols of gold and silver, brass stone wood, which neither see, hear, or walk. Neither repented they of their murders, nor their sorceries, nor their fornication, nor of their deaths. So, after the, and this is important to remember later on, based on this, after the first six trumpet plagues report out, it seems that no one repents from that point on until the setting up of the millennium.

Back to Zephaniah. He fails not, but the unjust knows no shame. I mean, in fact, today, as it talks about in Isaiah, that the wicked are the ones that are praised in today's world. We have a president who gets up and several times refers to the gay, lesbian, transgender population among us, how that we welcome them, and so on.

They know no shame. And those that are praised, if you want the audience to applause, then you bring out Ellen DeGeneres. We get a lot of applause. I have cut off the nation, their towers are desolate. I made the streets waste. None passes by. Their cities are destroyed so that there is no man that there is non-inhabitant. These so-called great cities of the world are going to be brought to naught. I said, surely you will fear, surely you'll receive instruction, so their dwellings should not be cut off. However, I punished them, but they rose early, no matter what I did. They rose early and corrupted all their doings.

Therefore, wait you upon me, special music, and do what? Wait upon the Lord. He is the ultimate deliverer, says the Eternal, until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour out mine indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

For then will I turn to people a pure language. This doesn't necessarily mean that everybody is going to go speaking a pure Hebrew. We'll read Zechariah 8.23. It has to do with ceremonially clean, a pure language, a lip that is purified, a lip that is contrasted with uncleanness. I will turn to people to a pure language or lip that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my supplyance, even the daughter of mine dispersed.

The daughter of mine dispersed. God is going to gather the dispersed of Israel. He is going to establish the nation of Israel once again. They will become the model nation in the millennium. There will be those who go out, as described in Isaiah 66, to all parts of the world, to evangelize, as it were, the world, for those who have never heard of his fame.

That's what it says in Isaiah 66. And to bring them, eventually they will come to Jerusalem, as we will read later. The daughter of my dispersed shall bring mine offering. The main offering will be those people that will come, that will be converted. In that day shall ye not be ashamed for all of your doings wherein you have transgressed against me, for then I will take out of the midst of you them that rejoice in your pride, and you shall no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. Of course, the Jews today, some of them say, well, the nation of Israel belongs to us because it was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And so it was, but it's like because of that, we are better than everybody else. See, God intends that all peoples become a part of the Israel of God. And it says in Galatians chapter 3, the last two or three verses, If you be in Christ, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. That's straight out of the Bible. That's not out of an identity book. That's out of the Bible. I will leave in the midst of you an inflicted poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord, now especially verse 13.

This verse is similar to what is spoken of with 144,000 in chapter 14. But I'm just pointing out the similarity, the remnant of Israel. The remnant of Israel. There will be those who live over into the millennium. 12,000 are a seal from each one of the tribes. The remnant of Israel shall do no iniquity nor speak lies. Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, or they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Seeing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. Once again, I point you to the fact that Zion is a geographical place in the environment of Jerusalem.

When David built his tabernacle, he pitched it on Mount Zion. Mount Zion was called the City of David. When Solomon built his temple, which is the Temple of God, it was built on Mount Moriah. And the Restoration Temple, of course, was built on Mount Moriah. But it says, and I read this either last week or the week before, from Psalm 78, that God chose Zion. He chose the City of David. He chose Judah and not Ephraim because the Messiah came out of Judah.

In that day shall he be said to Jerusalem, fear not, and to Zion, let not your hands be slack. And of course, Zion also symbolizes the church, Hebrews 12, 22, 23. The Lord your God, in the midst of you is mighty. He will save, he will rejoice over you with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict you. Remember in Zachariah 12, verses 2, 3, 4, I will make Jerusalem a trembling cup for all nations, and even though all nations shall be gathered together against it, God is going to deliver Jerusalem. And I will save her that halts and gather her that was driven out, and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again even to the time that I gather you. See, at the present time, the nation of Israel, Judah, is despised among the nations. As we read, it was even in the news articles that we had.

I will make you a name and a praise among all the people of the earth. When I turn back your captivity before your eyes, says the Eternal. Now you notice in Zachariah chapter 8, that what God intended from the beginning will be a reality in the millennium. Israel will become the model nation for all the peoples of the earth. Zachariah chapter 8, and we'll hit a few high places, two or three. In verse 13, Zachariah chapter 8 is basically devoted to events in the millennium. In Zachariah chapter 8, in verse 13, And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah, you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah, and the house of Israel. So will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong. And then, in verse 20, Thus says the eternal host, it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people and inhabitants of many cities. And inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the eternal, and to seek the eternal host. I will go also. Yes, many people in strong nations shall come to seek the eternal host in Jerusalem. And of course, you know the Isaiah, too, as word goes out from Jerusalem, the law from Zion, and also in Micah 4, very similar. And to pray before the eternal. Thus says the Lord of Hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all the languages of the nations, all of the languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. So what God had intended when he brought Israel out of Egypt, He intended that Israel would be the model nation, the holy nation, a kingdom of priests. Of course, they failed. Now that is passed to the church. 1 Peter 2.9, You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, that you should show forth the praises of him whose purchase you brought you into his marvelous light. And it is God's intent to bring all peoples, nations, kindreds, tongues into the Israel of God.

Now we know that the resurrection of the just will not be limited to 144,000. We go back now to Revelation 7. We left off with verse 8 after the sealing of the 144,000. We have seen from what we have read in the Old Testament that there will be a remnant of Israel saved. This remnant of Israel will become a model nation to be a witness to all nations. But we note further here in Revelation 7.9, After this, after the sealing of the 144,000, I beheld in Loa a great multitude, which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. Now white robes signifies the white linen, the righteousness of the saints, as described in Revelation 19, where they are preparing for the marriage supper of the Lamb. And palms signifies victory. They have overcome so much. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, who sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood around about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And where do they come from? And I said unto him, Sir, you know, and he said to me, And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, And have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the blood of the Lamb that we are redeemed. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in the temple, And he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light upon them nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, And shall lead them unto living fountains of water, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Similar to almost identical quote there, the last part to Revelation 21.4, Those in the New Jerusalem will not see death, And all tears will be wiped from their eyes.

So we see that there are far more in the resurrection than just 144,000. A great multitude which no man could number. And I don't care how much symbolism or whatever you put to this, It would be difficult to explain this away. Now we have another 144,000 in Revelation 14, Where some commentators say it's one in the same group, And some say differently. It seems that this 144,000 have been resurrected, And they are among the firstfruits, And they probably picture the completed church, Because we have seen that the resurrected church consists of far more than just 144,000.

Now I know there are those who would try to reason around, Try to chip away, try to do this, that, or the other.

In some of this, there is no one that I know of that knows for sure some of these things.

And I looked and lo and lamb stood on the Mount Zion. Of course, we've talked about Mount Zion, a physical place where David pitched his tabernacle, And God chose Mount Zion instead of Ephraim and Joseph. He chose it over Mount Moriah, too. It goes to a large degree Mount Moriah than the Jerusalem that now stands, The symbolic of the flesh and Hagar. And with him 144,000 having his father's names written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as it were, of a voice of many waters, as a voice of great thunder. I heard the voice of harpers harping with their hearts. Now we see that in Revelation 15, Where they stood on the sea of glass, and they sung the victory song of Moses. Verse 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 with the 144,000, Which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, These are they that follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that, If the Lamb goes to point X and you're at point V, all 144,000 trail over there. And they trail back over there. They follow Him, just as we follow Him, today, 144,000. These are they redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God, and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guiles. Here's the scripture very similar to Zephaniah 3 and verse 13. The remnant that is spoken of in Zephaniah, this was said of them. And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God. Now we come to the three angels' messages. And a lot of people have talked about the three angels' messages. What are they?

When do they take place? I think when they take place is one of the key questions of all of the questions. And who are these messages directed toward?

It seems with this first angel that goes forth, that there is an opportunity for salvation. Now what is Revelation 14 basically taken up with? People say they can't understand the book of Revelation. I think in the third sermon along these lines in recent weeks, I think we have pretty much laid at bear what it's about. In Revelation 14, you have the contrast between those who are faithful and just and then the wicked. As we shall see, there are two harvests that are spoken of in the Bible. The harvest of the just and the harvest of the tares and or the wicked, which are one and the same, for the most part. Of course, tares, spoken of in a strict sense, appear to be those who are in fellowship with the church. And sometimes I wonder, well, does a tear really know they're a tear? And I ask myself, are you a tear? Am I a tear? Am I planted here by Satan the devil? Because, as we shall read from Matthew, the tares are planted by the devil. Do they know that the devil has planted them there?

Well, in some cases, I think they do. I think they do know it. And there have been tares, and probably still are tares. We know there's the incorrigibly wicked, and no matter what anybody says or what God does, they don't repent. We read it in the last two verses of Revelation 9. So in Revelation 14, what we're seeing is a contrast between the harvest of the just and the harvest of the wickedness interwoven with these three angels going forth. Now, the question, one of the largest questions is, when do they go forth? Do they go forth before the resurrection, or do they go forth after? Now we're coming back to 14, if you want to mark it, it's no big turn anyhow. You go to Revelation 10 with regard to the timing of the resurrection. In Revelation 10, verse 7, But in the days of the voices of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as he is declared to his servants the prophets. What is the greatest mystery of all mysteries spoken of in the Bible? Paul spoke of two main mysteries, not to say they were, that's the only two, but the main one is how that spirit can be joined to flesh, and by the same spirit that he raised Jesus from the dead, he shall also quickener make alive your mortal bodies, and you will be a spirit-born spirit being in the kingdom of God, and being on the earth, according to Revelation 5, verse 10, and other places as well.

That mystery, Paul phrases it one way in, I'm quoting now Colossians 1, 27, which says, Jesus Christ in you, the hope of glory. I speak of mystery, great mystery, Jesus Christ in you, the hope of glory. So, when this angel begins to sound, the mystery is finished. Now, the other mystery Paul addresses in Ephesians 2 and 3, how that you and Gentile are joined together as one body, a holy temple in the Lord. In Revelation 11, 15, you see, we read 7 from chapter 10. When the seventh angel begins to sound, the mystery is finished. Revelation 11, 15, and the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. Now, you look at the verse above that. How long is this period of time between when the second woe is finished, the sixth trumpet plague, and the seventh angel sounding? I don't know how long that period is. Neither do you or anybody. But it says in verse 14, the second woe is passed by the fifth and sixth trumpet plague. Those two plagues constitute the two woes spoken of in chapter 9. Now, the seventh trumpet plague is also a woe, and it consists of the seven vials of wrath. The second woe is passed, and behold, the third woe comes quickly. Now we go back to Revelation 14, and once again, we ask this question, you look at verse 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.

So, 14 is about a harvest of the just and the unjust. Now, if the 144,000 spoken of in the first few verses have been resurrected, it seems that this would take place before that, at the end of the second woe, and everybody would be given fair warning, look, judgment is going to come on this earth, and it's going to come quickly and shortly. Now, the church has been commissioned to preach the gospel to the whole world just before Jesus Christ ascended. He said, in this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in Judea, Samaria, and to the outer pole of most parts of the earth. He commissioned the church go ye therefore into all the world. And the church strives to do that. But there will be people, even as you read in Isaiah 66, even with the third angel or the first angel's message, who have never heard of his fame.

So, if the resurrection has already taken place, it would seem it would just be a warning to the incorrigibly wicked. So, it seems to me it is between the second woe, the end of the second woe, and the seventh trump. I guess it could be earlier. I don't know for sure. But what does he say? I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them to dwell on the earth to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. And so, the world will be without excuse. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, fallen, the great city, because she made all nations drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast, and so this seems before the resurrection, probably. If any man worship the beast, and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture, into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Now, we turn to Isaiah 66, verse 24, showed that the incorrigibly wicked is cast into a pit, and shall be in a pouring to all flesh. And the smoke of their torment has ended up for ever and ever. They have no rest, day or night, who worship the beast in his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name. So here's the patience of the saints. See, during this time, the church will be in mourning, and I'm reminded of the special music that was presented by Mary Beth Phelps. She wrote it. Let's go there. We'll come back to Isaiah. We'll come back to Revelation 14, Isaiah 61. In Isaiah 61, we have given here what Christ read from after he was baptized. He went back to Nazareth, to the synagogue, and on the Sabbath day, he got up, and he took the scroll, the book of Isaiah, and he read verse 1 and part of verse 2 of Isaiah 61, of what he had come to do at that time. But there is more to come.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prisons at the end that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and he gave the book back and he sat down.

In this part, the day of vengeance of God is the day that is coming, the day of the wrath of God, the day of the Lord, and the day of God. The day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn, who will be mourning, to appoint them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. They shall build the old places. They shall raise up the former desolation. They shall repair the waste cities and the desolation of many generations. In verse 6, we're going to be made kings and priests, as it says in Revelation 5, 10. You shall be named the priest of the Lord. Men shall call you the ministers of our God. You shall eat the riches of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast yourselves. Church and state combined in the government of God on the earth, there will be human beings living in the flesh, who the goal will be to bring all them into the Israel of God and eventually into the kingdom of God. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

So they have to be resurrected into, born into, the family of God. Or, as it says in 1 Thessalonians 4, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up into the air, and will be changed in the moment of the twinkling of an eye, and so on. Now back to Revelation 14. Here is a patience of the saints, here they that keep the commandments of God. And you're reminded of Matthew 24, 13, which says, And he that endurest to the end, the same shall be saved. See, this is in context with the two questions that the apostles asked Jesus Christ. Tell us the sign of your coming and the end of the age.

The old King James says, the end of the world, the Greek word is Aeon, it's the end of the age. This present evil age, as the Bible refers to it.

Verse 13, And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord from henceforth. He asks, the spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them. And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud, one like unto the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. One like unto the Son of Man, mark it well, he had in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. There will be two harvests, one of the righteous and one of the wicked. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Now look at Matthew 24. We're coming back to 14 if you want to hold. In Matthew 24, there is a description of Jesus Christ coming in glory. One of the things they've said in one of Malachi Martin's books, Malachi Martin was very high in the Vatican and left and wrote all kinds of books about the evil that is contained within the Vatican. And science has been able to produce holograms, and it is contended that they have the technology that could even depict like Jesus Christ coming in glory in the heavens. And with the media that we have today, it could be pictured around the earth. You know, Christ said the deception would be so great that if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. And those who love the truth will not be deceived. In Matthew 24, verse 29, immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Now in Revelation, chapter 1, it says, and every eye shall see him. In Zechariah 12, 10, it talks about the Jews. They shall look upon him whom they pierced, and they shall mourn each one in his house apart. And every eye shall see him coming with power and great glory, and he shall send his angels with the great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from the end of heaven to the other end.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When the branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nice, and likewise when you see all these things, all of the things in Matthew 24, and there are many more come to pass, then you'll know that the end is near.

Now you look at Matthew 13. Here's the contrast. Matthew 13. So here we see the harvest of the righteous. In Matthew 13, verse 27, So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Matthew 13, 27, came unto him and said, Sir, did you not sow good seed in the field? So if that's the case, where did these tares come from? He said unto them, and enemy had done this, the servant said unto him, Will you then that we go and gather them up? And he said, No, lest ye gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you therefore the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. And so there are two harvests spoken of. Now we go back to Revelation chapter 14. Verse 16, And he that sat on the cloud, one like unto the Son of Man, thressed in his sickle, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire. Fire symbolizes judgment. You know, bundle up the tares and burn them.

And he cried with a loud voice to him, that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the cluster of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it in the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city. And blood came out of the winepress, even in the horses' bridles, by the space of 1,600 furlongs. So we see that there is a reaping of the two different categories. Jerusalem will then become, after the battle of the great day of God Almighty, the kingdom of this world, becoming the kingdoms of God and His Christ, Jerusalem shall become the capital of the world. We go to Jeremiah chapter 3 now. Oftentimes we don't think of Jeremiah as in the millennial sense, but there's a lot about the millennium in Jeremiah. This is Jeremiah chapter 3, beginning of verse 14. Jeremiah 3, 14. Eternal, backsliding children under the eternal, for I am married unto you. And I will take you one of a city and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, and shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass when you be multiplied and increased in the land in those days, saith the eternal. They shall say no more the ark of the covenant of the Lord. See, we don't say that today, that we're going to go where the physical place of the ark of the covenant is. And of course, they're still searching for the physical ark of the covenant, because the law of God is now written on our inward parts. Neither shall it come to mind. Neither shall they remember it. Neither shall they visit it. Neither shall that be done any more. At that time, they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the eternal. See, it's turned from the oppressing city, spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. It is now the throne of the eternal, and all the nations shall be gathered unto it. The name of the Lord to Jerusalem. Neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days, the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north, to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

God has set before all of us a glorious future. We remain faithful. We are destined to rule and reign with God and Christ in eternity, kings and priests. And we will serve with God and Christ, and bring the nations into a relationship with God and Christ. Now we'll make them ministers of the eternal. And they shall restore the earth, as God intended it for it to be. And peace will reign down upon the earth. And nations shall beat their swords into plowshares. And neither shall they learn war any more.

So as you heard about in the model prayer, some aspects of it in the sermonette, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.