Following the Lamb Wherever He Goes!

Ezekiel promises that in the last days the Jewish people will be brought back into their homeland in unbelief. In fact, if you go to Israel today, many Jews there today will tell you that they don't believe in God. How is that? Their argument is "Where was God during the Holocaust? So their argument isn't that they don't believe in God, they just don't agree with how He is running things. That's a convoluted declaration of faith in God. However the Holocaust was defined in Deuteronomy 28 where God told Israel what would happen if they disobeyed and it happened exactly as prophesied.

The People of the Vision - The Evangelists of God are the 144,000.

Revelation 14:1 ~ "Then I looked, and thee before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."

Let us look at who the 144,000 are NOT.

If you have heard of the holiness movements or holiness groups, a group of special highly evolved people of God, super saints if you will, who live a life dedicated to God, and if you're lucky they'll let you fellowship with their group or meeting to see if you're worthy enough. This is a legalistic self righteous group of 3-10 people who are not the 144,000 spoken of in the Bible.

They are not the 7th Day Adventists who believe that if Jesus comes back on a Saturday, this will be the group he comes for, because they only worship God on Saturday. If you worship God on any other day of the week, you have received the mark of the beast and you're a devil worshiper. Only those who are found worshiping on Saturday will be selected to be the 144.000.

They are NOT Jehovah's Witnesses. This is a watch tower society that believed that each of them were part of the 144,000 until the numbers grew too large. When that happened, they believed that Jesus has come back already. Next time you see one, ask them what tribe they are from.

Revelation 7 and Revelation 14 tells us exactly who these people are. There will be 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel listed in Revelation 7. They have not defiled themselves with women, so they are virgins. They are men only. They have been sealed by God. They are Jewish men who speak Hebrew and their hearts are pure for God.

This being sealed, means that God has sealed us as Christians if you're saved and born again.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 ~ "And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

Every believer of Christ, has been sealed by God. Born again, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Your belief has lead you to faith in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:13-14 ~ "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory!"

This means the Holy Spirit lives in the believer of Jesus Christ. We are guaranteed a home in heaven! You can't lose your salvation! You can't be a zip-lock baggy Christian. Sealed one day, unsealed the next. You can't be unborn again! Sheep can't turn into goats. You just need to rest in your assurance that if you are truly saved and your faith is in Jesus Christ, rest in your salvation as a sealed believer. Stop second guessing yourself everytime there is an altar call. If you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit working in your life when you're about to do something you know you shouldn't. You're a believer in Christ. Just start paying attention more and become obedient to what He is asking you to do.

The Practice - The Worshiper of God.

Revelation 14:2-5 ~ "And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless." 

It is easy to spot an unhealthy Christian.
Worship is not a priority in their life. They haven't sang the Lord a song in a long time. They don't have a balanced spiritual diet.

They were godly men = ones who were not defiled with women.
They were set apart to God = for they are virgins.
They were uniquely born-again Jews = being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
They were holy people = and in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

These verses deal with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ who will come back to sit on the throne of David on Mount Zion after the Tribulation.

These 144,000 men were holy. To follow the Lamb wherever He goes. What does being holy mean?

They were willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. To say with certainty that you have had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

Holiness means: the way you conduct yourself around your neighbors, the way you treat your kids is the way Jesus would treat them; the way you conduct business is the way Jesus would conduct it; that you can hear an internal voice that is not your own, leading you.

We are in the time of the quickening, just before a woman gives birth, there are signs the labor is progressing and that is where we are at today in the world.

There are more frequent earthquakes happening all around the world.
There is a breakdown of lawlessness in the world.
There is growing antisemitism
There is a growing hatred towards the nation of Israel.
Jerusalem is the hot spot on the world.
There is a rise in persecution of Christians around the world
There are beheadings happening.

You can't deny the facts, the time is growing short.

God is Going to Answer America's Prayer

There are two different types of people who read the Bible, there are prederists who believe that the events in the Book of Revelation have already happened. Then there are the futurists, that believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible in Revelation are future events. It's futuristic. It is yet to come.

There are those that believe God is done with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. This is not true, otherwise, there is no future for us. The exact opposite is true. If He doesn't keep His promises to the Jewish people or the nation of Israel, then there is no hope for God to fulfill any promises to us.

Mount Zion is in Israel near the Temple Mount today and it will be where the throne of David will be established during the millennium. Many liberal churches don't believe that. This is why it is important to know your Bible. What it says, is what it is.

When we left off in our study yesterday we were dealing with Chapter 14 in the Book of Revelation and that verses 1-5 are what is called a parenthentical pause. God has push paused on the action to give us some behind the scenes information about what is coming after the Tribulation. Without knowing that it can be kind of confusing to understand it if you look at it chronologically based.

We left off with four important things to consider when looking at these verse, yesterday we looked at the person, the Lamb which is Jesus Christ, and almost got into the place, which is Mount Zion. The important thing to note here is that Jesus Christ is standing! There are only two places where Jesus Christ according the scripture stands. The first is right here in Revelation 14:1 and the second one is in the Book of Acts as Stephen is being martyred. An interesting book to read would be Foxes Book of Martyrs to understand how people can go through intense persecution for their faith and not bat at eye. Stephen was in the process of being stoned and he looked up into heaven and saw the Son of God standing before the throne."

All other times when we read about Jesus' ascension, He is seated. He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Even in earlier studies of this book we see Him seated at the right hand of God. He is resting. I believe that Jesus stands whenever he receives a saint home. To receive us into heaven into glory. That is why scripture tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and that He is with us always. What a greater moment for us to need God then when we are passing from this life into our eternal home!

Do you have that assurance today?

So just where is Mount Zion?

Psalm 2:2-6 ~ "The kinds of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. Let us break their chains, they say, 'and throw off their fetters.' The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." 

There are passions inside people to cast God out. Trust me, God doesn't stay where He isn't wanted. He will answer that prayer one day and leave the nation to its coming judgment. It's coming to America. You want God out of the schools, out of the courts, out of the medical decisions, out of your marriages and homes, He is leaving very soon. This nation needs desperately to repent of its sin.

Psalm 48:1-3 ~ " Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels' he has shown himself to be her fortress."

We know currently that Mount Zion is not lofty in elevation, but this psalm has yet to be fulfilled. This is a future event being spoken off where a great earthquake will happen that will raise Mount Zion to a lofty elevation and that will be coming just prior to the millennium. We have seen that mountains can rise in great elevation as Mount St. Helens has already grown by 900 feet since its last eruption.

Psalm 48:11-14 ~ "Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

Judah is in Israel today and those future generations will be during the millennium when the longevity of life is extended once again. Imagine to be 100 is to feel like a child?!!!

Psalm 132:13-14 ~ " For the LORD has chosen Zion, he had desired it for his dwelling; This is my resting place forever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it -"

Without Israel being a nation, Christ can't return until it does. May 14, 1948 made that a reality.

Isaiah 2:1-4 ~ "This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem; In the last days the mountain  of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

This is the earthly Mount Zion in Israel. These are the events following the Tribulation.

Light Begins to Dawn

As we open our study today into Chapter 14, we need to come to an understanding before reading this so it does not confuse you when you read it. This is going to be a sneak peek into heaven. Our spiritual life should be dominating our life that it impacts our physical world. To walk in the Spirit, we will not satisfy the flesh. To walk in the Spirit is to obey God. Stand up against the darkness of the world.

We are going to learn more about the 144,000 sealed men of God, think of 144,000 Billy Grahams or Paul the Apostles. In fact if you circle Chapter 14 from verses 1-5, this is another parenthetical pauses from God in the action of what we have just been reading. We left off with the Antichrist and the False Prophet in Chapter 13 and the receiving of the mark and now arrive at Chapter 14. It is not the chronological events in the order as they happen from verses 1-5. It is a highlight chapter or an insert to provide some detail from God on the events as they are on pause. These verses will deal the things that follow the Great Tribulation Period in verses 1-5.

We will come across 6 angels as we move forward in Chapter 14.

In verse 6, we come across another angel # 1.
In verse 8, we come across another angel # 2
In verse 9, we come across another angel # 3.
Then we have a break with the mention of Jesus Christ.
In verse 15, we come across another angel # 4.
In verse 17, we come across another angel # 5.
In verse 18, we come across another angel # 6.

There are three types of believers in the world when it comes to Bible Prophecy. You have the Pre-millennialists, A-millennialists or the Post-millennialists.

Pre-millennialists believe that Jesus Christ must return in the Second Coming before the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ can begin because He has never sat on the throne of David which the Bible says He must do.

A-millennialists fall into a lot of what the Catholics believe which is the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ is symbolic and it is not real. Christ will not return to the earth.

Post-millennialists - are of the dominion now theology and that Jesus won't come back until the church prepares the earth for His Coming. He needs to the church to get the world ready.

I'm a firm pre-millennialist because you really have to twist scripture any other way into order to get it to fit the logic of what they believe.

4 Things are apparent in this parenthetical pause in chapter 14. The first is the person of the vision - the Lamb of God.

Revelation 14:1 ~ "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."

In this chapter, God reveals how you want to be marked by Him. The 144,000 are marked with the name of God. "the Lamb" is Jesus Christ.

In verses 1-5, deal with John seeing those things that will happen after the Antichrist is defeated, after the false prophet is judged, and when the millennium age is about to begin just after the Tribulation.

Revelation 5:6 ~ "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it has been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders." 

Revelation 5:8 ~ "And when he had taken it, the four-living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

Revelation 5:12-13 ~ "In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealthy and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!"

Revelation 6:1 ~ "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!:

Revelation 7:9-10 ~ "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb."

Revelation 7:14 ~ "I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

The Lamb, mentioned in all of these verses and in Chapter 14 is Jesus Christ! The person is Jesus!

The second thing we need to consider is the place of the vision. The Mountain of God in verse 1. Where is Mount Zion? If you said Heaven, you are correct. If you said, on earth. You are also correct, because one day the two will be in the same place as heaven and earth come together. Remember again this is a future vision or parenthetical pause.

A Lamb is Standing on Mount Zion.

Jesus is standing. There are only two times that Jesus stands in the Bible and we will look at that.....


...tomorrow!!!