Who are the 144000?

Many readers of my blog will know that I believe we are currently (as in January 2015) living during the fifth seal of revelation. We are already in a period known as “The Great Tribulation”.

The 144000 are mentioned after the fifth and during the sixth seal.

So who are they?

Well, scripture describes them as being from “all of the Tribes of the children of Israel”, and they are sealed during the events of the sixth seal.

Some people believe this is the church.

I don’t think so.

The bible clearly says they are of the “children of Israel”, which to me clearly implies they are Jews.
“Sealing” is what happens when a person becomes a Christian. In fact, if Jesus is your Lord and Saviour today – then you are sealed already.

“…In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” Eph 1:13-14, KJV

So – what we are seeing is the conversion of “144000” Jews at some point in the future.

That fits exactly with what Paul said in the Book of Romans.

“…For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” Rom 11:25-26 KJV

This clearly teaches that there will be a revival amongst the Jews at a future time, once the “fulness of the gentiles” is complete. It also speaks of “all Israel” being saved, so you would expect to see Jews from all the tribes being saved, or as Revelation 7 puts it…

“…of all the tribes of the children of Israel” Rev 7:4b KJV

This revival is what I believe we are seeing in the events of the sixth seal.

Now there are some tribes that appear to be missing in this twelve, and also some tribes that don’t seem to be tribes – what does that mean?

The list does not mention the tribe of Dan.

Also, it mentions Joseph and Manasseh, when you would normally expect to see Joseph or Manasseh and Ephraim mentioned.

So – why exclude Dan, why mention Joseph and one of his sons!

Well, more insights for another time!

Does Jesus mention the rapture?

Recently I have been wrestling with the identity of the 144000 mentioned in Revelation. Whilst doing so I spotted some interesting links to Mark and Matthew where Jesus is talking about the end times.

“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, 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: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” Rev 7:1-4, KJV

So, when is this event taking place?

Reading the context of Rev 6:12-end seems to be during or immediately after the events of the sixth seal.

One of the things that struck me was the mention of angels and the four winds. We see that in the two gospels.

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Mark 13:24-27, KJV

“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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt 24:29-31, KJV

If you have read any of my previous notes, you will know that I believe the account that Jesus gave of the end times is our framework on which to hang the events of Revelation. It helps both with understanding and time ordering.

It would seem very clear to me, that Jesus is talking about the events of the sixth seal, leading onto events of Revelation 7. An interesting detail in Matthew is the reference to the “great sound of a trumpet”. Now at this point it is worth reading my post on the rapture (why is the last trumpet important now?) – because you will see that a trumpet sounds at the rapture.

So – are there more than one trumpet when those alive will be caught up with Jesus? No, as you will see this all happens at the last trumpet.

See some things. Events of the sixth seal happen after a great tribulation. We go up at the last trumpet. So, if the seven trumpets occur in order, these few verses from the gospels and Revelation 6 and part of 7 are describing from the start of the sixth seal right through to the seventh trumpet.

Awesome.

Now, maybe next time, I will get into the heart of Rev 7!

A Bit of Speculation…

After my post from May 2014, I thought I would pick up on a comment I made about the heaven departing and connecting that with a “collapse in the earth’s magnetic field”.

Just quoting again part of the Sixth Seal from Revelation 6

“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Rev 6:14, KJV

In this passage the word ‘heaven’ implies sky. We see a parallel statement in one of Peter’s letters

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10

Frightening description. So what could cause the sky to do that?

WARNING – SPECULATION

Readers, I am now going to offer some speculation. If you don’t like speculation (some don’t!), just skip on the “END OF SPECULATION” and continue finishing the blog post.

The sky we see is there because planet earth has an atmosphere. In fact, it is because of the atmosphere that our sky looks so blue when we look up (at least on a sunny day!). Many scientists believe that Mars used to have an atmosphere – but it no longer has one. Why?

The magnetic field that surrounds the earth protects us and our atmosphere from deadly radiation being emitted from the sun. If our magnetic field was to be drastically reduced, or cease. Then our atmosphere would start to be destroyed by the radiation from the sun. Our sky would perhaps “depart as a scroll when it is rolled together”

Today, our magnetic field around the earth is getting weaker as time passes.

We can see that in some parts of the earth, the magnetic field is already much weaker than in other places.

The image above is © 2014 ESA/DTU Space. It show a ‘Snapshot’ of the main magnetic field at Earth’s surface as of June 2014 based on Swarm data.

Note the scale.

The magnetic field over South America (the blue region) appears to be just one third of the strength of the field over the poles. This drastic reduction is already causing problems for spaceflight in low orbits over that area. (The International Space Station has extra shielding and the Hubble Space Telescope does not take observations when passing through)

END OF SPECULATION

Whatever will be the cause of the sky departing, we can be confident in the overarching message of Revelation. Our God is in control.

But let us also heed Peter’s exhortation, and have this view of the world.

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:11-13, KJV

How do people know it is The Hand of God?

Reading around the sixth seal in the Book of Revelation, I was suddenly struck by something I had not really thought about before.

 “…And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev 6:12-17, KJV

How do the people that are hiding know about “him that sitteth on the throne”?

I had originally thought – well its obvious, if the sun goes dark, and the sky rolls back like a scroll etc, surely, people will see that it is a super-natural event and is to do with God and the end of time?

The problem is, no matter how amazing things are, people will always opt for the natural explanation. No doubt, the sun going dark would be seen as some sort of eclipse, the sky rolling back to do with a reduction or collapse in the Earths magnetic field. So – how do they recognise, this is in fact the hand of God?

Well, let us read the parallel passages where Jesus talks about these same events.

 “…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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt 24:29-31, KJV

BTW Don’t forget to read my post where I explain the “tribulation of those days”.

I don’t know about you, but I believe Jesus is describing the same sequence of events here in Matt 24 that we see described in Revelation around the sixth seal.

The interesting piece of detail is why people will know it’s the hand of God in the events.

Plainly, it is because “they shall see the Son of man coming”.

When I think about it, there are many people in the world who will only acknowledge God when confronted by the reality of God in this remarkable way.

However, this day has not come yet, so until it does lets keep talking and sharing the Love of God and the Gospel with our neighbours and friends knowing that one day it will be too late.

I stand at the Door and Knock

I was re-reading some of the letters to the churches in Revelation the other day, and I was struck by this very familiar passage.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev 3:20-12 KJV

I realized, for the first time, that these words cannot be written to Christians!

If they were, then the sentiments would contradict some of the things said about us, and the promises to us from elsewhere is scripture.

For example, John, in 1 John already describes us as overcomers (as long as we believe!)

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5, KJV

Paul already speaks of us as being seated with Christ. Yes “hath” is past tense!

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;). And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Eph 2:5-6, KJV

and finally, Jesus promise to always be with us, in my mind speaks of being in our lives, not the other side of a door.

“and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Mt 28:20b, KJV

So, for me – at least part of this letter in Revelation 3 is addressed to non-believers. So, if that is the case, how much of the other letters speaks to non-believers?

For us as believers, let us not lose sight of the tremendous promises we have and what a marvel God has done for us.

Why is The Last Trumpet important now?

Why does the Last Trumpet matter now?

 There is a huge amount of debate around the subject of “The Rapture”.

 Will it happen, if so what will it be like, and most debated when will it happen.

 Let us just remind ourselves of some of the key verses around that subject.

 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess 4:13-18, KJV

 Now the word “rapture” does not appear in scripture. It is a phrase that the church has coined to describe this catching away.

 Now, I ask this question. What else is going on? Well the dead in Christ are rising – first. What else? To be exact, what can be heard? The sound of a trumpet.

 Now turn with me to a parallel passage in 1 Cor 15

 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:51-57, KJV

 Is this the same event – yes. Why? Because the dead in Christ rise first.

 DO we hear anything?

 Yes we hear a trumpet …but here we have some more detail.

 V52 — “…at the last trump”.

 That implies last in a series or sequence.

SO – we are not going up at the first trumpet – we are going up at the last trumpet.

In Revelation there are three sevens. Seven seals, Seven trumpets and seven vials. Some people believe these take place sequentially, some that they overlap in someway. Either way, for me, this looks like we go up on the seventh trumpet.

 

That means we will see six before we go up.

2000 years of tribulation?

Reading again Mattthew 24 and comparing to Luke 21, I started to look for the time gap or time bridge as I call it.

Please look back at what I have written about Luke 21, but if part of it has already been fulfilled for us as readers, and some of it is still to be fulfilled, then it clearly contains a reference to a long passage of time. As I mentioned before, for Lk 21 this occurs in Lk 21:24b. This part of the verse puts in the time gap to bridge from events that were fulfilled in 70 AD and shortly afterwards, and bring us to events that have not yet been fulfilled.

“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” Lk 21:24 KJV (Emphasis mine)

So, when we read Matthew 24, which is a parallel account, I am looking for the same thing, where is that interval of time?

So – where do you think?

So, I would say Matt 24:29-30 are still in the future for us as readers.

“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.” Matt 24:29-30, KJV

But Matt 24:15-21 has already happened with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” Matt 24:15-21, KJV

So what starts around 70 AD, that is still being occurring to the time Jesus returns in Matt 24:30?

One word.

Tribulation.

Strongs 2347, the greek word is “thlip’-sis” which is defined as follows:

“1) a pressing, pressing together, pressure

2) metaph. oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits”

Now, when we think about this, we realize it this is true.

For both the Jewish people, and for Christians – throughout history.

Every day, somewhere in the world Christians and Jews have faced, and are facing suffering and persecution because of who they are.

But, one day, when Jesus returns, the tribulation will end! Hallelujah!

Who is the woman “clothed with the Sun”?

Reading Revelation 12, I believe there are a lot of fairly obvious clues to help us understand what is happening, and how it links to other parts of the Bible.

Today, we will focus our attention on who is the woman “clothed with the Sun”. So first read all of Revelation 12. Well go on, I am not going to paste it all in here!

Now take a look at Rev 12:5

“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne” Rev 12:5, KJV

So, who is the child that she brings forth?

I think most people will agree, that the man child is Jesus.

Ruling with a “Rod of Iron” is an attribute John uses to describe Jesus elsewhere:

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” Rev 19:15, KJV

In fact Jesus himself, describes this attribute of himself in the Letter to the Church at Thyatira

“And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” Rev 2:27, KJV

(Notice too how John writes of the ascension of Jesus into heaven as past tense).

Having identified the man child, we can now go on to identify the woman “clothed with the sun”. As I see it, there are only two options. (I know people talk of others!)

1. She is Mary, the physical mother of Jesus.
2. She is the Nation of Israel, the Jewish People.

Which do you think?

Well, I think its [2]. She is the Nation of Israel, the Jewish People?

Why?

Well, here we have the beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel, and Josephs dream:

“And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying” Gen 37:9-11, KJV (Emphasis Mine)

Take a look at Rev 11:17 as another example.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”. Rev 11:17, KJV

For me, only the Nation of Israel would fit this description. With that as an interpretation it then all fits neatly.

For example in 11:13 we read:

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” Rev 11:13, KJV

So here we now see the persecution of the Jewish people, and we also see the spiritual intelligence behind that persecution!

Do Dolphins Praise God?

Came across this amazing scripture when reading the Book of Revelation. It occurs when John is witnessing a scene of praise in Heaven.

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Rev 5:11-13, KJV

The incredible part for me is the reference to “every creature”.

As you can see it even mentions the sea and “all that are in them” – and John heard all these creatures praising “him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb”!!!

The Greek word used here for “creature” is KTISISMA, and implies all of products of creation. So, does this mean dolphins (for example) praise God? Well we see the idea that the creation is aware of mans state and is aware of God elsewhere.

If we look into the Book of Romans, we can read:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Rom 8:18-19, KJV

First Paul speaks of the glory that is already in us as believers. Paul did not say that this glory would be revealed “to us” but rather “in us”.  He then speaks of the idea of creation eagerly awaiting this glory to be revealed.

In fact the two English words used to describe what creation is doing as “earnest expectation” is actually one Greek work “APOKARADOKIA” and means “intense anticipation” (Strong’s Concordance).

The word for “creature” comes from the Greek word “KTISIS” was translated “creature” in Ro 8:19-21. This same word was translated “creation” in Ro 8:22 and is the root of the word used in the Revelation 5:13 passage. It literally means “original formation (properly, the act; by implication, the thing, literally or figuratively)” (Strong’s Concordance).

Therefore, this verse makes it very clear that all of creation is eagerly and intensely anticipating the day when the glory of God that is already deposited within God’s saints will be revealed.  What an incredible idea.

So when does that happen? I believe when Jesus returns.

 

 

So what is Revelation about?

“…I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter…” Rev 1:18-19, KJV

When looking at the Book of Revelation, we also need to be aware of how Jesus’ instructions to John in Johns vision.

From this we can see that the writings of the Book of Revelation encompass three different things.

1. “the things which thou has seen”
2. “and the things which are”
3. “and the things which shall be hereafter”

“the things which thou hast seen”. Notice the use of the past tense. John is being instructed to write about things which he has already seen. Does this mean things he has seen that are not part of the visions? I think it means that John will describe as part of his writings events that have already occurred for John at the point of time at which he is writing the book.

“and the things which are”. The reading of this is very plain, but many people forget this is in the Book of Revelation when reading it. Part of the command of Jesus to John is to describe events that are current for John and his readers.

“and the things which shall be hereafter”. This is the bit everyone knows. Some of Revelation is describing events that are in the future for John as the writer. The challenge for us, reading the book, is to discern what is still in the future for us as readers, and what is now fulfilled, although when John wrote it was in the future for him.