Thank you very much. Open your
Bibles to Revelation chapter 7. Revelation chapter 7. Let me begin reading again at verse
1. Revelation 7 in 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, or on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel, as we've
said, this is the angel of the covenant, This is our Lord Jesus,
the messenger from God, our great Savior. 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 that were
sealed, and there were sealed 144,000 of all the tribes of
the children of Israel. Now this number 144,000 is identical to
the number found in Revelation chapter 14. If you would, look at Revelation
chapter 14. In front of my microphone, I hate to clear
my throat. And I've had enough voice training
to tell you That's the worst thing you can do for your throat.
It's the worst thing you can do for your voice. But when it
is, you've got congestion. You just feel like you've got
to clear your throat. So, you know what it's like. Those
of you who have allergies and those of you who don't, bless
your hearts. I'm thankful you don't. Look
at Revelation chapter 14. Revelation 14, John said, and
I looked. Verse 1, Revelation 14, 1. And
lo, a lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred
and forty and four thousand, having the Father's name written
in their foreheads. Back in Revelation chapter 7,
The angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus, says to the four
angels who stand at north, south, east, and west, and they're having
the winds of God's judgment, the Lord Jesus issues an order
to them, don't release the wind, don't release the judgment on
this world until the 140,000 are sealed in their foreheads
until they know the gospel. So God's word is just burnt into
their hearts, into their understanding, into their minds. And now John
sees all 144,000 of them, and they have the Father's name written
in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven,
as the voice of many waters and as the voice of great thunder.
And I heard the voice of a harpers, a harping with their harps. And
they sung, as it were, a new song before the throne and before
the four beasts and the elders. No man could learn that song
but the 140 and 4,000 which were redeemed from the
earth. Who are these 144,000? Well,
I know this about them. They are redeemed. And I know
what it costs to redeem them. The blood of the Lord Jesus. And then he says in verse four,
these are they which were not defiled with women. As we get
deeper into the book of the Revelation, you'll find that these women
are, they're the symbolic for false religion. These are not defiled by false
religion for they're virgins. Not in themselves are they pure,
but they're pure in Christ Jesus. And these are they which follow
the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among
men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found
no guile, for they are without fault."
Imagine that, without fault. before the throne of God. This number 144,000, it's been
debated. What does it stand for? What
does it represent? Is this just kind of the upper
crust of those who are saved? Kind of the holiest of the holy? Well, it is an a specific number
that represents a great multitude. It is therefore a number of symbolism. It represents all of the Israel
of God. You'll notice that it does say
back in chapter 7 at the end of verse number 4, of all the
tribes of the children of Israel. Now that begs the question, just
exactly who is Israel? Who's he talking about? Well,
we know in the Old Testament there is a nation called Israel. But in the New Testament, there's
another nation that's spoken of as being Israel. Go over to
the book of Romans chapter 2. Romans chapter 2. And this is
the Israel of God. The Israel of God. This is a
spiritual nation. A spiritual, not a physical nation,
but a spiritual nation made up of people from all physical nations. But this is spiritual Israel.
Look at Romans chapter 2, the last couple of verses of Romans
chapter 2. For he is not a Jew. Romans chapter
2, verse 28. For he is not a Jew." Now remember
who's writing this. I know it's the Spirit of God,
but it's the Spirit of God who's inspired this man, the Apostle
Paul, to write this. He's the writer. Here's the Apostle
Paul. He's a Jew himself by nature. He says in the book of Philippians
chapter 3, he said, I'm a Hebrew of the Hebrews. My mother was
a Hebrew and my father was a Hebrew. But this is what he says in verse
28. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly. That's
a big statement for this man to make. This is a man who is
very proud of his heritage. Proud to be a Jew. He is very
honored to look back on his lineage and see that he can trace his
lineage all the way back to Abraham. But now he makes this statement,
for he is not a Jew which is one outwardly. It's a big statement. Neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh. The circumcision was the seal
of the covenant that God made with Abraham. He said, have all
the males circumcised. But he says, but he is a Jew.
And this has got my attention because I want to know who a
real Jew is. Who is a real Israelite? But
he is a Jew which is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is
not of men, but of God. Who is a Jew? Who is a real Jew? Look at Philippians, the third
chapter. Let me give you this reference
as well. Philippians, the third chapter. Who is a Jew? Who is an Israelite? Indeed. He says in Philippians chapter
3, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord, Verse 1, to write
the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, not troublesome,
it doesn't weary me. But for you it's safe, it's necessary. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil
workers. Beware of the concision. For
we are the circumcision. If you want to understand what
he is saying, it is simply this, for we are the Jews. We are the
people of God. We are the Israelites. Well, who are the Israelites?
Who are the real Jews? Do they have characteristics?
Oh yes, three of them. Number one, which worship God
in the Spirit. Number two, and rejoice in Christ
Jesus. And number three, have no confidence
in the flesh. Go back to John, the first chapter. Go back to John chapter 1. John chapter 1. Our Lord Jesus has been identified
by John the Baptist as being the Lamb of God. John had two
disciples with him, and when he said, Behold the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world, those two disciples left
John and followed the Lord Jesus. I want to read deeper into the
chapter. Go on past that. Look at verse
43. John chapter 1, verse 43. The
day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth
Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Philip. Philip findeth Nathanael, and
saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses and the Law
and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come
out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and
see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to
him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, indeed,
in whom is no guile." Now, he's already an Israelite by nature. He's born an Israelite. That
is, he's of the seed of Abraham. But our Lord Jesus is saying
much more than that. He's saying this man is a real
Israelite. He's of spiritual Israel. Of
spiritual Israel. One more reference, Galatians
chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6. Let me begin
at verse 14. Galatians chapter 6 and verse
14. But God forbid, but God forbid
that I should glory. save or accept in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ. And he didn't mean he gloried
in the literal tree upon which our Lord Jesus died. He's talking
about the doctrine of the cross. He's talking about the doctrine
of redemption by the blood, reconciliation by the sacrifice of the Son of
God. That's what he's talking about.
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me, And I unto
the world, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth
anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many
as walk according to this rule." What rule? The rule of the cross. The rule of substitution. The
rule of sacrifice. As many as walk according to
this rule, He says, peace be on them, and mercy and on the
Israel of God." And back over here in Revelation chapter 7,
he's talking about the Israel of God. He's not talking about
national Israel. Now, I don't want to offend you
if I can avoid it, but the Bible is not a book about, as I heard
a preacher say just a week or two ago on television, He said,
all the Bible is about God's purpose toward the nation of
Israel. That's not what the Bible is
about. I don't want to burst your bubble,
and like I said, I wouldn't offend you for anything. But the Bible
is not about the nation of Israel, that liberal nation of Israel
over there in the Middle East. The Bible is a book about the
Son of God. and His salvation for sinners. And those that He saves, those
that He has bought with His blood, all of those God gave Him in
the covenant of grace, for whom the Savior laid down His life,
by whom the Savior has robed them, they're robed in the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of God brings them
to believe the Son of God, they constitute true Israel. That's the Israel of God. And
that's the only Israel God is interested in. God has always
been interested in His people. You see, in the nation of Israel,
even back in the Old Testament, there was a remnant according
to the election of grace. Everybody of the Jewish nation,
they weren't all the people of God, in the sense that God loved
them all, and Christ died for all of them, or would die for
all of them, and the Spirit of God would call of them, would
call everybody. No, that wasn't the case. But
within the nation, Within the nation of Israel, God had a remnant. Now, to the nation, God gave
His Word. Through the nation, the Son of
God came into the world. But the Son of God came into
the world not for the benefit of national Israel, but for the
benefit of those given Him in the covenant of grace who are
identified in the New Testament as being the Israel of God. Now go back to Revelation chapter
7. Throughout the book of the Revelation, most of the numbers
which are used are not to be taken in a mathematical way, but in a figurative way or a
symbolic way. For instance, look at chapter
5. Look at chapter 5 and verse 6. And this is when God holds in
His right hand the book written within and without, and on the
back side, here's the book of God's purpose. Who's worthy to
take that book and open it? Who's worthy to execute the purposes
of God? Look at verse 6, And I beheld,
and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a lamb, as it had been slain,
the slaughtered lamb, he's the slain lamb, having seven horns
and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth
into all the earth. Surely you don't imagine that
the Lord Jesus has seven horns. You're not supposed to take that
literally. And you can't imagine He's got
seven eyes. Well, that'd be hideous looking. You've got to understand, when
you get to the book of the Revelation, most of, a good bit of it is
figurative language. And if you try to take this,
okay, He's got seven horns, you've got a monster. Not a Savior,
but something that's hideously... Well, what does this mean, He's
got seven horns? What's a horn an emblem of? What's
a horn symbolic of in the Bible? Power. What does the number seven
stand for? Perfection! Completion! So what
is this saying? The Lamb of God who was slaughtered
for sinners, God has given Him all power. That's what this means.
He's got seven eyes. What does that indicate? He's
got absolute knowledge. He's omniscient. This is the
omniscience of our sin. He's all-knowing. He has all
wisdom. Nothing escapes His attention.
And so as you go through the book and you come to these numbers,
remember you're to look for a meaning beneath a mathematical meaning. Now, back to chapter 7. Here's the number 144,000. Don't consider it in a mathematical
way. Consider it in a symbolic way.
First of all, it's made up of the number 12. In the Bible, that's the number
for the people of God. In the Old Testament, the 12
sons of Jacob. They represent the Old Testament
saints. In the New Testament, you have
the 12 apostles. Judas not being the 12th, nor
Matthias the 12th, but the Apostle Paul. And those represent all
of the New Testament saints. So here the Old Testament saints
and the New Testament saints represented. And then you take
these numbers, 12 by 12 is 144. 12 squared. What about the number 1,000?
Better be careful about taking that literally as well. To the
Jews, the number 1,000 just stood for almost an infinite number. In fact, our brother read to
us back just a few minutes ago from 2 Peter chapter 3, a day
with the Lord is as 1,000 years. 1,000 years is one day. to the Jews a thousand years.
Man, that's like forever nearly. That's a symbolic number. So
don't take this literally. Here's what John sees. He sees a big group of people.
A perfect number. It's all completed. Who are they? They're the Israel of God. The
Israel of God. Go back to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24. And see if
this doesn't remind you of what we're studying there in the book
of Revelation. Matthew chapter 24. Do you remember,
I'll kind of refresh your memory, in the opening of the fifth seal,
the saints of God had been persecuted, tried, murdered, martyred, John sets forth a time of awful
tribulation when he sees the Son of God opening the fifth
seal. Those beneath the altar, they
cried for vengeance from God. See if this doesn't parallel
that passage. Matthew chapter 24, look at verse
29. Immediately after the tribulation
of those days, all the people of God going through tribulation.
Something is going to happen. The sun is going to be darkened.
The moon shall not give her light. To read it in Revelation chapter
6, it says the moon shall be like blood. The stars shall fall
from heaven. The mighty men of the earth shall
fall. The powers of the heavens shall
be shaken. Then shall appear the sign of
the Son of Man in heaven. Then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn. 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 the great sound of a trumpet.
And they shall gather together His elect from the four winds
from one end of the heaven to the other." Remember, the Lord
says to these four angels, don't release the wind. Till all of
the elect, till the remnant had been sealed. Till they've learned
the gospel. He'll gather His elect from the
four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other. The Son
of God says, wait. Don't hurt the earth, don't hurt
the sea, don't hurt the trees. And if you'll notice the language
back over here in Revelation chapter 7, until we have sealed. Until we have sealed. Salvation
of God who is Trinity. Father, Son, and Spirit. So what
we have here in Revelation chapter 7 is the final numbering of God's
people. Not to be taken mathematically,
but figuratively. It reminds me of the numbering
of the children of Israel, and we don't have the time to look
at it, but if you want to read this, you jot down Exodus chapter
30 verses 12 through 15. Exodus 30, 12 through 15. All of those were numbered. They
had to pay a ransom price for them. And if you read down to
Exodus chapter 30 and verse 15, they all had to have There had
to be for each of them an atonement money. Otherwise, you're not
numbered among national Israel. And all of those who are numbered
here that John sees, excuse me, that John hears them, he doesn't
see them yet. It's a slip of the lips there. Because it says in Revelation
7 verse 4, and this is what I heard, John said, I heard the number
of them were sealed. He's hearing this. He's hearing
this. These are the true people of
God. Those who are the true people
of God have been redeemed. Only those who are redeemed are
God's people. Remember that only the redeemed
ones, only the ones for whom a ransom has been paid, they
only are among the number of God's elect among Israel. Now watch the listing of these
various tribes, and this will show you that this is not literal
Israel. The Bible is not about the deliverance
of literal Israel. It's about the deliverance of
spiritual Israel. As you look through this list
of people, and I'll give them to you in just a minute, remember
this, the family of Jacob occupies a very unique position in God's
Word. And the literal family of this
great man presents a marvelous picture of the family of God. Each of Jacob's sons received
a name of great meaning. And as such, they picture some
characteristics of the people of God. You notice the last expression,
the last few words, and I've pointed this out to you already,
that he says, of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Israel
was the name that God gave to Jacob, which means you're a prince
with God. And that name we know has been
passed on to the family and to the nation of which Jacob was
the father. So that the entire nation was
called Israel. Israel. So this is the entire
nation of God's elect called Israel. Another verse you can
look up at your leisure is Romans chapter 9 and verse 6 where we
read They're not all Israel, which are Israel. Pretty clear. They're not all Israel, which
are Israel. And as we look at these names,
it's obvious this is not literal Israel. Because the names are
out of order. They're out of order. And two
literal tribes are left out altogether. Dan and Ephraim. Here they are. Look at verse
5. And of the tribe of Judah were
sealed 12,000. Judah was not the firstborn son
of Jacob. Reuben was. If you remember from
your history of Israel, Reuben was. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah
was fourthborn. He's the fourth son born to Leah. Wasn't even born to Rachel. Born
to Leah, Rachel's sister. But here Judah is mentioned first
for good reason. He represents the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's a picture atop of our Savior. Judah is the one to whom the
people will be drawn, the scripture says. Judah's name means praise
the Lord. I will praise the Lord. That's
what Leah said. Now I will praise the Lord. Because of this Son. This sets
forth our Lord who is worthy to be praised. He's the first
choice of God. The Son of God is God's elect
first and all of us were chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
you know, An entire nation took the name of this man. The nation
of Judah. And we take our Savior's name.
His name is our name. What is His name? The Lord our
righteousness. You know what our name is? Same
thing. The Lord our righteousness. He's
Judah. We're Judah. We're the Prince
of God. And then the second one is Reuben.
Reuben, it says, of the tribe of Reuben were sailed 12,000.
Reuben was the firstborn son of Leah. Behold a son, is what
Leah said. Behold a son. This appropriately
follows Judah, for we're the sons of God. Now are we the sons of God. It
doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He
shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as
He is. The next one is Gad. Gad is the
seventh son. Watch this. Let me read it to
you. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed 12,000. Gad was the seventh
son of Jacob by Zilpah. That's Leah's maid. His name means a great company
or a troop. And I think about that passage
of Scripture in Hebrews chapter 2 where it's written of our Savior
that He's bringing many sons unto glory. He's bringing a whole
troop to glory. The next one is Asher. Of the
tribe of Asher were sealed 12,000. Asher was the eighth son of Jacob,
the seventh son of Zilpah. His name means blessed or happy. Oh, how blessed are the elect
of God. I tell you, if you're to be found here, if your name
is in this, if you're in the register of God, if your name
is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, if you're among
the 144,000, the elect of God, oh, how blessed you are! Blessed is the man, David says
in Psalm 65 and verse 4, blessed is the man whom thou choosest,
and you cause to approach unto him. Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord imputed, if not iniquity. We're blessed of the Lord. And
then the fifth one, as we keep on reading, of the tribe of Nephilim
were sealed 12,000. Naphtali, the second son of Bilhah,
Rachel's maid. Notice Dan. Dan was first, but
his name is left out. He was the firstborn son of Bilhah,
but his name is left out. Naphtali means wrestling or one
who has gotten the victory. One who has gotten the victory.
What is the theme of the whole book of the Revelation? Is this
the victory of the Lamb and His followers over the dragon and
his foes? We're more than conquerors through
him that loved us. And then Manassas. That's one
of the sons of Jacob born to him. One of the sons of Joseph,
excuse me. Manassas is one of the sons of
Joseph born to him in captivity. And his name means forgetting.
For God said he hath made me forget my toil and all my father's
house. And I'll tell you what this reminds
me of. All of the sins of all of the family of God have been
forgotten. The Lord says our sins and our
iniquities will I remember no more. And then there's Simeon,
Jacob's second son by Leah. You know his name means hearing. She said the Lord had heard.
It reminds me that all of God's people must hear the Gospel.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Our Lord
Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they
follow me. Everybody who is of the household
of faith, everybody who is among these 144,000, everybody who
is the true Israel of God must be confronted with the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. They must hear how God can be
holy and just and righteous and save folks like us. through the
blood of the Lord Jesus. You've got to hear. Then there's Levi, the third
son of Leah. Levi, his name means joined. I think about this, we're joined
to Christ Jesus in everlasting union and we're joined to one
another being the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then Issachar,
The ninth son of Jacob born to Leah. She said, God hath given
me my hire or my price. That reminds us we're bought
with a price. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then Zabulon. That's the
tenth son of Jacob born to Leah. His name means dwelling. We shall
dwell with Christ Jesus. I began this service by reading
there in Revelation chapter 21. Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell with them. And then there's Joseph. Joseph, Rachel's firstborn son,
but Jacob's eleventh son. Joseph's name means added. I
think of the passage in Acts chapter 2 where it says, And
the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. And then there's Benjamin, Rachel's
second son. He's the youngest. Benjamin was
the youngest, Jacob's twelfth son. Rachel wanted to name him
Benoni, meaning the son of my sorrow. But Jacob overruled her
and called him Benjamin. He's the son of my right hand.
Benoni sets forth the labor of his mother, the travail that
she experienced in giving birth to Him. And indeed, we are the
redeemed of the Lord because of the travail of our Savior
and His sufferings in death. But we're the sons of His right
hand. In Matthew chapter 25, when the
great shepherd gathers all nations to Him and He separates them
as a shepherd divides the sheep and the goats, it says that The
sheep will be on the right hand, the goats on the left hand. The
favored position. That's the elect of God. We have
a favored position. And so here they are, and John
just hears about them. He just hears about them. But
then we get to verse 9, and he sees them. He sees them. Verse 9, After this I beheld,
and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes. What's that?
It's the righteousness of the Son of God. They got what they
got in their hands? They got palms. What's that for? Celebration. Celebration. This is a group, they're robed
in white robes, all of them alike, all of them alike, and they're
all celebrating, they're all rejoicing. Listen, this salvation
is something to celebrate. It's something to be joyful about.
And this is what they're crying with a loud voice in verse 10.
Salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto
the land. This is what they're crying.
Here's the multitude, here's the redeemed and they're crying.
What are they crying? John sees them all. He had heard
about them. Now he sees them all and he said,
there's so many I can't count them all. And he says they're
all singing. I said, they're singing. We're
singing because we're in this. We're in this! And what are we
going to be singing? We're not going to be singing,
I did this and I did that. We're not going to be singing,
oh how I love Jesus. We're not going to be singing
that. We'll be singing, salvation to our God, which sitteth on
the throne and under the Lamb. We're going to give all praise
to God. And then John saw angels and
all the angels stood around about the throne and about the elders
and the four beasts, fell down before the throne of God on their
faces and they worshiped God. And then they've got something
to say. And as they say this, they begin with Amen and they
end with Amen. They say, Amen, blessing and
glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be unto our God. Forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered
saying to me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes?
Where did they come from? And he said, now you know. He
said, sir, thou knowest. He said unto me, these are they
which came out of great tribulation. All of God's people come out
of great trials. You say, I'm having a time of
trial in my life. Well, join the rest of the bunch
of God's people. All of God's people have difficulties. There's never been any of the
people of God who've gone to glory without having difficulties
and troubles and trials. He says, who are these? What
are these arrayed in white robes? Where did they come from? He
said, these are they which came out of great tribulation. They've
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, therefore are they
before the throne of God. Why are people before the throne
of God robed in white? They're there because they've
been washed in the blood. That's the only reason anybody
is there. If you don't get anything else
out of this message, I hope you get that. Therefore are they
there before the throne of God. They serve Him day and night
in His temple. He that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. He shall dwell with them. He
will abide with them. They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sunlight on them nor any
heat. Why not? For the Lamb which is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them
unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. It's 144,000. This is just the
Israel of God. Now here's what I want to ask
you. Are you among the people of God? Are you going to be in
this group? Only those who are robed in white
will be there. Only those who are washed in
the blood of the Lord. And I'll tell you what, all of
these who are numbered are redeemed. A ransom price has been paid
for them. What is the price of redemption?
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let's sing a closing song
for the day. Let's sing my sins are blotted
out.