The 144,000 – Parts 1-3
Begin
Text:
I am
always torn in these presentations between
telling you what the Bible says and showing you
how the Bible produces the conclusions that I
share. Some people might prefer that I just tell
them what the Bible says…. And this is the
difference between preaching and teaching.
Preaching is a form of persuasion, leading people
to believe…. But teaching is a form of
education…. Showing people the way to
understanding. Of course, both styles of work
have their place in God’s work.
This series on Revelation is
an attempt to show you how the Bible produces the
results that I share. Once you understand how the
rules work, you can determine for yourself what
the Bible says. And, once you understand, you are
enabled to share the good news of Christ’s
imminent return with others!
Let’s begin with
Revelation 7:1.
Revelation 7:1 After
this (that is, after watching the sixth seal take
place) I saw four angels standing at the four
corners of the earth, holding back the four winds
of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on
the land or on the sea or on any tree.
Revelation 7:2 Then
I saw another angel coming up from the east,
having the seal of the living God. He called out
in a loud voice to the four angels who had been
given power to harm the land and the sea:
Revelation 7:3 “Do
not harm the land or the sea or the trees until
we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of
our God.”
Revelation 7:4 Then
I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000
from all the tribes of Israel.
Three Important Matters:
A. Text alignment
B. The timing of Revelation
7
C. The purposes for this
passage
Text Alignment
Here’s a statement that
puts any discussion on Apocalyptic Prophecy in a
framework for truth as opposed to opinion: Until
one understands the architecture of apocalyptic
prophecy and uses valid rules of interpretation,
one cannot correctly reach nor understand the
intended meaning of Daniel and Revelation. I have
received hundreds of emails from people telling
me that my views on Daniel and Revelation are in
error. My response is simple. “Yes,” I
could be in error, so send me your rules of
interpretation, not your opinions, so I can see
where my error is.”
The architecture of
apocalyptic prophecy is the big secret that God
sealed up in the book of Daniel until the time of
the end! Notice how clever God is.
The books of Daniel and
Revelation were written thousands of years ago.
Mankind has been able to read and understand
these books with a limited amount of
understanding for centuries! Yet, we know the
book of Daniel was sealed up! How could Daniel be
“sealed up” if we can read and
understand the words?
Even more, how can Daniel be
unsealed at “the time of the end” and
the words in the book of Daniel remain unchanged?
What was sealed up? God hid the four rules of
apocalyptic prophecy in the book of Daniel until
the time of the end.
Notice how this works:
The book of Daniel contains five
apocalyptic prophecies. Four of these prophecies
span a period of time greater than 2,000 years!
Near “the end of time” and only at
the end of time is there sufficient
fulfillment of these four prophecies for us to
determine the architecture of apocalyptic
prophecy.
Today, the architecture of
apocalyptic prophecy can be examined and certain
consistent behaviors (which are called rules) are
now visible. I have stated these consistent
behaviors in my words. You can state them however
you want as long as your declaration is
unambiguous. Rule one says: “Each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning point and an
ending point in time and the events within the
prophecy occur in the order given.”
Prophetic Order
Start
Time-
Stop
-----------------------------------
1
2
3 4
(Numbered elements like seven bowls)
or
a
b
c
d
(Unnumbered elements like Revelation 7)
1. Who has the
authority to declare prophetic order and the
intended prophetic meaning of prophecy if God did
not impose order on the prophecies?
2. If there is
no chronological order in apocalyptic prophecy,
then prophecy is reduced to hundreds of bits and
places that expositors manipulate according to
bias and cherished ideas. In other words, there
can be no absolute meaning when there chronology
is subject to whim.
Let me be perfectly clear: There
is no such thing as multiple meanings or multiple
fulfillments of apocalyptic prophecy. How
many times can the breaking of the sixth seal
occur (which is the Second Coming)? How many
times can the 144,000 be sealed? How many times
can the fifth trumpet occur? (Remember, the fifth
trumpet has to occur after the fourth trumpet and
the fifth trumpet lasts for five months.)
Well-intentioned people
diminish the power, simplicity and clarity of
apocalyptic prophecy when they don’t
understand its architecture!
When people use invalid
rules or external authority (church
traditionalists interpret Bible prophecy, that
interpretation is a private interpretation.
The phrase ‘private interpretation” is
used because the interpretation is based on
concepts that are not subject to open
investigation and unbiased approval. Private
interpretation make prophecy wishy-washy…
feeble…. changeable and subject to
distortion and foolishness.
KJV 2 Peter 1:19
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto
ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and
the day star arise in your hearts:
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is
of private interpretation.
2 peter 1:21 For
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man: but holy men of God spake they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.”
When the textual alignment
of Daniel and Revelation is correctly assembled
according to valid rules of interpretation, the
intended meaning appears. We discover prophetic
truth and this is how apocalyptic prophecy
becomes the “more sure word of prophecy.”
Prophetic mystery is
behind us. I believe the book of Daniel has been
unsealed and truth has blossomed. The more sure
word of prophecy has become our possession
because we are the last generation and God wants
us to know His plans. Let’s go back to the
topic of text alignment according to Rule 1. Look
at these verses with chronological order in mind:
Revelation 6:16 They
called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall
on us and hide us from the face of him who sits
on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
Revelation 6:17 For
the great day of their wrath had come, and who
can stand?”
Revelation 7:1 After
this (that is, after watching the sixth seal take
place) I saw four angles standing at the four
corners of the earth, holding back the four winds
of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on
the land or on the sea or on any tree.
Revelation 7:2 Then
I saw another angel coming up from the east,
having the seal of the living God. He called out
in a loud voice to the four angels who had been
given power to harm the land and the sea:
Revelation 7:3 “Do
not harm the land or the sea or the trees until
we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of
our God.”
Revelation 7:4 Then
I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000
from all the tribes of Israel.
Do you suppose the 144,000
are sealed before the Second Coming? Of course!
The sealing of the 144,000 and the destruction
that waits their sealing occurs before the Second
Coming. The point here is that when chronological
order is broken, a new prophecy begins. Since,
Revelation 7:1 does not chronologically follow
Revelation 6:17, Revelation 7:1 is the first
verse of a new prophecy.
Demonstrate textual
alignment. (Scissors and Bible verses / cut and
tape)
For fun, make some copies of
Daniel and Revelation and see if you can parse
all the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation
according to Rule 1. See if you can actually find
the start and stop points of each apocalyptic
prophecy.
When you can accurately do
this, you will be able to demonstrate textual
alignment and the chronological order will
produce a matrix showing incredible harmony!
The timing of
Revelation 7
Here’s a very provoking
question: “What is the date (or timing) when
the four angels in Revelation 7 are told to wait?”
Look at these two verses:
Revelation 7:2 Then
I saw another angel coming up from the east,
having the seal of the living God. He called out
in a loud voice to the four angels who had been
given power to harm the land and the sea:
Revelation 7:3 “Do
not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we
put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of
our God.”
Again, what is the date of
this event? This is an important question because
it is the beginning point in time for the
prophecy (7:1-8:1). I believe the Bible indicates
that the date for Revelation 7:1 is 1994. Let’s
look at three important indicators:
1. The Bible, in
its entirety, speaks of approximately 7,000
years.
When I add up the
genealogical records of the Old Testament (From
Adam and Eve to the Flood (1,646 inclusive years)
and then to the Exodus (931 inclusive years)….
When I add up the years
since the Exodus from Egypt in 1437 B.C. (3,443
inclusive years),
When I add up the 18
prophetic time-periods found in Daniel and
Revelation (including the 1,000 years of
Revelation 20),
I find a total of 7,020
years thus far. I assume that Adam and Eve lived
in the Garden of Eden for 30 or 40 years before
sinning. If this is the case, the Bible only
speaks of 7,000 years for the duration of sin.
Since the saints will spend
the last 1,000 years with the Lord, this puts the
Second Coming at the end of the 6,000th
year of sin. If my calculations are
correct, we have a maximum of ten years to go
until the 6,000th year for sin is
reached. If my calculations are true, this would
put 1994 near the time of the Second Coming which
occurs at the close of the 6,000th
year. Why is 1994 important?
2. The second
indicator pointing to 1994 as the date when the
angels were given the seven trumpets and told to
wait until the 144,000 are sealed is the
termination of the Jubilee Calendar.
If you closely followed my
presentation on the Jubilee Calendar in our study
on Daniel (March, April, May, June, 2004), you
should remember three things:
a. God’s
patience with the nation of Israel – as
trustees of His gospel – lasted exactly 30
Jubilee cycles. (From the Exodus in 1437 B.C. to
the close of the 70th week in A.D. 33,
equals 1,470 years.)
b. God’s
patience with the Gentiles as trustees of His
gospel (the times of the Gentiles) amounted to 40
Jubilee cycles (1,960 years.)
Thus, God’s patience
with Jews and Gentiles as trustees of His gospel
amounts to 70 Jubilee cycles. Seven “Great
Days” of 70 weeks each ended in 1994. Does
the fullness of 70 indicate anything important?
c. Yes, I think
so. Do you remember why the exile to Babylon
lasted 70 years? When Israel violated 70 Sabbath
years, God sent Israel into captivity for 70
years to atone for their sin. Do you
remember how the nation of Israel was given a
second chance that lasted 70 weeks? Do you
remember that 7,000 years is 70 centuries? I
believe the Bible indicates the number 70
reflects the limits of God’s forbearance.
The number 70 is 7 x 10. When these two numbers
are brought together, we find God’s limits.
For example, we find the beast in Revelation with
7 heads and 10 horns. This beast represents the
limits of rebellion against God. We also find the
Day of Atonement to be on the 10th day
of the 7th month. This represents the
limit of forbearance.
3. The third
indicator in the Bible that makes 1994 important
is the necessity of terminating the Jubilee
Calendar and its day/year translation of time
according to the weekly template. In other
words, the Jubilee Calendar did not end at the
Cross as many pastors claim. If the Jubilee
Calendar had ended at the cross, the prophecy of
Daniel 9 would have amounted to 69 ½ weeks
instead of a full 70 weeks. Furthermore, the
2,300 day prophecy of Daniel 8 continues from 457
B.C. (the beginning of the 70 weeks) without
interruption until 1844! But, we can’t close
the Jubilee Calendar with 1844 because “The
Great Day of Sabbath” doesn’t end until
1994.
Therefore, I conclude that
at the end of the 70 cycles of the Jubilee
Calendar, the limits of divine forbearance with
mankind, God’s patience ended in April 1994.
The termination of the Jubilee Calendar in 1994
means that all prophetic time-periods in Daniel
and Revelation that occur after 1994 must be
measured in literal time…. That is, there is
no day/year translation anymore.
When Rule 4 is applied (Rule
4 concerns the absence or presence of the Jubilee
Calendar) all of the elements in apocalyptic
prophecy perfectly align and the result if total
harmony from the sum of all the parts!
So, it appears to me that
1994, the seven angels were given the seven
trumpets and as the first four angels went of
Heaven’s temple to inflict harm on an
unsuspecting earth, the seas and the trees, they
were told to wait until the 144,000 were
sealed.
You may disagree with me on
the timing of 1994 for Revelation 7, but Rule 1
demands that you provide an answer – a
beginning point in time: When did the four angels
begin holding back the four winds?
If 1994 is the correct
answer, a couple of interesting questions
surface:
Question #1: Why do we even
need to know about this delay? What is God’s
purpose in telling us about this delay?
Question #2: Will the
sealing of the 144,000 be determined by character
or by timing? In other words, is Jesus waiting
for 144,000 people to become totally sanctified
and “pure in heart” before He will seal
them or is Jesus waiting for the appointed time
to arrive to select 144,000 people and seal them?
Question #1 Examined
The delay in Revelation 7 is
foretold because the final generation needs to
know that God’s wrath is long overdue before
it is released. Later on, this delay in God’s
wrath will help us understand the special service
tat take place at the Altar of Incense recorded
in Revelation 8:3-5. In essence, God’s
patience with sin and sinners expired in 1994.
Earth’s cup of iniquity reached full that
year, and His seven angels were empowered to hurt
the Earth. As they prepared to hurt the land, sea
and the trees (the first items to be hurt), they
were told to wait until Jesus seals the 144,000.
The phrase, “Holding back the four winds of
Earth” is a powerful word-picture of DELAYED
global destruction and upheaval.
Remember the powerful winds
of hurricane Katrina and Rita along the Gulf
coast in August and September 2005? The release
of the four winds in Revelation 7 (simultaneously
blowing from the north, east, west and south) implies
deadly and unforeseen forces that will
chaotically scatter and sweep away everything
built by man. At this very moment, these four
angels are waiting to act…. Held back by
divine decree…. Soon to impose destruction
which is long overdue. If only our world could
“Wake Up!”
Again, the point here is
that God wants the last generation to know that
His wrath is overdue before it is released
because this knowledge should motivate those who
are preparing for the return of Jesus “to
make spiritual preparation.” Jesus wants us
to know that He has put global destruction on
hold until the time comes for His 144,000
servants to be sealed.
Years ago, I heard
evangelist Billy Graham make a comment that went
something like this, “If God doesn’t do
something soon about the decadence and degenerate
behavior of the United States, He will owe Sodom
and Gomorrah an apology.” Dr. Graham was
right. The only reason that Jesus has not done
something about Earth’s degeneracy at this
time is timing. Jesus imposed a short delay
in Revelation 7:3 and the inhabitant of Earth
have been living on borrowed time since 1994. It’s
time to “Wake Up!”
Question #2 Examined
Will the sealing of the
144,000 be determined by character or by timing?
In other words, has Jesus been waiting for
144,000 people to become sinless so that they can
be sealed, or is Jesus waiting for the appointed
time to arrive to select and seal 144,000 people?
The correct answer is that Jesus has been waiting
for the appointed hour.
Jesus has been waiting for
the appointed time to arrive before selecting and
sealing 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes.
How does the Bible indicate the delay is due to
timing? Look at this verse:
Revelation 9:15 And
the four angels who had been kept ready for this
very hour and day and month and year were
released to kill a third of mankind.
Contrary to what some
denominations teach, Jesus is not waiting for
144,000 people to become sinless so that they can
be sealed. If Jesus was waiting for the 144,000
people to become sinless, one could argue the
Great Tribulation will never start because a
sinner cannot become sinless. Yes, a sinner may
go for a period of time without deliberately or
accidentally sinning, but this doesn’t make
him sinless! Once a sinner, forever a sinner!
This is precisely why Adam and Eve had to be cast
out of the Garden of Eden.
Because we have carnal
natures, we are sinful from within. We can’t
remove our carnal natures. At best, we can subdue
our carnal natures through the indwelling power
of the Holy Spirit (Romans 7-8), and millions of
people experienced victory over besetting sins
for centuries. Fact is, Jesus could have sealed
1444,000 people centuries ago if He wanted,
because at any given time there are enough people
on earth who love the Lord with all their hearts,
mind and soul, to accomplish all the Lord wants
to do.
Remember how Elijah thought
that he alone had been faithful to the Lord
during Israel’s apostasy and the Lord
informed the beleaguered prophet that He had
seven thousand (70 x 100) in Israel that had not
worshiped Baal? (1 Kings 19:18)
When the sealing of the
144,000 occurs, the Bible indicates that each
tribe of Israel is larger than 12,000 people.
In other words when the time comes for the
sealing, Jesus will have more than 12,000 people
in each tribe to choose from! Jesus only takes
12,000 from each tribe. Look at this verse:
Revelation 7:6 from
the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of
Naphtali 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh
12,000,
The size of each tribe
affirms that Jesus is not waiting on 144,000
people to become sinless. At the appointed time,
He will choose the best from each tribe (as first
fruits) to be His servants and they will answer
His call and endure the trials and tribulations
of being His prophets. Bottom line: Jesus is
waiting for the appointed time of the end to
arrive (Daniel 8:19), the time set by the Father.
(Acts 1:7)
When we get close to the day
that is 1,335 days from the end of the sixth
millennium of sin, the 144,000 will be selected
and sealed and the delay imposed in Revelation
7:3 will end right on time.
The judgments of God will
begin on time. Jesus is waiting in His “Grandfather’s”
clock to chime and when it does, He will declare
the delay to be over (Revelation 10:6) and the
four winds of His wrath will be released.
Revelation 10:5 Then the
angel [Michael] I had seen standing on the sea
and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.
Revelation 10:6 And
he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who
created the heavens and all that is in them, the
earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all
that is in it, and said, “There will be
no more delay!”
Revelation 10:7 but
in the days when the seventh angel is about to
sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be
accomplished, just as he announced to his [144,000]
servants the prophets.”
Before we leave Question #2
which questioned whether the delay in Revelation
7 was based on character or timing, please
consider the following points:
According to Rule One, each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning point and an
ending point in time and the sealing of the
144,000 in Revelation 7:1-8:1 is no exception.
For centuries, Bible students have asked, when
does Revelation 7:1-4 occur? Please examine these
two texts and notice that in each case, four
angels are involved:
Revelation 7:1 “After
this I saw four angels standing at the four
corners of the Earth, holding back the four winds
of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on
the land or on the sea or on any tree.”
Revelation 9:14,15
“It (the voice from the Altar of Incense) said
to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release
the four angels who are bound at the great river
Euphrates.’ And the four angels who had been
kept ready for this very hour and day and month
and year were released to kill a third of mankind.”
These two texts identify two
groups of four angels. The first text (Revelation
7) describes four angles sent from God’s
throne to harm Earth. The second text (Revelation
9) describes four angels (actually four fallen
angels, e.g., demons) who will be let out of the
abyss during the fifth trumpet.
During the sixth trumpet,
four demons in the second text will be released
at a specific hour to kill a third of mankind. Since
the four demons in Revelation 9 are held back
until the very hour, day, month and year arrives,
do you think it is possible that the four angels
in Revelation 7 are waiting for the exact hour,
day, month and year to do their work? Yes! With
God, timing is everything.
Also, consider this: God’s
four angels and Lucifer’s four angels will
be allowed to kill the same number of people
during the Great Tribulation!
Look at the math:
Twenty-five percent of Earth’s population
will die when the fourth seal is broken. In round
numbers, Earth’s population is about seven
billion people at this present time. Twenty-five
percent of Earth’s population would be
1.75 billion people. So, Earth’s
population will be reduced to 5.25 billion people
by the destruction of the first four trumpets.
When the sixth trumpet
sounds (1,040 days later), one- third of mankind
will be killed by Lucifer’s four angels. One
third of 5.25 billion people is another 1.75
billion people! The net result is that
both groups of angels will kill the same number
of people. The population will be reduced by
50%--- not including death from natural causes.
Do you think this 1.75/1.75
balance is a mere coincidence? No, God has
deliberately and purposefully determined the
properties of the Great Tribulation. God had
predetermined that the battle for the hearts and
souls of mankind will be a “fair fight.”
If the devil was given complete control of Earth,
he would destroy the whole world in a single day.
Therefore, the devil will be restrained at each
step of the way because God insists that the
survivors must remain free to exercise their
power of choice.
The Great Tribulation will
be a powerful vortex that will force the living
into choosing whom they will honor and obey. This
is how worship will ultimately surface as the
all-important issue during the Great Tribulation.
When the people of Earth
behold the overwhelming death and destruction
caused by God’s wrath, the topic of
appeasement and worship will become highly
important because worship will be viewed as the
prerequisite means to appeasing God so that His
anger will cease. Desperate circumstances will
force the survivors into making some tough
decisions.
Whom will they obey? The
consequences, regardless of choice, will be most
difficult. The vortex explains why the Great
Tribulation is called, “a time of wrath.”
(Daniel 8:19; 11:36; Revelation 15:1)
It is interesting to
discover that during the Great Tribulation,
Whatever Jesus is allowed to do, the devil will
be allowed to do. Jesus will have 144,000
servants speaking for Him and the devil will have
thousands of religious and political authorities
speaking for him. Evil cannot conquer good,
nor can good destroy evil until Jesus arrives.
Jesus wants the people of
earth to make an informed and intelligent
decision as to whom they will obey. (Matthew
24:14) This is why He seals 144,000 prophets
before the Great Tribulation begins. The world
must hear the testimony of Jesus through the
mouths of His servants the prophets. Then, the
end will come.
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