Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG021627A
|
00:00 (MUSIC)
00:15 >>OUR MESSAGE TODAY IS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE 144,000 - 00:21 SHEPHERDS THAT FOLLOW A LAMB . 00:23 NOW, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PRESENTATIONS ON 00:28 THIS SUBJECT AND THE NUMBER - KIND OF LIKE THERE'S CERTAIN 00:31 NUMBERS, LIKE 666 - YOU GO INTO PUBLIC PLACES, YOU TALK ABOUT 00:34 666, AND PEOPLE GO 'OOH' AND 'AHH' - THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT 00:36 MEANS BUT THEY KNOW IT'S A UNIQUE NUMBER. 00:39 AND THAT'S ALSO THE CASE WITH THAT NUMBER - THE 144,000 00:42 APPEARS IN THE SAME BOOK - IN REVELATION. 00:45 THIS GROUP IS SPOKEN OF A COUPLE OF TIMES. 00:48 IN OUR SCRIPTURE READING THIS MORNING WE BEGAN BY READING ONE 00:51 OF THOSE PASSAGES IN REVELATION 7. NOW, I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS 00:56 LOOKING AT HISTORY ABOUT ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 01:00 ONE REASON HE WAS ABLE TO CONQUER SO MUCH OF THE WORLD 01:06 BACK THEN, FROM GREECE AND THE BALKAN MOUNTAINS ALL THE WAY TO 01:09 THE HIMALAYAS, HE MARCHED HIS SOLDIERS - SOMEONE TOLD ME ONCE, 01:13 IF YOU ADD IT ALL UP IT WAS LIKE 21,000 MILES IN TEN OR ELEVEN 01:18 YEARS AND - BUT THEY WERE WILLING TO FOLLOW HIM ANYWHERE 01:22 BECAUSE HE WOULD GO INTO BATTLE WITH THEM AND WAS WILLING TO LAY 01:27 DOWN HIS LIFE IN THE BATTLE, SO THEY LOVED HIM. 01:31 SO THERE WAS GREAT DEDICATION THERE. 01:33 THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF A GREAT DEDICATED FORCE IN THE LAST DAYS 01:38 AND THEY'RE KNOWN AS THE 144,000. 01:40 SO LET'S TURN BACK TO THAT VERSE AGAIN IN REVELATION 7. 01:44 WE'RE GOING TO FIRST FIND OUT ABOUT THESE FOUR ANGELS THAT ARE 01:46 DOING SOMETHING JUST BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD COMES. 01:50 IF YOU TAKE YOUR BIBLE - TWO PRINCIPAL PASSAGES WE'RE GOING 01:52 TO LOOK - WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IS REVELATION 7 AND THEN 01:55 REVELATION 14. THAT'S EASY - TWO TIMES 01:57 SEVEN IS FOURTEEN. SO YOU REMEMBER: REVELATION 7 - 02:00 144,000; REVELATION 14 - 144,000. 02:05 AND HE SAYS, "AFTER THESE THINGS" - HE'S TALKING ABOUT 02:08 THESE PLAGUES AND THE THINGS HE SEES IN REVELATION CHAPTER 6 - 02:12 "I SAW FOUR ANGELS STANDING AT THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH, 02:17 HOLDING THE FOUR WINDS OF THE EARTH," - FOUR, FOUR, FOUR - 02:20 FOUR ANGELS, FOUR CORNERS, HOLDING THE FOUR WINDS. 02:24 NOW THE REASON IT TALKS ABOUT FOUR CORNERS IS THEY'RE THINKING 02:27 ABOUT THE DIRECTIONS OF THE COMPASS. 02:29 THEY, LIKE WE, DIVIDED IT INTO NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST, 02:34 AND THEY'RE HOLDING THESE WINDS - WINDS OFTEN STIR UP STORMS - 02:40 TROUBLE - STRIFE - "THAT THE WIND SHOULD NOT BLOW ON THE 02:44 EARTH, ON THE SEA, OR ON ANY TREE." 02:48 - YOU KNOW, IN REVELATION IT TALKS ABOUT THE TREES, THE 02:50 EARTH, AND THE SEA AND IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE NATIONS AND 02:52 THE PEOPLE AND THE AREAS OF THE WORLD. 02:57 AND THEN I SAW ANOTHER ANGEL ASCEND FROM THE EAST, COMING AS 03:01 THE SON OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ARISES. IT TALKS ABOUT A LITTLE CLOUD 03:04 THAT WILL COME FROM THE EAST - "HAVING THE SEAL 03:09 OF THE LIVING GOD. AND HE CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD 03:12 VOICE TO THE FOUR ANGELS" - DON'T MISS THAT WORD 'LOUD 03:16 VOICE' - THAT PHRASE - "TO WHOM IT WAS GRANTED TO HARM THE 03:20 EARTH" - ALRIGHT YOU TELL WHAT THE WINDS ARE GOING TO DO NOW? 03:23 THE WINDS ARE GOING TO HARM - GREAT TIME OF TROUBLE - THIS 03:30 MESSENGER WITH THE LOUD VOICE SAYS, TO THE ANGELS THAT ARE 03:32 GOING - THEY'RE HOLDING BACK THESE WINDS OF STRIFE - "DO NOT 03:36 HARM THE EARTH, THE SEA, OR THE TREES TILL WE HAVE SEALED THE 03:40 SERVANTS OF OUR GOD ON THEIR FOREHEADS." 03:45 - AND THE ANGELS SPEAK OF GOD AS THEIR GOD AND IN THE FOREHEAD - 03:49 "AND I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WERE SEALED. 03:52 ALRIGHT, LET'S READ THIS AND WE'RE GOING TO - 03:54 THEN WE'LL GO BACK AND REVIEW IT - "ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR 03:56 THOUSAND OF ALL THE TRIBES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL 04:00 WERE SEALED:" - VERSE 5 - REVELATION 7 SAYS: 04:03 "OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH TWELVE THOUSAND WERE SEALED; OF 04:06 THE TRIBE OF REUBEN TWELVE THOUSAND WERE SEALED; OF THE 04:09 TRIBE OF GAD TWELVE THOUSAND WERE SEALED; OF THE TRIBE OF 04:12 ASHER TWELVE THOUSAND WERE SEALED; OF THE TRIBE OF NAPHTALI 04:16 TWELVE THOUSAND WERE SEALED;" - SOUNDS LIKE THE BOOK OF 04:19 CHRONICLES NOW, DOESN'T IT? YOU EVER READ THE CHRONICLES? 04:21 IT USES THE NUMBER EVERY TIME - "OF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH TWELVE 04:25 THOUSAND WERE SEALED; OF THE TRIBE OF SIMEON TWELVE THOUSAND 04:28 WERE SEALED; OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI TWELVE THOUSAND WERE 04:32 SEALED;" - AND THEN IT GOES ON - ISSACHAR, ZEBULUN, JOSEPH, AND 04:37 BENJAMIN - TWELVE THOUSAND FROM THESE TWELVE TRIBES - "AFTER 04:42 THESE THINGS I LOOKED, AND BEHOLD, A GREAT MULTITUDE WHICH 04:44 NO ONE COULD NUMBER, OF ALL NATIONS, TRIBES, PEOPLES, AND 04:47 TONGUES, STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE AND BEFORE THE LAMB, 04:50 CLOTHED WITH WHITE ROBES, WITH PALM BRANCHES IN THEIR HANDS, 04:54 AND CRYING OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE, SAYING, 'SALVATION 04:57 BELONGS TO OUR GOD WHO SITS ON THE THRONE, AND TO THE LAMB!' 05:01 ALL THE ANGELS STOOD AROUND THE THRONE AND THE ELDERS AND THE 05:04 FOUR LIVING CREATURES, AND FELL ON THEIR FACES BEFORE THE THRONE 05:07 AND WORSHIPED GOD, SAYING: 'AMEN! 05:10 BLESSING AND GLORY AND WISDOM, THANKSGIVING AND HONOR AND POWER 05:14 AND MIGHT, BE TO OUR GOD FOREVER AND EVER. 05:17 AMEN.' THEN ONE OF THE ELDERS ANSWERED, SAYING TO ME, 'WHO ARE 05:22 THESE ARRAYED IN WHITE ROBES, AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?' 05:26 AND I SAID TO HIM, 'SIR, YOU KNOW.'" - YOU LIVE HERE - "SO HE 05:30 SAID TO ME, 'THESE ARE THE ONES WHO COME OUT OF [THE] GREAT 05:33 TRIBULATION, AND WASHED THEIR ROBES AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE 05:37 BLOOD OF THE LAMB.'" - NOW, ACTUALLY, I LEFT A WORD OUT. 05:40 I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SPOTTED IT. IT SAYS, 'THESE ARE THE ONES 05:43 WHO CAME OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION. 05:45 IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'GREAT TRIBULATION' AND 'THE 05:47 GREAT TRIBULATION'? >>YES. 05:49 >>IF I SAY, 'HAND ME A PENCIL.' THAT WOULD BE ANY PENCIL IN THE 05:52 ROOM. IF I SAY, 'HAND ME THE PENCIL.' 05:54 THAT MEANS THERE IS A DEFINITIVE PENCIL. 05:57 SO THERE IS A GREAT TRIBULATION AT THE END OF TIME - IT'S 06:00 SPEAKING OF THIS GREAT MULTITUDE HAS COME OUT OF THAT. 06:05 "THEREFORE THEY ARE BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD, AND SERVE HIM DAY 06:08 AND NIGHT IN HIS TEMPLE. AND HE WHO SITS ON THE THRONE 06:10 WILL DWELL AMONG THEM. THEY SHALL NEITHER HUNGER 06:13 ANYMORE NOR THIRST ANYMORE; THE SUN SHALL NOT STRIKE THEM, NOR 06:17 ANY HEAT; FOR THE LAMB WHO IS IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE WILL 06:21 SHEPHERD THEM" - THAT'S WHERE I GET THE TITLE. DOESN'T THAT 06:25 SOUND LIKE A PARADOX? A LAMB WILL SHEPHERD THEM? 06:31 SHEPHERDS USUALLY TAKE CARE OF LAMBS. 06:33 LAMBS DON'T USUALLY SHEPHERD LAMBS. 06:36 BUT JESUS IS, OF COURSE, THE LAMB - THE LAMB WHO IS IN THE 06:40 MIDST OF THE THRONE - THAT YOU SAW IN CHAPTER 5 - WILL SHEPHERD 06:44 THEM - "AND LEAD THEM TO LIVING FOUNTAINS OF WATERS." 06:47 LIKE DAVID SAYS IN PSALM 23, "AND GOD WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY 06:51 TEAR FROM THEIR EYES" - AS IT SAYS IN REVELATION 21. 06:54 SO HERE YOU'VE GOT A SPECIAL GROUP THAT'S DESCRIBED IN THE 06:58 LAST DAYS - AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION AND MYSTERY 07:00 ABOUT 'WHO ARE THE 144,000?' SO WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT 07:06 ABOUT THESE FOUR ANGELS - WE'RE LIVING IN A TIME RIGHT NOW - AND 07:09 I THINK YOU CAN SENSE IT - WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING IS JUST 07:14 HOLDING BACK THE WINDS OF STRIFE - THAT, ALMOST THE SNEEZE OF 07:19 A BUTTERFLY COULD SET A CHAIN REACTION LOOSE THAT WOULD JUST 07:25 HAVE THE WHOLE WORLD UNRAVEL RIGHT NOW. THERE IS AN OUTSIDE 07:29 SUPERNATURAL FORCE THAT IS PROTECTING THE WORLD FROM 07:32 CALAMITY. WE ALREADY SEE A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND CALAMITIES, BUT 07:35 THESE ANGELS HAVE BEEN GIVEN INSTRUCTION THAT THEY ARE TO 07:38 HOLD BACK THESE WINDS UNTIL SOMETHING'S ACCOMPLISHED, AND 07:41 THAT'S UNTIL THESE ANGELS SEAL THE SERVANTS OF GOD IN THEIR 07:45 FOREHEADS. AND SO, THEY HAVE A SPECIAL SEAL. NOW, THE SEAL OF 07:50 GOD, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, MAYBE I SHOULD TALK FIRST 07:56 ABOUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN 'A SIGN IN THE HAND OR THE FOREHEAD'? 08:00 THERE'S SO MUCH MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHO THE 144,000 ARE. 08:04 WHAT DOES IT MEAN, IN THE BIBLE, WHEN IT SAYS THE PEOPLE ARE 08:07 GOING TO GET A MARK IN THE HAND OR IN THE FOREHEAD? 08:09 DOES THAT MEAN THE BEAST POWER IN THE LAST DAYS IS GOING TO 08:12 COME ALONG AND GRAB EVERYBODY AND TATTOO THEM? 08:15 IS IT MY IMAGINATION OR DO PEOPLE HAVE MORE TATTOOS NOW 08:18 THAN ANY OTHER TIME IN HISTORY? (LAUGHTER) 08:20 >>IT'S TRUE. >>JUST - I FORGET WHERE I WAS 08:23 YESTERDAY - YEAH - PEOPLE THAT - YEAH, I WAS IN CHICAGO 08:27 YESTERDAY; I WAS IN TENNESSEE BUT I SAW SOMEBODY THERE THAT 08:30 THEY LOOKED A LITTLE ANCIENT TO ME AND THEY HAD A TATTOO AND I 08:33 THOUGHT, 'MAN, I THINK YOU WOULD BE TOO OLD FOR THAT. 08:36 BUT, REALLY, EVERYBODY SHOULD BE. 08:38 ANYWAY - SO SOME PEOPLE THINK THE BEAST POWER IS GOING TO BE 08:42 TATTOOING EVERYBODY WITH THIS, YOU KNOW, INFAMOUS MARKER - 666 08:47 OR SOMETHING. THAT'S NOT AT ALL WHAT IT MEANS. 08:50 IN REVELATION, EVERYBODY GETS SOMETHING IN THE FOREHEAD. 08:53 YOU EVEN READ IN REVELATION 17, THERE'S A WOMAN WITH A PARAGRAPH 08:56 IN HER FOREHEAD. OBVIOUSLY, IT'S A SYMBOL. 08:59 WHAT DOES IT MEAN, 'IN THE HAND' OR 'IN THE FOREHEAD'? 09:02 DEUTERONOMY 6:8, "YOU SHALL BIND THEM" - TALKING ABOUT THE 09:06 LAW OF GOD - "AS A SIGN ON YOUR HAND, AND THEY SHALL BE AS 09:09 FRONTLETS BETWEEN YOUR EYES." SOME OF YOU, MAYBE, HAVE BEEN TO 09:13 ISRAEL OR YOU'VE SEEN PICTURES OF THE ORTHODOX JEWS THAT 09:17 HAVE THE PHYLACTERIES. THEY WILL HAVE A LITTLE STRAP 09:21 AROUND THEIR HEAD AND A BOX ON THEIR FOREHEAD. 09:24 THEY'LL HAVE RIBBONS OF LEATHER AROUND - WRAPPED AROUND THEIR 09:28 WRISTS AND THERE'S A LITTLE SCRIPTURE - AND THEY HAVE PUT 09:31 THE LAW OF GOD, OR PIECES OF THE LAW, IN THESE LITTLE BOXES ON 09:34 THEIR FOREHEADS BECAUSE OF THIS VERSE THAT MOSES WROTE. 09:37 MOSES DID NOT MEAN FOR THEM - AND THERE'S NO EXAMPLE AFTER 09:41 MOSES SAID IT, OF ANYBODY, UP UNTIL THE PHARISEES, THAT 09:44 LITERALLY WAS STICKING THE WORD OF GOD ON THEIR FOREHEAD AND ON 09:48 THEIR HAND. MOSES, IN THAT SAME PASSAGE, SAID, 'IT SHALL BE IN 09:53 YOUR HEART AND ON YOUR HAND AND ON YOUR HEAD. 09:57 OBVIOUSLY, HOW DO YOU PUT IT IN YOUR HEART? 10:00 IT'S TALKING ABOUT HAVING THE WORD OF GOD IN YOUR MIND AND IN 10:04 YOUR ACTIONS. >>AMEN. 10:05 >>TO BE SURROUNDING YOU. THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. 10:08 SO IF - IN THE HAND AND IN THE FOREHEAD IS SYMBOLIC FOR THE 10:11 MARK OF THE BEAST, THEN WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT 'IN THE FOREHEAD' 10:14 COULD IT BE SYMBOLIC FOR THE SEAL OF GOD? 10:17 IT TELLS US WHAT WAS TO BE IN THEIR FOREHEAD; IT SAID THEY 10:20 WERE TO HAVE THE LAW OF GOD. GO TO EXODUS 13:9, "IT SHALL BE 10:25 A SIGN FOR YOU ON YOUR HAND AND AS A MEMORIAL BETWEEN YOUR 10:30 EYES," - AND, IN THE BIBLE, BETWEEN YOUR EYES DIDN'T MEAN 10:32 LIKE WHERE MY GLASSES ARE, IT MEANT UP HERE IN THE FOREHEAD. 10:36 IN THE FOREHEAD MEANT IT WAS THE CENTER - WHERE DID THE STONE 10:40 SINK IN WHEN DAVID TOOK DOWN GOLIATH? 10:43 >>FOREHEAD. >>IN HIS FOREHEAD. 10:46 AND SO, IT'S - THAT'S A SYMBOL FOR THE MARK OF THE BEAST IN THE 10:50 FOREHEAD THERE. WHAT IS THAT SEAL? ISAIAH 8:16, "BIND UP THE 10:57 TESTIMONY, SEAL THE LAW AMONG MY DISCIPLES." 11:02 THE LAW OF GOD CONTAINS THE SEAL OF GOD AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 11:07 LAW OF GOD YOU FIND THE NAME OF GOD - IT SAYS THE 144,000 HAVE 11:11 THEIR FATHER'S NAME IN THEIR FOREHEADS. 11:14 IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT IS THE ONLY COMMANDMENT WHERE YOU FIND 11:17 THE WORD 'HOLY' AND A BIBLE SEAL HAS SEVERAL ELEMENTS. 11:24 IT'S GOT THE TITLE OF THE RULING POWER, IT'S GOT THE NAME, AND 11:31 IT'S GOT THEIR TERRITORY - AND ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS CAN BE 11:35 FOUND IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 11:38 YOU'VE GOT THE NAME OF GOD - 'FOR IN SIX DAYS THE LORD, 11:40 JEHOVAH'; HIS TITLE - THE LORD - THE CREATOR - HE CREATED; HIS 11:45 TERRITORY - THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. 11:48 SO YOU'VE GOT ALL OF THE COMPONENTS OF A SEAL IN THE 11:51 FOURTH COMMANDMENT - THE LONGEST COMMANDMENT, THE MIDDLE OF GOD'S 11:53 LAW, THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU FIND THE WORD 'HOLY'. 11:57 AND SO, HERE THESE PEOPLE HAVE THE HOLY LAW OF GOD AND THE 12:00 HOLY SPIRIT, OF COURSE, IS THE SEAL. 'DO NOT GRIEVE THE SPIRIT 12:03 OF GOD WHEREWITH YOU ARE SEALED FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION' 12:06 EPHESIANS 2 TELLS US. NOW, TURN WITH ME - DON'T LOSE 12:11 THIS SPOT HERE, BUT GO WITH ME TO EZEKIEL CHAPTER 9 AND I WANT 12:16 TO READ SOMETHING TO YOU I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO FIND 12:17 INTERESTING. IF YOU GO TO EZEKIEL 9, HERE THE PROPHET IS 12:23 TALKING ABOUT A SPECIAL JUDGMENT AND A SEAL THAT COMES ON PEOPLE 12:28 IN THE LAST DAYS AND I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THIS - THIS HAS 12:33 TROUBLED FOLKS, BUT IT'S RELATED. 12:36 "THEN HE CALLED OUT IN MY HEARING WITH A LOUD VOICE, 12:39 SAYING, 'LET THOSE WHO HAVE CHARGE OVER THE CITY DRAW NEAR, 12:43 EACH WITH A DEADLY'" - OR A DESTROYING - "'WEAPON IN HIS 12:45 HAND.' AND SUDDENLY SIX MEN CAME FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE 12:49 UPPER GATE, WHICH FACES NORTH, EACH WITH A BATTLE-AX" - SOME 12:57 DESTROYING WEAPON - "IN HIS HAND. 12:59 ONE MAN AMONG THEM WAS CLOTHED WITH LINEN" - NOW, THAT'S 13:01 TALKING ABOUT A SEVENTH MAN. THAT MEANS, AMONG THE SIX, THERE 13:04 WAS AN ADDITIONAL MAN WHO WAS CLOTHED IN LINEN. 13:06 THIS IS WHAT THE PRIESTS WORE FOR INTERCESSION. 13:09 IT'S LIKE THESE - THESE SIX MEN HAVE GOT A WEAPON FOR 13:11 DESTRUCTION - JUDGMENT - BUT ONE AMONG THEM, HE IS CLAD WITH 13:15 MERCY. HE HAS A WRITER'S 13:19 INKHORN AT HIS SIDE. IN ANCIENT TIMES THE ATTORNEYS 13:22 AND SCRIBES USED TO CARRY A PORTABLE WRITING KIT. 13:27 AND "THEY WENT IN AND THEY STOOD BESIDE THE BRONZE ALTAR." 13:30 - IT'S HAPPENING IN THE PLACE OF INTERCESSION - "NOW THE GLORY OF 13:33 THE GOD OF ISRAEL HAD GONE UP FROM THE CHERUB, WHERE IT HAD 13:35 BEEN, TO THE THRESHOLD OF THE TEMPLE. 13:37 AND HE CALLED TO THE MAN [CLOTHED] WITH LINEN, WHO HAD 13:39 THE WRITER'S INKHORN AT HIS SIDE; AND THE LORD SAID [TO HIM] 13:42 'GO THROUGH THE MIDST OF THE CITY, THROUGH THE MIDST OF 13:45 JERUSALEM, AND PUT A MARK ON THE FOREHEADS" - WHERE'S THE MARK? 13:49 >>ON THE FOREHEAD. >>"PUT A MARK ON THE FOREHEADS 13:52 OF THE MEN WHO SIGH AND CRY OVER ALL THE ABOMINATIONS THAT ARE 13:57 DONE IN THE CITY [WITHIN IT].'" - THAT MEANS GOD HAS HIS PEOPLE 14:01 THAT ARE SORRY ABOUT SIN. THEY'RE GRIEVED ABOUT SIN. 14:04 THEY WANT TO SEE REVIVAL IN THE CHURCH. YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT 14:07 SAID ABOUT LOT - LOT WAS VEXED WITH THE WICKEDNESS OF SODOM. 14:11 AND, I THINK, MATTHEW HENRY, HE'S GOT AN INTERESTING 14:15 STATEMENT ON THIS IN HIS COMMENTARY. 14:18 IT SAYS, "FOR THOSE WHO KEEP THEMSELVES PURE IN TIMES OF 14:21 COMMON INIQUITY, GOD WILL KEEP THEM SAFE IN TIMES OF COMMON 14:25 CALAMITY." HE PUTS A MARK ON THOSE - 14:28 JUDGMENT IS GETTING READY TO HAPPEN, AND IF YOU WANT TO 14:30 SURVIVE THE JUDGMENT, YOU NEEDED THE MARK. 14:32 IS THERE GOING TO BE GREAT JUDGMENT AND PLAGUE AND A TIME 14:35 OF TROUBLE IN THE LAST DAYS? >>YES. 14:37 >>THEN WE NEED TO HAVE THAT SEAL. 14:39 HOW DO WE GET THAT SEAL? BY YEARNING FOR HOLINESS. 14:43 BY BEING GRIEVED BY SIN. WAS JESUS SORRY ABOUT SIN? 14:50 WAS HE? IT HURT HIM. IT BROKE HIS HEART. AND IT SAYS THERE'S 14:53 SIGHING AND CRYING FOR THE ABOMINATIONS THAT ARE DONE. 14:56 "TO THE OTHERS" - THE ONES WITH THE BATTLE WEAPONS - THOSE OTHER 14:59 SIX - "HE SAID IN MY HEARING, 'GO AFTER HIM" - GO AFTER THE 15:03 ONE WHO IS MARKING THE ONES WHO ARE TO BE SPARED, AND DO NOT 15:07 SPARE THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE THE MARK - "UTTERLY SLAY OLD AND 15:12 YOUNG MEN, MAIDENS AND LITTLE CHILDREN AND WOMEN; BUT DO NOT 15:16 COME NEAR ANYONE ON WHOM IS THE MARK;" - NOW, WHEN YOU SAY 'THE 15:19 MARK' IN THE BIBLE, AND IF YOU SAY, 'HEY, DO YOU WANT THE 15:21 MARK?' 'I DON'T WANT THE MARK. NOBODY WANTS THE MARK.' BUT THEY 15:24 DON'T KNOW THEIR BIBLES VERY WELL. 15:25 THERE IS A MARK YOU DO WANT, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE 15:27 RIGHT MARK, YOU'RE IN TROUBLE. AND YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT 15:32 OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE THESE DESTROYING WEAPONS. YOU REMEMBER 15:36 WHEN THE ANGELS WERE PLACED BY THE ENTRANCE TO THE GARDEN OF 15:41 EDEN TO GUARD THE WAY TO THE TREE OF LIFE AND THEY HAD A 15:44 FLAMING SWORD. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WEAPON IS. 15:48 SOME OF YOU SAW OUR VIDEO THAT WE DID CALLED COSMIC CONFLICT 15:51 AND THE PRODUCERS WERE STRUGGLING, 'WHAT EXACTLY DO WE 15:54 GIVE THE ANGELS TO FIGHT WITH?' IT ENDED UP LOOKING LIKE STAR 15:58 WARS SWORDS OR SOMETHING. WHAT DO ANGELS USE? 16:02 IT'S SO HARD TO DEPICT THAT. BUT THEN THEY GO AFTER - AND HE 16:07 SAID, 'DEFILE THE TEMPLE, AND FILL THE COURTS WITH THE SLAIN. 16:09 GO OUT!' AND THEY WENT OUT AND KILLED IN THE CITY." 16:11 AND THERE'S THIS GREAT JUDGMENT. HAVE YOU READ IN THE BIBLE, 16:13 'JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD.'? 16:17 IT SAID 'BEGIN' - NOTICE WHAT IT SAYS HERE: "SO THEY BEGAN WITH 16:23 THE ELDERS WHO WERE BEFORE THE TEMPLE." 16:26 ANY OF YOU REMEMBER WHEN THIS WOMAN, SOME BELIEVE WAS MARY 16:29 MAGDALENE, CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF ADULTERY WAS BROUGHT INTO THE 16:32 TEMPLE AND THEY STOOD AROUND GETTING READY TO THROW STONES AT 16:35 HER AND JESUS STOOD UP AND HE SAID, 'HE THAT IS WITHOUT SIN 16:38 AMONG YOU, LET HIM CAST THE FIRST STONE.' THEN HE STOOPED 16:41 DOWN AND BEGAN TO WRITE AGAIN ON THE DUST IN THE TEMPLE FLOOR AND 16:44 IT SAYS, 'BEGINNING AT THE ELDEST, EVEN UNTO THE LEAST, ONE 16:49 BY ONE THEY DROPPED THEIR STONES AND THEY WENT OUT.' BUT IT BEGAN 16:52 AT THE ELDEST. THERE'S A JUDGMENT THAT BEGINS 16:54 AT THE HOUSE OF GOD. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN JOHN CHAPTER 8. 16:57 A JUDGMENT AT THE HOUSE OF GOD HAPPENS IN EZEKIEL 9 AND THERE'S 17:00 A JUDGMENT FOR THE HOUSE OF GOD THAT HAPPENS IN THE END OF TIME. 17:05 JUDGMENT BEGINS - WELL, LET ME PUT IT THIS WAY: YOU EVER HEARD 17:09 OF THE PRE-ADVENT JUDGMENT? THAT MEANS A JUDGMENT THAT 17:13 HAPPENS BEFORE JESUS COMES. THAT MAKES SENSE - YOU MAYBE 17:18 NEVER EVEN REALIZED HOW MUCH IT MAKES SENSE. 17:20 HOW MANY KNOW THAT JESUS IS GOING TO KNOW WHO IS SAVED WHEN 17:23 HE COMES? THAT HE WILL REWARD PEOPLE WHEN HE COMES? 17:27 THE LORD KNOWS EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW, OKAY? 17:29 IF THE LORD IS DISTRIBUTING REWARDS WHEN HE COMES - THE DEAD 17:33 IN CHRIST RISE - THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN THAT ARE SAVED 17:35 ARE CAUGHT UP - THE WICKED ARE DESTROYED BY THE BRIGHTNESS OF 17:38 HIS COMING. IF SOME KIND OF EXECUTION IS 17:41 TAKING PLACE WHEN HE COMES, IF SOME KIND OF REWARD IS TAKING 17:44 PLACE WHEN HE COMES, DOES IT MAKE SENSE THERE'S SOME KIND 17:46 OF JUDGMENT BEFORE HE COMES? >>AMEN. 17:49 >>THAT'S WHAT IT'S TALKING ABOUT. 17:51 SO THERE'S THIS JUDGMENT, AND ONLY THOSE THAT HAVE THE SAVING 17:54 MARK ARE SPARED DURING THAT TIME. 17:57 SO, WE FOUND OUT THAT IT IS A SPIRITUAL MARK IN THE HAND, IN 18:00 THE FOREHEAD - IT DOESN'T MEAN A TATTOO OR A COMPUTER CHIP - HOW 18:05 MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD THAT ONE? - UNDER THE SKIN. 18:08 IF YOU ADOPT A DOG TODAY, THEY'LL PUT A CHIP UNDER HIS 18:09 COLLAR. AND I HEAR THAT THERE ARE SOME 18:12 PEOPLE GETTING THESE CHIPS FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES SO THEY CAN 18:15 BE SCANNED AND FIND OUT WHAT THEIR ONGOING PROBLEM 18:17 IS VERY QUICKLY. THAT IS NOT THE MARK OF THE BEAST. 18:20 THE MARK OF THE BEAST IS OBEYING THE LAWS OF THE BEAST INSTEAD OF 18:23 THE LAWS OF GOD. OBEY THE LAWS OF GOD IN YOUR 18:25 HEART, YOU HAVE THE SEAL OF GOD. IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED. 18:31 BY THE WAY, THAT VERSE - 1 PETER 4:17, "JUDGMENT WILL BEGIN AT 18:34 THE HOUSE OF GOD." IF JUDGMENT BEGINS FIRST WITH US, WHAT WILL 18:38 BE THE END OF THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL? 18:42 NOW IT SAYS THERE'S A SPECIAL NUMBER, AND THIS IS VERY 18:44 INTERESTING TO ME, 144,000 - WHY 144,000? 18:51 FIRST OF ALL, LET'S GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY, PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT 18:54 THE SUBJECT OF THE 144,000 BECAUSE THEY THINK 'ARE THERE 18:57 ONLY 144,000 THAT WILL BE SAVED WHEN JESUS COMES? 19:03 AND I DID SOME MATH - I'M NOT REAL GOOD, BUT I HAVE A 19:05 CALCULATOR AND I DO KNOW THERE'S ABOUT 7.4 TO 5 BILLION PEOPLE IN 19:12 THE WORLD NOW, AND IT MUST BE GROWING FAST BECAUSE I LOOKED AT 19:15 MY OLD NOTES AND I SAID, 'THERE'S 6 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE 19:17 WORLD' - WOW, IT'S GROWN 1.5 BILLION SINCE I DID THIS SERMON. 19:22 6 - 7.5 BILLION - IF ONLY 144,000 ARE SAVED, THAT MEANS 19:27 YOUR CHANCES ARE ABOUT ONE IN 52,000. 19:31 THAT WOULD MEAN IT'S A LITTLE BETTER THAN WINNING THE LOTTERY, 19:35 BUT NOT A LOT, SO IF ONLY ONE OUT OF - I KNOW THE GATE IS 19:40 STRAIGHT AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT, BUT ONLY ONE OUT OF 19:42 52,000? I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE 144,000 ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT 19:48 ARE SAVED. >>AMEN. 19:50 >>I BELIEVE THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING WHO ARE THE 19:53 144,000 IS IN THE NUMBER. HOW MANY DISCIPLES 19:58 DID JESUS HAVE? >>TWELVE. 20:00 >>TWELVE. HOW MANY PATRIARCHS WERE THERE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT? 20:04 >>TWELVE. >>TWELVE, THE TWELVE 20:05 SONS OF JACOB, RIGHT? MOSES APPOINTED TWELVE PRINCES 20:09 OF ISRAEL AFTER THE EXODUS. AND SO THE NUMBER TWELVE 20:13 REPRESENTS LEADERSHIP IN THE BIBLE. 20:17 AND DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU LOOK, FOR INSTANCE, IN 1 20:20 CHRONICLES 25 - YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK THIS UP - 1 CHRONICLES 20:24 25 - THAT'S A BOOK YOU OFTEN SKIP OVER BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT 20:26 OF NUMBERS IN IT, BUT THIS IS WHERE IT COMES IN HANDY KNOWING 20:29 THOSE NUMBERS. IT SAYS, "SO THE NUMBER OF THEM, 20:33 WITH THEIR BRETHREN WHO WERE INSTRUCTED IN THE SONGS OF THE 20:36 LORD, ALL WHO WERE SKILLFUL, WAS TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT." 20:40 IN THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD THEY HAD PRIESTS THAT WOULD SING AND 20:46 THEY WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS - TOTAL NUMBER TWO EIGHTY-EIGHT. 20:49 WHAT IS HALF OF TWO EIGHTY-EIGHT? 20:50 >>ONE FORTY-FOUR. >>ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR. 20:52 THEIR JOB WAS TO PRAISE THE LORD, AND SOME SAID THEY HAD 20:55 SOME THAT PRAISED DURING THE NIGHT HOURS AND SOME PRAISED 20:59 DURING THE DAY. OTHERS SAID, 'NO, THERE WERE 21:00 SOME THEY HAD - THE JEWISH CALENDAR WAS DIVIDED INTO THE 21:03 SPRING FEASTS AND THE FALL FEASTS AND SOME WERE RESPONSIBLE 21:07 DURING THE TIME OF SPRING AND OTHERS SAID THEY ALTERNATED 21:10 MONTHLY - I'M NOT SURE - IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHEN JOHN THE 21:14 BAPTIST'S FATHER IS IN THE TEMPLE, IT SAYS HE WAS 21:16 MINISTERING IN HIS COURSE - HE WAS FULFILLING HIS SCHEDULE. 21:20 THEY HAD THE PRIESTS AND THEY HAD THE MUSICIANS BROKEN UP TO 21:23 PRAISE GOD IN NUMBERS. BUT DAVID - VERY INTERESTING - TWO HUNDRED 21:27 AND EIGHTY-EIGHT - TWO GROUPS OF ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR - NOT 21:31 ONLY FOR THE ONES WHO WERE PRAISING GOD IN THE TEMPLE, BUT 21:34 IF YOU LOOK IN 1 CHRONICLES 27:15 - YOU'VE GOT TO READ THE 21:38 WHOLE CHAPTER AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE REVELATION 7, IT ITEMIZES 21:43 "THE TWELFTH CAPTAIN FOR THE TWELFTH MONTH WAS HELDAI THE 21:47 NETOPHATHITE, OF OTHNIEL; IN HIS DIVISION WERE TWENTY-FOUR 21:51 THOUSAND." NOW YOU ADD THAT ALL FOR EVERY MONTH - I JUST READ 21:54 ONE VERSE TO YOU - THEY HAD TWELVE CAPTAINS WITH 24,000 - 22:00 THAT COMES TO 288,000 - THESE WERE THE FULL-TIME SOLDIERS OF 22:06 DAVID. AND SOLDIERS HAVE FAMILIES, THEY COULDN'T BE ON 22:09 THE JOB ALL THE TIME AND SO HE DIVIDED THEM UP 22:11 INTO TWO GROUPS OF - YOU GOT IT - 144,000. 22:15 SO IN THE TEMPLE PRAISING GOD AND IN THE MILITARY - NOW THAT 22:21 WOULD BE PATHETIC IF ISRAEL ONLY HAD 288,000 SOLDIERS. 22:25 THESE WERE THE FULL-TIME SOLDIERS. 22:28 WHEN THERE WAS A BATTLE THEY WOULD BLOW A TRUMPET AND EVERY 22:30 FARM PERSON WOULD GET HIS SLING, THEY WOULD GET THEIR BOWS - 22:34 SOMETIMES THEY WOULD GET THEIR FARM IMPLEMENTS AND LOOK LIKE A 22:36 MOB - AND THEY WOULD JOIN THE MILITARY AND THEY WOULD GO OUT 22:39 EN MASSE AGAINST THE ENEMY, BUT THERE WERE LEADERS THAT WERE 22:43 FULL TIME. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? 22:46 DID THE APOSTLES FOLLOW JESUS PART TIME OR DID THEY LEAVE 22:48 THEIR NETS AND FOLLOW HIM? BUT THERE WERE OTHER DISCIPLES 22:53 THAT FOLLOWED AS THEY COULD. THEY WOULD GO - WHENEVER THERE 22:56 WAS A PROGRAM THEY WOULD GO TO IT. 22:58 THEY WERE SPREADING THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 23:00 HE HAD SEVENTY THAT HE SENT OUT ONE TIME, BUT HE SENT THE TWELVE 23:03 OUT A DIFFERENT TIME. AND SO, THE KEY TO THE NUMBER IS 23:07 THE HUNDRED - LET ME JUST SUM UP THE WHOLE STUDY FOR YOU - BUT 23:11 I'M NOT DONE. THE KEY TO UNDERSTAND THE 144,000 IS THEY 23:17 ARE, IN THE LAST DAYS, WHAT THE APOSTLES WERE AT THE FIRST 23:21 COMING. THEY FOLLOW AND THEY FULFILL THE CHARACTERISTICS OF 23:26 THE APOSTLES. THEY ARE LEADERS. THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES SAVED 23:30 ANY MORE THAN THE APOSTLES WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT WERE FILLED 23:34 WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AT PENTECOST. 23:36 THERE WERE TWELVE APOSTLES IN THE UPPER ROOM - MATTER OF FACT, 23:39 WHY DON'T WE JUMP THERE REAL QUICK? 23:40 I THINK THIS IS INTERESTING - AN INTERESTING FACT. 23:43 IF YOU GO TO ACTS CHAPTER 13 - ACTS CHAPTER 1, SORRY - VERSE 23:48 13, "AND WHEN THEY HAD ENTERED, THEY WENT UP INTO THE UPPER ROOM 23:52 WHERE THEY WERE STAYING: PETER, JAMES, JOHN, AND ANDREW; PHILIP 23:55 AND THOMAS; BARTHOLOMEW AND MATTHEW; JAMES THE SON OF 23:58 ALLPHAEUS AND SIMON THE ZEALOT; AND JUDAS THE SON OF JAMES." 24:01 THEY JUST NAMED ELEVEN APOSTLES. WHY DID THEY NAME ELEVEN? 24:04 (INAUDIBLE) BECAUSE ONE OF THEM HUNG HIMSELF - JUDAS. 24:10 SO BEFORE THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POURED OUT, ONE THING HAPPENS IN 24:13 THE BOOK OF ACTS. HE TOLD THEM TO WAIT IN 24:15 JERUSALEM UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. 24:16 THE LAST THING THAT HAPPENS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, IT SAYS THEY 24:20 WANTED TO PICK ONE OF THE NUMBER - YOU LOOK AT VERSE 17 - LET'S 24:25 PICK ONE AMONG US WHO WAS - WHO HAD GONE IN AND OUT, THAT HEARD 24:29 JESUS, THAT SAW HIM AT THE RESURRECTION, THAT HAS BEEN 24:32 EXPOSED TO ALL OF HIS TEACHINGS AND "HE WAS NUMBERED WITH US AND 24:39 OBTAINED A PART IN THIS MINISTRY." 24:41 SEE, THERE WAS A NUMBER, JESUS - OR PETER SAYS IN ACTS 1:17. 24:44 SO FINALLY THEY CAST LOTS AND THEY PICKED MATTHIAS, AND THAT 24:48 MEANS 'GIFT OF JEHOVAH.' AND YOU KNOW WHAT IT SAYS IN THE NEXT 24:51 VERSE? IT SAYS HE WAS NUMBERED WITH THE ELEVEN. SO WHEN YOU ADD 24:55 ONE TO ELEVEN, WHAT DO YOU HAVE? >>TWELVE. 24:57 >>AS SOON AS THEY GET TO THE NUMBER TWELVE, THE NEXT VERSE 25:01 SAYS 'AND THEY WERE ALL ASSEMBLED IN ONE PLACE AND IT 25:05 WAS SHAKEN AND THERE WAS THE SOUND OF A MIGHTY RUSHING WIND 25:08 AND TONGUES OF FIRE CAME AND APPEARED ON EACH OF THEM AND 25:10 THEY BEGAN PREACHING. >>AMEN. 25:12 >>SO WHEN THEY GOT THE NUMBER TWELVE. THEY WEREN'T THE ONLY 25:14 ONES FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. THE APOSTLES WERE IN THE 25:17 UPPER ROOM, BUT HOW MANY OTHERS WERE THERE? 25:19 IT'S A HUNDRED AND TWENTY, SO THERE WERE TEN TIMES MORE THAN 25:23 JUST THE APOSTLES. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? 25:25 WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF REVELATION? 25:27 >>JOHN. >>AN APOSTLE. 25:29 AND WHAT DID JESUS SAY TO THE APOSTLES? 25:31 MATTHEW 19:28, "ASSUREDLY I SAY TO YOU, THAT IN THE 25:38 REGENERATION," - IN THE RESURRECTION - "WHEN THE SON OF 25:40 MAN SITS ON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY, YOU WHO HAVE FOLLOWED ME 25:43 WILL ALSO SIN ON TWELVE THRONES." 25:46 NOW, WAS THAT JUDAS? DID HE GET ONE OF THOSE THRONES? 25:50 SO WHO'S GOING TO GET THAT THRONE? WILL IT BE MATTHIAS? 25:53 SOME HAVE SAID, 'WELL, THEY KIND OF RAN AHEAD OF THE LORD THERE, 25:55 YOU KNOW, THEY CAST LOTS AND' - THEY SAID, - 'WE NEED TO PICK 25:57 SOMEONE' - AND YOU NEVER HEAR FROM MATTHIAS AGAIN BUT YOU SURE 26:01 DO HEAR A LOT ABOUT A GUY NAMED SAUL, LATER CHANGED TO PAUL, 26:04 LATER ON, WHO IS THEN NUMBERED ONE OF THE APOSTLES. 26:08 PAUL CALLS HIMSELF - PAUL MAY HAVE FILLED IN. 26:10 I STILL THINK THAT WHEN THEY REPLACED JUDAS GOD WAS IN IT, 26:14 BECAUSE THEY GET TO THE NUMBER TWELVE - THE HOLY SPIRIT - THE 26:17 WHOLE THING CHANGES. THE CHURCH BASICALLY FIRES OUT 26:20 OF A CANNON RIGHT AFTER THAT. EVERYTHING CHANGES 26:23 RIGHT AFTER THAT. ISN'T THAT INTERESTING? 26:25 AND SO, THE 144,000 ARE LIKE YOUR LAST DAY APOSTLES. 26:29 THE LORD IS GOING TO FILL WITH HIS SPIRIT THIS GROUP, IN THE 26:34 LAST DAYS, THAT DOES A SPECIAL WORK. 26:36 ALRIGHT, NOW, THIS IS ANOTHER POINT, AND ONE REASON I'M DOING 26:40 THIS SERMON IS NOT JUST FOR YOU, BUT I'M TRUSTING PEOPLE WILL 26:44 WATCH. AND I MAY TELL YOU MORE ABOUT IT 26:48 SOMETIME, BUT THIS - THIS LAST WEEK I WAS AT AN UNUSUAL MEETING 26:51 WITH CHRISTIAN LEADERS FROM ALL OVER NORTH AMERICA AND EVEN, 26:55 ACTUALLY, SOME FLEW IN FROM OVERSEAS AND - LOVELY PEOPLE, 27:01 BUT THEY HAVE SOME DIFFERENT BELIEFS. 27:03 AND THEY BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, JESUS ISN'T GOING TO COME BACK 27:09 AGAIN UNTIL 144,000 LITERAL JEWS ARE RAISED UP. 27:16 AND THEY BELIEVE, BECAUSE IT DOES SAY THERE IN REVELATION - 27:19 YOU GO BACK TO CHAPTER 7 - THESE TWELVE TRIBES - IT'S A SPECIAL 27:23 NATION FROM THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. 27:26 NOW, IF YOU KNOW YOUR BIBLE, HOW MANY TRIBES ARE THERE? 27:30 >>TWELVE. >>TWELVE. 27:33 WAS EPHRAIM ONE OF THE TRIBES? >>YES. 27:35 >>YEAH. WAS MANASSEH ONE OF THE TRIBES? 27:39 >>YES. >>YOU DO THE MATH AND YOU'RE 27:42 GOING TO END UP WITH THIRTEEN. >>YEAH. 27:44 >>NOW LET ME TELL YOU HOW THAT HAPPENED. JOSEPH WAS SOLD BY HIS 27:47 BROTHERS. YOU ALL REMEMBER THE STORY? 27:49 >>YES. >>HE WAS SEPARATED FROM 27:50 HIS FATHER FOR MANY YEARS. JOSEPH THEN HAD TWO BOYS 27:54 - EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH. JACOB, BEFORE HE DIED, HE SAID, 27:57 'JOSEPH, BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN SEPARATED FROM YOUR BROTHERS, 27:59 I AM GOING TO SPLIT YOUR INHERITANCE AND NUMBER YOUR TWO 28:03 SONS AS ONE OF MY SONS SO YOU'LL END UP WITH A DOUBLE PORTION. 28:08 NOT ONLY THAT, JOSEPH, YOU'RE' - THE FIRST-BORN WAS SUPPOSED TO 28:10 GET A DOUBLE PORTION - AND JOSEPH WAS THE FIRST-BORN OF 28:14 JACOB THROUGH RACHEL - RACHEL'S FIRST-BORN, RIGHT? 28:18 THE ONLY WIFE HE EVER WANTED WAS RACHEL. 28:20 HE ENDED UP GETTING THIS WHOLE OTHER STRING OF WIVES, BUT HE 28:22 JUST WANTED RACHEL. HE GOT TRICKED. 28:25 HE GOT TRICKED SEVERAL TIMES - HE WAS NOT VERY SMART. 28:27 (LAUGHTER) WHEN IT CAME TO THAT, BUT - SO, HOW DO YOU GET THE 28:35 NUMBER TWELVE THEN? WELL, WHEN THE EXODUS HAPPENED, 28:37 MOSES SAID LEVI IS GOING TO BE THE PRICE - WILL BE THE NATION 28:41 OF PRIESTS FOR THE REST OF THE OTHER TWELVE TRIBES. 28:45 YOU HAD THE TWELVE TRIBES AND THE TRIBE OF LEVI, WHO WERE THE 28:47 PRIESTS. WHEN YOU READ THE LIST OF THE 28:50 TWELVE TRIBES IN REVELATION 7, THERE IS NO OTHER LIST WHERE 28:56 THEY'RE LISTED THIS WAY ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE. 28:58 IT'S A LIST THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. 29:01 WELL, IT DOES BUT I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHY JUST YET. 29:04 FIRST OF ALL, THE FIRST-BORN WAS RUEBEN. 29:06 JUDAH IS LISTED AS THE FIRST-BORN, REUBEN IS THE 29:08 SECOND-BORN. DAN IS LEFT OUT. 29:12 EPHRAIM IS LEFT OUT. MANASSEH'S INCLUDED. 29:14 EPHRAIM IS NOT CALLED EPHRAIM, HE'S CALLED JOSEPH. 29:17 IT IS AN UNUSUAL LIST IN THE WAY THAT IT'S GIVEN, AND IT IS TRUE 29:21 IT STARTS WITH JUDAH, BUT BENJAMIN, WHO IS A FIRST-BORN, 29:24 HE'S SECOND - RATHER REUBEN, WHO'S A FIRST-BORN, IS SECOND. 29:28 BENJAMIN, WHO'S THE LAST, HE'S AT THE END. AND WHY IS THAT? 29:33 FIRST OF ALL, THESE ARE NOT GOING TO BE TWELVE THOUSAND 29:38 LITERAL JEWS FROM THESE TWELVE TRIBES. 29:41 WHY DO I KNOW THAT? THE NAMES IN THE BIBLE ARE 29:45 ALL SYMBOLIC - IN REVELATION. LET ME RE-SAY THAT. 29:49 THE NAMES IN REVELATION ARE ALWAYS SYMBOLIC. 29:52 WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT BALAAM AND JEZEBEL AND APOLLYON AND MICHAEL 29:58 AND THE DRAGON, THEY REPRESENT THINGS. 30:01 AND SO, THESE TWELVE TRIBES, THEIR NAMES MEAN SOMETHING, BUT 30:05 IS IT TALKING ABOUT TWELVE THOUSAND LITERAL JEWS? 30:08 IT CAN'T BE. WHY? YOU LOOK IN THE BIBLE AND YOU'LL 30:13 FIND OUT THAT HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN - I'M 30:15 GOING TO GIVE IT TO YOU - 2 KINGS 17 - IT'S LIKE DURING THE 30:18 TIME OF KING HEZEKIAH, 500 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST WAS BORN - IT 30:24 SAYS, "IN THE NINTH YEAR OF HOSHEA," - HE WAS A KING OF 30:26 ISRAEL - NO, I THINK I'M CONFUSING YOU. 30:30 THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL ENDED UP HAVING A CIVIL WAR AND THEY 30:35 SPLIT INTO TWO GROUPS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. 30:37 DAVID AND HIS DESCENDENTS RULED THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM THAT 30:41 COMPRISED OF JUDAH, BENJAMIN, AND THE PRIESTS - THE LEVITES - 30:45 THEY STAYED IN THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM. 30:46 THE NORTHERN KINGDOM WENT TOWARDS IDOLATRY IN THE DAYS OF 30:49 JEROBOAM. THE OTHER TEN TRIBES WERE UP THERE. 30:53 THREE AND TEN IS THIRTEEN, YOU WITH ME? 30:56 THEY CALLED THE NORTHERN KINGDOM ISRAEL. 30:59 THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM THEY CALLED JUDAH. 31:02 THAT'S WHERE WE GET THE WORD 'JEW' TODAY. 31:04 THERE WAS NO TRIBE CALLED 'JEW' - THAT'S A DERIVATIVE OF A 31:07 SHORTENED FORM OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. 31:09 THEY - JUDAH WAS THE BIGGEST TRIBE, BY FAR, AND SO YOU - THEY 31:13 CALLED IT THE LAND OF JUDAH. DAVID WAS FROM THE TRIBE OF 31:15 JUDAH. JESUS WAS FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. THE NORTHERN KINGDOM, 31:19 BECAUSE THEY WENT TO IDOLATRY, GOD WITHDREW HIS PROTECTION - 31:23 THEY HAD A WHOLE DIFFERENT BUNCH OF KINGS. 31:24 THEY WERE ALL FROM DIFFERENT MONARCHIES AND DYNASTIES. 31:25 THEY WERE ALL KILLING EACH OTHER OFF. IN THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM IT 31:28 WAS ALWAYS A DESCENDENT OF DAVID. ALWAYS A DESCENDENT OF 31:32 DAVID. SO, FINALLY, GOD WITHDREW 31:36 HIS PROTECTION AND, DURING THE TIME WHEN HEZEKIAH, A DESCENDENT 31:40 OF DAVID, WAS IN JUDAH, THE ASSYRIANS CAME FROM THE NORTH TO 31:44 TEN TRIBES, CONQUERED THEM, CARRIED THEM OFF WHERE THEY 31:49 LARGELY INTERMARRIED AND WERE DILUTED AND DISPERSED. 31:55 SOME OF THEM CAME BACK AND THEY WERE, SORT OF, HALF-BREED 31:58 SAMARITANS - THAT WAS A COMBINATION OF ASSYRIAN AND A 32:02 LITTLE BIT OF, YOU KNOW, SORT OF LIKE MONGOLS OF EVERYBODY, 32:07 BUT THEY WERE NOT PURE-BRED JEWS ANYMORE. 32:10 SO HERE WE ARE NOW, TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED YEARS LATER AND, 32:14 WHEN YOU READ IN REVELATION TWELVE THOUSAND FROM THE TRIBE 32:16 OF ISSACHAR, TWELVE THOUSAND FROM THE TRIBE OF ZEBULON, 32:19 TWELVE THOUSAND FROM THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH, WHERE'S HE GOING TO 32:24 GET TWELVE THOUSAND? YOU SITTING THERE, YOU MAY HAVE 32:28 A LITTLE BIT OF THOSE TRIBES IN YOUR BLOOD. 32:30 EVERYBODY'S GETTING INTO DNA ANCESTRY NOW, WANTING TO TRACE 32:35 THEIR ANCESTRY, AND I'VE SEEN A FEW COMMERCIALS WHERE PEOPLE 32:38 SAY, 'WOW, HERE ALL MY LIFE I THOUGHT I WAS GERMAN. 32:41 I HAD A TEST AND NOW I'M ITALIAN. 32:43 WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO DO?' 32:45 BIG DEAL. WHO CARES? (LAUGHTER) WHAT DOES IT CHANGE? 32:48 'WELL, NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN ABOUT MY ITALIAN ROOTS 32:51 INSTEAD OF MY GERMAN ROOTS. AND WHAT A WASTE LEARNING ABOUT 32:53 MY GERMAN ROOTS AND' - YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT? 32:57 I GUESS IT'S INTERESTING. IT'S NOT THAT INTERESTING TO 32:59 ME, BUT IT'S KIND OF TRIVIA. YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE. 33:02 BUT PEOPLE ARE FINDING OUT YOU CAN DO A DNA TEST. 33:05 I WAS IN NEW YORK - HAD DINNER WITH MY COUSIN AND SHE SAID, 'WE 33:08 DID A DNA TEST' AND SHE WAS REALLY SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT, 33:12 YOU KNOW, SOME OF HER ANCESTRY AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DID A DNA 33:17 TEST, YOU WOULD BE SHOCKED HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HEBREW IN YOUR 33:22 DNA, BECAUSE THE JEWS HAVE BEEN SCATTERED AROUND THE CIVILIZED 33:26 WORLD FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS AND THEY HAVE COMMUNITIES 33:30 EVERYWHERE. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT? YOU SAY, 'OH, BUT I'M FROM 33:32 GERMANY.' YOU DON'T THINK THERE'S JEWS THERE? 'OH, BUT I'M 33:36 FROM SOUTH AMERICA.' A LOT OF JEWS THERE. THE CARIBBEAN - 33:39 YOU'LL FIND SYNAGOGUES THERE. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU GO. 33:43 AND SO, WHEN PEOPLE ARGUE THAT THERE HAVE TO BE TWELVE THOUSAND 33:46 LITERAL JEWS, I THINK, 'OH, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT.' FURTHERMORE, 33:51 THE BIBLE'S PRETTY CLEAR. LOOK IN GALATIANS 3:29. 33:54 IF YOU ARE CHRIST'S THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED. 33:58 IF YOU'RE A BELIEVER, YOU'RE PART OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL. 34:01 ROMANS 2:28, 29, "FOR HE IS NOT A JEW WHO IS ONE OUTWARDLY, NOR 34:07 IS CIRCUMCISION THAT WHICH IS OUTWARD IN THE FLESH; BUT HE IS 34:10 A JEW WHO IS ONE INWARDLY;" ROMANS 9:6, "BUT IT IS NOT THAT 34:15 THE WORD OF GOD HAS TAKEN NO EFFECT. 34:17 FOR THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE OF ISRAEL." 34:22 MATTHEW 3:9 - JOHN THE BAPTIST SAID, "AND DO NOT THINK TO SAY 34:25 TO YOURSELVES, 'WE HAVE ABRAHAM AS OUR FATHER.' FOR I SAY...GOD 34:27 IS ABLE TO RAISE UP CHILDREN TO ABRAHAM FROM THESE STONES." 34:31 AND I COULD GO ON AND READ YOU ABOUT TWENTY OTHER VERSES THAT 34:34 MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT FROM THE TIME OF CHRIST ANY GENTILE COULD 34:38 BE GRAFTED INTO THE STOCK OF ISRAEL. 34:41 NOW I'VE GOT SOME FOLKS WATCHING NOW AND THEY'RE GOING TO THINK, 34:43 'PASTOR DOUG, YOU DON'T THINK GOD HAS A SPECIAL WORK? 34:45 YOU THINK HE'S FORSAKEN ISRAEL? YOU DON'T THINK HE HAS SOMETHING 34:48 SPECIAL FOR THE JEWS?' ABSOLUTELY NOT - THERE'S A 34:50 TEACHING OUT THERE CALLED 'REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY' THAT GOD 34:53 HAS NO PLAN FOR THE JEWS NOW AND IT'S ECLIPSED AND REPLACED 34:57 BY SPIRITUAL JEWS. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. 34:59 WHAT I READ IN THE BIBLE IS QUITE THE OPPOSITE. 35:02 WHEN YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE GRAFTED INTO ISRAEL AND YOU, 35:09 BASICALLY, BECOME A SPIRITUAL JEW. 35:11 THERE ARE A LOT OF JEWS THAT BECOME SPIRITUAL JEWS BY 35:17 ACCEPTING JESUS - AND PAUL MAKES IT VERY CLEAR - BUT YOU ARE NOT 35:20 SAVED - GOD DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE. 35:22 GOD IS NOT SAVING PEOPLE BECAUSE HE LOOKS AT YOUR BLOOD AND SAYS, 35:25 'YOU'VE GOT HEBREW BLOOD. I'VE GOT TO SAVE YOU. 35:27 YOU'RE CHOSEN.' WHAT DID JESUS SAY TO THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS? 35:30 THEY THOUGHT, 'WE'RE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM. 35:31 WE'RE GOING TO BE SAVED.' HE SAYS, 'YOU'RE NOT CHILDREN OF 35:34 ABRAHAM, YOU'RE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO 35:36 KILL ME, THE MESSIAH. ABRAHAM WOULDN'T HAVE DONE 35:39 THAT.' BUT IT'S AMAZING TO ME HOW MIXED UP PEOPLE GET. 35:42 AND THEY'RE WAITING FOR 144,000 LITERAL JEWS FROM THESE TRIBES 35:47 THAT ARE DISPERSED AND EXTINCT. NOW, AMONG THE TWELVE APOSTLES, 35:51 WERE THEY FROM THE TWELVE DIFFERENT TRIBES? 35:53 >>NO. >>NO. 35:56 MATTHEW HAD SOME LEVITE - HE WAS CALLED MATTHEW LEVI. 35:59 PAUL SAYS HE'S FROM THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN. 36:01 THE MAJORITY WERE PROBABLY FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. 36:05 AND SO YOU HAD THOSE THREE TRIBES OF THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM 36:08 THAT WERE REPRESENTED AMONG THE TWELVE TRIBES - THE TWELVE 36:11 APOSTLES, RATHER. AND SO, THEY STILL PRESERVED THE 36:15 NUMBER TWELVE, BUT TEN OF THE TRIBES SORT OF EVAPORATED 36:18 BECAUSE THEY ABANDONED GOD. YOU MAY BE RAISED IN THE CHURCH. 36:23 YOU MAY HAVE GENERATIONS OF CHURCH HISTORY AND HERITAGE. 36:26 DO YOU THINK GOD'S IMPRESSED WITH THAT? 36:29 'HEY LORD, LOOK AT THIS, I'VE GOT FOURTH GENERATION - MY GREAT 36:34 GRANDFATHER WAS A PASTOR, DO I GET EXTRA POINTS? 36:37 WHERE DO I GET TO SIT IN HEAVEN? WE'VE GOT GENERATIONS OF CHURCH 36:39 HISTORY.' IT DOESN'T DO YOU ANY GOOD IN THE JUDGMENT DAY. 36:45 YOU NEED A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, THAT'S WHAT MATTERS. 36:48 GOD HAS NO GRANDCHILDREN. YOU EVER HEARD THAT? 36:54 YOU DON'T CONNECT WITH GOD BECAUSE OF A SECOND GENERATION. 36:58 YOU DON'T DO IT THROUGH MARRIAGE - 'I'M MARRIED TO A CHRISTIAN. 37:00 THAT MAKES ME ONE.' YOU MIGHT PRAY FOR YOUR SPOUSE AND THERE 37:04 IS A SANCTIFYING INFLUENCE - 1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 7 SAYS THAT 37:09 THE BELIEVING WIFE OR BELIEVING HUSBAND CAN HAVE A SANCTIFYING 37:12 INFLUENCE ON THE SPOUSE OR THE FAMILY, BUT THEY'RE NOT SAVED BY 37:15 IT. THEY MIGHT BE CONVERTED BY THE PRAYER. I WON'T ASK SUZIE 37:21 HOW LONG SHE'S BEEN PRAYING FOR JOHN. 37:22 >>AMEN. >>GOD ANSWERS THOSE PRAYERS, 37:26 RIGHT? THERE'S A SANCTIFYING INFLUENCE THROUGH THAT. 37:31 I'M SORRY, I HOPE I DIDN'T EMBARRASS YOU. 37:35 THEY HAVE A SPECIAL WORK TO DO. SO IS IT CLEAR THAT 37:38 IT'S NOT LITERAL JEWS? >>YES. 37:40 >>ALRIGHT, I'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT POINT. 37:42 THEY HAVE A SPECIAL WORK. 37:45 WHAT WAS THE WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST? 37:48 HE WENT TO PREPARE PEOPLE FOR JESUS' FIRST COMING. 37:51 HE SAID, 'I AM THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS. 37:53 PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.' NOW, WHEN IT CAME TO JOHN THE 37:55 BAPTIST, PEOPLE SAID TO JESUS, 'NOW, WAS THIS ELIJAH?' 38:00 AND JESUS SAID, 'ELIJAH HAS COME. AND ELIJAH WILL COME.' 38:07 MEANING ELIJAH CAME IN THE PERSON OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 38:10 JOHN THE BAPTIST CAME IN THE SPIRIT AND THE POWER OF ELIJAH 38:13 TO PREPARE THE WORLD FOR JESUS' FIRST COMING. 38:16 BUT JESUS SAID, 'SOME OTHERS ARE GOING TO COME IN THE SPIRIT AND 38:20 POWER OF ELIJAH TO PREPARE THE WORLD FOR JESUS' SECOND COMING. 38:24 THIS IS THE WORK OF THE 144,000 AND THEY'VE GOT A SPECIAL WORK 38:28 TO DO. THEY'VE GOT SPECIAL NAMES. 38:31 NOW, WHY DID IT USE THE NAMES IN THE LIST THAT YOU'VE SEEN? 38:36 WHEN YOU - IN THE BIBLE, WHEN YOU NAME YOUR KID, THEY DIDN'T 38:40 GET A BIBLE NAME BOOK. YOU KNOW, I'VE NOTICED NAMES GO 38:43 THROUGH TRENDS AND I FORGET WHAT THE MODERN TRENDS ARE NOW BUT 38:48 THERE ARE CERTAIN NAMES - IF I NAME THEM I WON'T 38:50 EMBARRASS ANYBODY HERE. NOBODY - I HAVEN'T MET 38:52 TOO MANY MATHILDAS LATELY. BUT THAT USED TO BE THE NAME. 38:58 AND THERE'S ALL THESE DIFFERENT NAMES - SOMETIMES IT DEPENDS ON 39:00 WHO'S THE KING AT THE CERTAIN TIME. 39:02 EVERYONE WAS NAMED GEORGE WHEN KING GEORGE WAS THERE AND - 39:05 DIFFERENT THINGS, DIFFERENT TRENDS, NAMES CHANGE. 39:08 'WHY DO YOU EVEN PICK THAT NAME?' 39:10 'I LIKE THE SOUND.' BUT IN THE BIBLE THEY NAMED THEIR CHILDREN 39:13 WITH A MEANING. THE NAME HAD A MEANING. 39:16 IT OFTEN TALKED ABOUT THEM IN SOME WAY. 39:19 SO, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NAMES OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES THAT ARE 39:23 LISTED IN THE LIST OF 144,000 - AND I SUPPOSE I COULD PUT THESE 39:27 NOTES ONLINE, IF ANYBODY'S INTERESTED. 39:30 LET ME JUST TELL YOU WHAT THE NAMES MEAN. 39:32 THIS IS THE LIST IN REVELATION. JUDAH MEANS 'I WILL PRAISE THE 39:36 LORD.' REUBEN MEANS 'HE HAS LOOKED ON ME.' GAD - 'GIVEN GOOD 39:40 FORTUNE.' ASHER MEANS 'HAPPY AM I.' NAPHTALI MEANS 'MY 39:46 WRESTLING.' MANASSEH - 'MAKING ME FORGET.' SIMEON - 'GOD HEARS 39:51 ME.' LEVI - ATTACHED OR JOINED TO ME. 39:54 ISSACHAR - 'PURCHASED ME.' ZEBULON - 'DWELLING.' JOSEPH - 39:59 'GOD WILL ADD.' - YOU SEE, WHEN RACHEL HAD JOSEPH SHE SAID, 'GOD 40:03 WILL ADD TO ME ANOTHER SON.' SHE NAMED HIM JOSEPH AND SHE - GOD 40:06 DID. IT WAS A PROPHECY - BENJAMIN WAS HIS NAME. 40:08 BENJAMIN MEANS 'SON OF HIS RIGHT HAND.' 40:11 THERE'S YOUR LIST. THAT'S WHAT THE NAMES ARE. 40:13 YOU CAN LOOK THIS UP FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR BIBLE. 40:15 WHEN RACHEL AND LEAH AND THEIR HAND MAIDS WERE HAVING THEIR 40:18 BABIES, THEY MADE A STATEMENT WITH THE BIRTH OF EVERY BOY. 40:21 NOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU TAKE THESE NAMES AND YOU PUT THEM IN 40:26 THE ORDER THEY'RE GIVEN IN REVELATION AND PATCHED TOGETHER 40:30 A PARAGRAPH? THIS IS WHAT IT SAYS: I WILL 40:35 PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE HAS LOOKED ON ME AND 40:39 GRANTED GOOD FORTUNE. I AM HAPPY BECAUSE MY WRESTLING 40:42 GOD IS MAKING ME FORGET. GOD HEARS ME AND 40:46 IS JOINED TO ME. HE HAS PURCHASED ME A DWELLING 40:49 AND WILL ADD TO ME THE SON OF HIS RIGHT HAND. 40:53 IT IS THE STORY OF SALVATION THAT IS HIDDEN IN THE NAMES OF 40:59 THE 144,000 BECAUSE THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WRESTLING AND 41:04 BEING JOINED TO THE LORD. NOW, I'VE SEEN DIFFERENT 41:07 SCHOLARS WILL TAKE THE PARAGRAPH AND YOU ADD THE WORD 'FOR' AND 41:11 'THE' AND 'AND' - WE'VE TAKEN THE LIBERTY TO DO THAT TO 41:13 MAKE - TO TIE IT ALL TOGETHER. AND SOME HAVE COME UP WITH 41:16 SLIGHT VARIATIONS OF IT, BUT BASICALLY, IT IS TELLING 41:19 THE STORY OF SALVATION. ISN'T THAT NEAT? 41:22 I THINK THAT - IT JUST TELLS ME ABOUT THE INSPIRATION OF THE 41:25 BIBLE AND WHY GOD USED THESE NAMES THAT HE USED. 41:31 THEY HAVE SPECIAL WHITE ROBES THAT THEY WEAR. 41:34 THERE'S SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THEIR CLOTHING. 41:36 WHO WEARS THE WHITE ROBES? 41:38 REVELATION 3:5, "HE WHO OVERCOMES" - JESUS SAID - THE 41:41 SAME "SHALL BE CLOTHED IN WHITE RAIMENT [GARMENTS], AND I WILL 41:44 NOT BLOT HIS NAME FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE; BUT I WILL CONFESS HIS 41:47 NAME BEFORE MY FATHER AND BEFORE HIS ANGELS." 41:51 YOU CAN READ IN REVELATION 19:8, "AND TO HER IT WAS GRANTED TO BE 41:54 ARRAYED IN FINE LINEN, CLEAN AND BRIGHT, FOR THE FINE LINEN IS 41:59 THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS." THOSE WHITE ROBES ARE A 42:03 SYMBOL OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND THEN IT MAKES AN INTERESTING 42:07 STATEMENT - IF YOU READ IN REVELATION 14 - MATTER OF FACT, 42:10 TURN WITH ME TO REVELATION 14. I DIDN'T REALLY READ THIS TO YOU 42:13 YET, "THEN I LOOKED, AND BEHOLD, A LAMB STANDING ON MOUNT ZION, 42:23 AND WITH HIM ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND, HAVING HIS 42:27 FATHER'S NAME WRITTEN ON THEIR FOREHEADS." 42:30 - IT'S CLEAR EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING IN THE FOREHEAD - "AND 42:32 I HEARD A VOICE FROM HEAVEN, LIKE THE VOICE OF MANY WATERS, 42:35 AND LIKE THE VOICE OF LOUD THUNDER. 42:37 AND I HEARD THE SOUND OF HARPISTS PLAYING THEIR HARPS. 42:40 THEY SANG AS IT WERE A NEW SONG BEFORE THE THRONE, BEFORE THE 42:44 FOUR LIVING CREATURES, AND THE ELDERS; AND NO ONE COULD LEARN 42:47 THAT SONG EXCEPT THE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND WHO WERE 42:50 REDEEMED FROM THE EARTH. THESE ARE THE ONES WHO WERE NOT 42:53 DEFILED WITH WOMEN, FOR THEY ARE VIRGINS." 42:56 ALRIGHT, I'VE GOT TO PAUSE. THE TERM THERE, 'VIRGINS', IS A 42:59 FEMININE TERM. DOES THAT MEAN THE 144,000 ARE ALL WOMEN? 43:04 >>NO. >>NO. 43:08 IN REVELATION YOU'VE GOT TWO PRINCIPAL WOMEN. 43:11 YOU HAVE THE WOMAN IN REVELATION 12, WHO IS PURE - LIGHT - SUN, 43:18 MOON, STARS - SHE IS THE CHURCH OF GOD. 43:20 YOU'VE GOT, THEN, THE OPPOSITE WOMAN IN REVELATION 17 WHO IS 43:24 CALLED A HARLOT AND SHE IS CLOTHED WITH EARTHLY ADORNMENT - 43:28 GOLD AND PEARLS AND PURPLE AND SCARLET AND SO FORTH. 43:30 IT IS CONTRASTING THE TWO RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD - GOD'S 43:34 CHURCH - HIS BRIDE CLOTHED WITH LIGHT. AND, OF COURSE, A LOT OF 43:39 MEN ARE PART OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST. IT'S NOT TALKING ABOUT 43:42 GENDER HERE, IT'S TALKING ABOUT HIS BRIDE. 43:44 THE 144,000 ARE VIRGINS - THEY ARE PURE SPIRITUALLY. 43:50 THEY ARE NOT DEFILED WITH THE FALSE TEACHINGS OF BABYLON, THE 43:56 MOTHER OF HARLOTS. IS THAT CLEAR? 43:58 IN THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS THAT JESUS SHARES, DOES 44:02 THAT MEAN EVERYBODY'S SAVED IN THE LAST DAYS A VIRGIN? 44:05 OR IS IT CALLING THAT THE VIRGINS ARE A SYMBOL FOR HIS 44:06 CHURCH? SAME THING HAPPENING 44:08 HERE IN THIS VERSE. SO IT SAYS THAT THEY'RE VIRGINS 44:14 - THEY "FOLLOW THE LAMB WHEREVER HE GOES. 44:17 THEY WERE REDEEMED FROM AMONG MEN, BEING FIRSTFRUITS" - 44:21 THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES SAVED, THEY ARE THE "FIRSTFRUITS TO GOD 44:24 AND TO THE LAMB. AND IN THEIR MOUTH WAS FOUND NO 44:27 DECEIT, FOR THEY ARE WITHOUT FAULT BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD." 44:32 AND NOW, RIGHT AFTER IT DESCRIBES THIS GROUP AGAIN, IT 44:36 DESCRIBES THE FINAL EVENTS AND THEIR MESSAGE. 44:39 YOU'VE HEARD OF THE THREE ANGELS' MESSAGE? 44:40 WHAT IS IT EXACTLY THAT THE 144,000 IS TALKING ABOUT? 44:47 THERE - ANGEL GOING THROUGH HEAVEN WITH A LOUD VOICE - BY 44:51 THE WAY, I DIDN'T BRING IT OUT, BUT WHEN I READ EZEKIEL 9 TO 44:53 YOU, IT ALSO SAYS, 'A LOUD VOICE' THERE, JUST LIKE YOU'RE 44:58 FINDING IN REVELATION. AND THESE ANGELS HAVE A LOUD 45:01 VOICE, IT SAYS, "FEAR GOD AND GIVE GLORY TO HIM...BABYLON IS 45:05 FALLEN...DO NOT WORSHIP THE BEAST AND HIS IMAGE." 45:08 YOU'VE HEARD OF THE THREE ANGELS' MESSAGES, THIS IS THE 45:11 MESSAGE THAT'S GIVEN BY THE 144,000. 45:13 WHY ARE THEY GIVING THE MESSAGE? 45:16 BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES SAVED. 45:18 THERE IS A GREAT MULTITUDE THAT IS CONVERTED AS A RESULT OF 45:21 THEIR PREACHING. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? 45:24 BECAUSE HE SAYS TO THE ANGEL - OR THE ANGEL SAYS TO JOHN, 45:29 'WHO ARE THESE ARRAYED IN WHITE ROBES?' 45:32 HE SAID, 'THESE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE COME OUT OF GREAT 45:34 TRIBULATION. IT IS A GREAT MULTITUDE 45:35 THAT NO MAN CAN NUMBER. SO, IS THE 144,000 45:40 A LITERAL NUMBER? WELL, THE JURY IS OUT ON THAT. 45:44 I HAVE BEEN INCLINED TO THINK YES, BECAUSE THE NAMES IN 45:50 REVELATION ARE TYPICALLY SYMBOLIC; THE NUMBERS HAVE REAL 45:53 VALUE. CASE IN POINT: HOW MANY FOUNDATIONS IN THE NEW 45:57 JERUSALEM? >>TWELVE. 45:58 >>TWELVE. AND DOES IT TELL US 46:00 WHAT THE STONES ARE? >>YES. 46:02 >>IS THAT REAL OR IS THAT JUST IMAGINARY? 46:04 >>IT'S REAL. >>HOW MANY GATES? 46:06 >>TWELVE. >>ARE THERE REALLY TWELVE GATES? 46:08 AND THE TREE OF LIFE HAS HOW MANY KINDS OF FRUIT? 46:11 >>TWELVE. >>HOW MANY TIMES A YEAR? 46:13 >>TWELVE. >>TWELVE. 46:14 IT'S BETTER THAN BASKIN ROBBINS - ALL THOSE VARIETIES THAT 46:17 THEY'VE GOT. IS THAT LITERAL? >>YES. 46:21 >>SO THE NUMBERS IN REVELATION HAVE REAL VALUE. 46:23 THE NAMES ARE SYMBOLIC. I'M INCLINED TO THINK 46:27 THAT IT'S A REAL NUMBER. DID JESUS LITERALLY PICK TWELVE? 46:31 AND WHEN JUDAS WAS KILLED DID THEY FEEL SOME DESIRE TO REPLACE 46:34 THAT ONE - THAT ONE NUMBER? THE NUMBERS MEANT SOMETHING. 46:38 NOW, I COULD BE WRONG, AND LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO DIE ON 46:41 THAT MOUNTAIN, BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SEVENTH-DAY 46:47 ADVENTISTS, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY 46:49 SAYS, YOU'LL LOOK IN EARLY WRITINGS PAGE 16, "THE LIVING 46:53 SAINTS, 144,000 IN NUMBER, KNEW AND UNDERSTOOD THE VOICE" - 46:59 SPEAKING OF THE SECOND COMING. YOU CAN GO TO EARLY WRITINGS 47:01 PAGE 19, "OH THAT I COULD SPEAK IN THE LANGUAGE OF CANAAN, I 47:05 WOULD TELL A LITTLE OF THE GLORY OF A BETTER WORLD. 47:08 I SAW THERE THE TABLES OF STONE IN WHICH THE NAMES OF THE 47:11 144,000 WERE ENGRAVED IN LETTERS OF GOLD." IT'S ACTUALLY GOT 47:15 SPECIFIC NAMES SOUNDING LIKE IT'S A LITERAL GROUP. 47:21 AND THEN IN THE BIBLE COMMENTARY, TO KEEP US ON THE 47:25 STRAIGHT AND NARROW, SHE ADDS THIS, "IT IS NOT HIS WILL THAT 47:28 WE SHOULD GET INTO CONTROVERSY OVER QUESTIONS THAT WILL NOT 47:32 HELP SPIRITUALLY, SUCH AS 'WHO IS TO COMPOSE THE 144,000?' 47:37 AND SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN SHE SAID DON'T ARGUE ABOUT THAT - WHETHER 47:41 THE NUMBER IS SPIRITUAL OR LITERAL. 47:43 WHAT I DO KNOW IS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 144,000 47:48 WERE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE APOSTLES - THE APOSTLES WHO 47:52 LEARNED FROM JESUS AND THEN TAUGHT THE OTHER DISCIPLES - ARE 47:55 THE CHARACTERISTICS WE ARE TO HAVE. 47:57 SO WHAT WE'RE READING ABOUT THE 144,000 IS WHAT WE NEED TO BE. 48:01 IT SAYS THEY FOLLOW THE LAMB WHEREVER HE GOES, FOR ONE THING. 48:05 WE NEED TO BE DOING THAT. THEY HAVE A PURITY - IT 48:09 USES THE WORD 'VIRGINS'. IT'S AMAZING HOW GOD COULD TAKE 48:12 MARY MAGDALENE AND PURIFY HER. HE CAST OUT THE 48:15 SEVEN DEVILS, RIGHT? THEY SING A SPECIAL SONG. 48:20 REVELATION 14:3, "THEY SANG AS IT WERE A NEW SONG BEFORE THE 48:24 THRONE, BEFORE THE BEASTS [FOUR LIVING CREATURES], AND THE 48:26 ELDERS; AND NO ONE COULD LEARN THAT SONG EXCEPT THE HUNDRED AND 48:29 FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND WHO WERE REDEEMED FROM THE EARTH." 48:32 IN DEUTERONOMY 31:22 MOSES WRITES A SONG - THE WHOLE 48:36 CHAPTER IS A SONG. IT'S A SONG OF GOD'S LEADING AND 48:39 DELIVERANCE AND WARNING THAT'S IN THERE. 48:42 AND I TOLD YOU ABOUT DAVID HAD A CHOIR WITH 288 AND - TWO GROUPS 48:48 OF 144 - AND THEY HAD A SPECIAL TRAINING AND THEY WOULD ACTUALLY 48:52 PLAY ON INSTRUMENTS THAT DAVID HAD MADE. DID WE JUST READ ABOUT 48:56 THE HARPS - HARPERS HARPING THERE IN REVELATION CHAPTER 14? 49:00 YOU STILL WITH ME? >>YES. 49:01 >>AM I JUMPING AROUND TOO QUICKLY? 49:04 YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY ONE TIME IT SAYS JESUS SANG IN THE BIBLE? 49:07 AT THE LAST SUPPER WITH THE TWELVE - I GUESS AT THAT POINT 49:12 THERE MAY HAVE BEEN ELEVEN. IT SAYS THEY SANG A 49:14 HYMN AND WENT OUT. I'M SURE JESUS SANG OTHER TIMES, 49:18 BUT IT WAS ONLY RECORDED ONE TIME. 49:19 IT WAS WITH THE TWELVE THAT HE SANG. 49:22 AND IT ALSO SAYS THAT THEY'RE HONEST - THEY HAVE NO GUILE. 49:26 THERE - YOU EVER HEARD THE WORD 'GUILE' BEFORE? 49:28 IT'S AN OLD ENGLISH WORD; IT MEANS DECEIT. 49:31 "AND IN THEIR MOUTH WAS FOUND NO DECEIT," - THEY'RE HONEST - THEY 49:34 ARE WITHOUT FAULT BEFORE GOD. THEY'RE HOLY. WELL, YOU MIGHT 49:38 THINK THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. 'HOW COULD I BE THAT" - JESUS 49:40 SAID THAT OF ONE OF THE APOSTLES. WHEN HE FIRST MET 49:44 NATHANIEL AND NATHANIEL WAS COMING TOWARDS HIM, JESUS SAID - 49:47 THIS IS IN JOHN 1:47, "BEHOLD, AN ISRAELITE INDEED, IN WHOM IS 49:52 NO GUILE!" - NO DECEIT. SO THE TERMS THAT ARE BEING USED - 49:57 BY THE WAY, JOHN, WHO WROTE REVELATION, WROTE THAT VERSE. 50:00 THE TERMS THAT ARE BEING USED TO DESCRIBE THE 144,000 IS THE SAME 50:04 LANGUAGE THAT'S USED REGARDING THE APOSTLES AND WHAT THE 50:09 APOSTLES WERE IS WHAT THEY TAUGHT THE DISCIPLES TO BE. 50:15 SO THEY'RE MODELS FOR ALL OF US, RIGHT? 50:18 BECAUSE ONCE THEY DIED OFF, THE NEXT GENERATION WAS TO DO THE 50:21 WORK OF THE APOSTLES AND THE DISCIPLES - IN HOLINESS AND 50:24 HONESTY AND PURITY - IN FOLLOWING THE LAMB WHEREVER HE 50:26 WENT. AND THAT'S OUR LAST POINT. 50:29 IT SAYS THEY HAVE A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP. 50:32 THESE ARE THE ONES WHO FOLLOW THE LAMB WHEREVER HE GOES. 50:36 YOU KNOW, WHEN JOHN WROTE THAT, HE HAD A RIGHT TO WRITE THAT, 50:43 BECAUSE WHEN JESUS WAS BETRAYED AND THE MOB CAME TO ARREST HIM, 50:48 ALL OF THE DISCIPLES FORSOOK JESUS AND FLED. AFTER HE WAS 50:53 INITIALLY ARRESTED, TWO OF THE DISCIPLES BEGAN TO FOLLOW. 50:57 THE BIBLE SAYS PETER FOLLOWED AT A DISTANCE, BUT JOHN CAUGHT UP 51:01 AND HE WENT RIGHT WITH JESUS INTO THE JUDGMENT HALL. 51:04 JOHN FOLLOWED HIM ALL THE WAY IN. 51:07 PETER, HE STAYED KIND OF OUT WITH THE SERVANTS. 51:09 BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED AT A DISTANCE, HE ENDED UP DENYING 51:12 JESUS. THE 144,000 WILL NOT DENY CHRIST 51:15 WHEN THEY'RE BEING MOCKED IN THE LAST DAYS. 51:19 WE FOLLOW THE LAMB WHEREVER HE GOES. 51:21 JESUS SAID, 'WHOEVER WOULD COME AFTER ME LET HIM TAKE UP HIS 51:25 CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.' AND WHERE DID JESUS TAKE HIS CROSS? 51:29 >>CALVARY. >>TO HIS CRUCIFIXION. 51:31 'I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST YET I LIVE.' THESE ARE THE ONES WHO 51:35 FOLLOW THE LAMB WHEREVER HE GOES. AND IF WE WANT TO FOLLOW 51:38 HIM THERE, WE MUST FIRST FOLLOW HIM HERE. 51:42 >>AMEN. >>ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. 51:44 SO THE MESSAGE OF THE 144,000 IS A MESSAGE OF A HIGH CALLING FOR 51:48 GOD'S PEOPLE. HE IS JOINED TO US - HE'S 51:50 TALKING ABOUT - IT'S LIKE A MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP. 51:52 WE LOVE THE LORD AND ARE CONNECTED WITH HIM. 51:56 AND HE'S OUR SHEPHERD, WE ARE HIS SHEEP AND WE FOLLOW WHEREVER 51:59 OUR SHEPHERD LEADS. (MUSIC) 52:04 >>AMAZING FACTS. CHANGED LIVES. 52:12 >>I GREW UP HERE IN NEW YORK CITY. 52:15 I GUESS DEALING WITH ALL THE TEMPTATIONS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE 52:18 IN A BIG CITY - EVERYTHING THAT YOU COULD IMAGINE THAT YOU COULD 52:21 RUN INTO - DRUGS, CRIME - WAS ALWAYS HERE. WHEN I WAS AT A 52:27 YOUNG AGE I ACTUALLY GOT INTO TROUBLE WITH THE LAW AND MY ONLY 52:32 OUT WAS TO JOIN THE MILITARY AT THE TIME, IN ORDER NOT TO DO 52:36 TIME. SO I LEFT NEW YORK AND TRAVELED THE WORLD A LITTLE BIT 52:41 WHILE I WAS IN THE MILITARY. EVENTUALLY I CAME BACK. 52:45 HAVING GROWN UP AS A HIP-HOP KID, I EVENTUALLY FOUND MYSELF 52:48 WORKING IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, ACTUALLY. 52:51 I WORKED AT A COUPLE OF MAJOR RADIO STATIONS - HIP-HOP, REGGAE 52:55 - I WAS AT ALL THE BIG REGGAE SHOWS WORKING THEM. NO MATTER 52:57 WHAT I DID TO TRY AND SATISFY MYSELF, NOTHING REALLY WORKED. 53:03 I REMEMBER I USED TO PLAY AT THIS ONE CLUB IN MANHATTAN. 53:06 WE USED TO PLAY THERE EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT. 53:09 SO I CAME HOME ONE SATURDAY MORNING AFTER LEAVING THE CLUB 53:13 AND I TURNED ON THE VIDEO CHANNEL LIKE I USUALLY DO. 53:16 THERE WAS THIS GUY ON THE VIDEO CHANNEL TALKING AND HE WAS 53:19 DEFINITELY OUT OF PLACE, BUT THE THINGS HE WERE - HE WAS SAYING 53:23 JUST TOTALLY AMAZED ME. I HAD NEVER HEARD ANYONE SPEAK 53:27 ABOUT THE BIBLE LIKE THIS BEFORE SO I STARTED COMING HOME EARLY 53:30 ON SATURDAY MORNINGS JUST TO CATCH THIS SHOW. 53:34 I FOUND THE THINGS THAT HE WAS SAYING ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, TO 53:37 THE POINT WHERE IT LITERALLY MADE ME STOP AND START TO THINK 53:42 ABOUT HOW I WAS LIVING MY LIFE. 53:45 SO I FOUND THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT I HAD BEEN DOING TO 53:47 TRY AND FIND HAPPINESS WERE ACTUALLY NOT MAKING ME HAPPY AT 53:51 ALL BUT WERE REALLY JUST LEAVING ME EMPTY INSIDE. 53:55 WHEN I STARTED READING THE BIBLE AND IT STARTED TO MAKE SENSE, I 53:58 STARTED TO MAKE CHANGES. I EVEN TRIED TO KEEP THE 54:02 SABBATH, WHICH I FAILED AT MISERABLY. 54:06 SO I WAS ACTUALLY INVITED BY AMAZING FACTS TO GO TO SEE A 54:09 LIVE SERIES AT ONE OF THE LOCAL CHURCHES, BUT AFTER GOING THE 54:13 FIRST NIGHT, I ENDED UP GOING ANOTHER NIGHT AND ANOTHER NIGHT. 54:17 I STAYED FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES. THAT WAS THE DAY I MADE A 54:20 DECISION TO CHANGE THE REST OF MY LIFE FOREVER. 54:23 I GAVE MY LIFE TO CHRIST AND EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT AFTER 54:26 THAT. I MADE THE DECISION TO GIVE UP 54:28 THE MUSIC BUSINESS - STOPPED HANGING OUT AT ALL OF THE CLUBS. 54:31 I MADE A DECISION THAT WAS ETERNAL FOR ME AND FOR MY 54:34 FAMILY. I STARTED GOING TO CHURCH. 54:38 I GOT A POSITION IN CHURCH WHERE I WAS ACTUALLY IN CHARGE OF THE 54:42 PERSONAL MINISTRIES DEPARTMENT. AND THE SAME AMAZING FACTS 54:46 STUDIES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE, I ACTUALLY GOT TO SHARE THEM WITH 54:50 PEOPLE AND SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS. 54:55 (MUSIC) 55:13 >>FRIENDS, IF YOU'RE SCARED OF SNAKES, THIS MAY NOT 55:16 BE FOR YOU. I'M HERE AT A REPTILE PARK 55:19 OUTSIDE OF DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA AND I'M HOLDING MY FRIEND 55:22 HERE WHO'S A RED-TAIL BOA. SNAKES ARE FOUND ALL OVER THE 55:26 WORLD AND THEY COME IN ALL SIZES. 55:28 SNAKES CAN BE FOUND THROUGH THE TREES, THEY CRAWL ON THE GROUND, 55:31 THEY LIVE UNDER THE GROUND, AND THEY SWIM IN THE WATER - VERY 55:34 INTERESTING CREATURES. SOME SNAKES ARE VENOMOUS - NOT 55:38 MY FRIEND HERE, BUT THE BLACK MAMBA - VERY POISONOUS. 55:42 MATTER OF FACT, THEIR BITE IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE KISS OF 55:45 DEATH. THEY CAN GROW 15 FEET LONG AND 55:48 TRAVEL UP TO SEVEN MILES AN HOUR. 55:50 THEY DON'T CALL THEM BLACK MAMBAS BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF 55:52 THEIR SKIN, BUT THE INTERIOR OF THEIR MOUTH IS BLACK. 55:56 SNAKES ALSO COME IN ALL SIZES - LIKE THIS BOA - 55:59 OR A PYTHON - THEY CAN GROW TO GREAT SIZES. 56:01 MATTER OF FACT, IN SOUTH AMERICA, THEY FOUND SOME FOSSILS 56:04 OF A SNAKE THAT THEY CALL TITANIBOA. 56:08 THEY BELIEVE IT WAS AS BIG AS 50-FEET LONG AND WEIGHED AS MUCH 56:11 AS A CAR. SAY CHEESE. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE 56:15 SCARED OF SNAKES. I USED TO LIVE ON A MOUNTAIN IN 56:17 A CAVE AND I RAN INTO SNAKES FREQUENTLY. 56:19 THEY NEVER BOTHERED ME UNLESS I WAS BOTHERING THEM. 56:22 IN THE BIBLE, A SNAKE IS OFTEN A SYMBOL OF THE DEVIL. 56:25 IN REALITY, IT'S JUST A SYMBOL. 56:27 THEY'RE ANIMALS, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER ANIMALS, BUT IT SAYS 56:29 THEY WERE CURSED TO GO UPON THEIR BELLY BECAUSE THEY WERE 56:31 THE FIRST MEDIUM THAT THE DEVIL USED TO TEMPT ADAM AND EVE. 56:35 IN THE BOOK OF NUMBERS, CHAPTER 21, IT TELLS THE STORY OF HOW, 56:38 WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE GOING THROUGH THE WILDERNESS, 56:41 THEY BEGAN TO COMPLAIN ABOUT GOD'S MANNA, AND IT SAYS THE 56:44 LORD ALLOWED THESE FIERY SERPENTS TO GO AMONG THE PEOPLE 56:47 AND MANY WERE BITTEN AND THE VENOM WAS DEADLY. 56:50 I SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION AT THIS POINT, THAT BREAD THEY WERE 56:53 COMPLAINING ABOUT IS A SYMBOL FOR THE WORD OF GOD. 56:56 AS MANY OF THE PEOPLE WERE DYING FROM THIS PLAGUE OF SERPENTS, 56:59 THEY WENT UNTO MOSES AND THEY SAID, 'WHAT SHALL WE DO?' 57:01 GOD TOLD MOSES TO MAKE A BRONZE SERPENT AND PUT IT ON A POLE AND 57:05 LIFT IT UP THAT WHOEVER LOOKED UPON THE SERPENT, THEY WOULD BE 57:09 HEALED OF THEIR VENOM. THIS IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT, 57:12 BECAUSE JESUS SAYS, IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, CHAPTER 3, 57:15 VERSES 14 AND 15, "AND AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE 57:19 WILDERNESS, EVEN SO MUST THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP, THAT 57:23 WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT 57:25 HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." THEY NEEDED TO LOOK AND TO LIVE. 57:30 YOU SEE, THOSE ANCIENT SHEPHERDS, WHEN THEY WOULD KILL 57:32 A VENOMOUS SNAKE, THEY WOULD CARRY IT OFF ON THEIR STAFF AND 57:35 BURY IT. SO A SERPENT ON A POLE REPRESENTED A DEFEATED SNAKE. 57:40 IT'S TALKING ABOUT DEFEATING THE DEVIL, FRIENDS. 57:42 HAVE YOU BEEN BITTEN BY THE SERPENT? WE ALL HAVE. 57:45 THE ONLY CURE FOR THE VENOM OF SATAN IS TO LOOK IN FAITH AT 57:49 JESUS. HE THEN DEFEATED THE DEVIL. HE TOOK THE VENOM OF SIN 57:53 IN HIS BODY TO PROVIDE THE ANTIDOTE IN HIS BLOOD. 57:57 SO FRIENDS, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK TODAY AND LIVE. 58:00 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2016-12-16