A Time of God’s Grace in Wrath
Notes
Transcript
Handout
As we studied last week, we have entered a parenthesis or parenthetical.
An opportunity to contemplate the opening of the 6th seal and seeing God’s wrath beginning to be poured out on the earth. Man is now desiring
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
What we are going to discover is there will be 144,000 will be able to stand, because they will be sealed with the mark of God.
We will also discover
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, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
However, before these 2 groups can be identified, God had to pause His judgment upon the earth. He did this by sending an angel
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
that are holding back the four winds with a command to
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
This morning, we are going to examine the 144,000.
The Sealed 144,000:
The Sealed 144,000:
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Let me reiterate this morning something I mentioned last week.
The 144,000 Sealed Israelites are the literal seed of Abraham.
The 144,000 Israelites that are sealed, 12,000 from each tribe, will be of the earthly Israel, the literal seed of Abraham, living at this particular time, and not a mystical or spiritual Israel.
There may not be a genealogical record of the tribes of Israel on earth because of the destruction in AD70, when General Titus of the Roman army destroyed their city of Jerusalem and the Temple, but God knows where they are and who is who, and in that day the angels, with omniscient precision will seal them according to their tribes, 12, 000 from each tribe.
Another thing that I need to state is that
The 144,000 Sealed is a literal number that has no need to be spiritualized.
to mean anything else other than a literal number.
God has always, from the time of Abraham, a remnant of Israelites among the nations.
This remnant will be declaring the Gospel of the Kingdom during the Great Tribulation period.
Remember, our parallel chapter of the opening of the seals is found in Matthew 24.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Again, we, as a church, are to go into all the world and preach the gospel. However, the gospel of the kingdom will be preached by the Jews.
This phrase is not the speaking to the church because the church will be in Heaven before the throne of God. Rev 4.
Also, the church is neither Jewish not Gentile. The church is a new entity, made up of both believing Jews and the believing Gentiles. Once we are baptized into Jesus Christ, we are neither Jew nor Gentile.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
The 144,000 are all Israelites; not one Gentile is among them.
By spiritualizing the Scriptures, making Israel and the Church one and confusing law and grace, rob the nation of Israel of her promised blessings and in so doing commit a serious evil of adding to and taking away from the scriptures as written.
This sealed remnant of Jews, who have not had the gospel explained, will turn to Christ after the rapture of the Church. They will inherit the Kingdom under the rule of the Son of Man shortly after they are sealed. They will be saved just like the Jews were saved in the Old Testament before the Church and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
They were saved by grace through faith
They were saved by grace through faith
The clearest example is Abraham.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Abraham was declared righteous simply because he believed God. This occurred hundreds of years before the Law of Moses was given.
God will use His Word to convict and convert.
They did not know Jesus' name or understand every detail of the coming Messiah, but they believed what God had revealed to them.
For example:
Adam and Eve believed God's promise in Genesis 3:15.
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Noah believed God's warning and built the ark.
Abraham believed God's covenant promises.
David trusted in God's mercy and forgiveness (Psalm 32; Psalm 51).
Their faith rested in God and His promises, even though they saw only shadows of the Messiah.
The beast and the Antichrist will not be able to destroy the 144,000. They are His people and He will preserve them.
Salvation was and will always be by Grace through Faith.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Old Testament Jews (and all Old Testament believers) were not saved by keeping the Law or by offering sacrifices. They were saved by God's grace through faith in the revelation God had given them. Their faith looked forward to God's promised Redeemer, and the saving power of Christ's death on the cross was applied to them just as it is to believers today.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Now, hopefully we are clear and in agreement with these facts.
Now, we can notice:
The Word Sealed:
The Word Sealed:
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
The word “seal” is repeated after each tribe.
“Seals” = authentication of God’s ownership.
God’s seals HIs Possession for our Protection to carry out His Purpose and Plan.
Today, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, but during the tribulation, they will be sealed with a mark.
The seal today is internal and spiritual. The seal then will be external and physical.
The Substituted Tribes:
The Substituted Tribes:
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
A Significant Order:
A Significant Order:
Judah heads the list, supplanting the tribe of Reuben, the first born, whose right to that position had been forfeited by Reuben’s sin.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Reuben is the eldest but, Judah is mentioned first.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: From the prey, my son, thou art gone up: He stooped down, he couched as a lion, And as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Judah is listed first because the Messiah, our Lord Jesus will come from the tribe of Judah.
A Substitution Observed:
A Substitution Observed:
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Manasseh Replaces Dan and Joseph Replaces Ephraim:
Manasseh Replaces Dan and Joseph Replaces Ephraim:
Who is Manasseh and Ephraim?
Who is Manasseh and Ephraim?
These are the sons of Joseph.
If you remember, when the Israelites went into the promised land, the tribe of Joseph received a double-portion of the land because of the way Joseph had kindly treated his brothers in Egypt.
Joseph will receive a double blessing during the tribulation as 24,000 of his people will be SEALED, Joseph and Manasseh, his son.
Why Omit Dan and Ephraim?
Why Omit Dan and Ephraim?
Both tribes were guilty of going into idolatry.
Dan was the first tribe guilty of going into idolatry.
Notice the promise from God in the Word of God.
18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20 The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21 And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
If you go back to Judges 17-18, you can read how this idolatry began with his mother, who was an example of compromise and the teaching influence of a mother. Then the action of Dan in 1 Kings 12.
The choice of a single mother affected millions. Because of her decisions, Dan led Israel into Idolatry that led to a long term effect that will be carried into the tribulation period of Daniel’s 70th week.
Ephraim followed Dan into Idolatry.
Dan and Ephraim will get to have the Antichrist and the False Prophet and the image of the Beast during the tribulation. They will not be protected from God’s judgment like the other tribes.
Has God written off Dan and Ephraim forever?
Has God written off Dan and Ephraim forever?
Is their name blotted out into extinction to be remembered no more?
It is here, that we see God’s grace and mercy.
When Christ returns in “His glorious appearing” and establishes His kingdom on earth, Jesus will give Israel all the land He promised Abraham.
The first recipient of their portion will be Dan!
1 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.
2 And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.
5 And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim.
Listen, Never Forget
Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound!
30 And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.
31 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.
32 And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.
35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.
In the New Jerusalem, Dan is back! Tried and tested through the fiery furnace of Tribulation, broken and repentant… “The Lord is there.”
That should bring us to worship and humility, grace abounds to the chief of sinners.
After not reading of Dan in Revelation 7 as listed as a sealed tribe, we might conclude that Dan is doomed to oblivion and extinction. However, according to Ezekiel this is not true! Dan is at the head of the list! That’s GRACE!
The Significance of Prophecy:
The Significance of Prophecy:
God does nothing without purpose.
Why will God seal these 144,000 Jews?
What is the significance of this event?
Remember last week I encouraged you to read Romans 9-11.
Fulfillment of God’s Prophecy:
Fulfillment of God’s Prophecy:
Well, lets look at
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
The Gentiles are carrying out the Kingdom agenda on earth right now. However, when the rapture of the church takes place, God will then carry out His purpose and message on earth through these “sealed servants of our God” Israel…the Jews.
Israel was cut off and the Gentile church was grafted in. During the Tribulation when the Gentile age is complete, Israel will be “grafted back in” again to fulfill God’s intended purpose and ministry on earth.
Our day (the church age) will be over… thus fulfilling prophecy.
Fulfillment of God’s Purpose:
Fulfillment of God’s Purpose:
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. 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.
People say today, the tribes have so intermingled with one another and other people that they have lost their “identity”.
“There is no way of knowing the tribal genealogies.”
But God, “who numbers the very hairs of our head” and “who keeps us by the power of His Spirit” - He Knows.
Fulfillment of God’s Promise:
Fulfillment of God’s Promise:
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
God will fulfill every promise His made to Israel, Abraham, and David.
God will preserve and save a remnant to carry out this “short work” on the earth. 7 years.
The 144,000, redeemed by their Messiah, will be true to their God before a watching world - what God always intended Israel to be! A light shining in the darkness of tribulation, they will be God’s light in the darkest hour on earth.
Why are the Jews so hated? Why is the state of Israel so despised? They are God’s chosen and sanctified nation.
Why will they be so hated during the Tribulation by Satan, Antichrist and the world? Because they dare to blow the whistle of truth!
These 144,000 will be true to our God and His plan for them on earth.
Today, even though we are looking at the future of the Jews, the question has to be asked,
What about us?
Are we being true to God and His purpose for us on the earth?
Do you acknowledge the Seal of God’s ownership?
Over you? Over His day? Over His title?
Parents, grandparents, are you following the way of Dan by compromising values, priorities and rationalization to your children? Do you understand the long-term effect of your present example?
Do you acknowledge the God of Israel and the Bible as the only true living God…as Savior…as Lord?
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
