POWER OF PURITY
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
as we keep moving through the book of Revelation we find ourselves in chapter 14. During this period that John writes it is the great parenthetical passage, from chapters. 12-15.
now if you remember what that is, it is a time where John goes on to further describe what is taking place or what will take place during the tribulation period. John left off in Chap. 11 taking about the 7th trumpet judgement, and then he goes on in...
Rev. 12- describe the dragon- Satan
Rev. 13 - describe the Beast from the Sea ( Antichrist)
Rev. 13 - describe the Beast from the Earth ( the false prophet)
and Jay and Dave described the evil and wickedness that Satan and his men will have on the earth as Satan empowers the Antichrist and the False Prophet to come into power through political means and through signs and wonders.
so i won’t go back too far to look at what we saw because of time.
Transition
now today as we find ourselves in Rev. 14, we will see what the end will be of Satan , the antichrist and the false prophet.
in the last 2 chapters we have seen how Satan works among the people left here on the earth. His desire since he has been cast out of heaven is to bring down as many people as he can, just as he brought down a third of the angels in heaven with him.
We see Satan bring deception through his Antichrist and the false prophet, how he goes after the Jewish people, the people of God, how Satan uses the Antichrist and his political authority over the 10 ruling nations to usher in his rule, and to have people worship him, and to bring judgement on those who do not worship him.
We looked at some of those means being the political pressure that may come through the mark of the beast and of not being able to buy or sell without having the mark.
now as we make our way through chp. 14 in (2) studies..... we will see that although Satan will put on pressure and persecution on the people of God,
God’s People will be Protected
Satan Ultimately Losses
today we will just look at the first 5 verses. As i looked at this and was studying i felt that the Lord wanted us to camp out on this for a bit. And so today we will wait on the Lord and see what He will have to say to us ....... As we considered “ THE POWER OF PURITY”
TRANSITION
Now within these 5 verse we have a number of different Characters that are mentioned. We will see The Lord Jesus, we will see the John, we will see the elders and the four living creatures before the throne and we will see how this specific group ( the 144,000 people) are connected to all of these characters.
so the 144,000 people is really what we are going to focus on tonight.
I. 144,000 COME WITH JESUS (V.1)
John looks up and sees something and he writes down for us to look at what it is that he is seeing.
he sees a “lamb” standing on Mount Zion.
the bible tells us that Jesus was the blameless lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Dave spoke about those who would be persecuted during the tribulation period in chp.12 and how they overcame “by the blood of the lamb”.
It is Jesus, who was the spotless and blameless lamb, who had no sin, who was taken to the altar at Calvary on your behalf and mine, in order that His blood would be spilled. It is His blood that has brought victory over the punishment of sin and over the power of sin in your life and mine
and so it is this Lamb, it is Jesus who we see here standing on Mount Zion.
Transition
Mount Zion in the bible is in reference to the mountains of Jerusalem. And when we see “Mount Zion” mentioned in regards to prophetic events it really has two meanings. And looking at the context of the scriptures where it is referenced and proper examination of the scriptures you can see what “mount zion” the passage is talking about.
Mount Zion- can be in reference to the New Jerusalem or the new city of God that will descend from Heaven (rev. 21)
Mount Zion- can be in reference to Jerusalem here on earth.
so when looking at this passage, you can image that there are those who will look at this and see that John is seeing Jesus standing in heaven. There are others who will view this as John is looking into the future and seeing the final victory of Christ here on earth.
i tend to believe that John is viewing into the future and seeing the victory of Christ over Satan and his armies.
Transition
now we are told that the Lamb is not alone, but he has with Him 144,000 people. These are the same 144,000 found in Rev. 7.
in Rev. 7, we see the seals being open from the scroll and the result is judgement and God’s wrath being poured out on a Christ Rejecting world. After the havoc of the first 6 seals, we see an angel come down and cry out to four angels who were allowed to bring judgement, to wait until they had sealed the servants of God.
saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
we were told that these 144,000 were from the 12 tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe. These were Jewish believers who during the tribulation period came to fatih in Jesus.
There was a seal of Protection that was placed on them. They would be protected during the horrible things that happen in the tribulation period, they would be protected from Satan and from the Antichrist.
it is these same 144,000 that we see now here in chp. 14. And what we see is the fact that these servants who were sealed on their forehead were protected til the end just as the Angel had declared. Here we see what that seal actually was, it was the name of the Father that was on their heads. There protection came because they were found in the Father through faith in the Son.
These people came to find salvation and protection through the spotless Lamb of God.
II. The 144,000 were Redeemed (v.2-3)
John then hears a voice from Heaven, and we are told that the voice was like many waters, like loud thunder. And then he heard the sound of harpists playing thier harps.
there is a song that is brewing before the Throne at this moment. And the sound must have been loud , so much so that it sounded like a water fall maybe , crashing water, or loud thunder shaking the air .
and we see a new song is being sung before the throne of God, where the 4 living creatures are and where the elders that bow before the throne are. In chp. 5 we get this great picture of the throne room of God.
we see the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders falling before the throne of God singing a new song we are told, declaring “worthy is the Lamb who was slain”
And interesting that we are told in rev.5 that the elders had harps in their hands and the people around the throne singing were 10,000 x 10,000’s and 1,000’s . This is you and I as we are in heaven declaring how worthy the Lord is.
Back in chp. 14 the picture is similar, possibly the elders are playing this new song on the harps, but we are told that no one is able to learn this song, except those who were part of the 144,000. Those who were redeemed.
That word “redeemed” speaks of being purchased from the market place, as a slave who was being sold in the slave market. They would have to be purchased by a master. So the thought is , these 144,000 people who were under the deception and the bondage of Satan at one point, were purchased and set free from that bondage.
the price paid for their freedom was the blood of Jesus. And their new master was the Lord Jesus. They were the only ones that would be able to sing this song, because only they knew what this price of freedom meant .
you and i will already be in heaven, but for these people, there will be a different level of appreciation and dependence because of what they have gone through.
great desperation will always lead to great dependence
III. THE CHARACTER OF THE 144,000 (V.4)
Now we will begin to get a description of these 144,000 . What made them different? What can we learn from them?
I want us to get a good picture of what it will be like. You have a World Ruler having authority and power from Satan, who has all political authority, who has control of all economy, money, trade, gas, oil, he is in control of all of it.
who establishes his own worship, and anyone who does not follow his lead, or who does not take the mark of the beast, will be killed.
think about the pressure that these 144,000 people will be facing along with other non jews who get saved during the tribulation period. There will be all kinds of pressure to fold, to break, to give in, just to be able to eat or to buy food for you family.
and yet what we will see, is that they do not give in to the pressure of the world.
Transition
the reason i bring this up is because we will all face some kind of pressure in life. Maybe not like these people, but we will all experience periods and times in our lives when we feel the heavy weight of pressure.
and in that pressure, we will all respond one of two ways. Either we resist the pressure and will run to the Lord for comfort, strength and release
or we will give in to the pressure and give in to the pleasures and comforts of this world.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed Nego in the fire
they were a perfect picture of what we should be. As they were facing pressure from the world around them to bow down and to worship King Nebuchanezar, they refused give in against their morality and their convictions. Even if it cost them their lives.
We see them being throw into the fire. And while in the fire, we see the Lord come and stand with the in the midst of the fire and he gave them strength and comfort and preseverd them .
2. Peter in the Fire
you remember after the crucifixion of Jesus that many of his disciples left Him. We read in the Gospels that Peter followed at a distance, and little by little he found himself warming up next to the fire.
and it was here next to the fire, that he was called out as one of Jesus’ disciples . He felt the pressure of being associtated with Jesus, and what does he do..... He begins to curse and he denies Jesus 3 times.
application
This is very true in our lives as well. In the midst of the fire, in the midst of pressure we may face from friends, from social media, from our boyfriends or girlfriends, the pressure of having to fit in., the pressure of not being made fun of..... you and i can break. We can give in to the pleasures and the comforts of the world, turning our back on our morals and standards.
so it is very important for us to pay attention to these 144,000 and to see the description of them and who they were, it will give great insight into who you and I should be.
A. THEY WERE PURE
we are told that these 144,000 were not defiled with woman for they were virgins.
that word “defiled” speaks of not soiling or not to make dirty. Like a white garment that would be defiled by anything that would change its color.
speaking of not bringing anything into their lives that would cause them to be dirty, or to change their condition. Here it uses the word “virgin” . The ideal of a young woman who was not married and had made a choice not to dirty herself by bringing in anything into her life like sex outside of marriage which would cause he to be unclean.
the bible speaks about you and I being the bride of Christ, who are to be set apart for him, to be ready for Him and His return.
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Jesus even made reference to this in the parable of the 10 virgins in Mt. 25. That there were 5 virgins who were watchful and how filled their lamps ready for the return of their bridegroom and how there were 5 foolish virgins who were not ready.
transition
this is the picture that we are getting here. That these 144,000 were as the 5 wise virgins who were ready and did not allow themselves to be distracted by other things, who did not allow their lamps to be filled with foolish things but rather filled their lamps with the oil, the holy spirit.
Jesus said this...
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
Jesus was addressing the reality that what enters your body comes through your eyes first. The thoughts we think, the things we feel in our heart, the things we do in the dark when no one is around...... these things all start by what we bring into our bodies through the lamp of our eyes. What we are filling our lamps with
and often the things we watch , the things we entertain in our minds, will play out in the things that we do. The bible specifically tells us to keep away from things that will defile us, things that will dirty us.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Paul was addressing the seriousness of purity. And the danger of becoming defiled with sexual immorality. The danger of bringing in things in our lives by the things we watch, the things we listen to , the things we practice that will make us dirty.
Transition
in the Nehemiah 13 we see something similar. Nehemiah as the governor of Judah has helped to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he has helped with Ezra to restore worship in the temple . They set apart specific rooms in the temple that is meant to hold the offerings that the priests will make daily. Nehemiah goes back to Babylon for some 10-12 years.
when he returns, he finds the temple of God has been defiled. One of the priests in charge of the storage rooms in the temple made an alliance with one of their enemies. He litterally made room for this gentile, enemy of God to stay in the place that was meant to be for God’s use.
As a result the temple was defiled and the things that were once supposed to be used for God were removed by the enemy that had moved in. All of this came over a period of time through a small alliance with the enemy.
the bible says that we are the temple of the living God.
i want you to understand, that a small alliance today with the enemy, an alliance with watching certain things, an alliance with doing certain things with a boy or girl, with texting certain things, with listening to certain things...... eventually it will little by little remove the things of God from your life and you will be filled with the things of this world, it will leave you defiled and it will leave you useless to the Lord.
B. THEY FOLLOWED THE LAMB
we are told that these 144,000 followed the Lamb wherever he went.
Dave spoke about this last week, he asked questions of “who are you following” and “where is it leading you”
the reality has to be known, that whoever you are following with reveal where you will end up.
whoever we are following either intentionally or unintentionally will lead us to a certain destination
our choices today and who we follow will begin to set us on a course of who we will be in 20 years. Those of you who have instagram, or tic tok or whatever else is out there...... the people you follow are beginning to influence your thoughts, to influence your moral standings, to influence how you feel about certain topics,
This is why people get paid to be influencers. They are getting paid to set you and i on a certain course, normally it is whatever they are selling or to watch what they are producing , but it is setting you on a certain course. And you may not see the affects of that influencer today, but it is possible that a certain way this person shared about a relationship, about marriage, about God can stir you up to think a certain way and over time , can have you making decisions that will affect your relationship with God.
i personally have an instagram but havent been on it in years i think. I don’t like the head trips it plays on your mind. The way it affects people’s thinking and what they are viewing. You have to be wise of who you are following in life both intentionally and unitentionally.
for these 144,000 they chose to follow the Lamb even in the midst of hard pressure and for them it lead to salvation and protection.
C. THE 144,000 WERE WITHOUT DECEIT (V.5)
They were under the control of deception at one point but have now been set free from that at their redemption. They are now standing in truth.
D. THE 144,000 WERE WITHOUT FAULT(V.5)
They were found inocent of guilt because of the blood of Christ.
IV. THE RESULT OF GODLY CHARACTER (V.5)
Here is the progression .....
they followed Jesus wherever He went, this resulted in remaining pure and undefiled, which allowed them to remain in true with no deceit, which allowed them to be blameless, which allowed them to be in the presence of God in the throne room of God.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
holiness and purity is directly linked with being in the presence of God.
if i long to see God, if i long to know His direction for my life, if i long to hear His voice....... holiness is required.