The 144,000

Present with Jesus in the midst of Mount Zion are 144,000 servants who have
his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Who are these 144,000? We are first
introduced to them in Revelation 7:4.
John shares that he saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth
who had been given the power to harm the earth and the sea. Suddenly another angel
appears from the east with the seal of the living God. He commands the other angels
not to harm anything until the servants of God have been sealed. The number of
servants sealed by the angel were 144,000 from the tribes of Israel; 12,000 from each
tribe.
Many bible teachers have taught through the years that the 144,000 are virgin
Jewish males who will be sealed and preach the gospel during a seven year tribulation
period. Some believe the 144,000 represent the remnant of the church that will be
alive at the second coming of Jesus. Though these beliefs could be right I believe a
different interpretation applies here.
There are a couple of things that catch my eye in this passage. First, traditionally
when Jewish genealogies were given the oldest son was mentioned first. In the tribal
listing of Revelation 7 the tribe of Judah is listed first; he was actually the fourth born.
The significance of this is that Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah; the tribe of
praise. Secondly, this listing of the tribes is not the same as we see in the Old
Testament. There was no tribe of Joseph, but Joseph is listed in verse eight. His tribe
was split into two tribes; Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim is not mentioned among
the tribes is Revelation 7; neither is the tribe of Dan.
I believe numbers are important only as they represent concepts. If you take a
careful look at the numbers used in the Revelation who will find many numbers that
are either factors or products of twelve. For instance you have four living creature,
twenty-four elders and 144,000 servants of God; 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes
of Israel. Twelve or forms of twelve are used in numerous places throughout scripture.
Jesus had twelve disciples. David appointed twenty-four courses of twelve
accomplished musicians, a total of 288, to worship twenty-four hours a day around
the Ark of the Covenant that he placed in a tent on Mount Zion. Therefore it is my
belief that the number twelve represents completion or totality. Hence the 144,000
represent the totality of the worshiping church which is the true Israel of God.
We have learned from Paul’s teaching that, through Christ, God makes no
distinction between races of people (Romans 10:12). He writes to the Roman
Christians, For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is
outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of
the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
(Romans 2:28-29) Paul also wrote to the Galatians and the Colossians that there is
neither Jew nor Greek, circumcised or uncircumcised, but that all are one in Christ
(Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11). Though I believe that God will fulfill every
prophecy given concerning national Israel, I believe Paul clearly conveys that the true
Israel of God consists of people who have believed on Jesus and have put away the
works of the flesh, whether Jew or Gentile. This further establishes the true identity of
the 144,000 servants of God. John gives a detailed description of the 144,000.
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These
are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among
men, being first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit,
for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Revelation 14:4-5
In addition to this description John says they have the mark of Jesus’ Father on
their foreheads and sing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures and
the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from
the earth (Revelation 14:1-3). These characteristics of the 144,000 servants of God
outline the qualifications for those who are true worshipers of God.
All true worshipers have the seal of God on them. The Apostle Paul tells us in
Romans 4:11 that circumcision was a seal of the righteousness of the faith of
Abraham which he had while still uncircumcised. Today believers are sealed by
circumcision of the heart; the cutting away of the old man and sin nature (Roman
2:28-29). Paul wrote to Timothy that God knows those who are his and has sealed
them. He continues, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
(2 Timothy 2:19) True worshipers depart from iniquity. They are not slaves of sin, but
slaves to God. Paul also wrote to the Ephesians and the Corinthians concerning the
seal of God.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise…
Ephesians 1:13
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
Ephesians 4:30
…who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
2 Corinthians 1:22
The 144,000 received the seal of God because they had trusted in him and
believed the word of truth. Their belief in God was more than just a mental
acknowledgement that he existed. These worshipers had washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).
Many people today have watered down what it means to believe in Christ. To
believe in Christ means to come under the mastery of his lordship. This means being
obedient to his word and participating in his works on earth. These servants of God
had his mark on their foreheads. In other words they had a change of mind. They
forsook the world and false religions systems to pursue the kingdom of God.
True worshipers today are given this same mandate. And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what
is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) In his letter to the
Colossians Paul wrote, Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
(Colossians 3:2) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)
Jesus said the greatest commandment of all was to love the Lord your God with
all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37). God made a
covenant with his people by saying, This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I
will write them. (Hebrews 10:16)
In Revelation 22:3-4 John shares his vision of the final resting place for the
servants of God. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. They shall see his face, and his
name shall be on their foreheads.
Worship is more than a time slot to be filled on Sunday morning. Worship begins
before the music or preaching starts, when no one is looking. Worship is a way of life;
daily giving oneself to God and his purposes. True worshipers are those who have
believed on Christ for salvation. They have been sealed by the Holy Spirit as a
guarantee of that salvation. Consequently they have forsaken the works of the flesh
and live by the Spirit of God. God’s laws have been written in their hearts and minds
and those laws govern their behavior. True worshipers have an intimate relationship
with the Father and love him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Another description of the 144,000 servants of God given to us by John is that
they were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. Several times in scripture we
read where God describes his people as virgins. The meaning of the word virgin in the
Revelation and the Old Testament goes beyond one who has not participated in sexual
activity. It refers to a person or in Israel’s case a nation, who has served only one God.
One who has forsaken the works of the flesh and kept himself unspotted from the
world.
Listen to how God addresses his people.
Therefore you shall say this word to them: Let my eyes flow with tears night and
day, and let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with
a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow.
Jeremiah 14:17
Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again
be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.
Jeremiah 31:4
Set up signposts, make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, the way in
which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities.
Jeremiah 31:21
How shall I console you? To what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What
shall I compare with you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your
ruin is spread wide as the sea; Who can heal you?
Lamentations 2:13
God declared that he was a husband to Israel. Israel was the virgin of his
affection and he longed to be the affection of Israel’s heart. He said, For your Maker is
your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and your redeemer is the Holy One of
Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman
forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says the
Lord. (Isaiah 54:15-6)
Throughout the Old Testament God commanded Israel to have no other gods
before him. During times of rebellion he accused them of committing adultery with
other lovers. God’s assessment of Israel’s condition was, …She decked herself with
earrings and jewelry, and went after her lovers; but me she forgot… (Hosea 2:13) You
are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. (Ezekiel 16:32) For
My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living
waters, and hewn themselves cisterns -- broken cisterns that can hold no water.
(Jeremiah 2:13) Israel sought gratification in something other than God. They loved
how the things of the world made them feel and defiled themselves with those things.
The word defile means to make filthy or dirty. When I think about being defiled I
am reminded of my football playing days in high school. You may not have ever been
in a high school locker room during football season, but let me inform you it stinks.
Each Monday we began practice with clean uniforms which quickly became soiled
during practice. We didn’t take those uniforms home that night to be washed, we wore
them all week. By the time Thursday’s practice was over they were filthy. You could
practically stand them up in a corner.
That is exactly what happens when we entertain the things of this world. At first
it may seem not to affect us. We enjoy how it makes us feel so we continue to indulge
ourselves. Soon that thing isn’t enough, and we begin to turn to other sources of
pleasure to fulfill our desires. Eventually we find ourselves cankered with worldliness.
The apostles exhorted the early church concerning a love for the things of the
world. John wrote, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) James adds, Pure and
undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27) He goes on to say,
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity
with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy
of God. Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, The Spirit who dwells in us
yearns jealously? (James 4:4-5)
Paul, being concerned that the Corinthian believers had been deceived into
believing a different gospel than the one he had preached, wrote this, 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. (2 Corinthians 11:2)
Many people in the church today have chased after the things of this world. They
have honored God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. The lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life have lured them from the one who has
betrothed them. However, there is no room in the true worshiper for a divided heart.
Our husband is jealous for a virgin bride. True worshipers are virgins in the since that
they are married to God alone. They are not defiled with the things of this world nor
have they given themselves to other gods. They have only one husband; Jesus.
John goes on to write of the 144,000:
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These
are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes...
Revelation 14:4
It was established in the earlier chapters of John’s revelation that Jesus is the
Lamb standing in the midst of the throne of God. To find the 144,000 standing with
Jesus in the place of worship (Mt. Zion) is fitting of their character. For all those who
desire to be true worshipers will always be in the place of worship, in the presence of
the Lamb. However, there is a requirement for one to be in that place of worship.
There is a requirement if one is to follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
Jesus made it plain what is required of those who desire to follow him. He said, If
anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me. (Matthew 16:24) And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not
worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:38) The requirement of a follower is to take up his cross.
What does it mean to take up your cross? The answer is most likely found as we
explore what the cross meant in the life and death of Jesus.
I believe one meaning of the cross in the life of Jesus was the total abandonment
of self to the obedience of the Father’s will. Jesus’ life was centered in the Father’s will.
He always did what he saw the Father doing. He always said what he heard from the
Father. His teaching focused on the heart of the Father. Jesus came to show the world
what the Father is like, and he did it all the way to the cross where he was obedient to
death. His love for the Father compelled him to be obedient. That love became the
perfect sacrifice for sin.
Jesus not only endured the cross out of love for the Father, he also took the sins
of the world upon himself. The shedding of his blood was the sacrifice for sin. But he
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement
for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) The cross
meant death for sin and death to sin.
True worshipers have a deep desire to do the will of the Father and that desire is
a motivating force in their lives. Their lives are centered in the Father’s will. All of their
hopes and dreams have been placed in the Father’s hands and their lives given to his
service. They go where he says to go and say what he commands them to say. They
love what he loves and hate what he hates. True worshipers know the Father’s will
because they have his heart. They have a willingness to abandon their lives in
obedience to the Father which means death to self and sin.
Athletes have a phrase they often use to describe their intensity of play. It is
“Leave it all on the field.” The idea is to give it all you’ve got. All the conditioning,
weight lifting and studying the play book have brought you to game time. Preparation
is over; it’s time to give 100% on every play the entire game. There is no holding back
or saving it for later.
Most of us would not recognize the Apostle Paul as an athlete, but in the game of
life he was one on those who left it all on the field. He chose to abandon popularity,
position, prosperity and power to gain an eternal prize. He wrote,
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I
also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ…
Philippians 3:7-8
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it
to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not
with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and
bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:25-27
The American Heritage Dictionary renders this meaning for the word abandon:
1.To forsake; desert. 2. To surrender one’s claim or right to; to give up. 3. To desist
from. 4. To yield (oneself) completely, as to emotion.
What better word could describe the life the Paul? What better word could
describe a person whose one desire is to live a life of worship? Paul went on to say in
Philippians 3 that he counted all his gain as rubbish that he might know Christ. His
one desire was to have intimate fellowship with Christ. A life of worship has deserted
all other ways of living to have an intimate relationship with Jesus. It has forsaken all
this is familiar to walk by faith. It has surrendered all rights to have its own way and
has yielded control to the one who formed it.
The bible gives us many examples of believers who paid the ultimate price to
leave it all on the field. We are not given the names of some of them; they are simply
known as Others.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better
resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and
imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with
the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
tormented -- of whom the world was not worthy…
Hebrews 11:35-38
Paul wrote to the Galatians, But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
world. (Galatians 6:14) Those who would follow the Lamb have died to the passing
pleasures of sin. They are not enslaved to the world’s system. They have been nailed to
the cross with Jesus where, …knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
(Romans 6:6) And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. (Galatians 5:24)
The Lamb followers have this testimony, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
The 144,000 have this testimony, …they follow the lamb wherever he goes. To
follow the Lamb one must first go where to Lamb went. He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
(Isaiah 53:7) The Lamb went to the slaughter. Those people who stand with Jesus in
the place of worship deny themselves and take up their cross daily. They have
crucified the flesh and walk in obedience to the Spirit of God. These are the ones who
follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
As true worshipers, once we have abandoned (past tense verb) our old way of life
we are called to abandoned (adjective) worship. What is abandoned worship? When
abandoned is used as an adjective it means shameless; thus we have shameless
worship. Shameless worship can best be described by the life of two very familiar bible
characters; King David and the woman who let her hair down. You know their stories.
Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a
linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with
shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the
City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David
leaping and whirling before the Lord…
2 Samuel 6:14-16
And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat
at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood
at his feet behind him weeping; and she began to wash his feet with her tears, and
wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed his feet and anointed them with
the fragrant oil.
Luke 7:37-38
David and this woman were not concerned about what those watching them
thought of their worship. Their reputations were of no consequence. They were
shameless in their worship. They worshiped with abandonment; a complete surrender
of inhibitions.
I heard a well known prophet by the name of James Goll speak at a conference a
few months ago. I’ll paraphrase his remarks. He said that he had seen a target being
painted with a bull’s eye in the middle. As he was looking at it he saw a dart fly
through the air and hit the bull’s eye. He heard the Lord tell him, “My dart shall hit
the bull’s eye.” He asked the Lord, “What is the dart?” The answer was “David’s
Abandoned Revolutionary Tribe” (DART). James Goll went on to say that God is
releasing, not just a few, but a whole company of abandoned Davidic worship and
praise warriors.
God is calling us, his virgin bride, to live a life of abandonment; to set aside all
inhibitions we have about the way we live and respond to his love. God is calling for
abandonment when we get up every morning and go about our daily lives. He is calling
for abandonment every time we gather with believers to worship him. No more “playing
it safe.” It’s time to be reckless with our lives and with our worship. It’s time for the
bride of Christ to leave it all on the field.
We come to yet another portrayal of the 144,000 servants of God standing with
the Lamb on Mount Zion, which gives two vivid description of the true worshipers of
God. These were redeemed from among men being first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
(Revelation 14:4)
It is impossible for a person to become a true worshiper of God unless that
person has been redeemed. The Greek word for redeemed used in this scripture
passage means “to go to market, purchase, or buy.” No one is born into this world as a
child of God. They are God’s creation but not his child. Everyone is born with a sinful
nature that is against the laws of God. All have sinned and fall short of his glory
(Romans 3:23). The only way one can be redeemed is by the blood of the slain Lamb
that is standing on Mount Zion with these 144,000. John begins the Revelation with
this declaration.
John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him
who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before his
throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the
ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in
his own blood…
Revelation 1:4-6
Both Paul and Peter address this issue of redemption in their epistles.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for
it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree).
Galatians 3:13
…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold,
from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
1 Peter 1:18-19
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth (the market place if you will), lived a
sinless life, died a sinner’s death, took our sins upon himself and with his blood
purchased our souls for the Father. The first step to becoming a true worshiper is to
acknowledge his work on the cross for the forgiveness of sin and allow the Father to
take possession of our life. Our lives are not our own, we have been bought with a
price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). We have been redeemed from among men and are
first fruits to God.
In referring to the 144,000 as first fruits, John again taps into knowledge of his
readers. John, himself being Jewish, was also aware of the concept of first fruits. In
the Old Testament we read of several feasts which God commanded the nation of
Israel to observe. One of those feasts was the Feast of Harvest. It was also known as
the Feast of Weeks and Day of First Fruits. Later the early church referred to it as
Pentecost because it occurred fifty days after Passover. During the feast Israel was to
offer the first fruits of their wheat harvest as a free will offering to the Lord (Exodus
23:16; 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10).
Firsts have always been important to God. Not only was Israel commanded to
offer the first of the grain produce but also their flocks and vintage. They were also
commanded to consecrate their first born males to the Lord. Solomon reflected God’s
heart when he said, Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of all
your increase… (Proverbs 3:9) God, through the prophet Jeremiah, referred to Israel as
the first fruits of his increase (Jeremiah 2:3).
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the churches he helped to establish, refers to the
early converts as first fruits of his labor (1 Corinthians 16:15; Romans 16:5). James
portrayed all believers as first fruits when he wrote, Of his own will he brought us forth
by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)
Once a person allows the redeeming work of the blood of Jesus to take affect in his life
he becomes a first fruit of Christ’s labor. Such were the 144,000 and such are the true
worshipers of God.
The Greek word for first fruits used in the New Testament means “a beginning of
sacrifice.” Paul wrote, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. (Romans 12:1) A sacrificial life is characteristic of those who have been
redeemed and have become first fruits to God. Only those who practice sacrificial
living become true worshipers.
In the description of the 144,000 standing with Jesus on Mount Zion we find two
more characteristics of a true worshiper; no deceit was in their mouth and they are
without fault before God. For in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without
fault before the throne of God. (Revelation 14:5)
The Greek word used for deceit in this passage means misrepresentation or
deception. To misrepresent something is to give false information that makes it appear
to be something it isn’t; which is deception. For years used car salesmen have been
given a bad reputation for hiding the facts about a particular vehicle in order to make
a sell. Often defective vehicles are made to look good on the outside so as to deceive
the potential buyer. One good biblical example of misrepresentation and deception
happened early in the history of mankind in the Garden of Eden.
God commanded Adam saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you
eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17) Later Satan in the form of a serpent
tempts Eve to eat of the fruit. Eve tells the serpent of God’s command to which the
serpent replies, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your
eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:4-5)
Satan misrepresented what God had said and deceived Eve. As a result the whole of
mankind was plunged into sin. Maybe this is one reason God despises a deceitful
tongue.
I believe King David speaks the heart of God in Psalm 101:7 when he says, He
who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in
my presence. David reiterates this point on two other occasions in the book of Psalms.
Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell in your holy hill? He who
walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart…
Psalm 15:1-2
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in his holy place? He
who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor
sworn deceitfully.
Psalm 24:1-4
A deceitful tongue can be traced to a deceitful heart. Jesus taught that out of the
heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). God will not allow deceitful hearts to come into
his presence. They will not be allowed to worship before him. True worshipers keep
themselves from a deceitful heart. They worship in spirit and truth.
The next characteristic given of the 144,000 is that they are without fault before
the throne of God. The Greek word used in Revelation 14:5 for fault means
unblemished, without blame, blemish, spot or fault; faultless. When the accuser of the
brethren stands before the judge of all ages to bring accusation against a true
worshiper there will not be enough evidence to find the worshiper guilty. The true
worshiper has been cleansed from his fault by the blood of Jesus Christ. When a
person comes to Christ he is made a new creation, old things are passed away.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, And you, who once were alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his
flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in his
sight… (Colossians 1:21-22) Jesus not only died to make us blameless before God,
but God himself is working in us so that we might be blameless. Paul wrote this to the
early believers,
…who [God] will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:8
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all,
just as we do to you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before
our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
A true worshiper lives a life of holiness and keeps himself unblemished and
unspotted from the world. Without holiness no one will see God or dwell in his
presence (Hebrews 12:14). We look to Paul again who instructed the early church on
how to be blameless.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless
and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:14-15
…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good
fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and confessed the
good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who
gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession
before Pontius Pilate that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our
Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing.
1 Timothy 6:11-14
The Apostle Peter encouraged his readers to be diligent to be found by him (God) in
peace, without spot and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14) For someone to be diligent in
something they must put forth an effort. The 144,000 had been washed in the blood of
the Lamb and had been diligent in the things of God. Their reward was the
opportunity to stand in the place of worship (Mount Zion) with the Lamb. This is the
life of a true worshiper.

Voice of the Gospel Christian Radio - Radio Stimme des Evangeliums

Freitag, 22. Juni 2012

The 144,000

Keine Kommentare:

Kommentar veröffentlichen