144,000 - THE MARK - NYOBS 35.16

144,000 THE MARK

First Word

Most people have heard about the 144,000, but have no clue of what it’s all about.

The Apostle John writes in his book “Revelation”, about Jehovah God setting apart or

sealing a few thousand special Israelites to be His Witnesses in the end times.

You might just could call them, JEHOVAH WITNESSES.

It can be a little confusing as to when this will all occur since some chapters in

Revelation are “Informational Chapters” and are given out of chronical order for the purpose

of painting a picture with an overall view about what will happen in the end times.

This actual sealing occurs just as the Great Tribulation period gets underway.

Background

·         The GREAT Tribulation - The title given to this seven year period of time was not made up by some deep thinking Professors, but a name given by Jesus Christ Himself who took it even further, explaining that the plagues to come during this time will be such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world up until now, nor ever will be again.  - IT’S BAD

·         Here’s where we pick it up - The period of time, also known as “Jacobs’ Trouble” is about to begin; the False Prophet is already at work on the scene and so is the Antichrist who helps establish the United States of Europe, but is not yet known as a world leader. – NYOBS 21.18 ANTICHRIST

·         The Rapture of the Saints, both Gentile and Jew has just occurred and worldwide interest in God has just been revived since billions of people are now missing. - NYOBS 01.23 RAPTURE

• Here’s where we are - The Church; Jews and Gentiles, both dead and alive, are now in Heaven and only the unsaved are still on earth.
• Israel is safe in her land, but is threatened by Egypt (on the South) and Russia (on the North).  The Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel to protect her land.

·         God seals 144,000 Israelite Jews in order to protect them from the wrath that is about to be unloaded during the seven years of this Great Tribulation period.

·         Before the Rapture took place, THESE 144,000 Jews were already “Bond Servants” of the Most High God, but were not Believers in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

·         A Bond Servant is someone who “of their own volition” has committed themselves to serve their master; whatever and whoever that master might be.

Jeremiah 30:7 – Tribulations – Jacob’s Trouble
⁷ Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

(KJV)

Matthew 24:21 – Great Tribulation such as has never been
²¹ "For then there will be a Great Tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. (NASB)

Misguided Doctrine

• Today there are some cults, some groups as well as some Christian dominations that believe that they are the sealed 144,000 witnesses.
• Jehovah Witnesses believe that within their body is the special group of 144,000.  They will have immortal life and spirit bodies in a place in heaven.  All the other members in their denomination will just have everlasting life and resurrected bodies which still need to eat and drink. NYOBS 07.49 - JEHOVAH WITNESSES
• Mormons claim that they ONLY have the 144,000 who will inherit eternal life and the remainder of their denomination will just live in Paradise. - NYOBS 07.41 MORMONS

·          Seventh Day Adventist point to prophetess Ellen G. White who has the exclusive right to truth and indicates they are the faithful 144,000. – NYOBS 14.23 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST

• However, scripture says there will NOT be one Gentile in the whole bunch.  - NOT ONE !

The Mark

• God’s mark on the Jews is the seal of the living God signifying His OWNERSHIP and guaranteed PROTECTION. – His name is literally and clearly written on the forehead of these Evangelist.
• The Mark of the Beast (the antichrist) - Satan will follow suit with his Copy Cat Corrupt, Counterfeit seal, and mark his followers signifying his “OWNERSHIP” and the guarantee that with his mark that they will be able to get FOOD to eat.  It is literally on the forehead or right hand of his lost unredeemable followers. – This is truly SAD; as they cannot change their minds – They are doomed for eternity. - NYOBS 07.02 ESCHATOLOGY – NYOBS 07.141 MARK OF THE BEAST - NYOBS 09.12 – UNPARDONABLE SIN
• TWO SEALS of the Tribulations - The seal of the FLESH guarantees that they will Eat; the seal of the SPIRIT guarantees they will be Delivered.

Revelation 13:16-17 – The seal or Mark of the Beast
¹⁶ And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
¹⁷ and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. (NASB)

Rev 14:9-11 – The mark of the beast- Unpardonable Sin

9 "If ANYONE worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand,

10 HE, TOO, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur.

11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever … for ANYONE who receives the mark of his name."

Who are they?

·         They are all Jews – 12,000 from each of the Twelve tribes of Abraham and his son Isaac who was born of Sarah, a “Free woman” and given the promise of the Covenant.

• Some say 10 of the 12 tribes are now lost, but they are not lost to God who already knows who they are and where they are.  NYOBS 19.10 – TEN LOST TRIBES; THE GREAT PLYRAMID
• By Devine plan, the REMNANT of the Ten Lost Tribes are already in place, scattered throughout the Nations where they will testify of Jesus Christ- (There has always been a remnant)

Revelation 7:2-3 – The Angel does the sealing
² Then I saw another angel… having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice …
³ “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (NIV2011)

Rev 7:4-8 – Tribes of Israel - 144,000 – ALL JEWS

4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of MANASSEH 12,000, (** half tribe)

7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

Side Bar

·         Ishmael - Abraham also had a son named Ishmael, his first born of Hagar; a bondwoman, a servant. - Ishmael did NOT receive the promise of the Covenant, but at Abraham’s request, was blessed of God with 12 tribes. (The Muslims)  NYOBS 22.02 ARMAGEDDON

• Ishmael’s Twelve Tribes - They are Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah & Massa; who we know as the Midianites, Edomites, Egyptians and Assyrians; the great desert people of the Middle East.  – They lived in hostility toward the other twelve tribes of Abraham and still do today.

Gen 25:13-18 – Ishmael had Twelve Tribes also

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel,

14 Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah.

16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.

17 Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.

18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers. NIV

Missing Tribes

·         Historical Note:  Joseph had two sons; Ephraim and Manasseh which were adopted into the tribes of Israel and were known as the half tribes. - That gives us a new total of 14 tribes.

·         The tribe of Dan is missing from the sealed 144,000 as mentioned in Revelation 7:4-10, because it is possibly that this tribe is the source of the Antichrist as implied in scripture.  – At any rate, the half tribe of Manasseh seems to take Dan’s place in the lineup of the 12 Tribes. NYOBS 21.18 - ANTICHRIST

·         The half tribe of Ephraim is also missing from the lineup because this tribe led the way in causing the civil war which divided the ten tribes of the north from the two tribes in the South. – They also had become addicted to idolatry.

·         With the tribes of Dan and Ephraim missing, we are now back down to 12 Tribes being sealed.

Gen 49:17 – Dan will be a serpent; Strike his heel

17 Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward. NIV

Genesis 3:15 – Satan will strike his heel
¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (NIV2011)

All Virgins

• It is possible that the 144,000 did not marry, but more probable it means they did not whore after other God’s, but were true to the God of Israel.  Anyway at face value, they are all saved, Jewish unmarried men without family responsibility; without fault before God.

Rev 14:3-4 – They were All Virgins

3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes

Jer 31:4 – Virgin Israel

4 I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. NIV

2 Cor 11:2 – Pure Virgin presented to Christ

2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.

True Believers

• These special 144,000 Jews were not “True Believers” before the Rapture, but the Rapture witnessed to them as well as the preaching of the Two Witnesses, as ordained of God.
• Their devotion to God was TRUE in contrast to the others around them who claimed to be followers of Jehovah God, but whose lives indicated something entirely different; those who were “Liars, Thieves & Cheaters; Bigots & Mistreaters”.  (I borrowed that line from Glen Campbell’s song, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. - You would do well to listen to that song – Turn it up loud with an awesome sub-woofer.)   - NYOBS 07.02 - ESCHATOLOGY

Revelation 11:3 - There will also be two Special Witnesses
³ And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (NIV2011)

Rev 14:5 – True Believers - They were blameless

5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless

Rev 22:15 – Liars, Thieves & Cheaters, Bigots & Mistreaters

15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. NIV

Rom 1:25 – The Ungodly exchanged the truth for a lie

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen. NIV

Rev 21:27 – The Ungodly - Nothing impure will enter Heaven

27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. NIV

Purpose

• The nation of Israel HAS NOT accepted Jesus as the Messiah and is basically a religion of humanism; a religion of “works”, but in the end, a multitude will accept Christ.  The occurrence of the rapture of the “Believing Christians” will witness to the Jews who remain on the earth. 
• The angel of God seeks out 144,000 blameless Jewish bondservants of the Most High God. -  144,000 is only .01% of the total 14 million KNOWN Jews that are in the world today.   
• These Jews are sealed in order to be protected from the plagues that are to come on the earth with the breaking of the 7 Seals and the sounding of the 7 Trumpets and the pouring out of the wrath of God with the 7 Bowls or vials.
• God pours out his Spirit on the 144,000 and they testify of Him and become His messengers, His Evangelist; that will present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the rest of the JEWS.
• The message will NOT be about God asking them to do something; but about what God has already done for them; and for us.
• These same sealed Jewish Missionaries will bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the rest of the  whole world during the tribulation period - Every nation and tribe will hear them speaking in their own language and dialect, endued with the same power as on the day of Pentecost;  The gift of tongues. -  144,000 life changers with the zeal of the Apostle Paul. - Everyone will have a chance to hear the Gospel.  - NYOBS 08.02 - TONGUES
• Multitudes - We look to the Broadcast Media of Radio and Satellite Television to be the end time tool that takes the message of the Gospel to the entire world, but scripture says it’s the 144,000 who in only 3 ½ short years will have Multitudes of Jews, Gentiles and people from every nation saved; who will lose their earthly life, only to gain eternal life with Christ. There will be so many saved that no one man will be able to count them all.
• The 144,000 will be the FIRST FRUITS of the Jewish Nation during what is known as “Jacobs Trouble”; the tribulations. – The Gospel will be preached to the world and the end will come.
• There will be remnants of Jewish Believers from ALL ages of time that finally make up the whole saved Nation of Israel, plus the GENTILES that have been grafted into the vine.  Thus “ALL the Believers” in Israel will be saved.

·         There are three basic divisions of families mentioned in the NT – The Jews, The Gentiles and The Church. - In the Church of God there are both Jews and Gentiles, there are no divisions.

·         We are ALL in ONE Fold; ALL baptized by ONE Spirit and ALL with ONE Shepherd.

1 Corinthians 10:32 – Jews- Gentiles – Church of God
³² Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: (KJV)

Acts 2:16-21- God will pour out His Spirit in the last days

16 this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 "`In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'  NIV

Rev 7:9 – A great multitude; every nation people and language

9 after this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

John 10:16 – The Gentiles are part – ONE fold - ONE shepherd
¹⁶ And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be ONE fold, and ONE shepherd. (KJV)

1 Corinthians 12:13 - we were all baptized by ONE Spirit
¹³  For we were all baptized by ONE Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (NIV2011)

Rom 11:26 – All of Israel will be saved

26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: NIV

Matthew 24:14 The Gospel will be preached – The End will come
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (NIV2011)

When

• This is far more than you want to know - Revelation reports the wrath of God will be poured out in segments; first Seals, then Trumpets and then finally Bowls. (vials)
• The 144,000 are sealed at the beginning of the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation period. More exactly they are sealed between the 6^th and 7^th SEAL, before the Trumpets begin to sound their wrath. – There is Silence in Heaven for about 30 minutes between the 6^th and 7^th seal while the 144,000 are all being sealed with His Mark.
• The seven trumpets are under the seventh seal and expand and enlarge what has already happened under the other six seals.
• The Trumpets sound during the first 3 ½ years; the Bowls or Vials are poured out during the last 3 ½ years.  The Trumpets and Bowls are the same, except the Bowls intensify what occurred with the Trumpets.  So in essence with the bowls, things are getting worse.
• Imagine the 7^th seal is like fireworks; like shooting a sky rocket into the air, then seven more burst out from that rocket (Trumpets), then seven more burst from each of those (Bowls)
• Everything speeds up like a trip hammer.  Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.  - NYOBS 07.02 ESCHATOLOGY

Revelation 8:1 Silence in Heaven during the sealing.
¹ When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (NIV2011)

Revelation 7:2-3 Wait till we put a seal on the 144,000
² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
³ “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (NIV2011)

Revelation 9:1-4 - Fifth Trumpet – Those sealed are protected
¹ Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.
² When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.
³ Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions.
⁴ They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (NLT)

What happens to them?

• First Fruits - John sees Christ briefly back on earth with the 144,000 evangelist on Mount Zion and suddenly they are all then before the throne of God singing the song of the redeemed. – They have been “Raptured” – taken before the throne of God in Heaven.
• This Tribulation Rapture will occur just after the First Trumpet is sounded in the middle of the “tribulation Week” or 3 ½ years into the 7 year tribulation period.

Rev 14:1-3 – The 144,000 are redeemed

1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

NIV

Sidebar

·         The Jewish Vine - Most of the Jewish nation did not believe that Jesus Christ was their Messiah; they were NOT Believers and “symbolically” their branches were broken off the the Jewish Vine and the Believing GENTILES were grafted in.

·         Now all Believing Gentiles have Jewish Roots.

·         However, it does not stop there.  - When the 144,000 missionaries preach to the Jews whose limbs were broken off the vine; “IF they will believe”; GOD with EAGERNESS will graft them back into the vine of Christ where they belong.

·         NOTE:  The 10 tribes of the Northern kingdom of Israel were all carried off into captivity and scattered among the nations, lost, vanished.  The remaining two tribes in the Southern kingdom that were not carried off was Dan and Judah. - With Judah being the largest tribe the term “JEW” for Judah became synonymous with all of the people of Israel.

·         Judah is the tribe from which our Messiah Jesus Christ was born; thus Jesus is a JEW.

Romans 11:17-24 – Jews will be grafted back into the Vine
¹⁷ But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.
²⁰ Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.
²³ And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree.
²⁴ You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more EAGER to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

(NLT)

Lesson observed

·         Because of the extremity of sin in the two tribes of Dan and Ephraim, their tribes are missing in the lineup of the tribes of Israel.  None of the 144,000 missionaries were selected from their tribes to serve; but don’t write them off just yet.

·         Although they lost out in “the end time” on the honor of being selected to be God’s witness, they are not hopeless lost; they are still a part of the chosen nation FOREVER. – God just can’t give up on them; He loves them and they will make it through the tribulation period.

·         This is good news for the Believer that slips into sin - You might not get in an all the things God has in store for the Church, but you are still His FOREVER – You are part of HIS vine. -  God says; “How can I give up on you” – His compassion will not let Him – That’s who He is.

ONCE THE LORD’S – ALWAYS THE LORD’S

NYOBS 30.16 – SINLESS     NYOBS 16.13 – SAVED; MAYBE     NYOBS 12.34 – QUALIFICATIONS FOR ENTRANCE TO HEAVEN

Gen 49:17 – Dan will be a serpent

17 Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward. NIV

Hosea 4:17 – Ephraim is addicted to Idols
¹⁷ Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone! (NIV2011)

Hosea 11:8 – The Lord will not give up on YOU
⁸ “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. (NIV2011)

Here’s where we are

·          The angel of God will SEAL 144,000 Jewish missionaries that are still “living” right after the rapture of the Saints and just as the Tribulation period is beginning.  - NYOBS 01.23 – RAPTURE – NYOBS 25.21 – SECOND COMING

·         They are not the saints of old or others that have been resurrected from the dead or reincarnated from another life, they are living Jews.  NYOBS 34.02 - REINCARNATION

·         “The Ten Lost Tribes” have already been spread throughout the entire world according to His marvelous plan. - Their purpose is to be missionaries to the Jews and to the Gentiles throughout the world.  They will have the gift of tongues and endued with the power of the Holy Spirit as was poured out on the day of Pentecost; sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the vigor of the Apostle Paul and Peter.

·         They will be protected from the plagues of God by His seal and they will evangelize the world for about 3 to 3 ½ years and then they will be “Raptured”. – They will be the First Fruits of the Tribulation period.

·         Some of the 144,000 selected could be within your own church if they are descendants from one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Otherwise… not so much; but good luck. – SELAH

·         The sealing Mark on the 144,000 and the sealing Mark of the Beast whether visible or invisible, will be obviously different – One will be doing the Will of the Father.

You will recognize them by their FRUITS.

Matthew 7:20-21 – You will RECOGNIZE them by their fruit.
²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
²¹  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (NIV2011)

In the multitude of counselors,

 there is wisdom.

Prov 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I otherwise ever could have.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

A Planned Deception – Constance Cumbey

Another Gospel – Tucker

Bethel Baptist Church – Forrest L. Keener

Book of Bible Lists – Meredith’s

Dake’s annotated Reference Bible – Finis Dake

Great Doctrines of the Bible – W.A. Criswell

Message Bible; The – MSG

New American Standard Bible - NASB

New International Version Bible – NIV

New Living Translation Bible – NLT

Revelation Expounded – Finis Dake

Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee

Wikipedia