Who are the First Fruits of the Harvest? Rev. 7:1-8
When God Reaps
Understanding the First Fruits of the Harvest as it was shown to John the Revelator.
Prayer Thought:
"The Life Shaped by Faith: Honoring God Through Truth"
The truth and the glory of God are inseparable; it is impossible for us, with the Bible within our reach, to honor God by erroneous opinions. Many claim that it matters not what one believes, if his life is only right. But the life is molded by the faith. If light and truth is within our reach, and we neglect to improve the privilege of hearing and seeing it, we virtually reject it; we are choosing darkness rather than light…..
…. God has given us His word that we may become acquainted with its teachings and know for ourselves what He requires of us. When the lawyer came to Jesus with the inquiry, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" the Saviour referred him to the Scriptures, saying: "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" GC 597.2
PURPOSE - To reveal the truth concerning the servants of the Lord in the last days, as the first fruits of the living.
INTRODUCTION:
RH MARCH 9, 1905 – “LET US STRIVE WITH ALL THE POWER WHICH GOD HAS GIVEN US TO BE AMONG THE 144000”
1SM 174
“It is not His will that they shall enter into controversy over question which will not help them spiritually, such as, who will compose the 144000? Those who are the elect of God will in a short time know without question.”
REV. 7:1-4
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 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, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads…..
“...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….
SYMBOLS USED
1. THE 4 WINDS:
TM 444 – “Elements of Nature … Political strive”
5T. 152 – “ …The Mark of the Beast… time of trouble…”
2. THE EARTH:
G.C. 440 – 442 – “…It points unmistakably to the United States of America”
3. THE SEA:
Rev. 17:15/ G.C. 440 – “…the Old World…”(i.e. Asia, Europe, Africa).
4. TREES: Dan 4:20-22/ Isa 5:7/Isa 66:17 Leadership, the SDA Church leadership, at that time of Mark of the Beast, will be the 144000.
How Many angels and How many hurtings in Rev. 7?
Verse 1:
4 = four angels holding the 4 winds
1st Hurting - not blow to earth, sea, or any tree
Verse 2:
1 - an angel ascending from the east - having the seal of God - He cried with the LOUD VOICE to the 4 = four angels - to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.
2nd Hurting - hurt the earth and the sea
MARK OF THE BEAST: Will start in USA (land),
Then other countries made to copy and adopt the law (G.C.579/ EW 282).
* Then it will be enforced on the Church, i.e. after the sealing.
* The no. of Winds—being 4, mean that the crisis will be worldwide.
* 7BC977 – “Sunday-keeping is not yet the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth…”
* 6T. 17 – “Not all in regard to this matter is yet understood nor will it be understood until the unrolling of the scroll…”
"The Redeemed: The 144,000 and Their Faithful Walk with the Lamb."
REV. 14:1-5 “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. 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: 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. 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 first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
Revelation 14:1-5
Standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion: Victory over sin and fidelity to Christ.
Characteristics of the 144,000:
"They follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4).
Who are the subjects of the kingdom of God?
These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. . . . {TM 422.1}
"Without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:5).
EGW: "They have obtained the victory over the beast and his image" (Early Writings, p. 279).
WHO ARE THE 144 000?
Rev 7:4 “…an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
9T. 164
“In order to be purified and to remain pure, Seventh-day Adventists must have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and in their homes. The Lord has given me light that when the Israel of today humble themselves before Him, and cleanse the soul-temple from all defilement, He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick and will bless in the use of His remedies for disease.”
WHO ARE THE 144 000?
They are called to be "servants of God" (Rev. 7:3).
Ellen G. White: "The 144,000 are those who have been faithful through the shaking" (The Great Controversy, p. 648).
Testimony and Witness
Represent the "first fruits" to God and the Lamb, setting an example of faithfulness.
"These are they which were redeemed from among men" (Rev. 14:4).
"God’s Purpose Fulfilled Through His Church: The Pure Faith of the Redeemed."
PK 713-714
“That which God purposed to do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish through His Church on earth today.”
GC 648 They sing a new song “of their experience”
COL 406
“They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith.” ( The Sabbath and Sanctuary Truth- Not defiled with women –the false doctrines of the world’s churches).
"God’s Purpose Fulfilled Through His Church: The Pure Faith of the Redeemed."
The End-time Mission
Their sealing is a preparation for the great tribulation (Rev. 7:14).
EGW: "They stand as a beacon of light to the unfaithful, calling them to repentance" (Prophets and Kings, p. 587).
They Stand on Mt. Zion – Where? When?
7BC 978
“The Lord has a people on earth, who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. He has His thousands who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Such will stand with Him on Mt. Zion. But they must stand on this earth, girded with the whole armor, ready to engage in the work of saving those who are ready to perish. We need not wait till we are translated to follow the Christ. God’s people may do this here below…”
The 144,000 symbolic or literal?
REV. 7:4 John first heard the number (Gk. arithmos ἀριθμός- meaning counted, reckoned, numbered) then later saw the number (Rev14:1).
EW 15 – 17 “…144000 in number… on the sea of glass the 144000 stood in a perfect square.”
EW 19 - 20: “As we were about to enter the holy Temple, Jesus …said; Only the 144000 enter this place…I saw there tables of stone on which the names of the 144000 were engraved in letters of gold.”
144 000- DEAD OR LIVING SAINTS?
EW 15
“Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144000 in number, knew and understood the voice…”
G.C. 648-649
“These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as ‘the first fruits unto the God and to the Lamb”.
NOTE: The 144000 are that part of the SDA Church that will never taste death, to be translated at 2nd Coming.
HOW ARE THEY SEALED? Ezek. 9:1-4
“He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man [with] his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them [was] clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which [had] the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof….
EZEK. 9:5-7
“And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old [and] young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom [is] the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which [were] before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.”
TM 445
“This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was shown to Ezekiel in vision…”
3T 266-267
“The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character…Especially in the closing work for the Church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand…Mark this point with care: those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by the man in linen, are those ‘that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done’ in the church….Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel.”
5T 211 “The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God (Ezek. 9:5-6 quoted). Here we see that the church - the Lord’s sanctuary – was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men…who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust…and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus ‘Peace and safety’ is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voices like a trumpet to show God’s people…their sins. These dump dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together.”
EZEK. 9:1-11 / TM 445 /3T. 266-267/ 5T. 209- 214.
1. The sealing is the closing(last) work for the Church. It takes place only in Israel – the SDA Church.
2. The marking in Ezek. 9 and sealing in Rev 7 is the same event, which is done before the slaughter & Mark of the beast.
3. Only those who SIGH (reform) and CRY (teach reformation message (4th Angel’s), are sealed.
4. After the sealing, follows the slaughter of all who do not have the seal, whether old or babies !
5. Only the sealed 144000 Israelites (SDAs) survive the slaughter.
WHAT IS THE SEAL ON THE 144000?
Manuscript 173, 1902 “It is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling in the Truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved.”
4BC 1155.
“It is a mark which angels, but no human eyes can read; for the destroying angels must see this mark…”
NOTE - It is not the Sabbath seal –for those who are sealed are already Sabbath keepers. This is The seal of the 4th Angel’s Message which is given to the SDAs who accept the sealing message, and sigh and cry in the Church.
A SMALL NUMBER SEALED and SAVED from Living SDA !!
IT. 608-609 “In the last vision given me I was shown the startling fact that but a small portion of those who profess the Truth will be sanctified by it and be saved…”
5T.213-214
“Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads…..”
This “small portion” is the literal, living 144,000.