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Now then, let’s understand something very important and very profound here.  Of the 144,000 in Revelation 7, that cannot be anyone who is in the Church today.  And that’s why the Jehovah Witnesses are completely wrong on their 144,000 and their interpretation and understanding of it.  Why is it that I say that the 144,000 of Revelation 7 cannot be any of us?  Well let’s answer the question by scripture.  Let’s first of all go to 2 Corinthians 1 and let’s see that we are now sealed with the Holy Spirit of God.  Whenever you receive the Holy Spirit you have been sealed.  Now let’s see that and let’s understand that.  So we will see that the 144,000 were not sealed with the Holy Spirit until this particular time down into the tribulation.  So we’ll see that very clearly. 

Now let’s pick it up here, 2 Corinthians 1:20, (KJV).  “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” And that’s one thing we can do brethren.  We can claim the promises of God.  Not because we’re anything.  Not because we’re something that we have done on ourselves and we now deserve it.  No, we claim the promises of God for the sake of Christ.  For the sake of His word.  For the sake of His truth.  For His righteousness.  And it’s always yes, because He won’t deny the promise.  He will fulfill it. 

Now notice, “Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us [that is with the Holy Spirit] is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (vs. 21-22).  Now the earnest of the Spirit is the down payment.  See, we are just like the unleavened bread now.  When we are leavened in our spiritual form then we will have the fullness of the Spirit, and that’s why leaven is pictured in good cause at that particular time.  We only have the earnest of it now. 

Let’s go to Ephesians 1 and let’s see how he explained it to those at Ephesus, concerning the Holy Spirit.  Now notice how this begins here.  Now let’s pick it up in verse 12.  “That we should be [that is those who are in the first resurrection] the praise of His glory who first trusted in His Christ.  In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory”  (Eph. 1:12-14).  So if you have the Holy Spirit of God now, you have been sealed.  So you cannot be any of the 144,000 of Revelation 7.

Now let’s go back to Revelation 7 and let’s see who the 144,000 there are.  And this will show how true God’s word is.  Now let’s pick it up here in verse 3.  “Saying, “Do not damage the earth nor the sea, nor the trees, until we seal the servants of our God in their foreheads.” (A.T.)  We’ve already been sealed so these are those who are now called and converted by God’s supernatural act.  

Now notice… Let’s go back and just review the things in Revelation 6 for just a minute.  How that all of those things that the prophet Joel said concerning the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earthquake, and the pouring out of the Spirit of God, how even Peter prophesied that that would be before the great and notable day of the Lord.  And so this is showing it right here.  That’s what happened.  Now here is the fulfillment of the Pentecost harvest, or the 50^th day harvest by God.  This is a separate harvest.  Separate from the Church.  This is God’s divine intervention to fulfill and complete His word and call those especially that He is determined to call. 

Now let’s see who the 144,000 are.  “And I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred forty-four thousand, who were sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel.  From the tribe of Judah…”  Now isn’t it interesting that in the book of Zechariah, God says that the tents of Judah will be saved first.  So here is Judah first.  “…Twelve thousand were sealed; from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand were sealed…”  And of Gad, and of Asher, and of Nepthali.  Of the tribe of Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, and Benjamin.  Now Dan is left out.  The reason Dan is left out is because the book of Genesis says of the prophecy of Dan that he would wait for his salvation.  And of course Dan is the tribe of Israel that is so involved in idol worship and Catholicism.  So God is going to save them later.  They’re not included in this 144,000.  So this is a special category that God has saved for Himself. 

Now let’s understand when in time frame does this take place in the tribulation.  We know that the overall tribulation is 3 ½ years.  So this is an event which takes place before the 3 ½ years has expired.  So let’s go back to the book of Hosea, chapter 5, the very last verse there, and we will see that this gives us a prophetic time frame as to when this took place.  Hosea 5:15 God says concerning Israel,  “I will to and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early.” 

Now the prophecies are true.  Israel is going into captivity.  Now there are some people out there who say, “Israel is not going into captivity today.”  That is a lie and that is a false prophet.  And he is teaching things that are not according to the scriptures.  Oh, that it would be, that Israel could be in such a condition before God that they wouldn’t have to go into tribulation.  But you read all of the prophecies concerning where Israel is when Christ returns and all of them show that they are in captivity.  So here are the children of Israel in captivity and out of those who are in captivity 144,000 are brought to repentance and are sealed. Now when during the  {tribulation} millenium does this take place?

Let’s go to Hosea 6:1.  Here it is speaking of Israel during this time of repentance.  “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.  After two days will He revive us…”  Now in prophecy how long is a day?  In prophecy a day is a year.  So this is after two full years.  That’s when the sign of the Son of man is going to appear in heaven and God will then begin to raise them up.  Now notice, “…He will revive us: in the third day…”  That is, beginning in the third year of the tribulation, which means there’s a whole year to the third year left and there is another six months making a total of a year and a half.  So the whole tribulation is 3 ½ years altogether, broken down into the first two years, coming down through the opening of the seals until the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven.  And then we come down to the time now of Revelation 7 where that we have what?  We have then the 144,000 of Israel sealed just like it says right here in Hosea 6.  “…In the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight” (Hosea 6:1-2).

Now notice also the prophecy.  “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (vs. 3).  So this is what we have back in Revelation 7.  God intervening to save them. 

Now then, what does it say concerning the preaching of the gospel?  It says to the Jews first, which includes Israel as we’ve seen here.  All Israel.  Then who does it go to after that?  To the Greek or the Gentile.  Now God is also going to reach down and supernaturally seal, and supernaturally by the power of God’s Holy Spirit through this angel who is commissioned to do so.  Now let’s understand something.  All of these will receive the Holy Spirit first, then they will be baptized just like it was with Cornelius’ household.  They received the Holy Spirit first, then they were baptized.  Now can God do that?  Yes, He can.  God chooses to do that whenever it is His choice to do so, like He did with Cornelius.  But do they still have to be baptized?  Yes they do.  So then what will happen then?  There will be great baptismal ceremonies taking place with the 144,000. 

Now then, since it goes to the Gentile also, the same thing is going to occur.  But notice this, Revelation 7:9, A.T.  “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one was able to number…”  So this shows contrary to the preaching of some, that God is not just restricting those that He is calling from the time of Christ until His return, to 144,000.  Such a thing could never be.  Because if even on the very first day, as we saw of Pentecost, 3000 were converted and thousands were added.  Another place it says, “…and 5000 souls were added.”  Great multitudes in Jerusalem believed.  And we saw where James told Paul when Paul came up to visit James there in Acts 22.  What did James say?  He said “Behold the thousands that believe in Christ and are zealous for the law.”  So anybody who says that God is only calling 144,000 in this age just doesn’t know what he’s talking about and he’s twisting and turning the scripture to his own destruction. 

Now here it says, “…a great multitude, which no one was able to number…”  Where did they come from?  “…Out of every nation and tribes, and peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and palms in their hands;”  You know just like we saw yesterday.  White robes, they’re called to the wedding.  These are some of the guests who are called at the very last minute out of the highways and out of the byways, and out of the places that God is doing it at the last minute.  So this undoubtedly, let’s just say this, since this is prophesied in Acts 2 to happen with all the signs preceding it, and it happened on the day of Pentecost there in Acts 2, therefore this has to happen on the next to the last Pentecost before Christ puts His feet on the earth.  Or the Pentecost before the resurrection.  So we have these people here now who in these circumstances will be converted for one year.  These people, the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude then are reckoned as the laborers who are put into work and hire at the eleventh hour.  So there’s only one hour left.  And in this case that pictures one year left.  So is God able to do that?  Yes He is.  No doubt about it.  So they’re going to receive salvation.

Now notice, let’s just finish here chapter 7.  “And they were calling out with a loud voice, to Him who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, saying, “The salvation of our God!”, because that’s what they’re going to receive.  “Then all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, fell upon their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might to our God into the ages of eternity! Amen!” (vs. 10-12, A.T.).

“And one of the elders answered and said to me, “Those who are clothed with white robes, who are they, and from where did they come?”  Then I said to him, “Sir, You know.” and he said to me, “These are those who have come out of great tribulation, and they have washed their robes, and have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.  Because of this they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One who is sitting on the throne shall tabernacle among them.  They shall not hunger any more, neither shall they thirst any more, nor shall the sun, no the heat fall upon them; because the Lamb who is in the {midst}of the throne will shepherd them, and will lead them to the fountains of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (vs. 13-17, A.T.). 

So this projects forward to the time that we know in Revelation 21 showing the finality of God’s plan.  So what this is doing it’s showing, now what is God going to do with the 144,000 and great innumerable multitude?   First of all He’s showing that they’re going to be resurrected.  Of course they’re not going to be resurrected until the first resurrection takes place.  But it also shows that they are not going to enter into the millenium as physical human beings.  They’re going to be spirit beings.  So now we have a good setting to go on and understand what we’re talking about with some of the other scriptures concerning the day of Pentecost and the resurrection. 

Ok, let’s go ahead now.  Now I’m just going to summarize chapter 8, and chapter 9, but each of them are the seven trumpet plagues.  The seventh seal is opened and then the first angel goes out.  Now isn’t it interesting it talks about the first angel going out and blows his trumpet.  Then the second angel, then the third angel, then the fourth angel, then the fifth angel, then the sixth angel.  Now let’s come over here to Revelation 11 and we will see when the seventh angel sounds, and the seventh angel is the last trump.  That’s what we need to understand.  And the saints are resurrected at the last trump, not trumpets.  As I mentioned yesterday, the Feast of Trumpets is a day of war, memorial of blowing of trumpets.  So here we have a sequence of seven trumpets.  Now if you don’t have the “Outline of Revelation” #1 and #2, and the chart that goes with it, be sure and write for it.  Cause it will show that the first trumpet is blown shortly after the Pentecost where the 144,000 are sealed and the great innumerable multitude.  And that comes down through the time sequence to when we come to the seventh trump, which then has to be on the day of Pentecost, or right there abouts. 

Now let’s pick it up here concerning the two witnesses, because then this leads on up until up to the resurrection.  Now, God allowed the two witnesses to be killed.  Revelation 11:8, “And their bodies shall lie upon the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”  Now Sodom tells us the morals of the peoples.  Egypt tells us the religion of the people because the coming one world religion is going back to the whole thing of Egyptian religious worship.  That’s why it’s defined here. 

Now notice, it also says, “…where also our Lord was crucified.”  And that is typified by Jerusalem because Jerusalem, even though it was city that God chose to place His name there when the temple was built there. It has never been faithful, with the exception of few of the kings, as we find recorded in a history recorded in the books of Kings and Chronicles.  Now then, when they die, “Then they of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations shall see their bodies three and a half days, and they shall not allow their bodies to be put into tombs.  And those who are dwelling on the earth will rejoice over them, and will make merry, and will send gifts to one another, because these, the two witnesses tormented them who dwell upon the earth.”  The last two enemies now to be killed.  So the world thinks.  “Then after three and a half days, the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet…”  Now can you imagine how everyone is going to view that and take that.  And it says, “… and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them” (vs. 9-11, A.T.).

Then here is an example, a perfect example in the scripture concerning the first shall be last and the last shall be first.  The two witnesses were the very last two who were martyred for Christ’s sake.  And they are the very first two who are resurrected.  Notice after they stood on their feet, verse 12, “And they heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, ‘Come up here!’ And they ascended up into heaven in a cloud; and their enemies watched them.  And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth of the city fell, and in the earthquake there were killed seven thousand men.  And the rest became afraid, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”  The second woe is past:…”  And the second woe was introduced with the sixth trumpet.  “…Behold the third woe comes immediately” (vs. 12-14, A.T.).

Now verse 15, “Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord’s and His Christ’s, and He shall reign into the ages of eternity.”  And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give You thanks, O Lord God almighty, Who is, and Who was, and Who is coming, that You have taken to Yourself Your great power and have reigned.”  Then the nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and those who fear Your name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth” (vs. 15-18, A.T.).  Now then, that is the resurrection, is it not?  The resurrection occurs at the seventh trump.  The last trump, just as Paul said. 

Now let’s go back here to 1 Thessalonians 4 and let’s see where then, as we saw in Matthew 24, the angels will pick us up as we are resurrected and will bring us up to the sea of glass, because there is going to be the meeting with the saints.  And then we will see what has to happen here.  1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not [precede] prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive…”  Now who are those who are alive?  One, those who are of the Church in the place of safety.  Two, the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and the great innumerable multitude.  So after all the dead in Christ have been raised, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…”  And the Greek could have the meaning of this: for the meeting with the Lord in the air.  “…And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thes. 4:14-17, KJV).

Now then, let’s come to Revelation 14 and let’s see when that will take place.  Notice, I want you to understand.  There are a lot of things that have to take place after the resurrection before we come back to the earth.  Now it is true that the Feast of Trumpets pictures the day when Christ and the saints put their feet on the earth on the Mount of Olives.  But the coming of Christ began with the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and He kept coming closer and closer, and closer, and closer to the earth.

Now let’s come there to Revelation 14 and let’s see the harvest of the firstfruits.  Let’s see what it says there.  Then when we’re done with this we’ll go back and we’ll examine the 144,000 again of Revelation 7 and the 144,000 of Revelation 14.  But first let’s get us all resurrected first.  Let’s have that all taken care of. 

Let’s begin here in verse12.  “Here is the patience of the saints, here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”  And that means having Jesus very own faith.  “And I heard a voice out of heaven, saying to me, “Write! Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from this time forward.  Yes, says the Spirit, so that they may rest from their labors; and their works follow them.”  And looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud One like the Son of man sitting, Who had on His head a golden crown; and in His hand a sharp sickle.” Now what do you cut grain with?  A sickle.  “Then another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him sitting on the cloud, “Thrust your sickle and reap; because the time is come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (Rev. 14:12-15, A.T.).   Which Jesus said the harvest is the end of the age.  The age ended with the seventh trump.  And this then is the resurrection of the seventh trump.  So as the age is ending the sickle is put to the grain and all then are resurrected.

Now verse 16, “And the One who was sitting upon the cloud thrust His sickle upon the earth and reaped the earth.”  There is the first resurrection.  That occurs on Pentecost.  Then it jumps forward to another harvest.  And this is the harvest of the destruction of the wicked through the seven last plagues.  So let’s see this now. 

“And another angel came out from the altar, having authority over fire, and he called with a loud cry to the one having the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust you sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the earth; because her grapes [are] fully ripe.”  These are the true grapes of wrath.  “Then the angel…”  Now notice, the one who did the first harvesting was like unto the Son of man, that’s Christ.  Here now we have an angel with a sickle.  “Then the angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast its fruit into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood spewed out from the winepress as high as the horses bridle, to the distance of a thousand six hundred furlongs” (vs. 18-20, A.T.).  This is the judgment and the valley of judgment.