WHO ARE THE 144,000 OF REVELATION?


By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com

Question: Please help me understand the role of the 144,000 in the book of Revelation.

I've been told that their mission is to evangelize the post-Rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the Tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” will come to faith in Christ, according to Revelation 7:9.

Does Scripture state that the 144,000 will evangelize the post-rapture world? I don't see it. Please tell me the Scripture, that states as a result of the 144,000's ministry, the great multitude will come to Christ?

I see that the great multitude are before the throne of God and serve him day and night, but I don't see where it says they are doing so as a result of the evangelizing work of the 144,000. Are these two things expressly stated in Scripture, or implied from Scripture? I appreciate your help.

Answer: Congratulations on being such a careful student of Scripture. Details of the ministry of the 144,000 are sparse and most of our conclusions are inferred rather than taught. Following are my thoughts.

What is the Rapture?

1) Although the word Rapture is not mentioned in the Bible, it is the private removal of all born again believers before the Tribulations.

Thessalonians 4:16-18 says,
“For the Lord himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

"After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

2) The Two Witnesses They are prophets who arrive from Heaven on the day of the Rapture. We know this because they are martyred at the midpoint, 1,260 days after they arrive, and a conclusion inferred by the overall timeline of Tribulation events.

They prophesy to the Jewish worshipers in the newly built Temple in Jerusalem, according to Revelation 11:1,2. Their first converts are the 144,000, the "first fruits" of the two witnesses, says Revelation 14:4. We know this because immediately after the Rapture, the two witnesses are the ONLY witnesses for God on earth.

While the 144,000 are miraculously preserved during the first half of the Tribulation, countless Jewish converts are martyred, says Matthew 24:9. Their souls are protected under Heaven's altar as they await the arrival of "their fellow servants", according to Revelation 6:9-11.

3) The 144,000, I conclude, preach during the second half or Great Tribulation after the surviving Jewish converts have successfully escaped, "into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God...for 1,260 days," says Rev.12: 6.

Since Zechariah 13:8 implies that the converted Jews hiding in the wilderness represent one-third of their total number and that the remaining two-thirds have been killed, the 144,000 Jewish men will preach the "Gospel of the Kingdom" to the Gentiles who have never previously heard the Gospel.

See Matthew 24:14-11 and Thessalonians 2:10-12. They are the only preachers on earth at the time, surviving because they have been "sealed" in their forehead. Therefore, the "great multitude" of Gentiles described in Revelation 7:9-17 are their converts.

This forehead seal is not to be confused with the evil Mark of the Beast that Christ rejecters will accept during the same seven-year Tribulation period. This is not the last word on the topic but these are my conclusions to date. Thank you for such a great question. There are thrilling days ahead for all believers in Christ.

Is Mormonism Christian?


The question above can be phrased in several ways:

1. Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination? No. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including:

a. The deity of Christ; b. salvation by grace; and c. the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible. The evidence for these statements is documented in section 3 below.

2. Are Mormons Christians? LIKELY NOT, if they believe the major doctrines of their church.

3. Can a Mormon be a Christian?. POSSIBLY. Only God knows what each person believes (and why) regarding His Son, Jesus Christ. But as a person stays in the Mormon church, absorbs and accepts Mormon teaching, doctrine and 'latter-day revelation', the chances of answering the question in the affirmative approach zero. The key question Mormons must answer is 'WHO is the Jesus they believe in'?

In the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul warns of "another Jesus whom we have not preached... a different spirit which you have not received... a different gospel which you have not accepted" (2 Cor. 11:4).

In the New Testament book of Galatians, Paul again warns: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal. 1:8). Ironically, this latter warning is a nearly exact description of how the Mormon church was founded:

In 1820, Joseph Smith Jr., age 14, went into the woods near Palmyra, New York, to pray concerning the different denominations of Christianity. Allegedly, God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and told him not to join any of those churches.

Three years later an angel named Moroni, the son of the leader of a people called the Nephites who had lived in the Americas around 400 AD, appeared to Smith and told him that Smith had been chosen to translate a book written on golden plates by Moroni's father. Smith claimed to receive the plates along with instructions to begin the translation, which was published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is supposedly the account of an ancient people who came from the Middle-East to the Americas. Smith claimed that during the translation process, John the Baptist appeared to him and ordained him to accomplish the divine work of restoring the true church by preaching the true gospel that, allegedly, had been lost from the earth.

From 1833-1835, a collection of additional 'revelations from God' to Joseph Smith were published by the LDS church as the 'Doctrine and Covenants'. In 1880 another work, the 'Pearl of Great Price', was also added to the Mormon body of 'scripture'.

The Mormon view of the Bible is summed up in a statement by the most famous Mormon apologist: "The Bible of the Old World has come to us from the manuscripts of antiquity - manuscripts which passed through the hands of uninspired men who changed many parts to suit their own doctrinal ideas."

"Deletions were common, and, as it now stands, many plain and precious portions and many covenants of the Lord have been lost. As a consequence, those who rely upon it alone [the Bible] stumble and are confused" (Bruce McConkie, in The Ensign, December 1985, p 55)."

In the material below, lets examine the major doctrines of the Mormon church and compare them to those taught by orthodox Christianity. The reader can judge whether or not Mormon teachings describe a "different Jesus" and a "different gospel".

1. A Word to Mormons. If you are a Mormon, please read the material in section 1 before you proceed.

2. Claims Made by the Mormon Church. Section 2 gives background information on the LDS (Mormon) church, their statements regarding other churches, and their claims about what constitutes 'scripture'.

*claims to be Christian
*claims to be the only true Church
*the truth of the Mormon church should be confirmed by an inner feeling
*only Mormon scriptures are considered reliable, not the Bible
*claims to receive modern-day revelation that supersedes Biblical teaching

3. Mormon Doctrine Compared to Biblical Doctrine. Section 3 is the largest section of the material (>50 pages). It is intended to focus on Mormon teaching about 4 essential subjects. The approach taken throughout is to simply quote original sources, both Biblical and Mormon, with minimal commentary. The reader can decide if there is a conflict between the two and is encouraged to look up the original materials. Each of the four sections is indexed to a summary table comparing Mormon with Biblical beliefs.

*Mormon teachings about God
*Mormon teachings about Jesus
*Mormon teachings about salvation
*Mormon teachings about man

4.Mormon Literature and Leaders. This reference section gives more information on source materials plus brief descriptions of the people and books quoted in sections 2 and 3. It is important to know the background because many of the Mormon authors spoke in an official capacity or claimed to have direct revelation from God. If Mormons argue that their prophets weren't speaking authoritatively, they haven't read the original quotations of their leaders.

5. Unique Mormon Definitions. Mormons, especially LDS missionaries, use many of the same Biblical terms familiar to Christians. Yet most of these terms carry different meanings, making it critically important to define those terms.

6. Other Serious Problems with Mormonism. Major doctrinal issues are covered above, but there are many other difficulties and inconsistencies with Mormonism. In this section, I've made a partial list of these and given some useful starting points for further investigation. The serious truth-seeker should examine each of these topics.

EVIL MAGIC:
SNAKES ALIVE IN EGYPT


By Harold Smith
inchrist@ca.inter.net

QUESTION: How could the magicians of Egypt do the same miracles that Moses did? (Exodus 7:22)

They did not do the same miracles. They only did two out of the ten.

A curious question many of us have is how could Egypt’s pharaoh and his evil magic men replicate some of God’s miracles displayed by Moses when he battled for the freedom of the Israelite slaves.

Exodus 7:22 tells us, “But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh's heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted.”

The demonic magicians turned the Nile River to blood and, with pharaoh and Moses watching, were also able to copy the miracle of snakes eating snakes in the palace.

We shouldn’t be alarmed to read of Satan’s very real power. Satan had almost as much matching power as God back then when Moses was allowed to herd the children of Israel to freedom from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Satan still has the same evil abilities today.

Satan’s power is especially vivid to those who are into Satan worship or occult practices. Avoid Satanic stuff like a deadly snake. Satan and his demons devour. Jesus and His angels are also very real. They assist us if we ask Jesus to help.

Pharaoh and the Egyptians were very wicked and set against the Lord God. They had their own demonic gods and goddesses; Hathor, Isis, Osiris, and Ra to name a few.

The one and only true God of the universe, Jehovah God, rained 10 plagues upon pharaoh until he freed His enslaved people, the Israelites.

God prevented Satan’s magicians from copying eight of the 10 plagues. The evildoers realized, “this is the finger of God.” They no longer had God’s permission to do more.

These 10 plagues are one of the greatest displays of God’s sovereignty over the entire universe. He even uses the demons for His purposes.1 Samuel 16:14, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

The verse means that God allowed that spirit to trouble Saul. This is similar to what we read in Job 1:12, where God allowed Satan to afflict Job.

The same sovereign power was displayed when He had ravens feed a prophet twice a day. 1 Kings 17:4 says, “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.”

God used a donkey to speak to a prophet when there was nobody else available. Numbers 22:28 says, “And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, ‘What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times’?”

So, when God wanted to judge Egypt and deliver Israel He used Moses and the 10 plagues and allowed the magicians to use a little bit of their power to show that He was the all-powerful God. Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: Is there any thing too hard for me?”

There are some things God cannot do. He gave man a free will and when it comes to salvation, He cannot save a sinner that will not repent and trust His Son who died on the cross to provide salvation for Him.

Would we rather repent or perish? The issue is whether we want to live forever in Heaven or in Hell. There is no decision in life more important than this.

Deut. 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

God gives us the choice. The onus in not on Him, but on us. We can never blame God if we end up in Hell. He has place the Cross of Christ between Hell and us. It is time we all accept Him.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST?


By Grace Kemp
gracekemp@aol.com


The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and rose again from the dead.

When we admit that we are a sinner and humbly turn to Him for forgiveness and receive Him as our Savior, He forgives us for every sin we have ever committed and makes us a member of His family.

Without a doubt, the gospel is the best news of all time. Because of the gospel, we can spend eternity in Heaven. Without the Gospel, we remain in our sins. No unforgiven sinner will ever enter Heaven.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, " I declare unto you the gospel..which..ye have received….by which..ye are saved..how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “SAVED”?

The word “saved” is used 53 times in the New Testament and means to be delivered. Imagine a person in peril. Someone sees his plight, assesses the situation, then perhaps risking his own life, executes a successful rescue. We call that person a hero.

WHY DO I NEED TO BE SAVED?

God is absolutely holy. Man was born with a sinful nature, and chooses to sin. While some sin more than others, we all sin. It takes only one sin to separate us from God. Because of sin, we are in danger of eternal separation from God. We need to be saved!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DIE UNSAVED?

Consider the following chilling words:

* Romans. 3:23 - “All have sinned”

* Romans. 6:23 - “The wages of sin is death”

* John 8:21 - “If you die in your sins, where I go ye cannot come”

* Hebrews. 9:27 - “After (death), the judgment”

* Matthew. 3:7 - “Flee from the wrath to come”

* Luke 16:23 - “In hell he lifted up his eyes being in torments”

* Revelation. 20:15 - “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire"

WOULD A LOVING GOD ACTUALLY SEND PEOPLE TO HELL?

God sacrificed his beloved Son to save us from going to Hell. If we ignore or reject Christ who is our one and only means of salvation, we will send ourselves to Hell. But we will have stepped over Christ’s dead body to get there.

WHAT ABOUT PURGATORY?

Purgatory does not exist. Not only does the Bible never mention it once, but teaches that Hell is a never-ending place of eternal torment from which lost souls never escape.

HOW CAN I GET SAVED?

The Bible says we must be saved to get into Heaven. To get saved, we must pray what is commonly referred to as the Sinner’s Prayer Here are the essentials.

1. We must acknowledge that we are sinners and can do nothing to save ourselves.

2. Confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

3. In simple faith, accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Invite Him into our life.

4. The Bible says we are to tell somebody what we have done. See Romans 10:9.

SINNER’S PRAYER

Dear God,

I am a sinner and I need forgiveness.

There is nothing I can do to cover my sins, past, present, or future.

The Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness."

I want my sins forgiven right now so I can have a relationship with You and go to Heaven when I die.

I am willing to turn away from my sin.

I believe that:

Jesus Christ, Your Son, is the promised Messiah and Savior.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, not for His sin but to sacrifice Himself for my sin.

Jesus Christ is the only blood sacrifice for sin that You will accept.

Jesus Christ's resurrection proves that You accepted his sacrifice for me.

Because I believe all these things, I am now acting on them.

Lord Jesus Christ,

I repent of my sins.

I renounce all other gods.

I believe You are the Son of God and the only Savior.

I willingly and wholeheartedly accept You, Lord Jesus Christ, as my Savior and Lord.

I invite You to make your home in my heart.

Because you have promised to receive all who come to You in faith, I declare that:

I belong to You.

You are the Lord of my life.

I am now a member of the family of God.

I am in an eternal, covenant relationship with You.

This covenant is sealed by the Holy Spirit who now lives in me.

My name is written in your Book of Life.

Heaven is my future home.

My intention is to love and obey you with my whole heart.

Thank you, God, for your amazing love and priceless gift of salvation.

In Jesus' name, amen.


Your name_________________________________

Date ______________________________________


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Questions and Answers


By Grace Kemp

gracekemp@aol.com
http://www.youtube.com/scriptureseries


Q. If Jesus preached love and all, why is that that some Christians are hateful and intolerant of Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Pagans, etc. I've had enough.

A. All who profess Christianity are not necessarily true Christians. True believers in Christ will hate the false religion that leads people to Hell while loving the person enough to warn them of their religious error.

Q. Either Jesus is some kind of power-hungry corrupt prophet or Christians have got it all wrong.

A. Would you still call Jesus "power hungry" if you knew His claims were true? Read the Gospel of John with an open mind.

Q. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of all the pain and suffering people have put me through.

A. God will eventually judge all those who have caused you "pain and suffering" (11 Peter 2:9). What other religion offers this kind of equality and justice?

Q. You know what? These Hell claims are FEAR tactics. I was watching a documentary on Hell and these people dramatized it back 1,000 something years ago to scare people into their beliefs.

A. Would you call it "fear tactics" if some screaming maniac awakened you out of sleep to tell you your house was on fire? Is he a hero or a villain? The Bible says, "Flee from the wrath to come!" (Luke 3:7).

Q. If Christianity is the only way, why is it that Christianity came after Paganism, Hinduism, the ancient religions of Greece and Egypt and Judaism. Why is that?

A. God predated ALL religions (Gen. 1:1). When Adam and Eve sinned, God killed animals to cover their nakedness, symbolic of the fact that covering sin required a blood sacrifice. The human race became sinful thereafter. By the time of the flood, corruption flourished (Genesis 6:5). Paganism and its many false religious faces developed after the flood through Nimrod in Mesopotamia around the time of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

God chose Abraham and the Jews around 2,000 BC as His mediators of truth and salvation to mankind (Genesis 12:1,2; 17:6-8. etc.) New Testament Christianity flows right out of Old Testament Judaism in which God promised to send a Redeemer who would die as the blood sacrifice for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53). Christ's substitutionary death around 30 AD means that the repetitious blood sacrifices of the Old Testament are no longer necessary.

Forgiveness of sin, past, present, and future is available to all who receive Christ as their Savior! How great is that?! God has devised a plan that satisfies his judgment against sin and offers salvation as a free gift to all who receive it. All other religions are Satan's lies designed to deceive and confuse the unwary (Luke 8:44).

Q. I want proof that the Bible is the only valid source of God's truth. Can you give that?

A. There is far too much proof of the divine origin of Scripture to cover in this forum. I have previously suggested that you read the book, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict," by Josh McDowell. The prophetic evidence alone for the divine source of the Bible is overwhelming.

Q. There are just as many prophecies and as much science in the Torah and Quran as there are in the Bible.

A. The Torah IS the first 5 books of the Bible. Every prophecy and scientific statement therein is accurate. There are NO fulfilled prophecies in the Quran except those Mohammed copied from the Bible.