With Him were 144,000 – Revelation 14:1

Previously: There stood the Lamb – Revelation 14:1

The scripture

Rev. 14:1 – Then I looked, and there on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

With Him were 144,000

John sees with the Lamb “144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads” (v.  1). Who are the 144,000? Are they the same people we encounter in Revelation 7? And should the number be taken literally or symbolically?

Jesus with lambWe first hear of 144,000 in Rev. 7:4. They are identified as “slaves of our God” who are sealed “on their foreheads.” This is similar to the 144,000 in Rev. 14:1 who have the Lamb’s name “and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” This special group is sealed on earth in Revelation 7, and is referred to as “the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth” in Revelation 14. However, the sealed slaves in Revelation 7 are from “every tribe of the Israelites,” while those sealed in Revelation 14 are not identified as ethnic Jews. So, are these the same people?

It would appear so, even though there is no clear consensus among scholars. Some insist they are the same 144,000 since they are sealed by God on their foreheads and are redeemed from the earth. Those who hold this view stress that we see the 144,000 on earth in chapter 7 and in heaven in chapter 14. Other interpreters, however, say that these are two different groups: Jews in chapter 7 and the “redeemed from the human race” in chapter 14 (v. 4), suggesting that Gentiles are included in this number.

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Apologetics e-newsletter coming in January

Thank you, Missouri Baptists, for helping bring to life a statewide Christian apologetics ministry in 2013. MBC churches and associations hosted many apologetics weekends and one-day events that covered topics ranging from “How do I know the Bible is true?” to “What do false religions have in common?”

mbApologetics copy

A new apologetics e-newsletter is coming in January.

Hosts included Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Jefferson City; Cross Keys Baptist Church, Florissant; Sweetwater Baptist Church, Neosho; First Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon; Southridge Baptist Church, Jefferson City; East Sedalia Baptist Church; New Salem Baptist Church, Ashland; Faith Baptist Church, Festus; First Baptist Church, Lockwood; First Baptist Church, Linn; Black River Baptist Association; and others.

Last month, I was honored to represent Missouri Baptists in a weeklong apologetics-training event for seminary students and pastors at Seminario Teologico Bautista Mexicano in Mexico City. The MBC’s Partnership Missions team, led by Rick Hedger, and the International Mission Board worked together to make this happen. What a great opportunity it was for me to help equip young church leaders to defend the Christian faith.

Events already scheduled in 2014 include participation in the Sowing in Tears (State Evangelism) Conference and the Worldview Conference, as well as numerous church-sponsored events. To schedule an apologetics event at your church or associational office, contact me at rphillips@mobaptist.org or call 573.636.0400 ext. 304.

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2013 in review

Thanks for visiting OnceDelivered.net in 2013. The free resources available here are designed to equip you to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Following is a recap of the year, including the most popular posts. Read on, and come back often in 2014.

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 86,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

There stood the Lamb – Revelation 14:1

Previously: The Lamb and the 144,000 — Revelation 14:1-5

The scripture

Rev. 14:1 – Then I looked, and there on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.  on Mount Zion stood the Lamb

There stood the Lamb on Mount Zion

John writes in verse 1 that he sees the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. The identity of the Lamb clearly is Jesus, as we know from other scriptures. In John 1:29, John the Baptist declares, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Seven verses later he tells two of his disciples, “Look! The Lamb of God!” Every faithful Jew would know the significance of this cry. Jesus is the fulfillment of every precious, beloved lamb slain as a sacrifice to God under the Old Covenant. 

BibleIn a message at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Newington, England, Aug. 25, 1889, Charles Haddon Spurgeon reminds his congregation that the Lamb of God is seen first in the lamb for one man as Abel offers up a more excellent sacrifice than his brother Cain. Next, there is the lamb for the family as portrayed in the Passover. Then there is the lamb for the people – two young lambs sacrificed every day for the children of Israel. We then see the Lamb for the whole world – the Lamb John beholds, who takes away the sin of the world.

Spurgeon declares, “There was nothing of greater wonder ever seen than that God Himself should provide the Lamb for the burnt offering, that He should provide His only Son out of His very bosom, that He should give the delight of His heart to die for us. Well may we behold this great wonder. Angels admire and marvel at this mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh; they have never left off wondering and adoring the grace of God that gave Jesus to be the Sacrifice for guilty men” (www.spurgeon.org/sermons/2329.htm).

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10 truths about the return of Jesus

200321147-001Few passages of scripture cause more controversy among evangelical Christians than Rev. 20:1-10, in which John mentions a 1,000-year period six times.  The main point of debate is whether the “millennium” should be understood literally or figuratively.

Generally, those who believe the 1,000 years are literal and in the future are called premillennialists. They look for Christ to return and establish a “millennial kingdom,” or a reign of 1,000 years, after which He puts down Satan’s final revolt, resurrects and judges unbelievers (Christians are judged before the millennium), and creates new heavens and a new earth.

Those who believe Christ is returning after the millennium are called postmillennialists. The 1,000 years are not necessarily a literal time frame, but they represent a period during which much of the world turns to faith in Jesus.

Those who see all references to the 1,000 years as figurative and without merit as a reference point concerning the timing of the Lord’s return are called amilllennialists.

There is diversity within each of these camps as to the order of events surrounding the second coming.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it’s important to follow a biblical principle for exploring tough passages: Start with the simple and straightforward teachings of scripture, and seek to understand the difficult passages in the light of the simpler ones.

With that in mind, let’s rally around 10 simple truths regarding the return of Jesus.

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