GLOBAL  IMPACT  STUDIES

If you find the truth, will you believe it?

If any man desires to do God's will, he will have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from myself and on my own accord.  John 7:17 

 

Chapter 12

Revelation Chapter 14

"And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand [144,000], having His Father's name written in their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1, emphasis added).    

At the end of Revelation thirteen, we read of men receiving a mark in their foreheads or in their  right hands which could be "the name of the beast" or the  number of his name" (Rev. 13:17). Some tell us it is not a visible mark or number, thus spiritualizing away what the Bible says into something they have concocted. From what is written here in Revelation 14:1, both the "mark of the beast" and the "Father's name" are visibly written in their followers' foreheads.

Satan can only copy what he sees Elohim doing. He is not the originator of anything but sin. We see the "hundred forty and four thousand" will have the "Father's name written in their foreheads," so Satan will have his name (tattooed?) in his followers' foreheads or a mark in their right hand.

We discovered in Revelation chapter seven that Elohim was waiting for the 144,000 to be sealed in their foreheads, which is something very different from what we read in Revelation 14:1. In Revelation chapter seven, the sealing in their foreheads has to do with the characters of those being sealed, whereas in Revelation chapter fourteen the "name written in their foreheads" is literal and takes place after the 144,000 have been brought to heaven and stand "on the mount Zion" with Yahushua. The frontal lobe of man's brain is where character is determined and is where the sealing is accomplished.

The 144,000 are Elohim's select group of servants during the "last days." Yahuwah is looking for a few “good” men and women to have an experience with Him, unlike most who have ever lived on the earth. They will "know" Elohim intimately, as did Yahushua, Moses, Elijah, and a few others mentioned in the Scriptures.

"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" (Rev. 14:3, emphasis added).

It is a song that relates their unique experience, and we will find what that song is when we look at Revelation chapter fifteen and discover when they will be singing it.

"These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins" (Rev. 14:4). Women, as we have seen previously, designate churches. A pure woman represents a pure church, while a harlot represents a church in apostasy or spiritual adultery.  The "women" mentioned here in Revelation chapter fourteen represent churches and religions that are in apostasy and partaking of the "wine of Babylon" and committing spiritual fornication even though they make high professions of their oneness with Elohim.

We are told "the 144,000 are virgins," which indicates purity, and they have nothing to do with the "abominations of the earth" Babylon, the Great, has sown throughout the earth (Rev. 17:5).

We have seen the religions that make up the seven-headed portion of the first beast in Revelation chapter thirteen are in a conspiracy with the political entities of this world, which the Bible tells us is spiritual fornication. History tells us any time a religion or church has united with a government, persecution has followed. In a later chapter, we will learn fornication is the specific sin the apostate churches and false religions are guilty of and is used to describe the unholy alliance the political and religious entities are having with one another.

"These [144,000] are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). Please note they bear the Father's name in their foreheads and follow the Lamb. Yahushua will be given a new name at some point in time that no man knows at the present time (Rev. 19:12).

Yahushua tells the overcomers from the church of Philadelphia that He "will write upon him My new name" in addition to the name of the new Jerusalem.  “Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My Elohim, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My Elohim [Yahuwah], and the name of the city of My Elohim, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My Elohim: and I will write upon him My new name” (Rev. 3:12).  So in addition to having the Father's name in their forehead, they will have Yahushua's new name as well and the name of the new Jerusalem.

They do not follow any man, denomination, or religion, but only "the Lamb," Yahushua. They have been called and chosen and are sealed by the Spirit of Elohim and are not set apart by any man or group of men. Elohim always invites individuals to follow Him. We are not saved in groups or churches but individually. People, like animals, find security in groups, but the only safety of any value in the "last days" will be those who "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Ps. 91:1). 

"These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto Elohim and to the Lamb" (Rev. 14:4). They are the "first fruits”; they are not the only fruit. The "great multitude" that is seen in Revelation chapter seven is the main crop, "which no man could number" (Rev. 7:9). "But now is Messiah risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept" (1 Cor. 15:20). We already discussed the first fruit concept in our study on Revelation chapter seven.  We will address this concept of the first fruit further when we get to Revelation chapter fifteen. 

"And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of Elohim" (Rev. 14:5, emphasis added). "They are without fault before the throne of Elohim." That is quite a testimony to their character. "In their mouth was found no guile." "They are without fault." This is what the Bible and Yahuwah say about them and not what they say about themselves. There is no boasting on the part of Elohim's elect. Micah 6:8 tells us we are to "walk humbly with thy Elohim."

"Who [Yahushua] did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth" (1 Pet. 2:20). Webster's Dictionary tells us that guile is "deceiving trickery," and we are told this in James 3:2: "If any man offends not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." There is no deception or hypocrisy in their character. The inside of the cup is as clean as the outside. The Greek word used here for guile means "fish bait," which tells us that there is a hook inside the bait that will catch you. But this is not so with the 144,000. There is no deceit in their character, unlike Satan, who "deceives the whole world" by his lies, flattery, craft, and deception (Dan. 8:25, Rev. 12:9). 

The 144,000 deal only in the currency of heaven:  the pure, unvarnished, unadulterated truth that unmasks Satan's lies and his deceptions that cause them to be the objects of Satan's hatred.

Some of the messages they have to give to the world are found pictured in the first three angels that follow in Revelation chapter fourteen. They will be speaking things considered to be socially, religiously, and politically incorrect with no apologies given.

We will find in a later chapter there is nothing any man or Satan can do to stop them while they are under the protection and direction of Yahushua and Yahuwah.

THE FIRST ANGEL   

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear Elohim, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:6-7, emphasis added)

The first angel's message is that worship has to do with more than ceremonies and church or religious services; it has to do with honor, respect, submission, and obedience. The message will go "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." The "great multitude" pictured in Revelation 7:9 are from "all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues."

As a result of the work of the 144,000, the great multitude will come out of Babylon (Rev. 18:1-4) and worship the only, one, true Elohim (Rev. 14:7, John 17:3, 1 Cor. 8:6). This will be a universal message!

The message the first angel gives is to "Fear Elohim [The Supreme Being], and give glory to Him [not Them]; for the hour of His [not Their] judgment is come: and worship Him [not Them] that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:7, emphasis added).  There is only One Supreme Being, and that is what Elohim means.  Whose name is Yahuwah which means The eternal, self-existent One.

In all the places in the Bible where we are admonished to worship Elohim because He is the Creator, the phrase "fountains of waters" is never mentioned except in this verse. Why here? One thing we have discovered in our study of the prophecies is nothing is there without a good reason. What we may see as insignificant may have great significance to what Elohim is trying to tell us.

The "heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" are all damaged by those events pictured in the first four trumpets shown in Revelation chapter eight. This message calling the world to worship Yahuwah is connected with the events portrayed under the first four trumpets that will arrest the attention of the entire planet.

Some of you may remember the phrase "shock and awe," which was connected with the bombing of Iraq during the First Gulf War, which got the attention of the Iraqis. Elohim will have the world’s attention, and the first angel's message will be given by His servants, the 144,000, beginning during the time the first four trumpets are sounding and continuing throughout “the time of trouble.”

Others at the same time also claiming to be servants of God will be giving messages purportedly from God; false prophets in the past opposed the work of Elohim when there were true prophets at work. The messages given by the 144,000 will be distinctly different from those being proclaimed by the false prophets, and the 144,000 will all be speaking the same thing (Isa. 52:8). "Prepare to meet thy Elohim" (Amos 4:12).

The only way you will be able to tell who is giving Elohim's message is to heed what is found in Isaiah 8:20. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Unfortunately, few truly understand what "the law and the testimony" are because there are so few who study the Bible as we are told to do in the Scriptures (2 Tim. 2:15).

Elohim has tried to gain our attention over the years in many ways, but for the most part, we have ignored those attempts and have continued on our way. Not so when these events occur! Elohim will have the world’s attention, and Elohim's servants, the 144,000, will be proclaiming a universal message calling upon men and women throughout the earth to worship Elohim according to the way He has asked humanity to worship Him, and not according to the way man has chosen to worship Him. We do not get to decide how we worship Elohim! "In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:9). Man does not dictate to Elohim.

Cain chose to worship Elohim in a way other than the way Elohim had ordained. For not being accepted by Elohim, Cain slew his brother Abel, who brought the required sacrifice as his offering. After Adam and Eve fell, Elohim set up the means and manner by which to approach Him.

"And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Yahuwah. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Yahuwah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He did not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And Yahuwah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou do not well, sin lies at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Gen. 4:3-8, emphasis added).

"Without the shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness] of sin" (Heb. 9:22). In the Old Testament, this was taught pointing forward to the ultimate Sacrifice to be made by the Son of Elohim and is why Abel's offering was accepted.  Cain chose to worship in a way other than what Elohim had ordained and was not accepted. 

“But as then he that was born after the flesh [Cain] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit [Abel], even so it is now” (Gal. 4:29).  This scene of Cain killing Abel will be re-enacted on a global scale at the close of time when those who choose their own way of worshipping the Creator persecute and kill those who will follow the Creator's plan of worship. This is described in Revelation 6:9-11 in the fifth seal and in Revelation 13:7-10.

But “a great multitude” (Rev. 7:9) will answer the call given by the 144,000 and will worship the Creator according to His ordained method, as shown in the Bible, in spite of being threatened with imprisonment or death. All that humanity has changed in the worship of our Creator will be restored, including what the "little horn" pictured in Daniel 7:25 changed.

Many changes will have to be made by humanity to be prepared to meet our Elohim! If you are unwilling to make those changes, you will not be accepted by Elohim, as was the case with Cain. We are His creation, and Yahuwah Elohim, as the Creator and Supreme Being of the Universe, has the authority and the right to tell us when and how to worship Him.

It is a test of loyalty that shows whether we are willing to obey Him or not and whether it would be safe to have immortality conferred upon us. "For Thou, O Elohim, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou brought us into the net; Thou laid affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and water: but Thou brought us out into a wealthy place" (Ps. 66:10-12, emphasis added). "Behold I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10). “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried” (Dan. 12:10, emphasis added).  All the rubbish will be removed from our character by those tests and trials! If we are not willing to suffer or to even die for what we believe, it may be because we are not sure of what we believe. "They loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11).

"For the hour of His judgment is come" (Rev. 14:7, emphasis added). There are two ways to understand this statement. One way is Elohim is judging the people of this earth. Throughout the Scriptures, this is the picture given to us of Elohim; He is our Judge. "But Elohim is the Judge" (Ps. 75:7). "Yahuwah shall judge the people" (Ps. 7:8).

We discovered in our study of Daniel 7:10, 26 the judgment of humanity began in AD 1798. This verse tells us "the hour of [or the time of] Elohim's judgment is come" (Rev. 14:7, emphasis added); it does not say "the people's judgment is come," but states "the hour of His [Elohim's] judgment is come." Is Elohim going to be judged? Why? What for?

We are told, "you are My witnesses, saith Yahuwah" (Isa. 43:10-12, 44:8).  If we are to be Elohim's witnesses, Who is on trial? A witness gives first-hand testimony in matters of the law, either for or against the defendant who is on trial, which in this case is Elohim. There is no second-hand testimony accepted by a court of law; that is referred to as hearsay. Our testimony must be based on our first-hand knowledge and experience. The ninth commandment is, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Ex. 20:16). We are bearing either a faithful witness for Elohim or a false witness against Him by the lives we live each and every day.

During “the time of the end," Yahuwah will be judged! Satan has made accusations against Elohim, which will be refuted through the living testimony of His people. The testimony from Elohim's Word concerning the 144,000 is that "in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of Elohim" (Rev. 14:5, emphasis added). In Revelation 11:7, in speaking of the 144,000, it is written: "And when they shall have finished their testimony." 

Can Elohim do for His people what He has promised to do for them in His Word? "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Can the indwelling Spirit of Elohim complete the work in us He has started? (Heb. 12:2).

Can Yahuwah depend upon the 144,000 to give a credible witness on His behalf? Satan, through his servants, the false prophets and ministers of this world, has been telling the people Elohim's law cannot be kept or, even worse, that we do not need to keep the law of Elohim.  “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so: and what will you do in the end thereof?” (Jer. 5:31).  They are teaching “treason to the government of Elohim!” Satan's lies will be refuted by the living testimony of Elohim's servants, the 144,000, and then by the "great multitude" who come out of Babylon during the "time of trouble."

There will be no boasting or arrogance on the part of Elohim's people as though they have attained to a state of not sinning by their efforts. See 1 John 3:6, 9. They will realize they are kept from sinning wholly by the power of the Spirit of Elohim dwelling within them and empowering them to live lives that are in harmony with Elohim. Yahushua paid the penalty for sin on the cross.

The indwelling Spirit of Elohim breaks the power of sin in the lives of those followers of Elohim; it is thus that Elohim becomes our personal Savior. "But thanks be to Elohim, which gives us the victory through our Master Yahushua Messiah" (1 Cor. 15:57). "Victory" does not come through our efforts; it is a gift!

"Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know [lest we forget] that I am Yahuwah that sanctify them" (Eze. 20:12, emphasis added). It is Yahuwah that makes us holy and righteous, but He needs our permission and cooperation to do so.

When the nation of Israel was given the law at Mt. Sinai, all the people responded by saying, "all the words which Yahuwah hath said we will do" (Ex. 24:3). Was this the proper response?

The people told Yahuwah what they thought He wanted to hear.  “Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues” (Ps. 78:36).   

A better response would have been: "Yahuwah give us Thy Spirit that we may be enabled by Thy power to do all that You have said." "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Elohim wants us to rely upon Him and not upon ourselves, which is self-reliance and not Elohim-reliance. "Elohim is our refuge and strength" (Ps. 46:1, emphasis added). It is Elohim Who makes us into what He wants us to become. He is the Master Potter (Isa. 64:8) Who only needs our consent and our cooperation to do the work that needs to be accomplished in our lives to prepare us to live for eternity in His presence.  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of Yahuwah, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of Yahuwah” (2 Cor. 3:18, emphasis added).

The old covenant failed because the people attempted in their strength to keep Elohim's laws.

In the new covenant, Elohim promises to write His laws in our minds and “cause us to walk in His ways” (Jer. 31:31, 33; Eze. 36:26-27).

Yahuwah Elohim told Abraham and Sarah they were going to have a son in their old age, and that was after Sarah had passed child-bearing age. They did not believe Elohim could do it all on His own, so they tried to help Elohim do what He had promised to do. They gave Sarah's maid, Hagar, to Abraham to conceive a child and help Elohim fulfill His promise to them, and we are still reaping the results of their lack of faith in what is going on in the Middle East today, nearly four thousand years later.

Can Elohim “write His laws in our minds” and “cause us to walk in His ways?” He does not need our help to do what He has promised. He only needs our permission and cooperation to do what He has promised.

People get nervous and upset with those who talk about living without sinning, but what the Bible has to say on the matter is what is essential. "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before Elohim. Walking in all the commandments and ordinances of Yahuwah blameless" (Luke 1:5-6, emphasis added). "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared Elohim and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1, emphasis added). In speaking of the 144,000, it is written, "And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of Elohim" (Rev. 14:5, emphasis added).

"Whosoever abides in Him [Yahuwah] sins not" (1 John 3:6, emphasis added). "Whosoever is born of Elohim does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of Elohim" (1 John 3:9, emphasis added). It is because so few have been "born again" that they continue to sin even after having been baptized. "He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue [bring into subjection] our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Mic. 7:19, emphasis added). The deepest point in the ocean is 6.831 miles.

This does not teach what is called "holy flesh," where it becomes impossible for someone to sin, but as long as you are connected to the Vine and remain connected to the Vine, His Spirit dwelling in you and empowering you to live a life of victory over sin you will not continue to sin. Elohim is being judged through the testimony of the lives of His children, who are rendering perfect obedience through the indwelling power of Elohim's Spirit.

THE SECOND ANGEL 

"And there followed another angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14:8). Thirty days following the global “earthquake” pictured in Revelation 8:5, the New World Order will come into power as pictured in Revelation 13:1-10, Revelation 11:2, and Daniel 2:44.

The first four trumpets have already sounded, and in the destruction and chaos following, the New World Order (Babylon) will take control. These are not exactly the conditions the New World Order had in mind or had planned on, but this is the hand Yahuwah will deal them. With the earth severely damaged and approximately two billion people dead (Rev. 6:8), they will be severely limited as to what they will be able to do. Just as ancient Babylon came up after the flood, modern-day Babylon (the New World Order) will come up after the destruction caused by the sounding of the first four trumpets pictured in Revelation chapter eight. Babylon will be discussed further in subsequent chapters.

The 144,000 will be declaring much of what is found in Revelation chapters seventeen and eighteen and calling Elohim's people out of the customs, practices, beliefs, and teachings which originated in ancient Babylon back in the days of the Tower of Babel when the first one-world government tried to rule the world. Elohim put an end to it as He will do with this New World Order (Dan. 2:44). Those customs, practices, beliefs, and teachings which originated back in ancient Babylon during the days of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz, have found their way into the "Christian" systems of beliefs and practices. This is why Elohim is calling "His people" out of them and the other religions of this world into the pure "faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Every day we see and partake of those things which originated in ancient Babylon without even realizing it, and Elohim winks at our ignorance (Acts 17:30). But when He makes known the truth to the people, they will have to make a choice (Josh. 24:15); to either continue following those pagan customs, practices, beliefs, and teachings or to change and follow Elohim and all of His laws, commandments, statutes, and judgments  (Mal. 4:4).

THE THIRD ANGEL 

"And the third angel followed them [the first two angels], saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of Elohim, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation" (Rev. 14:9-10). This is not some idle threat to intimidate us but a sure promise of Elohim to be taken extremely seriously. Elohim is trying to warn us of the seriousness of the situation.

The 144,000 will proclaim these first three angels' messages at the appropriate times in conjunction with specific events taking place in the world. The second beast of Revelation chapter thirteen, who is Satan, does not come on the scene until after the twenty-first month (after January 23, 2029), once the New World Order has come into power. The command to receive a mark in the right hand or the forehead does not take place until after Satan appears and has had five months to torment humanity (Rev. 9:4-6).

There are consequences based on which side you choose. If you accept the mark of the beast, you "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of Elohim, which is poured out without mixture [no mercy] into the cup of His indignation" (emphasis added). You will be drinking it "straight," as we used to say – without any intervening of Elohim's mercy to dilute His wrath.

And if you do not receive the mark nor "worship the beast and his image," you will not be able to "buy or sell," or you may "be killed" (Rev. 13:15, 17; 20:4).

Revelation 20:4 confirms this and how some people will be killed. "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Yahushua, and for the Word of Elohim, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands" (emphasis added).

Nobody will be able to "buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Rev. 13:17). But if you take the number or the name of the beast, you will drink the wine of the wrath of Elohim without any diluting mercy as seen in “the seven last plagues” of Revelation chapter sixteen. Decision time! The choice will be yours. Elohim will not overrule your free will, but He will be trying to help you to make an intelligent decision.

Elohim has promised to those who "walk righteously, and speak uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that shakes his hands from holding bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood [gossip], and shuts his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isa. 33:15-16, emphasis added). But you must meet the conditions specified to obtain the promises given by Elohim. All will be tested as to whom their loyalty belongs.

Again Elohim's Word will be put to the test, and the faith of His people tested and tried (Ps. 66:10-12). Can Elohim do as He promised in providing for His people? If they do not receive the mark, they will have no means of sustaining themselves and may be killed. Elohim's people will live by faith in every word that has proceeded from Elohim's mouth. "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of Elohim" (Luke 4:4). Elohim will provide for the needs of His people as He has done in the past. People will have to walk by faith in Elohim's Word, and if they have not done this in the past, they will have to learn very quickly and under very trying circumstances that Elohim can be depended upon, or else they will give in to the decree and accept the mark of the beast.

The three Hebrew children we read about in Daniel chapter three faced death for not worshipping the image King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and in that instance, Elohim saw fit to deliver them miraculously. So we will be tested! 

“Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?  Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, you fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”  (Dan.3:14-15). 

Nebuchadnezzar found out the Elohim (God), Whom they worshipped, was more than able to keep His servants from being consumed in the fire and deliver them out of his hands. 

“When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isa 43:2).  Elohim keeps His promises to those who are faithful to Him and have put their trust in Him!

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Elohim, and the faith of Yahushua. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die [are killed] in Yahushua from henceforth" (Rev. 14:12-13, emphasis added). People are going to be killed over this matter. The people pictured here will be keeping Elohim’s commandments, will have patience, and "they will not love their lives [even] unto the death" (Rev. 12:11).

Humanity is not patient and must learn patience or endurance through Elohim's methods of instruction. "For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of Elohim, you might receive the promise" (Heb. 11:36). "But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (Jam. 1:4). Patience is one of those attributes for which Elohim's people at “the time of the end” will be noted.

How is patience developed in one's character? By waiting! "Wait on Yahuwah: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on Yahuwah" (Ps. 27:14). "Rest in Yahuwah, and wait patiently for Him." "Wait on Yahuwah, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it" (Ps. 37:7, 34). "Truly my soul waits upon Elohim: from Him comes my salvation." "My soul, wait thou only upon Elohim; for my expectation is from Him" (Ps. 62:1, 5). 

King Saul lost his kingdom because he was impatient.  See 1 Samuel chapter thirteen.  Yahuwah always promises something good to those who wait!

They keep Elohim's Commandments as they were before they were changed by the "little horn" (Dan. 7:25); reread the chapter on Daniel chapter seven for a reminder of what those changes are.

They have "the faith of Yahushua." The life Yahushua lived on this earth was a life of faith in His Father. Yahushua said, "I can of Mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30). Yahushua came here to show us how men and women can live when depending on His Father. In John chapter fifteen, Yahushua told us He was the Vine, and we are His branches. We are to abide in Him, and when we do, our lives will be as fruitful as His life was, for His Father's Spirit will be dwelling in us as it was in Him. 

"Blessed are the dead which die in Yahushua from henceforth" (Rev. 14:13, emphasis added). In Daniel 12:12, we find another "blessed" being pronounced on those "that wait, and come to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days."  Will the same event bless both groups? When you look at the timeline in Appendix A, you will see this time coincides with the Feast of Tabernacles which was the most joyous feast for the Hebrews and was celebrated at the time of the harvest, and we will be at the time of this earth's final harvest.

In Revelation chapter fourteen, people are killed during the sounding of the third angel's message, which warned everyone not to accept the mark of the beast. In Revelation chapter thirteen, people were threatened with death or starvation if they do not receive the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:15-16). In Revelation 20:4, we are told some will be beheaded for not having received the mark of the beast.

Does your faith abide in Elohim, or are you a "fair weather" follower of Yahushua? The real followers of Elohim will be known. Only those who live by faith in Yahuwah and in obedience to the Word of Elohim and who "know" Elohim intimately will not accept the mark of the beast because they will have learned the lessons of faith, trust, patience, and obedience. A mere profession will not enable people to endure this terrible test. We must have a vital living connection like the branch to the vine (John 15:1-9). The subject of why "blessed are they which die in Yahuwah from henceforth" will be dealt with in the chapter on Daniel chapter twelve.

How does one have faith or trust in Elohim? How does one have faith in anyone? We have faith in individuals by taking the time to get to "know" them in an intimate way. We have faith, trust, and confidence in people we "know" intimately, and not in strangers or those who we only know casually.

So it is with Elohim! We can know Him personally through reading and studying His Word, the Bible, praying, meditation and memorization, and by experiencing His presence in our lives. He has promised to draw near to us if we will seek to draw near to Him (Jam. 4:8). “But if from thence thou shalt seek Yahuwah thy Elohim, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Deut. 4:29).  He tells us this because He knows we will be opposed by Satan and all of his fallen angels along with all the forces of wicked men.  We must be determined in our pursuit of Him.  He is not pushy and only comes to us when we invite Him (Rev. 3:20). We must "open the door" by inviting Him into our lives!  

THE FOURTH ANGEL

In the chronology of the events of Revelation chapter fourteen, after those who are put to death rather than receive the mark, "another angel [the fourth angel] came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud [‘And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man (Yahushua) having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle' (Rev. 14:14).], Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15).

Everyone's destiny has been fixed for eternity. Yahushua waits for the angel pictured in Revelation 14:15 to come to Him from the presence of His Father to tell Him when He may "Thrust in Thy sickle . . . for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

There are two harvests at the end of the growing season. The first harvest is the grain or the fruit of the field, which is used by man for beneficial purposes. The first harvest is pictured in Revelation 14:14-16. The second harvest is the refuse that is plowed under or burned, so the diseases and parasites clinging to it are destroyed.

THE FIFTH AND THE SIXTH ANGELS

In the second harvest pictured in Revelation 14:17-20, the fifth "angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle" (Rev. 14:17). The sixth angel in Revelation chapter fourteen is said to have "had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him [the fifth angel] that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe" (Rev. 14:18).

Just as Yahushua, pictured in Revelation 14:14, waits for permission to thrust in His sickle, so the fifth angel pictured in Revelation 14:17 waits for permission to come to him from the temple where Yahuwah resides. When he thrusts in his sickle, we are told: "for her [earth's] grapes are fully ripe." Sin has been allowed to develop to its fullest before it is destroyed forever! We are shown here the harvest of the righteous takes place at a separate time from the harvest or the destruction of the lost.

It was prophesied of Yahushua in Isaiah 63:3, "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me." At Gethsemane [the oil press in Greek], Yahushua endured the wrath of Elohim. Yahushua was "without the city" when He had "trodden the winepress alone." It was at Gethsemane Yahushua experienced the sufferings of the second death for every man. Is it any wonder Yahushua begged of His Father: "O My Father, if this cup [the cup of Elohim's wrath] may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done?" (Matt. 26:42). Yahushua knows what the lost will be enduring for He experienced what they will go through. He drank from the cup of His Father's wrath for all of us. The pain was so horrible He begged His Father to take it away. If His Father had taken it away, there would have been no possibility for our salvation. The Sacrifice would not have been made. Yahushua submitted His will to His Father's will, just like we must do, no matter how painful. "Not My will, but Thy will be done" (Luke 22:42).

"And the angel swung his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of Elohim" (Rev. 14:19). At the destruction of the lost, "the winepress was trodden without the city" (Rev. 14:20, 20:9). "All faces are turned into paleness" "and the heart melts, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness" (Jer. 30:6; Nah. 2:10). One can almost sense the utter despair the lost will experience when they realize they are lost forever, and there remains no more hope. They will be outside of the city when they are destroyed (Rev. 20:9; 22:15). This will be discussed when we come to Revelation chapter twenty.

But Elohim is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Have our hearts become united to Elohim's great heart of love so that we are sharing in that yearning love for our fellow man? Just as the refuse is burnt up after the harvest, so the wicked will be burnt up because sin still clings to them, or actually, they still cling to sin and must be destroyed for the security of the Universe throughout eternity. Those who are finally burnt up (Ps. 37:20) will not have allowed Elohim to separate them from their sins and will suffer the consequences of their choices.

In summary, Revelation chapter fourteen begins with the opening of the judgment of Elohim and ends with the destruction of the lost. It is indeed a chapter of the most profound interest, and we need to understand what it is saying to our generation – the last generation. A blessing is promised in Revelation 1:3.  "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

If what you have been discovering in Elohim's Word has not begun to take place, be assured it is coming. "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it: because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Hab. 2:3).

Yahushua told His apostle Thomas, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believed" (John 20:29). He also said in John 14:29, "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is come to pass, you might believe" (emphasis added). Whether we believe before these things happen or after they begin, we will be blessed if we "wait for it" and do not give up.

No one knows the future but Yahuwah and those to whom He reveals it, and that places Elohim above all the pretenders. He tells us what tomorrow's headlines will be. We have the assurance from Elohim's Word found in Amos 3:7: "Surely Yahuwah Elohim will do nothing, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets." He gives us the advantage of knowing what is coming so we can prepare for it and be ready. "Prepare to meet thy Elohim" (Amos 4:12).

"And I went unto the Angel, and said unto Him, Give me the little book. And He said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the Angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And He said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" (Rev. 10:9-11).

Elohim challenged the would-be pretenders to His position, found in Isaiah 41:22-23, "Let them bring forth, and show us what shall happen: . . . or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are indeed gods" (emphasis added).

Every chapter of Daniel and Revelation reveals something about the future and about Elohim, Who can foretell the future with unerring accuracy, and Who can be safely entrusted with our lives. "But the salvation of the righteous is of Yahuwah: He is their strength in the time of trouble. And Yahuwah shall help them and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him" (Ps. 37:39-40). They "trust in Him" because they have taken the time to get to know Him on an intimate level and not just through what they have "heard about Him" or have been "taught about Him."

Those who will be saved from eternal destruction will have nothing to boast about personally.  They will realize they have been "the brand . . . plucked out the fire" of destruction (Zech. 3:2, Rev. 20:9).

There is a famine coming! "Behold, the days come, saith Yahuwah Elohim, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yahuwah" (Amos 8:11).

It is not like Elohim has not tried to reach out to humanity, but this is what we read from Proverbs: "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you. Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; but you have set at nought all My counsel, and would [have] none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes; when your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me; for they hated knowledge [Hosea 4:6], and did not choose the fear of Yahuwah: they would [have] none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices . . . But whoso hearkens unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (Prov. 1:22-33, emphasis added).

Yahuwah Elohim Almighty will have done all that He possibly could have done in warning the lost to turn to Him before it is forever too late. He is pleading with each of you right now to turn to Him with your whole being! "Look unto Me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am Elohim, and there is none else [Who can save you]" (Isa. 45:22).   

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      1. What is the message of the first angel?

      2. What is the message of the second angel?

      3. What is the message of the third angel?

      4. How many angels are pictured in Revelation chapter fourteen with messages?

      5. What does the Bible say about the 144,000?