The truth will emerge before Christ comes because the 144,000 have no guile in their mouths. They are going to be speaking pure truth and truth only. The questions we aim to answer in this article are: What characteristics set those people apart from the rest of the world? What principle makes them such a special group?
For a while, the Lord has been preparing a people that would stand in His glorious appearing, and ultimately he is going to make up that number – 144,000. When that number is made up, the great controversy will be over. He has gone to the highways and byways of the world to gather people to come to the marriage supper of the King.
Who are the 144,000?
“Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” Rev. 19:8-9.
This is where we are in time – we are living at such a moment where the final places of the hall are being taken. We are the people that God desires to gather out of the highways and byways. We must be grateful that God has called us for such a time as this, because if we are faithful to the end, we shall surely receive the eternal inheritance. The Word of God is shining upon us, telling us how close we are to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Daniel 12:3, the Bible speaks about the end times and points the attention to particular people who are to be wise. These people are not to become wise when it is too late. They are to be wise well in advance and be ready for the events that are coming on the earth. This wisdom is to be given them some time before the end, so that they would be prepared.
“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3.
In Proverbs we are told that “a prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Pr. 22:3). Therefore, those who are wise foresee what is coming but the foolish ones ignore it and keep going, and in the end they will receive the reward of their wicked ways because they have refused to see. The wise see clearly and know what the events are going to be before they come to pass. In 2 Peter 2 we read the following regarding those who receive the truth:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…” 1 Pet. 2:9.
We read these verses and we usually think in general terms, giving them a broad application in regard to the faith – to our calling as Christians. But when we take this verse in the context of the final message of mercy to this world (Revelation 14:6-12) that is going to bring the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, this verse takes on a new dimension.
Again, the text says: “But ye are a chosen generation…” There is a last generation – a generation that will finish the work of God on this earth. There will be a people who will finish the work and prepare for the coming of Christ. There will be no guile in their mouths. They will be true servants – a holy nation, a peculiar people. These people, by their faith and their way of life, will stand out from among the nations.
We are called out of darkness, to come into his marvelous light – the truth that is found so abundantly in the Word of God. The Bible is compared to a treasure house that is full of jewels and precious stones. We must be able to bring out of it “things new and old” (Matt. 13:52). Therefore there needs to be a revival of the principles of Bible study so that the jewels that are reserved for the diligent seekers will come out and be a blessing to us and others.
The means that is going to unify the true believers under the banner of truth is following Miller’s rules of Bible interpretation, as anyone who uses the correct principles would come to the same conclusions, “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
Time is too short. There is currently a repetition of the historical giving of the first, second, and third angel’s messages that was done in the 19th century, as they were proclaimed by the Millerite movement. This repetition will mark the beginning of the loud cry of the angel of Revelation 18 that joins the three angels of Rev. 14. The light of the angel of Revelation 18 is going to fill the whole earth. The counsel of the True Witness to our church age – the Laodicean age – reads:
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Rev. 3:18.
The gold that Jesus proposes to us to buy from him is a gold that is tried in the fire. There is no defiling substance mingled with it. It represents the faith that works by love.
The white raiment is Christ’s righteousness – the wedding garment that only Christ can give to us.
The eyesalve is the spiritual discernment that we lack, as “spiritual things must be spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). It is the Spirit of God that is going to be poured out in a large measure upon His faithful ones, symbolized by the Latter Rain (Joel 2:23, Hosea 6:3).
The Laodicean church does not have spiritual eyesight. Yet this is not true of the previous age – the Philadelphian church age. So if we want to learn the truths that were associated with the giving of the three angel’s messages historically and apply them to our time, in their repetition, it would be well for us to examine the wisdom of this age – the 19th century Millerite movement.
The Savior comes to us as the heavenly Merchant, inviting us to buy of Him the jewels of truth that are of greatest value, and that cannot even start to compare with all the counterfeits that are scattered around us. From the message of the True and Faithful Witness to the church of Laodicea, we learn that he comes to every door and knocks, hoping to gain entrance, presenting His priceless treasure and urging us: “Buy of me…”
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20.
What is the gold that we are admonished to buy? The gold of truth. Everyone is going to have a chance to buy the truth from the heavenly Merchant. For some of us, an incredible amount of truth has been offered and if we don’t take it, there is going to come a day when we will have to give an account.
In conclusion, we would like to point out what sets the special group of 144,000 apart from all the world. The reason is found in Rev. 14:12. At the end of the third angel’s message, we read:
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12.
The 144,000 are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus at the end of time (see Rev. 14:1-5) when the whole world tramples upon His law. There is going to be instituted a law of man’s devising that will cause people to trespass the Divine precepts. In the face of all the opposition, the 144,000 faithful ones keep fast “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3), upholding the immutability of the Law of God and speaking the truth, so much as to be ready to give their lives for the truth’s sake, if need be.
And if we know that we are this close the Christ’s Coming, then the preparation of our characters must be of utmost significance. We must be in right relationships with our neighbors and – most importantly – we must be right with our God. Otherwise, our situation is not good at all.
It would be nice to think that there is more time to live as we do now, and “play the game”, but today is the day to surrender to our heavenly Father and be found among that number. For all of us, today is the day of salvation.
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2.
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