Chapter 1 – By Beholding We Become Changed!
Many believers have not perceived in their thinking the undeniable fact that every Christian is on a journey. Just as were the Israelites being set free from Egypt, every Christian has embarked on a similar journey, what will be the cost of such a trip, the preparation necessary? Think of salvation it terms of God offering us a vacation. This is a trip that we do not deserve nor could we ever provide for ourselves, so God Himself provided the ticket for the trip. In fact He provided a ticket for everyone; all humanity. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Co 5:18,21) This being the case, why then will not everyone experience Salvation?
Any who has taken a trip via a commercial jet realizes that the ticket is just one necessary aspect to a successful vacation. If flying outside the country a passport is also necessary, some locations require a visa as well, then there is all the preparation before the trip, which of necessity is quite extensive. Then there’s that little detail of showing up at the airport for adequate check-in time. Being able to pay the cost of the ticket is critical, (that’s God’s part totally), “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Rom. 5:18), (the Justifying is the ticket we could not purchase for ourselves), then handling all the preparation and getting to the airport requires our participation. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”. (Titus 2:11-12). God calls for our participation in making the trip, this theologians call sanctification. Don’t misunderstand, Grace that God provides is what enables us, we don’t possess the power to overcome even after being justified, but we must yield our will to the Lordship of Christ so that His power is manifested in us, “for it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:14)
The physical nature helps us understand the spiritual; none of us had anything at all to do with our conception, it was totally a gift from our parents and the blessing of God. The same is true with the process of Justification, we could not purchase our own ticket, work for it, barter for it, seal it, or even beg for it, it is God’s free gift to all humanity, we can only receive it by faith. Once conception occurs a growing process begins, then typically nine months later a physical birth occurs. The Holy Spirit is quite aware that the Son of God has purchased a ticket for all humanity, His mission is to help individuals realize their sinful condition and consider the reception of the ticket, this is where conviction, repentance, and forgiveness enter the picture ending in a born-again experience. The Spirit of God will make certain at just the right moment a series of events will be initiated to confront the sinner so as to woo then to Christ. Everyday folks are making decisions to accept the free ticket or reject it. Just as with the physical birth process, there is one in the Spiritual as well, it is called born-again because the person has already been born once (the physical birth) now they are born unto the Spiritual with the end result being eternal life.
After any physical birth the infant must grow and develop, this is accomplished through love, air, water, (or milk) proper food, adequate clothing, housing and protection etc. There are tools for growth as well in the Spiritual. The Christian must also utilize the Scriptural tools necessary for growth; love, and all the gifts of the Spirit, Bible study, prayer, witnessing, and praise etc. This Spiritual growing process is called sanctification or growing in Grace.
Just as eventually a child matures and is quite able to function as an adult, the new believer also grows to a maturity in Christ no longer tossed about with ever wind of doctrine or tradition. They are mature enough to resist temptation and follow the truth that has been revealed in the Scriptures.
We need both the ticket and all the preparation in order to take the trip, anyone who tries to con you into thinking otherwise; could prevent you from receiving your vacation and certainly the 144,000 will possess all that is necessary for translation (never tasting physical death).
When Jesus comes there will be two groups of folks ready to embark on this incredible journey. The first group are the multitudes that have been resurrected at His coming, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first…(1 thes. 4:16) The second group will be those still alive at the end that have survived through the last plagues ( the 144,000) “then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the resurrected ones) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 thes. 4:16-17) Our focus in this publication are those who live through to the very end, the 144,000.
By this time Satan has been successful in deceiving the masses with a small remnant of true believers left as God’s only true witnesses. Many of those who possess only a form of Godliness have convinced themselves that such a great multitude could not be in the wrong, but Christ Himself stated that, “many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in Your Name, and done many wonderful works, then Jesus will profess unto them, I never knew you depart from Me. (Matt. 7:21-23) Those living who are not one of the 144,000 will be slain by the brightness of Christ coming (2 thes. 2:8) Before this end-time scenario plays out many signs will point to the fact that Christ is ready to come.
Most all Christians realize that this controversy between truth and error will eventually come to an end. We are not informed of the exact moment when probations door will close, however we can ascertain the approximate time from several signs listed in Scriptures, famine, wars, pestilence earthquakes etc., plus the historical and numerical markers that present the blueprint of salvation. God’s word confirms that though devastation and tribulation have ravaged the planet for nearly six thousand years, His truth will stand in marked contrast to darkness. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee” (Is. 60:1-2).
Despite the overwhelming odds against truth that seems to have always existed throughout history, God’s truth wins out in the end. History displays several occasions when it seemed doubtful that truth would prevail, yet the book of Revelation and the 144,000 stand as a promise to all humanity that, “though the heavens fall”, truth is and will be triumphant. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee” (Ps. 91:1, 4, 7).
Revelation 7 indicates that this small group goes through what is termed a sealing time. “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” (Rev. 7:1-3). Just what does it mean to be sealed? For us to understand what is happening to the 144,000 we must first understand what the seal of God is.
The word seal in the Scriptures means basically to preserve. “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true” (John 3:33). Those who live the testimony of Christ preserve truth and stand as a witness that God is true. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Dan. 12:4). Close the book Daniel the information will be preserved until the time of the end. “If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord” (1 Cor. 9:2). (This could be more easily interpreted as , Your confidence in me preserves my authority as an Apostle) These are just a few examples and when applied to those being sealed at the end, God is stating, I am preserving them in truth for translation. (Taking to heaven without experiencing death)
To be sealed can also mean placing a signet or a signature that secures or seals as with a document. The 144,000 at the end are preserved and secured, as it was with Noah and his family in the Ark. Once the door was closed they were sealed in, protected from the storm to come. The storm at the end of time is described as God pouring out His wrath on the unconverted in the form of 7 last plagues, (Rev. 15 &16). The world and those unsealed will not be protected from the wrath to come which is the natural results of sin. “I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the LORD, By His fierce anger. For thus says the LORD: “The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end” (Jer. 4:23-27).
The preparation for this time is not so much physical, but more spiritual, although God expects us to do what we can to be a blessing to others when social services break down and shortages occur. This Spiritual preparation is designed to move us to a level of conviction and character development that many now think impossible, one that will be most necessary during the time of trouble. Many of the Scriptures calling us to righteousness and holiness are trivialized, as if God were grading on a curve, His simple request is , “be ye therefore perfect as My Father in heaven is perfect”, in-other words be like “Me”, in character!
The basis of commitment is captured in Ephesians 4:13-15, “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 fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”
We are preparing to meet Christ who, escorted by a multitude of holy angels, is to appear in the clouds of heaven to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our character, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If accomplished in us at all, this work will all be completed before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy, will remain so and suffer the consequences of their choices. No mediation will then be conducted for them to remove their defects, and providing them with sufficient characters for salvation. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us and in us.
Reflecting the character of Christ is evidence of the true power of the Gospel, even though we wrestle not against flesh and blood but spiritual wickedness in high places we can be more than conquerors through Christ, if He be for us who can be against us, temptation hath no power over those in Christ Jesus. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things ye shall never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). That’s power!
We need to make certain we don’t emphasize living a righteous life at the level of actions, for God is interested in the heart and mind, if He has this under His control, the actions will follow, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled” (2 Cor. 10:4-6). This is stating that when our obedience is complete in Christ, when the saints have reached, through the power of the Spirit that full measure in Christ, God will then be ready to punish disobedience, this is just where the 144,000 come too in their faithfulness to God, it is then that they are sealed and probationary time closes.
It is by beholding our lovely Jesus that we are changed into His image through the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). Beholding means prayerfully studying His word, meditating on His life and death, and sharing His bountiful blessings with others. In order to be filled, in order to be sealed, we must empty ourselves of all that defiles, only Christ can accomplish this in us, we must allow Him the access by yielding our will to His Lordship, we must deny self, He must be on the throne of the heart and mind, calling the shots, enabling us to finish the work He has called us too. May God be our strength, our guide, and lead us every step to His victory!