The Firstfruits
The Firstfruits
Chapter Fourteen of the Book of Revelation, verses one through five, is of great importance today.
First of all, the Lamb is standing. Originally the Father had instructed the Lamb to sit at His right hand until the Father made the enemies of the Lamb His footstool.
Now the Lamb is standing. This means that it is time for God to begin to put the enemies of the Lamb under His feet.
Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:1
Mount Zion is the Christian Church, which is located on the earth and also in the heavenlies.
There are 144,000 saints standing with Him. This number most likely is symbolic, being a multiple of "twelve."
They have His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. This signifies that they belong to the Lamb and the Father in a special way. Also, they always do the will of the Lamb and the Father.
This is in contrast to the people of the world who have the name of Antichrist in their forehead.
We can see right away that these are not ordinary members of the Christian churches.
First, they are standing with the Lamb, ready for the warfare as the Father moves to make the Lamb's enemies a footstool for the Lamb's feet.
The Lamb's enemies are established firmly in the Christian people. But judgment begins in the household of God. Therefore it is time for us to set ourselves to call upon Jesus to help us drive all sin and self-will from our personality.
We are to arise from our comfortable bed of casual church-membership and look to the Lamb to help us bring His enemies under our feet, which is equivalent to making them His footstool.
We have thought that the next move of God is a mythical "rapture." It is not. The next move of God is a cleansing of those who will cooperate with His Spirit so they can stand with the Lamb at His coming.
It is clear that only a Firstfruits of the churches will respond to the heavenly calling. This is unfortunate, because the rich blessings of life and authority will be given to them, according to the New Testament.
The move of redemption that follows the baptism with the Spirit of God is referred to as "the rest of God." Both God and His sons and daughters are at rest because the sin and self-will have been driven into the darkness.
When Jesus returns He will bring with Him the deceased saints of all ages. He will stop at a staging area in the air. The deceased saints will descend to the earth, call up their bodies from wherever they have been interred, no matter how mutilated, and clothe them with a body of incorruptible eternal life.
This transformation of the body is the resurrection.
Those believers on the earth who are living in the rest of God, that is, in the place where they always know the will of Christ and through His wisdom and power have obeyed completely that will, will be called to stand with the newly resurrected saints who came with Christ. They too will experience the resurrection, the change of their body into incorruption.
The new body of each of these warriors, that will clothe their former one, has been formed as a direct result of the victories they have gained as they followed and obeyed the Lamb during their discipleship on the earth.
Then the victorious saints will rejoice in a time of fellowship with their loved ones. (This was the reunion promised to the grieving saints of Thessalonica.)
Then, with a tremendous shout of war, the voice of Michael---the commander of the warrior angels, and an earth-shaking trumpet blast, the whole host of the newly resurrected warriors will ascend to the staging area in the air, ready to descend with the Lamb and the army of warrior angels in the cavalry charge of the Battle of Armageddon.
These militant saints are a Firstfruits of the entire company of God's people. They will be a minority of the believers because of the lack of diligence in serving Christ of the majority of members of the Christian churches; and also a lack of faithfulness on the part of God's chosen people of the past.
At this point, numerous so-called Christians will charge God with cruelty, just as they do today. But to no avail, because the Word of God will stand as a mountain of rock throughout the days to come, just as it always has.
So we are speaking now about a warlike Firstfruits of God's family.
And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. (Verse Two)
Notice the combination of power and beauty. It is always this way with God. We need to remember this at the present time, when it appears that Satan is prevailing in the earth.
Satan always manages to do God's will, just as he did when he had Christ crucified. This is why He who sits in the heavens laughs. He laughs uproariously, because all of the satanic incidences of our day will serve to perfect those who are designated to govern the works of God's hands throughout the eternal ages to come.
After having done God's will, in spite of his determination to unseat God, Satan will have his eternal home in the Lake of Fire.
Evildoers always shall perish in the end. The righteous always will triumph in the end. This always shall be true.
So we have the thunderous power of God's oceans and seas combined with the beautiful sound of the harps. Such is a demonstration of the power and beauty of God and His Christ. Let all the righteous rejoice at what the future eventually shall bring to them.
And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. (Verse Three)
It is so like God to give a new song to the righteous. They sing it in the presence of the four Divine creatures and the worshiping elders, who continually are falling down and laying their crown before the Throne of God and the Lamb. There is no holier concert hall!
Think of the army of saints singing a song of adoration and victory in the very throne room of Almighty God and the Lamb. You and I hope to be one of those singers, don't we? Think about what we have to look forward to, after the sordid scenes of earth. Indeed, God has called many sons and daughters to Glory beyond imagination!
Next Part No one else can learn that song.