The Priesthood of the Apocalypse
Part I
As indicated by their appearance on Mt. Zion with the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lamb, in Revelation 14:1, this group of men provide the fulfillment of a
number of important Old Testament prophecies (Genesis 49:10; Psalm 110:3;
Obadiah 17-21).
Their first and most significant role of fulfillment is tied to their
origin as Hebrew “Servants of our God” chosen from the twelve tribes of
Israel named in Revelation 7:4-8. The list begins with the leader of the
tribes, the most heralded son of Jacob, Judah, the one from which God in human
flesh, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ would descend (Hebrews 7:14).
Judah, the fourth born son of Leah, Jacob’s lawful wife, inherited the
position of firstborn. His three older brothers forfeited their right due to
their sinful conduct as evidenced by firstborn Reuben’s wicked sexual sin
(Genesis 35:22) and Simeon and Levi, the second and third born, who brutally
slaughtered all the men of Shechem (Genesis 34).
This list of Jacob’s sons in Revelation 7:3-8 is similar in structure to
the prophecy of Jacob in Genesis 49:1-28 as he first mentions the sons of Leah,
then the sons of the two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, with Rachel’s two sons
listed last. Dan, who is replaced by Manasseh, Joseph’s oldest son, is the only tribe
not seen in the Revelation 7:3-8 list.
Ephraim, whose name is absent, is silently represented because his seed
are accounted for in the 12,000 sealed under his father Joseph’s name as Joseph
had only two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Those sealed under Joseph’s name are
also the descendants of Ephraim.
The 144 Thousand are singled out by their unique position as the only
group called the “First-fruits unto God and unto the Lamb” (Revelation
14:4). These young men who have been chosen, prepared and physically sealed
by God for His divine protection (Revelation 9:4), are the first to be saved,
during the restored (Malachi 4:5, 6; Matthew 17:11) “Holy covenant” (Daniel
11:28-31) dispensation, the 70th Week of Daniel, which is the
last week of the seventy weeks that God has determined upon Daniel’s “People”
(Daniel 9:24).
They are the first of that great company of Israelites who will later be
saved when “the Redeemer [Lord Jesus Christ] comes to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20) and
“All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). The 144 Thousand are not just a random group of Israelites chosen to
guarantee a remnant to inherit the physical promises given to the Jews under
the Old Covenant. No, these men are selected, saved, sealed and serve the King
of kings as they “Follow Him wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4) showing
their full and complete surrender to His will.
One of their likely duties as God’s end of the age “Holy nation”
(Exodus 19:5, 6; Psalm 110:3;
I Peter 2:9; Revelation 14:1-5), may be to
fulfill the conditional covenant made by God with the nation of Israel in
Exodus 19:1-6. when He physically met with the people of Israel as a nation for
the first time.
The statement made in Exodus 19:5, 6 shows His intent for the nation and
each individual Israelite:
‘Now, therefore, if ye will obey My voice
indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine. And ye shall be
unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation.”
This conditional covenant made at Mt. Sinai was ultimately broken and
left unfulfilled by the disobedience, rebellion, and idolatry of the people of
Israel (Exodus 32). However, the Lord Jesus Christ in His full and complete
obedience fulfilled the Old Covenant. His sacrificial death on the Cross paid the penalty for all sin and in
reality paid the sin debt for all mankind (I John 2:2). Therefore this broken
covenant in fact was atoned for by His once for all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10,
14).
The importance of this
conditional covenant remains intact. God’s desire to have this great company of
priests ministering to Him continues, (Psalm 110:3; I Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation
1:5; 5:10; 20:6) as the Scripture affirms that there have been “priests unto
God” ministering to Him and for Him throughout the ages. He has given each and every
new covenant believer the privilege and opportunity to enter into the holiest
(Hebrews 10:19) and fulfill this covenant. This was God’s original intention
and primary calling for each and every person in the nation of Israel just as
it now is for each and every born-again believer.
When the Church saints are
raptured removing God’s priests from the earth and the Day of the Lord
judgments begin, the 144 Thousand will remain to perform this most vital
ministry. That this great company of 144 Thousand will be holy priests unto God
during the Day of the Lord is indicated by their prophetic description: “Thy people [troops/warrior/priests]
shall be willing in the day of Thy power [Day of the Lord] in the beauties of
holiness [priestly vestments/garments], from the womb of the morning, Thou hast
the dew [multitude] of Thy youth [young men].” (Psalm 110:3)
Based on the position and character of the 144 Thousand as they enter
into this unique time of service to God during the Day of the Lord, they can
fulfill this broken covenant as they will be serving during a time when they
will be protected during the Day of the Lord (Revelation 9:4) “following the
Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation14: 1-5).
They will be ministering to and for the Lord, thereby orchestrating the
plan of God on earth through powerful praise and intercessory prayer during the
most intense spiritual battle of the ages when Satan and his angels are cast
down into the earth. (Revelation 12:12) Psalm 110 is regarded as “The Crown Jewel” of the book of Psalms. This
short but powerful revelation by King David provides the believer with
marvelous insight concerning David’s Lord, the Messiah, the King of kings, our
Great High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ.
While it is one of the most quoted passages of Scripture in the New
Testament, the important fact here is the One Who quoted its truth as He dealt
with the Pharisees concerning His identity as the Messiah, David’s Lord and the
Son of Jehovah God. The Lord Jesus referred to this Psalm a number of times during His
earthly ministry (Matthew 22:44, 26:64; Mark 12:64, 14:62; 16:19; Luke 20:42,
22:69). It is also utilized over a dozen other times in the New Testament
demonstrating its vital importance in the overall scheme of God’s unfolding
revelation.
The focus in this brief
look at Psalm 110 is prophetic, for the majority of the subject matter covered
in this Psalm has yet to take place in the course of history. This Messianic
Jewel of the Psalms, revealing past and present truth concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ, also provides the believer with vital truth in understanding the end
times and “The Priesthood of the Apocalypse” as indicated in the
Revelation of Jesus Christ in concert with this Psalm.
The coronation of the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ is indicated
in the opening verse of Psalm 110:
“The LORD said unto my Lord, sit
Thou at My right hand until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool.”
This clearly underlines Jehovah God’s
certain intent to give the Lord Jesus Christ eventual physical dominion over
the entire earth (Psalm 2:6-9). This first verse also pinpoints the timing of
the Psalm as the Lord Jesus Christ has just ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11)
and is invited by His Father to sit at His right hand.
He sat down at the Father’s right hand and was exalted (Acts 2:33) and
subsequently sent “The promise of the Father”, the Holy Spirit,
to His people (Acts 2:1-4) which He promised (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17, 26,
15:26, 16:7, 13, 14; Acts 1:4).
The second verse begins the progressive unfolding of end-time events
which God the Father will bring to pass as He brings Christ’s enemies into
submission: “The LORD shall send the rod [tribe]
of Thy strength out of Zion, rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.” (Psalm
110:2) The phrase “Rod of Thy strength” some
apply to the Church or the Holy Spirit for He was and is now the Person Who
empowers and strengthens believers thereby glorifying and exalting the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the Holy Instrument by which Jesus now rules as Lord.
The Church and the Holy Spirit both came “Out of Zion”, which is
the city of Jerusalem, and appear to “fit” the requirements of the passage.
However, bringing the Lord Jesus Christ’s enemies into submission is not His
primary purpose for the Church The Church’s primary purpose is to be a “Witness” unto Christ as
indicated by the Lord in all five of His commissions: (Matthew 28: 18-20; Mark
16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 15:16; Acts 1:8) which He gave His disciples and now
apply to His Body the Church.
Although it is through the Holy Spirit that God’s work and will are now
accomplished by the Church, the focus of this Psalm is in the future day when
Jehovah God brings into submission the enemies of His Son, not the present-day
witnessing of the Church of Jesus Christ.
God will ultimately bring the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ into submission during His day, the eschatological Day of the Lord. This future end times event is clearly defined in Scripture as it is the most prophesied time in the Word of God.
The Hebrew word “matteh” translated “rod” in Psalm 110:2 is found
in the Old Testament (251) times with (182) of those occurrences translated “tribe”,
(52) occurrences translated “rod” and (15) times it is translated “staff”.
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament supplies the following
information concerning this word: “Although the term properly means “staff” or
“rod,” it is usually rendered (some 180 times) “tribe”. The reference is
usually to one of the twelve tribes by name. At first, apparently, each tribal
ruler led his group with a staff. This suggests that the ruler’s staff may have
originally been a symbol of the tribe (cf. Numbers 17:2-10 [H 17-25] and
eventually betokened leadership and authority (cf. Ps 110:2; Jeremiah 48:17).”
p.574 Vol.1
Also, the Hebrew word “shebet” a synonym of “matteh” is the word
translated “rod” or “scepter” in all of
the other Old Testament Messianic passages which speak of the Messiah’s
rod/scepter (Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; Psalm 2:9, 45:6; Isaiah 11:4).
This is the word the Bible utilizes to define the ruling or smiting of
the nations by the Messiah, which will occur during the Day of the Lord. The
“shebet” passages above refer to the future rule and the accompanying
discipline of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, when He comes as “King of
kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:15).
The phrase “rod of Thy strength” might be better translated “tribe
of Thy strength” indicating the tribe of Judah from which the Lord Jesus
Christ descended (Hebrews 7:14). To the
tribe of Judah, “a lion’s whelp” (Genesis 49:9) a prolonged dominion is
promised [ISBE p.1738 Vol.3] through the Messiah, so it is listed first in
Revelation 7:5 as the leader of the twelve tribes.
Judah will likely lead the assault upon “the Assyrian” [Antichrist]
(Micah 5:5) not unlike the days during Antiochus Epiphanes [type of
Antichrist] similar invasion of Israel in the past (168 B.C.). Then Judas
Maccabeus “The Hammer” of the tribe of Judah led his warriors to an incredible
and most miraculous victory over Antiochus Epiphanes, the ruthless ruler of
that day (I Maccabees).
The Lord Jesus Christ as “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (Revelation
5:5), will be the Peace for His earthly army in that day. This is indicated
in Micah’s “last days” (Micah 4:1) passage recorded in the second
message (Micah 3:1-5:15) of his book, which
focuses upon the Coming King, the Lord Jesus Christ:
“And this Man [The Lord Jesus
Christ/Messiah] shall be the Peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land:
and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven
shepherds and eight principal men.” (Micah 5:5)
“Thy people shall be willing in
the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the
morning, Thou hast the dew of Thy youth.” (Psalm 110:3)
The next period of time immediately following the present
age of grace is “the day of Thy power” also known as
the Day of the Lord, when Christ returns “in power and great glory” (Matthew
24:30).
During the Day of the Lord, the Lord Jesus
Christ will have “with
Him” (Revelation 14:1, 17:14) a group of obedient followers (Revelation 14:4) known as
these 144 Thousand servants of God.
Psalm 110:3 describes them, providing some distinct qualities and duties
of this group of God’s servants who “Shall be willing in the day of Thy
[Lord Jesus Christ] power”.
The word “people” (Psalm
110:3) appears in the Old Testament over 1800 times and is variously
translated. On occasion, as recorded in I Samuel 11 where it is found six
times, it has the emphasis of “troops” specifically in (v.11) when “Saul
put the people [troops] in three companies” which is recorded in the
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament p.676 Vol.2 “. There are also a
number of passages where the word [people] means ‘troops’.
In keeping with the dominating militant theme of this Psalm the NIV
gives this interpretation of (Psalm 110:3): “Your troops shall be willing on
your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will
receive the dew of your youth.”
The NASV translates this same verse:
“Thy people will volunteer freely
in the day of Thy power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Thy youth
are to Thee as the dew.” This version
gives an accurate word for word translation of the Hebrew text.
The same willing obedience of the 144 Thousand is recorded in
Revelation 14:4 where they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes”, having
already surrendered themselves to His Lordship long before when they decided to
follow Jesus, giving themselves as literal bond-servants of the King of kings
(Revelation 7:3).
Their personal holiness before God “In the beauties of holiness”
(Psalm 110:3) also is confirmed in Revelation 14:4, 5: “These are they which were not
defiled with women...And in theirmouth was found no guile: for they are without
fault before the throne of God.”
Their physical purity and
spiritual holiness affords them the ability to continually “follow the Lamb”
giving them unbroken access to the throne of God where they fulfill their
ministry priority as the end of the age priests unto God, His necessary
representatives upon earth..
The last phrase of Psalm 110:3 “Thou hast the dew of Thy youth”
provides additional information concerning the 144 Thousand. The word “dew”
most likely indicates their great number, and, as the dew provides refreshment
and blessing to the earth, they too, will give these same benefits to those to
whom they minister:
“And the remnant of Jacob shall
be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the
showers upon the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of
men.” (Micah 5:7)
As priests unto God they will be a
blessing direct from God, not dependent on men. The word “youth” of
Psalm 110:3 is only found in the Old Testament three times with the other two
occurrences in Ecclesiastes 11:9, 10:
“Rejoice, O young
man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy
youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but
know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
Therefore remove sorrow from they heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood
and youth are vanity.”
This word in Psalm 110:3 indicates a
designated group of young men, who will be active during the end times, willing
to follow the Lord which accurately describes the 144 Thousand.
This also approximates their age and agrees with the tenor of Revelation
14:4 where their virginity is recorded requiring a decision which must be made
by these young men early in manhood. The age of twenty was specified in the
book of Numbers when the first census was taken for those men who were able and
old enough to go to war:
“Take ye the sum of all the
congregation of the sons of Israel, after
their families, by the house of their fathers,
with the number of their
names every male by their polls: From twenty
years old and upward,
all that are able to go forth to war
in Israel.” (Numbers 1:2, 3)
This indicates the age that
will likely determine the lower limit for these soldiers of Christ. They will
in fact see spiritual and physical combat as war against the saints occurs
during the end times which is clearly indicated in Scripture (Daniel 7:21;
Revelation 12:17, 13:7, 17:14, 19:19).
There will be two major assaults against Israel prior to Armageddon with
the first beginning at the mid-point of the 70th Week of Daniel
which centers upon Judea and the city of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8-16; Daniel
12:1; Matthew 24:15-21).
The second battle will take place in the “valley of Jehosophat” (Joel
3:1-8; Zechariah 14:1, 2) with these young men taking part as “the
remnant of Jacob” when “the Assyrian [Antichrist] shall come into our
land: and when he shall tread in our palaces” (Micah 5:5-8).
Bible commentator W. Graham Scroggie, D.D. speaks on Psalm 110:3 in his
commentary on the Psalms, p.87: “The beauties of holiness…” the reference is to
holy attire, holy garments, priestly vestments. The soldiers are priests. The
consecrated are warriors. These two sides of Christian calling and character
are vitally related. Because we are “Priests unto God” we are to “put
on the whole armour of God” (Revelation.1: 6; Ephesians 6:11). “Thou
hast the dew of thy youth” Maclaren translates as “From the womb of the dawn
(comes) to Thee the dew of Thy youth (s)”; and he says, ‘the principal point of
comparison of the army with the dew is probably its multitude.’
From: Spurgeon’s Treasury of David
Ver. 3. —The subjects of the Priest King are willing
soldiers. In accordance with the warlike tone of the whole Psalm, our text
describes the subjects as an army. That military metaphor comes out more
closely when we attach the true meaning of the words, "in the day of thy
power". The word rendered, and rightly rendered, "power”, has the
same ambiguity which that word has in the English of the date of our
translation, and for a century later, as you may find in Shakespeare and
Milton, who both used it in the sense of "army". Singularly enough we
do not employ "powers" in that meaning, but we do another word which
means the same thing—and talk of "forces", meaning thereby
"troops"..."The day of thy power" is not a mere synonym for
"the time of thy might", but means specifically "the day of
thine army", that is, "the day when thou dost muster thy forces and
set them in array for the war". The King is going forth to conquest. But
he goes not alone. Behind him come his faithful followers, all pressing on with
willing hearts and high courage. —Alexander McLaren, 1871.
Ver.
3. —Thy people, etc. In homage, they shall be like a company of priests in
sacred vestments, for they shall appear "in the beauties of
holiness". In number, they shall be like the countless dewdrops "from
the womb of the morning", sparkling in the rays of the rising sun, and
reflecting his radiance. In glory they shall bear the likeness of Christ's
resurrection in all its vernal freshness: "Thou hast the dew of thy youth".
—Benjamin Wildon Cart.
Ver.
3. —In the beauties of holiness. In holy vestments as priests. They are at
once warriors and priests; meet for the service of Him who was King and Priest.
Neander (Mem. of Chr. Life, ch. 4) remarks on the connection between these two
sides of the Christian character. God's soldiers can only maintain their war by
priestly self-consecration. Conversely: God's priests can only preserve their
purity by unintermitted conflict. —William Kay.
Ver.
3. —In the beauties of holiness. This expression is usually read as if it
belonged either to the words immediately proceeding, or to those immediately
following. In either case the connection is somewhat difficult and obscure. It
seems better regarded as a distinct and separate clause, adding a fresh trait
to the description of the army. And what that is we need not find any
difficulty in ascertaining. "The beauties of holiness" is a frequent
phrase for the sacerdotal garments, the holy festal attire of the priests of
the Lord. So considered, how beautifully it comes in here. The conquering King
whom the psalm hymns is a Priest forever; and an army of priests follows him.
The soldiers are gathered in the day of the muster, with high courage and
willing devotion, ready to fling away their lives; but they are clad not in
mail, but in priestly robes; like those who wait before the altar rather than
like those who plunge into the fight, like those who compassed Jericho with the
ark for their standard and the trumpets for all their weapons. We can scarcely
fail to remember the words, which echo these and interpret them. "The
armies which were in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean" —a strange armor against sword cut and spear
thrust. —Alexander McLaren.
Ver.
3. —Thou hast the dew of thy youth. These words are often misunderstood,
and taken to be a description of the fresh, youthful energy attributed by the
Psalm to the Priest King of this nation of soldier priests. The
misunderstanding, I suppose, has led to the common phrase, "the dew of
one's youth". The reference of the expression is to the army, not to its
leader. "Youth" here is a collective noun, equivalent to "young
men". The host of his soldier subjects is described as a band of young
warriors, whom he leads, in their fresh strength and countless numbers and
gleaming beauty like the dew of the morning... It is as a symbol of the
refreshing which a weary world will receive from the conquests and presence of
the King and his host, that they are likened to the glittering morning dew.
Another prophetic Scripture gives us the same emblem when it speaks of Israel
being "in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord". Such
ought to be the effect of our presence. We are meant to gladden, to adorn, and to
refresh this parched, prosaic world, with freshness brought from the chambers
of the sunrise. —Alexander McLaren.
Matthew Henry writes-p.660 ‘That they should be a willing people, a
people of willingness, alluding to servants that choose their service and are
not coerced to it…to soldiers that are volunteers and not pressed men…That they
should be so in the day of His power, in the day of Thy muster (so some) when
Thou art enlisting soldiers thou shalt find a multitude of volunteers…Or when
Thou art drawing them out to battle they shall be willing to “follow the
Lamb whithersoever He goes” (Revelation 14:4).’
W. Graham Scroggie, William Kay, Alexander McLaren, and
Matthew Henry all see the “people” here in Psalm 110:3 as
soldiers
of the Lord’s army with most of these commentators also
giving them
the duty of priests. Matthew Henry also indicates they are
the 144
Thousand as he refers to them following “the Lamb whithersoever
He
goes.” (Revelation 14:4)
This future army of the King of kings will
be completely submissive to the will of God during the Day of the Lord. These
young soldiers of Christ will be involved in the intense spiritual warfare at
the end of the age as priests unto God. They will be arrayed in holiness doing
the Lord's service
"before the throne of God" (Revelation 14:1, 4).
These “priests
unto God” are involved in this future holy warfare
when the battle is at its most heightened level, when Satan
“knows
that he has but a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
Scroggie, in his commentary on the Psalms,
adds “Messiah’s soldiers are declared to be priests (Psalm 110:3) before His
own priesthood is announced.” p.88.
In Psalm 110:4 David continues to address the Lord Jesus Christ telling
Him of His eternal priesthood which is pronounced by Jehovah:
“The LORD hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
The LORD Jehovah, told Jesus of His future actions in Psalm
110:2, 3 before He declared the Lord
Jesus Christ’s present High Priestly office in Psalm 110:4, remembering that
the Psalm (Psalm 110:2-4) is addressing the Lord Jesus after He ascended to
heaven.
Jehovah in Psalm 110:4 takes an oath and tells of Jesus’ present
ministry to the Father and the people as: “He ever lives to make
intercession for those who come unto God by Him.” (Hebrews 7:25)
The consecration of our Great High Priest King is accomplished in this
the key verse of Psalm 110 being thoroughly explained in the book of Hebrews
chapters 2-9. However, our focus here is on the 144 Thousand and in (v.5-7)
they are directly addressed:
“The Lord at thy right hand shall
strike through kings in the day of His wrath.”(Psalm 110:5)
Here, the people [troops/priests/144 Thousand] (Psalm 110:3)
are given the promise of the Lord’s presence “at thy right hand” when He pours out His devastating
wrath upon the earth dwellers during the
Day of the
Lord.
This agrees with Revelation 6:16, 17:
“From the wrath of the Lamb: For the
great day of His wrath is come; and who is able to stand?”
Although the Day of the Lord is described as the wrath of God (Isaiah
13:9; Zephaniah 1:15), in the first reference to wrath in the book of the
Revelation it is also designated “the wrath of the Lamb”.
The overriding tone of Psalm
110 is one of dominion, troops, warfare and human carnage which is brought on
by the Lord’s judgment of earth through the outpouring of His eschatological
Day of the Lord/ “day of His wrath” (Psalm 110:5). This couples
accurately with the warfare and judgment thoroughly detailed in the Revelation
of Jesus Christ (Revelation 8, 9, 15-19).
Notice, the word “Lord” [Adonai] (Psalm 110:5) continues
to refer to the Lord Jesus Christ, as in Psalm 110:1. This promise of the
Lord’s presence with His people as indicated by His “right hand” is
found in the Psalms twenty one times and refers to the power, authority and
blessing of the Lord to His people in nineteen of these occurrences.
Here, the promise of the blessed presence of the Lord Jesus Christ is
given when “this Man [Messiah] will be the peace” (Micah 5:5) for those
who will be “with Him” (Revelation 14:1, 17:14) during “the day of
His wrath” (Psalm 110:5).
Psalm 110:6 vividly portrays the Divine Judge’s wrath as it is poured
out upon earth:
“He shall judge among the
heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies, He shall wound the
heads [kings of the earth] over many countries.”
His Day of the Lord judgment includes the death of over one third
of the world population (Revelation 9:15, 16:3) and the final event of
the Day of the Lord, the battle of Armageddon, will execute deadly
judgment upon the “kings of the earth” (Revelation 19:19-21).
The closing verse pictures the Lord Jesus Christ’s actions and attitude
of complete victory after the Day of the Lord’s wrath is ended:
“He shall drink from the brook in
the way, therefore shall He lift up the head.” (Psalm 110:7)
The Lord is physically refreshed and assumes the well-deserved
appearance and expression of His triumphant victory after His work of judgment
is over, after the climactic battle of Armageddon
(Revelation 19:11-21) has ended.
This brief Psalm comes to a quiet close after covering the time from the
Lord’s ascension to the Father’s right hand, moving over the present Church age
in order to focus completely on the great and dreadful Day of the Lord when God
the Father will make the Lord Jesus Christ’s enemies His footstool.
While the emphasis is upon the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ and His
eternal position of Great High Priest, much additional information is given
concerning “Thy people…thy youth”, those who will be the Lord’s loyal
subjects during those coming days at the time of the end:
1.
They are willing servants. (Psalm 110:3; Revelation 7:3, 14:4, 5)
2.
They minister during "The day of Thy power"/Day of the
Lord.
(Psalm 110:2, 3; Revelation 9:4, 14:1, 17:14)
3.
They are holy priests/warriors. (Psalm 110:3; Revelation 14:4, 5)
4.
They will be refreshing "as dew" to Israel/God's
people.
(Psalm 110:3; Micah 5:7; Revelation 14:4, 5)
5.
They will be destructive "as lions" to Gentiles/earth
dwellers.
(Micah 5:8; Revelation 17:14)
6.
They will be a great multitude "as dew".
(Psalm 110:3; Revelation 7:3-8)
7.
They will be
young Hebrew men.
(Psalm 110:3; Revelation 7:3)
These young men will play a key role during the days leading up to the
time of their sealing. Daniel chapter seven tells of the saints being “given
into the hand” (Daniel 7:25) of the Antichrist. He makes “war with the
saints” and “prevails against them”
(Daniel 7: 21) wearing out the saints (Daniel 7:25) for a period of
three and one half years which is also indicated in Revelation 13:7.
This intense time of
persecution will be unparalleled and the Redemption Ministry of this great
kingdom of priests, the 144 Thousand, during that time will be the Lord’s line
of protection for the saints on earth in an hour when Satan’s wrath will be at
its maximum strength. (Revelation 12:12)
This theory is based upon the 144 Thousand being Old Covenant believers “redeemed
from the earth...and from among men” (Revelation 14:3, 4).
Their first priority is to
fulfill the primary purpose and calling of every New Testament believer, which
is to be a priest unto God
(I Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:5, 5:10).
This is the focus of the believer’s service and is listed in conjunction
with redemption on two occasions (Revelation 1:5, 5:10) indicating that the
primary purpose for redemption itself is the creation of a great company of
priests unto God, for ministry to Him and men on His behalf.
They also represent the nation of Israel. As the Lord begins to again
deal with Israel during the 70th Week of Daniel the restored
(Matthew 17:11) “holy covenant” (Daniel 11:28-32) economy will once
again prevail, just as it was in effect during the first 69 Weeks of this
period of 70 Weeks that God has determined upon His people and upon His holy
city. (Daniel 9:24)
This single theory based on
Bible truth provides the answer to the questions: Why did not the 144 Thousand,
and “the woman” [Faithful Israel] of Revelation 12, and the “two
witnesses” of Revelation 11 get caught up together with the other saints when
the Lord Jesus Christ came in the clouds?
One possibility is that
they were saved under the Old Covenant and were not sealed by the Holy Spirit
as New Covenant believers but were physically sealed with the name of God and
the Lamb in their foreheads. Therefore they may not have the “earnest of
their inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13, 14), the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Another possibility is that the Lord has simply chosen to select certain of His earthly people, the Jews, to remain and accomplish His purposes during His Day of the Lord wrath.
Then, He will execute “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7)
which is specifically designed to purge and purify those Jews (Zechariah 13:9)
who will be saved when their Redeemer comes to Zion (Isaiah 59:20; Romans
11:25, 26) at the end of the 70th Week (Revelation 11:15, 14:1).
“The woman” [Faithful Israel] of Revelation 12 will be fed and
nourished in the wilderness during the last half of Daniel’s 70th
Week. The “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:3-14 will minister during the
last half of Daniel’s 70th Week and the 144 Thousand will perform
their Redemption Ministry during those same 3-1/2 years (Revelation 7:3-8, 9:4,
14:1-5).
All of these faithful Jews will remain on earth after the resurrection
of the dead in Christ and the rapture of the living saints (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17). This end
times timeline is based upon the chronological order of events (Matthew
24:3-31) the Lord Jesus Christ clearly gave to “Peter and James and John and
Andrew” (Mark 13:3), His inner circle of disciples. This also answers the question concerning the saints who are given into
the hand of the Antichrist (Daniel 7:25) for 3-1/2 years which is the last half
of Daniel’s 70th Week. These Jews will be saved under the Old
Covenant and might not be sealed with the Holy Spirit.
They will be purposely left behind to serve the Lord during the “time
of Jacob’s trouble” which occurs during the seven trumpet judgments
(Revelation 8:1-11:19) at the beginning of the “great and dreadful Day of
the Lord” (Malachi 4:5, 6). The 70th Week of Daniel will,
just as the other dispensations, transition or merge into effect with the
confirming of the covenant by the many of Israel and the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27)
as the actual starting point, just as the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 became the
actual starting point of the dispensation of grace.
But, there was a merging of economies as John the Baptist
preached and the Lord’s earthly
ministry unfolded and then the Old Covenant continuing to operate after
Pentecost in practice by the Jews while the New Covenant was in fact fully
effective and functioning on the Day of Pentecost.
This merging of economies has been the Lord’s pattern throughout the
ages as the economy of Conscience, Human Government, Promise and Law also
transitioned into effect with all of them continuing to run in the background
still having effect in principle even now as the ages roll.
We also must keep in mind that when the majority of the New Testament
was written the required elements were in place in order for the Lord to
return. The Jews were in the land, as a people/nation, they occupied Jerusalem,
the temple was on Mount Zion, and the Old Covenant with the sacrificial system
was operating.
These conditions definitely influenced the anticipation for the Lord’s
Second Coming by the Early Church, and caused an intense urgency in the
believers to expect the Lord’s coming post-haste. They correctly viewed the
prophetic Scriptures and understood the possibility for the Lord to return in
that day as the above prerequisites were in place.
When all five of these prerequisites were brought to their end in A.D.
70 by the Roman army’s decimation of the Jews as a people, the complete
destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, Israel as a nation and the
Old Covenant practices with its sacrificial system were also brought to their
conclusion.
However, the Apostle John’s inspired writings (The Gospel of John, I,
II, III John, Revelation) were all written after the destruction
of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the dispersion of the Jews.
These books of the Bible authored by John between A.D. 80-95 do not echo
the same urgency as the epistles of Paul and Peter concerning the Lord’s Coming
for John knew that the above prerequisites were necessary in order for the Lord
to return in that day.
At this present time [2014] three of the above five elements are now
back in place. Therefore, we must ever be aware of exactly where we stand in
this day as the merging of this last “Jewish” economy has begun for the Jews
are a people, in the land, and occupy their holy city Jerusalem.
These prophesied events are the first three prerequisites in order for
the 70th Week of Daniel to begin and the Lord Jesus to return
(Deuteronomy 30:3-5; Daniel 9:24). The following list shows those prerequisites
mentioned above and includes a number of other events required for the “time
of the end/70th Week of Daniel” to unfold:
1. The Jews will be a "people"/nation
(Daniel 9:24)
2. The Jews will be in their
promised "land"
(Deuteronomy 30:5; Matthew 24:16)
3. The Jews will occupy their
"holy city" Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24)
4. The prophet Elijah will be
sent to "restore all things"
(Malachi 4:5, 6; Matthew 17:11; Mark 9:12)
5. The "holy covenant"
will be restored (Daniel 11:28-32)
6. "The temple of God"
will be rebuilt
(Daniel 11:31; II Thessalonians 2:1-4; Revelation 11:1, 2)
7. The "holy place"
will be included (Matthew 24:15)
8. The "regular/daily
sacrifices" will be instituted
(Daniel 8:11, 12, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11)
9. The Jews will "worship"
in the temple of God (Revelation 11:1.2)
10.
"The Sabbath" will be honored (Matthew 24:20)
11.
The sending of prophets to the people of God will occur
(Malachi 4:5, 6; Matthew 17:11; Revelation 11:3-14)
12.
"The twelve tribes of Israel" will be recognized
(Revelation 7:4-8)
Also, the Lord’s prophecy concerning the “beginning of sorrows”
(Matthew 24:8) has already begun to take place as the 19th
century witnessed the most massive influx of “false Christs” with the
birth and rise of these major ‘Christian’ cults:
1.
The Jehovah ‘false’ Witnesses
2. The Mormons/Latter Day ‘false’ Saints
3. The Seventh Day Adventists
4. The Christian Science ‘false’ Church
The last half of the 19th century, along with the first half
of the 20th
saw USA’s Civil War, World War I, World
War II and numerous other wars/conflicts across the globe. This defines the
period of “wars and rumors of war” (Matthew 24:6).
The last part of the 20th
century, and now, the beginning of the 21st reveal that we are
nearing the very end of the “the beginning of sorrows” as increasing “famines
[40 countries recording mass starvation] and pestilences [AIDS, Ebola, Avian
Flu etc.] and [major and numerous] earthquakes” are evident and continue to
rise in magnitude, intensity and number. (Matthew 24:5-8)
Lest this may sound as though anticipation
for the soon coming of the Lord is waning, it is a certain and indisputable
fact that God is able to bring about the necessary conditions and events “quickly”
(Revelation 22:20), in His perfect timing, just as He wills.
The expectation for the return of the Lord
Jesus Christ, during this very “generation” when “all these things”
(Matthew 24:33, 34) are surely coming to pass, will continue to be on high
alert, until we see Him “in the clouds”(Daniel 7:13;
Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 1:7).
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