(Revelation 7:2-8; 14:1-4)
The end-time salvation of Israel is described as the sealing of 144,000—12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. “An angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God,”1Rev 7:2-3 seals the servants of God, who are numbered 144,000. The angel from the east is the end-time Church, which will bring salvation to Israel before Jesus returns.
In fact, the 144,000 represent all the elect who have the seal of the living God. In Revelation 7, God’s elect are divided into two groups: those who came out of the Great Tribulation2Rev 7:14 and those who have the seal of God. The spirit of God is the seal on God’s elect. The apostle Paul compared the Spirit of Christ to a guarantee or scroll sealed by the spirit of God. Our speaking in tongues is proof that we have been sealed by God.
In A.D. 180, Irenaeus said that all who were baptized were born into the kingdom of God.3Fragment 34; Against Heresies 2:22:4 But only those who had received the spirit of God as evidenced by speaking in tongues have been made “perfect”4Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 6, paragraph 1 because they are sealed. Irenaeus said this when he made the last testimony regarding the true evidence of receiving the holy spirit—before the place of God’s sanctuary was cast to the ground.
In Revelation 14, the 144,000 are described as a Lamb on Mount Zion. This is the mountain of the Lord’s House prophesied by Isaiah. In verse 2, we hear the sound of harpists and much water. These are the sounds of prayer in the holy spirit. The 144,000 “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”5Rev 14:4 They follow the commandments and example of Jesus. John said they had never been defiled with women6Rev 14:4 —the false teachings of the great harlot.
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