THE 144,000 EVANGELISTS

THE 144,000 EVANGELISTS Study of Revelation, Continued REVELATION 7.2 I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, 7.3 saying, “Don’t harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!” 7.4 I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel. -WEB Bible.  The Seventh Seal is about to be broken, and angels are busy preparing for it. Before the four winds are interrupted, some other angels have a job to do. They are marking the foreheads of 144,000 faithful servants of the Lord Jesus, so (apparently) they will be protected from the wrath of God which will be poured out on the earth very soon. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This is an ancient illustration from an old manuscript. The Apostle John is in the lower left of the image. Four angels are at the four “corners” of the earth, and in their hands they each hold one of the four winds. An angel in the upper right is issuing instructions. In the center of the image are the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, arranged in their 12 tribes. The 144,000 are all Jews, and this chapter 7 in Revelation lists the 12 Tribes they are from. The final period of time before the return of Christ is all about the Jews, because Messianic prophecies regarding Israel must be fulfilled before Christ returns. Revelation 14 tells us more about these 144,000 Jewish evangelists: REVELATION 14:4-5 All of these are pure virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he leads. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. This week we’re “catching up” with Revelation, for the whole week. Continued tomorrow.