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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Steven Conway

The Death of Legends - Part 2

Open your Bibles with me to the book of Revelation.

We've been talking around the title, the death of legends.

And we've been, I've been endeavoring to share what I believe are some legends that we hold about spiritual things and show how those things need to be moved out of the way so that we can in fact embrace the truth as it is in Christ Jesus.

So today I want to try to deal with another legend and it's found in Revelation chapter 14 And hopefully we can give some clarity.

Now we are not here to speculate or do wishful thinking.

Hopefully we can just see what's in the Word of God.

Revelation chapter 14 verse 1, the Bible says, and I looked and lo a lamb stood on the Mount Sinai and with him and hundred 40 and 4000 having his father's name written in their foreheads.

And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder.

And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne and before the 4 beasts and the elders.

No man could learn that song but the hundred and 40 and 4000 which were redeemed from the earth.

These are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins.

These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.

These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God." There you have it in those short 5 verses.

The Bible introduces us to a group here in the New Testament that is referred to as the 140 and 4, 000.

And at first glance, when looking at these individuals, we discover they're quite sharp.

They have inside information on a song, and songs in the scriptures are about experiences.

So normally people don't sing something unless it has been their experience.

So this group of people has an inside track in that they have a song that no 1 could learn except for them.

Then the Bible says that they are not defiled with women.

Now, this doesn't mean that they are unmarried, they are virgins as the text goes on to say.

We know the book of Revelation speaks in symbolic language.

There is an impure woman that's mentioned in the 17th chapter of Revelation, and she is fornicated with the kings of the earth.

And so here in Revelation chapter 14, when it mentions that the 140 and 4, 000 are virgins, it means that they have a pure form of doctrine.

It means that their belief system has not been muddied.

And what they espouse are the plain teachings of the word of God.

And it does not make a distinction here as to the place where they are following the lamb.

It doesn't say that they are merely following the lamb as he's in heaven.

And so the implication is that they have followed the lamb here on earth and they continue to do so throughout eternity.

That is following the Lamb throughout eternity.

These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.

The 140 and 4, 000 reached the point of maturity.

They become ripe before the rest of the harvest and in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the throne of God the 140 and 4, 000 are Perfect they are without sin they are faultless Now when I first take a look at these characteristics and then I look at myself, I'm quite discouraged.

Because I have to ask myself, do I always believe what I should, as I should?

Or have there been times in my life where I have espoused something that I've later found is not true.

Only to discover later on that I was completely wrong.

Then the Bible says, these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.

And I have to ask myself, has it always been my heart's desire to follow the lamb, who is Jesus, wherever he leads and whatever it will cost.

And then there is this concept of being the first fruits.

Now, I used to live in Tennessee and I worked on the farm a bit.

And working on the farm in Tennessee, 1 of the things that I came to enjoy was spending time, well I enjoy spending time on the farm in general, but spending time amongst the tomatoes.

We had these enormous tomatoes that would become ripe and I would just love to pick them and take them home and have a nice piece of tomato.

I never thought I would be that type of person that would just eat a tomato, or just take 2 slices of bread and put a tomato in the middle of it and say I have a nice tomato sandwich.

And as I would walk up and down the rows for the tomato plants in the farm, I noticed that there were some that became ripe before the others.

They were the ones, where do you think they were located?

They were the ones that were lifted up high, that were near the top, where the sun shone most brightly on them.

Now the ones at the bottom eventually became ripe, but not before the ones at the top.

Now, if you have spent some time, and I see perhaps some have spent some time near the equator.

How many have spent a little bit of time near the equator.

Now you know that when the sun is shining on you in its strength, that is not a pleasant thing, is it?

You ever got into a car where the windows have been rolled up and the sun has been beaming on that car, and you open the door and you get in, don't close the door too quickly.

So when the Bible suggests that the 140 and 4, 000 are the first fruits, what it means is that they reach maturity before the rest of the harvest, as we said.

But they reach maturity because the sun has shone more brightly on them.

Now that is, again, it's not a pleasant experience.

It means that they have gone through a more speedy process, if you will.

Do I like when the sun is shining brightly on me?

Do I enjoy the trials and tribulations that life brings?

Can I joy in tribulation like I am encouraged to in the Scriptures?

And again I must say, regrettably, my answer is no.

It is when we present only a portion of the truth and we leave out the rest of the truth, which would instigate us or condemn us.

I see guile practice quite frequently in my home with my children.

And everyone is able to quickly point at the other individual and tell the part that they played in it.

He did X, Y, and Z, but I'm asking you about you.

So they present merely a portion of the truth.

Even if it causes a negative light to shine on me?

Am I willing to tell the truth even in those circumstances?

And again, again, I have to say, no, No, I'm not.

And so when I look at the characteristics of the 140 and 4, 000, and I look at myself, I am quite discouraged because I realize that I just can't make it.

Here's a special group that I believe has an enormous task to fulfill in God's great plan.

And I look at myself and I say, I guess that I will have to get their autographs when I get to heaven.

But I think that the 144, 000 are, I think that they are much more, They are much closer to us than we would like to believe.

And so the legend that I would like us to tear down today is to find out just who the 140 and 4, 000 are.

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The Death of Legends - Part 2

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