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The 144,000
They are
Redeemed
Key Ten
Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return,
and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head:
they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Isaiah 51:11
In our modern world, abduction is a
growing concern. Shocking newspaper headlines cry out, “Columbia is the
Kidnapping Capital of the World!,” “Kidnaping in the Philippines is a Growth
Industry!,” and, “The Ransom Industry is Big Business in Delhi!”
Many large corporations are now finding that part of doing
business in a worldwide economy includes the purchase of ransom insurance. One
international insurance company explains that while the government keeps quiet,
and private companies rarely release details, its sources suggest that worldwide
incidents reach as high as 20-25,000 per year. This reflects a 70% increase
since the early nineties.
Outrageous as these international kidnapping statistics are,
it is even more startling to consider that the whole world has been abducted,
and held for ransom. But it has! Even worse, since this seizure occurred at the
beginning of man’s history, billions now live their lives completely unaware
that such an event ever took place.
A World Held for Ransom
Because all that humanity has ever experienced is its present
state of captivity, most people have accepted deception, suffering and
unhappiness as the natural course of life. In some ways, we are like Patty
Hearst, who was abducted from a life of privilege with her wealthy parents, and
then temporarily brain washed by her kidnapers into preferring a life of crime.
Like Patty Hearst, we also have come to identify with our kidnapper—Satan!
How did the world come to be in such a state? It must first
be understood that we have been born late in the stream of history, without
prior knowledge of the events that shaped the world we live in. Therefore, it is
of immense value to reflect upon what occurred before man’s existence.
In the beginning God created an environment of total peace,
happiness, cooperation and love. He also brought a myriad of angels into
existence to share in His wonderful way of life. These angels were to be
ministering servants to mankind, which He would later create. Next, God produced
a vast physical universe to be inhabited. Then the great angelic being Lucifer
rebelled. He attacked God’s throne and was cast down to earth in abject defeat.
After this God created the first human in His own image and
placed him in a beautiful garden called Eden. The Eternal then created the woman
to be a helper, compatible with the man. Adam and his wife, Eve, were given
dominion over the entire earth, where they were to faithfully administer God’s
government. God gave Adam and Eve access to everything in the garden with one
exception. The Eternal explained to the first humans that of the two trees in
the midst of the garden, one would lead to eternal life and the other to death.
The two trees represent two ways of life. The tree of life
pictures living God’s way. Choosing this tree requires faith, and a
determination to keep God’s commandments over a lifetime. Choosing this tree
results in eternal life in the Kingdom and family of God.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents the way of
self-determination. Taking of this tree means distrusting God, rejecting His law
and His government. It means choosing to decide for one’s self what is right or
wrong. God warns mankind, as He warned Adam and Eve, that eating of this tree
results in death.
Lucifer, now called Satan, came to our first parents and
seduced them into eating of the tree that God had forbidden. He told them the
great lie, that they could not trust their Creator, and that by choosing to
determine what was good and evil themselves, they would be like God. Moses
explains:
The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5).
It is at this very point that the world became corrupt. This
is the choice that the first man and woman made, and mankind has continued down
that path to this very day. Without realizing the horrific consequences, Adam
and Eve had rejected God’s government by submitting themselves to the leadership
of Satan. Thus they were kidnapped by the Devil, and mankind has been held
hostage to this very day.
The immediate effect of Adam and Eve’s rebellion was that the
attributes of self-centeredness, coveting, lusting, greed, and competition
became a way of life on this earth. Man became the servant of sin, and therefore
of Satan (Romans 6:16). This action, by our first parents, also caused man to
reject the true God, and accept Satan as the god of this world. Terrible curses
came upon the earth. The soil brought forth weeds and thorns, women suffered in
childbirth, and even the nature of the animals was changed. From that day
forward, they began to devour one another. Satan’s influence was once again
reflected in the world.
Paul writes to the brethren in Corinth explaining how Satan
continues to blind people’s minds to the truth. He states:
The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (II Corinthians 4:4).
Satan became the god of this world by seducing Adam and Eve
into serving him instead of the true God. He spiritually abducted our first
parents, setting up the rest of humanity to continue on the same path. From this
catalyst to our time today, humanity has been held captive by the sway of the
devil, and mankind has willingly continued to follow the way of its kidnapper.
The Ransom has been Paid!
Thankfully, the Father has paid the price of our ransom in
order to redeem His children. That price was no less than the life of His only
begotten Son, Jesus. Matthew writes:
Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
All mankind has sinned, and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 3:10, 6:23). However, Jesus Christ paid the consequences for our sin with His life.
The 144,000 are Redeemed
By paying the ransom, Christ provided a means to free us from
our bondage. Those who repent of following Satan the devil, and follow God’s
way, by submitting to His government, can accept Christ’s payment for their
sins. This redeems them from the penalty of the law. As Paul writes:
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).
The 144,000 are those who have been redeemed. God’s apostle states:
The hundred and forty and four thousand (are they) which were redeemed from the earth... (And) These were redeemed from among men (Revelation 14:3-4).
The 144,000 are the ransomed. They are those who have been
bought back from among men, and are redeemed from this earth. Immediately, this
identifies them as those who have accepted Christ’s sacrifice to cover their
sins. They have received His Spirit, been placed in His Church, and now follow
Him, despite living in a world held captive by Satan. They develop godly
character, hold fast until the end, and will be raised in the first
resurrection.
The Meaning of Redemption
The word “redeem” has great meaning. Simply stated, it means
to “buy back.” In Biblical language, it refers to buying the freedom of a slave.
It can also refer to the release of someone from bondage upon receipt of a
ransom. It means the recovery of something lost, or even the reclamation of that
which has become contaminated. It also refers to paying off a debt, restoration
to an original place, or return to a former state.
In the context of these definitions, being spiritually
redeemed refers to being purchased back from the degrading defilement we have
experienced as a result of our sins. It includes regaining the freedom we lost
while in bondage to that sin. It involves the return of our lost position as
God’s children, and the dismissal of the awful curse of death hanging over the
head of every single human being.
Christ was the very Creator of all mankind (Ephesians 3:9;
Colossians 1:16). As such, His life is worth more than the combined lives of all
His creation. Therefore, the life of Jesus more than pays the debt we owe for
our sins. By dying in our place, His sacrifice paid the price of our redemption.
Writing to the Corinthians, Paul states:
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (I Corinthians 6:20).
We are bought with an enormous price. It was not our life savings, hundreds of thousands of dollars in a corporate reserve account, or even millions from an insurance company. We were redeemed by something so valuable, and at a cost so high, it is staggering to comprehend. Peter writes:
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (I Peter 1:18-19).
Jesus Christ made the supreme sacrifice in order to redeem us. That cost can only be understood by realizing what He was, who He was, and what He did for mankind.
The Price of Redemption
Before giving Himself to pay our ransom, Jesus Christ was no
less than the Word. He was God. He was the One who created both the physical
universe and the magnificent, beautiful angelic beings. So awesome was this
noble being that the creation obeyed His every command. The spirit beings before
His throne serve and honor Him daily. They worship Him unabashedly.
As second in command of the heavenly realm, Christ was
awesome in power and influence. He sat on His throne, glorious and resplendent
in beauty. He literally radiated light, power, might, and majesty. There was
absolutely nothing He could not do.
Jesus Christ was holy, and therefore morally and ethically
pure. He always conducted Himself in absolutely perfect, moral, and ethical
behavior. He was the embodiment of holy, righteous and perfect character. He was
the epitome of dignity, the height of honor and integrity. He was the great God,
the Almighty, the King of creation.
This same great majestic being emptied Himself of all the
beauty and glory He enjoyed. He gave up His awesome power and majesty. He gave
up being worshiped in splendor and might. He became a human being, composed of
corruptible flesh and blood.
He was not obsessed with His status or His position, nor did
He feel the need to maintain it at all costs. He did not focus on how much power
He possessed. Instead, His care for His creation was so great that He put
Himself last, and mankind first, by giving Himself in sacrifice (Philippians
2:1-6).
This transcendent being, called “the Word,” knowingly left
all that splendor, and was born a helpless little baby. As a young boy, He no
doubt was different from other children. He was probably misunderstood, and
thought of as “overly good.” He most likely experienced ridicule from the other
children in the community, even from His own brothers.
As a human being on earth, Christ was tested in every way
that we are (Hebrews 4:15). Growing to manhood, Jesus experienced the aching
need for human contact all of us feel at times. He felt the natural desire to
have a wife. He felt the same pulls of the flesh that we all experience in our
lives, but He denied Himself. Christ came to be a sacrifice for man.
While Jesus was here on the earth, He gave of Himself with
complete unselfishness. He did so every measured minute of every day of His
human life. Eventually, it all came down to that final day, Abib fourteen—His
last Passover. This day was a full twenty-four hours of complete agony for
Christ, but this was the very reason He came to earth—to die for man in a most
unjust way.
His final sacrifice began with the betrayal by Judas, who not
only was trusted with the treasury, but was an individual whom Christ loved.
Then there was an illegal trial in which Jesus endured false accusations, and
terrible twisting of the truth. There was the tormenting harassment that lasted
all night long. First He was sent to Annas, and then to Caiaphas, the high
priest. There He was mocked, struck in the face and ridiculed.
Consider the fact that sadists often seek positions of power
over those who cannot fight back. In such positions, they can take out their own
emotionally tortured frustration, anger, and resentment on those who are
defenseless. In all likelihood, what these twisted men did to Christ, they did
with glee.
While paying the price for us, Christ allowed Himself to be
completely under the power of these men, as Satan broadcast his own twisted
resentment and hatred into Christ’s tormentors. Influenced by the devil’s anger,
these men tortured Christ all night long. Jeering and laughing with an insane
mockery, they repeatedly spit on Him, which to a Jew at that time was the lowest
insult. Then, covering His face, they pelted our Savior with their fists.
This torturing punishment was not inflicted by just one
person. It was done in groups. There is no doubt that, as Christ stood there
with His hands tied behind His back, He was severely bruised and bloodied, with
spittle literally dripping down His face and beard.
After this, His interrogators took Him to the Roman governor,
Pilate, who attempted to extricate himself by doing no more harm to Jesus.
Pilate was unable to shake the anger now infused into the crowd. As the angry
throng shouted, “Crucify Him,” Pilate found himself with no political choice but
to order Jesus beaten and finally crucified.
The guards then made a crown of thorns and jammed the crown
down onto Christ’s head. The thorns ripped through the flesh around His head,
tearing lacerations, perhaps even piercing His skull. They then put a robe on
Him and mocked the true Messiah as their “clown king.” After this, they led Him
out to be beaten and finally executed.
The Roman Punishment
As most historians and Biblical scholars admit, Roman
beatings were far different from those of the Jews. Jewish law prohibited a man
receiving more than thirty- nine lashes. The Jews would strike thirteen blows on
each of the shoulders, and then apply the final thirteen to the loins.
The Romans had no such humane practice. There was nothing in
their law to limit the number of stripes, and nothing to restrict the part of
the body that could be struck. Instead, the Roman scourging was called the
“half-way death.” It stopped just short of killing the victim.
The Romans used a paid professional called a “lictor.” His
weapon was a short, round piece of wood called a flagellum, to which were
attached several strips of leather. At the end of each strip were sewn chunks of
bone or metal. These would cause massive blood loss as they literally tore
pieces of flesh off the body with every stroke of the whip.
The lictor was trained to do the most damage possible to a
human body without killing the victim. The Roman guards tied Jesus in a bent
forward position, over a short column designed for this purpose. In this way, He
would not be able to move in order to assuage the impact of any of the blows.
The lictor stood about six feet behind Jesus. From there, he brought the
flagellum all the way back, as far as he could reach, and then let it fly toward
its intended victim.
It is said that the whip made a ghoulish “thud” as it struck
the rib cage. The bits of bone and metal curled around the body, ripping into
Christ’s side, cutting deeply into his skin and lacerating Him severely. One can
imagine, a low moan issuing from Christ’s lips at each blow. His lips would be
moving in prayer to the Father, but not to complain or cry out (Isaiah 53:7).
This horrible beating continued until the victim became
unconscious. The Roman guards then revived their prisoner with cold water, and
the pounding continued. The whip struck over and over again, upon already open
wounds, causing terrible shudders of unimaginable pain.
The lictor was a professional, and he carefully watched the
victim’s rib cage. He continued the beating until Jesus’ breathing was ready to
stop, yet He was still alive. Only then was the flogging complete.
The entire process left Christ battered and flayed open. He
was cut and lacerated over most of His body. He was no doubt severely blackened
with bruises, and unrecognizable to most people. Yet this was only the
beginning.
Victims of crucifixion were normally required to carry their
own stake to the place of execution. Jesus was strong. He had kept God’s laws of
health, and had worked much of His life as a stone mason. Powerful as He was,
however, Christ was terribly weakened by this beating. He actually faltered with
the load, and the fact that another would be required to carry His stake was not
a kindness, but rather a necessity.
Once at Golgotha, the soldiers attached Jesus to the
implement of His death. The spikes used for this purpose were five to seven
inches long, and driven through the through each of His wrists. His legs were
lifted into a bent position, and another torturous spike was driven through both
feet. The guards then lifted up the stake with our Savior on it. With a thud,
they let it fall into its hole. The whole weight of Christ would have fallen on
the nails, and another agonizing, searing wave of pain would shudder through the
body of our Lord.
The position He now found Himself in had an immediate effect.
It first reduced His breathing capacity. Given enough time, it would lead to
asphyxiation. To enable Himself to breathe, Christ lifted His body up, putting
all His weight on the nail in His feet and those tearing at His wrists. Once
raised in this fashion, He experienced some relief. His breathing came easier
and more rapid. Christ held Himself in this position until the pain in His feet,
and the attendant muscle cramps, forced Him down again.
Any foreign object in the body becomes extremely painful as
it continues to irritate the flesh surrounding it. In order to breathe, Christ
had to keep putting His full body weight on the spikes which were now tearing at
His flesh. He endured this excruciating process a full six hours. The pain
simply screamed out from every cell around His wounds. The suffering must have
been unbearably intense.
Finally, a centurion jammed a spear into Jesus’ side. Christ
gave His last gasp of breath, and died. The blood which had accumulated in His
abdomen from the internal injuries gushed out. The rest of His blood drained out
the ragged holes torn in His feet. The Christ, our Creator, was dead!
The Highest Price God Could Pay
The Eternal God and Creator of this universe became a
man—human, like we are. He suffered terribly for us and then died, paying the
penalty for our sins.
Christ’s sacrifice was an awesome price to pay in order to
redeem mankind. The grace of God did not come cheaply. There was a great deal of
pain and suffering on the part of Jesus Christ to save us, but He did not count
this to be the greatest cost. His sacrifice went much further than simply His
pain and horrible, gruesome death.
Christ never complained about the pain of His suffering, but
there was something very difficult for Him to bear. There was something He
despised about the horrific ordeal. The author of Hebrews wrote that Christ
“despised the shame” (Hebrews 12:2).
The relationship He had with the Father is what Christ cared
about more than anything else in life. He loved and adored the Father, always
feeling His wonderful presence. He was never alone in all that He suffered
because no matter who turned away from Him—no matter how much He lost or
suffered—the Father was there comforting and reassuring Him.
There came a moment, however, when Christ was required to
give up His relationship with the Father. Jesus experienced the horrible
revulsion of the shame of sin for mankind, and He despised that shame. Matthew
writes:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:45).
Christ had to experience the Father actually forsaking Him.
Spiritually speaking, He had to watch the Father turn His back on Him, thereby
severing the relationship. At this point all the sins of the world—our sins—were
placed on Jesus Christ, and the Father turned away!
With the sins of mankind laid on Him, our Savior experienced
what He hated most. Christ felt the terrible, despicable, and filthy emotions
that we all experience when we have sinned. The holy God felt shame!
For the first time in His life, Jesus felt the terrible
weight of guilt and shame. He shuddered in revulsion at the detestable
experience. He despised it! He hated it! It was repulsive to Him, and the
experience sickened Him, yet, He endured it all in selfless love for each of us.
Our redemption literally cost God what He valued most. The
Almighty held nothing back! He sacrificed His only son, even allowing His holy
character to be debased for us. That sacrifice is what it took to pay the cost
of our redemption, however—a price so high that we must never forget it, never
deprecate it, and never treat it lightly. Therefore, being redeemed requires
that we accept His payment for us, but it also means that we sincerely dedicate
ourselves to serving Him.
Redemption is Conversion
The 144,000 are the redeemed, but their redemption is not
something that occurs instantaneously by signing a religious tract, or the
simple acceptance of Christ as Savior at an altar call. Instead, their
redemption is a lifelong process of conversion.
Spiritual conversion is a process much like other
transformations we see in our physical lives. For example, ice can be converted
to water, and water changed to steam. Such alterations are simply a result of
forces working upon the elements until the needed change occurs.
In like manner, true Christians are in a process of being
changed from Satan’s way of being prideful and self-centered to eventually
becoming spirit beings who are holy, and composed of spirit just like Christ (I
John 3:1-3; Ephesians 4:12-13). The process begins with the Christian first
being redeemed from his old behavior influenced by Satan the Devil. It finally
culminates with their ultimate redemption from the bondage of this physical
world at the resurrection.
Paul writes to explain the first stage that Christ performs
in the Christian’s life. The apostle states that it was Jesus who:
Gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14).
We are first redeemed from our iniquity by Christ’s sacrifice. Then we go forward to live a life of good works. To this end, Christ gives the Holy Spirit to those the Father has called. The apostle Paul calls this Spirit:
The earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (Ephesians1:14).
The word “earnest” refers to the term, “earnest money,” in Christ’s day. Today we call it the “down payment.” God gives us His Spirit as evidence that He will redeem us completely. For now, His Spirit is to help Christians change their lives as He motivates and leads them (Acts 20:35). For this reason, Christians must not resist the prompting of His Spirit, as Paul states:
Grieve not the Holy Spirit . . . whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
The Christian must put on the whole armor of God as they fight a spiritual war against human nature and the pulls of this world (Ephesians 6:11-18). They must sacrifice for others, remembering the sacrifice of Christ as they look to their final redemption. Paul writes:
Not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23).
Mankind’s rule on this earth will eventually come to an end.
The Great Tribulation will fall upon the world, and finally the last year of
man’s reign will bring God’s fury upon humanity.
But before that day, Christ will insure that those He has
chosen will be sealed and protected from the time of God’s punishment. The
prophet Isaiah speaks of that time with these words:
Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him, and they shall call them, the holy people, the redeemed of the LORD (Isaiah 62:11-12).
The redeemed are the daughters of Zion! They are the
undefiled woman—God’s true Church. Isaiah speaks of them during the time when
they are to be sealed for protection, just before the “day of the LORD.” They
are encouraged knowing that their salvation is near, and with it their
reward—assisting Christ in the establishment of God’s Kingdom on the earth.
Notice that God’s prophet also speaks of those who will
resist Christ at His triumphant return. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah,
Christ says:
I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come (Isaiah 63:3-4).
Before the seven trumpet plagues are unleashed, those individuals who constitute the final ones to be redeemed, are sealed. When the last trumpet blows, all those who have ever been sealed will rise in the resurrection to meet Christ and marry Him on the sea of glass. They will sing gloriously before God’s throne, having been redeemed from the earth. The Apostle John writes:
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Revelation 5:9).
Finally, those resurrected from the earth, and redeemed from mankind, will return to the earth and inhabit Zion. Isaiah records the very words of God regarding this time:
Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn . . . Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Hearken unto Me, My people; and give ear unto Me, O My nation: for a law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgement to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings . . . Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old . . . Art Thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Sion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away (Isaiah 51:1-11).
God encourages His people that they need not fear the attacks
or insults of men. He then reminds them of the time when He redeemed physical
Israel from the Egyptians. He brings up that past act of redemption because the
physical salvation of Israel during the Exodus was a type, symbolically
picturing the greater redemption of His people at the end.
In this life, God’s people must first be redeemed from the
bondage of Satan, their human nature, and the pulls of this world (Titus 2:14).
Then at Christ’s return, they will literally be freed from the limits of this
physical world. At the resurrection, they will be catapulted into the glorious
world of spirit and ultimate liberty as the sons and daughters of God.
After the millennial reign of Christ, the vast majority of
humanity will also be redeemed. For now, however, God is only seeking to redeem
the 144,000. During this age, it is only they who are called to overcome, to one
day be the bride of Christ, and constitute His future leadership team. Because
they are the first to be redeemed, God calls them by a special name. They are
His “first fruits.”