Someday we are all going to stand before the judgment bar of God: 2 Corinthians 5:10 "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

What a solemn thought to think that we are all going to have to stand before the judgment seat of God! And what is the basis of this judgment? How will God judge us?

Ecciesiastes 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil."

Many people suppose that there are other duties necessary for salvation, such as repeating certain phrases or prayers, or cutting their hair a certain way like the followers of Hare Krishna, etc. But this verse says, "Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man." We must keep the commandments in the heart, of course, for that is the only way the commandments can be kept in the New Covenant. This is the way Jesus showed us to live. Now let us look in the New Testament at a similar text written long after the death of Christ

James 2:10 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery, also said, 'Do not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty."

Most people already agree with most of the law. For example, most people agree that it isn't right to murder or steal. But James says that it is not just part of the law that is important, but all of the law.

The Real Test of Faith Comes When We and God Disagree on Some Point

The real test of obedience comes when God asks us to do something different from the dictates of our natural inclinations or feelings. When that happens, God knows better than we do, for He has been around longer. The very fact that God has given us a Bible with which we are to guide our lives, indicates that God has some things for us to do that are not in accord with our natural understanding, for why would He give us such a Book to follow if we already knew what was best?

In the verse we just read, James says that the law of God is a law of liberty and life to those who keep it; but Paul says it has become a law of bondage and death to those who fail to keep it (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Mark of Allegiance to God

The mark of God, by which God will know that we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour and have become His child, is our obedience to Him. God has one simple test: Do we love and trust Him enough to obey Him? Do we love and trust Him enough to do what He says? Do we keep and respect His law? Jesus said:

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

The sign of a kings authority is his ability to make a law. When Nebuchadnezzar spoke, it was law. When a king becomes a mere figurehead, as in many European countries today, then he can no longer make laws, but those laws are made by some other authority in the government such as the parliament.

The sign of a governments authority is its ability to make laws. The sign of a kings or a governments authority is its ability to make laws. And the sign of loyalty to that king or government is for the citizens to keep those laws and to show allegiance to the principles for which they stand. Faith in God will cause us to place ourselves under His authority. The sign that we respect His authority is to keep His laws. This is what God said when He gave the laws of His government:

Deuteronomy 11:18 "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes."

The keeping of these laws will be a sign or mark in your hand and your forehead (between your eyes). The Jews in Jesus day took this text literally. They used to take portions of Scripture and bind them, as a sign of their allegiance to God, around their wrists or foreheads. But Jesus showed us the true meaning of this text by keeping the precepts of the law in His mind, and in the things He did.

A Mark on the Hand or in the Forehead

Exodus 13:9 "It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lords law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt."

Here is the first mark the Bible talks about as being placed on the hand or in the forehead (between the eyes). This was not a mark to the beast at all, but a mark to God. There is nothing wrong with a mark, of allegiance. The issue is, whose mark then shall we receive?

Now let us ask a question. Is this mark of God a literal mark or a figurative, symbolic mark?

Deuteronomy 6:6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart."

Where is it that God wants His words placed? Is it on some literal parchment wrapped around a persons forehead, as the Jewish leaders legalistically did in Jesus day? No, what God is interested in is not some ritualistic parchment on the outside of a person, but a heartfelt response on the inside. The forehead is symbolic of the mind and thinking, and the hand is symbolic of the activities and actions of the hand. God wants both outward and inward obedience. He wants us to do and to think good things. He wants us to love one another outwardly and inwardly.

Thus we show that we are Gods children by our obedience to Him. This is the sign of our loyalty to Him. Obedience is the sign that Jesus is living in our hearts.

Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that ones slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?"

Loving Obedience Is the Key

If we yield our service to God we are His servants. How does a child show respect for his parents? By giving them loving obedience. Likewise it is a sign of our acceptance of Gods authority and lordship if we follow Him in loving obedience.

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

Not everyone who professes Christ as their Saviour will be saved, but only those who act out their profession by obedience to the will of God and who do not "practice lawlessness."

But Jesus said that some will say to Him in that day, when all receive their rewards: "Lord, you made a mistake. I know I am a child of Thine. Just look at the evidence--I spoke in tongues and prophesied in Your name; I cast out demons in Your name; and I did many wonderful things in your name, Jesus."

But then Jesus will show to them the evidence He has as to why they were not His children: "Then I will profess to them," said Jesus, "you did not keep the law. You were not loyal to Me. You did not do what My Father said. You practiced lawlessness. You may have thought you were doing wonderful things. You may have gone to church every week. But you simply did not obey Me. Somehow you thought you could make your own decisions in life as to how you could be saved. Did you think you could earn your way to heaven with your own works? Because you did not obey Me, you are a disloyal subject. Thus your religion is not worth anything."

Some people think that if they are sincere, God will accept their sincerity regardless of what they do. But if they are really sincere, they will try to find out what God wants them to do. There is a sign by which we can know whether we really are sincere or not.

1 John 5:2 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments."

1 John 2:3 "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, 'I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him."

If we truly love God, we will allow Him to lead us and we will listen to His word--we will not close our ears for fear of what He might say. If we understand His love, we will search for His way.

It is one thing to say we love God, but it is another thing to practice that love, as the following poem demonstrates:

I Love You, Mother

"I love you, Mother," said little John,

Then forgetting his work, his cap went on.

And he was off to the garden swing,

Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

"I love you, Mother," said Rosy Nell;

"I love you better than tongue can tell."

Then she teased and pouted half the day,

Till all were glad when she went to play.

"I love you, Mother," said little Fran;

"Today I will help you all I can.

How glad I am that school does not keep.

And she rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

Then stepping softly, she brought the broom,

And swept the floor and tidied the room.

Busy and happy all the day was she,

Helpful and cheerful as a child could be.

"I love you, Mother," again they said,

Three little children as they went to bed.

How do you think that mother guessed,

Which of them really loved her best?

Even a child can understand that poem and know which child showed real love for his mother. It is so simple. Just so, God knows which of us really love Him. This is why the New Testament, as well as the Old Testament, states that we will all be eternally judged by the precepts of the law of God-- the Ten Commandments. The keeping of the law does not save us, but is shows whether we love God or not, and whether we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

Satan Is Our Adversary

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring

lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Satan is our adversary seeking to cause us to be lost. We are all going to be judged according to the law of God, the transcript of His character. This being true, what will the devils strategy be? He will do anything he can to keep us away from that law. It doesnt make any difference to him how he accomplishes his task, as long as it costs us our salvation.

He has two approaches. One, to entice us to sin, and thus break the law; two, to obscure the law, minimize its importance, or lead us to believe that it has been abolished. It makes no difference to him--just as long as he can lead us away from allegiance to God by disobeying His commandments.

Satans Most Effective Assault

Satans greatest challenge was to get Christ to sin. He failed, but he showed us his strategy. You will remember how he tempted Jesus when they met in the wilderness--he came as an angel quoting Scripture. He came in the garb of religion. And that is still the way he comes.

2 Corinthians 11:13 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."

Satan seeks to deceive the Christian by quoting and misapplying Scripture. How are we going to be protected from his deceptions? We know that his deceptions are so good that they are going to deceive nearly the whole world. The only way we can keep from being deceived by Satan and receiving his counterfeit mark, which we will study in our next lesson, is to know the Scriptures like Jesus did. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He, too, quoted Scripture to unmask his deceptions.

Matthew 4:4 "But He answered and said, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

We will find life by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." We must compare scripture with scripture as the Bible says to do in Isaiah 28:9, 10.

Satans Arguments and Gods Answers

Today Satan is coming upon the world as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, by quoting and misapplying Scripture. He quotes it out of context in such a way as to teach error and to lead people away from the law of God. What are his arguments?

Satans Argument #1: "You are under grace, not under the law, therefore you can sin and break the law all you want."

Let us ask the Lord about this argument First, let us ask Him to identify sin.

Gods Answer: "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4, KJV).

Second, let us ask Him whether His grace permits us to sin and break the law all we want to.

Gods Answer: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin (in breaking the law) that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?. . . What then? Shall we sin (break the law), because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not!" (Romans 6:1, 2, 15).

It is the most wonderful thing in the world that we do not have to be under the law, but that we can be under grace if we accept Jesus as our Saviour. But the question is, what does it men to be "under the law," and "under grace"? Paul certainly did not understand Gods grace to do away with the law or to free us from keeping the law.

Let us look at the gospel story again: The gospel teaches that we are all sinners, guilty of death, "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But the good news is that Jesus came down and paid that penalty for us.

Ezekiel 18:20 "The soul who sins shall die. . ., the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself"

We are all condemned under the law as guilty. Jesus frees us from this condemnation by grace. Suppose someone is on death row in the state penitentiary for killing a policeman. He is "under the law," is he not? But the governor decides to free the convict by putting him "under grace" (our courts today still use the same legal terms as the Bible uses). The governor gives the condemned man grace, frees him, and takes him out from under the law. Does that mean that the law has been abolished? Does it mean that this man under grace can now break the law all he wants to? Can he now go and kill all the policemen he wants to?

God puts us under grace when we accept Jesus as our Saviour. Does that mean the law has been done away with now? Does that mean we can sin all we want to now? Does that mean we can now kill and steal and commit adultery? Let us allow Paul to answer this question:

Romans 3:31 "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law."

Does Paul say that the law is done away with, or established?

A state governor can free a criminal and set aside the penalty of the law (though the law itself still stands), but Gods law is more binding and sacred than mans laws. Gods law is so enduring that not only can the law not be changed, but even the penalty cannot be done away with--not even by God Himself. God could not just say, "Mr. Brown, I forgive you for cheating that elderly lady," and just leave it at that. No, but rather for God to forgive Mr. Brown, Jesus had to come down and take his penalty upon Himself! If state laws were so binding that the only way a convict could be freed would be for the governor to die in the convicts place, you probably would not see many prisoners receiving grace. Yet, that is what God did for us.

Suppose a state law was so binding that the only way a prisoner on death row could receive grace was for the governor to take his place and die for him--just suppose some kindhearted governor did that--would that nullify the law or establish it? It would certainly establish the law. If the law could have been set aside, the governor would not have had to die. And if Gods law could be set aside, Jesus would not have had to die.

Suppose you were a parent, and you told your child that you have a very strict rule. "Johnny, you must not turn on the gas stove because it doesnt always function right and it may blow up the house and kill you." Now, to enforce this rule, you tell your child that if he breaks it, he will have to go without eating for a whole day. Someone might argue with you about the punishment, but you point out that going without food is better than going without a head, should the stove blow up.

In the course of time, Johnny turns the stove on. Now Johnny asks forgiveness, and you feel so sorry for him that you tell him you are going to forgive him, but that the rule cannot change. So you yourself go without eating, to take his place. You hope Johnny will see how hungry you are and will take note of how serious this rule is. But instead, Johnny says-- "Now I can turn the stove on all I want because Mommy paid my penalty. Now I am under grace!"

In like manner, Gods grace does not cover the unappreciative person who says, "Ah, now I can do anything I want, for Jesus took my penalty."

Satans Argument #2: "Jesus fulfilled the law, thereby doing away with it, so you dont need to worry about it any more."

Jesus Answer: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). "You also are to fulfill the law by following My example, just as Paul said: 'fulfilled in us (Romans 8:2-4).

When you fulfill a prediction, such as Jesus did by dying on the cross, the prediction is no longer needed. Jesus fulfilled the sacrifice predictions which pointed forward to His death. When He died they were no longer needed. These predictions were a part of the ceremonial law of the old covenant sanctuary. But when you fulfill a moral law, such as "thou shalt not kill," that has nothing to do with abolishing the law. When you fulfill the marriage vow, does it do away with marriage? When you give your spouse total fulfillment, does it do away with your spouse? When you fulfill the requirements of the speed limit law, is the law thereby destroyed?

Satans Argument #3: "No one can keep the law of God anyway, so dont worry about it."

Gods Answer: "Sin is lawlessness, and you know that He (Jesus) was manifested to take away our sins (our lawlessness) . . . Little children, let no one deceive you, he who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins (breaks the law) is of the devil . .. . Whoever has been born of God does not sin" (1 John 3:5-9).

Jesus came down to give us the power to keep the law.

An Important Note: It is true that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23), but the very fact that we have sinned proves that the law of God is still in existence, "for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4, KJV), and "sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Romans 5:13). You cannot be ticketed for breaking a speed-limit law if the law has been abolished. The very fact that we are all sinners--all still guilty of breaking the law--proves that the law is still in effect. God does not want us to continue sinning--He came down not only to die for our past sins, but to give us power to quit sinning.

Satans Argument #4: "You are now under the new covenant of grace, not the old covenant of works, so you dont have to keep the law any more.

Gods Answer: "This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them" (Hebrews 10:16).

Far from making the law non-applicable for us, the new covenant can only be received if we are willing to keep Gods law. No one who refuses to keep the law of God is under the new covenant. Many people who think they are under the new covenant today are merely under the condemnation of sin.

We cannot fulfill the requirements of the law of God with the outward works of the flesh or with our old sinful natures, "because the carnal mind. . . is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:7). We may perform a few outward acts, but the principles of the law will not be in the heart. Christ wants to change our hearts. He wants to change our very motives and thoughts. He wants to give us love within. This is called the new heart, or the new birth, or conversion. The new covenant is Gods promise to change our hearts.

Satans Argument #5: "The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Therefore, the law is not applicable to us who have the Spirit."

Gods Answer: The reason the law kills is that "all have sinned." All have broken the law, and the wages of sin is death. The reason the Spirit gives life is to enable us to keep it. As Paul said, "I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and! died (that is, the law condemned him as a sinner)." "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is. . . not subject to the law of God" (Romans 7:9; 8:7, 8).

Satans Argument #6: "All you need to keep is Jesus law, not Gods law."

Jesus Answer: There is only "one Lawgiver" (James 4:12), not two, for "I and My Father are one." "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works" (John 10:30; 14:10).

Satans Argument #7: "The Law was nailed to the cross."

Gods Answer: "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips" (Psalm 89:34).

There was a law that was nailed to the cross, and that was the law of ordinances which pointed forward to Jesus. These were "Jewish" ceremonies, such as circumcision and animal sacrifices, that God gave to them in the old-covenant sanctuary service (see the previous lesson). The Bible says that He "abolished in His flesh. . . the law of commandments contained in ordinances" (Ephesians 2:15). This was not referring to the moral law of God. It is still wrong to worship other gods. It is still wrong to steal. One other point Besides the ceremonial law, there was something else that was nailed to the cross and that was our sins, along with their penalty. Thus the penalty of the law was nailed to the cross.

The Ceremonial Versus the Moral Law

There are two laws in the Bible--the ceremonial laws given in the old covenant that pointed forward to Jesus--and the moral law. The moral law was placed in the center of the Most Holy Place, or the Holiest of All, of the sanctuary, which was the second room. Paul says, "But into the second part (the Most Holy Place) the high priest went alone once a year . . . . the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing" (Hebrews 9:7, 8). The way into the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary, where the Ten Commandments were, was not yet made manifest while the earthly sanctuary was still standing, because they signified the standard of judgment by which all men will be judged before Jesus second coming. The Ten Commandments, therefore, have special significance for today. They actually have more significance today than before the cross.

Whom Will Satan Deceive?

That is why Satan, Gods enemy, is trying by many subtle deceptions to deceive people into disregarding Gods laws. In speaking of the time just before His second coming, the Lord warns:

II Thessalonians 2:8 "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

Those whom Satan, the lawless one, will deceive, are those who do not receive the love of the truth. Be careful of excuses, and tremble before God. If you wait and search to know Gods will you will know it, but if you dont truly want to know the truth, God will allow you to be deceived.

Excuses

Ive shown things out of the Bible to people before--even out of the law and their answer is: "Oh, I dont think that is important!" Imagine! God says something and we dont think it is important? Our eternal destiny is going to be determined in the judgment by our obedience or disobedience to the law, and people think it is unimportant.

Others have different excuses: "We have always done things a certain way--we cant obey Gods law." In other words, they have made up their own minds, independent of God, as to what is right and wrong.

Matthew 15:3 "But He answered and said to them, 'Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

There are those who run to their preacher when they learn something in the Bible that is different from what they have been taught. Their preacher may say, "Oh, it is true the Bible says that, but today we dont practice that. It doesnt fit into our society. It is all right if you want to do it, but it is not necessary. The whole world cant be wrong. The Bible is a good book on general principles, but it is impossible to follow it literally. God is a reasonable God and He wants us to be practical. We just cant worry about all these little things."

Throughout the Scriptures there is a running controversy between what God says, and what man wants to do. False prophets have abounded who thought they were right, but God never condoned nor authorized them. The question is: Are we going to let God tell us what to do, or are we going to follow the ideas and inclinations of sinful human nature?

In the judgment the words of men will not stand and the words of those who have led others astray will not save those they have deceived. The deceived as well as the deceivers will be judged by the law. At last, Gods people are identified as those who obey Him.

Gods Mark Identifies His People

Revelation 12:17 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

A woman in prophesy represents Gods people (Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 51:16; Revelation 19:6, 7)--A harlot, on the other hand, represents an apostate church of Satan.

The word "rest" in "rest of her offspring" is translated as "remnant" of her offspring in some versions of the Bible. Remnant means the last part of something. Gods last people on earth are described as those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." The text says that Satan is enraged with these people of God. He wants them lost and he wants to discourage them as much as possible.

What are some of Satans methods of warfare against Gods people? During the Dark Ages he used slander and misrepresentation. He used terms such as heretic, sect, cult, etc., to stigmatize the true followers of God. He called Jesus Himself "Beelzebub." The amazing thing is that the Devils plan of warfare, after thousands of years, still works so well (see Matthew 10:25).

Satan is furious with Gods people who remain true to their Saviour by keeping His sign, or mark, of authority. Not only will he war against them by slandering them, but he comes up with a counterfeit mark, which will be subtly promulgated in the name of Christianity. We will study about his mark of authority in our next lesson. But note this, that Gods people who do not receive the mark of the Beast are always characterized as those who keep the commandments of God. This is what differentiates those who have the mark of God in their foreheads from those who have the mark of the Beast

Revelation 14:1 "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. . . . 12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Read verses 9 through 11 of this chapter also.)

Gods authority is His ability to make laws. The way that Satan defies Gods authority is to flaunt His law. If a person doesnt respect a government or regard a kings authority, he flaunts the laws of the king and government.

Today people say, "What authority does God have?" "How can He tell me what to do?" This is the very spirit that Satan had. He said, "I dont need to be subject to God."

Isaiah 14:13 "For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . . 14 I will be like the Most High."

Satan said, "I will be my own God and make my own laws." These same thoughts are just what caused mankind to sin and be lost in the first place.

Genesis 3:3 "But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 And the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'"

Satan insinuates that you dont need God--you will know for yourself what is good or bad. Some people say, "Yes, I see that this or that is in the law of God, but I dont think it is important." In other words, they are saying, "I will decide for myself what is right." All of this stems from disbelief in Jesus.

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

Why Spend Time Proving Gods Law?

James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

Notice that God does not change. So if God has said it, why do we need to prove it?

Furthermore, Gods law is good. Why should anyone not want to keep it? What is so bad, for example, about "honoring thy father and thy mother" or "not stealing" or "not swearing?" Why do people not want to be controlled by the Ten Commandments? The basic reason is that we are by nature rebellious and independent of God.

By nature we agree with most of Gods laws anyway, but there always seems to be one or two little points that cross our paths, and which we dont agree with-- but these are the very points that test our faith.

So many times we are like Eve--all of the trees of the Garden of Eden seemed pretty much the same, so why did God make a rule about one of them? Because one rule seemed arbitrary to her and she could not understand the logic behind it, she disregarded Gods direct command. That very decision showed her lack of faith and subordination to God. That decision has made all the difference in the world.

God has still placed simple tests of fidelity in His law--tests that differentiate His true followers from mere professors--tests that mark those who follow Him from those who follow tradition, human opinion, and the sophistries of Satan and the Beast power--tests that mark those who are His people.

144,000 Who Receive Gods Mark

Revelation 7:1 "After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, 'Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed."

As we noted the other night when we studied the "Seventieth Week," the New Testament Israelite is the one who is a true follower of Christ (Galatians 3:7, 28, 29; Romans 2:28, 29). Here in Revelation 7 it is noted that there are 144,000 Israelites (those who are true followers of Christ) who are sealed, 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel--Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. This also shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is speaking of spiritual Israel, because, of all the tribes listed, there is only one that even exists today as a distinct entity--Judah, from which tribe the Jews are descended. All the other tribes have been amalgamated and dissipated throughout the earth and have been lost track of and extinct for nearly 2000 years.

It might also be noted that the 12 gates of the New Jerusalem are each named after one of the 12 tribes (Revelation 21:12). In order to enter the New Jerusalem we must pass through the gate of one of the tribes. Through the new birth, we become a part of the heritage of God and of the spiritual family of Israel, who are His people.

Here in Revelation 7 are pictured 144,000 New Testament, spiritual Israelites who are sealed in their foreheads. As noted in Revelation 12:17 and 14:12, they are identified by keeping the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus. They are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

When you seal a jar of fruit, you preserve it so that it will not spoil. Here Gods people are sealed by the Holy Spirit so that they can be preserved through the last, trying, deceptive times that will exist right before Jesus second coming. Right before Jesus comes there will be a group of people who are forever sealed in their characters and in their minds. They will be preserved blameless and holy.

Revelation 22:11 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. 12 'And behold, lam coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.'

Notice the inheritance of these people.

Revelation 22:1 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Compare this description with that found in Revelation 7 of the144,000.

Revelation 7:15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Would you like to be among this group of people? You can, for it is the Holy Spirit who does the sealing, and He is promised to every repentant, believing Christian.

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said the them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

We are not saved by obedience, but we are not saved without obedience. Obedience is the sign that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Honesty, justice, love, and the keeping of the commandments may not be popular today; but if we love Jesus we will obey Him, by grace, even though it may be unpopular to do so. Jesus loved us enough to come and die for us. Even in a mob He was satisfied to be a minority. Talk about love! Whom do you love, friend? Do you love God enough to obey Him?

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself even as He is pure."

When Jesus comes those who are saved will be just like Him. God is willing to do that for each person here. Will you let Him?

At our next session we will be studying the mark of the beast, it is the mark of destruction that almost the whole world is going to receive just before the return of Christ to this world. But we will study how you can avoid receiving it.