The 144,000 - A Kingdom Number

The 144,000 - A Kingdom Number (Rev 7:1-8, 9-17; 14:1-5)

Understanding what the 144,000 represents has been the subject of much debate. For

lack of the necessary resources, I won’t rehash the arguments of this debates in this post, but will instead straightly state what my Theological View on this topic, ever more crystalizingly, is. 

The Ending of the “Cleansing of the Sanctuary” (Dan 8:14)

The Finalizing (Eschatological) Phase of the Pre-Advent Judgement

Note: The following blog post is related to the discussion in this post about what is to prophetically transpire starting at Dan 7:22ff.

The Day-Star, March 14, 1846, paragraph 1

[=Broadside1, April 6, 1846 par. 7||ExV 43.1 (1851)||EW 54-56 (1882)]

Article Title: Letter from Sister Harmon Falmouth Mass., Feb., 15, 1846

March 14, 1846 Letter from Sister Harmon.

Falmouth Mass., Feb., 15, 1846.

Bro. Jacobs:--

     My vision which you published in the Day-Star was written under a deep sense of duty, to you, not expecting you would publish it. Had I for once thought it was to be spread before the many readers of your paper, I should have been more particular and stated some things which I left out. As the readers of the Day-Star have seen a part of what God has revealed to me, and as the part which I have not written is of vast importance to the Saints; I humbly request you to publish this also in your paper.

God showed me the following, one year ago this month:

In February, 1845, I had a vision of events commencing with the Midnight Cry.

The Church Triumphant Seminar (Rev 14:6-12)

Gospel-Doctrines-Practices-Prophecy Evangelism Seminar 3.0

            As recounted in this bio-post, I had set off to go into the Ministry in 1997 in order to become an Evangelist. However from my very first initial attempt to try to convincingly share my then SDA faith, (i.e. according to present theological, doctrinal and prophetic understandings and beliefs of the SDA Church), I immediately ran into an incontrovertible wall, -“incontrovertible” only if I was going to be honest and non-indifferent, and that was, in trying to share Daniel 70 Weeks, the fact that most of what I was claiming was either not concretely proven in Biblical or Historical facts and/or had quite valid standing counter arguments against them. So, of course, as elsewhere related, that led me to 2+ years of intensive study into the 70 Weeks, and has by now all resulted in my present more concrete and proven understanding of it, see here...(and yet this concretizing and proving work is still not completed to the level that I myself am satisfied with...and that added work is literally like having to complete gut and remove a standing, set concrete, but cracked/cracking construction foundation in order to replace with an new, better -built/-engineered one.)

The Typological “Second Coming” (Rev 19:11-16, 17-18, 19-21)

God’s Sequitur, and/or Alternative, “Second Coming” & Millennial Geo-Resetting Event (=Rev 3:3; 14:1-5ff; 20:1-4ff)

            In Rev 19:1-10, the results of the effectuated judgement on Babylon are related, as well as an indicative time as to when, -in actually the plagues, contrary to wished expectations (Rev 22:11). As seen in the Revelation Charting here, Rev 19:1-10 serves as an anticipative, introductory vision passage which sets the context of what takes place in the rest of that prophetic segment.

Rev 19:1 - After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;

great multitude in heaven - This great multitude are those who, through this Loud Cry Call out of Babylon have responded to this work of the priorly sealed 144,000 (Rev 7:9-17). Indeed many of the same themes expressed there are restated here in Rev 19:1-10.

God's Deliverance (Ezek 1 & 10)

God's Deliverance: Order/Organization (Ezek 1), Power (Ezek 10) & Timing (cf. Ezek 43)

            In prior postings in this “Theological Views” Blog, the Bible’s and SOP’s promise and delineation of the evidence that God has plans to ‘Deliver His Faithful People’ (GC 635ff = Rev 16:10ff -discussed in here). The “Power” (see e.g. in this post) and “Timing” (see e.g. here), as well as both of them combined (see e.g. here), have indeed been presented throughout this Blog. But the Bible and SOP also reveals that God has a very deliberate “Order” (=Organization), and that in seeming chaos and disarray, which He will also keyly involve in this Deliverance event and process. By now, not really surprising to me, this understanding is merely a confirmation of what had long been pursued, indeed essentially from the very beginning of, this Biblical research and tangible projects work, culminating in the launching of its NJK Project (ca. 2003ff).

            The Biblical exposition and understanding of Ezek 10 is the pivotal passage is what presents/confirms this “Order” aspect in God’s plans here, and as also seen with many passages, this is an understanding that EGW also somewhat nebulously had through manifestly various SOP revelations that she may not have “fully” understood.

                                                                                               

Responses to evilbible.com Website Claims

Responses to Common Objections and Claims of Unbelievers (2 Tim 2:15)

           

            It is patent for unbelievers to rattle off a listing of various objections to the Bible as the foundational/substantive reason why they do not believe in either its inspiration or even, the “moral beneficiality” of the Bible.  As seen in the title of the main website (old website) being responded to here, they come to conclude that the Bible is/must be “evil”. (See also in this post).

            Upon just reading through the listing of claims on that website, it seems evident to me, that the author(s) of these claims may have had some Christian background and later, upon “discovering”, these (supposed) errors/contradictions/“evils” switched to their current stance. Whatever the case, it is still pertinent that literally all of these claims are borne out of deficient, uninformed, or outright erroneous exegesis and theology. The ironic thing is that many believers also see the same errors but just silently overlook them, as if the Bible and its message does not contain the resolving answer. And to a point, that also is not an acceptable approach, because, for one thing, it does breed and perpetuate in some such vehement opposition to the Bible.

The LORD of the Sabbath

=‘So that... “also Lord of the Sabbath”’ (Matt 12:8|Mark 2:28|Luke 6:5)

John MacArthur - GTY Ministry - “Understanding the Sabbath” (video) & “Why Sunday Is the Lord's Day” (video)

            As I find this two-sermon exposition by John MacArthur on why he believes Sunday is to be a Holy Day for Christians a succinct but comprehensive overview of the present (heralded) emblematic state of Sunday Sacredness arguments, I have chosen to address it head on for a response. This topic however can be more involved, and as somewhat of a background into this issue discussion, I, generally speaking, recommend these following more detailed resources:

The Claims and Theology of Jonathan Henderson (2 Tim 4:3-4)

Well upon me having (generally) sent an email complaint (supplied below) to the parent Conference of the Grand Advent SDA Church, the Northern California Conference about these ‘outrightly and/or obtusely (=“beyond the pale”) blasphemous/slanderous (public) waywardness/statements’ of Jonathan Henderson, (-since the various several attempts by other people/members to correct him (=Matt 18:15-16) had not worked (cf. Matt 18:17a...)), apparently ‘his president, James Pedersen, sent them to him “as an FYI”. Henderson then proceeded to respond to me about the email ((somehow) through my Facebook personal message, instead of my blog’s contact email, (also included in the email text & NCC emailing)). Upon having first also posted his response in its entirety below, (for this is not at all a private/personal matter[1], -and it also is more efficient to post these developments as a dedicated blog post here rather than within Facebook or in an attached PDF), I then give my point by point response. His original, immediate statements then are left in bold.

Seventh-day Adventists Believe...

Capital Reasons Why SDAs Object to these Theological Views (Isa 29:1-21|Isa 29:22-24)

{Spiritually|Typically|Typologically|“Historichatologically”, conversely known as, ‘My “Ninety-Five”’[1]}

As documentedly and demonstrably exposed in this blog, “Seventh-day Adventists Believe” that:

-they should fear and worship the economy and not God (Rev 14:7; EW 266-269; TM 409.2-3; COL 294.1-2)

The “Character of God” Controversy ...

.... Controversy Exegetically Resolved

            Recently, I had engaged in an SDA forum discussion which, specifically enough, asked as its topic title: “Why did God command people to stone, scorch, and smite sinners to death?” As it turned out, that discussion soon became a full blown “Character of God Controversy” (COGC) discussion. However it was not until very late into the discussion that I concretely/cognitively realized that this was a COGC discussion, all throughout my 4-month, 90+ forum pages of discussing it, I was merely addressing the presented issues exegetically on a verse by verse basis. So I did not at all have, contrary, effectively to my main opposer, a background, “View agenda” to defend, but was merely dealing with finding out the exact meaning from each Bible verse/SOP passages brought forth for discussion (usually with them having been falsely/spuriously/shoddily posited as a Biblical support of the COGC).

The 1888 Message For Today

The “Fuller” (Eschatological) 1888 Message (1 John 3:7 | John 15:1-17 | Matt 25:37a | 1SM 99.3-4)

To get right to the point here, it is a widely held belief today, though mainly from outside mainstream SDA circles, that ‘the reason why there has been a long delay in the recognized, supposed-to-have-occurred Second Coming around the 1888 events is that SDA’s to this day still have not accepted that 1888 message.’ The truth of the matter is that this statement is essentially true, however not for the Theological reasons commonly claimed by those levelling this capital charge.

Theological World View In Collision (Isa 5:20)

How To Get The “Fuller” Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:12-18)

In, manifestly, a sermon preached at the Australian, Victorian Conference Easter 2011 Campmeeting, the President of the General Conference’s Hope Channel, Brad Thorp “singularly” made the, (frankly-said),  typical brainwashed, mindlessly, preferentially differential, U.S. propagandized, and recognizedly, glibly understandable statement in reference to the then ongoing Battle for Libya that: ‘the uprising in Libya was a populous uprising for Freedom of self-determination’ (See in Hope Channel CD (HTV-CD-161/WVIC-C-F-141 (also here [Part 1]) at [04:27-05:10 & 08:34-09:19]. {Rest of that sermon: Part 2; Part 3; Part 4}). As common with such U.S. propaganda statements, they are fancifully devoid of the actual and observational facts at hand in order to mask the actual intention of the U.S.-dominated military involvement in that country. As with the False and thus Illegal Iraq War, this military action was really only done because of the crucially needed Libyan oil wealth. (These facts will be succinctly and summarily said here for reasons of time):

The Coming of the Sealing Angel

The Advent of the Third Message's Angel (Rev 6:14-7:3ff-14:20)

(The Unrolling of the Scroll - Part 2)

            As it was first mentioned in this post, EGW relates in EW 254.1 a very pointed, and keyly detailed, account of when the Third Angel began to sound its message. She says that:

As the ministration of Jesus closed in the holy place, and He passed into the holiest, and stood before the ark containing the law of God, He sent another mighty angel with a third message to the world. A parchment was placed in the angel's hand, and as he descended to the earth in power and majesty, he proclaimed a fearful warning, with the most terrible threatening ever borne to man.

            As shown by the supplied emphasis, the key issues here for this discussion are the facts that this Third Angel was a “mighty angel” and also that Jesus had placed a “parchment” in his hand. While it may for now seem exaggerated to see these seemingly trite words as being “pointed”, it is by comparing them with other similar mentions of Jesus commissioning angels with special messages that reveal that these were not empty words. As it will also be shown in this post, there are also other similar key, “loaded”, words and expression in this SOP revelation which also contain quite significant Theological and Prophetic meanings.

The “Fuller” Understanding of the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:14-18)

The (Passed) Historical vs. (Present) Eschatological Mark of the Beast

“Historical” Mark of the Beast

            That the Historical interpretation of the Mark of the Beast is, as taught by SDA’s: ‘Civilly Legislated and Enforced Sunday Sacredness and Worship’ is indeed Biblically founded and sound in itself, and this is readily concurred in this blog. That is indeed, in this limited Historical part, not at all disputed in this blog post, or this entire “Theologial Views” blog. However the operative word here is: “Historical”. And there will be much more on this later. What is being particularly address in the first part of this post on the Mark of the Beast, is the, either believed, or seriously considered/pondered view (see e.g., in this David Asscherick Prophecy sermon (#20) [mp3] [10:45-14:48ff]) that, effectively, the Mark of the Beast will be, and actually is (secretly and/or decidedly), knowingly being set up by Catholic/Jesuit “subversives” who are increasingly infiltrating democratic governments, particularly the government of the United States of America. 

Conflict of the Ages 3.0

The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan (Version 3.0)

            Here is an “overview” of my Great Controversy understanding. It started out with one that was basically quite similar to the standard SDA view. However over the course of these now 13+ years of engaging in deeper, exegetical and scholarly studies of the Bible, also using the SOP, these findings have greatly deepened this GC understanding. So all of my Theological understandings, as found throughout this blog, contribute to this GC view.

The Third, Prophetic, Shut Door

The Third, Prophetic, “Shut Door” (Rev 3:7)

            The topic of the Shut Door has been, frankly, due to prevailing misunderstandings, an “embarrassing” one in the history of Seventh-day Adventism. That mainly stems from the fact that it is the one teaching/understanding where early Adventist all had to express that they had been somewhat wrong, even in “error”, in their prior understanding on what was then such a decisive and divisive issue. (See this document by the White Estate for a developmental history of this topic amongst early Adventists/SDA’s). The fact of the matter is that these early Adventist were actually pointedly wrong in the extent to which they had believed that the (first understood) Shut Door (a.k.a. the “Midnight Cry’s” Shut Door (Matt 25:1-13)) applied, and not merely because they had believed that there had then been a “Shut Door” event (i.e., a demarcating point in time that enduringly separated the aware “just” from the equally aware/knowing “unjust”).[1] As EGW correctively said in 1883 (Ms. 4 = 1SM 63-64):

The Message of the Seven Thunders

The Message of the Seven Thunders (John 12:27-32)

.... “Rev 10:4”....

The Unrolling of the Scroll

The “Unrolling of the Scroll” (Rev 5 & Rev 10-11|Dan 10-12)

            In an address to the General Conference on March 2, 1899, Ellen White made a statement that turns out to be quite intriguing when it is considered in a wider and specific context. Speaking on the work of the Church under the Third Angel’s Message (Rev 14:9-11), she said:

“The light that we have upon the third angel's message is the true light. The mark of the beast is exactly what it has been proclaimed to be. All in regard to this matter is not yet understood, and will not be understood until the unrolling of the scroll; but a most solemn work is to be accomplished in our world.”  (GCDB, March 2, 1899 par. 3 - bold emphasis supplied; cf. 6T 17.1 (1900)).

            This statement becomes self-evidently “quite/most intriguing” when it is taken into consideration that Early SDAs, including EGW had been preaching, based on a special revelation and supporting Biblical exegesis that the Mark of the Beast is Sunday Sacredness, particularly when it will be enforced by civil, legislative and law enforcement acts.[1] This was indeed the understanding that was being published and circulated in the writings of EGW (e.g., The Great Controversy (1858, 1884, 1888, [also 1911])), as well as works by other SDA Pioneers such as Uriah Smith in his Daniel and the Revelation. If it is merely said here

My First Vision

My First “Vision of the Night” (June 1999)

‘“This Thing is from Me”’ (1 Kgs 12:24 NKJV)

            Before relating the content of my first vision, -which is for a contextualizing basis for the eschatological prophetic expositions presented in this preluding blog post, some summary, pertinent background information will be helpful here to provide the proper temporal and spiritual context of it. (Disclaimer: There is indeed a pertinent contextual purpose with everything that has been included/related. (cf., e.g., CET 134.1))

Note: A copy of some of the documents/(events) cited in this post are available in this PDF document (= 432 pages|68 MB). (These are referred here as [D###] with the ###-number indicating the page(s) number in that PDF document.)

The Real Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

The Real Outpouring of God’s Spirit (Acts 1:8)

            Especially in recent years, a deliberate emphasis on “Receiving the Holy Spirit” and “Praying for the Latter Rain” has become almost the “catch-exhortation” in SDA circles, and all so that the supposed ‘still impossible mission of the Church can be accomplished.’ It is then believed that the Church will be able to accomplish what it just could not before. Indeed in the Apostolic outpouring of the Holy Spirit, there is a basis for that understanding, however can God’s Spirit accomplish what the Church can do, but does not even try to do? Also whatever God’s Spirit  does, it will still defaulty do it directly, and solely, through Church efforts, and more specifically, in complement of faith-based attempts and endeavors. The real issue at hand here is what must be done today to receive this promised gift of the Latter Rain and what will be its results.