SBUSISO NTINI WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND?

Who shall be able to stand when the wrath of the Lamb shall be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth? This is the greatest question which has been asked in the history of mankind. It is interesting to note that prophecy of the seals under consideration starts with a question and also ends with a question. The first question relates to the opening of the book of the seals. We will now focus on the first question found in the fifth chapter of Revelation. Revelation 5:1-3 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. The first question asked is who is worthy to stand before the throne of God to open the book of the seals which is the hands of God? When no one was found who was worthy to stand before the throne of God to take the book from His hands to open it. When in the whole universe the was no single soul who was able to stand. God searched the whole earth for a person to do that, but no one was found who was worthy to stand. Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. ISAIAH 63:5 5And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. ROMANS 3:23
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For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

When God that no one was worthy to come and rescue man from the plague of eternal death, when there was no man to be an intercessor and help man. John felt into agony, he was so distressed at the utter inability of human beings or angelic intelligence to read the words or even look at the book of the seals.cf verse 4 Revelation 5:5-6

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. In that moment of despondency , when it seemed as if mankind has reached the end of the road, when the was no hope for them God in the fullness of time send forth His only begotten Son to come die for us while we were still without strength. At that time John heard a report from heaven telling him about the victorious Lion of the tribe of Judah that hath prevailed to open the book of the seals. Oh dear reader it is both my wish and prayer and God`s will and good pleasure to have us to know that , at all times when man is powerless when man is about to give up that is when God is most powerful. When human abilities end that is when God`s capabilities commence. In our weakness that is when God`s power is perfected.cf 2 Corinthians 12:9 We are told that none but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah was able to stand before the throne of God to open the book of the seals. This report inspired John with much faith. Joy took the place of oppression. In merriment he turned to see the Saviour of mankind, he wanted to see this Omnipotent Lion . When he looked upon he saw a Lamb as it has been slain. He saw the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the whole world. The precious blood of Jesus has redeemed all men from sin. Having said that it will be expedient to notice the similarities between the first and last questions found in the prophecy of the seals. What should be understood so far, is that at the beginning of the of the seals there is a question which was asked , `who is worthy to stand before God to open the book of the seals. From what we have learnt so far . We have John who is told from heaven about the Lion of the tribe of Judah that has prevailed to open the book of the seals. But when he looked up to see , behold he saw a Lamb. The victorious Lion that John was told about and the Lamb that he saw, when he looked up refer to one and the same thing. They both refer to Jesus Christ the Son of God who was given for the redemption of man. The Lion that he heard that he had about His triumph is the same lamb that was sacrificed once for all man. We have now looked into the first question we shall now consider the second one in great length. Revelation 6 12 -17 :
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And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
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And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
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For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

At the closing work of the sealing work we see another question which is asked `WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND It is interesting to note that in both the first and the last question we find two groups of people. There are those who are not able to answer the question and those who are able to answer or challenge. When looking at the first question we saw those who not able to answer both in heaven nor on earth. cf Revelation5:2-3 The account given by John that no one in heaven nor on earth is worthy has some serious connotations. We are to under stand the implications of this phrase when we look in detail to the nature and content of the second question. In the last question which is found in Revelation 6:17 we also see two groups. One group is seen from the verses 12-17. This group is composed by those who won`t be able to stand when the wrath of God shall be poured out unmixed with mercy. The following chapter is provided as an answer to the challenge who shall be able to stand. Chapter seven presents the group hat will be able to stand in that dreadful day. Chapter seven is seen as an interruption of the seals covering the Christian era. It does not present a new scene different altogether from that one of the seals but it must be seen as an addition to the vision that provides more information on the topic. The whole chapter must be seen as a response to the question of chapter seven. Let us now read certain portion of chapter seven. Revelation 7:

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel
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After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. What we see from the above quoted verses is that while John is still astonished by the question of chapter six. While he still contemplates the challenge brought forth who shall be able to stand He is very interested at the question and wonders as he saw the whole world that has wondered after the beast, not being able to stand as they all run to rocks and mountains with supplication to be hidden from the wrath of the Lamb. He wonders if all will run to the mountains, will all not be able to stand. It should be a known that all who bow down to the beast to worship his image wont be able to stand, but that those who bow down to the ALMIGHT God will be able to stand in that dreadful day. Who will be able to stand? Will all fall? He expresses the same frustration which Ezekiel had when he wrote about the same event. Ezekiel 9:8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? But John is told that even if the multitude might fall on that day . Even if the whole world may drink of the wine of God because of the abominations that they commit in the land i.e. Sunday-worship. God still has a remnant that has not bowed down to Baal. Because all who do not bow down to Baal even if they can be persecuted they wont fall they will be always standing. Even if they can be cast into fire they wont be burnt. Isaiah 43
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But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. He hears from heaven as he heard when the first question. That there are servants of God who will be able to stand in that day. Hundred and forty and four thousand in number. His heart is now filled with gratitude to know that the victory of the Lamb in bruising the head of the serpent is not in vain. That the precious blood of the Lamb of God was not shed in vain. Inexpressible joy he looks up to see the hundred and forty and four thousand who have prevailed. And when he beholds oh lo, and behold he sees the great multitude which has gone through the time of trouble standing. The hundred and forty and four thousand and the great multitude are one .It is the same group in different perspectives. Just as in the first question we saw that the Lion and the Lamb represent Jesus in different functions and time. The hundred and forty and four thousands is said to be sealed from the tribes of Israel.cf verse4.we all know that this does not refer to literal Jews but that all who will be sealed will be from every nation tribe and kindred and tongue and people And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Dont be confused dear reader the 144000 and the great multitude are both representative of the servants of God in different perspectives. The hundred and forty and four thousands are said to be sealed from the 12 tribes of Israel. But we know that the tribes have been extinguished from the earth, to be precise they have been scatted and intermarriage have blurred the line of demarcation in Israel. The tribes must be understood as being symbolic of the servants of God from every nation, kindred lounge and people. But not as literal Jews. What shows this poison to be true is the chronological listing of the tribes. We see the omission of the tribe of Ephraim and Dan. The chronology is also different with the one found in Ezekiel 48,which list the tribes .And we know that Ezekiel 48 is an eschatological prophecy covering the same ground , if the tribes we literal then the list of the tribes in the book of Ezekiel and Revelation should have been the same. What should be clear by now is that the whole chapter, seven was given to John as an answer to the question posed in the preceding chapter. In answering that question who shall be able to stand John hears about the servants of God hundred and forty and four thousands in number , but when he looks up to see them, lo and behold a great multitude which no man could number SERVES God in heaven.
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The great multitude is seen standing before the Lamb. Some say that this illustration is not consistent in bible prophecy. They refer to the ` hearing and seeing principle. The most prominent objectors who say this principle is gullible if not outstretched. They believe that the symbol of Jesus as the Lion and the lamb represent His attitude in the end of time. They say that He will be a meek lamb to his people ,while at the same time He will be a terrible Lion to the wicked, when they receive their lot of His wrath. One can not help but notice the shortcomings of this idea. The Lon is said to represent the wrath of God, and the Lamb to represent the mercies of the Lord to His people. I will like to believe that had they have had read Revelation 6:16

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
They must have been unaware of the fact that the Lamb can speak like a LION. The people who will be running away in the last days, will be running away from the wrath of the Lamb. And we all know that in Bible prophecy that wrath is closely associated with the symbol of a Lion. Proverbs 19:12
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The king's wrath [is] as the roaring of a lion; but his favour [is] as dew upon the grass.

What should be clear to all, is that the question WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND is answered by saying that it is the hundred and forty and four thousand or the great multitude and that these refer to the same group that will be able to stand. What should be noted is that the word stand is the same in the question and also in Revelation7:9 which speak about a standing great multitude. The hundred and forty and four thousand will go through difficult times and the great multitude will come from Great tribulation If the hundred and forty and four thousand and the great multitude cannot be seen as the same group then I must confess my lack of logic. But for me to reach that conclusion it would be unreasonable and heterodox to logic and scriptural synthesis. Why should any one one fail to see the hundred and forty and four thousand and the great multitude as the same group, when the bible and the Spirit of prophecy is alluding to that. The book of Revelation says that none but the hundred and forty and four thousand will learn and sing the son of Moses and the Lamb. Revelation 14:1-3
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And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, 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 four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the

hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

The song which is to be sang by no one except the hundred and forty and four thousand is the song of Moses and the Lamb. Revelation 15:2-3
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And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints.

This position is also take made clear by the pen of Inspiration in the book Great Controversy 649
a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It is the song of Moses and the Lamba song of deliverance. None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experiencean experience such as no other company have ever had. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Revelation 15:2, 3; 14:1GC649 From the following texts we gather one thing that the song of Moses and the Lamb will be sung by no one except the hundred and forty and fur thousand. But the question might be, is this a symbolic or a literal number? will this group be composed of only hundred and forty and four thousand people and no one else? We are told from the above mentioned texts that only the hundred and forty and four thousand will be able to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. What this means is that any one who will be able to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb forms part of the hundred and forty and four thousand.

Now we will take a prayerful look to the statements mentioned below. Testimonies to the Ministers and Gospel workers 433
`There is a day just about to burst upon us when Gods mysteries will be seen, and all His ways vindicated; when justice, mercy, and love will be the attributes of His throne. When the earthly warfare is accomplished, and the saints are all gathered home, our first theme will be the song of Moses, the servant of God. The second theme will be the song of the Lamb, the song of grace and redemption. This song will be louder, loftier, and in sublimer strains, echoing and re-echoing through the heavenly courts. Thus the song of Gods providence is sung, connecting the varying dispensations; for all is now seen without a veil between the legal, the prophetical, and the gospel. The church history upon the earth and the church redeemed in heaven all center around the cross of Calvary. This is the theme, this is the song,Christ all and in all,in anthems of praise resounding through heaven from thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand and an innumerable company of the redeemed host. All unite in this song of Moses and of the Lamb. It is a new song, for it was never before sung in heaven.

From this statement we are told that the singers of the song of Moses and the Lamb the are an innumerable company of the redeemed host . They are the great multitude that no man can number. TESTIMONIES TO THE MINISTERS AND GOSPEL WORKERS 432.2

`And the next scene is recorded, After these things ... I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. They sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb VOICE SPEECH AND SOUNDS 464-5 Song of Moses and the LambThis song and the great deliverance which it commemorates, made an impression never to be effaced from the memory of the Hebrew people. From age to age it was echoed by the prophets and singers of Israel, testifying that Jehovah is the strength and deliverance of those who trust in Him. That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It points forward to the destruction of all the foes of righteousness, and the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos beholds the white-robed multitude that have gotten the victory, standing on the sea of glass mingled with fire, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.

FROM ETERNITY PAST 198.1

That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It points forward to the destruction of all the foes of righteousness and the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos beheld the white-robed multitude that have gotten the victory, standing on the sea of glass mingled with fire, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Revelation 15:3

THE BIGINNING OF THE END 138.8

That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It points forward to the destruction of all the enemies of righteousness and the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos saw the white-robed multitude that have the victory, standing on the sea of glass mingled with fire, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb (Revelation 15:2, 3). PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS 289.1 Far over desert and sea rang the joyous refrain, and the mountains re-echoed the words of their praiseSing ye to Jehovah, for He hath triumphed gloriously. This song and the great deliverance which it commemorates, made an impression never to be effaced from the memory of the Hebrew people. From age to age it was echoed by the prophets and singers of Israel, testifying that Jehovah is the strength and deliverance of those who trust in Him. That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It points forward to the destruction of all the foes of righteousness and the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos beholds the white-robed multitude that have gotten the victory, standing on the sea of glass mingled with fire, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Revelation 15:2, 3. GOD`S AMAZING GRACE 352.2 This song and the great deliverance which it commemorates, made an impression never to be effaced from the memory of the Hebrew people. From age to age it was echoed by the prophets and singers of Israel, testifying that Jehovah is the strength and deliverance of those who trust in Him. That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It points forward to the destruction of all the

foes of righteousness, and the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos beholds the white-robed multitude that have gotten the victory, standing on the sea of glass mingled with fire, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the lamb (Revelation 15:2, 3). From the above mention statements I believe that it is now clear that the hundred and forty and four thousand and the great multitude are one group. Before we go to another point it will be good first to draw this to your attention. The hundred and forty and four thousand or great multitude are able to stand before God because they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And have gotten victory over the beast and his image, and have gone through the time trouble. What should be clear to everyone is that those who wear white raiment have overcomed. Hence the victory which they have received through the blood of the Lamb makes them able to stand. Revelation 12:11
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And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Those who overcome are given white raiment : Revalation 3:5

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He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

REVELATION 3:21
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It is important to note that the promise given to the overcomer that that they will be ale to stand in white clothes is given to the ladiocean church, God`s end-time Church. It shows that the Hundred and forty and four thousand are the remnant. Revelation 12:17 is known to refer to he remnant Church. The church that the Dragon will make war against. In the thirteen chapter of Revelation speaking about the same thing refers to the victim of the beast which receive its power form the Dragon as the saints: Revelation 13:7
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And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

In the last days the Dragon will make war against the remnant or the saints. In the book of Revelation the saints are known as those who keep the commandments of God and Faith of Jesus or testimony.
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Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The hundred and forty and four thousand have patience. What is it that worketh patient in people? Revelation 13:7

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints Revelation 12:17

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. That which brings forth patience in the life of the saint is persecution or tribulation ROMANS 5:3 And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; JAMES 1:2-4
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My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

That which worketh the patience of the saints and their faith is tribulation. In the book of Revelation the remnant are the only group said to go through tribulation. It can be reasonably deduced that the persecuted saints on earth are the great multitude which comes out of tribulation .

In Revelation 14 the hundred and forty and four thousand is said to have the name of God in their foreheads. This they have as the result of accepting the three angels messages. Which contains the seal of God and a fearful warning to the recipients of the mark of the beast? The seal in their foreheads is the Name of God. And the Name of God is the character of God or His glory. When Moses asked to see the glory of God ,he was told that he will be caused to see the goodness of God AND God will proclaim the name of the Lord EXODUS 33:18
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And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

EXODUS 34:5-7
And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
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And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation

So from this verses we see that the hundred and forty and four thousand reflect the image of God they are in the likeness of God. They have fulfilled the whole purpose of the plan of salvation. Which is that Christ was made in the likeness of man so that the sons and daughters of man may be in the likeness of God. The ultimate purpose that God had in mind when He created man. Genesis 1;26

`The seal of God will only be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character review and herald 3/21/1895
The question who shall be able to stand also carry another question which should be answered. What will make people to stand in that dreadful day of the outpouring of the wrath of God But before we answer that question it should be clear by now that those who are able stand in that day are none other than the remnant or 144000 or also known as the great multitude which no man can number. It should be noted that the question `Who shall be to stand is not unique in Revelation. It is also found in the old testament,inter alia, Psalms 130:3
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If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

What we can find as the only thing that can make any one unable to stand is SIN. So those who will be able to stand are those who would have been be redeemed from sin and cleansed from all unrighteousness. When sins are forgiven and the High priest is done with his ministry in heaven above probation will close and the wrath of God will be poured out and only those who have no sin guile in their mouth will be able to stand. But what will make them spotless and without wrinkle in the presence of God? We shall now look at Malachi 3:1-4 where we also find this question, but this time with an answer to why they are able to stand: Malachi 3:1-4
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Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

I will like to mention a statement from the testimony of Jesus Great Controversy 425

Says the prophet: Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiners fire, and like fullers soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:2, 3. Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among Gods people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. Malachi 3:4. Then the church which our Lord at His coming is to receive to Himself will be a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Ephesians 5:27. Then she will look forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners. Song of Solomon 6:10.

What should be clear by now is that those who will be able to stand will be stand because of the atoning sacrifice and the meditorial work of our Christ the Lamb of God .The question who shall be able to stand? Has been answered that in is the saints 144000 in number, but in reality a great multitude which no man can number, but in the sight if God a remnant of the Seed of the woman. Dear reader will you be able to stand ? will your robes be spotless ? the is hope in Christ Jesus for any one who beholds the Lamb of God. Give your life to Jesus and he will give you His life. His perfect life. I have received certain objections that have been posed to challenge my understanding of the 144000. I will now discuss those objections and easy my dear brethren from their fears . One of the most raised objection is why do I spend my time on the subject because Ellen White they say has sais that it has no salvation. They have Given Me a number of quotations saying the same thing I will only quote one statement. 1Selected Messages 174 The One Hundred and Forty-four Thousand
Christ says that there will be those in the church who will present fables and suppositions, when God has given grand, elevating, ennobling truths which should ever be kept in the treasure house of the mind. When men pick up this theory and that theory, when they are curious to know something it is not necessary for them to know, God is not leading them. It is not His plan that His people shall present something which they have to suppose, which is not taught in the Word. It is not His will that they shall get into controversy over questions which will not help them spiritually, such as, Who is to

compose the hundred and forty-four thousand? This those who are the elect of God will in a short time know without question. A careful reading of the statement would not impress upon the mind of any one with the idea that we are not to engage in studying the topic. It is not the studying of the 144000 that will not help us spiritual but the speculation as to who will be compose the 144000.
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This statement is the same in nature as the one said by the Saviour in Matthew 24:36

But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Speculating when will Jesus come the second time on earth will not help any one spiritual. Jesus did not intimate that the study of the second coming is irrelevant to the salvation of man. Even though no one knows the actual day of His return, the second advent doctrine still forms part of our fundamental beliefs. In the same way Ellen White did not discourage the study of the 144000,but she discouraged the speculation of who will compose the group. No one can with certainty pinpoint and say Jabu will be part of the 144000 and Phumla will be not. Why is it important for any one to have a correct understanding of the subject. It is because the 144000 has the seal of the Living God in their foreheads. We have established above that the seal of God is the Character of God. The is no message that can be important than calling man to strive with all the power God has given them to reflect His character. Must we ignore this subject God forbid, this is present truth. Truth applicable for this times we are living in. Another common objection is that the 144000 is literal and not symbolic These objectors they say that the numbers in Revelation are always literal and not symbolic. I wonder how can any one reach such a conclusion. But those who have reached this conclusion point out certain examples, to be precise this are the examples. they say the are 3 angels which preach the everlasting Gospel. The are also 24 elders , 4 living creatures. I to say this examples are not sufficient to establish that the 144000 is the literal number. We all know that the 3 angels messages represent the people of God who will give this message to the whole world. Those who say there is no number which is symbolic in the book of Revelation have not read the fifth chapter. Revelation 5:11
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And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

The number of angels is symbolic. Again in the prophecy of the trumpets we are told about the army of the Turks, and in history we are never told that the Turks had an army of 2 million, but the number is to be understood as being symbolic. Revelation 9:16
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And the number of the army of the horsemen [were] two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

We are also told in chapter 12 that the angels which were deceived by Satan ore a one thirs,surely this can be seen as a symbolic number of Angels who were deceived. Again Enoch says Jesus will come with ten thousands of His saints Jude 1 :14-15
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And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

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But we all know that heaven will be empty all angels will come with Jesus to take His children home to the Father. The position that the 144000 is symbolic is not a heterodox but is consistent with the numerology as found in the apocalypse. Another objection from the article :Ezekiel 9 exposition. Is that why do I say that the 144000 is the Church militant and the great multitude is the Church triumph? I WILL NOT BY ANY MEANS SEEK TO RETRACT THAT STATEMENT OF TRUTH. As we all know by know that the number 144000 is symbolic. This is also informed by how the number 144000 is made up. The reading of the book of Revelation 7:5-8 gives us the idea that the 144000 is the Church militant. 12x 12x 1000. This points out to the fullness of God`s people. The number reminds us of the 12 tribes of Israel. The number 1000 bears connotations of a military unit. When the Israelites when to war 1000 from each tribe made up the military unit. In the last days the Dragon will make war with the remnant of the seed of the women. But in that end-time struggle the soldiers of the cross will be taken from each tribe 12000 to make up the army of God