Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
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Some Future Scenes
Rev 14:1-5 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. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God."

Introduction
This Chapter gives us a breather after the scenes of chapters 12 and 13. God has never lost control, and this 14^th chapter brings that very much into focus as we have Some Scenes from Heaven.

1. Some Future Scenes of the . . Saints of Heaven. v 1

A. The Saints and the . . Savior. v 1 a
1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb. . ."

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! NKJV

Rev 7:17 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." NKJV

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV

Rev 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. NKJV

Contrast In
Rev 13:11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. NKJV

B. The Saints and the . . Savior's Standing. v 1 b
"... . standing on Mount Zion, . . ."

Where is this Mount Zion? Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, NKJV

C. The Saints and the . . Savior's Segregated Ones. v 1 c
". . . and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand,

Who are these 144,000?
Rev 7:4 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: NKJV

D. The Saints and the. . Savior's Seal. v 1 d
". . . having His Father's name written on their foreheads." NKJV

Rev 14:1 ". . . having His name and the name of His Father written on their
foreheads. NASU

Rev 14:1 ". . . had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. NIV

Illustration Story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counsellors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." 25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here." Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counsellors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this." NKJV

2. Some Future Scenes of the . . Singing In Heaven. v 2-3

A. Singing with . . Accompaniment. v 2
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

1. Beautiful Harp Music.

Singing with . . Accomplishment. v 3

3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

1. Songs sung from the heart.

Illustration When He was on the Cross
When He Was on the Cross" by the quartet known as The Florida Boys was the #1 Southern Gospel song chart in 1985 and has been voted as one of the Top 20 greatest Southern Gospel songs of the 20th century by a panel of gospel music executives,
songwriters, performers, news media and historians.

Co-writer Mike Payne got the idea for the song, wanting to express the fact that when Jesus was hanging on the cross he was thinking about "me, here, today." Unable to complete the song to his satisfaction, he mentioned it to Ron Hinson (regarded by many as the one of the greatest Southern Gospel song writers in history), who quickly came up with the hook words, "When He was on the cross, I was on His mind."

They stayed up all night polishing the song. As Ron Hinson said, "The Florida Boys cut it -- and the rest is history."

I'M NOT ON AN EGO TRIP I'M NOTHING ON MY OWN
I MADE MISTAKES I OFTEN SLIP
JUST COMMON FLESH AND BONES
BUT I'LL PROVE SOMEDAY JUST WHY I SAY
I'M OF A SPECIAL KIND

FOR WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS
I WAS ON HIS MIND.

Tag: YET WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS
I WAS ON HIS MIND.

3. Some Future Scenes of the . . Symbolism of Heaven. v 4-5

A. The Symbol of . . Purity. v 4 a
4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins."

Spiritual Virgins.
James 4:4 adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. NKJV
2 Cor 11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Spiritual adultery associated with pagan worship.
Sexual sins associated with Pagan religion.

B. The Symbol of . . Persistence. v 4 b
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes."

Rev 3:4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. NKJV

C. The Symbol of . . Purchasing. v 4 c
". . . These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb."

Firstfruits as one resurrected out of the Tribulation
The Symbol of . . Pronunciation. v 5 a

                    5 And in their mouth was found no deceit,. . ."
                        Free from lies and lying.
                        No Guile, No hidden bate.
D.    The Symbol of . . Pronouncement. v 5 a
        ". . . for they are without fault before the throne of God."

Heb 8:7-10 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. NKJV

Jude 24-25 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. NKJV

Illustration

During the Spanish-American War, Clara Barton was overseeing the work of the Red Cross in Cuba. One day Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to her, wanted to buy food for his sick and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell him any. Roosevelt was perplexed. His men needed the help and he was prepared to pay out of his own funds. When he asked someone why he could not buy the supplies, he was told, "Colonel, just ask for it!" A smile broke over Roosevelt's face. Now he understood--the provisions were not for sale. All he had to do was simply ask and they would be given freely. Our Daily Bread, October 11, 1992.

Conclusion

The life of Christianity consists of possessive pronouns" says Martin Luther. It is one thing to say, "Christ is a Savior"; it is quite another thing to say, "He is my Savior and my Lord." The devil can say the first; the true Christian alone can say the second.