The 144,000

Is it possible to see into the future? What's in store for planet earth? Crime, war and natural disasters appear to intensify with every passing day. Do they herald some approaching cataclysmic event? Could the ancient texts of Scripture reveal events yet to come? Discover secrets in the Bible that will change your life as we explore "the Most Amazing Prophecies." Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. What an--good evening to you. Good to have you. What an incredible Sabbath this has been.

All right, we're gonna get to our q & a in just a moment, Pastor Doug, but let's bring Pastor John out here. Let's sing that theme song, have our opening prayer and then plunge into these questions. Amen. I'm gonna stay for the theme song. Can I stay? I want to sing with these guys.

We're gonna sing a trio. Join us as the three of us sing this song, "give me the Bible." Let's all stand together, turn our hearts to the Lord again. Together... Well, tonight president of abn and founder, danny shelton is going to lead us before the throne of grace in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, once again we come before you and we thank you that we have felt your Holy Spirit in this building all day, all week.

We're thankful for the amazing prophecies that have been opened up to a lost and dying world. And we just thank you now, that in this last meeting for the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that you have put upon doug and upon everyone watching that we will realize that we are in the closing moments of earth's history. As Pastor Doug says even in the toenails of that image that we saw earlier on. And lord to help us, each one, to resubmit and recommit our lives to you so that when you come back in the clouds of glory, we can look up with joy and thanksgiving knowing that we can go home with you. No more sin, no more sorrow, no more pain, live with you forever.

In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you, John. Thank you, kelly.

Thank you, doug. It is a joy to come to this q & a time with you. It's tough. We sit in the back and go through a big stack of good questions. I'll tell you, it is tough knowing we have limited time picking these out.

Yep. Appreciate your presentation this morning on diet. That was so helpful, so helpful. And of course, it is was helpful also to know that you don't like peas. I mean, that was very informative.

You know what was part of the main course when I went to the nelson house for lunch today? Peas were right in the main course. It was delicious, it really was. Ah, hallelujah. His wife was gonna play a joke on me. She heard me say something about peas.

She was gonna pull out all the peas she had, canned, frozen and cook them up before I got to the house. You know last night's presentation was a moving presentation. You did a great job with introducing us to the seventh day Sabbath and its place in amazing, amazing prophecies. So we've got several questions tonight and we want to queue right back up with last evening's theme, "does the Bible teach us?" Here's an opener, "does the Bible teach us how to keep the Sabbath day holy?" Good, very important, relevant question. Yes.

And I'm not gonna take all our question time but very quickly, it is a day of blessed rest. It is holy time where we should put aside our secular concerns, work, activities, entertainment and focus on that which is holy. The Bible says, "it's not a day for buying and selling." As far as possible, we should get everything done in advance that we can possibly do so that that time is reserved for holy time with God. I like to think of it as if you know you're going to have a date with someone you love, you want to get everything prepared so when that quality time comes, it's not encumbered with a distraction so that you can focus on the relationship. That's what the Sabbath is all about.

So in our family, we fill the car with gas. We get the food cooked in advance. The house is clean. The clothes are set out so when the Sabbath begins, you can just rest. The stress is gone.

Here's a question that queues us into the first-day text in the new testament and this is one is asking about Corinthians, 16:1, set aside an offering on the first day of the week. Does that mean Sunday observence in the new testament? In 1 Corinthians 16, there Paul is simply giving some guidance on. He said that on the first of the week--it doesn't even say "day" in the original. "Let you lay aside according as God has blessed you that there be no offerings when I come." He's saying, basically, after the Sabbath, at home set aside beside you. Meaning not in the church but in your home.

They were taking a special emergency famine collection to bring down to the church in Jerusalem. And it had nothing to do with a collection on Sunday. He's just saying, "the beginning of the week, set aside an offering after you've got all your accounts in order so we can take this offering down to the churches in Jerusalem." Here's a thoughtful question. "Will God banish me from his kingdom because I worship on Sunday? I was told that if I break just one of his commandments, I've broken them all." All right, good question. First of all, there'll be a lot of people in heaven, millions, who kept the first day as their Sabbath, amen? God winks at the times of ignorance.

And again I'll reiterate. There will be people in heaven who had slaves. There will be people in heaven who had too many wives because God winked at their ignorance. Sin is knowing to do good and not doing it. And so in the same way, when a person learns the Sabbath truth, when they learn any biblical truth, Jesus said, "if you know these things, happy are ye if you do them.

" Christ said, "the wise man is the one who hears the words of Christ and does them." And so, if we know what God's will is and we don't do it, then Jesus said it's like those who say, "lord, lord," and do not the things he says. That's dangerous whatever the category is. Whether it's the Sabbath truth or any truth that God reveals, if he reveals it, it's not to be a burden. It's a blessing. Amen? So walk in the light when you have the light.

Here's an earnest question. "I have been attending your seminar at the local adventist church. Last night you discussed the actual Sabbath. I am baptist and I attend church on Sunday. I went home and looked up the passages you gave last night myself.

I now believe Saturday is the Sabbath. What do I do now? I love my church and my family-- my church family." Well, the best way you can help your family and your church family when God reveals new truth to you, is make sure that you've got your feet absolutely welded to the rock of truth. Get grounded in the truth, continue to study, take a stand for the truth. And then as God presents opportunity, gracefully, lovingly, share what God has given to you. You grow in the truth as you share it with others and so that's why we do these seminars hoping to spread the truth that it will cause an expediential pandemic of truth.

No, that's not a good--we want it to spread everywhere. A revival. That's it, a revival. A revival of truth. "Pastor Doug, how about those who work in the medical field? Can they work on the Sabbath?" Well, did Jesus heal on the Sabbath day? So he said, "it's better to do good.

" Obviously there are those who need things 7 days a week, urgent critical essential care. And I think if you're in the medical field and you're working with a hospital, as far as possible, try to arrange your schedule so that you don't have to be missing church every Sabbath or your faith gets weak. Alternate with other employees and I think that if you're in a situation where you can get every Sabbath off, then great, do that. That's even better. There might be others who are willing to work that day and you can work Sunday.

So just don't want to get in the habit of working every Sabbath so you miss your worship. Keying off of your presentation this morning, "in the Tree of Life, what is the significance of the leaves that would heal the nations? Is it physical or emotional?" You notice it doesn't say, "and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of sickness." Is anybody sick with their new bodies in heaven? It says, "for the healing of the nations." God originally intended us to be one nation but because of sin, we are all divided by politics and culture and race and all of these different dynamics. When we gather together as one family under the leaves of that tree that will be glistening, all those divisions will be healed. "I understand the health benefits of clean versus unclean foods, but what about in life and death situations when the only food available might be unclean food like the donner party? Are we held accountable in situations like that?" When he first read that question to me back there, he said, "the donor party." I said, "well, that's sort of a pun. It worked both ways.

" But in an emergency situation read Daniel 1, "Daniel would not defile himself with the portion of the King's food." I think that if there's a very clear command that says something is an abomination, you shall not eat it, you shall not touch it, there'll be a lot of times your faith is tested. And I've known stories of people who said, "God said, 'no.' I'm gonna trust him." And he miraculously provided for them. And so I mean, God brought food miraculously to Elijah during a famine and he can take care of us. But if God says, "no," then no. One last question.

There's a question about your age but I'm gonna skip that one. You know what? What I think we ought to do is--what we'll do is I'll tell you our collective age is 104-- three. Three? One hundred and three. He's the one that works at the university. You can figure out who has what percentage.

There you go. All right. Pastor Doug, final question and this is a good one. This is a good one, good wrap. "How do you surrender? How do you surrender to Jesus?" Amen.

I was talking with a young man during our week of prayer and he was struggling in that area. And he said, "you know, my will is resisting." How many of you have felt your own personal will resisting God's will? Then pray, "lord, help me be willing to do your will. Change my will, take my will, change my heart, help me to want to do your will." And if you pray that prayer, God will change your heart. He'll change your desires. That's what conversion is.

The more you empty yourself of self, the more you surrender yourself to God trusting him with your life, the more he can fill you. Amen? The 144,000 is our study. And boy, I'll tell you, there are almost as many different ideas out there about who this group is and what their purpose is than you can shake a stick at. I'd like to begin with an amazing fact. It's also just kind of a footnote that you might find interesting historically.

All the branches of the military have sort of their special operations group; special forces. The navy has their seals, so do the marines, the air force. They all have their special forces. You got the green berets and others. These people are trained above and beyond everybody else.

They are taught how to go on special missions, to endure special privations and hardships, to work in a special cohesive way, special operations to rescue. Sometimes just a few of these special forces can take on a virtual army of the enemy. And they have achieved, in many cases of history, small groups of special forces have achieved great victories. You know, I understand that during the first gulf war that about a dozen navy seals entered into kuwait and they created such a ruckus on the beaches of kuwait, just 12 of them, that the iraqi army was certain that the American--the allied invasion back then basically-- was coming from the sea. Twelve navy seals is all it was, but they created quite a stir.

And saddam hussein directed all of his forces over towards the ocean and then you all know about general swartzkoff. He did what they call in football vernacular, a hail mary and came in and cut them off. Just twelve navy seals. You know, in the same way, Jesus with twelve disciples that were carefully trained, that lived and walked with him for /2 years, he turned the world upside down, didn't he? I'll tell you right now who I think the 144,000 are. They represent a mirror of those apostles.

They are a special group of commandos in the last days that the Lord has called to do a special work. Twelve apostles did their work during the time of Christ's first coming to prepare people to accept him, to receive him. The 144,000 do a special work to prepare the world for the second coming. Now before you say, "well, that's not what I believe and that's not what I've heard," hear me out. I think we're gonna have some information on this.

Why don't we go to the Bible to start with? Let's read the passage, Revelation 7, where you find the first introduction of our mystery group. The 144,000, Revelation 7, I'm gonna start with verse 1. "After these things, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth." Not that the earth is square. That means the four directions, north, south, east and west. "Holding the four winds of the earth that the winds should not blow on the earth or the sea or any tree.

" That's not that God is wanting to blast the elements. Remember we learned that the waters and the trees and the sea, these things, the land, they represent the nations of the world, the peoples of the world. "Then I saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living God." The Bible tells us that a small cloud is gonna come from the east. "With the seal from the living God and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "do not harm the earth and the sea or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Now, those angels holding back the winds of strife, that represents the great tribulation that is about to blast upon the planet. Before that happens, God is going to seal these servants in their foreheads.

They're holding back those winds of strife. And by the way, I believe that sealing is happening right now. "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel." And then it goes through a litany of the tribes, but it's a unique list. And I'll talk more about that later. "Of the tribe of juda were sealed 12,000.

Of the tribe of reuben, 12,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of gad, ,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of aser, nephthalim, manasses, simeon, levi, issachar, zabulon, Joseph and Benjamin." It's a unique list. The only place in the Bible the list of tribes appears in this order with these names. I'll talk about that in just a moment.

Now, maybe with that introduction, I can go to the screen again and we'll go into our questions. Number one, "what clues does Revelation give us as to identify who the 144,000 are?" Well, there's a lot of 'em we're gonna consider. First of all, it tells us that they have a special name in their forehead. What does it mean in the forehead? In Revelation it tells us that the Mark of the beast might be in the hand or the forehead. Babylon mystery written in the forehead.

What brought down Goliath? Stone, a symbol of Christ in the forehead, ptt, right? And then it says that those who are saved, father's name in the forehead. If you know your old testament, it begins to make sense. Look in Deuteronomy 6:8 speaking of the Ten Commandments which are in Deuteronomy 5, these words that I command you today. He says, "you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." In the hand and in the head biblically means in your actions, your deeds and in your faith, in your heart. Christianity is not only faith, it's works.

It represents what you believe that will be seen in your actions. In the forehead, you notice those who are saved, it's only in the forehead meaning that we are saved by faith alone. With the beast, it's the hand or the forehead. They also believe in works as a means of salvation, the beast power. This passage, in the hand in the forehead, in the hand in the forehead, is found four times in the old testament in Deuteronomy.

By the way, Deuteronomy is the book that Jesus quoted from three times when tempted by the devil, a very important book. In Ezekiel 9, it talks about "a Mark that is placed on the foreheads of the saved who are grieved for the sins of the church." Matter of fact, why don't we go there very quickly. You know, you can't understand the Mark of the beast and the seal of God unless you read this corresponding passage here in the book of Ezekiel 9. And in Ezekiel you'll notice-- and it's a disturbing passage by the way because it says some things that are troubling but verse 1, Ezekiel 9, "then he called out in my hearing with a loud voice saying, 'let those who have charge over the city draw near each one with a destroying weapon in his hand.' And suddenly, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces towards the north, each with his destroying weapon." Some versions say, "battle-ax in his hand," whatever weapons angels use. "One man among them was clothed with linen and he had a writer's inkhorn.

" Now, we don't know if that's an additional man, total of seven. "At his side and they went in, they stood by the bronze altar." Where's this vision taking place? In the sanctuary. "Now the glory of the Lord of Israel had gone up from the cherub where had been to the threshold of the temple and he called to the man clothed with the linen who had the writer's inkhorn at his side and he said to him, 'go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem and put a Mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it. To the others, he said, in my hearing, go after him through the city and kill. Do not let your eye spare nor have pity.

Utterly slay old and young, men and maidens, little children and women.'" That's why I said this is troubling. "But do not come near anyone on whom is the Mark and begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders that were before the temple. That's why Peter said, "judgment must begin at the house of God." You remember when those men in the temple were ready to stone mary magdalene, the woman caught in adultery? And beginning at the eldest even unto the least, they went out of the temple. They were accusing someone that Jesus had forgiven. It all ties together.

I wish I had more time. The people, who have the Mark in their foreheads in Ezekiel, are saved. It tells us in Revelation they've got their father's name in their foreheads. What is this seal of God that's in the foreheads? Let's go to question number two. What is the seal of God, father's name, that is gonna be in the foreheads? Well, the things you're gonna kind find in any seal, a government seal, president gives a speech, it'll have three characteristics.

It'll have his name, his title and his territory. Ours, for instance, would say, "george bush." That's his name. "President." These his title, his office. Territory, "United States of America." All over the world when presidents, Kings--when king darius put his seal on Daniels lion's den, it said, "darius, king, medo-persia." When pontius pilate put his seal on the tomb of Jesus, it said, "pontius pilate, governor, Judea," or was it just Jerusalem? But anyway, whatever his territory was there. And so it had those three characteristics.

Now having said that, where would you find the seal of God? First of all, the seal of God, internally, is the Holy Spirit. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit where with you are sealed," Ephesians tells us. But there's something more tangible that can be seen that represents the seal of God in the law of God in the middle of the temple of God. You know what it is? It's the one commandment where you find the word "holy." It's the one commandment where it says, "remember." It's the Sabbath commandment. Look at it with me.

In Exodus 20:11 it says, "for in six days, the Lord," jehovah, that's his name, "made," he is the creator, that's his office, "the heavens and the earth," that's his territory, amen? Right there together in the middle of the law of God, you find the seal of God and God's name is in that seal, isn't it? the Lord. So when it says, "having their father's name," didn't we learn last night that it's all about worship? They worship God and the Sabbath is a memorial, a sign, that he is the God that recreates them and sanctifies them. It says right there, "the Lord thy God creator of heaven and earth." That is the seal of God. The Sabbath is one of the signs. Now stay with me.

This is so important. The devil knows, sin is the transgression of the law. The devil wants you to sin. The devil is gonna try to get the whole world to break God's law. Back in the days of shadrach, meshach and abednego, the government made a law, everybody had to break the commandment that says, "don't worship graven images," or be killed.

Shadrach, meshach and abednego said, "we'd rather die. It's God's law. We're not gonna bow down." Daniel 6, government makes a law that says, "everybody must worship someone other than their God, worship king darius." That's the first commandment. Daniel said, "no, I'd rather go to the lion's den. I'd rather die.

" In the last days, the devil's gonna do it again. He likes, especially, the first four commandments. You know why? 'Cause they deal with our relationship with God. And by the way, you're not gonna find any government saying, "everybody has to kill. Everybody has to lie.

That's the law of the land. Everybody's gotta lie." But he wants to get people to turn away from God. That's the first four commandments. In the last days, guess what commandment he's gonna pick? And you know he's so shrewd. He's not gonna say, "everybody stop keeping the Sabbath.

" He's gonna say, "everybody keep it, not the day God says, but the day I say. Do it differently." How subtle can you be? And people are gonna have to choose. "Do I obey God or man?" And if they don't, first you can't buy or sell. Ultimately, there'll be a death decree who do not keep this enforcement. All these churches are gonna weld together out of fear and tell everybody they gotta go to church on the first day of the week.

Now right now, that's not the Mark of the beast. But someday when it becomes a law, it's gonna be a different issue then. Answer b tells us the 144,000 have a unique number. Well, the number is twelve which is a sacred number representing the leadership of God's church. Twelve patriarchs in the old testament, twelve Judges in the old testament, twelve apostles in the new testament.

Twelve stars above the woman's head in Revelation 12, not that chapter 12 means anything. It represents the leadership of God's church. They represent like the modern apostles. That's who they are. Number 3, "are the 144,000 the only ones saved?" How many of you have wondered that before? You read about the 144,000 and some churches teach that they're the only ones that would be saved in the last days and folks despair.

Well, I wondered one day and I got my calculator out. This could be wrong. Someone might check my math here, but right now I think there's 6.5 billion people in the world. I just used 6 billion as a round figure. If there are 6 billion people on the earth and only 144,000 are gonna be saved, your chances are in 41,666.

Isn't that interesting? Would that be discouraging? I asked pastor dwight during dinner. I said, "about how many people live in berrien springs?" And he said, "well, you can use ,000 as a rough figure. We've got 3,000 students on campus." I said, "that means that only /5 of one person is gonna make it here. And we're gonna all have to fight over what 1/5 it is gonna be. Good news is they are not the only ones saved.

You keep reading in chapter 7 and as a result of the ministry of the 144,000, John goes on and he says he sees, "behold a great multitude that no man can number. Now, I tell you why I think the number's interesting and it's important. God's church was largely born after the Holy Spirit was poured out at pentecost. What was the last thing that happens historically before the Holy Spirit is poured out? Chapter 1 of acts, the disciples got together. They're all praying.

There's 120 in the upper room. They've got 11 apostles and they say, "you know, we need to replace Judas so we get back that number 12. They vote to cast lots. They pick somebody. Malachias to replace Judas.

And what happens next? The Holy Spirit is poured out. Were the only ones who were saved or filled with the Spirit the 12 apostles or were there in the upper room? And then as a result of the ministry of that group, 3,000 are baptized that day. I think God is gonna pour out his Holy Spirit on the 144,000 and through their influence a great multitude will be ready. And by the way, it says, "this is a great multitude who's come out of great tribulation." The greatest tribulation is in the last days where Christ said, "there's a time coming unlike anything that's ever happened before nor will there ever be again." C, they're spiritual jews. Now, some people are shocked when I say this, especially being Jewish.

Someone just sent me a magazine where they put me on the cover and they called me--that's another Christian group, and they called me an anti-semitic jew. That bothered me. They said a lot of other things about me that didn't bother me, but that bothered me because they said because I think the ,000 are spiritual jews that I was being anti-semitic. I'm very loyal to my people. I have a burden for the Jewish people.

I don't think God's done with 'em. I think there's gonna be a great revival among them, but I've gotta go by the Bible, friends. And my Bible tells me that once you get to 34 a.d., The Jewish people had largely fulfilled their work as a nation to introduce the Messiah to the world. Paul says, "now the gospel is for whosoever will." Paul says, "for the jew first and then the gentile." Matter of fact, now everybody who accepts Christ becomes a jew. Galatians 3:29, "if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed.

" You know this was one of the central message of the new testament. Even John the baptist said to the jews that came to his baptism. He said, "don't think to say within yourself we are children of Abraham as though we get some special credit. He says, "God is able to raise up from these stones children unto Abraham." Jesus was saying over and over, "many will come from the east and the west," meaning the gentiles. "They will sit down in the Kingdom with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the children of the Kingdom will be in outer darkness," because they think God's gonna save them based on their race.

God is not a racist. He saves us based on our heart. You can read again where Paul says, "for he is not a jew who is one outwardly, neither is it circumcision which is outward in the flesh." If we've learned anything it's what's happening in the heart. But he is a jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that which is in the heart, in the Spirit. And so when it says 144,000 from these twelve tribes, you know what else is interesting? I am amazed it is appalling the ignorance many Christians have over the old testament, appalling.

If you read in your old testament, long before Jesus was born, the ten tribes of the northern kingdom, many who are named in the list in Revelation, they're carried off to assyria. You can read it right there. Jot it down 2 Kings 17:6, "in the ninth year of hoshea, the king of assyria took samaria--" that was a capital of the northern ten tribes. He took the capital city "and carried Israel away into assyria." The jews from the tribe of juda, Benjamin and levi did come back from the Babylonian captivity. There was never an Exodus from assyria back to Israel.

Most of those tribes from the ten tribes were absorbed and intermarried and they lost their distinct identity. I venture to say, you're not gonna find anyone on the face of the earth that is a pureblood descendent from issachar, manasseh, zebulum, naphtali or any of those tribes. Matter of fact, I'd venture to guess if you can do dna work, you'd find you all got a little bit of jew in you too. That's where you get the word, "wondering jew," they're all over the world. So it works either way.

I mean, if you're gonna say, "well, but they got a little bit of manasseh in them somewhere," that would include almost everybody at this point, right? It tells us that they've got special names. Now, why did God specifically mention those names? I did a study and when I got done with the study, I shouted, "hallelujah" and your "eureka" 'cause I thought I had found something new that nobody else knew. It's fun when in your Bible study, you say, "God's revealed something to me," and ultimately, I remember the words of Solomon. There's nothing new under the sun. Someone else says, "yeah, he showed it to me too, years ago.

" You take the names and I realize this a small font but sheryl did a good job of getting this all on one slide. Hold that there for just a second. These are the names the way they appear with the meanings of the names. I wanted to do a study on what the meanings of the names are. You find it right in the Bible 'cause when these boys were being named, rachel and leah, the two sisters, were kind of at odds with each other.

They were going through this struggle. They gave them unique names. Judah means, I will praise the Lord. Why's he first? He's not the first born? Ruben was the first born but he's second. It means he has looked on me.

Gad means given good fortunate. Asher, happy am i. Naphtali, my wrestling. Manasseh, making me to forget. Simeon, God hears me.

Levi, attached or joined to me. Issachar, purchased me. Zebulun, dwelling. Joseph, God will add to me. Benjamin, son of his right hand.

Now, I took that and when you go from one language to another, sometimes there's little variations in the translation. And to make something flow, sometimes you gotta put in a word like "the" or "and." And I put all the names together the way they appear in the order they appear which is not the order they are born in and nowhere else in the Bible is it found in that order. And John the apostle knew the right order, you can bet on that. Every jew knew the order of the tribes. Here's what it says when you line them up the way they appear in Revelation.

"I will praise the Lord for he has looked on me--" anything you see in brackets, I added. I'm just being fair. "And granted or given good fortune. I happen happy because my wrestling God is making me to forget. God hears me and is attached or joined to me.

He has purchased me a dwelling and will add to me The Son of his right hand." That's phenomenal when you think about it. That's the story of salvation. "My wrestlings, he is making me to forget." It's talking about the marriage supper of the lamb. It's all given in the context of a Jewish wedding. And by the way, Jesus, in his statement, "I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you unto myself.

" That's in the context of a Jewish wedding. He's coming for his bride. A Jewish boy when he had a wedding arranged, he'd go build a honeymoon chamber and he'd come back and get his bride. And don't forget this, can you imagine a Jewish groom who goes and he would build this honeymoon chamber attached to this Father's house? And after he got all done with the thing, "now I know I built this, I can't remember what for?" Would he forget about the bride? No, not after doing all that work. Is Jesus gonna forget about us after he built those mansions? He's coming back for his bride, friends.

It tells us in answer e, "they have special robes." Those robes, of course, represent the robes of righteousness. You can find that in Revelation 7:13-14, "then one of the elders answered and said to me, 'who are these arrayed in white robes and where did they come from?'" This, of course, is also speaking of the great multitude. "And I said to him, 'sir, you know.'" John is saying to the angel or the elder. He said, "look, you live here, you know." So he said, "these are the ones who have come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb." Would you allow me to chase a rabbit for just a second here? I think that you can tell in Revelation who someone is by what they wear. You see, in Revelation 17, you've got that woman who is the bride of antiChrist and you can tell who she is.

She never speaks a word. She's got all this earthly adornment, gold and pearls and purple. And then you go to the woman in Revelation 12 who's God's bride. She's got light, sun, moon, stars. She never utters a word, but we know who she is based on what she wears.

And those who are wearing the white robes in Revelation, we know that they've washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. Should Christians be careful about what they wear? Do we make a statement about how we dress and what we wear? I think that's something that--ooh. I wish I had more time to talk about that. I feel a sermon coming on. I'm gonna have to stifle it.

Don't have time. Number seven, it says, "they have a special work to do." Their work is very much like the work of the apostles. It's like the work of John the baptist and the work of Elijah that we were talking about. What was their work? Isaiah 40:3, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

'" John the baptist said that was his work. The apostles, their work was to prepare people to receive Christ. Indeed, even beyond that, to receive Christ in the first sense. It tells us, answer g, "they sing a special song." You know, I keep making parallels between the 144,000 and the apostles. There's only one time Jesus sings in the Bible that's mentioned.

It's only with the 12 that he sings. Matter of fact, at that point it was 11 again 'cause Judas had gone out, but it's with the apostles that he sings. I'm sure he sang other times in his life, but it's only recorded one time in Scripture. Also know that David, if you want to unlock these mysteries, you go to 1 Chronicles 27 and you'll read there that David had--David had an enormous kingdom with millions in it. David had 288,000 people who worked in a rotating schedule to praise God in the temple.

How many did I say? Two hundred and eighty-eight thousand. They change every month, 144,000 of them were responsible for the spring feasts. One hundred and forty-four thousand of them were responsible for the fall feasts. Their job was to praise the Lord in the temple and they sang this song. Go ahead, Revelation 14, we'll put that up.

It says, "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 ,000 who were redeemed from the earth." Now, when it says no one can learn The Song, I don't want you to have in your mind this picture that they're all there on the sea of glass, 144,000, they're singing this song. And you think, "oh, the strains are so beautiful." You walk up behind them to peek at their sheet music and they go, "no, no you can't look. No one can learn this but us." That's not what it means. Can you imagine that? No, they're not trying to hide the words and music from us. What it means is they have had an experience in their relationship with Jesus that is so deep that it is a personal and unique experience that no one else has because you can't learn someone else's experience vicariously.

You've gotta have your own experience. And they had this unique experience with the Savior. Why do I say that? Because ultimately, I think everybody's singing this song but no one can sing it like the 144,000. You go to Revelation 15, it says, "they sing The Song of Moses, the servant of God, The Song of the lamb." Now, you got a couple examples of that. When them children of Israel first came out of Egypt, they sang a song of rejoicing led my miriam.

But The Song of Moses is really found at the end of Deuteronomy where Moses just gives this beautiful deep oracle in song that was to praise God and talk about the majesty of the one who had saved his people from slavery. It is so deep. It has challenged the greatest minds of literature in history. The Song of Moses. It's a song of deliverance from captivity.

The 144,000 and the redeemed. Are we gonna have something to sing about? We have been saved from our captivity. They reflect the image of God. What did it say about the 12 apostles? You remember what Peter, James, John, the apostles, they were fishermen, tax collectors, shepherds. And when they stood before the brightest men in the Jewish nation, you know what they said? They took note that they had been with Jesus.

They said, "they must have spent time with Christ because they're acting like him." So all these characteristics, you look at the 144,000 and it keeps bouncing back to things you find in the new testament about the apostles. It tells us they have a special purity. You can read about this and that's answer h. Revelation 14, this has confused people. It won't confuse you.

You've been coming to the seminar. Revelation 14:4 it says--oh, by the way, the 144,000, you find it in Revelation 7 and 14. "These are the ones who are not defiled with women for they are virgins." Now, who are the women in Revelation they are not to be defiled with? Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, Babylon and her daughters, the false teachings, the counterfeit teachings that pervade so much of the Christian church the ,000 have come out of Babylon. They are not defiled with error. When it says, "virgins" does it mean only--it's a feminine term.

Does it mean only girls are gonna be saved or it is talking about Jesus' church as a bride? It represents that they are pure. Doesn't Jesus, when he talks about his second coming, what parable does Christ choose? It says, "there were ten virgins, five wise and five foolish." So when it says, "they're not defiled with women," they are not polluted with the wine of Babylon and the false teachings. You know, there are two groups right now that are polarizing in the world. This message that is going out via satellite is part of the fulfillment of prophecy as are many others who are doing the same message. There's gonna be two groups when Jesus comes.

One group's gonna have their father's name in their forehead, the seal of God. The other group's gonna have the Mark of the beast. Right now God has his children in many different Christian persuasions. But there's gonna be a shaking that will take place and people are going to be migrating and polarizing into one of two groups as we near the end of time. That's why Jesus said in John 10:16, "other sheep I have that are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

" Last night--will you indulge me? May I be bold? And you might think I'm exploiting this opportunity, I am. I'm a seventh day adventist. I don't apologize about that. I believe it's the truth. I'm a seventh day adventist because I have nowhere else to go.

I'm not a seventh day adventist because all seven day adventists are nice people. We've got a lot of wonderful people. We have some kooks too in our church. We got some nice ones, loving ones, we got on ornery ones, like every other church, amen? All the churches are like that. There are--the majority of Christ's people are not members of my church, yet.

I believe that the seventh day adventist church is modern Israel. God has committed to this movement. By the way, the seventh day adventist church is a movement that is the coalescing of people from many different churches that came together saying, "let's get back to the Bible." And we are comprised of people from all different backgrounds who say, "we want to forget all the denominational rivalry and say, what does the Bible say?" Take a stand on a thus saith the Lord. Return to the commandments of God and the faith that was once delivered unto Christ. If you want to go somewhere and belong to a church where you don't have to apologize about your beliefs because it's what the Bible--you might have to apologize about the members sometimes, but not about the beliefs.

Amen? And that's why I am where I am. And if you find me a church closer to the Bible, let me know, that's where I'm going. My commitment is to Christ and to His Word. And I've been at this 30 years. I have nowhere else to go.

"Other sheep I have to are not of this fold but they're gonna hear my voice." How do they hear it? Through His Word, through his messengers. And there will be--when he comes back, Jesus said, "all men will know you're my disciples by your love for one--your unity." The devil has heard that and he's fractioned the church of Jesus Christ. Before Christ comes back, he's gonna win and his people are gonna weld together again based on truth. It's not gonna be on politics. It's not gonna be on trying to appease and sacrifice doctrines in order to all get along.

It's gonna be based on truth. And that's happening now. And some of you are hearing the shepherd's voice and I hope that you will come out of Babylon and into his fold. Matthew 5:8, "blessed are the pure in heart." They are not defiled with women. We must be pure in our hearts.

"For they will see God." It tells us the 144,000 have this special honesty. There's truth. You know, I think it's interesting, you read in Revelation 14:5, "and in their mouth was found no deceit for they are without fault before the throne of God." All liars are going to the lake of fire. You know, it's interesting Jesus said the same thing to one of the apostles. You remember when Jesus first met nathaniel? He said, "behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile, no deceit.

" Here's an honest-hearted man. That's why he made him an apostle. He was honest. Everything you hear about the 144,000, you can point to the apostles somewhere. It fits.

There's a special sequence representing that they are the first fruits. Revelation 14:4, "these were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and to the lamb." Not only are the 144,000 a type of firstfruits, but didn't the 12 apostles enjoy that kind of relationship? Weren't they first set aside and chosen and filled with the Spirit? Jesus said to them, Matthew 19:28, "assuredly I say to you that in the regeneration," meaning in the resurrection, "when The Son of man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the tribes of Israel. They had a special firstfruit relationship. Now, there is a work that is to be done under the leadership of the 144,000. That group is going to be receiving the baptism of the Spirit.

They are gonna take this message to the world. It will be during a time of resistance. How many of you remember that after the Holy Spirit was poured out, remember there was a great persecution that arose. And when the time was finished for Israel as a nation to proclaim and introduce the Messiah, 34 a.d., You read in acts 8, "a great persecution arose and the disciples fled everywhere preaching the gospel as they went." As a result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the 144,000, millions are gonna come into the truth. God is not gonna have a pathetic victory back like in the days of Noah, eight people saved.

When he comes the next time before he washes this world with fire, there is gonna be a triumph over the devil and there are gonna be thousands, millions that will come into his kingdom. Will it be the majority or the minority? It will be the minority, but it's not gonna be pathetic, friends. He gonna have a parade to take back to the Kingdom. After that happens, the seven last plagues are gonna fall. After they finish their work, the angels then release the winds of strife.

And a time of trouble, such as there never has been, will fall. I believe, right now, you are hearing prophecy fulfilled in your ears. God wants his name written in your foreheads. He wants you to be prepared to receive the outpouring of his spirit and you need to prepare for that now. You can't wait until you see it happening and then get ready.

It could happen right next to you and you'll miss it and not even know it's happening. Now, I want to talk about where they're gonna live. This is the fun part. Question number four, "where will the 144,000 and the redeemed live?" We find a lot about them in heaven. I'd like to go to heaven with them right now and find out where they're gonna be.

Hebrews 11:16, "wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." Ah, we heard some thrilling music just before this broadcast, the holy city, the new Jerusalem. John tells about it in Revelation 21:2, "I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven." At the end of the 1,000 years it talks about that city coming down. Right now that city is in heaven. It's in paradise and in the middle of that city, they got central park, kind of like manhattan's got its own central park. In that central park, you know what it is? The Garden of Eden.

And in the Garden of Eden is the Tree of Life. I wanted to say that this morning, left that out. Number five, "how do the Scriptures describe this amazing space city?" It's a space city 'cause it's gonna go from wherever God has it in the cosmos now and he's gonna move his capital to this planet. A lot of information about that city we want to hear. It says in Revelation 21:16-- and by the way, this is real, friends.

"The city lies foursquare. And he measured the city with a reed 12,000 furlongs." We don't use furlongs today. That's about 1,500 miles around, miles on each side. Approximately the size of the state of Oregon. And if God's mansions have more than one story, there's room in that city for about billion people.

So if you think there won't be any room for you, you're thinking too small. "The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." Now you know? This is troubling because it's almost too hard to believe that it could be 375 miles by 375 by 375 high? Well, you know, the great pyramids are built with those dimensions. And if they can do it, God can do it. You know what means though? That means that the new Jerusalem would jet right up into the stratosphere of our planet. But since it's gonna be the capital for the whole cosmos, that's okay, isn't it? I mean, after all, God says, "you can't imagine it.

" So some of you are going, "oh, doug, that's too hard to believe." Good. That must mean it's true. The holy Jerusalem--oh, but you said--wait, wait, wait. Don't put that slide up yet. Doesn't it say the walls are cubits? Another 144? Well, some scholars think, "yeah, that means 144 cubits thick.

" "The holy Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven, it had a wall great and high and twelve gates." And each of those gates they've got the names of the apostles in them--I'm sorry. The names of the tribes in them. The names of the apostles are in the twelve foundations. "Every gate was of one pearl." Now I've thought about this before and in order to have pearls as big as those gates have to be, just try and imagine how big the oysters have to be in heaven. A little amazing fact.

I just had to throw this in. I think it was a couple of years ago, a man was digging through a basket of costume jewelry at a Rhode Island antique shop and he found this brooch that you see pictured here. He pulled it out and he said, "oh, I'll buy that." Paid $14 dollars for it. He knew it was worth more than that. Did a little research and he found out that the pearls in that are extremely rare pearls that come from the quahog oysters.

It's called a pearl of venus. It is a purple, pure pearl of an enormous size. It is worth, they estimate, millions. It hasn't been sold yet. It's still being evaluated, but it's worth millions, $14.

Pearl of great price. Can you imagine walking through a gate that's made of one pearl worth more than that one? "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper." An artist just can't even try, but they tried, to portray it. This one has waterfalls coming out. Oh, I can't wait to see it, friends. "The street of the city was pure gold as it was transparent glass.

" The purest refined gold. Symbol for the love of God that is a foundation for that city. "The wall of the city had 12 foundations garnished with all manner of precious stones." And again, and that's Revelation 21:14. By the way, one artist, he took the stones of the foundation and he did careful research based on the names. And he found out that when he painted the foundation, it forms the colors of a rainbow.

Put that picture back up again if you can. And isn't that amazing? When they named the different minerals and you lined them up the way they appear according to their colors, it almost looks like a rainbow which is the promise that God gave to Noah, a covenant. Amen? That "I will never destroy the earth again." Number six, "will people in heaven be real, flesh and bones?" Flesh and blood. Are we gonna be ghosts? Spooks? Spirits? The Bible tells us when Jesus rose from the dead, was he real when he had his glorified body? Luke 24:38-39, "he said to them, 'why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Handle me, touch me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see I have.

'" And then he ate in front of them to punctuate that he was real and he ate in front of them twice. You've never seen any ghost's eat. I hope you haven't seen any ghosts. We're gonna be real, but yet all these people have these ideas that in heaven, you know, you're just gonna float around on clouds. Furthermore it says, Isaiah 65:21, God's gonna build a mansion for us in the city, you get to build country home.

"They will build houses and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them." You know, some of the most popular programs on tv now are these home makeover programs. Everybody's so preoccupied with their house down here, they forget about their house up there. I think we should be living in such a way that--i heard one time--oh, I hope I have time for this. This very wealthy matron, she had a chauffeur, both die and get to heaven.

When they're in heaven, she's being toured around by her angel. She sees this beautiful, spectacular mansion up on a hill, perfect location. And see, she sort of has a cottage. It's nice, but it's a cottage. And she goes, "boy.

Who's got that house?" The angel says, "well, matter of fact, it's your chauffeur." "Wow! How come he got the house like that and I got the little humble house?" And the angel said, "he sent a lot more materials on ahead." Are you storing your treasure in heaven? Number seven, "what thrilling promises are given about God's new kingdom?" Oh, just stay with me. This is wonderful. Isaiah, 33:24, "the inhabitant will not say, 'I am sick.'" I don't know about you, friends, but I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. Revelation 21:4, "there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be anymore pain." Pastors get tired of doing funerals. No more death.

Nothing will die. No more pain. No torture chamber in the universe. No more pain means no more pain. All things new means all things new.

And if there are old sinners that are still frying, all things aren't new. See what I'm saying? "They will mount up with wings as eagles. They'll run and not be weary. They'll walk and not faint." Will we be able to fly in heaven? Yeah. You know, that verse that says, "soar to worlds unknown.

See thee on thy judgment throne." I know it's in rock of ages, but it's good enough for me. I don't know what verse that would be. Yeah, its does say, "well, mount up with wings as eagles." Number eight, "what thrilling promises does God make to the people who enter his new kingdom?" Several things here, wonderful promises I want you to think about. "the Lord, in person, will live with them." You know, martin luther used to say, "it will be enough. No matter what you read about the glories of heaven, God himself will be with us.

" And you know, if you love the Lord, that will be the greatest joy. When you love someone and you're separated and you are reunited, it's being with the person. At the end of the life in old people, they say, "I wish I'd spent more time with the people I love." It's not the things. It's not the job and the achievements. It's the relationships.

God is going to move the capital of the whole universe to this planet, whew. And we will live and reign with him through eternity. Answer b, "they'll never be bored. There are pleasures at his right hand forevermore." This is Karen's favorite verse, psalm 16:11. Answer c, "the animals will be tame.

None will prey upon the others, and a little child will lead them." Nothing to be afraid of. Answer d, "there's no more curse." You don't have to worry anymore about sin and suffering. No more thorns, no more thistles. Everything is good, good, very good. God is going to restore this world.

He'll create a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness. "The desert will become like a garden." You think about the most desolate place on the planet now and it's gonna blossom like a rose in that day. No part of this new earth is gonna be unpleasant or hard to look at. Everything is gonna have perfect symmetry and beauty and color. And you'll just go for the first thousand or maybe first million years, you'll go down one trail after another and go, "wow! Wow! Ooh! Hey! Look at this!" And we'll be sharing that with each other going, "wow! Praise the Lord! Wow!" Really.

It's true. And if I'm wrong, when you get to heaven, I'll apologize. But I can promise you I'm not wrong. You know what I think is funny is I meet people all time and one of the first questions people ask when I talk about heaven is, "Pastor Doug, will my pet be in heaven?" And I know that's a tender thought and I've thought that. And it's a good question.

He might surprise us. There will be animals in heaven. The Bible tells us that, right? Wolf will dwell with a lamb. And you might get there and there'll be a little doggy house for your spot with his resurrected body. I don't know.

I mean, you know. I can promise you something, you'll not be disappointed. But I've noticed that more people ask about their pets being there than their spouses, and that worries me. Number seven, "there'll be no more violence." Is anyone gonna lock their doors in heaven? No. Nothing to fear.

You won't be afraid of the night. You won't be afraid of the woods. You won't be afraid of anything. No more fear. Fearful are cast in the lake of fire.

Just perfect peace that passes understanding all the time. Number nine, "how will the righteous spend their time in the heavenly kingdom?" Well, of course, we'll all have our harps and we'll be fat, naked babies and we'll sit on clouds and we'll strum them. Some people don't want to go to heaven. You know we've all got these medieval pictures of these cherubs on angels. No, not only are we gonna be enjoying the building of houses and the planting of vineyards and the Garden of Eden and the fellowship with the patriarchs and going to worlds unknown, I'm gonna go exploring.

Oh, man, I just want to take off with my wings and travel the speed of light, don't have to worry about highway patrol pulling you over, and just see God's creation. Whatever your greatest pleasures are here, they'll be multiplied a thousand times there. Those who want to learn and the scientists you'll never get tired of the ceasless ages of learning. And the best thing is Jesus will be there. Every Sabbath we will come before him to worship him.

Amen? "The streets will be full of children playing," and it's gonna be wonderful. Human language, number ten. Can't describe what God has prepared for those that love him. You read it in Corinthians 2:9, "eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has even entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love him." Man tries to create happiness in heaven here on earth. It's not supposed to be down here, friends.

Someone e-mailed this picture, I just thought I'd share with you. You see this amazing contraption? You know that is? Any of you seen this on the internet? That, my friends, is in saudi arabia, the way I understand, in the middle of a scolding desert and here's what's inside there is a ski lodge with a super mall. Man wants to create his utopia on earth. We're looking for happiness, spending billions trying to do it. God has something that he's already paid for for you in heaven.

All the painful memories of this world will not be remembered nor come into mind. You know, let's cut to the last question, sheryl. I'm running out of time here and I want to make an appeal for you folks. Speaking of the 144,000, what special relationship do they have with Jesus? It tells us when you read in Revelation 14:4, "these are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes." How many of you want to be among that group in that kingdom? Then we must follow the lamb wherever he goes. I'd like to invite kelly and John to come up.

And as they're coming, look at Ruth 1, one of my favorite verses in the Bible. When Ruth was told that she could leave, go back to her pagan country, she said, "no, I found the truth with naomi. I'm not gonna turn away from the truth." She said, "entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you, for wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Where you die I will die and there will I be buried. the Lord do so to me and more also, if anything but death separate you and me." Friends, I'd like to invite you tonight to make a decision to follow Jesus. Right here in this church, would you do me a favor please and all of our sites that are watching? Take the card, some of them were intended for this morning or there may have been a mix up, but hopefully those cards are available. Everybody, everybody please reach for the card. You'll find a card like this in the back of your pews.

And it probably says, "a tree of life" on it, but that's okay. Get that card out. Some in the back maybe don't have cards. Ushers are available. If anyone doesn't have a card, you want one here or it's your groups who are watching, lift your hand and they'll bring you a card.

Please, write your name on there. If nothing else, say, "I need prayer" and turn it into me. Write your name and maybe phone number or address on there so I can contact you or someone locally can minister to you. And then I want to ask you a couple of simple questions. It may not be represented on your card.

While you're doing that, I want to ask you, if you'd made a decision during this seminar to surrender your life to Jesus, check the box that says, "I have chosen to fully surrender my life to Jesus" or just write. Maybe you've got an index card. Just write, "I have accepted Jesus," and check that right on your card. There's pencils in the back of the pews. Use those please.

Some of you are struggling with that decision. Do you want to be in that kingdom? Tonight, God is passing by. He's inviting you to make that decision. I'd like to invite John to sing as I pray for you. [Music] I will follow thee my Savior.

Wheresoe'er thy lot may be. Where thou goest, I will follow. Yes, my lord, I'll follow thee. I will follow thee, my Savior. Thou has shed thy blood for me.

And though all men should forsake me by thy grace, I'll follow thee. Now, you have been coming to this seminar. Some of you've made some of the programs, some have made the entire program. And I trust the Lord brought you and he's spoken to your heart through His Word. It's not me.

The power's in the word. The truth is in the word. God wants you to be part of his fold, part of his people. He's inviting you to follow him, to come to him. Some of you are in Babylon, you need to come out.

Some of you have never accepted Jesus, you need to come to Christ wherever you are. I'd like to ask you to take your card. If you have not be baptized biblically and you'd like to say, "you know, I want to follow Jesus. I know that baptism is part of that decision and I'd like to prepare for baptism," maybe you've wondered and you need re-baptism. Maybe you are not baptized according to the Bible by immersion and you need to be re-baptized.

Write "baptism" on your card. Would you do that please? You at home, those who are watching in your venues, I'm hoping your group leaders will help facilitate this part of the appeal. Write "baptism." I'm praying for you. I'd like to go a step further if you will allow me. Some of you, maybe don't belong to a church.

Some of you, maybe don't belong to the remnant church, and God is calling you into his fold. If you're praying about that decision to be part of this movement that is taking the gospel, the three angels to the world, and you know that there's a truth that you've heard that you don't hear anywhere else, I'd like you to write "church," "church" right there own your envelope. Please put your name and your address too. And you know, I'm gonna do something we haven't done any other night. As John sings another verse, I'd like everyone right now to stand.

Please don't leave the auditorium. This is a sacred moment, but just stand quietly where you are. Please stand. I want you, as John sings, to bring me your card. If you've made a decision and you're interested in baptism, re-baptism, if you're accepting Jesus for the first time or coming back, I'll be down here at the front.

At your local venues, I'm hoping your group leader is there at the front of the program and he's inviting you down to the front. Come give me your card. We're gonna have prayer together as we close this seminar; come. [Music] though the road is rough and thorny, trackless as the foaming sea. Thou hast trod this way before me and yes, I'll gladly follow thee.

I will follow thee my Savior. Thou has shed thy blood for me. And though all men should forsake thee by thy grace I'll follow thee. I will follow thee my Savior. Thou did shed thy blood for me.

And though all the men should forsake thee, yes, my lord I'll follow thee. Amen. Praise the Lord. You know because of the nature of a broadcast like this, we need to go off the air here in just a moment as I know some of our sites are gonna lose their transmission. I hope you'll continue the appeal where you are as we'll be receiving cards and praying for these people here.

Have you heard the Holy Spirit speak to you, friends, through His Word? How many would like to say, "by God's grace, I want to follow Jesus?" Amen. Let's pray now and ask him to bless. Praise God. Father in Heaven, thank you so much for the evidence of your spirit here in this group for working in the hearts of these people. Continue, lord, this harvest as we search for truth and become grounded in the faith.

Bless these people especially who've made decisions for Christ to be baptized, to join his people and those who are watching. And I pray that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will come soon that Jesus will come soon and take us to that kingdom. In his blessed name we ask. Amen.