04/28/2006 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

Revelation 14:1 - Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads.

Who are among the blessed ones?

Many have lived, seeking and/or claiming to be among the 144,000.

Denominations are built, with men making such bold claims

But who are among the blessed ones?

Regardless of whether we might be among them, it seems to me that the 144,000 have characteristics that we should seek to emulate

For they are among the elect, the select chosen of the Lamb

So what characteristics do they have?

What attributes describe them?

When we seek the truth, we will find that "Jesus" and "The LORD" are not the names on their foreheads

The name of the Father is Yahweh, and His name are on the foreheads of the 144,000

The name of the Son is Yahushua, and it is that name which is on the chosen of the Lamb

What other attributes do we see?

Revelation 14:2 - 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.

Revelation 14:3 - 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.

Revelation 14:4 - 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 YAHWEH and to the Lamb.

They are not defiled with women..

All throughout Revelation, we see that women are symbolically representing a religious group or denomination.

Sometimes it is a false one and other times the true one

In this case, they are not defiled by women, the false religions

The 144,000 were pure and not tainted with pagan attributes

We can be sure that they wouldn't be observing festivals rooted in idolatry such as Christmas and Easter

They are pure and are purged of the idolatrous works of darkness.

We see also that they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They walk as He walked

Scripture says:

1John 2:4 - He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1John 2:5 - But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of YAHWEH is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

1John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

How did Yahushua walk?

Many claim to follow the Lamb

But who will walk as He walked?

We know that Yahushua kept Yahweh's commandments.. every one of them

If the 144,000 follow the Lamb wherever He goes, they must be among those who hear His voice

Yahushua said:

John 10:27 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:28 - And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 10:29 - My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Yahushua gives eternal life to those who know Him and follow His voice

Brethren, do we know that Yahushua is the living Torah, the living Word of Yahweh made flesh?

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Those who love the Word will love His voice, for He is the Word

This includes all of His word, the Torah, the Prophets, the "new testament"... all of it

So many seek to ignore His voice

Beware of hirelings who draw you away from His voice

The voice of the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls

But when we hear His word, we must not be hearers only..

we must FOLLOW the Lamb wherever He goes

James 1:22 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

When we immerse ourselves in His word and love His word, we will recognize it when the voice of a stranger speaks.

But if we spend our time listening to strangers, will we know the familiar voice of the Shepherd?

Confusion will set in

Beware of the voice of strangers!

John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:12 - But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

John 10:13 - The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

There are many hirelings today

In the midst of hireling pastors/shepherds, those who know and hear His voice/the Word/The Torah will beware of the hirelings

A "Pastor" is a shepherd

Many Pastors are hired by various denominations to teach the people the denomination's doctrines

Beward of hirelings. They do not care for the sheep. They are hired shepherds and not the Shepherd who cares for the sheep

John 10:4 - And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

John 10:5 - And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

We need not study the false ways to see if we are walking in the truth

We need only study the truth, and the false ways will be evident

Continuing in Rev 14..

Revelation 14:5 - And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of YAHWEH.

There is no deceit at all in their mouth. No guile, no falsehood.. nothing but truth proceeding out of their mouth

Thus, the voice of the Good Shepherd is heard in their words

1Peter 4:11 - If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of YAHWEH. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which YAHWEH supplies, that in all things YAHWEH may be glorified through Yahushua the Messiah, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

If we focus on the voice of the Shepherd within us, it will flow out of us as His voice flows into us

So now who can say they are among the 144,000?

Can any man tame the tongue?

Proverbs 13:3 - He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Does this get our attention?

Ecclesiastes 5:3 - For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.

Proverbs 15:2 - The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Proverbs 15:3 - The eyes of YAHWEH are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:4 - A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Do you desire life?

Psalms 34:12 - What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Psalms 34:13 - Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Psalms 34:14 - Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

To have perfection, we must bridle the tongue

James 3:1 - My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

James 3:2 - For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

A perfect man

Like the 144,000

Revelation 14:5 - And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of YAHWEH.

James was indeed writing to the 12 tribes:

James 1:1 - James, a bondservant of YAHWEH and of the Master Yahushua the Messiah, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: greetings.

The tribes of Israel within the 144,000 will have a tamed tongue

James 3:3 - Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.

James 3:4 - Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

James 3:5 - Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

James 3:6 - And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

"Even so, the tongue is so set that it defiles our whole body" What a powerful instrument each of us have!

A related verse:

Proverbs 16:27 - A worthless man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

Continuing in James..

James 3:7 - For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.

James 3:8 - But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

James 3:9 - With it we bless YAHWEH our Father and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of YAHWEH.

James 3:10 - Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

James 3:11 - Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

James 3:12 - Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

James 3:13 - Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct [that] his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

James 3:14 - But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

James 3:15 - This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

James 3:16 - For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

James 3:17 - But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

James 3:18 - Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

So in context, there is a certain danger that exists for those who are teachers of Yahweh as well as all of Yahweh's servants. We must speak the wisdom from above if we choose to speak. Only Messiah can tame the tongue within us.

We should heed His warning:

Matthew 12:35 - A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Matthew 12:36 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Matthew 12:37 - For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Truly this is a powerful saying!

The words we speak have the potential to determine our salvation

We need to always consider that every idle word we speak will be brought before the Judge.

Can we stand before the Son of Man?

I confess to you that I am not able to bridle my tongue

You see, we cannot bridle the tongue at all

We cannot tame it!

But Yahweh can...through Messiah

James 1:26 - If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion [is] useless.

So is our tongue bridled?

Is our faith in Yahweh useless?

The tongue is so often a snare!

Proverbs 12:13 - The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

Psalms 39:1 - I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

Psalms 39:2 - I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

Psalms 39:3 - My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

Psalms 39:4 - YAHWEH, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

We need the reminders here often, brethren

Yahushua knew this wisdom:

Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Luke 23:8 - And when Herod saw Yahushua, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.

Luke 23:9 - Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.

If you have read the book of Proverbs, it leaves quite an imprint in your mind as to the sad and dangerous state of a foolish man.

Yet, in the same book there are at least 2 types of men who are in a worse condition than a fool.

Proverbs 26:12 - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

and

Proverbs 29:20 - Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Let us not be wise in our own conceit, nor hasty in our words

Of all the times that the word "fool" occurs in the scriptures, 55% of them are in the book of Proverbs

Admonitions and warnings are given numerous times

Yet, there is more hope for a FOOL than for one who is wise in his own eyes or hasty in his words!

Now let's look closer at that passage in James 1:26 we looked at earlier:

James 1:26 - If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion [is] useless.

The Greek lexicon reveals that in this passage, the first occurrence of the word 'religious' in this verse means to 'fear Yahweh'.

The word 'religion' in the latter part of this verse means 'religious discipline' or "worship"

Therefore, a possible translation would be:

"If any man among you seem to be Yahweh-fearing, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's worship is vain."

I'm reminded of Yahushua's words:

Mark 7:7 - Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctines the commandments of men.

According to Yahushua, the words and teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees were not of Yahweh and their worship was vain. Apparently they had not bridled their tongue and began to follow their own words and words of their fathers rather than Yahweh's words

I get concerned when the focus is on teachers and preachers of the word, the quality of their words and the eloquence thereof

It is important to let Yahweh's words be the focus

It was a focus on men that led to the "Traditions of the elders" being more important than the commandments of Yahweh

Such is the case today

So let's all focus on Yahweh and His words, let the voice of the Shepherd speak

Proverbs 10:19 - In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

According to scripture: In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking (there wanteth not sin)

Too often, what comes in the mind just goes right out the mouth. There is no thought to the words

James 1:19 - So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

I heard it said, Yahweh gave us two ears and one mouth. Maybe He was trying to tell us something?

Proverbs 10:20 - The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

Proverbs 10:21 - The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

Proverbs 25:11 - A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Words

Some might say, "It's just a word"

But words are powerful!

Look at all the descriptions as to the power of them!

Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

One name (word) under heaven

So many think it doesn't matter

Words are not valued today, and that is one reason why Yahweh's word is not valued today

They even think they are free to change the Word of Yahweh. Most bibles take out one of the most important words of all, Yahweh's NAME

The words of men replace the words of Yahweh

It ought not be so in our scriptures

The 144,000 will not do so

Pure truth will speak from the mouth of them.

There is no deceit

No falsehood

For us to avoid deceit and falsehood, we must hate every false way

Psalms 119:103 - How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalms 119:104 - Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Psalms 119:105 - Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Brethren...

Ephesians 4:29 - Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart favor to the hearers.

How do we let no corrupt word proceed out of our mouth?

We may need to battle away corrupt thoughts that seek to enter a ready and willing heart

Corrupt thoughts can lead to corrupt speech

We must harden our hearts to sinful and corrupt thoughts

We must beware of what enters our ears or eyes which may corrupt our thoughts

Televisions, radios, web sites, music, magazines, newspapers, friends, relatives, coworkers, etc etc etc

The words of men

Keep up your guard

Let it not down for a moment

Let no corrupt thought corrupt you

Do battle if needed

2Corinthians 10:4 - for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

2Corinthians 10:5 - Destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of YAHWEH, taking every thought captive to the obedience of the Messiah,

We can by war take captive every thought to the obedience of Messiah

If our thoughts are not in accordance with obedience to Yahweh.. the battle is Yahweh's. Pray that He will cast it away!

With a prayer of faith, He will. The thoughts are the enemy of Yahweh and He doesn't want it in your heart

If our heart is pure, then so will our speech be. For the thoughts that inspire our words will be in accordance with Yahweh's oracles

And then we will be Israelites indeed.. all that Yahweh intended Israel to be

John 1:46 - And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

John 1:47 - Yahushua saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Yahushua recognized him as one of the blessed ones

We also can have the attributes of the 144,000

Ephesians 5:3 - But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

Ephesians 5:4 - neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Foolish talking and coarse jesting is a popular thing today

Ever seen a joke toward someone that wasn't really a joke?

But you knew the speaker felt there was some truth in it

Such a one is a madman

Proverbs 26:18 - Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,

Proverbs 26:19 - Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, "I was only joking!"

How many times have we heard that?

An insult passed off as a joke

It ought not be so among us

What is today?

Isaiah 58:13 - If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of YAHWEH, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

"nor speaking thine own words:" Another translation says "Idle words" , the Hebrew is "dabar dabar" (words words).

O Yahweh please let our words be as your words!

Spiritual food!

Like choice silver..refined 7 times!

Psalms 12:6 - The words of YAHWEH are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

awesome

So let it be among us..

Proverbs 10:20 - The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

Therefore, let's remember...

Ecclesiastes 12:14 - For Elohim shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. .

May our thoughts be pure, that our destiny might be made sure

I've heard it said..

"Watch your thoughts, they become your words.

Watch your words, they become your actions.

Watch your actions, they become your habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."

Indeed.

Psalms 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O YAHWEH, my strength, and my redeemer.

May Yahweh bless you, and may Yahweh help us and have mercy on us all!