My study on the 144,000 Part 2

The 144,000 will be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect. This may be a shocking statement to some people as their view of perfection may come from a worldly perspective. Look what our Messiah says about us being perfect:

Matthew 5:38-48 (KJV)

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Many Present truth preachers today talk about perfection and how we as Christians can be perfect, however I rarely hear them bring up this passage. Being perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect in this context is about love, most notably loving our enemies and praying for them. We are to turn the other cheek when persecuted or hated and we are to in fact pray for these people that do this to us. Being perfect starts from an inward writing of the commandments on our heart. Look what the beloved disciple John says in regards to the connection between love and keeping the commandments of Jehovah:

1 John 5:2-3 (KJV)

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

You cannot separate love from God's commandments. They are intertwined. Jesus told the scribe in the below passage that the two greatest commandments were our love for God, which is also the knowledge of the truth that God is One not a trinity. Also our love for our neighbor. In Matthew 22:40, Jesus said all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.

Mark 12:28-34 (KJV)

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

By loving Jehovah and loving our neighbor which includes our enemies we fufill the law and by doing so we our perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.  Just as the Father has mercy and longsuffering for us we need to exhibit the same to others. If we don't then we are selfish being that we freely accept Jehovah's mercy and grace yet we don't extend it to others. If you want to know how to be perfect as the Father is, read the beatitudes and pray for that in your life.

Matthew 5:1-12 (KJV)

1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The beatitudes put our Christian walk into perspective. At times we can become so full of head knowledge that we forget that  at the end of the day, without the beatitudes be exhibited in our lives, all the knowledge of prophecy and the finer points of theology mean nothing. Are we meek? Are we poor in spirit? Are we pure in heart? These are questions we need to ask ourselves. We need to examine ourselves daily to see if we be in the faith.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Only by Christ living in us, the hope of glory, can we exhibit the beatitudes in our life. If we don't have Christ living in us then we are reprobate (rejected) concerning the faith.

Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

"Those whom the Lamb shall lead by the fountains of living waters, and from whose eyes he shall wipe away all tears, will be those now receiving the knowledge and understanding revealed in the Bible, the Word of God. To us has been given the privilege of receiving the wisdom that cometh from God, of seeing the beauty and the glories of that Word which lies at the foundation of all true knowledge. The Bible teaches us what a Christian ought to be, and what he ought to do.

We are to copy no human being. There is no human being wise enough to be our criterion. We are to look to the man Christ Jesus, who is complete in the perfection of righteousness and holiness. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the pattern Man. His experience is the measure of the experience that we are to gain. His character is our model. Let us, then, take our minds off the perplexities and the difficulties of this life, and fix them on him, that by beholding we may be changed into his likeness. We may behold Christ to good purpose. We may safely look to him; for he is all-wise. As we look to him and think of him, he will be formed within, the hope of glory.

Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand. And let us do all that we can to help others to gain heaven. We are to have an intense interest in Christ Jesus; for he is our Saviour. He came to this world to be tempted in all points as we are, to prove to the universe that in this world of sin human beings can live lives that God will approve. [RH March 9, 1905, par.2-4, Ellen White]

The pen of inspiration says that we are to strive to be among the 144,000. How do we strive for this privilege? By looking to the pattern man, Christ Jesus. He is the hope of glory and we are to behold so that we are conformed to His image.

Romans 8:28-29 (KJV)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus. The greek word for "predestinate" is "proorizo" (Strongs 4309) and means "determined before, ordain, to foreordain, appoint beforehand, decide beforehand, predestinate, to predetermine".

God has foreordained us to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. He predetermined this for us. Jehovah decided beforehand that we would be conformed to His Son's image which is according to His purpose as He called us not the other way around.

Let's look at what Ellen White says about those who aren't conformed to the image of Jesus:

 "Though the moral image of God was almost obliterated by the sin of Adam, through the merits and power of Jesus it may be renewed. Man may stand with the moral image of God in his character; for Jesus will give it to him. Unless the moral image of God is seen in man, he can never enter the city of God as a conqueror. [RH June 10, 1890, Ellen White]

Ellen White says those who are not conformed to the moral image of God in Christ will not enter into New Jerusalem. Those who still have a foot in the world when the close of probation comes will not inherit the Kingdom of heaven. Those who still practice sin, either when probation closes or when they die during this life will not enter the gates of the city of God (Jehovah Shammah). Jesus didn't come to save us in our sin but to deliver us from it, otherwise there was no purpose in Him coming and dying for us.

The sin of Adam brought death and decay to moral character, to say that Jesus didn't come to liberate us from iniquity and rather so that we can keep sinning (breaking the law) and that He will save us regardless of our moral character  is outright blasphemous. It doesn't make any sense in regards to the plan of salvation. Jesus came to set the captives free not so that the captives could still live in sin.

"they sing “a new song” before the throne, a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It is the song of Moses and the Lamb,—a song of deliverance. None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experience,—an experience such as no other company have ever had.“These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as “the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” “These are they which came out of great tribulation;” [Revelation 14:1-5; 15:3; Revelation 7:14-17.] they have passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; they have endured the anguish of the time of Jacob’s trouble; they have stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of God’s judgments." [GC 648.3, Ellen White]