Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Okay. Welcome back to the Corona Chronicles. We're now in chapter 14 of the book of Revelation and we've just seen the the 3, the unholy trinity that Satan sort of mimicking God and having these 3 beasts and people who whose names are not written in the book of life have got the number of the beast stamped on their foreheads and on their on their hands. So then we get to chapter 14. I'm gonna 3 from verse 1.

Then I looked and there before me was the lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him, hundred and 44000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of Russian waters and like a loud peel of thunder. The sound I heard was liked out of harpists playing their harps and they sang a new song before the throne and before the 4 living creatures and the elders. No 1 could learn the song except the hundred and 44000 who have been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves women for they remained virgins.

They followed the lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from a monk mankind and offer this first fruits to God and the lamb. No lie was found in their mouths. They are blameless. This is absolutely Fantastic.

And it's quite refreshing. And I think it's meant to be refreshing, isn't it? So in chapter 13, we've had this, you know, what Satan is doing and that people are bowing down to this force image and we was taking Lewis' line of, you know, the donkey puzzle dressed up in this lion's skin and people are taking up with him. Mhmm. And when you're looking at him, you think he's all powerful and he's going to put his number on my forehead.

And then he turns around in chapter 14 and says, then I looked and there before me was the lamb standing on my outside and -- Yeah. -- and with him all God's people. And and it's like, oh, How could I have fallen for that donkey with a with a lion skin on? Here's the lamb. Yeah.

And you've got everything new and fresh and there's urity and -- Yep. -- and singing and new songs and hearts playing and God's people around and it's it's suddenly glorious because the lamb has come. And it's like Aslan comes and roars. Yeah. And the donkey thinks, you know, it's just fantastic, isn't such an oasis in the middle of this re book of revelation isn't seeing this.

And so that's the sound of hearts. I mean, we've just had the the beast who who have the words, kinda lying to people, blaspheming god, waging war, and then suddenly the sound of harps and the roar of the lamb. It's, yes, really refreshing to be here actually. Yes. And then also you've got this thing where it says that these hundred and 44000, perhaps we'll come to that in a have the name of of of the father, the father of the lamb on their foreheads.

Yeah. So those that don't listen to to God and the lamb have 6 6 6 -- Yep. -- that that that on the forehead, marking them out to be the beasts goodness. Mhmm. These are marked out to be the fathers.

Yeah. And that's that's quite interesting, isn't it? Because 1, it's got 6 6 6. It's not even a name. Yeah.

And the other is father. Yeah. You know, he's he's he's family, it's real, isn't it? Yeah. Because God hasn't just revealed himself to us as perfection affection, defection.

Yeah. He's he's Yeah. He's a person. He has -- Yeah. -- has a name is.

Yeah. Yeah. So this hundred 44000, then what's that about there? Only a hundred and 44000. Well, have we seen this before?

I can't remember. So, yes. I mean, the people that knock on your doors to Jehovah's say that there's only a hundred and 44000 in heaven. And I mean, it's ridiculous to take these numbers as literal. They're they're symbolic Yeah.

But it, you know, whatever it is, isn't it 12 times whatever? Yeah. Yeah. In other words, it's it's it's multiples of 12. Yeah.

And it's it's talking about God's people. You know, these are all God's people. Yeah. Like you had the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles. And and that these are this is this is God this is God's people.

So all God's people, he knows every number of his people Yeah. Yeah. It's not limiting it to a hundred and 44000. Yeah. Yeah.

And there's that that idea that we've talked about yesterday, which is that the the number of the beast affects the minds and the thinking of the people whose names aren't written in the book of But here, those who have got the father's name written on them, they can learn this new song. Yeah. So they can praise God and it makes sense to them and their thinking is altered and sort of refreshed by the lord's name written on their foreheads. Yeah. We're not influenced by of satan and and our minds aren't dim.

They are sort of open and alive and And I mean, it's 1 of the things that marks our Christians is singing isn't it? Yeah. We do love to sing. It's true. And I mean, and it is strange sometimes for a non Christian to come to a service and see people bellowing out songs, doesn't it?

Yeah. Because we love to sing because and then we love to sing. It's very strange Christian hymns really because it's about someone dying for us constantly. You know, redeeming us, dying for us, blood of the lamb. Yeah.

I mean, there's, you know, 1 of those songs is, you know, washed in the blood of the lamb. Yeah. I mean, it must sound odd. But to us, that's what that's how we've been cleansed. That's how we've been filled with blood.

It's in a fountain filled with blood. Yeah. There's there's a lot of strange storms, aren't there? And it's it's often when you go to a Christian wedding and there's lots of sort of family there that aren't from a Christian background. And we're belting out in Christ alone, you know.

And and people are thinking are they weird or something? But we love to sing because there's a freedom, isn't there in knowing redemption actually? And it kind of I mean, obviously, that what redemption causes you to do is to praise and to sing. Music is I think it's a heavenly gift, God's given the world, isn't it? Because obviously, these things that are singing, these harpists before the the lord are singing here to him and stuff.

So there is this kind of the way it's it's appropriate to worship God in song. I think that's why we love it. Yeah. And then they they these are the people that they've they've they've re remained virgins. Yeah.

Again, I don't think that's literal, though. But it means that they've not followed the ways of the beast and the adulterous unfaithful ways of the world. Mhmm. They've kept faith or -- Yeah. -- I think it's saying.

There's also I mean, there's also there you you sort of yearn for the blood of the lamb to wash you there. Don't you? Yeah. You want to be as pure Yeah. And you've been cleansed from your previous sins, you know.

Because a lot of us have have failed in every way. Yeah. Even in the area of sexuality, but we're cleansed and we're made -- Mhmm. -- you know, like like we haven't been sinned. Yes.

Because Jesus has has taken that for us. And then they it says they follow the lamb. They were purchased from mankind. They offer first fruits they're offering their life. To God.

Mhmm. And no lie was found on their mouth and they're blameless. And that's all because, I mean, you know, I've lied you know, I've done all kinds of bad things -- Yeah. -- and you've certainly certainly been attracted to other women. But because of Christ, I made this I'm forgiven this and given these new clothings.

Yes. You know, it's his glorious. And that's why it's good that we sing about the blood of Jesus and this fountain's filled with blood. If you out of content, text, you think all that is horrible. Why are you singing about that?

But with what it achieves, which is this purity imperfection -- Yeah. -- then that is worth singing about, isn't it? Yep. So the lamb turns up and I think when you see who he is, you suddenly see the ugliness -- Yeah. -- of the beast.

He's a beast. Yeah. And he's a liar. And when the truth comes in its freshness, it produces this people that are alive and singing. Well, see you next time.