WHO ARE THE 144,000?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

WHO ARE THE 144,000?

(Rev 7:4) And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.

There have been many interpretations as to who the 144,000 are in the book of Revelation. It has been typical throughout church history for certain groups to claim that they are of this privileged number. Let’s study who this group are not and then who they most likely are:

- The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that 144,000 is a limit to the number of people who will reign with Christ in heaven and spend eternity with God. Those who are not among the 144,000 will enjoy what they call the earthly hope—a paradise on earth ruled by Christ and the 144,000.

- In Islam, 144,000 is alleged to have been the number of Sahaba (or followers) of Muhammad during his day. The number is also given as the total number of prophets in Islam.

- The number 144,000 is also significant in various New Age religious movements. For instance, The Church Universal and Triumphant teaches that Sanat Kummara and the Lords of the Flame brought 144,000 souls with them from Venus.

- The Christian Skoptsy sect in Russia believed that the Messiah would come when the Skoptsy numbered 144,000, and all their efforts were directed to reaching this total.

- Some take the 144,000 to be symbolic and believe it represents all of God's people throughout history in the heavenly Church.

- Still others take the number literally. In other words, the 144,000 are 12,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel and are not the church (Rev 7:4-8). This literal view seems to fit best.

The 144,000 will probably be won to Christ through the ministries of the two witnesses who will preach during the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation (Rev 11:1-12). These 144,000 will be sealed by God for special protection and will lead multitudes to the Lord (Rev 7:9-17). In Revelation 14 the 144,000 are seen as brought safely through the Tribulation. They are characterized as being the firstfruits, preceding many other Jews who at the Lord’s second coming will turn to Him (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:26).

Let’s make something clear: You and I will not be of this number. But we can be of that other number added to the Church by the Lord by being born again (John 3:3; Acts 2:47). Then when we all get to heaven the number will far exceed the 144,000 of the Tribulation (Rev 19:6). And that’s the number I want to be in! You see it all adds up. You can count on it!!

Louie

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THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE

Listen to a brief encouragement from Jose Mendoza who gave the devotion last night at our Thanksgiving Eve Service. Have a blessed Thanksgiving in Christ!

MEN'S RETREAT 2010

(Joel 2:12-13)“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

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Dennis Cline leads us in worship Friday night.

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Jeremy Britton gives us retreat orientation. It was great to see him and Sarah, and the kids: Luke and Allison. Jeremy has been a domestic missionary reaching out to San Diego foster care children through the ministry of Julian Oaks.

Jeremy also taught the Bible study Sunday morning on the "new heart.

(Eze 36:26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

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It rained most of the weekend which forced us inside to benefit from the rich fellowship in Christ.

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Gabriel Campos spoke to us about the "wicked heart. "


“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? (Jer 17:9)

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Rob Lake reaches high as he shares with us on the hard heart.

So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. (Exodus 7:14)

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Devotional time on Saturday's free afternoon

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Friendly competition and just being dudes. You might also see some of the food in the back. Four sisters in the Lord came up to cook for us and always had snacks out for us.

(Luke 8:3) and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

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Hanging out time

Nodding time.

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Eric Sydow teaches on the "divided heart."

Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

(Psa 86:11)

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Saturday night was the Afterglow. A highlight was all the men on their knees asking God to change their hearts.

(Psa 95:6) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

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Thanks for your prayers. Now the men desire to be doers of the Word as they come down from the mountain and reach out to others for Christ.

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

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PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION
(October 3, 1863)

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

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Ten Lepers Cleansed

(Luke 17:11-19) Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

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VETERAN'S DAY

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

VETERAN’S DAY

Veterans Day is a holiday observed annually in the United States in honor of all those, living and dead, who served with the U.S. armed forces. Unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who have died in wartime, Veterans Day honors all those who have served in times of peace as well as in war. Veterans Day is observed on November 11.

The holiday was originally called Armistice Day, and it commemorated the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. Fighting stopped at 11 am, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the "recurring anniversary of [November 11, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations…" In 1954 the name of the holiday was changed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor those who had served in World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). Today, the holiday honors all veterans. An official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states around the country.

I looked up the word “veteran” and found it to mean “of long experience” from the Latin. The word then designates a person of long experience usually in some occupation or skill. This is how the word came to be used in the military as “an old soldier of long service.” I began to put this together with what the Bible says about the Christian soldier. He is to realize he is enlisted in the Lord’s army and must fight the good fight of faith throughout his life. There will be battles to the end and he is to never give up. He is to earn his stripes along the way. Then when time moves on he will reach veteran status and will be recognized for his service for the King.

It is interesting what the apostle Paul said in both first and second Timothy. In first Timothy he said: Fight the good fight of faith…(1 Tim 6:12) Then in second Timothy he said: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7) Years had gone by between these letters. He was in prison and knew the end was near. He would soon die for the faith. He had no regrets about his life. He had waged a good warfare (1 Tim 1:18). He had reached veteran status and held the respect of younger warriors who were moving up in the ranks. In fact Timothy himself would follow in Paul’s footsteps into a place of honor.

I think about all those who are serving or have served in the military and I have deep respect for them. How they put their lives on the line so we can be at home living our lives in safety and security. Then I think of the Christians who have lived their lives for Christ over the years in patient continuance in doing good (Rom 2:7). As we rejoice over the sinner who repents, let us also respect the one who has fought the good fight over time and emulate their faith in Christ.

Louie

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THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

(Gen 22:14) And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

One of the greatest concerns we have on earth is the meeting of our own needs and obligations. It’s what captivates us and motivates us. And the responsibility of providing for your own needs or the needs others can be overwhelming. But we have a promise from the Word of God that THE LORD WILL PROVIDE. He provided for Abraham, and He has promised to provide for us, who by faith are the sons of Abraham (Gal 3:7).

Abraham was told to offer up his promised son Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen 22:1-2). He and his wife Sarah waited years for this child of promise and he was now being denied the very thing he cherished. There will be times when our own needs will be denied as a test from God. Will we trust and obey God like Abraham?

Abraham relied on God to provide for his needs (Gen 22:6-8). He didn’t know how God was going to do it. He only knew He would do it (Heb 11:17-19). We, too, must rely upon God in simple trust when in need.

Because Abraham relied on God, the Lord provided all his needs (Gen 22:13-14). This is why Abraham called the name of the place “Jehovah-Jireh—the Lord will see to it!” God possesses vision and therefore grants provision.

God wants to provide for us like He provided for Abraham! What are just a few of His promises of provision?:

SALVATION - (John 1:29) …"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! HEALING - (Exo 15:26) …For I am the LORD who heals you." ABUNDANT LIFE - (John 10:10) …I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. INNER PEACE - (John 14:27) "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. SAFETY - (Psa 12:5) …"I will set him in the safety for which he yearns." MARRIAGE PARTNER - (Pro 19:14) …a prudent wife is from the LORD. HAPPY FAMILY LIFE - (Psa 128:3) Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. A WORTHWHILE OCCUPATION - (Isa 65:22) …My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. PROSPERITY - (Josh 1:8) "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. SPECIFIC FINANCIAL NEEDS - (Psa 23:1) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ANY OTHER NEED YOU CAN THINK OF! - (Phil 4:19) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Wow! And all you have to do is ask! - (James 4:2) …ye have not, because ye ask not. And if you don’t receive you are either asking amiss (James 4:3) or your faith is being tested. But remember God loves you and He has promised to meet your every need!

The greatest gift God ever provided was His own Son. Every other provision is downhill from there! (Rom 8:32). Why don’t you take some time right now and ask the Lord to provide that need that is on your heart. Then watch Him take care of you because THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!

Louie

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MISSION TO TRINIDAD - Part II

Here is Mahlon and Linda Brakett barbequing for the mission group. Still in love after 45 years. Thank-you Jesus!

(Song of Solomon 8:7) Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.

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Here is our last night dinner with part of the missionary gang which consisted of the Celestine family, the Monteiths, the Bracketts, and the Virginia crew (pastor Tom, Jay, and Kyle).

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Grabbing a pic of the Celestine family (L to R = Jonathan, Adrian, Brandon, Adina, and Francis)

(Joshua 24:15) ...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

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Nice exibit of the Steelpan drum in the Port of Spain, Trinidad airport. This instrument is native to Trinidad.

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After dinner we went to a house and had a service out in the front yard. Both young and old showed up and we were praising into the night! This video gives you a little flavor of the evening.
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Thanks for praying everybody! Mission accomplished by the grace of God!

(Mark 16:20) And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

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MISSION TO TRINIDAD

*Note - I did not have internet access until today! We were out remote but now are in the city and can share this blog with you. Thanks for being patient!!

Cheryl and I and Mahlon and Linda Brackett are on a mission trip to Trinidad. We are here to encourage our GO! missionary Francis Celestine and his family. They are here to plant a Calvary Chapel church. They are originally from Trinidad and have moved back from the States to plant a Calvary Chapel church. All four of us were invited to come over and teach at a family conference the Celestine family sponsored in collaboration with other Trinidadian churches in the area.

Trinidad is an island located in the Caribbean. It is off the coast of Venezuela, South America. It has a population over a million with neighboring island Tobago, a dominion. It is formerly a British colony and originally of Spain since the time of Colombus and his discoveries. It has a large Catholic and Hindu population and many to reach for Jesus Christ and the good news!

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This is the first pic I took in Trinidad on the way from the airport. This is just a lady in front of her home but she looked captivated in her loneliness.

( Luke 4:18) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.

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Evening praise

(Psa 22:23) You who fear the Lord, praise Him!...

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Cheryl, Linda, and Mahlon relaxing at the camp after a long flight. How would you like to take some of your vacation time someday and go on a mission trip to serve the Lord?

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Cheryl, Adina Celestine and her son Brandon.

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Kerwin sharing his testimony of being robbed and then shot five times, landing him in this wheelchair.

Kerwin is not bitter. He goes around the neighborhoods and proclaims the Lord boldly through these speakers on top of his car!

(Eph 6:19) and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

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The Famly Conference started on Friday night and continued all day Saturday. Here I am preaching the opening message on Christ being the foundation of your life and marriage and family.


(Eph 2:20) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.

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Mahlon opening up in prayer Saturday morning.

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One of the workshops

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Saturday night at New Beginnings Church. "No rest for the wicked, and the righteous don't need any!"

(1 Cor 15:58) ...always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

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My cellphone went off during the service. Not long after this announcement came on the screen!

Pastor Tom Hallman of Calvary Chapel Williamsburg, Virginia. Francis and his family have been sent out by this church to serve as missionaries in Trinidad.

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Linda one on one.

(Titus 2:3-4) the older women...admonish the young women...

Louie and pastor Jeffery of Prosperity Cathedral. I had a chance to preach at this pentecostal church! Preach it preacher!

(Psa 133:1) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

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ELECTION DAY TODAY!

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

SHOULD CHRISTIANS VOTE?

(Exo 1:8) Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

Should Christians vote? Some say that since our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20) we shouldn’t get involved in politics down here. Others become very zealous and try to make the kingdom of God this present earth. Should believers try to change the political landscape or should their focus just be on spiritual matters? Should we just trust the Lord and let things play out or should we be active and preach at the polls?

Let’s look at some Scriptures first:

• (Rom 13:1) Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

• (Titus 3:1) Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,

• (1 Pet 2:13-14) Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, {14} or to governors…

Why don’t some Christians vote? Here are some of the suggestions:

• “What good will my one vote do?” - (Ezek 22:30) "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. God plus one is a majority! Consider this: In 1845 ONE vote brought Texas into the Union…in 1868 ONE vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment…in 1876 ONE vote gave Rutherford Hayes the presidency of the United States…in 1939 ONE vote passed the selective service act…in 1960 ONE vote per precinct elected John F. Kennedy President. Your vote does count!

• “A Christian shouldn’t get involved in secular matters.” - (Mat 5:13) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “Every life is a profession of faith, and exercises an inevitable and silent influence.” (Henri Frédéric Amiel)

• “It takes too much work and I’m busy!” - (Prov 3:27) Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

In addition to prayer, I believe that if we still have influence as believers we should use it! (Mat 6:10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Louie (decipher this: CUATTHEPOLLS!)

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HARVEST PARTY 2010

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What a great time we had at CCNorco last night for our Harvest Party. It all started with a time of fellowship and food in the parking lot. This was followed by a time of praise in the Chapel and a skit. Then games afterwards in the kid's room. Great fellowship in Christ and encouraging our children and families to walk in the Light of Jesus! (The teens had a separate party at a home in Norco)

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(1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

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Cake walk

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Adults jumping in the Cake walk

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In the Chapel for worship and skit

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Time for games

(Eph 4:30-32) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

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Bounce house

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GOD IS BIG!

(Jer 32:27) “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

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