REVELATION ITS GRAND CLIMAX AT HAND!/Chapter Twenty Nine - Followers of the Lamb - Continue

 The  144,000  are "bought from the earth," "bought from mankind" They are adopted as spiritual sons of God, and after their resurrection, they will no longer be mere flesh-and-blood humans.  As mentioned in  verse 4, they become the "firstfruits to God and to the Lamb."  True, back in the first century, Jesus was the firstfruits of those who had fallen asleep in death." (1 Corinthians15:20, 23)  But the 144,000 are the "certain firstfruits" of imperfect mankind, purchased by means of Jesus" sacrifice.  (James 1:18) Nevertheless, the ingathering of fruitage of mankind  does not end with them.  The book of Revelation has already pointed to the harvesting of the unnumbered great crowd that cries with a loud voice:"Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb."  Tis great crowd will survive   the great tribulation, and as they continue to be refreshed by "mountains of waters of life," they will be raised  to human perfection on  earth. Sometime after the great tribulation, Hades will be emptied, and countless millions of other humans will be resurrected and have the opportunity to drink from those same waters of life.  With this in  mind, it would correct to call the great crowd a firstfruits of the other sheep- they are the first toi 'wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb' with the hope  of living forever on earth. - REVELATION 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 20:12, 13. 

Next time: REVELATION ITS GRAND CLIMAX AT HAND!/Chapter Twenty Nine - Followers of the Lamb - Conclusion 

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