At the end of Revelation 17 we see that the whole world will be united against God’s people.

• The ten horns are persecuting. And initially it says that they will make war with the Lamb but the Lamb will overcome them.
• And then it says:
  • Revelation 17:14
    These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
  • Those that overcome with the Lamb are those that are called, chosen and faithful.
• It lists these three important characteristics of God’s end time people.
• In earlier chapters, we know them to be the 144,000.
  • They have the seal of God.
  • They are virgins.
  • They are not drunk with the wine of Babylon.
  • They are faultless before the throne of God.
• But what does it mean to be called and chosen and faithful?

 

The Called

Let’s start with those who are called.

Matthew 22:1-3
1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

• A parable about marriage and a wedding invitation.
• Invitations are sent out but people are not willing to come. However the king is persistent.

Matthew 22:4-6
4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

This call to the people to come to the wedding feast was to the Jewish nation.

• The killing of the oxen and fatted cattle represented the death of Jesus.
• Yet they were not willing to come. They made light of it and went their ways. They did not appreciate the sacrifice.
• They went back to their own farms and to their businesses.
• They desired the wealth and treasures of this world more than the approbation of God.

The rest of the people seized the servants and treated them spitefully and killed them.

• We see that throughout the book of Acts.
• Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
• They tried to stone Paul and kill him on multiple occasions.
• James would be killed in the book of Acts.
• Peter would be put in prison.
• There was persecution throughout the book of Acts of God’s people.

So what eventually happened?

• Matthew 22:7
  But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
• In 70 AD, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple was fulfilled that was prophesied by Christ in Matthew 24.
• The Jewish nation had already been rejected by God in 34 AD. But it would be clear that God had truly moved on in 70 AD with the total destruction of their city and the temple.

What happened after the stoning of Stephen?

• Matthew 22:8-10
  8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
• The gospel would go out to the Gentiles.
• They would preach to anyone and everyone while they were fleeing persecution.
• Many would be saved. The gospel invitation was to all.

But then we read:

• Matthew 22:11-13
  11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
• The king would come in and inspect everyone and he would come across someone without a wedding garment.
• The act of the king coming in to inspect represents the investigative judgment that would begin in 1844.
• When the king asks this person where his wedding garment is, he is speechless. He has no reasonable excuse.
• Why? Because this wedding garment was given free to them to wear for this occasion.
• He doesn’t give an excuse that he is too poor and could not afford it. No excuse given whatsoever.
• As a result, he is bound hand and foot and taken out of the wedding reception and cast into outer darkness.

Then the parable ends by saying this:

• Matthew 22:14
  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
• The line of distinction between those who are called and those who are chosen is the wedding garment.

Before we look at this wedding garment, we need to ask – Who are those that are called?

• Those that are called is the whole world.
• God has called everyone to be saved. To accept the gospel message of salvation in Christ by faith.
• He desires for everyone to make it into heaven.
• For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
• 2 Peter 3:9
  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
• He is not willing for a single person to be lost. He wants all to be saved. He wants all to come to repentance.
• But alas, many of us turn to our riches. To our homes. To our entertainment.
• Just like those in the Laodicean church. That last church that speaks of our time.
• Revelation 3:17
  Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
• It is the riches, the world, our wealth, our love of money that has pulled us away from fully accepting Christ. That is what stops many of us from accepting the gospel call.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

• God wants to call us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
• That call comes to everyone.
• That call is held out to you even as you listen today.

 

The Chosen

But what is it that determines if we will be chosen or not?

• It’s our decision to put on that wedding garment that is offered full and free to each of us.
• What is that wedding garment?
• Revelation 19:7-9
  7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
• We see the similar situation. A marriage supper.
• And there is that wedding garment. The fine linen. It is the righteousness of the saints.
• And that really is the righteousness of Christ!

What is righteous in scripture?

• Psalms 119:172
  My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.
• The commandments of God are righteous.
• And we see this characteristic mentioned about God’s people throughout Revelation.
• Revelation 12:17
  And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
• Revelation 14:12
  Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
• Revelation 22:14
  Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
• The righteous acts of the saints are found in obedience to all the commandments of God.
• This is how we know we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
• Remember this – we are not made righteous by obedience to the commandments of God. That is a sign that we ARE righteous.
  • Righteousness comes through faith in Christ.

The Laodicean church are counselled to buy from Jesus three things.

• Gold tried in the fire. That was faith.
• A white raiment. That is righteousness.
• And eyesalve. That is the testimony of the prophets.
• We studied all this back in Revelation 3.

So if we are to be called and CHOSEN, we must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

• However, we don’t become righteous by accident.
• Matthew 6:33
  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
• We must seek for God’s righteousness. There must be a concerted effort on our part.
• Just like the merchant man that was seeking for goodly pearls. He was actively seeking. He was doing his part.

But the result of that choosing?

• 1 Peter 2:9
  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
  • He wants us to be a chosen generation. A royal priesthood. A holy nation.
• Ephesians 1:4
  Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
  • God has chosen us to be holy and without blame.
• This is the result of being clothed with the righteousness of Christ. There will be found in each person a holy and blameless life.
• This is exactly the characteristics of the 144,000.
• Revelation 14:5
  And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
• This is verily the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
• If we would seek Him, if we would spend time with Him, if we would walk with Him every moment of every day, we will be found clothed with His righteousness.

But how few will be found in this condition at the end of time.

• Matthew 20:16
  So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
• Many are called, but few are chosen.
• The first 15 verses of this parable is about workers who were standing around idly and someone came and hired them to work in his vineyard.
• The master of the vineyard would hire workers throughout the day.
• And at the end when he came to pay all of them, those who went to work first were not happy that those who only worked 1 hour were paid the same as themselves. So they made a complaint.
• The master replied by saying:
  • Matthew 20:13-15
    13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’
  • The problem with those workers who complained was that their eye was evil.
  • They were focused on the money and not the joy of having some employment.
• Remember the Laodicean church?
  • Revelation 3:17
    Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
  • It is the love of the riches. The love of money.
  • That is the root of all evil.
  • This is what has taken many of us away out of the faith.

 

Faithful

Lastly we come to faithful. God calls, He chooses, but faithfulness is our part.

Faith is a gift from God.

• Romans 12:3
  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
• God has given to each of us a measure of faith. Every single person has faith. Just like how every single one of us has bones and tendons and muscles. But it is up to us to exercise those muscles and get stronger.

I like this quote that helps to put faith in perspective:

• Faith “is the gift of God,” but the power to exercise it is ours. {PP 431.2}

We have the personal responsibility of exercising our faith. It is only by faith that we can obtain that righteous garment from Christ.

Where does faith begin?

• Romans 10:17
  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
• It comes from the word of God.

And how must we view the word of God?

• Hebrews 11:1
  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
• The word of God must be all the evidence that we need for our rule of life.

Example:

• How do we know that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day?
• I don’t need to ask anyone.
• I don’t need to look under a microscope.
• I don’t need any scientific evidence.
• All I need to do is read Genesis 1.
• That’s all the proof that I need.
• Some people might call that narrow minded or self-deceived. But in the Christian world that is what we call faith.

We see these examples throughout all of Hebrews 11.

• Noah when God told him he was going to destroy the world by a flood.
  • All the evidence that he had was God’s word when He spoke with him.
  • But because of that he went and prepared an ark.
• It wasn’t the works of building the ark that saved him, it was his faith in God’s word. And that faith led to righteous works. It was faith that clothed him with the righteousness of Christ. And the works were a by-product of being clothed with that righteousness.

And so with God’s saints at the end of time.

• How will we know if we are clothed with Christ’s righteousness? It will be found in obedience to all of God’s
• And even more, it will be found in an obedient life to all of God’s word from Genesis all the way to Revelation.
• It will be found in our obedience to the laws of clean and unclean animals.
• It will be found in our obedience to total abstinence from alcohol, as the word of God has warned us about.
• From the very smallest of things like what we eat, to how we live and treat each other.
• Total obedience to God’s word.
• Just like the woman in Revelation 12 who is found standing on the moon which is the testimony of Jesus, the word of God.
  • Representing God’s people in the last days, their whole life is found supported by the word of God.
  • What does God want me to do? What reads the Bible to me?
• They will be totally and utterly guided by the word of God in every part of their life.

And it comes down to parts of our lives in which it is not written so clearly.

• God should I study accounting or medicine or engineering? Should I set up a business instead?
• Well then the question that must be asked is simple.
  • Have you prayed about it?
  • Have you really asked God what He thinks you should do?
  • Have you been reading the word of God and aligning your life with that word which has been revealed to you?
  • HAVE YOU BEEN EXERCISING YOUR FAITH?
• There are moments in our lives that maybe God may be silent. And it may be that it is because we have walked from Him.
  • Isaiah 59:1-2
    1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
  • God cannot communicate His unwritten will to sinners living in sin.
  • We must first begin with His written will which is clear in His word.
  • And if we align our lives there in harmony with that, He will give us His thoughts, His desires. And then He will give us His purpose of what we should study and what work we should do.

And then it will be found of the saints at the end:

• 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 God and to the Lamb.
• And where God leads us today starts there in the word of God.
• May God help each of us to be faithful today to Him.
• Let us seek God with all our hearts.
• Seek His word.
• Seek His righteousness.
• That is the exercise of faith that we have to have. Not in works, but in sitting at the feet of Jesus.