(Revelation) Revelation 7:1-10 — Zac Poonen

The Sixth Seal and the Day of the Lord

Revelation 6, verse 12. We were considering this at the close of our last study, the Lamb of God opening the seven-sealed book, and when it comes to the sixth seal, we find we have come into what the prophets called the day of the Lord.

That is, the day that Jesus Christ returns in glory, and the wrath of God is poured out upon a world consisting of sinners who have rejected His name, and before which the church is lifted up to meet Him in the air.

Verse 12 of Revelation 6, I looked when He broke the seventh-sixth seal. There was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, the whole moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind, and the sky was split apart like a scroll when it rolled up.

Every mountain and island were moved out of their places. The kings of the earth, the great men, and the commanders, and the rich and the strong, and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.".

This is the first place in the book of Revelation where we find the word wrath of God coming, the wrath of the Lamb. Tribulation, which we saw earlier under the fifth seal in verse 9, 10, and 11, is the wrath of man, instigated by Satan.

But judgment, as we see under the sixth seal, is the wrath of God, or the wrath of the Lamb. God has not promised to protect us from the wrath of man. He allows us to face it, and all through twenty centuries He has allowed the to face tribulation.

But we have no place for the wrath of God, and that is the place where the church will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air, when the wrath of God is manifested on the earth. The great day, verse 17, of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

Pride as the Root of Final Judgment

Now we can look at a few verses in the Old Testament to see why this final judgment, called the day of the Lord, comes upon this earth. And it's good for us to see this because we know the reason why God judges.

First of all, Isaiah chapter 13, verses 6 to 11. Isaiah chapter 13, verses 6 to 11, Wail, for the day of the Lord is near. It will come as a destruction from the Almighty. All hands will fall limp. Every man's heart will melt.

They will be terrified. Pains and anguish will take hold of them. They will reap like a woman in labor. Now this is a picture used in more than one place. That birth pang of a woman in labor is a picture used for the day of the Lord.

The day of the Lord is coming. Verse 10, the stars of heaven will not flash forth their light, the sun will be dark, and the moon will not shed its light. Now notice verse 11. Thus, the Lord says, I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.

And this is the important thing I wanted you to notice. I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud. It's mainly because of the pride of man that this final judgment comes. Pride is the basis on which, root from which all the other sins flower.

I will abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. Another verse, Isaiah chapter 2, and verse 10 to 21. Isaiah chapter 2, verses 10 to 21. Enter the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty.

Notice again in verse 11. The proud look of man will be abased. The loftiness of man will be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty, against everyone who is lifted up that he may be abased.

And then there's a description of the various ways in which people are proud. Various pictures are used in verse 13, 14, and 15. And then verse 16 again. The pride of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men will be abased.

And then verse 19. Men will go into the caves of the rocks, and so on. Now again, notice the emphasis again. This is again referring to the final day of the Lord is on pride. Man's pride and self-exaltation is going to be brought low.

There are many other sins that man commits, but it is primarily the pride of man that is highlighted as the thing that God is going to judge in that final day, which is called the day of the Lord. Notice chapter 3, verse 10 and 11.

In the midst of this section on the day of the Lord, the word of God says, say to the righteous that it will go well with them. But verse 11, woe to the wicked, it will go badly with him. Then I want to turn you to another passage in the book of Zephaniah.

Humility and Escape from the Day of the Lord

That's towards the end of the Old Testament. The book of Zephaniah, the fourth book from the end of the Old Testament. Zephaniah chapter 1, verse 14. Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly.

Listen, the day of the Lord, in it the warrior cries out bitterly. And in that connection, he says in chapter 2 and verse 3, seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out his commandment.

Seek righteousness, seek humility. Then perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Certainly the humble will be hidden. Now I'm showing you these verses to point out that the Old Testament prophets prophesied about the coming day of the Lord.

And they always said that it was going to come as a judgment on the proud. It was the humble who were going to escape. And if it's a question as to who is going to be raptured, there's no doubt in my mind about that at all.

It's those who have learned during the time before the Lord comes to humble themselves. Brothers and sisters, have we learned that lesson? They are the ones. Seek humility, it says, and you'll be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.

Then chapter 3, verses 11 to 13, in that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against me. Listen to this, for then I will remove from your midst your proud, exalting one.

Verse 12, but I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies. Notice this phrase, the remnant of Israel.

Humility is going to be the thing that God looks for in the church and also in the remnant of Israel. And then he goes on to say in verse 17, the Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy and rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

This is a promise given to the humble. It's not anyone and everyone who can claim that and say the Lord my God is rejoicing over me. It is for those who have heard and listened to that exhortation to humble themselves and to go down.

Now all those passages refer to the proud of the earth. And in this connection, if you look at Revelation 6 again, Revelation 6, we find a description of the type of people who are going to hide in the caves and the rocks of the mountain when Jesus comes in glory.

Revelation 6, verse 15. Notice the type of people described. Kings, these are the great people you see, the king, the great men, the commander, the rich, the strong, and the free man. Six great people and then one person is mentioned as a slave.

It's the proud exalting ones found among the kings and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the free men who are going to be humbled in that day. And that is why it's very important for us in these days to learn from Jesus what he taught us to learn.

The Day of the Lord Comes Like a Thief

Learn from me, he said, for I am gentle and humble in heart and it is for those he is coming. I want to turn you to a new testament passage about the day of the Lord and that's 1 Thessalonians 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verses 1 to 6.

1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1 to 6. Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

While they are saying peace and safety, then destruction will come upon them suddenly. And notice the same illustration again. Like birth fangs suddenly upon a woman who is carrying a baby and they'll not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness. That that day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness. Have we understood how to belong to the light?

To belong to the light means that we learn from Jesus humility. To seek each occasion that we have on earth to humble ourselves and to go down instead of seeking to be great and big and to exalt ourselves over others.

Those are the ones who are going to be brought low. The Antichrist is going to be the head of all the people who are exalting themselves. And Jesus is going to be the head of all those people who have humbled themselves and he is coming for them.

To such people we can say, you are not in darkness. That that day should come upon you like a thief. It means you are ready for it. You are ready for the Lord to come any moment because you have learned the way of humbling yourself.

The new and living way that Jesus opened up for us. Now we come to Revelation chapter 7. Revelation chapter 7. You see, it's important for us to see these passages that we have just looked at. To see the type of people whom the Lord is taking to himself before his wrath is poured out upon the world.

Revelation 7: Israel and the Church

And in chapter 7 we find this phrase again, after these things. We noticed that in chapter 1 verse 19 as one of the divisions of the book of Revelation. We saw that in chapter 4 verse 1 as the beginning of a new section, after these things.

And in chapter 7 we find two verses beginning with this phrase, verse 1 and verse 9. After these things, after these things. And the first section deals with Israel as we see in verse 4. I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144 ,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

And the second section from verse 9 to verse 17 deals with the church from which we read in verse 9, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation of people standing before the Lamb. Now having seen the broad outline of this chapter, we find that the godly remnant in Israel is protected during that time of wrath.

But the church themselves, the church is raptured to stand before the Lord. Because it says here they were standing in verse 9 before the throne and before the Lamb. So you see when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth, the church, those who are in Christ, the dead in Christ will rise.

And those who are living and in Christ will be taken up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. And then we stand before the throne and before the Lamb, verse 9. But among the nation of Israel, there will be a godly remnant at that time who have not become Christians and therefore are not part of the church and therefore not raptured.

But the Lord will protect them from his wrath. Turn to Daniel and chapter, I wanted to see one verse here before we turn to Daniel and that's Revelation 7 verse 2. I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun.

And he is the one who said, don't hurt, verse 3, the earth or sea or trees until we have sealed these bondservants of Israel, bondservants of our God in Israel. And in this connection, we can turn to Daniel chapter 12 and see who that angel is who is going to stand up for Israel in the last day.

And that's Daniel chapter 12, Daniel chapter 12, verse 1 to 4. Now at that time, Michael, the great prince or the archangel who stands over the sons of your people will arise. There is a close connection in the scriptures with Michael and the children of Israel.

He stands guard over the sons of your people. He will arise and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation on the face of the earth until that time. That is the time when the wrath of God is going to be poured out upon the earth.

It's going to be a time of terrific distress. And at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book will be rescued. That is, there are those in the nation of Israel, God-fearing people who will be protected.

And then here is a picture of what is going to happen to those who are trusted in Christ and those who are trusted in Old Testament time, looking forward to the coming of Christ in that day when Jesus comes.

Verse 2, many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground, that is, those who have died will awake these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

Israel's Remnant and God's Unrevoked Calling

Now, when we come to this subject of Israel and what we read in Revelation chapter seven, we saw there that there are one, uh, Revelation seven, four. I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144 ,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

Now, there are many people who feel that as far as God is concerned, his purpose for Israel is finished with the coming of Jesus Christ. Now that's not true. As we read in Romans chapter 11, I just want to show you a number of verses because it's important for us to see God's purpose for Israel.

If we are to be those who have understanding of the times in which we live Romans chapter 11. Here, Paul, the apostle is speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the new Testament. After he has explained the gospel of salvation in the first eight chapters, he then begins to deal with the nation of Israel in chapters nine, 10 and 11.

This is new Testament teaching, not old Testament teaching. In the new Testament, Paul says, I say, then God has not rejected his people Israel. Has he? May it never be. That's the same expression he uses in Romans six, one and two.

Shall we sin again? May it never be impossible. Shouldn't be. And same thing he uses here. God has not rejected his people Israel, but verse five, just like in Elijah's day, there was a remnant of 7 ,000 verse two, three and four in verse five.

In the same way, then there has also come to be at the present time, a remnant according to God's gracious choice. And in the last days, when Jesus comes, there will be a remnant on the face of the earth in the nation of Israel.

God fearing people who have not understood that Jesus Christ is their Messiah and therefore are not raptured. If they had put their trust in Christ, they would have become a part of the church in which church there is no distinction between Jew or non Jew.

But yet they were God fearing. And there is a remnant among God's people. Now I want you to see verse 15 concerning Israel. He continues to say, if the rejection of Israel has resulted in the reconciliation of the world, that means the whole world has had the opportunity to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

When Israel was rejected now, which is nearly 2000 years later, what will their acceptance be? But life from the day when Israel is accepted again, back, the world is going to experience. The earth is going to experience something like a resurrection.

The wild animals will become tame again. The thorns and thistles will disappear. And turn to verse 24. He's speaking about the Gentiles, the non Jews. If you were cut off from a wild olive tree and you were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, that is into the chosen people of God.

How much more shall these who are the natural branches, that is the Jews, be grafted into their own olive tree again? And verse 25. Very important. I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery.

The Holy Spirit says to us, brethren, sitting here this evening, I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery. That's why we want to spend some time this evening considering Israel, because the Holy Spirit says to us, I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery, lest you become wise in your own estimation, lest you think that you are a specially chosen people.

That a partial hardening has happened to Israel. Notice it is partial. And it is, there is a time limit to it. When is this hardening going to be over? Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Do you know what the word fullness of the Gentiles means?

It means until every person whose name is written in the Lamb's book of life among the nations of the earth are gathered in. And when the last person whose name is written in the Lamb's book of life is gathered in, it will be time for the rapture and time for the hardening to go away from Israel.

That's the meaning of this verse. We are not to be ignorant of that. That's the nation of Israel. Verse 29, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. That means he will not change. If he has called the nation of Israel once, he will never change his mind about it.

The Fig Tree, Israel, and the Millennium

Now I want you to turn to some, a very interesting phrase in Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6 verse 13. We saw this phrase, the stars of the sky fell to the earth as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

Now this is referring to the stars of the earth falling, but the picture used is very interesting. The picture used is of a fig tree shaking off its rotten figs. And then immediately after that, we read about Israel in chapter 7 verses 1 and 8.

This is very interesting because the fig tree is a picture of Israel in the Bible. And the other thing I want you to notice is in chapter 7 verse 1, it says the four angels standing at the four corners of the earth.

Now keep these two phrases in your mind, the fig tree and the four corners of the earth. Now that's a poetic phrase. We know that the earth doesn't have four corners, but it means from the north, south, east and west, from all directions.

The Lord has brought back to the nation of Israel, which was once known as Palestine, from the four corners of the earth, the Jews. I want to show you a few verses in the Old Testament about this fig tree.

First of all, in 1 Kings chapter 4 verse 25, this is describing the rule of Solomon, king of Israel, who succeeded David. And in the Old Testament, the initial part of Solomon's rule, before he became an idolater and married heathen women, is a picture of the reign of Jesus Christ when he reigns on earth for a thousand years.

David is a picture of Jesus Christ when he came and overcame Goliath of Satan. And Solomon is a picture of Jesus Christ who is going to come and rule in peace. Solomon means peaceable. And in Solomon's time, we read in 1 Kings 4 verse 25, so Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba all the days of Solomon.

This is a phrase that comes a number of times in the Old Testament, Dan to Beersheba. Dan is in the south of Israel. And if you look at a map of Israel today, you'll find that the nation of the Jews have occupied all that land from Dan to Beersheba.

We are approaching the end when Jesus is going to establish his thousand year reign on earth. But the thing I want you to notice here is that every man lived under his vine and his fig tree. There were two pictures used of Israel in the Old Testament, a vine and a fig tree, a vine and a fig tree.

When you come into the New Testament, we find in John chapter 15, Jesus said, I am the true vine. But he never said I am the true fig tree. He said, I am the true vine and you are the branches. As you abide in me, you'll bring forth fruit.

We are now the true vine, the church. But the fig tree remains Israel. So we have the vine and the fig tree. And in the millennium, when Jesus comes to rule on the earth, we find in Micah, Micah and the Old Testament, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Micah chapter four and verses one to four, we read this.

And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains. And the Lord will be there. The word of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem.

The last part of verse two, verse three, he will judge between many peoples. And in the millennium, this is, and the last part of verse three, nation will not lift up sword against nation. Never again will they train for war.

This is the 1000 year reign of Christ. And then again, every one of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree. That's a description of the millennium. Now, let me show you another verse in the book of Deuteronomy and chapter 32 and verse eight.

This is a very interesting thing that we need to understand particularly because it's relevant to the times in which we live. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse eight, when the most high that is almighty God gave the nations their inheritance.

Did you know that it's almighty God who has given to each country in the world their inheritance? Because the Lord says, all the earth is mine. The earth is the Lord and everything in it we read in one Corinthians 10.

And because the earth is the Lord's, he has apportioned different parts of the earth to different countries. But it says here that when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of all these nations.

But first of all, he set the boundary for the sons of Israel. And I can just give you these references if you would like to take them down. Genesis 15 verse 18, the Lord told Abraham, Genesis 15, 18, I am going to give your descendants this land from the river of Egypt, which is near the Gaza strip up to the north, to the river Euphrates, which is today in Syria.

That is from the Gaza strip to the river Euphrates was the land which God promised Abraham. And that was the land over which Solomon ruled when he was king of Israel. And that is the land, dear friend, which will once again become Israel's possession when Jesus reigns on this earth.

And we are beginning to see that what we saw since the coming back of Israel on the 14th of May, 1948, when Israel declared itself to be a nation, we are beginning to see the beginning of the end. Now it was not just to Abraham that God gave this land, because I just want to fill you up a little bit on this just in case we are ignorant.

Abraham had a nephew called Lot. Lot's descendants are some of the Arabs. Abraham had two sons and other sons that we read off in Genesis 23. And these sons, other than Isaac, have also been the heads of the Arabs, particularly Ishmael.

Isaac, Abraham's son, had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau is also one of the fathers of the Arabs. So to whom does this land which God promised Abraham belong? To the Arabs or to the Jews? Because Abraham is the father of both.

Well, we've got to turn to Genesis 35. Genesis 35, verse 12. Here we read in verse 9, God appeared to Jacob and said to him in verse 10, Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.

And he called him Israel and he said to him, verse 12, the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you and to your descendants. After you, I will give this land. Where does Palestine belong and who should live there?

The answer is given in these passages of scripture. God owns the whole earth. And whatever people may say, whatever the nations of the world may say, God has said, I have given this land to the descendants of Jacob.

Israel's Restoration in the Prophets

Genesis 35, verse 12, is very, very clear. I have given it to you and to your descendants after you, he said to Jacob, and there is no doubt about that. Now, I want you to turn to the book of Joel, chapter 1.

We're going to look at the fig tree in relation to the nation of Israel. Joel, chapter 1, and verse 12. The vine dries up and the fig tree wastes away. That is the beginning of the decline of Israel, which began, which was completed at the time of Jesus Christ.

Joel, chapter 2, verse 22. Here is the opposite. After God has done a work, do not fear beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.

This vine, this fig tree that had wasted away, has started blossoming again. I want to tell you something about these Old Testament promises. The Old Testament promises are all going to be literally fulfilled in the nation of Israel.

That's why God has brought them back to the land which they were scattered from in the year 70 A .D., and they are going to be spiritually fulfilled in us in the church. There are many promises in the Old Testament.

We can apply every one of them to ourselves spiritually, but we must not forget they will also be literally fulfilled in the nation of Israel before Jesus establishes his kingdom on earth. Notice Joel, chapter 2, verse 28.

And it will come about after this, that I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and daughters will prophesy. Notice this was originally given as a promise to Israel, but on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter said when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, he said this is what Joel prophesied.

It's fulfilled now. Your old men will dream dreams, and I will pour out my Spirit in those days. In verse 30, I will display wonders in the sky. Verse 31, the sun will be turned into darkness, the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

How is that going to happen? It's all put together there, because it's going to be literally fulfilled in Israel at the time the day of the Lord is going to come. That's why it's put together there. What we read in Joel, chapter 2, is going to be literally fulfilled in Israel one day.

Jesus' Parable of the Fig Tree

Now we turn to the New Testament and look at the fig tree in the New Testament. Mark, chapter 11, verse 12 to 14. Here we read that Jesus departed from Bethany, and he became hungry. Mark 11, verse 13.

And at a distance he saw a fig tree in leaves, and he went to see if perhaps he would find anything on it. And when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs, and he answered and said to it, May no one ever eat fruit from you again.

And in verse 20, it says in the next morning they saw the fig tree withered up. That was a prophecy. We can read it like this in verse 13. Jesus came to the nation of Israel to see fruit for the glory of God.

He moved around in his ministry for three and a half years in that nation, and all he saw was the leaves of religious ritual. No fruit, just like a lot of Christendom today, but Israel then. And Jesus cursed it.

Israel was cursed. But notice, it did not wither away immediately. In fact, it looked as though nothing happened. The next morning, Peter saw it had dried up. What does this teach us? Jesus, at the completion of his ministry, walked out of the temple, and he says, Your house is left to you desolate.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, I wanted to call you, but you did not know the time of your visitation. Henceforth, you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Israel was cursed, but nothing happened for 40 years.

Jesus Christ was crucified in the year 30 AD, and the Jews cried out, His blood be on us and on our children. And God took them at their word. And the fig tree did not dry up immediately. The next morning, 40 years later, in 70 AD, the Roman army came in and, under General Titus, destroyed the temple.

And Israel was scattered. And even the Jewish historians who write today, who do not believe in Jesus Christ, have written, In 70 AD, our nation was scattered to the four ends of the earth. Then, but that's not the end of the fig tree.

Notice now Mark chapter 13. Mark chapter 13, where Jesus was talking about his second coming, and the disciples asked Jesus, verse 4, When will these things be? What will be the sign? What will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?

And Jesus said about many things, verse 24, The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and so on. That is at the end, when the Son of Man is coming. But, verse 28, before all that happens, learn this parable from the fig tree.

Notice the emphasis. Learn something. Just like Jesus said, learn from me to be gentle and humble in heart, he also said, learn about the fig tree. That's why it's important for the church to know about Israel.

What? This fig tree, which Jesus cursed, and which dried up the next morning, it says there, when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves all over again. You know that summer is near.

Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near, right at the door. Truly, I say to you, this generation, which generation? This generation, which sees the fig tree budding again, that is your generation and mine, will not pass away until he who has years to hear, let him hear.

You see the fig tree? It was cursed, it dried up, and it's beginning to blossom again. The nation of Israel, the fruit has not yet come. What does it say? It begins to put forth its leaves, the religious ritual.

They're not converted. No, there's no fruit for the glory of God in Israel today, but the leaves are there. The fig tree is blossoming. You see, this is the meaning also of Luke chapter 13, Luke chapter 13 and verses 6 to 9.

And Jesus said this parable about a man who had a fig tree, and he came looking for fruit on it, and he didn't find any. That's Israel. And he said, cut it down. Why is it wasting the ground here? Why is it occupying this nation of Israel?

And he answered, let it alone, sir. And let me try a little more time. And if it cut it down, and it did not bear fruit, and it was cut down, but it has started budding again. Now when it starts budding, we find that there is not everyone who is God-fearing, and there is a prophecy about that in Jeremiah 24.

We are obeying Jesus' exhortation to learn from the fig tree. Jeremiah 24 and verses 1 to 3. Here it says in the last part of verse 1, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs. Verse 2, one basket had good first ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten due to its rottenness.

Good figs and bad figs. Remember what I told you at the beginning? The stars will fall like a fig tree casts out its rotten figs. Today in Israel there are rotten figs, most of them. They're figs all right, but rotten.

But there are also some good figs who will form part of that remnant of 144 ,000 from all the tribes of Israel that we read in Revelation 7. And one example of that we can see in John 1. John's gospel, chapter 1, and verse 47 and 48.

You know, Philip was one of the disciples of Jesus, and it says in verse 45, Philip found Nathanael and said, We have found the Messiah. And Nathanael said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Jesus saw Nathanael, verse 47, and said, Here is one of the remnants.