Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?
It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.
Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.
We should note that we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.
Introduction
We previously discussed the "firstfuits" as it applied to predestination, and now we want to consider the "firstfruits" in the context of the 144,000. We have not spent a lot of time thinking about the 144,000 in the past, but with our recent attention drawn to the "firstfruits", the fact that the 144,000 are also called the "firstfruits" (Re. 14:4) prompted us to open our Bibles once again.
Here's the first mention of the 144,000:
Re. 7:1-8 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
Re. 7:5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
Re. 7:6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
Re. 7:7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
Re. 7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
And the second:
Re. 14:1-5 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No-one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
Re. 14:4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
This is all the Bible has to say about them. Unless...
The Premise
Our thesis is that there was a certain group of people in the Bible who were notable because they are identified as firstfruits. We believe this group was the very earliest of believers, in particular, the earliest Jews who believed. We also believe they are the 144,000.
Those who believed after this group came at their ministry, these Jewish Christians spread the faith to the gentiles. That's the rest of us.
So we will now make our case.
The OT Firstfruits
The OT introduces the concept of "firstfruits:"
Ex. 23:16, 19:
16 Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field... 19 Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
The firstfruits, the very first and best of the crop that comes from the soil, is offered to the LORD. The firstfruits represents the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Pharaoh and into the land of their inheritance:
De. 26:8-10:
So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me.”
Because God gave them the soil (the land) as an inheritance, which yields its crops, the first and best of what comes from the soil, this inheritance, belongs to God.
The Bible also identifies Israel as the firstfruits:
Je. 2:3:
"Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them," declares the LORD.
Israel has always been loved by God. They are His people, yet they continually strayed. Despite their unfaithfulness, even today they are precious to Him. Notice the Lord refers to them in terms of a harvest, which is intensely interesting. They are the firstfruits of His harvest. Remember, Jesus said,
Mt. 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."
The saved coming out of Israel are the firstfruits of the plentiful harvest of souls. Israel is the first of this harvest, most precious to God. So we would suggest that salvation is composed first of the firstfruits, then second the rest of the crop is harvested.
Paul as a Jew seemed to be very focused on his own people. He desperately wanted them to be saved (Ro. 10:1). And by the way he wrote, he must have had assurance from God that there would be a portion of the saved who are Jews.
Salvation is apportioned first to the the Jews, then to the gentiles (Ro. 1:16, Ro. 2:9-10). But we need to be careful to note that these firstfruits is only a part of the nation of Israel, specifically the "children of the promise:"
Ro. 9:8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
This limited part of the nation of Israel, these are the firstfruits. Paul tells us about a remnant of Jews reserved by God for salvation:
Ro. 11:5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
God chose them to be saved first, thus they are firstfruits. Though all Israel will be saved (Ro. 11:26), not all Jews will be saved, but rather, only those Jews who are the "children of the promise." See our discussion of the this idea here.
The NT Firstfruits
One of our premises is that there was a specific category of people who were predestined. In the NT, this would probably include the apostles, the very earliest Jewish believers. Almost all of the predestination Scriptures (discussed below) can be explained by postulating this group of people.
Then there is a second group of people, the "second generation" of believers, who came to Christ at the testimony of the first group, and from where our legacy is derived.
There are several verses that refer to the firstfruits. Let's start with these:
1Co. 15:22-23:
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ; the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
Jesus' resurrection makes Him prototypical firstfruits. It's His victory over the grave that secures each Christian, each in his turn, the benefits of eternal life. There is clearly a progression here: Each in his own turn... Jesus was first, then the firstfruits, then those who belong to him (us) when He returns.
We see this procession of groups of people all over the NT:
1Th. 4:15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
Ro. 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
2 Thessalonians 2:13:
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you as his firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.That is, the Thessalonian Jews were chosen to be saved first (firstfruits).
Branches were broken off the root so we could be grafted in:
Ro. 11:16-17:
If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap...
The root is Christ (or vine, Jn. 15:5), and the nation of Israel is the branches. In actual fact, before Pentecost all the branches were Jews. But only some stayed on the vine that feeds life to the branches, while others were cut off because of unbelief (Ro. 11:23). Because some were cut off, we gentiles have been grafted in though grace by faith (Ro. 11:20, Ep. 2:5). So those branches that remained were those Jews who believed first, and we are now part of the root as wild shoots.
Ja. 1:18
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
James refers to "us" as the firstfruits. Who is this "us?" Typical average Christians might think that James is referring to everyone who believes, including themselves. But what if "us" doesn't mean "you?" In fact, almost always when the writers of the NT refer to "us" they are talking about themselves and their group. And quite frequently we find that the narrative will switch from "us" to "you."
Ep. 1:11-13
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, Ep. 1:12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
Ep. 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...
Paul first writes of being predestined and chosen, then mentions being the first to hope in Christ (firstfruits). That's the "we" and "us." Then in verse 13 turns to the readers of his letter ("you") and tells them when they were included: When you heard the word of truth. There were the predestined, the earliest Jewish believers, the firstfuits, then there are all the rest of "you," who were included when "you" believed.
When read in the context of our premise, these Scriptures take on a new understanding, that there were certain specific believers that were the "firstfruits," and others who came later, including us, who received the promise when we believed. Thus we postulate that a this certain group of people, the "firstfruits," are different because they were predestined.
Now, let's turn to the 144,000 to see how they tie into this.
The 144,000
We have attempted to establish the specific identity and purpose of certain Jews, who we believe are firstfruits, the 144,000, by noting that they are the remnant of Israel chosen by God to receive grace. The reference that precipitates our thesis is Re. 14:4, which specifically identifies the 144,000 as firstfruits:
...They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
Remember, these are specifically identified as Jews and called firstfruits. They were an offering, just like the firstfruits offering (Le. 23:10). They are the people God desired from the very beginning, a people called by His name.
Because the nation of Israel was continually wayward, we gentiles gained the inheritance through faith when we believed (Ep. 1:13-14).
An Eschatological Problem
If indeed these Jews were the first to be saved, then that creates problems for pre-trib eschatology. Gotquestions.org writes,
...Revelation 7:4 seems to speak of 144,000 actual people living during the end-times tribulation... They are kept safe from the divine judgments and from the wrath of the Antichrist. They can freely perform their mission during the tribulation... Their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period.
We do not determine doctrine by what "seems" to be. In actual fact, there is no place in the Bible that states that the 144,000 have a ministry in the tribulation, there is no place in the Bible that suggests they are evangelists, and in fact, there is no place in the Bible that tells us they are even in the tribulation at all.
We quoted the entirety of Scripture regarding the 144,000 above. The reader may wish to scroll back to the top to review and confirm our assertions.
Sealed
Gotquestions.org also tells us this:
These 144,000 Jews are “sealed,” which means they have the special protection of God.Let's quote the verses:
3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
The seal they received is not for their protection through the Great Tribulation because the Bible does not say the 144,000 will go through the Great Tribulation. Rather, the seal is for their identification as the firstfruits. The word "seal" is sphragizó, which means:
to stamp his servants on their foreheads as destined for eternal salvation, and by this means to confirm their hopes... Revelation 7:3
The seal is salvation, a means of signifying ownership. These first century Jews were stamped to specifically identify them as belonging to God.
Further, contemporary end-times teaching tells us the rapture will happen before the Great Tribulation, which means the saints will be supposedly spared from the wrath of this time [1Th. 5:9]. But according to this view, this is not true of some Christians, because the 144,000, plus those who are saved from their evangelism, are in the Great Tribulation. So either gotquestions.org is wrong about the 144,000 going through the tribulation, or the pre-trib rapture people are wrong about Christians not experiencing the wrath.
Or both.
So if the seal is not protection, then the 144,000 do not go through the Tribulation.
Our theory is bolstered by the fact that they are first described in Revelation chapter 7, then they disappear until chapter 14.
Where Did They Go?
Remember, the four angels were told to not to harm the land and the sea until the 144,000 were sealed [Re. 7:3]. Then the scene immediately switches in Re. 7:9. There we find the great multitude in heaven, identified as coming from the Great tribulation [Re. 7:14].
What happened to the 144,000?
We think the introduction of the 144,000 in chapter 7 is sort of a vignette, because they were sealed (chosen), and lived and died, prior to the unleashing of the four angels holding back the four winds [Re. 7:3, see Je. 4:11]. We think the holding back of the four winds persists to this day. We have been living in a time, the Last Days, where judgment has been mercifully withheld until the full number of gentiles have come in (Ro. 11:25). The Last Days began at the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh at Pentecost and will continue until the Last Day, the Day of the Lord.
Remember, the Great Multitude mentioned in Revelation 7:9 are identified as having come out of the tribulation (Re. 7:14). This would mean there is a 2000+ year period, the Last Days, between Revelation 7:8 and 7:9. Notice the Great Tribulation doesn't begin in earnest until the next chapter, chapter 8.
So the 144,000 are not in the Great Tribulation. We think they were already dead long ago.
Then in Revelation 14 we find the 144,000 in heaven:
Re. 14:3 And they sang a new song before the throne...
So somewhere between when the angel holding back the four winds so that the 144,00 could be sealed in chapter 7, and the revealing of the number of the beast (Re. 13:18), the 144,000 move to heaven (Re. 14:1). If they were first century believing Jews, this makes total sense.
And again, the great multitude went through the Great Tribulation:
Re. 7:13-14 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes — who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Re. 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Our only conclusion can be that the 144,000 did not go through the tribulation, and sealed means chosen and set apart.
Which makes them the firstfruits.
The 144,000 are Firstfruits
We consider the 144,000 to be literal Jews, specifically numbered by tribe. We think they are not symbolic, and not some group of people yet to come. They were real Jews. We believe this in part because of the term "firstfruits."
There's something unique about the firstfruits:
Re. 14:4b They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
We again assert that there was a specific category of people in the first century identified as the "firstfruits." The 144,000 can be simply explained by postulating this group of first century Jewish Christians, who were called "firstfruits."
As we read the various "firstfruits" verses in the NT with this understanding in mind (some were discussed above), we discover that the theme suddenly jumps out at us.
"Us" and "We"
The firstfruits are frequently referred to as "us" or "we." Who is this "us" and "we"? Typically, Christians might think that the writers are referring to everyone who believes, reading themselves into the texts. But what if "us" doesn't always mean "you?" In fact, quite frequently the writers of the NT refer to "us" as themselves and their group.
This isn't always the case, but it happens often enough that we as Bible students have begun to be more careful to ascertain to whom the NT writers were referring when this language is used.
Ro. 8:23:
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Paul, referring to him and his company as "we," describes this group as being the firstfruits of the Spirit. The first to receive the Holy Spirit were Jews (Ac. 2:4). They were the firstfruits. Then the Holy Spirit continued being poured out and filled the gentiles (Ac. 10:45).
Ja. 1:18:
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
James refers to "us" as the firstfruits. We think James was referring to himself and certain other early believers, Jews. This means that the "us" and "we" often refers to a certain group of people, like the writer and his company [the "firstfruits"], but not necessarily every Christian.
We also find on occasion that the narrative will switch from "us" to "you." One Scripture that illustrates our assertion particularly well is in Ephesians chapter one:
Ep. 1:11-14 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...
Notice the "us" changes to "you" in verse 13. Notice also Paul tells us about we, who were the first to hope in Christ... That group of people, "we," are the firstfruits. Therefore, we should not assume that "us" in the NT always includes "me."
We would conclude that there were certain specific believers who were the firstfruits, and others who came later, (including us two millennia later), who are not part of the firstfruits because we are not Jews. We also believe these firstfruits Jews are the 144,000.
Not Defiled
What about in Revelation 14 where it describes the 144,000 as not being defiled with women?
Let's quote:
Re. 14:4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
When we look at the Greek we find that "defile" does not refer to general acts men commit with women, but rather these are particular acts that men commit with women that are defilements [i.e., fornication, adultery, prostitutes].
Regarding "pure" [more accurately defined as "virgin"], the Greek definition is
a woman who has never had sexual relations; a female (virgin), beyond puberty but not yet married; (figuratively) believers when they are pure (chaste), i.e. faithful to Christ their heavenly Bridegroom (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 14:4).
Because of this definition, we must allow for some symbolism in limited fashion. The reason is because the 144,000 are
- those who did not defile themselves with women, which would be men who did not commit sexual sin, and
- "pure" i.e. a virgin, in the manner of being "faithful to Christ."
The 144,000 were notably moral and faithful, which is exactly the kind of Jews God had wanted all along. Symbolically, this status would be like a young maiden. So the two descriptors are actually one thing.
The Curiosity of the Ministry of John the Baptist
John came as the forerunner of Jesus, preparing the way by warning the Jews to repent [Mt. 3:8]. His ministry was to point the Jewish people to the coming savior. But the Jews thought that as the chosen nation their birthright was sufficient. They didn’t need a savior, they were God’s people. And actually, they were the only ones who could be saved.
But John knew that their birthright did not save them. He even he knew that God intended to extend His grace beyond the unbelieving Jews:
Mt. 3:9 -10 And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.John’s preaching correlates to Paul's statements about branches being broken off and others grafted in (Ro. 11:16-17), which we discussed elsewhere. Some Jews would be saved, while others would be chopped down or broken off. This was radical stuff. Being a child of Abraham was nothing special? No wonder the Pharisees were offended.
Those who believed John’s message repented and were baptized. But there is something interesting about this baptism, as recorded by Luke:
Lk. 7:29-30 All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.Notice what Luke is telling us. There were two groups:
- The ones who were baptized by John and then believed Jesus
- The ones who were not baptized by John and then did not believe Jesus
This suggests that John’s baptism was a necessary precursor to believing Jesus. Now remember, we are talking about the Jews who heard John, and them only. And Luke tells us the only Jews who believed Jesus were those who were baptized by John.
Now comes our theory. Remember Re. 7:4?
Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.Would it be too much of a stretch to suggest that this seal was the baptism of John? Could John have literally baptized 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each tribe?
Conclusion
Let's requote one of our subject verses:
Re. 14:4b They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
The 144,000 were firstfruits, the first to be saved. They are the earliest of Jewish believers coming to faith. The 144,000 are literal Jews who were sealed (identified and set apart) as the firstfruits. They've been dead for 2000 years. They have nothing to do with the events of the Last Days. This is why they are pictured in heaven all through the terrible times of the last days.
Here's further information regarding our take on the Last Days.
No comments:
Post a Comment