This group known as the 144,000 is recognized as firstfruits.

Revelation 14
1And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
…..These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

This is in reference to the Harvest at the end of the age.

Luke 10:2
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Revelation 14:15
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

The 144,000 are those that will be “redeemed” from among men at the harvest at the end of the age.

In Yehoshua,
Guy Smith
http://www.geocities.com/guysmith123/144000

Thank you! I wouldn't miss it! Be watching in the Spirit. ‘These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb.’ Rev 14 Allow Him to demonstrate His glory by our anticipating and believing, fully aware and participating with Him in His work. All the drama and color and power are present, just as Jesus' glory was present, but they remain unseen. Quietly the 144,000 are sealed. Inch by inch the conditions for tribulation intensify. Slowly the forces of God move to bring the earth into position for these prophesied Revelation events to occur. Most people will miss the whole process.


We can't just walk and get our feet wet in the river of life, we must swim in it- get soaked! It doesn't work to be part pure/part-washed (like Peter when Jesus washed his feet, he said, then wash all of me Lord) we must be whole-hearted in our desire for God to be with Him, to obey Him, to be like Him; to be empty of self, and filled with the Holy Spirit. (like Gideon and his 300 men, the pitchers dropped to the ground representing our broken flesh, leaving only the torch; the fire of the Holy Spirit)
He said to me, Son of man, have you seen this? Then He Brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.
When I returned there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees (symbol of nations, individuals, the church & Christ Jesus) on one side and the other. (Rev. 22:2-4)
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. (fruitfulness) And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (leaf=symbolic of life amidst prosperity or adversity) And there shall be NO MORE CURSE, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. (ref. Matt 5:8, Rev. 14:1, etc)
Matt. 5:8 NKJ Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Revelation 14:1 "Then I looked and behold a Lamb standing on Mt. Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His father's name written on their foreheads." (12=number of Divine Government, Apostolic fullness - 144,000 is multiple of 12) Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are written in Heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect
From this place will emerge a revelation of Christ carried in vessels of gold and silver, in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power. The fullness of Pentecost will be manifested in the earth in this day. This will be in order to bring in the fullness of the harvest in the earth. Once again God will be sealing with His approval, a first-fruits company, and sending them into all the earth.
‘These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb.’ Rev 14

There is a wedding spoken of, between the Bridegroom and the Shulamite. The flame of fire on the 120 in the upper room was a personal seal of the jealous love of the Bridegroom for His Bride. It was a mark that set the Bride apart as holy unto Him, a vessel that would never belong to another. Paul spoke of Himself as having received the first-fruits of the Spirit. The word ‘first-fruits’ signifies that there is more to come – there is also a fullness of the Spirit. The first-fruits Bridal company spilled out of the upper room, full of the Holy Spirit. In these days, there is coming a release of the fullness of the Bridal Company, marked and sealed with the fire of God and operating in the fullness of the Spirit.
They will bring revelation that will cause the Body to grow to full measure - ‘a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Eph 4). They will bring revelation, new wine from the Father, to quench the thirst of the Body and bring it to full measure; they will operate in the seven Spirits of God, the fullness of the Spirit. Every nation under heaven will be touched by them; every nation under heaven will hear the great works of God in their own language, in a way they can understand.

Have I not said to be like the virgins with their lamps trimmed? You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit…fruit that will last.

Wrap up your life here as best you can, knowing that this is not your dwelling place.

Note: Just some interesting "tidbits" for your discernment.....loey


Sam Orlando (8 Dec 2007)
"153 days from Annapolis till Firstfruits 2008!"


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John and Dove's,

In light of how Israel was treated according to the article below my comments it is obvious that the Annapolis meeting brought us closer to the covenant with death and the demise of the USA.



It is a true prophetic sign of where FINALLY the United States and Israel have arrived....in God's prophetic timeline. While making me very sad...it made my heart skip a beat in excitement about the "nearness of the hour" !! This absolute prophetic point HAD to be reached, and the purpose fulfilled...in real-time...and NOW HAS BEEN, as a prelude to the opening of the Day of the Lord and the Birthpangs of the Messiah! This ultimate sell-out took place in the physical line-of-sight and witnessed by over 40 different nations...with the remainder able to know through media communication.

This event occurred EXACTLY 5 months ahead of Firstfruits 2008

Ponder this:

From Nov 26, 2007...the opening of this public, world-wide, prophesized sell out of the nation of Israel...by her last friend of power and substance......

to Sabbath, April 26/27th, 2008, the opening of the feast of Firstfruits, the resurrection/rapture of the Bride, and the opening of the Day of the Lord is:

153 days

153- "the resurrecting number"

Remember, the numbers 1 thru 17 when added together, total 153. In a 'year of perfect order' when Nisan 17, always falls on Sabbath, as was the case in 30 a.d., the number '153' is always reached on Resurrection Day.

In "Biblical Mathematics Keys To Scripture Numeric's," the author, Ed Vallowe says in the Bible, '153' represents "Fruitbearing." (interesting that in a "year of perfect order"...Nisan 17/18, is ALWAYS "Feast of Firstfruits") He says that the number '17" stands for "Victory." The number '153' is only divisible by the '7th' prime number, '17', which results in '9'. In the Bible, the number '9' represents "the Fruits of the Spirit."

Jesus promised the righteous He would make them "fishers of men" and in John 21, we see Simon Peter with his un-broken net filled with "a multitude of fishes," 153 to be exact! These fish absolutely represent all the righteous from the ages past until the last soul is saved. Note, that every single fish is brought safely ashore, none are lost...."these which thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost..............." "No man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand." (John 17)

The Head of the Body Jesus himself was raised on Firstfruits. Doesn't it make sense that the remainder
of the Body could also be raised the same day to complete the "body of Christ".

...Sam...

Aren't the 144,000 the bride,
going up to the Marriage?

simple,

The 144.000 are the virgins in the parable of the ten virgins.

In Yehoshua,
Guy Smith
http://www.geocities.com/guysmith123/144000

4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.Rev 20

Good points.

Jesus was raised on the feasts of firtsfruits along with many OT saints, this is the firstfruits of the spring harvest, the Barley.

At Pentacost the 120 were also called the firstfruits, but of the wheat harvest, not the whole harvest just the firstfruits gleamed sparingly during summer (dry season). This refers to the last 2000 years of harvest.

After the first resurrection, the first fruits is fulfilled in the beginning of the "day o fthe Lord"

"After 2 days He will revive us, on the 3rd day raise us up, that we may live in His sight". Hosea.

Just like thousands were added after Pentacost (the feast of firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Lev 23).
Likewise when the firstfruits of the end time harvest, the ingathering, many millions will then be added.

How are you going to get 144,000 virgins out of ten virgins? That will be quite a trick!
Interpret literally. It'll get you much closer to the truth.

v4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

If they hadn't been defiled with women, then they are probably men.

They follow the Lamb wheresoever He goes. It's a heavenly scene, going on now.

They were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
These 144000 Jews were among the first souls that Paul and the disciples won to Christ through the Gospel that they preached all over the world. These Jews were among the first; that's why they are called "first fruits."
If they were to be redeemed at some yet future time, they could hardly be first fruits, unless the Church, which Christ established 2000 years ago, had been sitting on its hands all this time.

They were of that generation that didn't pass away "till all these things be
fulfilled." (Matt. 24:34). They died before AD70.

Patrick

~

Only the wise virgins are the 144,000.

The unwise virgins are the Christians who walk after the flesh in the name of Jesus.

The oil is the Anointing of The Spirit of God in power and might.

Matthew 25
1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
9 But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'
12 But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'









~

The first "fruits" of Revelation 7 and 14 are the first converts of ethnic national Israel

They are seen led by the Lord Himself and will begin their witness from Jerusalem

These will be sealed for protection at the beginning of the tribulation period and they are all national Israelites, 12,000 from each tribe, .... and not the church of today

Neither are they Gentiles who will become believers during the tribulation period

These ethnic Israelite mortals will serve the Lord during the tribulation period on the earth by carrying the gospel first to national Israel and then to the nations during the period

These will survive and will enter the Lord's millennial kingdom as saved mortals

Stephen:


You couldn't have said it better. I totally agree. But your timing is way off.



If you literally interpret, and don't spiritualize, you will see that it has already happened. "First" means first, regardless of any ethnic background. Your dispensationalist mentors saw Israel as Israel, Gentiles as Gentiles, and the Church as the Church. But in the beginning the Church was made up entirely of national Israel. The Jews were the charter members of the Church, and they were the ones who took the Gospel of Salvation to the world, and always to the Jew first. Along the way they picked up Gentiles as well.



Again I agree. But the Bible is not specific as to whether or not the 144000 were sealed for their protection. That is an addition based on the presumption that all this happens during a future "Tribulation."

The 144000 may be merely representative of all Israel saved during the forty some odd years between Pentecost and the Roman holocaust. While those years began under severe persecution, eventually relative peace prevailed (the Pax Romana). Those were the years that the Gospel of salvation was preached in all the world (the known world, of course). Revelation 7:1-8 pictures this.

During those years there was the time of enduring to the end. All Jews heard the Gospel, and could choose to return to the Lord or not (remember, they all had been concluded in unbelief, and had to receive Christ (be "born again"), and even after that, had to endure to the end (prove their faith in Christ, and not slip back into the old Mosaic ways) to have their salvation confirmed. That was the time of testing, the years of tribulation for the Jews.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, God gave signs of impending doom, the sun and moon darkened, the stars falling, and so forth. Study the Scriptures and you will see that this usually happened before certain God ordained judgements. The "powers that are in heaven shall be shaken," I am certain, refers to the war between Michael and Satan, which took place at that time. Follow the sequence of these events, and you will see that they are not future. It all happened.

Mark 13:
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.


Preterist's had a foggy picture of what happened. But where they went wrong was thinking that somehow this has already happened to the whole world, and their confusion led to more confusion. All of this happened to the Jewish world. The years of trial, then the casting out of Satan, then the appearance of the Lord, the rapture of the believing remnant of Israel, then the resurrection of Old Testament Jews (verse 27 above), and the severe judgment on unbelieving Israel (the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome).
I'm not sure of the actual sequence of these events, but if Bible scholars would get off their dispensational duffs, they could figure it out.

By the way, there is not much given in the Bible that covers our coming end times, when Satan will be released from the Bottomless Pit for a while. There will be great chaos, but true believers left on the earth will be sealed for protection during that time. Rev. 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Patrick

Hey Patrick you mention:

Again I agree. But the Bible is not specific as to whether or not the 144000 were sealed for their protection. That is an addition based on the presumption that all this happens during a future "Tribulation."

Rev 2:11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." '

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Rev 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

The first death is the physical death, Jesus overcame physical death, the first death at Passover.

The second death is spiritual death, eternal death if you will.

So Jesus who overcame the first death to redeem the flesh (Passover), also had to overcome the 2nd death, spiritual death, (Atonement).

The first death is spiritual. We are born spiritually dead. With the Israelites in the day of Christ it was a little different. Israelites, in times past, were all born into the family of God; they were automatically children of God. But in the last days (the day of Christ), God had concluded all of the Jews in unbelief. He "expelled" them from the Family; He He actually cast them away. Technically, they were no longer the children of God. They were not His people. But God had not given up on them. In fact, the new Testament is mostly about God's untiring effort to redeem and restore His people. He sent His only begotten Son to redeem them. All they had to do was receive Him in faith. To them that did, He gave power to become the sons of God (John 1:12). But notice the catch phrase: when they received Him, they didn't become the children of God; Christ only gave them power
to become sons of God. They would have to endure to the end a time of testing to prove that they really loved Him and the Father. Satan would throw many obstacles in the way of their salvation. But whoever of them that endured to the end, was saved.
That is what is meant by "he who overcomes." Notice that in all seven churches Jesus promises salvation to "him who overcomes."

For example:
Rev.2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev. 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

The "once saved, always saved" crowd ought to take notice: These Jews already had their names in the Book of Life. But it was not permanent. If they didn't endure to the end; if they didn't overcome, their names could be blotted out.


Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Rev. 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Dispensational scholars mistakenly believe that the "144000" will be great evanglists in the Tribulation, and win "countless millions to Christ." The Bible does not say so. It says that they themselves have been won to Christ by fellow Jews, and stand before Him, dressed in white.

What did they overcome? The Bible itself explains: Rev.12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. The "him" was the great deceiver, Satan.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Belief in Christ is the First Resurrection. It is spiritual. After having experienced the First Resurrection, no one can die spiritually again, which is the second death, even though he may die physically. Many of the Jews did not die physically; they were raptured. Christ took them with Him into heaven.



Patrick