Who are the 144,000

[3 Resurrections]

Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

Bad translation here. The word "first" does not modify the phrase "rise from the dead". It applies to Christ being the first to proclaim light to both the Jewish people AND to the Gentiles by the means of His resurrection. "...how that the Christ must suffer, and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles."

The whole context surrounding this verse is dealing with Paul's ministry of going to the Gentiles, preaching repentance. It was for this reason of Paul "proclaiming light" to the Gentiles as well as the Jews that the Jewish religious leaders were seeking to kill Paul. Paul was telling Felix that the prophets had foretold that One would come proclaiming light to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Once Christ rose from the dead, the Great Commission He gave the disciples was to go into all the world with this gospel being preached everywhere. The resurrected Christ was the first to openly command that this gospel be proclaimed to both the Jewish people AND the Gentiles. NOT that He was the first to rise from the dead.

That is talking about the heavenly Mount Zion, not the earthly Mount Zion. The scene there is heaven. If we go by what Paul taught then we will accept that no one has been bodily resurrected unto immortality yet except for Jesus Christ.

The resurrected 144,000 First-fruits standing on Mount Zion with the Lamb was most definitely speaking of the physical Mount Zion location on earth in Jerusalem (where the resurrected Matthew 27:52-53 and Christ were all recorded as being seen on that resurrection day) . The "song" which the 144,000 were to learn was composed in heaven, as a unique experience that the resurrected 144,000 would pass through while they were still on earth. The 144,000 were "sealed", showing that they were going to be protected from what was going to be happening on the earth and the sea - not heaven.

Paul said that all of the dead in Christ will be resurrected at the same time and it will be at the last trumpet when Jesus returns. That has not yet occurred. Your rigid, hyper-literal interpretation of Hebrews 9:27 is causing you to contradict several other scriptures. Jesus also taught that all dead believers will be resurrected at the same time in John 5:28-29. If your interpretation of one verse or passage causes you to contradict other verses or passages then you need to take another look at that verse or passage.

The John 5:25-29 context also referred to "the hour is coming, and NOW IS when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live." Christ had then in that "hour" given the disciples the power to raise the dead IN THE CITIES OF ISRAEL during His earthly ministry (Matthew 10:8 and 11:5). But the hour was coming when that power would not be limited just to the cities of Israel, but ALL that were in the grave (including the other nations of the world) would hear His voice and come forth out of the grave.

This shows us that resurrections would be taking place on more than just one isolated occasion.

And you can't just sweep Hebrews 9:27 under the rug and call the plain understanding of this verse "hyper-literal". By doing so, you yourself are causing scripture to contradict itself.

 

[3 Resurrections]

Firstfruits is always used in the singular. Think of it as the first batch. Christ is THE firstfruits, not a firstfruits.

The 144,000 were also called "the First-fruits" in Revelation 14:4. Regardless of how you interpret this numbered amount, it is obvious that it involves more than one person, and that none of the 144,000 are Christ. The 144,000 First-fruits stood with the Lamb (with "Christ the First-fruits") on Mount Zion in the physical city of Jerusalem on that resurrection day. And yes, as you say, it was the "first batch" - the "first batch" of a mass group of individuals all resurrected at the same time.

This event in Matthew 27:52-53 of those 144,000, First-fruits Israelite saints coming out of their broken-open graves was predicted by Christ in John 5:25 when He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, THE HOUR IS COMING and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Even though Christ and the disciples during His earthly ministry in that present "now is" hour were then raising individuals from the dead one at a time on various occasions, yet Christ predicted that "THE HOUR IS COMING" when the dead would hear the voice of the Son of God and come to life again as a result.

But even this coming hour of the "First-fruits" group resurrection event would not yet involve "ALL that are in the graves" in John 5:28-29. Christ predicted this for yet another future hour that would come later on, after the group of 144,000, Matthew 27:52-53 Israelite tribal members had risen from the dead.

 

[Ed Parenteau]

The Jews only represent 2 of the 12 tribes.
The other 10 tribes are represented by the Christian peoples, from every tribe, race nation and language. Revelation 5:0-10

They will all be gathered into the holy Land, soon after the Sixth Seal punishment has cleared and cleansed all of that area. Deuteronomy 32:34-43, Zephaniah 1:14-18, Romans 9:27

Are you saying the following isn't true?
Revelation 7:
4And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

Now there aren't any more tribes at all.
Malachi 4:1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
Matthew 3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. See Matthew 22:1-10

 

[Ed Parenteau]

The 144,000 were also called "the First-fruits" in Revelation 14:4. Regardless of how you interpret this numbered amount, it is obvious that it involves more than one person, and that none of the 144,000 are Christ. The 144,000 First-fruits stood with the Lamb (with "Christ the First-fruits") on Mount Zion in the physical city of Jerusalem on that resurrection day. And yes, as you say, it was the "first batch" - the "first batch" of a mass group of individuals all resurrected at the same time.

This event in Matthew 27:52-53 of those 144,000, First-fruits Israelite saints coming out of their broken-open graves was predicted by Christ in John 5:25 when He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, THE HOUR IS COMING and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Even though Christ and the disciples during His earthly ministry in that present "now is" hour were then raising individuals from the dead one at a time on various occasions, yet Christ predicted that "THE HOUR IS COMING" when the dead would hear the voice of the Son of God and come to life again as a result.

But even this coming hour of the "First-fruits" group resurrection event would not yet involve "ALL that are in the graves" in John 5:28-29. Christ predicted this for yet another future hour that would come later on, after the group of 144,000, Matthew 27:52-53 Israelite tribal members had risen from the dead.

24Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
25 is the Amen to 24 which is the Amen to 23.
25Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. 27And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

Ephesians 2:5
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

Of those raised on the day Christ died, it says their "bodies" were raised. Paul says that it is not the body you put in the ground that is raised but that it is merely the seed of the new spiritual heavenly body.

1 Corinthians 15:35But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else. 38But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
You have them being filled with the Spirit and born again of the Spirit before the Spirit is poured out at Pentecost, you have last enemy death before it takes place (1Cor 15:26 ), you have the "day of redemption" which is Christ coming a second time to bring salvation before He brings it. All this without a single verse that validates your saying so. There is no actual connecting verse that says what you claim.

 

[Spiritual Jew]

Bad translation here.

No, it isn't.

What translation do you use? KJV? It says the same thing.

Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

The word "first" does not modify the phrase "rise from the dead".

Yes, it absolutely does. This is a shameful attempt by you to deny the obvious. I just can't take you seriously and am not going to waste any more time refuting the doctrine you have all to yourself. There's no point in it.

 

[JulieB67]

Are you saying the following isn't true?
Revelation 7:
4And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

Only 2 tribes are what we call Jews today -Judah and Benjamin. The other 10 scattered all over the world long ago. But God knows where they are.

 

[Ed Parenteau]

Only 2 tribes are what we call Jews today -Judah and Benjamin. The other 10 scattered all over the world long ago. But God knows where they are.

Again, Acts 3: 22For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. 23Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people.
If one is cut off, one has no more inheritance to the land.

According to today's Jews, the following is taken from The Tribes Today - Kohens, Levis & Yisraels
Today, Leviim are believed to be the direct patrilineal descendents of Levi, while Kohanim are Leviim who descend directly, through their fathers, from Aaron. Other Jews are assumed to come from one of the other tribes and are called, simply, Yisraelim. A convert to Judaism takes the status as a Yisrael. The only valid method of being a Levite (or Kohen) is to have an unbroken tradition, passed from generation to generation, stretching back to the time of Moses. In many Jewish communities, meticulous records were kept throughout the generations to ensure that ancestral lines remained clear. If one has no clear evidence, such as a family tradition, of descending from Levi or Aaron one should assume he/she is a Yisrael. Traditionally, women adopt the status of their husband, thus if a bat Kohen (daughter of a father who is a Kohen) marries a Yisrael, she and her children are Yisraelim.
Compare to Numbers 36:6This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their father. 7No inheritance in Israel may be transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9No inheritance may be transferred from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance.”

I queried ChatGpt for a rundown of the return of the exiles from the Babylonian exile. There was a prophesied exile of 70 years which was from the destruction of the temple in 586bc to the rebuilding of the temple in 516bc. Read Ezra 10 and try to imagine anyone doing that today.

The restoration of Jewish inheritance after the Babylonian exile was a complex process influenced by both religious and political factors. The primary sources of information on this period are the Hebrew Bible, particularly the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai, as well as historical records from Persian sources.

Key Points in the Restoration Process​

1. Cyrus the Great's Decree:
   • In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon and issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This decree is recorded in the Bible in Ezra 1:1-4. Cyrus' policy of allowing displaced peoples to return to their homelands and restore their religious practices played a critical role in the initial restoration efforts.
2. Return and Rebuilding:
   • Under the leadership of figures such as Zerubbabel, Joshua the High Priest, Ezra the scribe, and Nehemiah, the returning exiles began to rebuild their community. The first major project was the reconstruction of the Temple, which was completed in 515 BCE (Ezra 6:15).
   • Nehemiah, who was appointed governor of Judah by the Persian king Artaxerxes I, focused on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, providing security and stability to the city (Nehemiah 2:17-20, 6:15-16).
3. Restoration of Land and Property:
   • The restoration of land and property was a complex issue. Many of the returning exiles found their ancestral lands occupied or in disrepair. The Persian authorities, under the guidance of local leaders like Nehemiah, worked to restore these lands to their original owners or their descendants. This process involved legal adjudication and the reassignment of land based on genealogical records (Ezra 2, Nehemiah 7).
4. Religious Reforms and Covenant Renewal:
   • Ezra and Nehemiah implemented significant religious reforms to re-establish Jewish law and practices. Ezra read the Torah to the people, leading to a renewed commitment to the covenant, including the observance of the Sabbath, dietary laws, and the prohibition of intermarriage with surrounding peoples (Nehemiah 8-10).
   • The dedication to religious observance was seen as essential for the re-establishment of the community's identity and inheritance.
5. Economic and Social Challenges:
   • The returning exiles faced economic hardships, including poverty, debt, and the challenge of rebuilding an economy that had been devastated by decades of neglect and foreign occupation. Nehemiah addressed these issues by instituting reforms to relieve debt and oppression among the poorer members of the community (Nehemiah 5).
6. Persian Support and Oversight:
   • The Persian Empire provided support for the restoration efforts, including financial aid for the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 6:8-10) and political backing for the Jewish leaders. However, the Jewish community remained under Persian oversight, and their autonomy was limited.

Conclusion​

The restoration of Jewish inheritance after the Babylonian exile was a multifaceted process involving religious revival, legal restitution of property, social and economic reforms, and the support of the Persian authorities. This period laid the foundation for the Second Temple period, during which Jewish religious and cultural identity was re-established in the land of Judah.

 

[keras]

The restoration of Jewish inheritance after the Babylonian exile was a multifaceted process involving religious revival, legal restitution of property, social and economic reforms, and the support of the Persian authorities. This period laid the foundation for the Second Temple period, during which Jewish religious and cultural identity was re-established in the land of Judah.

But the restoration of Jewish Israel in 1948, is a very different one. The Jewish State of Israel, [so misnamed] was founded on communistic principals, by atheists. Those who do have some religion, follow the Talmud, Mishna and kabbalistic beliefs.
They are never said; in the Bible; to ever accept Jesus as their Messiah. There are many prophesies which tell of their virtual demise at the forthcoming Sixth Seal Day of the Lords fiery wrath, that will clear and cleanse the entire Middle east region.

 

[Ed Parenteau]

But the restoration of Jewish Israel in 1948, is a very different one. The Jewish State of Israel, [so misnamed] was founded on communistic principals, by atheists. Those who do have some religion, follow the Talmud, Mishna and kabbalistic beliefs.
They are never said; in the Bible; to ever accept Jesus as their Messiah. There are many prophesies which tell of their virtual demise at the forthcoming Sixth Seal Day of the Lords fiery wrath, that will clear and cleanse the entire Middle east region.

Except Peter says that all the prophets spoke of the days they were in conjunction with those not listening to Him would be cut off and therefore they would have no inheritance to be restored to.

Acts 3:21Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. 22For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. 23Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people. 24Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days.

Not only that, but the disciples are told to wait for the Holy Spirit and He would lead them into all truth and declare to them things to come. John 16:When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Where did the Holy Spirit say that after Jerusalem is destroyed according to the Olivet Discourse that those to whom Jesus referred to as so called Jews, but are the Synagogue of Satan will again be restored?
It makes no sense to me that having destroyed them in 70ad He is going to bring them back just to destroy them again.

As to the sixth seal, let's start with Isaiah 2 prophesying Judah and Jerusalem's last days.
1The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

10Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.

Then in the New Testament Jesus says the following to the daughters of Jerusalem concerning their fate.

Luke 23:28But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Revelation 6:
16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

 

[keras]

It makes no sense to me that having destroyed them in 70ad He is going to bring them back just to destroy them again.

Try reading Ezekiel 21:14. That Prophecy says Judah will be punished three times. 1/ Babylon, 2/ Rome and the third time by the Lord Himself.

Luke 23:29-30 is a Prophecy about the forthcoming Day when the Lord will arise and destroy His enemies. Including Judah; Zephaniah 1:14-18 The worldwide disaster of the Sixth Seal.