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Passover and The 144000
Passover and The 144000
Passover and The 144000
Lankford
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Jonathan Lankford
Revelation 6
I looked when He broke
the sixth seal, and there was
a great earthquake; and the
sun
became
black
as
sackcloth made of hair, and
the whole moon became like
blood;
13
and the stars of the sky
fell to the earth, as a fig tree
casts its unripe figs when
shaken by a great wind.
14
The sky was split apart
like a scroll when it is rolled
up, and every mountain and
island were moved out of
their places.
15
Then the kings of the
earth and the great men and
the commanders and the
rich and the strong and
every slave and free man
hid themselves in the caves
12
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So their slain will be thrown out, and their corpses will give
off their stench, and the mountains will be drenched with their
blood.
4
And all the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will
be rolled up like a scroll; all their hosts will also wither away
as a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig
tree.
Joel 2:30-31
30
I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood,
fire and columns of smoke.
31
The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into
blood Before the great and awesome day of Yehovah comes.
3
Yeshua described the timing of these events in Revelation 6 as after great tribulation but before
the wrath of Yehovah and His return:
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming
on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels
with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from
one end of the sky to the other. 32 Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its
branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is
near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at
the door. (Matthew 24:29-33)
29
In this context after great tribulation but before the return of Yeshua, Revelation 7 begins with
Yehovah selecting 144,000 Israelites. These will be protected from His wrath that He will pour
out on the earth when His kingdom finally comes (see Revelation 17). During this time, an
uncountable number of Gods people from every nation appear in heaven:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count,
from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10
and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb. .... And he [the angel] said to me, These are the ones who come out
of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve
Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle
over them. (Revelation 7:9, 10, 14, 15)
9
Note that these people from every nation will serve Yehovah in His temple, as it is written about
Israel and also about others who believe, For you are a holy people to Yehovah your God;
Yehovah your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples
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Jonathan W. Lankford
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who are on the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6). And, But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9).
The 144,000 Israelites appear again in Revelation 14. In this context, they are with
Yeshua at the final battle, described at length in the Prophets and in Revelation 19. Then I
looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and
forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads
(Revelation 14:1). These Israelites are not the only people from Israel who believe in Yehovah
and Yeshua, but they are those who meet certain other criteria as well, further described in
Revelation 14.
It seems clear that although the nations have opportunity to believe, an uncountable
number of individuals have the chance to see heaven, and people serve God in his kingdom,
the 144,000 Israelites who meet certain criteria have a special place is the fulfillment of Gods
plan of redemption.
Tribulation
now
Rev. 1:9
Great Tribulation
Future events (Mat. 24:21)
Uncountable number saved, appear in heaven
(Rev. 7:14)
144,000 Israelis protected on earth (Rev. 7:1-8)
Wrath of
God
Rev. 15:1
Rev. 16:1
Jonathan Lankford
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Jonathan W. Lankford
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Jonathan Lankford
http://jonathansdocs.com
Jonathan W. Lankford
http://jonathansdocs.com
No theological theory can add to or take away from the instructions of Yehovah previously
revealed and written (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6).
Jonathan Lankford
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Jonathan W. Lankford
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The Covenant and Physical Future Kingdom
There is definitely something to say regarding a New Covenant. It was prophesied and
Yeshua taught it as well. When thinking of the word new, keep in mind that Greek has two
words for this. One is neos, which means of a new kind or completely new. This is used
regarding things like a new month, new wineskins, new wine, etc. The other is kainos. This
refers to new things, but also refers to renewed and fresh things. It is used for things such as
the return of a season, or the renewal of an old law. John said that he was writing a new
commandment, that everyone should love one another, and that it was not really a new one.
This was already taught by Yeshua and written in the Law. John used kainos. Kainos is always
used for the New Covenant.
Regarding the Promised Land, there is definitely something about the genetic line of
Abraham that is important as seen in the sign of circumcision. Regarding the exodus from Egypt
and the giving of the covenant at that time, there were no genetic limitations. At first, it does
seem the covenant was made at Mount Sinai with only Israel, but two references stand out
regarding the acceptance of foreigners into the covenant. Exodus 12:37-38 states:
Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand
men on foot, aside from children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, along
with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.
When the covenant was confirmed again in Moab, Deuteronomy 29:10-15 states:
You stand today, all of you, before Yehovah your God: your chiefs, your tribes, your
elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the
alien who is within your camps, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws
your water, that you may enter into the covenant with Yehovah your God, and into His
oath which Yehovah your God is making with you today, in order that He may establish
you today as His people and that He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as
He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now not with you alone am I
making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here with us today
in the presence of Yehovah our God and with those who are not with us here today.
The idea of the Gentiles joining themselves to Yehovah and the three conditions of this are
explicitly expressed in Isaiah 56:6-7:
Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yehovah, to minister to Him, and to love the
name of Yehovah, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath
and holds fast My covenant; even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them
joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable
on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.
Yeshua later affirmed this in Matthew 21:13. Paul also described the Gentiles joining themselves
to the root by using the metaphor of the olive tree. This root is the Messiah (Isaiah 11) and his
work is to bring in the Gentiles (Ephesians 2). In the time of the conquest of the Promised Land
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and after that, whole nations who made peace agreements with Israel were part of Israel and
given special responsibilities, even with transportation of the Ark of the Covenant and
distinguished military service.
One reason I could never join or work with a Christian Bible college is that I do not
ascribe to replacement theology, that is, the replacement of Israel by the Church. The Church
is a continuation of pure faith, not a replacement. The word church is a Latin creation where
the word should actually be holy assembly, from ekklesia - which is the same Greek word used
of any holy assembly throughout the entire Bible, even in the Greek Old Testament. Where
ekklesia is reflected in a positive light or directly connected to followers of Yeshua in the New
Testament, it is translated church. In other cases, it is translated assembly.
Concerning the Law more specifically, various symbols can be seen that reflect a shift in
the priesthood to the reality that is Messiah. The whole book of Hebrews is devoted to the
message that the old covenant, specifically the temple ceremonies, have been replaced by the
reality that is Messiah. But this does not change what is right and what is wrong. It is clear
from both the Old and the New Testaments that the works of the Law do not justify anyone.
This is the purpose of the letter to Galatians and focus of many passages in the Prophets. The
spirit behind much of the Law is treating others as one should. So while the temple ceremonies
have been suspended on earth, this does not discount the relevance of the other instructions
in our lives today as they attempt to communicate the very heart of Yehovah.
And note that I said the temple ceremonies have been suspended, not abolished. Another
element of the replacement theology I referred to before is that the Prophets spoke
metaphorically and spiritually about a New Jerusalem, an everlasting Kingdom, and Mount Zion,
but this has happened already or will happen only in a spiritual sense. I do not ascribe to this
belief either. A farmer or marketplace shopkeeper hearing the words of the Prophets would not
think it to be spiritual or metaphorical, but physical. One of my favorite references regarding
the future physical kingdom from Mount Zion (the hill in Jerusalem today) is the last chapter
of Zechariah:
Then Yehovah will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of
battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem
on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very
wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half
southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the
mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the
days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then Yehovah my God will come, and all the holy ones
with him. (Zechariah 14:3-4; cf. Matthew 24, Acts 1, Revelation 19)
And even the Feast Days (and therefore sacrifices) will be restored:
Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall
go up year after year to worship the King, Yehovah of hosts, and to keep the Feast of
Booths. And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to Yehovah of hosts, so that
all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them.
Jonathan Lankford
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Jonathan W. Lankford
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And there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of Yehovah of hosts on that day.
(Zechariah 14:16, 21)
The sacrifices will be offered in the third Temple that is described in Ezekiel 40-48.
How does one know if he has joined himself to Yehovah and Yeshua? By faith and
endurance to the end. I don't deserve to be resurrected, but it is my hope. The faith that Paul
taught is not one of fear or shrinking back, but of hope and confidence.
144,000
I see two references to 144,000. One is clearly referring to Israelites by lineage. The
tribe of Dan has been removed because of their rebellion against the rest of the Israel. To make
up for Dan, the tribe of Joseph is listed twice: once with the name of Joseph's son Manasseh,
and once with Joseph's name. This is significant since Joseph's son Ephraim went to the nations
and became mixed with a multitude of people. Part of the 144,000 could be Gentiles not from
Jacob, but only 12,000.
After the reference of the 144,000 being sealed, a multitude of people are raptured to
heaven out of great tribulation right before the wrath of God comes upon the earth. The
144,000 apparently stay on earth to be witnesses. So, it seems to be the exact opposite what
the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. Read Revelation 19 with the following timeline in mind:
Day 1 Month 7 - Day of Trumpets - Rapture of the multitude of believers (144,000 have
been sealed and stay on earth as a witness); marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven for
10 days.
Day 10 Month 7 - Day of Atonement - Ten days later, Yeshua comes down from heaven
with the multitude for war in order to destroy all the armies of the world.
Day 15 Month 7 - Tabernacles begins - The physical kingdom is setup five days later.
The original meaning of each Feast Day corresponds to the sequence of events in
Revelation 19. A 1 hour Wiki reading overview will show this. For example, the Day of
Atonement is the traditional day that Jews hope for the salvation of Yehovah from all of
the Gentiles.
Regarding the bread and wine, it is clear from history that Paul taught the churches to eat
and drink it during the time of Passover in order to remember Yeshua. There is no clear change
in law or tradition, and there is no clear abrogation. Jehovahs Witnesses not taking the bread
and wine simply because they believe only the 144,000 should is based on a theological
presupposition on an opinion in eschatology (the study of prophecy), but has no historical or
direct textual support.
Jonathan Lankford
http://jonathansdocs.com