The 144, 000: The Jesus Loophole
This may seem an odd place to start. But it offers a nice cover of the situation we are in trying to view the future through our foggy lenses.
Re 7:1 After his I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
6 Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
8 Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands;
(ASV)
https://www.gotquestions.org/144000.html
So the answer to the question “who are the 144,000?” will depend on which interpretive approach you take to the book of Revelation. With the exception of the futurist approach, all of the other approaches interpret the 144,000 symbolically, as representative of the church and the number 144,000 being symbolic of the totality—i.e., the complete number—of the church. Yet when taken at face value: “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4), nothing in the passage leads to interpreting the 144,000 as anything but a literal number of Jews—12,000 taken from every tribe of the “sons of Israel.” The New Testament offers no clear cut text replacing Israel with the church.
These Jews are “sealed,” which means they have the special protection of God from all of the divine judgments and from the Antichrist to perform their mission during the tribulation period (see Revelation 6:17, in which people will wonder who can stand from the wrath to come). The tribulation period is a future seven-year period of time in which God will enact divine judgment against those who reject Him and will complete His plan of salvation for the nation of Israel. All of this is according to God’s revelation to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27). The 144,000 Jews are a sort of “first fruits” (Revelation 14:4) of a redeemed Israel which has been previously prophesied (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–27), and their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, millions—“a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9)—will come to faith in Christ.
Names of the original 12 tribes:
Tribe of Reuben
Tribe of Simeon
Tribe of Levi
Tribe of Judah
Tribe of Issachar
Tribe of Zebulun
Tribe of Dan
Tribe of Naphtali
Tribe of Gad
Tribe of Asher
Tribe of Joseph
Tribe of Benjamin
Tribes in Revelation
Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand:
Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
ἐσφραγισμένων [esphragismenōn] , perfect passive participle, ones having been sealed. The angel recounts the total number of individuals who, by this time, have been sealed. The seal identifies those who are set apart for special protection in the midst of the judgments from God. “The mark which denotes ownership also carries with it the protection of the owner,”1 in this case, God. The seal may not be visible to men, but is evident to God and the angels and demons who carry forth his judgment (Rev. Rev. 9:4+). It is analogous to the sealing of believers today, who are baptized into the body of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit (2Cor. 2Cor. 1:22; Eph. Eph. 1:13; Eph. 4:30).
2Co 1:21 Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;
22 who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
(ASV)
Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:
5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:
7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10 unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, I say,
11 in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;
12 to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:
13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory.
(ASV)
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.
(ASV)
Seiss suggests that in order to stand in the midst of this time of unparalleled judgment and tribulation, those who are sealed will require a special measure of spiritual enablement:
In our discussion of Interpreting Symbols , we noted the tendency of many interpreters to ignore the literal meaning of numbers whenever a cherished theological viewpoint makes the literal value given in the text unpopular. Perhaps the two most abused numbers in the entire book of Revelation are the 144,000 sealed individuals here and the 1,000 years of the millennial reign (Rev. Rev. 20:1+). Although this passage goes to great lengths to make plain the literal nature of what is being conveyed, this hasn’t stopped many from flights of interpretive fancy which substitute subjective conjecture for the plain facts:
Think back to the ancient civil war in Israel.
"The question before the Rabbis was only whether they would ever return, not whether they had ever returned. This distinction is critical, because many people, both Jews and non-Jews, erroneously assume that whenever Israel or the Jews are mentioned either in the Hebrew Prophets, Writings, or in post-Biblical literature, that all twelve tribes are included in the reference. Such an assumption ignores the Rabbinic position that the Ten Tribes were deported and had not returned as of the 2nd Century C.E., a position which is clearly borne out in all of the Hebrew Prophets and in many post-Biblical writings" (Will the Ten Tribes Return? Dennis Jones, United Israel web site).
The biblical and historical facts concerning the tribal makeup of modern-day Judaism will create problems for those who have written books dealing with end-times events because it adds a whole new chapter into the eschatological mix. However, it's time to put this issue to rest. It's time to get our facts straight. It's time to investigate this issue with an unbiased point-of-view. It's called "rightly dividing the word of truth..." (2 Timothy 2:15).
The Plan Unfolds
It was never in YEHOVAH God's plan for all the tribes to remain in Israel nor was it in YEHOVAH’s plan for Israel and Judah to remain together (I Kings 12:15 and 24). This will remain the case until the Millennium. Now that I have everyone’s attention let me try to explain. First, concerning Israel’s expansion:
“And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14).
Right from the start we get a picture of a migrating, colonizing people. The land of Canaan was the port-of-departure for Israel.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well: whose branches run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22).
A wall is a boundary line. Ephraim and Manasseh would extend beyond the boundaries of Israel.
Another prophecy came when David was king and Israel was enjoying its greatest geographical expanse:
“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may have a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime” (II Samuel 7:10, I Chronicles 17:9).
“That they may have a place of their own…?” Didn’t Israel already have a place of their own when this promise was given? Yes, but YEHOVAH God had other lands predestined for Israel outside the Middle East. The Appointed Place and the land of Israel are two totally different geographical locations.
"The children you will have, after you have lost the others, will say again in your ears, 'The place is too small for me; give me a place where I may dwell'" (Isaiah 49:20).
Isaiah 54 sheds more light on this subject:
“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate [Israel] than the children of the married wife, [Judah] saith the LORD. (2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; (3) For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.”
What are these verses speaking of? Answer: World wide expansion. “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). How can this prophecy be fulfilled if all 12 tribes remained in the state of Israel? Where it says “break forth”…from what? The population of Israel would grow to a point that they would need more lands to hold their numbers. Physical Israel was predestined to expand worldwide. This will not be fulfilled by the Church, but the physical descendents of Abraham -- to whom the promise was given to.
In spite of the fact that Israel exited Canaan via the Assyrian invasion, YEHOVAH would still keep His promises. Israel would expand geographically and in population while in exile. These promises were based on the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant, which is based on an oath YEHOVAH made by Himself (Hebrews 6:13-14) therefore, it cannot be broken. The Mosaic Covenant is based on obedience; “Thou shalt -- thou shalt not,” it’s conditional, and it can, and was, broken (Jeremiah 31:32). The Abrahamic Covenant is based on “I will.” Obedience, or lack thereof, does not come into play. This article deals primarily with the Abrahamic Covenant.
...
This may come as a surprise to some, but, there may be only one “Holy Land” however, there are several “Promised Lands.” The land of Canaan was not the only territory promised to Israel. The Appointed Place is every much a land promised to Israel as is Canaan -- and it’s theirs to keep forever.
“For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's” (1 Chronicles 5:2). The sons of Joseph would become like the stars of heaven, etc., not Judah.
The Abrahamic covenant was divided in Genesis chapters 48 and 49. “Judah was his sanctuary and Israel his dominion” (Psalm 114:2). “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). The sons of Joseph received the birthright, Judah the Scepter.
Let me give a classic example of what I’m trying to get across:
Jacob said of Zebulun: “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon” (Genesis 49:13).
Moses said of Zebulun: “…for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand” (Deuteronomy 33:19).
According to these verses Zebulun would become noted for its maritime activity. However, if you look at a tribal map showing the boundaries of each tribe you’ll see that Zebulun was totally landlocked with no access to the sea whatsoever. Zebulun was the proverbial “Kansas” of the Promised Land and his inheritance could not be fulfilled until relocated in the Appointed Place. The Elders of Israel in Joshua’s day were not ignorant of Zebulun’s birthright promise so why did they place Zebulun in the center of Israel with no access to the sea? Did they know something that most of us miss today? I think the answer is obvious.
(Note: This defines the 144,000 as being the governors of Christ. W.)
(This gets my disagreement. W.)
These two verses make it abundantly clear that during the Millennium the vast majority of Israelites will NOT return to Canaan when YEHOVAH God and the Messiah return. Only a small percentage will because there’s simply too many of them. These two verses also make it abundantly clear that the vast majority of Israelites are currently abiding somewhere outside the Middle East.
(I would disagree to a point. Please read my comments below on the Jesus Loophole. W.)
I want to stress I don't agree with some of the conclusions of the above writer. I do agree with some of his evidence that the Tribes still exist. I want to mention how they still exist below, but let's deal with some of his Bible references.
I call this the Jesus loophole. Because Jesus' father was the Holy Spirit Jesus own birth would not have been recognized as Jewish had he been born under any human law which makes the father's origins the determining factor. Mary being a Jew made Jesus one at birth plus her marriage to Joseph, a descendant with a claim, established Jesus right to being king.
Answer: When people refer to the “lost tribes of Israel,” they usually have in mind the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom that fell to Assyria about 722 BC. These tribes are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Joseph (whose tribe was divided into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh). Most of the people of the Northern Kingdom were deported to ancient Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). Many of the Jews who remained in the land intermarried with people from Cutha, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim who had been sent by the Assyrian king to inhabit Samaria (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2–11). Thus, the story goes, the ten northern tribes of Israel were “lost” to history and either wiped out or assimilated into other people groups. This narrative, however, is based on inference and assumption rather than on direct biblical teaching.
There are many mysteries, legends, and traditions as to what happened to the ten “lost” tribes of Israel. One legend says that the ten tribes migrated to Europe (the Danube River, they say, got its name from the tribe of Dan). Another legend says the tribes migrated all the way to England and that all Anglo-Saxons today are actually Jews—this is a teaching of the heretical British Israelism. A surprising number of groups around the world claim to have descended from the “lost” tribes: there are people in India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and North America who all claim such ancestry. Other theories equate the Japanese or the American Indians with the ten “lost” tribes of Israel.
The truth is that the “lost tribes of Israel” were never really lost. Many of the Jews who remained in the land after the Assyrian conquest re-united with Judah in the south (2 Chronicles 34:6–9). Assyria was later conquered by Babylon, who went on to invade the Southern Kingdom of Israel, deporting the two remaining tribes: Judah and Benjamin (2 Kings 25:21). Remnants of the northern tribes would have thus been part of the Babylonian deportations. Seventy years later, when King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to Israel (Ezra 1), many (from all twelve tribes) returned to Israel to rebuild their homeland.
This writer arrives at another conclusion:
The idea that ten tribes of Israel were “lost” is false. God knows where all twelve tribes are, and, as the Bible itself proves, they are all accounted for. In the end times, God will call out witnesses from each of the twelve tribes (Revelation 7:4–8). So, obviously, God has been keeping track of who belongs to what tribe.
In the Gospels, the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36) was from the tribe of Asher (one of the ten supposedly lost tribes). Anna wasn’t lost at all. Both Zechariah and Elisabeth—and therefore John the Baptist—are from the tribe of Levi (Luke 1:5). Jesus promises the disciples that they will “sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30). Paul, who knows he is from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1), speaks of “the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night” (Acts 26:7)—note the present tense. James addresses his epistle “to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1). In short, there is ample evidence in Scripture that all twelve tribes of Israel are still in existence and will be in the Messianic kingdom. None of them are lost.
While I heartily agree with the conclusion about God knowing who these witnesses are and their tribes, let me explain how they could still exist as members of the tribes of Israel even if they are not somehow among the ones calling themselves Jews today. Because the tribes were separated and lost their national identity, the bloodline rule must apply to keep their descendants Hebrew. We have already pointed out that they would have to be born of Hebrew mothers even as Jesus had to be. This would require that their mothers had been born of Hebrew mothers and on and on back to the start point of national disaster and deportation. We would have a full lineage of women having daughters right up to the time of the births of the witnesses. Women born to women of the blood would also be Hebrew with no need to convert to establish that bloodline. This could more easily apply if these women were all in Israel.
But tribal identity is determined by the father.
"Many people have asked me why traditional Judaism uses matrilineal descent to determine Jewish status, when in all other things (tribal affiliation, priestly status, royalty, etc.) we use patrilineal descent."
(See above link for reference.)
Since we are concerned that the witnesses be of specific tribes, they must also have fathers descended from a line of daughters from the "lost tribes". These men would marry the lost tribe women from a line of daughters and their children would be both Hebrew and of the listed Hebrew tribes. This is the way they could fulfill the prophecy. Only God could trace all these lines down the centuries, maneuvering things to eventually produce the line to fill the need for the end times.
The reason they get called Jews by those who suggest the witnesses will actually exist is because it is a general reference used to describe everyone of the Jewish faith as mentioned above. And our mortal minds can easily grasp how God could round them all up in one spot.
But Booth's point is well taken that the Bible says they will be scattered.
De 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee,
2 and shalt return unto Jehovah thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;
3 that then Jehovah thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither Jehovah thy God hath scattered thee.
4 If any of thine outcasts be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will Jehovah thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 and Jehovah thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
(ASV)
Zec 2:5 For I, saith Jehovah, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.
6 Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah.
(ASV)
I find that last most telling since the angels hold back the four winds that did the scattering so that the witnesses can be sealed.
Moreover, it seems more profoundly telling that God would somehow keep the witnesses hidden from Satan, those of the other tribes hidden by distance from Israel, hidden by nationalities, by languages. All making them witnesses to the nations they dwell in, more logical to my mind that they would not have returned to Israel yet. One may suggest they would come from the scattered Jews who were from the "lost tribes" and I wouldn't fight over it. Jewish or not, they would have to be descended in the way I suggest to fit the billing described.
This touches on all the ways we think about the rest of the end times. We try so often to fit it into things we can currently understand. That kept Amil teaching in vogue for centuries since no one could imagine the temple being rebuilt or Israel being a nation or a talking image of the Antichrist existing. We have two out of three now, Israel and the hologram tech for the talking image, and the Temple out of reach only because current Judaism is largely more ephemeral than practical, more interested in the concept of God than in the possibility of a personal relationship with Him and because the Dome of the Rock Islamic monument stands on the temple mount. and, oh, yeah, people still say it isn't true.
It took centuries to realize it must be Hebrews. Maybe just a couple decades now to realize they don't have to be in Israel. Keep it in mind as you read my blog or anybody's work on the Word. We can sometimes see only as far as our human vision will reach. Bring your own thoughts to it. Pray over everything. It's your salvation you are working out; it's your future you hold as a gift to God.
Revelation 3:10-16
"If the rapture had occurred in the first century preceding the tribulation which the book of Revelation describes, they were assured of deliverance. By contrast, those sealed out of the twelve tribes of Israel in 7:4 clearly go through the time of trouble. This implies the rapture of the church before the time of trouble referred to as the great tribulation. Such a promise of deliverance to them would seemingly have been impossible if the rapture of the church were delayed until the end of the tribulation prior to the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom."
–From The Revelation of Jesus Christ by Dr. John Walvoord
–From The Revelation of Jesus Christ by Dr. John Walvoord
This may seem an odd place to start. But it offers a nice cover of the situation we are in trying to view the future through our foggy lenses.
Re 7:1 After his I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
6 Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
8 Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands;
(ASV)
https://www.gotquestions.org/144000.html
So the answer to the question “who are the 144,000?” will depend on which interpretive approach you take to the book of Revelation. With the exception of the futurist approach, all of the other approaches interpret the 144,000 symbolically, as representative of the church and the number 144,000 being symbolic of the totality—i.e., the complete number—of the church. Yet when taken at face value: “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (Revelation 7:4), nothing in the passage leads to interpreting the 144,000 as anything but a literal number of Jews—12,000 taken from every tribe of the “sons of Israel.” The New Testament offers no clear cut text replacing Israel with the church.
These Jews are “sealed,” which means they have the special protection of God from all of the divine judgments and from the Antichrist to perform their mission during the tribulation period (see Revelation 6:17, in which people will wonder who can stand from the wrath to come). The tribulation period is a future seven-year period of time in which God will enact divine judgment against those who reject Him and will complete His plan of salvation for the nation of Israel. All of this is according to God’s revelation to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27). The 144,000 Jews are a sort of “first fruits” (Revelation 14:4) of a redeemed Israel which has been previously prophesied (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–27), and their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, millions—“a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9)—will come to faith in Christ.
Names of the original 12 tribes:
Tribe of Reuben
Tribe of Simeon
Tribe of Levi
Tribe of Judah
Tribe of Issachar
Tribe of Zebulun
Tribe of Dan
Tribe of Naphtali
Tribe of Gad
Tribe of Asher
Tribe of Joseph
Tribe of Benjamin
Tribes in Revelation
Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand:
Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
ἐσφραγισμένων [esphragismenōn] , perfect passive participle, ones having been sealed. The angel recounts the total number of individuals who, by this time, have been sealed. The seal identifies those who are set apart for special protection in the midst of the judgments from God. “The mark which denotes ownership also carries with it the protection of the owner,”1 in this case, God. The seal may not be visible to men, but is evident to God and the angels and demons who carry forth his judgment (Rev. Rev. 9:4+). It is analogous to the sealing of believers today, who are baptized into the body of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit (2Cor. 2Cor. 1:22; Eph. Eph. 1:13; Eph. 4:30).
22 who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
(ASV)
Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:
5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:
7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10 unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, I say,
11 in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;
12 to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:
13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory.
(ASV)
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.
(ASV)
The best analysis of the seal is that it protects against the disasters that the four winds will bring to the earth (Beckwith; Caird). The context of Rev. Rev. 7:1-3+ is in preparation for the judgments of the seventh seal that includes the seven trumpets. Thus the sealing must refer to these judgments. The command “do not hurt” implies that after the sealing is finished, the judgments that are next in the divine program (i.e., Revelation Rev. 8:1+) will come (Smith).2
We may, therefore, conceive of this sealing of the 144,000 as a special and extraordinary impartation of the Holy Ghost; which again connects this vision with particular Old Testament promises. By the mouth of Joel, the Lord said to Israel: “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” This was indeed a general promise, but with it was coupled another, which is not so general, but particular to Israel: “And your sons and your daughters [O Jews] shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants and upon the handmaidens in those days will I pour out my Spirit.” Peter tells us that this began to be fulfilled in the miracle of Pentecost; but the fullfilment did not end there. There are also particulars in this passage which were not fulfilled upon the primitive Church—particulars which refer to the judgment times, and connect directly to the scenes to which this sealing of the 144,000 is related. “Wonders in heaven and earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke,” are spoken of; and the turning of the sun into darkness, and the moon into blood; . . . In this we distinctly recognize the occurrences under the red horseman of the second seal, the physical prodigies of the sixth seal, and the exact manifestations under the first and fifth trumpets.3
One hundred and forty-four thousandIn our discussion of Interpreting Symbols , we noted the tendency of many interpreters to ignore the literal meaning of numbers whenever a cherished theological viewpoint makes the literal value given in the text unpopular. Perhaps the two most abused numbers in the entire book of Revelation are the 144,000 sealed individuals here and the 1,000 years of the millennial reign (Rev. Rev. 20:1+). Although this passage goes to great lengths to make plain the literal nature of what is being conveyed, this hasn’t stopped many from flights of interpretive fancy which substitute subjective conjecture for the plain facts:
The name “Christ” appears seven times and the name “Jesus” fourteen times. “The Lamb” is used of Christ twenty-eight times, seven bringing the Lamb and God together. The 7 x 4 appearances of this title underscore the universal scope of the Lamb’s complete victory. . . . Twelve is the number of God’s people, which is squared to indicate completeness and multiplied by one thousand to connote vastness.4
Twelve is the number of the tribes, and appropriate to the Church: three by four: three, the divine number, multiplied by four, the number for world-wide extension. Twelve by twelve implies fixity and completeness, which is taken a thousandfold in 144,000. A thousand implies the world perfectly pervaded by the divine; for it is ten, the world number, raised to the power of three, the number of God. [emphasis added]5
No matter how specific God’s Word may be concerning the identification of this group of persons, the interpreters refuse to follow the text where it leads. This is because they have theological biases which go against recognizing the obvious Jewish nature of this passage. (As we saw earlier, the Jewish nature of this book was recognized by many and led to opposition to its acceptance into the canon.)
Many are so morbidly prejudiced against everything Jewish, that it is concluded in advance, that anything merciful, referring to the Israelitish race, must needs be understood some other way than as the words are written. Though all the prophets were Jews, and Jesus was a Jew, and the writer of this Apocalypse was a Jew, and all the Apostles were Jews, and salvation itself is of the Jews, and the Jews as a distinct people are everywhere spoken of as destined to continue to the world’s end, it is regarded as the next thing to apostasy from the faith, to apply anything hopeful, that God has said, to this particular race. . . . No wonder, therefore, that they cannot find a consistent interpretation of a vision of grace which is predicated of Jacob’s literal seed, in contradistinction from all others.6
Bullinger, an authority on figures of speech, holds that this number is not symbolic of some other group than the Jews, but intentionally definite:
Alford says of this number, “No one I am aware of has taken it literally!” Very likely: but we are thankful to be an exception to the rule, and to believe what God says. There is such a thing as Figures of Speech, but, we ask, what Figure is used here? What is its name? The truth is that there is here no Figure whatever; but it is the simple statement of fact: a definite number in contrast with the indefinite number in this very chapter (Rev. Rev. 7:9+). If the total number is not exact, then all the items which go to make it up are indefinite also. If the number is symbolical, then what number in the Book may we take as literal? . . . We prefer to believe God. And, believing Him, we conclude that He had reserved 7,000 in the days of Ahab (1K. 1K. 19:18; Rom. Rom. 11:4), so He will reserve 144,000 in the Great Tribulation.7
{As is often the case within Scripture, when the plain sense of Scripture is rejected, a foothold is provided for aberrant teachings frequented by cults, in this case the Jehovah’s Witnesses:
The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the 144,000 is the body of spirit-begotten believers who have a “heavenly hope” (Rom. Rom. 8:24. Eph. Eph. 4:4. Col. Col. 1:5. Heb. Heb. 7:19. 1Pe. 1Pe. 1:3. 1Jn. 1Jn. 3:3). All other believers can have only an “earthly hope” (Job Job 14:7. Jer. Jer. 31:17. Acts Acts 26:6). Once the Watchtower organization had more than 144,000 adherents, the teaching was developed that the “great multitude” mentioned later in the chapter (Rev. Rev. 7:9+) referred to those Christians who had only an earthly hope. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that members of the “great multitude” who have only an earthly hope do not need to be born again. . . . If the claim of Jehovah’s Witnesses that the heavenly hope is limited to 144,000 has any validity, the significance of that hope for anyone today is purely historical, for since this number was reached within five years of Pentecost, no person alive today could possibly lay claim to be one of that fixed number, not even the leaders of the Watchtower in Brooklyn, New York.}
However, the verses which follow make it clear that the sealed are Jews. This is in accordance with what is said later concerning the 144,000—that they are firstfruits,
These sealed Jews are those who come to faith in Jesus as Messiah during the Tribulation period. They are further described as “first fruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Rev. Rev. 14:4+), indicating that they compose the first stage of a final harvest of Jewish souls to be gathered later at the Lord’s coming in glory. . . . These comprise the “remnant” of Jews “who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. Rev. 12:17+b).9
Did you notice anything? Look at it again. See it?
Think back to the ancient civil war in Israel.
http://www.hope-of-israel.org/howmanytribes.html
At the same time there’s absolutely no confusion or debate in Jewish academia on this issue. They all agree that the 10 tribes are still lost. This belief that the Jews represent all 12 tribes is an erroneous Christian doctrine -- it’s a "Christian" invention. It's unbiblical and false and I’m going to try to prove it in this article. Have you ever noticed that "Christian" groups that hold this position never quote Jewish sources to prove their point? The reason is there aren’t any. There’s not a Jewish scholar in the past 2000 years, that I’m aware of, that maintains the position that the modern-day Jews represent all 12 tribes. So why do many Christians hold to these beliefs? Or, to put it another way, why do some Christian scholars disagree with Jewish scholars on this issue? There’s a reason why it isn’t “The 12 Tribes of Judah” but that’s what some misguided Christians, and Jews, have made it.
At the same time there’s absolutely no confusion or debate in Jewish academia on this issue. They all agree that the 10 tribes are still lost. This belief that the Jews represent all 12 tribes is an erroneous Christian doctrine -- it’s a "Christian" invention. It's unbiblical and false and I’m going to try to prove it in this article. Have you ever noticed that "Christian" groups that hold this position never quote Jewish sources to prove their point? The reason is there aren’t any. There’s not a Jewish scholar in the past 2000 years, that I’m aware of, that maintains the position that the modern-day Jews represent all 12 tribes. So why do many Christians hold to these beliefs? Or, to put it another way, why do some Christian scholars disagree with Jewish scholars on this issue? There’s a reason why it isn’t “The 12 Tribes of Judah” but that’s what some misguided Christians, and Jews, have made it.
"The question before the Rabbis was only whether they would ever return, not whether they had ever returned. This distinction is critical, because many people, both Jews and non-Jews, erroneously assume that whenever Israel or the Jews are mentioned either in the Hebrew Prophets, Writings, or in post-Biblical literature, that all twelve tribes are included in the reference. Such an assumption ignores the Rabbinic position that the Ten Tribes were deported and had not returned as of the 2nd Century C.E., a position which is clearly borne out in all of the Hebrew Prophets and in many post-Biblical writings" (Will the Ten Tribes Return? Dennis Jones, United Israel web site).
The biblical and historical facts concerning the tribal makeup of modern-day Judaism will create problems for those who have written books dealing with end-times events because it adds a whole new chapter into the eschatological mix. However, it's time to put this issue to rest. It's time to get our facts straight. It's time to investigate this issue with an unbiased point-of-view. It's called "rightly dividing the word of truth..." (2 Timothy 2:15).
The Plan Unfolds
It was never in YEHOVAH God's plan for all the tribes to remain in Israel nor was it in YEHOVAH’s plan for Israel and Judah to remain together (I Kings 12:15 and 24). This will remain the case until the Millennium. Now that I have everyone’s attention let me try to explain. First, concerning Israel’s expansion:
“And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14).
Right from the start we get a picture of a migrating, colonizing people. The land of Canaan was the port-of-departure for Israel.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well: whose branches run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22).
A wall is a boundary line. Ephraim and Manasseh would extend beyond the boundaries of Israel.
Another prophecy came when David was king and Israel was enjoying its greatest geographical expanse:
“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may have a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime” (II Samuel 7:10, I Chronicles 17:9).
“That they may have a place of their own…?” Didn’t Israel already have a place of their own when this promise was given? Yes, but YEHOVAH God had other lands predestined for Israel outside the Middle East. The Appointed Place and the land of Israel are two totally different geographical locations.
"The children you will have, after you have lost the others, will say again in your ears, 'The place is too small for me; give me a place where I may dwell'" (Isaiah 49:20).
Isaiah 54 sheds more light on this subject:
“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate [Israel] than the children of the married wife, [Judah] saith the LORD. (2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; (3) For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.”
What are these verses speaking of? Answer: World wide expansion. “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). How can this prophecy be fulfilled if all 12 tribes remained in the state of Israel? Where it says “break forth”…from what? The population of Israel would grow to a point that they would need more lands to hold their numbers. Physical Israel was predestined to expand worldwide. This will not be fulfilled by the Church, but the physical descendents of Abraham -- to whom the promise was given to.
In spite of the fact that Israel exited Canaan via the Assyrian invasion, YEHOVAH would still keep His promises. Israel would expand geographically and in population while in exile. These promises were based on the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant, which is based on an oath YEHOVAH made by Himself (Hebrews 6:13-14) therefore, it cannot be broken. The Mosaic Covenant is based on obedience; “Thou shalt -- thou shalt not,” it’s conditional, and it can, and was, broken (Jeremiah 31:32). The Abrahamic Covenant is based on “I will.” Obedience, or lack thereof, does not come into play. This article deals primarily with the Abrahamic Covenant.
...
This may come as a surprise to some, but, there may be only one “Holy Land” however, there are several “Promised Lands.” The land of Canaan was not the only territory promised to Israel. The Appointed Place is every much a land promised to Israel as is Canaan -- and it’s theirs to keep forever.
“For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's” (1 Chronicles 5:2). The sons of Joseph would become like the stars of heaven, etc., not Judah.
The Abrahamic covenant was divided in Genesis chapters 48 and 49. “Judah was his sanctuary and Israel his dominion” (Psalm 114:2). “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). The sons of Joseph received the birthright, Judah the Scepter.
Let me give a classic example of what I’m trying to get across:
Jacob said of Zebulun: “Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon” (Genesis 49:13).
Moses said of Zebulun: “…for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand” (Deuteronomy 33:19).
According to these verses Zebulun would become noted for its maritime activity. However, if you look at a tribal map showing the boundaries of each tribe you’ll see that Zebulun was totally landlocked with no access to the sea whatsoever. Zebulun was the proverbial “Kansas” of the Promised Land and his inheritance could not be fulfilled until relocated in the Appointed Place. The Elders of Israel in Joshua’s day were not ignorant of Zebulun’s birthright promise so why did they place Zebulun in the center of Israel with no access to the sea? Did they know something that most of us miss today? I think the answer is obvious.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11).
Isaiah 11 speaks of a “second time” recovery which begs the question: when and where did the “first” recovery take place? Some articles I’ve read state that the first recovery took place when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. But Isaiah 11:11 mentions several nations not just Egypt. So we can rule out the Egyptian Exodus. That can’t be what Isaiah was referring to.
The first gathering took place after the Assyrian captivity. YEHOVAH God led the 10 tribes from Assyria into the “wilderness” (Hosea 2:14) where they would “renew their strength” (Isaiah 41:1) in a place where “never mankind dwelt” (II Esdras 13:39-45). There they would find “grace in the wilderness” and “rest” (Jeremiah 31:1-2). A place where Israel will “sing” and “praise” the LORD (Isaiah 42:10-12). There YEHOVAH God would plead with them “face to face” and be brought into “…the bond of the covenant” (Ezekiel 20:33-37). The “covenant” spoken of here is the “new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31). Israel would receive the new covenant while in the wilderness. There, the population of Israel would grow, “…be thou the mother of thousands of millions” (Genesis 24:60). In exile Israel’s name would be changed, “and thou shalt be called by a new name” (Isaiah 62:2). Judah’s name has never changed.
"If the Ten Tribes have disappeared, they must exist under a different name" (The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1905, vol. 21, page 249).
The “Wilderness” and the “Appointed Place” are one and the same. There the birthrights would find their fulfillment -- an impossible task while in the land of Canaan.
The birthright described in the Abrahamic Covenant states: “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;” (Genesis 22:17). The state of Israel, roughly the size of New Jersey, simply cannot handle those kinds of numbers -- even with the boundaries expanded during the Millennium.
During the Millennium only a small percentage of Israelites actually return to Canaan. “…and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion” (Jeremiah 3:14). The majority of Israelites will remain in the Appointed Place throughout the Millennium and go year-to-year to pay homage to YEHOVAH God as mentioned in Zechariah 14:16. A similar statement can be found in Isaiah 10:22:
“For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return and the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.”
The “consumption decreed” speaks of the bill of divorce which, after Calvary, will “overflow with righteousness,” it was rendered null and void at the Tree.
These two verses make it abundantly clear that during the Millennium the vast majority of Israelites will NOT return to Canaan when YEHOVAH God and the Messiah return. Only a small percentage will because there’s simply too many of them. These two verses also make it abundantly clear that the vast majority of Israelites are currently abiding somewhere outside the Middle East.
(I would disagree to a point. Please read my comments below on the Jesus Loophole. W.)
From Where?
Where is Israel today and when they return at the beginning of the Millennium, what direction will they come from?
"Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: 'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD" (Jeremiah 3:12).
"In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers" (Jeremiah 3:18).
"Behold, I will bring them from the north country" (Jeremiah 31:8).
"They shall walk after the LORD. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall come trembling from the west" (Hosea 11:10).
"Surely these shall come from afar; look! Those from the north and the west...." (Isaiah 49:12).
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14-15).
“And He [YEHOVAH God] shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12).
Side Note: This is what the Messiah was speaking of in Matthew 24:30-31 where he said; “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he [YEHOVAH God -- see Isaiah 27:12-13] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The Messiah was referring to Isaiah 27:13; “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.”
Trumpets are mentioned many times in the Bible but there are only two places where the term “great trumpet” is mentioned: Isaiah 27:13 and Matthew 24:30-31 and both speak of the re-gathering of Israel.
I know the Bible says they’ll return from the north, south, east and west, but when the Bible gets specific the predominate direction is north and west.
Josephus wrote in the 1st. century: “The Ten Tribes did not return to Palestine; only two Tribes served the Romans after Palestine became a Roman Province...the Ten Tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude not to be estimated in numbers” (Antiquities of the Jews, 11.5.2). If they were an immense multitude 2000 years ago what are their numbers today? “Till now” means they were still outside the Roman Empire at the end of the first century.
“Behold I will recall a matter that is expressly mentioned many times in Scripture. It is known that with the Return of the Exiles under Ezra only the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin returned” (What Does the Bible Say? Nachmanides (Moshe ben Nachman) 1194-1270).
Nachmanides also stated;
“It has been made quite clear from our study that the only ones who returned from the Babylonian Exile were they who belonged to the Kingdom of Judah. Those however who are termed the House of Ephraim, or The House of Israel, meaning the Ten Tribes are still in Exile in Assyria. These Tribes did not have any participants in the Second Redemption, as I have noted.”
I want to stress I don't agree with some of the conclusions of the above writer. I do agree with some of his evidence that the Tribes still exist. I want to mention how they still exist below, but let's deal with some of his Bible references.
Perhaps the most important verses:
Isa 11:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; together shall they despoil the children of the east: they shall put forth their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind will he wave his hand over the River, and will smite it into seven streams, and cause men to march over dryshod.
16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
(ASV)
Add:
Ho 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up from the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
(ASV)
Let me correct the first minor detail: the Jews are three tribes. The Levites are also a part of the Jews. When they broke off, Judah and Benjamin took the Temple with them and some of the Levites remained. Today Jews with the name Green or some variation can usually trace their lineage to the Priestly line. It seems odd this gets ignored so often. We are only missing 9 tribes. Or are we?
Origins of the Words "Jew" and "Judaism"
The original name for the people we now call Jews was Hebrews. The word "Hebrew" (in Hebrew, "Ivri") is first used in the Torah to describe Abraham (Gen. 14:13). The word is apparently derived from the name Eber, one of Abraham's ancestors. Another tradition teaches that the word comes from the word "eyver," which means "the other side," referring to the fact that Abraham came from the other side of the Euphrates, or referring to the fact Abraham was separated from the other nations morally and spiritually.
Another name used for the people is Children of Israel or Israelites, which refers to the fact that the people are descendants of Jacob, who was also called Israel.
The word "Jew" (in Hebrew, "Yehudi") is derived from the name Judah, which was the name of one of Jacob's twelve sons. Judah was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, which was named after him. Likewise, the word Judaism literally means "Judah-ism," that is, the religion of the Yehudim. Other sources, however, say that the word "Yehudim" means "People of G-d," because the first three letters of "Yehudah" are the same as the first three letters of G-d's four-letter name.
Originally, the term Yehudi referred specifically to members of the tribe of Judah, as distinguished from the other tribes of Israel. However, after the death of King Solomon, the nation of Israel was split into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel (I Kings 12; II Chronicles 10). After that time, the word Yehudi could properly be used to describe anyone from the kingdom of Judah, which included the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, as well as scattered settlements from other tribes. The most obvious biblical example of this usage is in Esther 2:5, where Mordecai is referred to as both a Yehudi and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
In the 6th century B.C., the kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and the ten tribes were exiled from the land (II Kings 17), leaving only the tribes in the kingdom of Judah remaining to carry on Abraham's heritage. These people of the kingdom of Judah were generally known to themselves and to other nations as Yehudim (Jews), and that name continues to be used today.
In common speech, the word "Jew" is used to refer to all of the physical and spiritual descendants of Jacob/Israel, as well as to the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac and their wives, and the word "Judaism" is used to refer to their beliefs. Technically, this usage is inaccurate, just as it is technically inaccurate to use the word "Indian" to refer to the original inhabitants of the Americas. However, this technically inaccurate usage is common both within the Jewish community and outside of it, and is therefore used throughout this site.
Ro 9:4 who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
5 whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
(ASV)
A Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism.
It is important to note that being a Jew has nothing to do with what you believe or what you do. A person born to non-Jewish parents who has not undergone the formal process of conversion but who believes everything that Orthodox Jews believe and observes every law and custom of Judaism is still a non-Jew, even in the eyes of the most liberal movements of Judaism, and a person born to a Jewish mother who is an atheist and never practices the Jewish religion is still a Jew, even in the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox. In this sense, Judaism is more like a nationality than like other religions, and being Jewish is like a citizenship.
I call this the Jesus loophole. Because Jesus' father was the Holy Spirit Jesus own birth would not have been recognized as Jewish had he been born under any human law which makes the father's origins the determining factor. Mary being a Jew made Jesus one at birth plus her marriage to Joseph, a descendant with a claim, established Jesus right to being king.
One more point and we'll get to explanations of the possible way the witnesses can even exist. Jeff Booth's work (pasted above) suggests the tribes somehow stayed together in one form or another in Western Europe. They became the Celts. Other tribes.
Here's another view of the idea:
Answer: When people refer to the “lost tribes of Israel,” they usually have in mind the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom that fell to Assyria about 722 BC. These tribes are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Joseph (whose tribe was divided into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh). Most of the people of the Northern Kingdom were deported to ancient Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). Many of the Jews who remained in the land intermarried with people from Cutha, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim who had been sent by the Assyrian king to inhabit Samaria (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2–11). Thus, the story goes, the ten northern tribes of Israel were “lost” to history and either wiped out or assimilated into other people groups. This narrative, however, is based on inference and assumption rather than on direct biblical teaching.
There are many mysteries, legends, and traditions as to what happened to the ten “lost” tribes of Israel. One legend says that the ten tribes migrated to Europe (the Danube River, they say, got its name from the tribe of Dan). Another legend says the tribes migrated all the way to England and that all Anglo-Saxons today are actually Jews—this is a teaching of the heretical British Israelism. A surprising number of groups around the world claim to have descended from the “lost” tribes: there are people in India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and North America who all claim such ancestry. Other theories equate the Japanese or the American Indians with the ten “lost” tribes of Israel.
The truth is that the “lost tribes of Israel” were never really lost. Many of the Jews who remained in the land after the Assyrian conquest re-united with Judah in the south (2 Chronicles 34:6–9). Assyria was later conquered by Babylon, who went on to invade the Southern Kingdom of Israel, deporting the two remaining tribes: Judah and Benjamin (2 Kings 25:21). Remnants of the northern tribes would have thus been part of the Babylonian deportations. Seventy years later, when King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to Israel (Ezra 1), many (from all twelve tribes) returned to Israel to rebuild their homeland.
This writer arrives at another conclusion:
The idea that ten tribes of Israel were “lost” is false. God knows where all twelve tribes are, and, as the Bible itself proves, they are all accounted for. In the end times, God will call out witnesses from each of the twelve tribes (Revelation 7:4–8). So, obviously, God has been keeping track of who belongs to what tribe.
In the Gospels, the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36) was from the tribe of Asher (one of the ten supposedly lost tribes). Anna wasn’t lost at all. Both Zechariah and Elisabeth—and therefore John the Baptist—are from the tribe of Levi (Luke 1:5). Jesus promises the disciples that they will “sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30). Paul, who knows he is from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1), speaks of “the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night” (Acts 26:7)—note the present tense. James addresses his epistle “to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1). In short, there is ample evidence in Scripture that all twelve tribes of Israel are still in existence and will be in the Messianic kingdom. None of them are lost.
While I heartily agree with the conclusion about God knowing who these witnesses are and their tribes, let me explain how they could still exist as members of the tribes of Israel even if they are not somehow among the ones calling themselves Jews today. Because the tribes were separated and lost their national identity, the bloodline rule must apply to keep their descendants Hebrew. We have already pointed out that they would have to be born of Hebrew mothers even as Jesus had to be. This would require that their mothers had been born of Hebrew mothers and on and on back to the start point of national disaster and deportation. We would have a full lineage of women having daughters right up to the time of the births of the witnesses. Women born to women of the blood would also be Hebrew with no need to convert to establish that bloodline. This could more easily apply if these women were all in Israel.
But tribal identity is determined by the father.
"Many people have asked me why traditional Judaism uses matrilineal descent to determine Jewish status, when in all other things (tribal affiliation, priestly status, royalty, etc.) we use patrilineal descent."
(See above link for reference.)
Since we are concerned that the witnesses be of specific tribes, they must also have fathers descended from a line of daughters from the "lost tribes". These men would marry the lost tribe women from a line of daughters and their children would be both Hebrew and of the listed Hebrew tribes. This is the way they could fulfill the prophecy. Only God could trace all these lines down the centuries, maneuvering things to eventually produce the line to fill the need for the end times.
The reason they get called Jews by those who suggest the witnesses will actually exist is because it is a general reference used to describe everyone of the Jewish faith as mentioned above. And our mortal minds can easily grasp how God could round them all up in one spot.
But Booth's point is well taken that the Bible says they will be scattered.
De 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee,
2 and shalt return unto Jehovah thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;
3 that then Jehovah thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither Jehovah thy God hath scattered thee.
4 If any of thine outcasts be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will Jehovah thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 and Jehovah thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
(ASV)
Zec 2:5 For I, saith Jehovah, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.
6 Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah.
(ASV)
I find that last most telling since the angels hold back the four winds that did the scattering so that the witnesses can be sealed.
Moreover, it seems more profoundly telling that God would somehow keep the witnesses hidden from Satan, those of the other tribes hidden by distance from Israel, hidden by nationalities, by languages. All making them witnesses to the nations they dwell in, more logical to my mind that they would not have returned to Israel yet. One may suggest they would come from the scattered Jews who were from the "lost tribes" and I wouldn't fight over it. Jewish or not, they would have to be descended in the way I suggest to fit the billing described.
This touches on all the ways we think about the rest of the end times. We try so often to fit it into things we can currently understand. That kept Amil teaching in vogue for centuries since no one could imagine the temple being rebuilt or Israel being a nation or a talking image of the Antichrist existing. We have two out of three now, Israel and the hologram tech for the talking image, and the Temple out of reach only because current Judaism is largely more ephemeral than practical, more interested in the concept of God than in the possibility of a personal relationship with Him and because the Dome of the Rock Islamic monument stands on the temple mount. and, oh, yeah, people still say it isn't true.
It took centuries to realize it must be Hebrews. Maybe just a couple decades now to realize they don't have to be in Israel. Keep it in mind as you read my blog or anybody's work on the Word. We can sometimes see only as far as our human vision will reach. Bring your own thoughts to it. Pray over everything. It's your salvation you are working out; it's your future you hold as a gift to God.
