For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God
to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek.[1]
Since the formation of Israel on May 14, 1948, Christians
worldwide have stepped up efforts aimed at getting the gospel message
out to the Jewish people. Many of these “good news” recipients are
hearing for the first time fundamental facts such as, Jesus was a Jew,
and, the current outpouring of Christian support for the nation Israel is Biblically based. Sixty
years of sincere evangelism has Jews flocking to Jesus in record
numbers. Yet scores more remain undecided, or uninformed, about the
messianic claims of Christ.
Among this latter grouping, are 144,000 Jews destined for spiritual
greatness. They will witness the Christian Church vanish from the earth
in a twinkling of an eye[2],
which is the likely event prompting them to realize that Jesus Christ
was, is, and will always be the Messiah! Left behind,[3]
these individuals will commence to administer the gospel of Christ in a
perilous period of time.
Revelation 7:5-8 identifies these future evangelists by their ancient
tribal origins. From each of the following twelve tribes come 12,000
members who commit themselves toward godly servitude: Judah, Reuben,
Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph,
and Benjamin. According to Revelation 7:9-10, these 144,000 witnesses
turn out to be instrumental in escorting many end time souls to
salvation.
Curiously, these twelve tribal patriarchs are not listed in their
chronological birth order. Since the Bible normally identifies
genealogies chronologically, this contrast is attention getting.
Judah, listed first, was actually the
fourth son of Jacob and his wife Leah, and Manasseh, Joseph’s son, is
listed before his father. Similarly the other names are not listed in
any apparent order, or are they? Conspicuous scriptural abnormalities
like this compel a deeper analysis. A standard starting point of
exploration is to discern the meaning of the names to see if they are
message-formatted. This method finds application in the case of the
144,000 witnesses.
The Meaning of the Names:
Judah-
Praise God; Reuben- behold a son; Gad- good fortune;
Asher- happiness; Naphtali- my wrestling or struggle;
Manasseh- God has caused me to forget; Simeon-hearing;
Levi-joining
or grafting in; Issachar- God hath given me my hire, or has
reinstated me; Zebulun- elevated or elevated position;
Joseph- adding or increasing; Benjamin- son of the right
hand.[4]
The Message of the Names:
Praise God! Behold a Son of good fortune and happiness. My struggle, God
has caused me to forget. Hearing of our grafting in, God has reinstated
me into an elevated position, increased by the Son of the right hand.
The Mission
Statement:
Inherent in these oddly ordered names, appears to be the ministerial
message of the 144,000 witnesses. Their “Mission Statement” should read
as follows: Praise God for the gospel of Christ, a Son of good
fortune and happiness. My struggle with sin and the
Mosaic Law, God has caused me to forget. Hearing of
the mystery of our grafting in with the Gentiles,[5]
God has reinstated me into an elevated position of
ministry once again, and is increasing those being saved through
Christ, the Son of the right hand.[6]
These post-rapture Jews will be among the “Firstfruits”[7]
of the restored “My people
Israel” period. This is a future point
in time, whereby the Jewish people regain their former “Client Nation”
status. For over 2000 years, in fulfillment of Hosea 1:9, the Jews
existed in a “not My people’ condition. The rebirth of the nation
Israel
in 1948 set the stage for their entitlement reclassification process.
They are soon to be reinstated as “My people Israel”.[8]
Forthcoming events that occur during this period of time are detailed in
my book, ISRALESTINE, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East,
available at
www.isralestine.net.
Briefly stated, with the sudden disappearance of the
Christian Church, God’s people Israel, formerly recognized as the
“Chosen People”, take center stage once again. Performing in the main
arena at the time will be the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. Their faith in
Christ, understanding of the Bible, and Christian artifacts like books,
commentaries, tapes, videos, songs, and other assorted teachings, will
undoubtedly escort them through their end times gospel campaign.
Corresponding with the mysterious exit of
Israel’s greatest fan club, the
Evangelical
Church, comes the daunting
realization that the Jewish State is left behind to fend for itself. If
not fulfilled beforehand, the Arabs of Psalm 83, and then the Russian –
Iranian led coalition of Ezekiel 38 and 39, will each advance against Israel for their
piece of the chosen pie.
Against this amazing backdrop, these 144,000 witnesses accomplish one of
the greatest worldwide revivals in history. At the cost of a martyr’s
death, many will come to accept Christ as their Savior. Therefore, the
good news today is that the gospel continues on tomorrow, through the
faithful efforts of the 144,000 future Jews for Jesus.
[1]
Romans 1:16, NKJV; emphasis added
[2]
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
[3]
Apocalyptic fiction series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
[4]
Name definitions primarily collected from
Easton’s Bible Dictionary, and Holman
Bible Dictionary
[5]
Regarding the mystery:
Romans 11:25, Ephesians 3:3-6. Regarding the grafting in:
Romans 11:17-24
[6]
Map from Parsons Bible Technology – Joseph represented by his
two sons Ephraim and Manasseh
[8]
Pertinent My people Israel passages are Ezekiel 38:14,16, Ezek.
39:7, Ezek. 25:14, Ezek. 36:8,12, Hosea 1:10, Romans 9:26