The Royal Priesthood and the 144,000

In another one of my threads, mention was given to the 144,000 who will reign in heaven as kings and priests with Jesus Christ in heaven over the earth. In replying to one of the commenters the understanding was broken down as to why the 12 tribal divisions in Revelation 7 are not those of literal fleshly Israel but are referring to a spiritual Israel that is made up of anointed members of the Christian congregation. People out of all the nations.

The understanding of the royal priesthood in the hands of Jesus and the 144,000 and its blessings to all mankind is important. Certainly the fact that its meaning has been covered up is a conspiracy perpetuated by the religions of the world that claim to represent the God of the Bible!

Hopefully this information will help people to come to know God better and how he will soon bring blessings to all mankind by means of his heavenly kingdom in Jesus' hands.

Even if you are not familiar with the Bible the things here shared may perk your interest as you see wonderful things being done for the benefit of humankind.

A priest in true worship is someone who represented the people before God. They taught the people about God, made prayers in their behalf, and in the Mosaic law covenant they made sacrifices in behalf of their sins.

The Bible teaches us that the sacrifices of animals for sins paid off the debt of the sinner but could not make him perfect. Jesus' ransom sacrifice, on the other hand, as he was a perfect human life when given up as ransom was able to pay the debt of all sinners for all times. Jesus was raised to heavenly spirit life where he presented that sacrifice before his God Jehovah on behalf of all humankind that would exercise faith in it.

"For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before God on our behalf. This was not done to offer himself often, as when the high priest enters into the holy place from year to year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the founding of the world. But now he has manifested himself once for all time at the conclusion of the systems of things to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is reserved for men to die once for all time, but after this to receive a judgment, so also the Christ was offered once for all time to bear the sins of many; and the second time that he appears it will be apart from sin, and he will be seen by those earnestly looking for him for their salvation."-Hebrews 9:24-28.

Speaking of the priesthood under the Law Covenant given to the nation of Israel we are told:

"For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in their behalf over the things relating to God, so that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." - Hebrews 5:1.

Referring to the new and better covenant we are then told:

"Jesus has accordingly become the guarantee of a better covenant.  Furthermore, many had to become priests in succession because death prevented them from continuing as such, but because he continues alive forever, his priesthood has no successors. So he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them." - Hebrews 7:22-25.

So the Christian faith is based on the fact that Jesus died and gave his life as a ransom for our sins. And he was raised to heavenly spirit life and now intercedes for us in God's presence. He is a high priest appointed to heal the nations. He is the mediator between God and man. He is our high priest.

It is good to reflect on what a covenant is and why it is important to both God and man. Simply put one Biblical encyclopedia states that it is: "an agreement between two or more persons to do or refrain from doing some act; a compact; a contract."

In the Bible there are numerous covenants. For example, the rainbow covenant. That was the promise God made with Noah that he would not bring destruction by a global deluge of water ever again. There is the Abrahamic Covenant, in which God promised Abraham that by means of his offspring all mankind would be blessed.

When Jehovah lead his people out of slavery in Egypt they came into the wilderness and at Mount Sinai they entered into a covenant contract with Jehovah to become his people. This is known as the Law Covenant, or the Mosaic Law Covenant.

This covenant was a two-way contract. Jehovah agreed to do certain things as long as the Israelites agreed to do certain things. But God said that if the Israelites would break their covenant contract with him, then God would do away with it, as the contract would become null and void in his eyes.

Among the things in this covenant with the nation of Israel was a promise to make them a kingdom of priests:

"Now if you will strictly obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will certainly become my special property out of all peoples, for the whole earth belongs to me.  You will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” - Exodus 19:5, 6.

The Levetical preisthood was set up through the tribe of Levi, the high priest being of Aaronic decent. But the nation as a whole never became a kingdom of priests.

When Jesus came to earth the fleshly nation of Israel rejected him as the Messiah and son of God. So they did not enter into the better and more enduring covenant. The New Covenant:

“Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, ‘my covenant that they broke, although I was their true master,’ declares Jehovah.”-Jeremiah 31: 31, 32.

Even in Jeremiah's day Jehovah foretold this new covenant that would do away with the old, the Mosiac law covenant, the one that the Isarelites broke over and over and over and over.

You Gave Your Precious Son



Jesus on the night of his death officiated the new covenant with his faithful 11 apostles when he said:

"This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf."-Luke 22:20.

Of course later Mathias took the place of the traitor Judas, and became the 12th apostle.

Jesus also made a "kingdom covenant" with his apostles on the night before he died saying that they would rule with him in his kingdom:

"However, you are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials; and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel."-Luke 22:28-30.

cont...

The Kindgom is In Place Let it Come

In total an anointed Christian enters 4 covenants. 3 of them with Jehovah God, and the 1 kingdom covenant with Jesus Christ.

The Abrahamic covenant, the new covenant, the covenant to become priests, and the kingdom covenant to become kings.

If you recall the covenant made with the nation of Israel was that they would become a nation of priests if they obeyed Jehovah. But they did not. And the majority of the Jews rejected the Messiah and they were cast off.


Jesus preached mainly to the Jews while he was on earth, and after his ascension only Jews and Jewish proselytes were allowed to become Christians for 3 1/2 years. But in the year 36 C. E. God's holy spirit lead the apostle Peter to the uncircumcised gentile Cornelius, a Roman Centurion who was God-fearing. And God poured out holy spirit anointing this gentile along with his entire house and brought them into the new covenant. The first of the nations.

Since the majority of all the Jews rejected Jesus they did not enter into the new covenant. And God turned his attention to the nations. In fact Jehovah had already foretold that his own people the Israelites would reject the Messiah and that he would eventually have to call people out of all the nations to fill the number of the 144,000:

"They have incited me to fury with what is not a god;
They have offended me with their worthless idols.
So I will incite them to jealousy with what is not a people;
I will offend them with a foolish nation." -Deuteronomy 32:21.

Later Paul tells us that God united both Jews with the gentiles, or people of the nations as the spiritual Israel of God:

"Therefore, remember that at one time you, people of the nations by fleshly descent, were the ones called “uncircumcision” by those called “circumcision,” which is made in the flesh by human hands.  At that time you were without Christ, alienated from the state of Israel, strangers to the covenants of the promise; you had no hope and were without God in the world. But now in union with Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have come to be near by the blood of the Christ. For he is our peace, the one who made the two groups one and destroyed the wall in between that fenced them off.  By means of his flesh he abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, in order to make the two groups in union with himself into one new man and to make peace, and to reconcile fully both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because he had killed off the enmity by means of himself. And he came and declared the good news of peace to you who were far off, and peace to those near, because through him we, both peoples, have free access to the Father by one spirit."-Ephesians 2:11-18.

To further show the real hope of the anointed Christian congregation, and that the 144,000 are NOT all literal Jews we need hear Jesus' own words.

Speaking to descendants of Abraham, the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his time, he told them they were NOT Abraham's offspring. In fact, they were offspring of Satan the Devil:

"They replied to him: “We are Abraham’s offspring and never have been slaves to anyone..." - John 8:39.

Jesus told them:

"“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this...You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father." John 8:39, 44.

Later we are told that those who are Abraham's offspring are not those of fleshly decent, but those who by faith have had their hearts circumcised:

"For not all who descend from Israel are really “Israel.” Neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s offspring."-Romans 9:6, 7.

Remember that promise God made to the fleshly nation of Israel at the beginning of this thread, that if the Israelites kept his covenant he made with them at Mount Sinai, they would become a kingdom of priests? The Christian Scriptures show us that that promise was given to the Christian congregation:

"But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies” of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 For you were once not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not been shown mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9, 10.

Here Peter, the apostle that was lead to the uncircumcised gentile Cornelius, later wrote to many other gentile Christians that they were the "royal priesthood, the holy nation. They were once not a people, but now were God's chosen people. The kingdom of priests

People in Christendom today still are looking for some fulfillment in the literal nation of Israel from Bible prophecy. But the Israel of God is his anointed Christian congregation.

The 144,000 out of the 12 tribes of Israel are the spiritual Israel, anointed Christians who have been called and sealed to become kings and priests in heaven.

The royal priesthood is the covenant given to them by Jehovah God. The kingdom covenant, that they are to rule as kings with him over the earth is the covenant made by Jesus himself with the 144,000 he calls out of all the nations. If they endure faithful until the end:

"Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life.  Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: The one who conquers will by no means be harmed by the second death.’"-Revelation 2:10, 11.

"Happy is the man who keeps on enduring trial, because on becoming approved he will receive the crown of life, which Jehovah promised to those who continue loving Him."-James 1:12.

"And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshiped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for 1,000 years."-Revelation 20:4.

"And he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—yes, to him be the glory and the might forever. Amen."-Revelation 1:6.

"If we go on enduring, we will also rule together as kings; if we deny, he will also deny us."-2 Timothy 2:12.

"Then I saw, and look! the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. I heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; and the sound that I heard was like singers who accompany themselves by playing on their harps. And they are singing what seems to be a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to master that song except the 144,000, who have been bought from the earth. 4 These are the ones who did not defile themselves with women; in fact, they are virgins. These are the ones who keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes. These were bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb,  and no deceit was found in their mouths; they are without blemish." -Revelation 14:1-5.

Rev 7:4 specifies 'all tribes of Israel'

Its weird to see people stuck on Covenant with Israel;

what about Gods the other Covenant with both Israelites & Gentiles from world over??

I see you are a JW.
Do you know the difference between Gentiles and Israel?

Israel are God's chosen people NOT the Gentiles.

God made a promise and he does not break a promise.

Keep studying. Stop teaching. You have much to learn. Silence is key to learning.


a reply to: EdgeofParadise

what's a Gentile to do?

www.openbible.info...

Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV / 16 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke

embrace grace, over wrath.

The second part of the thread is now finished. Pardon to all who replied before it was.

originally posted by: EdgeofParadise
The second part of the thread is now finished. Pardon to all who replied before it was.

And of coarse, the smug reply of a JW. It takes one to know one. I was brainwashed in that cult for 22 years from birth.

Why is it that every 6 months or so one of you shows up on here? It never lasts long.

And BTW, this is a lazy way of ‘counting your time’.

The posts were mostly addressed in the second part of the thread. Apologies if the response sounded smug. I guess things get lost in translation when we are not talking face to face. Take care.

re JWs:

I remember sometimes having tea, biscuits while discussing watchtower, awake, etc publications with JWs doing their d2d in the hood, on the farm

i forgot which publication it was, but on the colorful cover was a savannah with some trees a boy, and some animals sitting with him, including a lion and a lamb. there was no wolf. i vaguely remember discussing isaiah 11:6 with them in ref to it, among other bible cliches.

however now i hear it is not a lion, but a wolf. they call it the mandela effect, but to me its an inversion cuz its like replacing a cat with a dog then saying it was always a dog.



las, in Amos 8:11 God does warn he will send a famine for words of the Lord.

originally posted by: tulsi
re JWs:

I remember sometimes having tea, biscuits while discussing watchtower, awake, etc publications with JWs doing their d2d in the hood, on the farm

i forgot which publication it was, but on the colorful cover was a savannah with some trees a boy, and some animals sitting with him, including a lion and a lamb. there was no wolf. i vaguely remember discussing isaiah 11:6 with them in ref to it, among other bible cliches.

however now i hear it is not a lion, but a wolf. they call it the mandela effect, but to me its an inversion cuz its like replacing a cat with a dog then saying it was always a dog.

las, in Amos 8:11 God does warn he will send a famine for words of the Lord.

Interesting story. And interesting you made mention of Amos 8:11. It reminds me of the words here:

"Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says:
“Look! My servants will eat, but you will go hungry.
Look! My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty.
Look! My servants will rejoice, but you will suffer shame.
Look! My servants will shout joyfully because of the good condition of the heart,
But you will cry out because of the pain of heart
And you will wail because of a broken spirit."-Isaiah 65:13, 14.

There is indeed a famine in the world is there not? For the word of Jehovah. Even among many people who claim to be Christians. Their Biblical knowledge is scanty because their religious leaders do not teach them from the Bible.

Honest-hearted people who are God-fearing and love God know the truth when they hear it. They know it because it is from God's word. That is why Jesus said:

"Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them."-Matthew 5:3.

Then again, Jesus said that many people will try to enter into the door of life and not be able. And that many people will say they professed his name on earth when he arrives to judge mankind and he will tell them he never knew them and to get away from him. And then again Jesus said that many will knock on the door asking to be let in but will be left out in the dark.

And finally Jesus also said that there are two gates, one leads to a broad road leading to destruction and many are on it. And the other gate leads to a narrow and cramped road leading to life and few are the ones who are on it.

a reply to: KKLOCO

And BTW, this is a lazy way of ‘counting your time’.

There are lazier ways, trust me...like two "sisters" sitting on your back patio pretending to be friends who just stopped by for some coffee and a chat, and end up spending three hours dropping some JW jargon every now in then so they can keep the clock rolling. hahahah!

(The fakey artwork is always a dead giveaway, btw.)

There are about 6 million JWs in the world ....

Only 144000 are going on the space ship.

Who do you suppose gets a seat?

The rest are not going!

This is not a religion, it is a cult used by the CIA for nefarious acts.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

Actually, according to the JWs, most of those 144,000 are dead already.

The witnesses have had to change their predictions a couple of times to accommodate their original prophecy. They will tell you the light gets brighter and brighter. Unfortunately, the "light" starts blinking in and out and getting suspiciously dim as the end fails to materialize according to their time table. The new light suddenly appears just in time to save the day.

Actually, I think they are more of a real estate investment corporation and a publishing house to give busy work to their free labor/building volunteers to keep them readily available. Actually, if you evaluate their business model (if you can call it that), it's quite a tricky little game they have going.

originally posted by: pheonix358
Only 144000 are going on the space ship. Who do you suppose gets a seat?

That would be 144,000 Jewish male virgins; 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

originally posted by: queenofswords
a reply to: pheonix358

Actually, according to the JWs, most of those 144,000 are dead already.

The witnesses have had to change their predictions a couple of times to accommodate their original prophecy. They will tell you the light gets brighter and brighter. Unfortunately, the "light" starts blinking in and out and getting suspiciously dim as the end fails to materialize according to their time table. The new light suddenly appears just in time to save the day.

Exactly! And when ‘The light gets brighter’ — they never admit they were wrong in the first place. It’s a convenient way of saying ‘We were wrong’, without actually saying it. Because they are never wrong....

I was raised a JW and my mom didnt talk to me for 35 yrs after I left the church. It destroys families. Wolves in sheeps clothing. They sneak into houses captivating silly women laden with sins. Always searching for knowledge but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. The devil comes not but to rob kill and destroy.

RUN for your lives.

On the other hand there are many experiences of people who have seen God with his people.

A few experiences worth looking at to those who have been told to flee. See from what from these people and decide for yourself:


How Hundreds Find Truth and Leave the Church

Jehovah Sees Our Worth

Now We Are Brothers


Now I View People Differently

The World Cannot Give You What It Does Not Have

I Turned My Life Around

Jehovah Has Seen Something in Me

I Wanted to Fight Injustice

My Gang was My Religion


Of course their are many many other experiences. I have shared one of my own here earlier.

Thanks for letting me take the time and point you to some real information. And precious.

originally posted by: misskat1
Wolves in sheeps clothing. They sneak into houses captivating silly women laden with sins.

You just described my heritage into the JW’s — Perfectly!

Both my grandmothers dragged each sides of the family into the religion. I didn’t find out until many years later. It was because they were both extremely scandalous for their time. It’s sad to say, but both were miserable narcissistic bitches. I rejoiced when my mothers sociopathic JW loving mom died. Ironically enough, my mom is still a hardcore JW — and she feels the same way! It’s interesting how people even at 66 years old, can’t understand who brainwashed them — and brought them into the falsehood.

The JW religion, definitely attracts lost souls...

a reply to: EdgeofParadise

Your links are nothing but JW crap and propaganda. Maybe you should go stand in front of the post office with your watchtower crap. People on ATS are a lot smarter than the average idiot you run into going door to door. Im sure this is nothing more than padding your time card.

There is no doubt there are many so many that can be touched by these stories. Here are some more:

Former Enemies Who Became Friends

Now I Can Hear Jehovah

I Wanted the Real Life

Filling the Emptiness We Felt

All Things Are Possible With God

I Put Down My Rifle


Truth Transforms Lives


Jehovah indeed is doing a marvelous thing in the earth. And he is shaking the nations and bringing to him all the desirable ones whom he loves because of the condition of their heart.