The number “144,000” comes from the NT commentaries, NOT Yehovah’s eternal and unchanging word; and because of that, it is not a number that I am going to “hang my hat on.” But Yehovah is, even now, raising up a people (men) who will serve only Him in these last days, just as He said He would.
[Note: This series is best understood from the beginning; here is Part 1.]
And who is like Thy people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom Elohim [the lawmaker and judge] went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for thyself great and awesome deeds for thy land—before thy people whom Thou redeemed for thyself from Egypt, the nations, and their elohim? For Thou have made Thy people, Israel thy very own people forever; and Thou, Yehovah, have become their Elohim. (2Sa 7:23-24)
But now, thus says Yehovah, who created thee, O Jacob [flesh birth], and He who formed thee, O Israel [spiritual birth]: “Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name; thou are Mine. When thou pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walk through the fire, thou shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch thee. For I am Yehovah, thy Elohim, the Holy One of Israel, thy savior; I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy place. Since thou are precious in My sight, thou has been honored, and I have loved thee; therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy descendants [seed, spiritual men] from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters [a woman is a daughter if she is bone of her man’s bone] from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” (Isa 43:1-7)
Oh, give thanks to Yehovah, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of Yehovah say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy [other men – belial’s seed], and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to Yehovah in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses; and He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to an encampment for a dwelling place. (Psa 107:1-7)
These “servants” of Yehovah in Jeremiah 23 are called by many names; the banner, the branch of righteousness, his arm, the male-child, the Ezrach man, Israel’s seed, the watchmen, a people great and strong, and a wild ox, just to name a few. This people is true Israel, the men Yehovah is raising up to be His shalachim, His sent ones, in the coming last days. And these are the men who are redeemed from among men. I talk about all these names in my video called the “144,000 in the scriptures.”
But what does it mean to be “redeemed from among men,” and how and when does it happen?
The word redeemed is the Hebrew word ga·al’ [×’×ל]; and a man is redeemed by his near of kin.
H1350  גַּ×ל   gā’al: A verb meaning to redeem or act as a kinsman-redeemer. The word means to act as a redeemer for a deceased kinsman (Rth_3:13); to redeem or buy back from bondage (Lev_25:48)
Yehovah told Moses, to tell pharaoh, to “let Israel, My son, My firstborn go that he may serve me.” And through Isaiah He says,
For thus says Yehovah: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” (Isa_52:3)
Right now we (men) can leave our Egypt freely and choose to serve only Yehovah; and then, at Passover, become Yehovah’s spiritual seed (His son) and the first-fruits of His spiritual kingdom.
They sang, as it were, a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. (4) These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow
the Lamb wherever He goesYehovah. These were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits to Elohim.and to the Lamb. (Rev 14:3-4)
[Note: You will have to read part 5 of this series to understand my very purposeful strike-outs above.]
All Israel’s first-fruits and those males who open the womb (the matrix) always belong to Yehovah. We bring the first-fruits and our first-born to Yehovah because He is the one who gives us the increase of our body, our animals, and the things that come from the ground (which he also gave to us). It is during Shavuot that we bring the first-fruits of the wheat harvest to wave before Yehovah; and it will be on Shavuot that Yehovah seals and sets-apart those shepherds who are redeemed from among men for His purpose.
All men come from the dust and they all will also return to the dust.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19)
All flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. (Job 34:15)
You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. (Psa 104:29)
All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. (Ecc 3:20)
But these servants are like Noah, wholly righteous men (enoshim); and, like him, they too will be coming through the last days of our world alive. And more, they will be “the great ones” in the millennial kingdom and the rulers, the el, over each of their gates.
I have a hunch that all these spiritually born men, true Ezrach Israel, the virgin, those who separated themselves from the world in order to wholly follow Yehovah in all His ways, may never die. Their women, their children and perhaps even their servants who come through the destruction of the earth with them may eventually perish in the new world. But is it possible that these spiritual men, selected and set-apart by Yehovah to be redeemed from the earth may live for the whole 1000 years?
The way of Yehovah is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not inhabit the earth. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out. (Pro 10:29-31)
Behold, the day of Yehovah comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. (Isa 13:9)
For Yehovah loves justice, and does not forsake His saints (his khaw·seed); they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever. (Psa 37:28-29)
“Gather My saints (My khaw·seed) together to Me, those who have cut a covenant with Me by slaughter.” (Psa 50:5)
Regardless of whether or not they live the whole of the 1000 years, what is important is that they will be renewed in their strength and there will be no week or feeble men among them; regardless of their present age and physical condition.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, Yehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. … but those who wait on Yehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isa 40:28-31)
The world will be in awe of these wholly righteous men who speak and act on behalf of Yehovah. Next time I will discuss how these shepherds will carry themselves during Israel’s three and one half years in the wilderness.
144,000 (7) Shalach Yehovah’s Sent One
