Ebed, the fact is: I do not 'read into prophesy', I do not allegorize or spiritualize it. I take the literal sense as read, unless it is obviously metaphorical.
You, however, prefer to view prophesy thru the lens of 'principals of prophecy' and it all being past history. That this is wrong and leads to false sense of security, will be proved very soon.
Red herring Keras. I didn't allegorize anything in my post...it was right there and you simply could not refute it.
Ebed says: I am a member of the 144,000 sealed!
Are you a JW? You sure have a peculiar idea about when and where that will happen.
Nice try...but I believe Jesus is God...so no I'm not a JW.
The only peculiar idea of the 144,000 is that those like you think they are 144,000 Jews...but John didn't see 144,000 Jews...he only HEARD 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. However after he heard them he looked and saw what they represented.
Now...did John only mention what he heard...OR did he mention what he BOTH heard and saw? I'm on firm footing Keras...because as you read Revelation John hears voices speak and then he sees what the voice is speaking of.
You can try as you might...but the 144,000 are represented by that GREAT MULTITUDE which no man could number.
Now...lets walk you through that:
John hears a voice in Revelation 7:2, 3:
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Scripture teaches us that we ARE SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT until the day of redemption Keras...so those are believers being sealed.
Next John HEARS the 144,000, which are 12,000 form each tribe of Israel, but right after that he sees the great multitude...Revelation 7:9, 10:
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
It's quite logical to associate what you HEAR, with what you see...that's what John is doing...and what you're ignoring.
Go through Revelation and notice with what John hears...he will then see that which he should connect to what he heard.
The hearing of the 144,000 connects to SEEING the great multitude...IT IS ALL OF GOD'S REDEEMED!!!
The next time you see the 144,000 they're with Jesus in a vision on Mt Zion at Rev 14:1.
Now listen to Hebrews 12:22-24:
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
That why I'm of the 144,000!
