THE FIRST 144,000

We must show that the Messiah was the first to be resurrected from the dead to everlasting life.  Scriptures tell us He had to be the first.

Acts 26:23

23:

That the Messiah should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

1 Cor. 15:23

23:

But every man in his own order:  the Messiah, the firstfruits; afterward they that are the Messiah's at his coming.

Acts 10:40-41	40:	Him Yahweh raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
	41:	Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of Yahweh, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.   Yahweh is never without a witness.

Rev. 14:1-5	1:	And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
	2:	And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder:  and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.
	3:	And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:  and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
	4:	These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.  These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth.  These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto the Father and to the Lamb.
	5:	And in their mouth was found no guile:  for they are without fault before the throne of Yahweh.

	1.	Were not defiled with women; they were virgins = male babies.
	2.	They follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.
	3.	They were redeemed from among men = already gone.
	4.	Firstfruits unto the Father and to the Lamb = they were the first ones to obtain salvation, given credit to the Lamb.
	5.	In their mouth was found no guile = babies.
	6.	They were without fault = babies.

NOTICE:  In verse 1, only the Lamb and the 144,000 are standing on Mount Zion.  They were there to be redeemed from the earth as verse 3 states.

The Peoples Bible Encyclopedia - page 1196 - c. 1924:

ZION - The most southwestern hill, and the highest in Jerusalem.  ...the summit of Zion was cut away in the age of the Maccabees in order that it might be overlooked by the temple hill..

Did Yahweh have this happen for His future use, for the 144,000?

Compare this with when the Messiah returns the second time to set up his earthly kingdom in the following verses.

Zechariah 14:4

4:

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Also, let's look at Acts Ch. 1 verses 11 and 12, when the Messiah ascended up into heaven, with his disciples looking on.

Acts 1:11-12	11:	Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?  This same Messiah, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
	12:	Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olives, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

Notice that when He returns, he will return to the Mount of Olives, and at His Ascension from his disciples, was from the Mount of Olives, not Mount Zion.

You must now see that verse 1 is talking about when the 144,000 were redeemed from the earth.  They will be with Yahweh when He returns.

Notice in verses 2 and 3 of Revelation Ch. 14, they show the heavenly scene after the redemption of these 144,000.  When did this happen?

John 20:17

17:

Immanuel saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:  but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my Mighty One and your Mighty One.

Notice here that Immanuel told Mary not to touch him, for he had not ascended to the Father.

As you read John Ch. 20, you find Immanuel returns that same day at evening to his disciples.  He shows them his hands and side.  Eight days later he returns to his disciples and Thomas is with them this time.  Since Thomas doubted he had him touch his hands and side.  Notice that he had Thomas touch him and he told Mary not to touch him.  So it was between this time that he had ascended to the Father with the redeemed 144,000.

Matt. 27:51-53	51:	And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent:
	52:	And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
	53:	And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.

There's an important point to be made here.  Why were these saints raised after the Messiah was resurrected and not before, when the graves were first opened?  For the simple reason that they were to be raised to everlasting life.  If they were resurrected at the time of the first earthquake when the graves were opened, it means they would have had to die again just like Lazarus.  The Messiah had to be raised from the dead first, to everlasting life.

The second earthquake happened when the angel rolled back the stone to the Messiah's tomb.

	1.	They were not defiled with woman; they are virgins; so they were all males.
	2.	They were redeemed from among men.
	3.	They follow the Messiah wherever he goes.
	4.	They are without fault before the throne of Yahweh.
	5.	The firstfruits unto the Father and to the Lamb.

Who are they?

Matt. 2:16

16:

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Matt. 2:17-18	17:	Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying,
	18:	In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping,a and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15.

Rachel was the wife of Jacob, from his twelve sons came the twelve tribes of Israel.  These babies were foreordained for their lives to be taken, for the fulfillment of this prophecy.  Yes, just like John the baptist was foreordained in his mother's womb.

These would be the firstfruits to the Messiah.  Now that we know these male babies were the firstfruits and the Messiah cannot be called the firstfruits since he is only one.  This would make him the firstfruit of them that slept.  We can now understand how the following scripture should read.

1 Cor. 15:20-23	20:	But now is the Messiah risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
	21:	For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
	22:	For as in Adam all die, even so in the Messiah shall all be made alive.
	23:	But every man in his own order:  the Messiah the firstfruits, afterward they that are the Messiah's at his coming.

The following is the corrected version of the above scripture.  The corrections are in BOLD:

1 Cor. 15:20-23	20:	But now is the Messiah risen from the dead, and become the firstfruit of them that slept.
	21:	For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
	22:	For as in Adam all die, even so in the Messiah shall all be made alive.
	23:	But every man in his own order:  the Messiah, the firstfruits, afterward they that are the Messiah's at his coming.

Notice there's a comma between the Messiah and the firstfruits in verse 23 above.

Thirty some years after these babies were murdered and buried, they appeared to their parents, families, and witnesses.  These who had witnessed their murders and burials, had also witnessed their resurrection.  All these things took place within these peoples life time, so that there could be no greater witnesses than they were, to these babies resurrection.  You will find when reading the scriptures that Yahweh always has a witness for whatever he does.

2 Timothy 2:18

18:

Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

It seems that some people who knew about the resurrection of these babies, went around telling people that the resurrection had already taken place.  So some people believed that the resurrection had already taken place.

The killing of these babies may have started in Bethlehem but it spread over all of Judea, because Joseph was told to go back to Israel from Egypt after the death of Herod.  Once he got there, he heard Herod's son was reigning over Judea and he was afraid to go there.  Yahweh even warned him in a dream not to go.  So the murdering still had to be going on at this time.

Matt. 2:19-23	19:	But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of Yahweh appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
	20:	Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel:  for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
	21:	And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
	22:	But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:  notwithstanding, being warned of Yahweh in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
	23:	And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.