Are the 144,000 only natural Jews?
Revelation 7:4-8; "I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel; . . . Judah, . . . Reuben, . . . Gad, . . . Asher, . . . Naphtali, . . . Manasseh, . . . Simeon, . . . . Levi, . . . Issachar, . . . Zebulun, . . . Joseph, . . .Benjamen." These cannot be the natural tribes of Israel because there never was a tribe of Joseph, the tribes of Ephraim and Dan are not included in the list here, and the Levites were set aside for service in connection with the temple but were not reckoned as one of the 12 tribes. See Numbers 1:14-16.
Romans 2:28,29; "He is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision that which is on the outside upon the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit, and not by a written code."
Galations 3:26-29; "You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus. . . There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave not freeman, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one person in union with Christ Jesus. Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are really Abraham's seed; heirs with reference to a promise." |
