Redeemed from the Earth

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.
Revelation 14:3

I am a slow learner. I picked my way through this wonderful book. The one hundred forty-four thousand were such a mystery to me. While concern for their identity consumed me, I neglected what God did for them.

Each person's denomination bring's its own interpretation to the study under the formula: first confirm your prejudice, then proceed to "interpret". It is like a number of people speaking a language, but each with an accent, some so strong as to mispronounce the words.

I have told you of reading about this group in Rev. 7 with a very bright businessman. When we read of 12,000 from each tribe, he said, "Of course, that is the church." I was amazed that he would apply a passage describing a select group of Israelites to the church. Is the church composed of 12 tribes, all Jews?

But his preconceived ideas kept him from even a basic understanding. We did not even proceed to this redeemed body's wonderful rescue by the Lord. He did not believe in a Rapture of the church and certainly not one of Jews! For in his church the Jews had long ago been transformed into the church and had no more national identity or future restoration.

How wonderful it is to be free from denominations. With such freedom you may read the Bible without the boundaries imposed by formal organizations.

Need I say that his church had never taught John's blessed book, though it includes a blessing on those who read it. I was finally allowed to, after much examination by those who feared it. They would have been horrified had I gone into such details as the identity of the 144,000 as actual, real Jews. Imagine 12,000 from the tribe of Judah, not being Presbyterians!

But though I may be offending some, let me say that redemption from the earth is not a soterilogical salvation, it is literal rescue from the planet. Winds are held back until this rescue. Put these two ideas together and we have a Jewish Rapture.

It is as if there were no sign in heaven saying "No Jews Allowed". Our Savior, who came as a Jewish lamb went there, serves as our High Priest there, still bearing the marks of His crucifixion. A body out of Israel will be taken to heaven before the Great Tribulation.

Jews do not believe it. Many, many, churches do not accept it, but the Woman's Manchild will be so rescued. Praise be to God!