QUESTION: Zechariah describes another Holocaust in Israel before Jesus returns, where 2/3 of the Jews are wiped out. The remaining accept Jesus as their Messiah, they look upon the one whom they pierced and repent. Paul describes this event in Romans 11 saying all Israel will be saved. A remnant of Jews remain whom God seals. Some believe that it’s these Jews that are redeemed who are the 144,000 sealed: 12,000 from each tribe.
Immediately preceding the rapture is the resurrection of the dead (all believers that have gone before us, including all the Jews of the Old Testament), and we all, whether raptured or raised get new physical resurrected bodies just like Jesus. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 15 particularly after v.49. (Wrong again?)
In John’s Revelation it says that we rule and reign with Jesus 1000 years, he shares his throne with us on this earth. This is the inheritance of all the saints, not just the 144,000. Again, wrong?
Please explain where I’ve gone wrong. Is this just misinterpretation or is this relevant to another part of the end times and has been made to fit the 144,000 by people that don’t want to accept the two class system doctrine?
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ANSWER: I don’t say this jokingly or flippantly, but virtually everything that the churchgoing public believes about the Bible is wrong. That is the case because they are under the evil influence of a religious system that was founded and is presently controlled by Satan the Devil. The book of Revelation personifies Satan’s religious system — describing it as a harlot that goes by the name of Babylon the Great.
To illustrate the point, take the holidays for example. It is well-known that Christmas comes from the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, yet Jehovah’s Witnesses are considered oddballs and wackos because they don’t celebrate it. But according to Paul by partaking of pagan festivities we actually become sharers with the demons, and obviously that is why the demons promote such things.
To be sure, many other doctrines and practices common to the churches of Christendom could be cited to prove the point that there is no truth among them. As another example, the Scriptures are very clear that Jehovah is the God and Father of Jesus Christ. Yet, according to the trinity Jesus had no father, in that, he had no beginning; hence, the Father did not beget or give life to the Son. Yet, trinitarians refer to the father and son, even though there is no recognizable father/son relationship in the trinity dogma. Fact is, the trinity is another demonic teaching that originated in mystic Babylon and Egypt.
Okay, so here is the question: Is it possible for teachers so thoroughly under the influence of Satan’s false religious system, who do not comprehend even the basic, most fundamental truths contained in the Bible, to grasp the deeper things having to do with Jehovah’s sacred secret?
Keep in mind that even anointed Hebrew Christians in the first century were reproved by Paul for becoming dull-witted and unable to partake of the meatier truths, as compared to the “milk.”
To further demonstrate the point regarding the impossibility of evangelicals understanding the symbolism of prophecy, today was one of a series of lunar eclipses and so-called blood moons. One well-known evangelical pastor has written a book claiming that the series of eclipses that make the moon appear reddish for a brief period is actually the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. But when Jesus spoke of the moon turning to blood he also stated that the sun would turn black and the stars of heaven will fall to the earth. Obviously, Jesus was not speaking of any sort of natural phenomenon. No matter. Millions among the untaught masses believe tabloid nonsense such as peddled by evangelical, Zionist hoaxsters.
The truth is, the relatively recently established nation of Israel doesn’t have any connection whatsoever to Bible prophecy. If anything, modern Israel will not be the victim of a holocaust, but the perpetrator of it. In actual fact, Israel has enough nuclear weapons to obliterate the planet all by itself. The nations need to be protected from Israel, not the other way around.
But as regards ancient Israel, God’s purpose in relation to the Jews came to an end in the first century. It fulfilled its purpose to produce the Messiah and consequently became obsolete and was discarded by God. Even Jesus, a natural born Jew himself, told his fellow Jews that the Kingdom of God was going to be taken from them and given to a nation that produced its fruit. What was the “nation” that was going to be given the Kingdom? It was the congregation that Jesus founded, known as “the Israel of God.”
Paul stated in Colossians that both Jews and people of the nations who were called by God had been transferred into the Kingdom of the Son of his love.
Just as the original nation of Israelites was founded upon the 12 sons of Israel, so too, Jesus founded his spiritual nation upon the 12 apostles. And it is as if all those who came afterwards as adopted spiritual sons of God were of the 12 tribes. In fact, the brother of Jesus penned a letter, the Letter of James, in which he sent greetings to “the 12 tribes that are scattered about.” He did not use that expression to greet the natural born Israelites, but it was in reference to anointed Christians.
Revelation reveals that it is ultimately God’s purpose to produce 144,000 spiritual Israelites who will rule with Jesus from a symbolic, heavenly city of Jerusalem. No one who lived before Christ can be part of that elite new creation. The reason is because in order to inherit the heavenly Kingdom a person must be born again. Jesus explained that one must be born from the water and the spirit. In other words, a person has to be baptized into Jesus and anointed with Jehovah’s holy spirit. Obviously all those who lived and died before Jesus had no opportunity to be baptized or anointed.
As regards the prophecy in question, Zechariah 13:8-9 states: “‘And in all the land,’ declares Jehovah, ‘Two parts in it will be cut off and perish; and the third part will be left remaining in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire; and I will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘Jehovah is our God.’”
“In all the land” is not in reference to the nation of Israel in the Middle East. The “land” has to do with Christ’s congregation. How do we know? The preceding verse states: “O sword, awake against my shepherd, against the man who is my companion,” declares Jehovah of armies. ‘Strike the shepherd, and let the flock be scattered; and I will turn my hand against those who are insignificant.’”
When Jesus was on the earth he fulfilled the prophecy when he was struck down. Although he was not literally killed with the sword he was certainly pierced with a spear, as the prophecy also foretold. As a result Jesus’ apostle were scattered, at least temporarily. But the prophecy has a much greater fulfillment during the return of Christ. That is apparent from the verse cited above that uses the imagery of being refined by fire. Malachi the third chapter uses the same symbolism to portray Christ as the refiner of God’s people. And the context of Malachi indicates that the fiery refining takes place at the return of Christ. Not only that, but Zechariah 14:1 revels that all this will take place during the day of Jehovah.
But since Jesus is now immortal and resides in heaven, how is it possible for the shepherd of God’s people to be struck with the sword again? Well, Jesus said that whatever mistreatment is inflicted on his brothers — that is to say, those who are born again as Jesus was when he was anointed — is as if done to him personally. That will especially be the case when Jesus returns and distinguishes his brothers, what Paul called the revealing of the sons of God.
So, the prophecy is pointing forward to the occasion of the great tribulation, when a place holy to God is brought into a desolate condition by Satan’s king. Jesus said that many of his followers will be stumbled and hate one another and betray one another then. Parents will even hand over their believing children to be put to death and vice-versa.
In that way two-thirds of Christ’s “land” will perish. The “third” that will remain are the chosen ones who will then no longer even live on the earth, but will be with Christ in heaven.
For a more comprehensive consideration of Zechariah please read: The Coming Fall of the House of God