Who are the 144,000 Left after the Rapture Resurrection Gathering on Sept 23rd, 2017

Who are the 144,000 Left after the Rapture.

Maskilim (Sakal)  as the 144,000 Jews.

There are 13 Psalms called maskils. They are 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89 and 142. It is believed that "maskil" means:
1. Either a psalm with something special to teach, like 32 and 78, or

NET Glossary: a Hebrew term of uncertain meaning which occurs in the heading to 6 psalms (16, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60), always in connection with the phrase "of David"; suggested meanings include "inscription" or "prayer"

Definition 1. to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper (Qal) to be prudent, be circumspect (Hiphil) to look at or upon, have insight to give attention to, consider, ponder, be prudent to have insight, have comprehension 1b insight, comprehension (subst) to cause to consider, give insight, teach 1b the teachers, the wise to act circumspectly, act prudently, act wisely to prosper, have success to cause to prosper (Piel) to lay crosswise, cross (hands)

Distinct people.

They “discern,” possess insight into prophetic matters. They go to and fro through the scriptures and knowledge shall increase.

In general: Amos 5:13 Psalm 14:2

Specifically: Daniel 1:4; 11:33, 35; 12:3, 10

They give heed to apocalyptic prophecies in Daniel and Revelations.

They instruct the people in the essentials of apocalyptic revelations (rabbim) Dan 11:33.

They will “turn to righteousness” or set right the people (rabbim).  Dan 12:3.

Sealing of the 144,000 (Rev 7  1-8)

Sealing of the 144,000

1.  And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth (Jer 49:36), that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

    Winds:  blowing from the four quarters of heaven (Jer. 49:36; Ezek. 37:9; Dan. 8:8; Zech. 2:6). The east wind was parching (Ezek. 17:10; 19:12), and is sometimes mentioned as simply denoting a strong wind (Job 27:21; Isa. 27:8). This wind prevails in Palestine from February to June, as the west wind (Luke 12: 54) does from November to February. The south was a hot wind (Job 37:17; Luke 12:55). It swept over the Arabian peninsula. The rush of invaders is figuratively spoken of as a whirlwind (Isa. 21:1); a commotion among the nations of the world as a striving of the four winds (Dan. 7:2). The winds are subject to the divine power (Ps. 18:10; 135:7).

 2.  And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

 3.  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

     Sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads so that certain plagues, such as the one from the fifth trumpet (9:4) will not affect them. From 14:1 It seems that on the seal was written the name of the Lamb and of his Father. See also Ezekiel 9:4, where a mark is set on the foreheads of those who oppose the abominations done in Jerusalem.

     Seals were used to mark for each person his own possessions. This mark is the witness of the Holy Ghost, printed in the hearts of believers. And the Lord would not suffer his people to be afflicted before they were marked, that they might be prepared against all conflicts. And, observe, of those who are thus sealed by the Spirit, the seal must be on the forehead, plainly to be seen alike by friends and foes, but not by the believer himself, except as he looks stedfastly in the glass of God's word. The number of those who were sealed, may be understood to stand for the remnant of people which God reserved. Though the church of God is but a little flock, in comparison with the wicked world, yet it is a society really large, and to be still more enlarged.

4.  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

     144,000. Whether this number is to be taken literally or figuratively, the obvious question is: why exactly this number? The answer is usually along these lines: there are twelve tribes of Israel and twelve emissaries; there are ten Commandments; squaring the former and cubing the latter bespeaks perfection, the perfection and fullness of Israel.

     Israel numbered 7,200,000 at the time of the destruction of the second Temple. The t’rumah (the offering to priests from the first fruits) is normally one fiftieth (Mishna, T’rumot 4:3), which here comes to 144,000. At Rom 11:16 Paul remarked that ‘if the Shabbat bread as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf.’ Thus the meaning is that if the firstfruits of Israel, the 144,000 Messianic Jews who put their trust in Yeshua, is holy, then the whole loaf, all of Israel, is holy. Therefore Paul continues, ‘In this way all Israel will be saved. As the Tanakh says, “Out of Zion will come the Redeemer; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Rom 11:26).’ This is in accordance with my comment on 1:7, which says that when the sign of the son of man is seen in heaven, the children of Israel will repent, recognize the Messiah, and mourn because they pierced him unjustly. This is when all Israel will be saved. Yet the condition for this is the prior salvation of 144,000.

     Although there is no way of knowing exactly how many Jews there were in 70 C.E., scholars agree that the number was between five and ten million. The number of Messianic Jews then, as now, was surely in six figures, but it would be sheer speculation to fix it at 144,000.

     Of all the tribes of the children of Israel. The plain sense of this phrase is “from among the entire Jewish people.” But many commentators say it refers to the Church. It must be suggested that this phrase refers possibly not only to the Jews but also to the entire Body of the Messiah. Moreover, at Gal 6:16 and Eph 2:11-13, “Israel” is used in a way that does include saved Gentiles, new creations formerly distant but now brought near and grafted in (Rom 11:17-24). However, the case that the 144,000 from every tribe of the people of Israel means “the Church” is harder to make here; because v. 9 below speaks of “a hugh crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” Apparently, this innumerable crowd of saved Gentiles is to be contrasted with the delimited number of saved Jews in the present verse. Furthermore, to emphasize the fact that these 144,000 are Jews, vv 5-8 lists the twelve tribes; this would have no immediate relevance to the Church. See also 14:1-5, where the number 144,000 reappears.

     One objection sometimes made to interpreting these 144,000 as Jews is that there is supposedly no reason why Jews would be singled out for special protection. Such thinking contradicts the whole of salvation history as set forth in the Tanakh and reflects an unawareness on the part of Gentile Christian commentators that they have been joined to Israel, that is, to the Jewish people. God, by his grace, has singled out the Jewish people for special protection for thousands of years. After centuries of dispensation and persecution, culminating in the Holocaust, the Jews would not exist at all without such protection. This protection is promised over and over by the Prophets, even when Israel becomes sinful and breaks covenant; though it is not always promised to the entire people, but rather only to a remnant (see Rom 9:27-29, 11:1-32)—such as the 144,000. Moreover, the sealing of the Jewish people from judgment corresponds specifically to God’s promise at Zechariah 9:14-16.

5.  Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

 6.  Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

 7.  Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

 8.  Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

     No matter who the 144,000 are, there is a problem with these verses, in that the listing of the twelve tribes is very strange: (1) Dan is missing, (2) Efrayim is missing but included in Joseph, who was Efrayim’s father, (3) Manassah is counted twice, since Joseph was also his father, (4) Judah, not Reuben, is mentioned first, and (5) Levi is included, even though this tribe is sometimes not counted, since it was not assigned a portion in the Land. Efrayim and Manassah were the two sons of Joseph, and their descendants were at first counted as half-tribes; but over time they became elevated to the status of tribes because Joseph, after saving his family from starvation, was treated like the firstborn and given a double portion (Genesis 48:22).

     Some say Dan is excluded because he sinned by worshipping idols (Lev 24:11; Jud 18:30; I Kgs 12:28, 29; 2 Kgs 10:29); as proof they quote I Chron 2-7, where the tribe of Dan is not mentioned. But this is not a valid proof, because Zebulum is not mentioned there either; and the reason in both cases is that the author, Ezra, wrote in his book only what he found in the scrolls available to him. This is why the subjects there often follow one another without logical connection—there are missing links.

      Concerning Dan, Jacob, when blessing his sons, said, ‘Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel’ (Gen 49:16). Moreover, Ezekiel 48:32 attributes one gate to Dan, one to Joseph, since Joseph includes Efrayim and Manassah in respect to the heritage, and one to Levi.

     Simeon is missing from Moses’ blessing of the tribes in Deuteronomy 33. There too corruption of the manuscript is offered as a possible reason, although a more specific one is that his tribe had no extended area of its own—his inheritance of 19 cities was spread through the territory of Judah (Joshua 19:2-9).

    It is suggested that Dan is absent from the present list because the Anti-Messiah is to come from this tribe. This idea can be found in the second-century church father Irenaeus; in Jewish tradition it can be traced back to the Pseudepigraphic Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, written around 100 B.C.E., where Dan is told:

    “In the last days you will depart from the Lord … For I have read in the book of Enoch the righteous that your prince is Satan.” (Testament of Dan 5:4-7).

But for this idea there is no biblical evidence.

     If it is meant literally that 12,000 from each tribe are to be selected, it can be objected that no one will know who belongs to which tribe, since genealogies no longer exist. One answer: God, who will be doing the choosing, will know.

Day of the Sealing will be the Day of Trumpet. This ties to Matt 24:28-31.

Who will be the minister of God's salvation during this time of the Day of the Lord? The Jews themselves-God's chosen people. Scripture gives ample proof that God can do anything at any time. I do not expect there will be a great revival before the Rapture because 2 Timothy 3:13 states, "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." John also spoke about the latter-day Church in Revelation 3:15-16: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

This is speaking of the people that will be standing in the "Time of Jacob's trouble" after the plagues start. The Bible calls them the 144,000. They are trusted by God to be able to stand during the plagues perfectly, wherein the other Christians that were too weak to stand in such a trying time, but are still worthy of Heaven, they will have to die a martyrs death. Reason being is, they are not strong enough to handle the way the people of the world will treat them or their loved ones during the plagues. They would fall into sin for a multitude of reasons we as Christians cannot comprehend clearly enough to comment on. But the Lord does know exactly what will happen. He loves them so much, He actually allows them to die before that day comes so they will not be destroyed by Satan. They will resurrect when Jesus returns to gain their eternal reward. Many of these dear souls die via the guillotines of course.

Revelation 20:4, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

It will occur during the Day of the Lord when 144,000 Jews (Revelation 7:4-8) will circle the globe, preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14), declaring the good news: The King is coming! At that time, the Bible says, "All Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26). That means Jews. But when one gets to Revelation 7:9, it is a "great multitude." Who are they? These are the ones who emerged from the Great Tribulation "and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (v. 14). They have trusted in the blood of the Lamb. They have been cleansed. Both Jews and Gentiles are saved during the greatest revival in history, because at that time, God says, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28). Yes, there will be a great revival, and it will occur after the Rapture. In all probability, the Rapture will convince many that all these things they heard about Jesus and the Bible are, in fact, true, persuading them to want to know the Lord before it is too late.

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

The 144,000 are the Messianic Jews of Rev_7:4. Their foreheads are "sealed" (Rev_7:2-3 Rev_9:4) with both the Lamb's name and his Father's name (contrast Rev_13:16-17). One of the two t'fillin is worn on the forehead and contains the Father's name, YHVH (see Rev_13:16-17); it symbolizes complete devotion and open profession. These 144,000 will be equally open and devoted about proclaiming the name of the Lamb, Yeshua.

They are taken up on the rapture possibly and come back down or they are sealed on their heads on a Day of Trumpet like 2016 possibly.

Now, when translated correctly (as in the NIV Bible instead of the KJV or NKJ), Revelation 14:1 says that the 144,000 have Yahshua’s name and His Father Yahweh’s name written on their foreheads (instead of just the Father’s name as in other translations). KJV and NKJ Bibles with footnotes indicate that at least two ancient manuscripts record that “His name and His Father’s name” are written on the foreheads of the 144,000 instead of only “His Father’s name”. This means that these saints have Yahweh’s and Yahshua’s True Names always in their hearts and minds, and they have put themselves into subjection to both God the Father and God the Son, and follow their righteous Laws. It also means that the 144,000 cannot be racially pure religious Jews at all because they honor Yahshua’s Name! Instead they will likely be a mixture of Spirit-filled Messianic Jews and devout Christians who may or may not keep the Jewish Feasts. Again, this is because Christians are adopted into Israel by their active relationship with God and His Son, and some are even physically descended from the Lost Israelites.

They are a group of converted, obedient and contrite people, submissive to God in contrast to ancient Israel, which was known for its idolatrous and rebellious ways. The overriding symbolism is of a spiritually purified people in an evil and immoral society.

This purity is granted further definition in Revelation 14:3-4. The 144,000 are "redeemed," which means their life has been paid for by Christ's sacrifice, by His blood, shed to pay for their sins. Thus they are a part of the firstfruits and they "follow the Lamb wherever He goes." This signifies a covenant people, completely yielded to God.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Next, we have to determine what the writer means by “virgin” and “women.” Rather than meaning that the 144,000 are all men who never slept with a woman, could the writer be suggesting that these saints were never loyal to any particular church, synagogue, and/or political party? For example, the “Woman clothed with the Sun” in Revelation 12:1-6 represents the righteous Jewish/Israelite bloodline that Yahshua was descended from. As an extension of that righteous bloodline, Yahshua made us into His Church and His Body by His shed innocent blood.

Meanwhile, in Revelation 17:3-6, the “Woman sitting on a Scarlet Beast” represents the apostate churches and false religions of the Tribulation period that are “married to”, or in league with corrupt bankers and dishonest politicians, and “she” worships the same Beast that they have created. This false church is described as a Harlot because of “her” association with the Roman Catholic Church, and the Ecumenical Movement being pushed by the Vatican and the British Monarchy.

The ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. These are not male celibates, despite the explicit mention of women. Rather, they are people of both sexes who are faithful to God and his Son, as the rest of Rev_14:4-5 makes clear. Fornication is a common biblical metaphor for idolatry-for several examples from the Tanakh see Ezekiel 16, 23 and Hosea 1-5. Here in the book of Revelation, misdirected worship is explicitly called whoring at Rev_14:8 below, as well as at 17:2, 4; 18:3, 9; 19:2.

Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

On their lips no lie was found. This is prophesied of Yeshua at Isa_53:9 and of Israel's remnant at Zep_3:13.

They are further described as being without deceit "in their mouth," (Rev 14:5), meaning they are genuine from the inside out. Nothing phony! They are not seeking the "muddled middle," trying to serve God, while simultaneously entertaining Satan's devices. For them, there is no third option. Thus, they are "without fault before the throne of God." They have access in incredibly horrific times to the only One who can truly step down, step in and reach out—lest they fall like the sparrow of Jesus' day.

So if one of these saints say: “Have a nice short life” then they mean what they say. They know from the bottom of their hearts that time is short and not 1260 days nor 2550 days. Time is short because I believe that there may be less than 500 days left for life on Planet Earth and that 7 billion people will die in 2018 or less from September 23^rd, 2017 onward.

   At the maximum, there may be 1400 days left. 2020 is the end of the Great Tribulation and the end of Sin is 2024.

They have the name of God written in their foreheads; they make a bold and open profession of their faith in God and Christ, and this is followed by suitable actings. There were persons in the darkest times, who ventured and laid down their lives for the worship and truth of the gospel of Christ. They kept themselves clean from the wicked abominations of the followers of antichrist. Their hearts were right with God; and they were freely pardoned in Christ; he is glorified in them, and they in him.

These 144,000 saints follow and serve only the Lamb of God who is Yahshua and His Father Yahweh, they are very godly and Spirit-filled. From this, we can infer that they are also great witnesses of God’s righteousness, and that they truly reflect God’s character to a lost and dying world.

These saints are not political or religious activists. In fact, this description strongly suggests that the 144,000 are godly saints that live quiet and pious lives apart from worldly religious organizations and political parties, and the associated riches and excesses attached to involvement in both.

If they are truly set-apart or holy, saints who love God give themselves exclusively to Him. As a result, they no longer serve the world, or any institutions that are of the world. In other words, these saints live more like hermits who are detached from the world rather than being active in church or politics, and they are definitely not social butterflies. In fact, they serve exclusively as God’s witnesses to their immediate families, friends, and acquaintances, and perhaps only reach the rest of the world through their own writings or books about their understanding of God and His desire for mankind.

Nature of the 144,000

There are several Scriptures that define what the nature of the 144,000 should be like. These Scriptures define the most holy or most set-apart of the saints who follow the Way of Yahweh through Yahshua. In the Epistle of John, for example, it says that those who truly love God cannot love the world, for they are mutually exclusive:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” - 1 John 2:15-17

The same Epistle also says:

“He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” - 1 John 2:9-11

Together, these two passages describe the nature of the 144,000. These are saints that do not love the world or the things of the world - such as wealth, fame, worldly success, and hedonism - at all, and they do not pursue mankind’s approval. Instead, they seek Yahweh God’s approval alone, and they love God the Father and their brethren around the world, especially those that claim to love Yahshua, but may not really “know” Him. Those who do not know Christ do not have a personal relationship with Him via the Holy Spirit, and are therefore unable to please God or live a truly set-apart or holy life.

While we may not fully understand every nuance of the numbering of the 144,000 until it is fully revealed in "that day," we can plainly determine what it takes to be "in that number." The spiritual qualities of the 144,000 are no mystery. God clearly lists what it takes to "stand" in their day. It is the same list that determines what we need to "stand" in our current society.

Until that time of the resurrection on the Day of Trumpet, the sparrow, the sealing of the 144,000 and we have something in common: We exist before the living God who does not forget His promises, who remembers where we are at all times, whether in the steepest of personal falls or the darkest of personal moments. We worship God, who has ultimate control over all elements and entities, be they winds of change, Satan, a Beast or a False Prophet. Therefore, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). The 144,000 reminds us that in His time and way, God cares for people who have spiritual integrity.

It is in the words of Jesus Christ Himself that we hear the echo of "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21).

By the way, there are already 30,000 guillotines on U.S. soil right now! When the plagues start, judgment is Done/Completed/One Hundred Percent Finished. This is why Jesus says at that exact time in Heaven just before He returns to earth, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Revelation 22:11) In other words, those that are without Christ and wicked, (unjust / filthy) these will remain that way when Jesus speaks these final words. However, those that are true Christians and capable of proving to the Universe that God can and has created a people that will trust in Him even in intense times, (the 144,000) these will remain holy and without sin from this day forward. They are (righteous / holy) before God and Satan will not be able to tempt them anymore. They proved themselves worthy in their loves leading up to this day. Therefore their faith is blessed to allow them to stand during the plagues when God's wrath falls upon mankind. If I am called to stand during these days it will be at this time that I stop preaching to try and get people to find Jesus. Once the plagues start, no one will be able to be saved anymore and no one that is saved will be lost. Whoever is unjust remains that way, and whoever is holy remains that way. Reason being, judgment ended on that day and now the "reward" for their sins is upon the wicked in the way of plagues, and finally death. Our reward will be at the end of the plagues when Jesus gives us new bodies and eternal life.  

It is now that we can strive to be sinless. But only in the way we trust Christ for our righteousness. When we sin, we must confess and then repent of the sin. The Word says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In other words, when He forgives us He removes all the sins we committed as if we never did them. We are then made totally clean as we were the day we accepted Him as our Saviour. Like Joshua of old where God took off his filthy robes and put on white ones. The basic truth is, Joshua didn't deserve it. But Joshua did have faith to receive it.  

Zechariah 3:3-4, "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."

Robes, raiment, or clothing in prophecy = your walk. That's what it means when it says we are cleansed from all unrighteousness in 1 John 1:9. In fact, He forgives us so perfectly that He even forgets what we sinned. It says in Micah 7:19, "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."  

This still begs the question, "what if I keep committing the same sin over and over again after I confessed it?" The Lord understands how weak the flesh is, in fact Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." In other words, we need to be watchful not to fall for Satan's temptations. Reading the Bible daily helps increase the faith needed to do this. Without understanding the Word of God, Satan can easily trick us in areas he knows we are weak. So, stay in your Bible daily.  For it is written in Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." 

If you know you're weak in a certain area, try your best to avoid walking towards that area in life. Yes, on occasion you may be lured there and fall into sin again. Will the Lord forgive you again after you already confessed? If you're TRULY honest about being sorry, YES. It says in Matthew 18:21-22, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." In other words, He will never stop forgiving us, BUT He cannot forgive us unless we actually ask and are honest about trying our best. This is one of the fruits of God's children. They are honestly sorry for making His Spirit grieve. If we do this, then one of two things will eventually happen. The child of God will grow a bit stronger so that if an occasion arises wherein they are tempted to sin in the same area, the Holy Spirit will grieve in them more-so and they will be even stronger to avoid the sin. However, if they ignore the grieving of His Holy Spirit to the point it gets easier and easier to commit the same sin where guilt and grieving is gone, they eventually become lost and if that person dies during this careless state, they will not gain Heaven. After all, it is written in Genesis 6:3, "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man..." So, we need to do our part, so that He will do His.

One amazing thing about the Gideon band is, they will not experience the Armageddon violence against them UNTIL they have a perfect faith. If you are one that trusts the Spirit of prophecy, here is what it says about that day and that number...

"The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, "God, New Jerusalem," and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us who could wash one another's feet, and salute the brethren with a holy kiss, and they worshiped at our feet.  {LS 65.2} 

The 144,000 end their ministry on Passover Week. After that some of us in the USA will go to Fema Camps (me) to begin our next journey for God's will in our lives.

Judges 7 Gideon’s Army = Gideon’s Band or 144,000.

Gideon's Band

R. J. Campbell, B. A.                         1171  Sabbath Year (Shemitah)           1169 5th Jubilee year (yovel יובל); Gideon and the Midianites     Judges 6 - 8 Jdg 7:1  Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. Jdg 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. Jdg 7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. Activity and prudence go with dependence upon God for help in our lawful undertakings. God chooses those to employ who  are not only well affected, but zealously affected in a good thing. lappeth: The original word yalok, is precisely the sound which the dog makes in lapping. It appears that it is not unusual for the Arabs to drink water out of the palms of their hands; and, from this account, we learn that the Israelites did so occasionally. Dr. A. Clarke, in his edition of Harmer, has presented us with the following curious manuscript note from Dr. Russell. "When they take water with the palms of their hands, they naturally place themselves on their hams, to be nearer the water; but when they drink from a pitcher or gourd, fresh filled, they do not sit down on purpose to drink, but drink standing, and very often put the sleeve of their shirt over the mouth of the vessel, by way of strainer, lest small leeches might have been taken up with the water. For the same reason they often prefer taking the water with the palm of the hand to lapping it from the surface." From the letters of Busbequius we learn, that the Eastern people are not in the habit of drinking standing. The 300 men, who satisfied their thirst in the most expeditious manner, by this sufficiently indicated their spirit, and alacrity to follow Gideon in his dangerous enterprise; while the rest shewed their love of ease, self-indulgence, effeminacy, and want of courage.   (TSK) Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. Jdg 7:8  So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. Judges 7:1-8 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod… 1. Nearly everything great in this world has been effected by a few men, or, perhaps, a single man, who believed in it when everybody else saw only difficulties and objections. The struggle between the right and the expedient, or the practical and the ideal, is always going on. The exploit of Gideon's band was as nothing compared with the daring of the few Galilean fishermen who went forth to preach to a hostile world the story of Christ and Him crucified. "All things are possible to him that believeth." 2. In the next place we may observe that God chose for this great work the man who was to be His instrument, and Gideon obeyed the call. It then became his duty to set to work and collect an army. The result was just what might have been expected. A large number of Gideon's compeers thought it highly desirable that the yoke of the invader should be cast off their necks, but they were afraid to try and do it. They saw the difficulties more plainly than they saw the good to be attained. Even some of those who volunteered at first went back after they had counted the cost. Just so. Every man who honestly assumes a responsibility and attempts a good work may be perfectly sure that ten people will say, "Well done! Go on!" for every one who will say, "I will help you, though I stand to lose by it!" In such cases the man who sees what ought to be done must just obey his call and go forward. It is not upon men, but upon God that he must depend. 3. Further, let us bear in mind that the issues of all things are in the hands of God. We need not be afraid of compromising the doctrine of moral freedom by any such assertion as this. Man has power of choice when he has not power of action. Power of action may be indefinitely extended. God may complete our purposes when they are beyond our ken, and may supplement our deficiencies if we honour Him by obedience and faith. The shortest road to the attainment of an ideal or the fulfilment of a duty is to fearlessly perform what one knows to be right, and trust in God for the issue. We need but lamps and pitchers and trumpets. We must take trouble and be wise, while remembering that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Resources: SDRministries.org; Pillar of Enoch.com/org-144,000; NKJV and about 6 other sources.