For a while now, I have been talking about “the saints” (ref. Jude 1:14-15), soldiers of the coming kingdom of God, and I have been fascinated by the scripture of the “ravenous bird from the east”, a man from a far country that executes the counsel of God (ref. Isaiah 46:11), and more recently I have been examining the cryptic words of Isaiah 49, especially Isaiah 49:7, “princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee”.
Isaiah 49 is a prophecy about a servant who will become a saint, a weapon of God, hidden all this time – “in his quiver hath he hid me” (ref. Isaiah 49:2).
I am almost sure that Isaiah 49 is about me, because of things that have happened to me.
The one verse that seems odd is Isaiah 49:3, a verse wherein God describes the servant in question as “O Israel”.
Still, I think I can explain it.
And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Isaiah 49:3
FIrst of all, it should be obvious from parts of my name, 练伟光, a Chinese name, that I am Chinese rather than Jewish. I do, however, have relatives with Hebrew names. Be that as it may, the other part of my name is of Greek origin.
So I figured maybe this is a Christian thing, for both Jew and Greek are one in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:27-29
But then, in the Bible, the expression “fellowcitizens with the saints” provokes further thought.
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Ephesians 2:18-20
If Christians are fellow citizens with the saints, then it follows that the saints must be something different from ordinary Christians.
Indeed, the point is so important that it is made once more in the book of Revelation. Here, “the saints” are deliberately juxtaposed with “the martyrs of Jesus” – the latter surely meaning Christians.
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered…
Revelation 17:6
To add to all that, there is the prophecy that the promised land, the realm that will be the kingdom of God, will be given to the saints of the most High.
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Daniel 7:27
It is clear, elsewhere in scripture, that Jews in human form will populate the kingdom of God during the Millennial Reign.
And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
Isaiah 4:3
… Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.
Joel 3:20-21
This is what is meant by “the elect” of Zion, or “the flesh” to be saved.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Matthew 24:22
In Daniel 7:27, notice once again, the kingdom and dominion shall be “given to the people of the saints of the most High”. If the people are human Jews, then the saints must also have something to do with the word “Israel”.
In the Bible, there are three definitions of Israel.
First, today, “Israel” means the nation of Israel that was formed in 1948 and that has become what it is now.
They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
Psalms 83:4
And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 25:14
Second, in ancient times after the days of Solomon, “Israel” was the kingdom of Israel.
The Bible records that Solomon, an heir of David, was seduced by evil. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away from God and towards demons (ref. 1 Kings 11:3-10).
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods…
1 Kings 11:3-4
For his treachery against God, Solomon is revered by Satanists today: the Freemasons, and their tales of Hiram Abiff, and all that.
Because of this spiritual fornication, God split Solomon’s kingdom into two.
Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
1 Kings 11:11
One of the two kingdoms was named “Judah”, and at the time of the split it was led by Rehoboam. The other of the two kingdoms was name “Israel”, and at the time of the split it was led by Jeroboam.
The kingdom of Judah consisted only of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and some Levites. All the rest of Jacob sided with the kingdom of Israel.
So, this is the second possible meaning of “Israel”.
Third, the name “Israel” means, he who wrestles with God. This was a name given to Jacob, the son of Isaac, in turn the son of Abraham. Jacob received the name Israel when he was at a place called Peniel.
And God appeared unto Jacob again… And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
Genesis 35:9-10
Now, in Genesis, God says to Jacob that he and his seed will receive the promised land.
And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
Genesis 35:12
Of course, this means the Son of man Jesus Christ, who was the important seed of Abraham, and who will be the king of the kingdom of God, and also the King of kings.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
Galatians 3:16
But, in addition to that – and this is my latest discovery – this means, the holy portion of the line of Jacob: the soldiers of Christ.
For what is a kingdom if not the king at the top and his army that serves him?
I beheld, and the same horn [the Antichrist] made war with the saints [especially the saints of Judah], and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Daniel 7:21-22
You see, the sons of God serve the Son of God, and are heirs to the kingdom. Moreover, just as the Holy One of Israel is holy, so too will “the holy ones” of God be holy, the latter in English literally means “the saints”.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 3:21
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:16-18
At some point in the distant past, I think God had intended ancient Israel, as in the tribes of Jacob, to become a light unto the world, to serve him as priests and even as gods, for the purpose of making the world righteous.
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes [in this context, rebellious angels]. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Psalms 82:6-8
But it did not work out, because many Israelites such as Solomon went astray, and took the side of rebellious angels. So, after that, a new covenant with Jacob became necessary, one that involves Jesus Christ himself and also the Holy Spirit. This new covenant concerns both Israel and Judah.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel [the saints], and with the house of Judah [the saints plus the elect of the flesh of the Jews]: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel [in this context, “Jacob” and therefore both the saints and human Jews]; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
So, the sons of God are not merely born again Christians. Christians include male and female. The sons of God are the saints, ie. men and soldiers of Christ that will fight the forces of evil during the Millennial Reign.
While human, the saints are to be servants of God, shining light throughout the world (ref. Philippians 2:15).
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Philippians 2:14-15
But then on the day of Christ, because of the gift of the power of the morning star, the saints will become somewhat like Christ himself.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son in your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Galatians 4:6-7
So, in eternity, long after the dust has settled from the war and after the sun has burned up the planet earth, the sons of God will be beneath Jesus Christ, as “princes”, but above other born again Christians, and even above or at least equal to angels, also described as princes.
This hierarchy of things, for many a surprising reversal of fortune, probably explains why in the Bible the sons of God are often shouting for joy or singing praises to the LORD.
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:7
Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Psalms 149:1
Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;
Psalms 149:5-6
There is even a reference to singing in Isaiah 49.
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains [saints]…
Isaiah 49:13
In Psalms 149, which clearly prophesies that the saints will be soldiers of Christ, tasked with recovering the world from Satan and his angels during the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ, notice the word “Israel” in verse 2.
Let Israel [the saints of the line of Jacob] rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion [the humans living in the kingdom of God] be joyful in their King.
Psalms 149:2
Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalms 149:5-9
In this context, “Israel” surely means the part of Jacob that has been sanctified, which is to say, a select number of individuals chosen throughout the ages and especially during the last days to become saints of God.
Further to this point, “Jacob” is mentioned in Jeremiah 10:16 as well as Jeremiah 51:19 as the rod of God’s inheritance.
The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Jeremiah 10:16
The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.
Jeremiah 51:19
We know from the Bible that David of the tribe of Judah will be a saint (ref. Ezekiel 34:24), and that Paul of the tribe of Benjamin will be a saint (ref. Ephesians 3:8), and that Aaron the Levite was also chosen to be a saint (ref. Psalms 106:16). It is no coincidence that the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, as well as some of the tribe of Levi were together under the banner of the kingdom of Judah at the time of the split.
The remaining tribes of Jacob were with the kingdom of Israel in the north. The saint of Isaiah 49 is the only one that I have found so far in the Bible representing the kingdom of Israel. This means I am the first of my kind.
Now, Hosea was a prophet in the early days of the kingdom of Israel when Jeroboam reigned (ref. Hosea 1:1). By the time of Hoshea, the final king of the kingdom of Israel, Israel had gone so far astray that their sons and daughters were being burnt alive in fires in ritual sacrifices to demons (ref. 2 Kings 17:17). During his time as a prophet of the LORD, Hosea had three children, and the LORD gave all three meaningful names to prophesy to the kingdom of Israel.
And the LORD said unto them, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel [think the valley of Jezreel, Armageddon] upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Hosea 1:4
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy [keep in mind this word mercy] upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
Hosea 1:6
Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people [the end of Israel as a kingdom and a people], and I will not be your God.
Hosea 1:9
In the days of Hoshea, the LORD of hosts moved the king of Assyria to invade and sweep away the kingdom of Israel (ref. 2 Kings 17:5-18).
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
2 Kings 17:18
… So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
2 Kings 17:23
So, in 722 BC, ancient Assyria invaded Israel from the north and occupied all of Samaria. The Assyrians then scattered the tribes of Jacob that were in the kingdom of Israel throughout the north, the west and the east, but not the south, because in the south at that time, the kingdom of Judah remained intact. Judah would be taken by Babylon at a different time, and for a similar reason: spiritual treachery (ref. Jeremiah 19).
In this way, the tribes of Jacob in the north were dispersed and forgotten. Only Judah and parts of Benjamin and some of Levi remained.
Now, notice, God prophesies in Hosea 1:10-11 that, at the time of the end, and in the place of Armageddon, he will re-gather the children of Israel and join them with the children of Judah.
Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head [Jesus Christ], and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel [think Armageddon as in the sixth trumpet and vial].
Hosea 1:11
In Hebrew, Judah is Yehuda and Jew is Yehudi, so Jews today are more or less Judah. Levites, as you may know, have preserved their lineage all these years because their names are always passed from father to son: Levi, Levy, Cohen, etc. As for the rest of the tribes of Jacob, in other words, the tribes of the ancient kingdom of “Israel”, nobody knows, except for God.
Concerning the lost tribes, God says the following: at the place where they had ceased as a nation and a people of God, the valley of Jezreel, think Armageddon, there it shall be said unto them that they are “the sons of the living God”.
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
Hosea 1:10
What this means is, on the day of Christ, a portion of the lost tribes of “Israel” shall be re-gathered as saints. Remember, a saint is a son of God.
So, Israel has long ceased to be a distinct people, but even so a select few descendants will be redeemed as sons of the living God.
This means, the army of the saints will not be something with no blood ties to the kingdom of God. Rather, every saint is technically of the line of “Israel”, part of the 12 tribes of Jacob.
Because Judah has continued as a people all this time, to be a Jew, ie. to have Jewish bloodline, your parents must be Jews or at least your father must be a Jew. However, because Israel stopped being a cohesive people in 722 BC, to be of the line of Israel or Jacob, you only need to be a descendant of one of the tribes of Israel.
Now, concerning Isaiah 49:3 which reads “Israel”, even though I have a Chinese surname, notice Isaiah 49:12 draws attention to a specific place in the east, “Sinim”. Surely, it cannot be for nothing that Sinim, Hebrew for China, is specifically mentioned, and Sinim is the only nation mentioned.
Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north, and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim [China].
Isaiah 49:12
The Sinites were begat by Canaan (ref. Genesis 10:15-17), and some of the Sinites lived in Canaan while others spread abroad (ref. Genesis 10:18).
It is curious also that one of the 12 apostles of the Son of man Jesus Christ was “Simon the Canaanite” (ref. Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18).
Notice also, in 1 Peter 2, it reads that the saints are a “peculiar people”, “an holy nation”, which in times past were not a people but now have become a people, and which in 722 BC had not obtained mercy but now in these last days have obtained mercy.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy [think 722 BC], but now have obtained mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10
The same are even described as sheep that were going astray.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
1 Peter 2:25
In Isaiah 49, “mercy” is also mentioned, as in mercy for the lost tribes of Israel.
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains [saints]: for the LORD hath comforted his people [Judah], and will have mercy upon his afflicted [Israel].
Isaiah 49:13
So, this has to be the correct way to read “Israel” in Isaiah 49:3.
Now, to the cryptic prophecy of the 144000. Until today, I have never understood this part of Bible prophecy. I have always put it to one side.
This prophecy in the book of Revelation pertains to “the tribes of the children of Israel” (ref. Revelation 7:4). Of course, “Israel” here must mean Jacob, for “Juda” is one of the tribes of “Israel”.
My latest thinking is that the 144000 are the saints: the portion of Jacob that is to be the rod of God’s inheritance (ref. Jeremiah 10:16, Jeremiah 51:19), ie. the army of the kingdom of God.
Jude prophesies of “ten thousands” of saints. 144000 is a number that fits.
Of the tribe of Juda, there will be 12000 (ref. Revelation 7:5). Of the tribe of Levi, 12000 (ref. Revelation 7:7). Likewise, of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Aser, Nepthalim, Manasses, Issachar, Zabulon, Joseph, Benjamin, Simeon – the lost tribes of Israel – there will also be 12000 each (ref. Revelation 7:5-8).
Judah is on the list, so Jews will be among the saints. For Levi, you must have a name that corresponds to a Levite. For the rest, you must have ancestry either from China, or from a country north of Jerusalem or west of Jerusalem. America, Europe, England, Russia, and so on – all these are possibilities. The Bible does prophesy that there are “saints” in the USA in the last days (ref. Revelation 17:6, Revelation 18:24). Significantly, there will also be many saints who are presently living in the area that was once ancient Assyria. This means somebody today who is part Arab or part Turkic or part Iranian, or somebody like a Kurd who is opposed to ISIS and was once red (ref. Revelation 9:4, Revelation 16:10). This is a topic I will explore in detail another time. It has to do with the seal of God, and the locusts of the fifth trumpet and vial.
So, the 144000 are the “servants of our God” (ref. Revelation 7:3), namely Jesus Christ and God the Father. And furthermore the 144000 will be sealed as such by an angel from the “east” (ref. Revelation 7:2) before the time of the fifth trumpet and vial.
The 144000 will sing a song that no others can learn (ref. Revelation 14:3). Singing is an allusion to the saints, the sons of God, who are often found in the Bible singing praises to God and shouting for joy.
The 144000 are all men, virgins (ref. Revelation 14:4), promised to God as “the bride of Christ” (ref. Revelation 19:8).
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins…
Revelation 14:4
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 19:7-8
And the armies [saints and angels] which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Revelation 19:14
In these last days, the saints must be single, and without attachments or dependants, so that each saint can serve as a perfect soldier during the Millennial Reign.
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
2 Timothy 2:4
The 144000 will “follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth” (ref. Revelation 14:4). I think this means the 144000 will have the Spirit of the Son of God, or the Holy Spirit.
In the mouths of the 144000 can be found “no guile” and they are “without fault” before the throne of God (ref. Revelation 14:5).
The 144000 are to be “redeemed” from the earth (ref. Revelation 14:3), the firstfruits of God rescued as it were from a world gone astray.
Conceivably, many would-be saints are not yet properly or even actually Christian right now, but will become so before the day of Christ. This explains why Isaiah 49 prophesies that “princes”, as in saints, shall come to see the light of the servant of Isaiah 49 and thus worship the LORD. Further to this point, the servant of Isaiah 49 is to bring Jacob again to the LORD (ref. Isaiah 49:6); in other words, “raise up the tribes of Jacob” and “restore the preserved of Israel”, a reference to the lost tribes of the ancient kingdom of Israel.
And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel [the lost tribes of Jacob]: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation [salvation of the body of Christ] unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship [saints who do not yet know who they are], because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
Isaiah 49:5-7
As for the phrase “a servant of rulers” (ref. Isaiah 49:7), I think that is explained by the fact that I was once an international public servant at the OECD in Paris, France.
So, am I the servant prophesied in Isaiah 49, a saint described as “Israel”, the first of my kind?
Whether I have overreached or not, I will continue to elucidate the idea of the saints – the soldiers of Christ – a fascinating prophecy and secret in the Bible that apparently no one else has figured out.
… in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Isaiah 49:2-3
Certainly, it is God’s intention in these last days to recover the lost tribes of Jacob, namely “Israel”.