So the 144000 prophesied in Revelation 7 and 14 are the holy ones of Jacob, most of whom are alive in these last days. The 144000 will serve as soldiers of Christ, for the glory of the kingdom of God.
Since figuring this out, I have found Micah 5 and Isaiah 41. The Psalms also contain numerous verses about the doctrine of the saints, an idea hidden until now. Several of the Psalms on this subject were written by David and Asaph, themselves saints (ref. Psalms 139, Psalms 75). Psalms 149, in particular, defines what it means to be a saint.
Micah 2 reminds that the King of the saints is the Son of man Jesus Christ (ref. Revelation 15:3).
I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
Micah 2:12-13
Jesus Christ is the shepherd who comes from Bozrah wearing a red apparel, like someone who treads the winepress (ref. Isaiah 63:1-4, Revelation 19:13). What is more, the power of every single saint comes from Jesus Christ. So, the King of the kingdom of God will direct this army in person and through the Holy Spirit.
One marker of a saint, which I have already covered, is your ancestry. You must have ancestry to Judah, or else to the lands of ancient Assyria (ref. Isaiah 49:12). That being said, God will gather this long forgotten Israel – this chosen of Jacob – from “the ends of the earth”.
… thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Isaiah 41:8-9
Next, most of the 144000 must be living saints here on earth rather than souls in heaven as some others have supposed. This is because the 144000 will be sealed as servants of God (ref. Revelation 7:2) before the time of the fifth trumpet and vial (Revelation 9:1-4). That trumpet and vial will see the skies over the seat of the beast darkened, and more than that, strange locusts from the bottomless pit unleashed to trouble the population of the beast. The winds of the four angels of God will keep the locusts in the area and keep the skies dark, possibly even for five months. All of the 144000 must be sealed before the fifth trumpet and vial so that no saint is harmed by the locusts.
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, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Revelation 7:2-3
In regard to the locusts, these never-before-seen creatures will have “teeth of lions” (ref. Revelation 9:8) and “tails like unto scorpions” (ref. Revelation 9:10). They will be led by an angel named Abaddon or Apollyon, and their purpose is to torment the beast.
And the fifth angel sounded… And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Revelation 9:1-5
I will say more about the locusts some other time.
For now, it is enough to know that every saint living in Middle East, an area that was once ancient Assyria, will discover that the locusts of the fifth trumpet and vial will not hurt them, but will hurt every else around them. Consequently, this event when it happens will tell you whether or not you are a saint. Of course, this only applies to saints living in the vicinity of the fourth beast.
Every living saint, once he realises who he is, will no doubt come under attack by the forces of evil. In these last days, it is Bible prophecy that the Devil, through his demons, through the Assyrian, and through the False Prophet, will war against the saints (ref. Daniel 7:21, Revelation 13:7).
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints…
Revelation 13:6-7
Due to the way time is perceived by humans, demons might even travel back in time to make a mess of that individual’s life.
The Bible explains that the life of a saint can be likened to a “sacrifice”.
Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
Psalms 50:5
So this is yet another marker that you are a saint.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me [Son of man Jesus Christ speaking] before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you [the doctrine of predestination] out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:18-19
Every saint is to face tribulation especially in these last days. This test is one of faith and loyalty (ref. Revelation 13:10).
However, on the day of the LORD, the tables will turn.
Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
Isaiah 41:11
Fear not, thou worm Jacob [saints that die in these last days], and ye men of Israel [saints that remain alive in these last days but are imprisoned or impoverished]; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel [think resurrection and the reaping].
Isaiah 41:14
On the day of the LORD, every saint, dead or alive, will be born again, made immortal, and given God-like power, enough power to kill demons.
Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 41:15-16
Another marker of a saint is one’s name (ref. Isaiah 40:26, Psalms 147:4). I suppose, the name that you have been given at birth must have some kind of meaning that points to God, to Christ, or else to the future work or attribute of a saint.
He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Psalms 147:4
Now, to those who have been chosen to be saints of God, I should say, when you are made into a saint, your semblance will be that of a man. This is because man was created in the image of God and after his likeness (ref. Genesis 1:26-27). At the time of the reaping, which is the seventh trumpet and vial, you will be translated and preserved either as you are or as you were in your prime – not sure which.
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away out reproach. In that day shall the branch of the LORD [Jesus Christ, ref. Jeremiah 23:5] be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth [the saints] shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Isaiah 4:2
While your semblance remains that of a man, you will be able to fly like an angel (ref. Luke 20:36). Metaphorically speaking, you will have “wings as eagles”.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits… Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalms 103:2-5
… they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles…
Isaiah 40:31
Another expression that occurs in the Bible is “wings of the morning” (ref. Psalms 139:9), as in the power of the morning star.
All this explains why sometimes a saint is described figuratively as a “bird” of prey (ref. Isaiah 46:11), particularly an “eagle” (ref. Luke 17:37).
In nature, eagles are the strongest hunters in the sky, and eagles have tremendous vision to spot their prey from afar. An eagle can even lift up a mountain goat to drop it off a cliff.
Now, for the purpose of painting a more descriptive picture, to mix metaphors, a saint will also have the strength and teeth (ref. Isaiah 41:15) of a lion (ref. Micah 5:8, Genesis 49:9). In nature, the lion is the strongest and fiercest hunter on land, some say, the king of the savannah. A lion is not even afraid of a crocodile.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
Micah 5:8-9
The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
Psalms 104:21-23
Jesus Christ himself is also described as “the Lion of the tribe of Juda” (ref. Revelation 5:5).
Curiously, in Old French, circa 7th century, my own name “lian” 练, though Chinese and meaning something else, is a variation of “lyon” and also “leon”, from the Roman word “leo”, as in “lion”.
So, on the day of Christ, the lions of Micah 5, an allusion to the holy ones of Jacob, will, together with the angels of God (ref. Matthew 13:41-42), remove what remains of evil from all of the promised land (ref. Micah 5:11-15). This will be done so that the entire realm is made holy.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels [saints not mentioned here, perhaps to hide the doctrine of the saints], and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:41-43
And in shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen such as they have not heard.
Micah 5:10-15
Notice especially the end of “witchcrafts”, which is certainly the remit of the saints.
This final part of the winepress is also described in Matthew 24:27-28 and Luke 17:34-37.
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles [saints and angels] be gathered together.
Matthew 24:27-28
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles [saints and angels] be gathered together.
Luke 17:34-37
All who are within the borders of promised land who have been blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life will be killed.
This might have something do with the “remnant” of the fourth beast and the forces of Babylon and those of her allies which are in Israel on the day of Armageddon.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls [saints and angels] were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 19:21
Or else this is about removing those Israelis, Arab or otherwise, that chose to side with Islam during the tribulation, as opposed to the side of Judah and the archangel Michael (ref. Daniel 12:1).
Whosoever shall seek to save his life [traitors to God] shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Luke 17:33
On the day of the LORD, when the two armies which are in heaven following Jesus Christ to the site of Armageddon arrive there, an angel in heaven will say to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven to come and eat the supper of the great God. Here, the word “fowls” means saints as well as angels.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Revelation 19:17-18
Once all of the promised land has been secured, there will be a new nation in the world: the holy kingdom of God. At this time, Israel and Judah will be together (ref. Hosea 1:10-11), and all of the chosen of the tribes of Jacob will be one people. Now, what used to be the modern day state of Israel will be renamed “The LORD our righteousness” or something to that effect (ref. Jeremiah 33:16, Jeremiah 23:6).
After this, some of the saints will remain in the kingdom of God to guard it, while others will spread abroad to win over the rest of the world.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psalms 22:27-28
Because of the power of Jesus Christ and his saints, liberating the rest of the world is only a matter of time.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:15
… thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting… And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great [the Messiah as a conqueror] unto the ends of the earth.
Micah 5:2-4