We know from all the last day prophecy that during the 1000 year reign of Christ there will again be many nations. This confused me until I remembered that Noah, being one family, became many nations. So it still seems plausible to me that the 144,000 will repopulate the entire world during the millennium.
Paul tells us that not all who are of Israel are Israel. I am sure that even though the 144,000 believing Jews enter the 1000 year reign as Israel, that their offspring will become these nations of the earth during the 1000 year reign. Noah’s sons went out and settled the lands and made nations and people’s and many worshipped foreign gods. And think of this: Abraham was not a Jew. His offspring would become a nation claimed by God because of the covenant He made with Abraham, and this people would be called Israel, but Abraham was chosen to be the father of many nations (Gen. 17:4, etc) and he was. I believe this is just what will happen during the 1000 year reign. The 144,000 are not the bride of Christ but they are also the redeemed. “And all Israel will be saved”.
I believe that because so few believers will be raptured, they will hardly be noticed when they are. Isaiah, in chapters 56-57, describes this time. Isaiah says that the righteous (sanctified) are removed from the wrath to come and no one notices. The word “perish” here means “vanish”. ( I happened upon this on Whitestones Ministries website, looked it up, and it is correct). We have a strange representation of the rapture today. Some have thought that all of a sudden multitudes disappear. They say that all children will disappear as well and that would be an unmistakeable clue that the rapture has occurred. But hear this thought with me a moment and consider it with me. I don’t believe all children will go and here’s why: not every child will become a believer and God sees that. He knows every heart and every destiny. Hitler was once a sweet baby and a child but God knew who he would become… and he never would become a believer. Again, think back to the scripture that describes Jacob and Esau even before they were born… remember? Their destinies were already determined even before they could choose good or evil. “And all who were ordained to eternal life believed” ( Acts13.48). So while we see an innocent child, God sees the finished person. All are offered salvation but not all will receive it. Another truth: there are children in the tribulation. The church has been raptured but there are children still left. How do we know? All precise speaking of this time show us that there are children on the earth during the wrath. The rapture happens but not all children go.
More next time…