Arlene,
It is a pleasure to communicate with someone who is willing to search for deeper meanings, to seek out hidden truths. Most assume that the knowledge they have on a matter (say the "rapture") is complete.
THERE IS SO MUCH ERROR IN THE TEACHINGS OF TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY (CHURCHIANITY) THAT WE MUST DILIGENTLY SEEK THE LORD TO REVEAL TO US IN THIS DAY WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS ERROR!!!!!!! After all is it not written that it is the mature who discern good and evil?
My wife read your letters this AM and said "She sounds like me!" That is a good thing by the way.
OK, on the matter of A. S. Copley's article "The Man Child."
I had a hard time reading his article, Arlene. I sensed no kindred spirit in his work. Not saying that he is evil or the enemy's soldier, just that he is too much influenced by intellectual rationale. The vast majority of these writers were (or are) feasting from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The human intellect is not sufficient to comprehend the spiritual realities of God and His kingdom. (As you may have already concluded I think that J. Leland Earls is the rare one who has enough Holy Spirit to see beyond the carnal reasonings of the religious.)
Now about the 144,000....
Just because the term "144,000" appears twice in the proximity of seven chapters in Rev. we SHOULD NOT assume that term references the same group. We need to scrutinize each passage to see if there is sufficient evidence therein to validate our assumption. I state unequivocally, and in contradiction to Copley's conclusions, that they are TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS and we need to carefully examine scripture to support this conclusion. With the Spirit's necessary assistance I will try to do this.
Rev 7:1-3
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, " Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the BOND-SERVANTS of our God on their foreheads."
(I will now underline my comments to easily separate them from scripture. I know most of you will know the difference... indulge me, OK?)
There are only a couple of points to make here. One is that these 144,000 are from the 12 tribes of Israel. Secondly they are BOND-SERVANTS and no relationship of a higher order is suggested.
If I have been informed correctly (I have not researched this) it was God's intent (stated or implied I do not know) that OT Israel evangelize and bring knowledge of Him to the known world. He knew how Israel would fail so I am sure that it was always His intent that 144,000 Israeli missionaries would have a major part to play in this end-time revival that we are soon to witness.
That, I suspect, is the call of these 144,000 bond-servants of the Lord.
Now to Rev 14:1-5
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, HAVING HIS NAME AND THE NAME OF HIS FATHER WRITTEN ON THEIR FOREHEADS.
"Name" in scripture points to a persons nature, character and authority. This company of 144,000 have been so purged and refined in the Refiner's fire that they have become like the Refiner. They do what they see the Father doing, they know by the Spirit what they are to do.They are those who looked beyond a "work for the Lord" to possess Him completely, nothing less would satisfy. They are in a higher relationship with Him than that of a bond-servant.
The "forehead" points to authority. This group is completely under the authority of the Father and the Son and have been purged of all reliance on either self or man. They need no one to teach them but the Spirit.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.
There is no ethnic reference here as there is in Rev. 7. By that omission it is concluded these are from all ethnic groups but yes, Israelis should appear here as well.
4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste.
Other translations use the term "virgin" here. This simply is emphasizing the purity of this group. Through Father's ministrations they have been purged of all doctrines of men and devils, all desire for self glorification. They exist for Him alone, the cultural and religious requirements of men have no affect on them.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Now that sounds like a wife to me!!!
These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. (end of scripture)
One last thing... if you are student of the meanings of numbers in the Bible consider the following links:
For the number 7 (as in Rev. 7) http://philologos.org/__eb-nis/seven.htm,
And for the number 14 (as in Rev. 14) http://philologos.org/__eb-nis/13666.htm#14
Even the chapter numbers for these two groups of 144,000 suggest the the ch. 14 has attained twice the spiritual perfection of the ch. 7 group.
Interesting stuff....hope it is meat in due season.
RJ2