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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Who are the twelve tribes?

Some scriptural thoughts I wrote to an anointed one...

but a word on the 12 tribes....
I know they are not actual physical Jews, according to flesh.
What does it mean to be a Jew in a spiritual sense?
At John 1:47NKJV we see what Jesus had to say about Nathanael...
 "Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
Because of having the trait of having no deceitfulness in him, Nathanael was credited as being a genuine Israelite/Jew. 
Let's compare that to the 144000 of those designated at genuine spiritual Jews. At Rev.14 we read of them;
"3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless."
Based upon John 1:47NKJV and Rev.14:5 we can learn the foremost trait of a spiritual Jew.

The twelve tribes are also distinguished as receiving the first resurrection (Rev.20:4,5,6).
They are those who are speaking at Rev.6:9-11. The rest of their anointed brethren are separate from them, and will join them after they also sacrifice their lives for the truth. That latter group is the Great Crowd, who are the "rest of the dead" who come to life later. When compared to the traits of the 144000 at Rev.20:4-6; the great crowd goes through the great tribulation (Rev.7:13-14). In contrast to the 144000, the great crowd did not reign with Christ during his 1,000 year kingdom. The great crowd did worship the beast and its image (Rev.1:7-8) but those who stood up to that apostasy and prove victorious, do come to life after the thousand years have ended.
If you are or were a Jehovah's Witness, you now need to learn when the thousand years took place and why that kingdom ended.

Just as the Beasts in Daniel show the attributes of the final Wild Beast (Rev.13:1,2; Dan.7:5,6,4), so too the "tribes" of spiritual Israel have some other traits of the original tribes. 
The book of Revelation reveals the culmination, of the war of Gen.3:15. The "woman" is the New Covenant...the "Promise" by which "seed" are born (Gal.3:29; 4:24,26,28;  1Pet.3:6). That seed, is the twelve tribes of the spiritual "Israel of God".
(If you don't see this, please read pearl-thewoman.blogspot.com )

At Rev.12:1, New Jerusalem is seen as crowned with 12 stars 
(Prov.17:6;  1Pet.5:4;  1Thess.2:19; Prov.4:9; Isa.62:3; 61:3).
This represents the sealed 12 tribes of a full 144000 sons. They are not physical Jews, but spiritual (Rom.2:29; 9:8). 144000 is also symbolic.
(http://4womaninthewilderness.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-is-jew-what-is-gentile-answers-to.html)

"Jacob" is the resurrected Christ, and his twelve "sons" are the apostles. The apostles are the figurative foundation stones of their 12,000 sons each (Eph.2:20; Rev.21:14; 7:4,5-8).
We are built up upon them (their teachings/records), and fleshly Jews have no part in this, unless they belong to Christ, just as we do.
Try to keep in mind that this is a symbolic scroll, and that the number twelve (6+6) is symbolic for witnesses of truth (Rev.14:5; John 8:17). (This is discussed at pearl-666.blogspot.com )
According to Gal.4:30,24 , the physical Jews do not share in the promise of the inheritance, unless they become sealed anointed.
Do you think that fleshly Jews still have special favor from God, regarding the inheritance of Abraham 
(Acts 13:45,46; Matt.21:43; Jer.35:17; Matt.23:37-38; Luke 19:41,44; Jer.31:32)?

When I think of spiritual Jacob/Israel.....and the "fathers" of the tribes of Spiritual Israel (the twelve apostles),
I remember Matt.19:27-28; Luke 22:30; Dan.7:9,22; Rev.20:4; 7:4.
Underneath the judgment authority of these twelve, will be the 144000. After 144000 are sealed out of all those chosen (Matt.22:14) these 144000 will then also be given authority to judge... the world upon which they rule....(1Cor.6:2;  2Tim.2:12; Rev.5:10).
Symbolically, each apostle has a gate to the Holy City...each gate admitting a symbolic 12,000...each apostle
determining who will enter their gate and join those who make up New Jerusalem... coming under the family of their tribe (Rev.21:12,14).

How is Rom.14:12; John 5:22; and 1Cor.6:2 all true at once?
Jesus is clearly sharing the sealing of "Israel", with his apostles. Each "father" gets to determine which "sons" will comprise his tribe.
Yet we know that although this authority is given to Christ and the apostles,
they do nothing of their own initiative, but seek guidance and approval from the Father.

Please let me know your thoughts on who make up the 12 tribes of the Israel of God.

I believe that all the advice Jesus gives in Rev., chapters 1-3, is for all  anointed;
....especially during the end-time....
no matter which tribe or symbolic Congregation of "seven" we belong to. 
Christ's words to each congregation is not wholly to each individual, but rather he is giving commendation to those acting faithfully, and to other individuals that are not acting faithfully. Each congregation faces their own set of circumstances. As we ourselves face those circumstances, we can see how to prove faithful and how to avoid unfaithfulness.

Love in Christ,
Pearl
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