Who is the twelve tribes of Israel?
Who is the twelve tribes of Israel in the arrangement of the kingdom of heaven?Mt 19:28
28 Jesus said to them: "Truly I say to YOU, In the re-creation, when the Son of man sits down upon his glorious throne, YOU who have followed me will also yourselves sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Who is this twelve tribes of Israel, then? The apostle Paul answeres it in 1Co 6:2.
1Co 6:2
2 Or do YOU not know that the holy ones will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by YOU, are YOU unfit to try very trivial matters?
So it tells us that the twelve tribes of Israel represents the world which will be judged by the sons of the kingdom.
Additionally, the sons of the kingdom is to be taken out of the twelve tribes of Israel according to Revelation's account.
Re 7:4
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel:
Re 5:9-10
9 And they sing a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth."
So the entire world can be viewed as the twelve tribes of Israel.
What does it mean, then?
All Adam's family need to enter the New covenant eventually in order to receive the benefit the New covenant can offer, that is forgiveness of sin and recuperation from the effects of sin.
The New covenant effected by the blood of Christ is not only for the sons of the kingdom, but also for the things on the earth.
Col 1:20
20 and through him to reconcile again to himself all [other] things by making peace through the blood [he shed] on the torture stake, no matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.
The things upon the earth stand for those inherit the life on earth, whereas the things in the heavens are the sons of the kingdom who inherit the life in heaven as the seed of Abraham with Christ.
1Jon 2:2
2 And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours (the sons of the kingdom) only but also for the whole world's (the things upon the earth).
And the invitation to become the sons of the kingdom is extended to all nations and peoples and the tongues, but few are chosen.
New covenant & Christian baptism
Christian baptism is for entering into the New covenant for the forgiveness of sin.From the baptized Christian, the sons of the kingdom is to be chosen according to the will of God.
1Co 10:1-5, 6
1 Now I do not want YOU to be ignorant, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea 2 and all got baptized into Moses by means of the cloud and of the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they used to drink from the spiritual rock-mass that followed them, and that rock-mass meant the Christ. 5 Nevertheless, on most of them God did not express his approval, for they were laid low in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, for us not to be persons desiring injurious things, even as they desired them.
Many are invited as baptized Christians, but few are chosen as sons of the Kingdom.
Water baptism is for entering the New covenant.
And the New covenant is for the whole world.
The old covenant was only for the freshly Israel.
But the nation of Israel failed to produce the sons of the kingdom.
The old covenant was useless in this, so that it was abolished.
Since God knew the incapability of the old covenant, he promised the New covenant for the whole world.
Then the New covenant is successful in producing the entire sons of the kingdom, as shown in the Revelation's account which says that the king priests were bought out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, by the blood of Christ, the mediator of the New covenant.
Re 5:9-10
9 And they sing a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth."
Considering of the New covenant for the whole world, the sons of the kingdom are chosen from every tribe and tongue and people and nation equally.
And people of every nation can enter the New covenant by the water baptism for Christian.
But it doesn't necessarily mean that those baptized are chosen as the sons of the kingdom.
Those who baptized as a Christian have been in the New covenant, but being chosen as the sons of the kingdom is another story.
Additionally, there are weeds like fake Christians, of course they too are not the sons of the kingdom.
So the saying is true that many are invited, but few chosen.
All Christian are invited to be the sons of the kingdom, but few are the ones to find the way to be as such.
People who don't understand the invitation or don't incline to be such, are simply not chosen yet. And there are mere weeds like fake Christians. Even the chosen ones could lose their standing.
Mt 7:13-14
13 "Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; 14 whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.
Lu 13:23-24
23 Now a certain man said to him: "Lord, are those who are being saved few?" He said to them: 24 "Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell YOU, will seek to get in but will not be able,
Re 2:25-19
25 Just the same, hold fast what YOU have until I come. 26 And to him that conquers and observes my deeds down to the end I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he shall shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, the same as I have received from my Father, 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.'
Re 3:4-6, 15-18
4 "'Nevertheless, you do have a few names in Sar′dis that did not defile their outer garments, and they shall walk with me in white ones, because they are worthy. 5 He that conquers will thus be arrayed in white outer garments; and I will by no means blot out his name from the book of life, but I will make acknowledgment of his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.'
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. 17 Because you say: "I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all," but you do not know you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may become rich, and white outer garments that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not become manifested, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes that you may see.
Mt 22:14 (NWT)
14 "For there are many invited, but few chosen."
Mt 22:14 (KJV)
For many are called, but few are chosen.
Christ opened the way to heaven.
Before the Christ no one was invited to heaven.Mt 11:12-13
12 But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens is the goal toward which men press, and those pressing forward are seizing it. 13 For all, the Prophets and the Law, prophesied until John;
Lu 16:16
16 "The Law and the Prophets were until John. From then on the kingdom of God is being declared as good news, and every sort of person is pressing forward toward it.
Joh 1:9-13
9 The true light that gives light to every sort of man was about to come into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him, but the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own home, but his own people did not take him in. 12 However, as many as did receive him, to them he gave authority to become God's children, because they were exercising faith in his name; 13 and they were born, not from blood or from a fleshly will or from man's will, but from God.
Those who accept Christ are invited to be the sons of the kingdom. Therefore baptized Christians need to realize that you are invited to be the sons of the kingdom, not the things on the earth.
Since the things in the heavens are to be gathered first, there is only the heavenly calling from Christ's first coming to His second coming. Therefore, the only calling in this period is the calling to the sons of the kingdom. The sons of the kingdom are to be gathered as the firstfruits from the redeemed mankind.
Eph 1:8-14
8 This he caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and good sense, 9 in that he made known to us the sacred secret of his will. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself 10 for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. [Yes,] in him, 11 in union with whom we were also assigned as heirs, in that we were foreordained according to the purpose of him who operates all things according to the way his will counsels, 12 that we should serve for the praise of his glory, we who have been first to hope in the Christ. 13 But YOU also hoped in him after YOU heard the word of truth, the good news about YOUR salvation. By means of him also, after YOU believed, YOU were sealed with the promised holy spirit, 14 which is a token in advance of our inheritance, for the purpose of releasing by a ransom [God's] own possession, to his glorious praise.
Jas 1:18
18 Because he willed it, he brought us forth by the word of truth, for us to be certain firstfruits of his creatures.
The rest of the redeemed mankind are to be gathered after the harvest of the firstfruits as the things upon the earth.
Heb 11:39-40
39 And yet all these (ancient servants of God before Christ), although they had witness borne to them through their faith, did not get the [fulfillment of the] promise, 40 as God foresaw something better for us, in order that they might not be made perfect apart from us.
gathering the things in the heavens
And now is the time of administration of gathering the things in the heavens, not the things on the earth.Those who are the things on the earth in baptized Christian will inherit the earth by either way, being resurrected or getting out of the great tribulation in the same way as the rest of the human families who will be shown mercy by our heavenly Father.
Eph 1:10
10 for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. [Yes,] in him,
Mt 5:7
7 "Happy are the merciful, since they will be shown mercy.
Abraham was promised the land of Palestine as his inheritance, not heaven.
Ge 15:18
18 On that day YHWH concluded with A′bram a covenant, saying: "To your seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Eu·phra′tes:
Heb 11:8-10, 13-16
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed in going out into a place he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, although not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he resided as an alien in the land of the promise as in a foreign land, and dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the very same promise. 10 For he was awaiting the city having real foundations, the builder and maker of which [city] is God.
13 In faith all these died, although they did not get the [fulfillment of the] promises, but they saw them afar off and welcomed them and publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land. 14 For those who say such things give evidence that they are earnestly seeking a place of their own. 15 And yet, if they had indeed kept remembering that [place] from which they had gone forth, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they are reaching out for a better [place], that is, one belonging to heaven. Hence God is not ashamed of them, to be called upon as their God, for he has made a city ready for them.
The heavenly inheritance was foreign idea to Abraham as anybody was, before Christ. So Abraham won't go to heaven. He will inherit the land that belongs to heaven when Christ's heavenly kingdom begins to reign.
It is natural then, to think that they will be resurrected in the land of Palestine to posses it eternally under the heavenly kingdom.
Even Jesus' apostles and others didn't comprehend the heavenly inheritance until later time when they were taught by the spirit of the truth.
Eph 1:13-19
13 But YOU also hoped in him after YOU heard the word of truth, the good news about YOUR salvation. By means of him also, after YOU believed, YOU were sealed with the promised holy spirit, 14 which is a token in advance of our inheritance, for the purpose of releasing by a ransom [God's] own possession, to his glorious praise.
15 That is why I also, since I have heard of the faith YOU have in the Lord Jesus and toward all the holy ones, 16 do not cease giving thanks for YOU. I continue mentioning YOU in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give YOU a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the accurate knowledge of him; 18 the eyes of YOUR heart having been enlightened, that YOU may know what is the hope to which he called YOU, what the glorious riches are which he holds as an inheritance for the holy ones, 19 and what the surpassing greatness of his power is toward us believers. It is according to the operation of the mightiness of his strength,
Php 3:14-16
14 I am pursuing down toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus. 15 Let us, then, as many of us as are mature, be of this mental attitude; and if YOU are mentally inclined otherwise in any respect, God will reveal the above [attitude] to YOU. 16 At any rate, to what extent we have made progress, let us go on walking orderly in this same routine.
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