In Eliyah's account, notice that when he went before the "people" -- thousands must have been gathered around to see the big show. Many may have called out, "Hey, look, that trouble maker Elijah is taking on our Pastors in a contest about whose god is god", or some such thing, and it is among, or in front of these Israelis, Elijah stood up, said his piece, and they were SILENT. Much like today. The Pastors and Priest, however, when presented with the conditions of the contest, Well, now, easy pickings, right? Elijah stood not chance. Of course, at the end of the show, with Elijah the winner, the spectators were not silent anymore, jumping on their Pastors, their Priests, killing all of them. But, even after all of this, do we see the people then turning to Elijah to renew the Covenant with YaHWeH? Nope. But, then, that was then, nearly 800 years before Paul would quote a message, as a reminder for us, even to this day, given as a revelation to EliYaH, picked up by the Apostle Paul (Saul) and passed on as a reminder to all of us, that there is a calling, whether we see it or them, or not, it is as sure today as it was then.
More than 7,000? Yes, now in this time, more than 7,000 -- at least down through the centuries. How do we know this? First off we are told that there will be 144,000 from all Israel, 12,000 from each tribe. Again, a specific number, but as Gentiles, that is all non-Israelis the number is not known. Of those who have come and gone the number is uncountable. But rest assured, there is a number and all are Marked by His Holy Name -- Rev 7:3, 9:4, 14:1 & 3:12 -- As then so now.
Are you the square peg trying to fit into the round hole (1 Peter 2:9; 1 Cor 3:16)? Then you may be one of these few reserved by our Creator Himself, as one of the few called, set aside, having not bowed to the Zeus of the day. Do you find yourself swimming around in the bowl of Christianity finding you cannot justify yourself by the traditions and customs of the Church? Do you see the conflict with Scripture and the actions of Christians? Then maybe it is time for you to come out of her.
If it is evident to you that the "Jesus", professed by the Christians of today, is not the Messiah of the Scriptures? Not the Messiah of 30 AD? (1 John 4:2-4; 1 John 2:22 -- seeing the deception in the teaching of "another" Savior -- seeing that, YaHshua, is His Name and is nowhere close to the false name, Jesus (many pronounce as Hey Zeus) -- seeing that the translators have stumbled over the true stone -- then you may very well be one of the 7,000. See -- His birth Name is not Jesus
144,000 Reserved for YaHshua
Paul used the example from Elijah (EliYaH) to assure those called the elect, both Gentile and Jew, that even in the most dire moments, our Heavenly Father has always a few set aside, there is always a remnant. Paul used the Elijah battle against the false prophets and priest, where it appeared he had won the fight but lost the battle and was the soul survivor, but YaHWeH scolded him for his moment of disbelief and made it clear who is really in charge and that beside Elijah, He had reserved 7,000 others. The Apostle Paul sees this, even before the Book of Revelation comes to light. The Apostle John is shown a remanant from among the people of Israel and this remnant is also mentioned as a specific number, 144,000 -- 12,000 from each tribe, and only our Heavenly Father and our Savior, YaHshua, could possibly know who and where these people are, but we are told where they will be when YaHshua returns -- with Him. We can also know that there is another number among the Gentiles, both death, to be raised and alive, living at His return that is beyond counting. This is undeniable, a certain truth. Some deny this truth and teach that the 144,000 is the church, the Christian church, denying, essentially, the clear, prophetic word.
To deny or change the meaning of the final days prophetic words is to deny the Creator God, the only Living God. But, no matter what you or I think, His word is true and this world is in for some big changes and His Gentile witnesses will be here when it happens – as will the 144,000, whom He has reserved for YaHshua -- These Israelis will not look like the picture or the character or the customised Jews of these past centuries. The word is plain on this and no matter how you read it it is always the same -- the 144,000 is a collection of flesh and blood Israelis, 12,000 from each of the tribes, set apart from this world -- a specific number -- not so visible but sealed by Him, reserved by Him, in a very similar fashion as the 7,000 that Elijah, a true man of YaHWeH, did not see or recognise, virtually invisible to the world. When YaHshua returns, this 144,000, Sealed and recognised by Him and His Angels, will walk with Him -- they will be His entourage (Rev 7:1-4 and 14:1-4 -- where He goes they go).
A Great Uncountable Number
It has always been the purpose of YaHshua to save Israel. The 144,000 is a specific number, just as our Creator chose 8 individuals to survive the flood and again setting aside (marking of sealing a certain number with His Holy Name) the 7,000 in the time of Elijah's ministry against all of the LORD (Ba'al) worshippers. This, of course does not count the number of those to be raised from the grave, nor does it take into account the Gentile converts, but we are told that this is a much greater number, ".... a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, ..." Rev 7:9-12. The times of the Gentiles is close to coming to an end -- Luke 21:24. The 144,000 are not Gentiles, they are not the Gentile Christian Church, as some claim, and in doing so, deny the simple word. Believe what its says -- the 144,000 are marked, sealed by the Name of our Heavenly Father and will have been birthed (reborn) into Spirit as "firstfruits" to walk with their Savior, The First Fruit -- No matter which race of people you are, called to Him, He is our Savior YaHshua, as well. The 144,000, however, will go wherever He goes, and they are all descendants from Jacob, who was renamed, Israel -- Israel's destiny is salvation -- Our Creator God and Father, did not raise Israel up to fail, He has determined their eventual success. This period of time is to be at the Return of our Lord and Savior, YaHshua. The vast number of Gentiles too but it is obvious that this period is at the Resurrection of both the dead (the Greater Number) and the living. So, for now, in our time, these modern times, we still wonder, and ask the question, Who are the 7,000 or the representative number that our Heavenly Father has Reserved today among the living, in our generation? This appears to be a principle of selection and election down through each generation -- HalleluYaH.
Hebrew Root Movement -- Opposing Christianity?
On the other hand are you caught up in a religion that is trying to restore the Old Covenant? Claiming to be something they are not? Many do see the error of the Paganized Christian groups and plunge into the Hebrew Roots Movement or the Messianic or the Sacred Names Movements in a futile effort to do what is right. Some try to live like Jews or see themselves as the New Israel and still others even teach they are physical descendants of Israel, the Lost Ten Tribes -- all in vain efforts to be something they are not. Be careful as you look to fit in (Revelation 3:9, from these run, don’t walk).
Do you feel you have become entangled with group oppression, all in the name of god? (Ephesians 5:11; 2 John 10-11; 2 Cor 11:13, Yes, Satan has servants whom he inspires -- the coming of the Ultimate Servant of Satan Rev 13:2 )
Do you seem to understand things in the scripture that separate you from others? (2 Cor 11:4-- , again remember, His name is not Jesus, but Yahshua, now read this again That knowledge of truth alone will cause then to shun you, Romans 10:13. Taught by God our Father, John 6:45; Ephesians 6:12)
Do you find yourself biting your tongue when around others for fear of causing division, or worse still, to be asked to leave? (maybe you should leave? 1 Cor 15:33)
Do your questions to your pastor only cause arguments or belittlement? (2 Peter 2:2-4)
Do you feel alone in this world of confused religions and obvious false doctrines? Does it seem like your Bible is saying something different from what the preacher is saying? (Matt 24:4, 1 Cor 3:19)
Do you feel that maybe you do not belong? Are you intimidated into silence? (1 John 1:2-4, never mind, your fellowship is with the Apostles through their written words and especially with God our Father and Yahshua, His son -- you are not alone, all united by His Holy Spirit -- Matthew 11:27)
Have the leaders of your church set you against your family? Or have they set your family against you? Do they practice authority over all? Scripture, our real authority? Or do they teach that the Father God is over the Christ and the Christ is over the man and man over the woman and if so then just where does it say the pastor is over the woman, over the children, over you (Eph 5:22-24)?
There has been an abundance of misuse in this area, all derived from words addressed to the Apostles and later taken by common men thinking themselves something they are not and taking on the authority given to the original Apostles. The Head of your house is you and you are subject to the Messiah. You, as the man, have a responsibility to be gentle and patient, yourself a servant to the wife -- that's right, a servant -- if one is to lead one must become a servant - Mat 20:25-27. She is not your slave, but because of her weakness (remember it was she that was deceived) you, as the head, are to be tolerant and patient toward her. To lead, you become the servant. Blessed is the man with a God fearing wife that understands this, and is able to see the true strength in her husband, for his mercy toward her is the mercy we find in YaHshua and our Heavenly Father toward us. Amen
Do you feel uncomfortable engaging discussions about the creation, about our Creator, being met with stony silence or angry remarks?
If you can answer, "Yes", to any of the questions above perhaps this web site is for you. Perhaps you are – one of the Seven Thousand? The Main point being, however, is not about mistreatment from others, that is to be expected -- John 15:18-19. Especially if you start suggesting that those calling themselves Christians, are calling on, or worshipping the wrong god, then it should be expected -- Mat 10:22. Telling those around you that they are worshipping the wrong god, calling on and bowing to the wrong god, to the wrong messiah, calling on a name that never existed in the first century, that never existed until the 15th century, just might cause some to want to throw stones at you, or worse -- Isayah 66:5. Our Savior came in a Name, and it is a Name we are to confess with our own lips, and to bow to no other. He was born YaHshua, and there is no other name found among men by which we must be saved -- Acts 4:12. With this in mind, start reading your Bible by restoring His Birth Name, and see for yourself how the meaning of verses like -- 1 John 2:22, take on a whole different meaning. Also -- 1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7. We hear a lot about the Antichrist. My Bible says that there are many "Antichrists" -- 1 John 2;18. Then there is Acts 4:12, John 17:11, Hebrews 2:12, and many others, if you restore His Birth Name, your Bible readings will upon up anew.
Number One Principle "Let the Father be true and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4)
With that in mind let us proceed --
Who are the Seven Thousand?
That would be the number of those found not to have given themselves to the popular religion of their day. Biblically speaking, the original seven thousand lived during the days of Elijah (Eli-YaH). Elijah, at one point in his ministry, thought he was alone, the only one worshipping the true Creator. He, however, was reminded by YHWH, God of back sliding Israel, that he was not alone. There were "seven thousand" that had not bowed to the popular religion of the day and had not kissed (joined hands with this false religion and its priests) Baal. Baal, in the days of Elijah and the Seven Thousand, was the "Lord" worship of that day. Kissing the idol of one of the Baals demonstrated an intimate acceptance of this false worship. Kissing can be likened to a handshake of today sealing an agreement. Westerners and Europeans may sign an agreement then shake hands all around sealing the signed agreement. Even today some in other countries greet and seal agreements with a kiss. It is not uncommon in this modern era to see religious people kissing their idols whether they be square prayer boxes, holy stones, holy pictures, holy crosses, holy men, and even stone statues.
In Rome there is a statue of Peter, or so they say, and the big toe on this venerated piece of stone - cut into the shape of a man - has virtually been "kissed" off. Once a year the Pope himself places his robe and crown upon this stone idol and bows before it and kisses its foot. The Seven Thousand would not be a party to such things, not in the days of Elijah and not now in these days. Who are the Seven Thousand? It is those that worship the true God in Heaven, in truth and in spirit – and acknowledge Yahshua as Messiah and Savior. An guess what? The Roman Catholic Church murdered tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters.
First the Roman Empire, under the Caesars, murdered Christians for their beliefs for nearly 300 years, but it has been the Roman Catholic Church that has murdered believers not of their baptism for the past 1,500 years, up until Napoleon removed the power of the Pope, making him a virtual captive and limiting the power to the Vatican grounds making it wht smallest country/state in the world, covering about 25 acres (?), and the Pope has never had the power over life and death, over the Kings of the Earth since -- still -- great influence and as the world forgets about the crimes of the Roman Church that influence continues to grow. Make no mistake, history is the witness against this Whore of Babylon as she, under the authority of the Popes, launched crusades against innocent people like the Anti-baptists (those not agreeing to child baptism, or sprinkling), the Albigenses, Waldenses and many other lesser known individuals and groups, killing off whole towns and villages of people not agree with the Roman Catholic Church or refusing her confession. Of course everyone has heard of the Spanish inquisitions, but that is only a part of the history of the Roman Church drinking in the blood of true saints. Like the Woman on the Beast in Revelation chapter 17, drunk on the blood of the saints, so is the Roman Church without apology or repentance, the same today as yesterday and if given the chance to rule over kings, presidents, and prime ministers again, if unleashed, allowed out of her box, she will again torture and murder the innocent -- all of those who will not confess the unholy Name she confess and demands you confess. Make no mistake, the Roman Catholic Religious Powers are orchestrating a come back and we can see this in her bid to accept into her fold all religions. The Late Pope John began this newest of crusades by allowing pagan religions to meet in a Roman Catholic Conference and come before sitting Pope and perform their magical acts of pagan worship, all under the banner that We are all Worshipping the Same God, just in Different Ways. Of course, this is recognition by these other pagan religions that the Pope is supreme. And Pope Francis has picked up where Pope John left off. I sometimes wonder if Pope (retired) Benedict could not bring himself to go along with this path of open paganism and so he retired. Maybe not, after all, the Roman Church has enough built in paganism to check off all the boxes for a Church built on the foundations of Nimrod and Semiramis, the Whore of Babylon, also depicted in the Book of Revelation, chapter 17, verse 5 (Rev 17:5). Wait, in case you don't want to bother opening your own bible --
(Rev 17:4-6) And the Woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a Name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of YaHshua: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Mother of Harlots -- she has daughters, and who are those but they that came out of her, out in the times of the Protesting against the power of the Pope, those called the Protestant Churches, and they all kept her teachings, like daughter against the mother in a fight over authority, not doctrine, not the paganism they all accept and all calling on a name our Lord and Savior was Never Named.
When we look at the history of the Reformation, that great religious break from the Roman Church and the Pope's authority we find her "daughters", practising similar, the same, customs and traditions. Free from the shackles of Rome, yes, but in another way the same, and using the doctrine of paganism to shackle believers who would otherwise come to the True Savior and call on and be baptised into the Name of the True Savior, YaHshua, but instead, these pagan leaders in disguise take captive the innocent and kill either the flesh or the spirit, those that should belong to Him, to YaHshua. Many Protestant Bishops enforced their positions over the people by force as well, even, at times, under the penalty of death. The struggle of the saints has always been the same; by not conforming to the doctrine of those usurping the Throne of our King and Savior, and for this, many have been destroyed, burned at the stake, hung, tortured into a confession not their own. The angels of Heaven and our Heavenly Father and our Savior know who these people are and a reward awaits them.
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 5:10)
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Elijah thought he was alone (I Kings 19:14) but he was not. The mighty YHWH corrected him (I Kings 19:18). The people of YHWH were, in the days of Elijah, concentrated in the land of Israel while today, the people of the Almighty Living God, are like "salt" sprinkled out over the face of the whole earth (Matthew 5:13). We should not forget, our Savior told us in advance that the end days would be as the end days of Noah. Many point to His, our Messiah, saying, "they married and were giving in marriage", as a proof everything was NORMAL, but this is far from the point. How had the days of Noah been? There were around 120 years of people "marrying and giving in marriage", of 'buying and selling" -- 120 years, and how did it end? Only 8 survived the end of days at that time, ONLY 8 people out of millions. Yes, as in the days of Elijah, also, we are looking for a "remnant", that would be a few not a majority.
EliYaH, means, "My God is YaH". If Elijah did not know about the "seven thousand" souls back then, what about today? As the world is even closer to the coming of our Savior, YaHshua, how many have not bowed to another god? How many today remain true to the worship of the one Savior, the one who came and revealed the Father and have not bowed to any other god or gods? Today there may be many more than a mere seven thousand, then again maybe not (Luke 8:18), but we should realize the people of the Living God are hidden in a much larger area today - all of the earth. Think for a minute – Elijah did not know the 7,000 believers -- he thought He was the only one. YaHWeH reveals to him that there are 7,000 others. Considering the overall population of Israel the number 7,000 may be a much larger number according to population, per 1,000 -- of course, we do not know the population of the Northern Tribes. It is estimated that the Northern Tribes of Israel numbered around 450,000. Still, it is pretty amazing that 7,000 were virtually unknown. Certainly a man like Elijah, would have known about them if they were going around bragging about worshipping the true God, but they were not, and he did not. The Apostle Paul uses this as a comparison for his day, as we have already read, setting a principle that it would seem is still working today.
The emphasis is not on the number or a numbers but that the Creator God has decided that during every age, every generation there will always be those that do not bow to the religions of this world and this is His doing, not mine, not yours, not anyone but Him. Elijah thought he was alone just like many of you may think or feel but you are not. You are there and I am here, that is two, and I know of a couple of others also. Remain where you are, you are there for a reason, if, however, you are being persecuted then flee to another city (Matthew 10:23). When you pray -- you pray for all of us and we for you. The unity in the body of the Messiah is not as the world sees it but as the Spirit sees and knows it.
1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ (the anointed). From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" NIV
Our part in the Body of the Christ is not with some group of flesh and blood. Our central teacher is our Father in heaven and His Son, Yahshua. They are Spirit, they are Holy and this makes them the Holy Spirit.
It is lost revenues for the fleshly churches to teach this singular truth of individual unity in the living, Spiritual Body, of the Messiah.
(Rom 12:4-7) For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teach, on teaching; KJV 1Cor 10:17; 1Cor 12:12-13; 12:20; Eph 2:13;
(Please read these verses, above, leaving out the gray, italicized words (as in the KJV), as these words were added by the translators to help the reader make better sense of a particular verse, as they saw it, with their own bias, sometimes, weighing toward that bias. Read without these words and these verses make even more sense, at times, and the truth in them is sometimes revealed to be different from what has been accepted, or popular.)
(Eph 2:18) For through Him we both have access by One Spirit unto the Father.
1 Peter 2:4 As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God (The Father) and precious to Him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yahshua the Christ.
This house, this spiritual house, is not of any fleshly group, but of those belonging to that spiritual Body of the Messiah -- that body as compared to a building of stones, as our Messiah and Savior is the Corner Stone.
Certainly it is not wrong to meet with brothers and sisters of like beliefs, but when the burden placed on the individual to comply with a group mentality that is contrary to what you see and understand in the Bible, perhaps it is time for you to reexamine this group. You should, in the fullness of love, be able to live at peace with all people but there are those that will not let this happen, especially as you, being personally taught by the Father and the Son will fall under suspicious scrutiny by those in authority. It seems that the closer someone actually approaches the truth -- striping away much of the fleshly desire -- the leadership feels more and more threatened. Don’t take this personally if this happens to you, as it is not you they are against, even rejecting, but it is the Christ in you -- not unlike the Messiah Himself when he confronted the religious leaders of His day -- they were afraid of Him and His message -- they could sense they had no power over Him.
Remember the questions that began this article – if you are fortunate enough not to have any of those problems of abuse within the organization or group you are joined with, you are most fortunate indeed. I pray this is the case as you will be able to share the truth of Yahshua’s teachings with others and may even be the tool by which others will be pulled out of the way of Babylon and its pagan practices and doctrines as taught by most of the Christian community.
Then again, perhaps you are one as in Elijah’s day, part of the invisible, spiritual Body of the Messiah?
Are you one of the Seven Thousand, or a like number, perhaps on of a greater number but not seen by the world? I hope so and in that hope we will all meet at the coming of our Lord and Master YaHshua, not some other Baal or Lord, but the one true Master of all, YaHshua and the One True Father of all. I pray you find this site a blessing and an encouragement. Hallelu-YaH
email comments to: dan@servantsofyahshua.com
Ellicott's Commentary: [Ashtaroth.—The plural of the feminine word Ash-tareth, or Astarte, “the goddess of the Sidonians” (1Ki_11:5), the Phœnician Venus—identified sometimes with the moon (e.g., in the name Ashtaroth Karnaim, “the city of the two-horned moon,” the name of Og’s capital, Deu_1:4), and sometimes with the planet Venus (2Ki_23:4; Cic. De Nat. Deor. 3:23; Euseb. Praep. Evang. i. 10). She is called the “queen of heaven,” in Jer_7:10; Jer_44:17, and was called Baalti (“my lady”) by the Phœnicians. The plural form may be, as Ewald thinks, the plural of excellence, or like Baalim an allusion to the different forms and attributes under which the goddess was worshipped. The worship of Baalim and Ashtaroth naturally went hand in hand. (See Jdg_10:6; 1Sa_7:4; 1Sa_12:10.) Ashtaroth is not to be confused with the Asheroth (rendered “groves” in the E. V.) mentioned in Jdg_3:7. The words resemble each other less in Hebrew, as Ashtaroth begins with ע, not with א. Mil. ton’s allusions to these deities are not only exquisitely beautiful but also very correct, as he derived his information from Selden’s learned Syntagma de Dis Syrüs:
