In other posts I have placed here the first fruits are the church. Romans 8:23 James 1:18 Revelation 14:4. The first fruits are also called the elect Romans 11:5 Colossians 3:12 2 Timothy 2:10 2 Peter 1:10. The church is the elect and the first fruits. Revelation 7:4 there are 144,000 that are sealed in their foreheads. Because of Israel’s rejection of Jesus their branches were broken off the olive tree and Gentiles grafted into the olive tree which represents spiritual Israel. Romans 11:5-7 Romans11:16-17. The root of the olive tree are the saints before Christ like those listed in Hebrews 11. The root and the branches are spiritual Israel the Israel of God. Romans 2:28-29 In the greeting of James the 12 tribes scattered abroad is the church, the first fruits, the elect. The church did not replace ancient Israel but predated Israel as it was the church in the wilderness with Abraham who lived 400 years before Moses gave the law. Deuteronomy 5:3 . The saints before Christ are the root and the branches were both Jew and gentile but all are the 144,000 elect, first fruits, the church. The number 144,000 is literal but the second group the innumerable multitude is not numbered. The 144,00 have protection because of the seal from the tribulation but the second group will be martyred. Both groups are the church and both will be in the first resurrection but one are the elect and the other not; one converted before the tribulation and the other during the tribulation. This understanding has serious implications for those who think the number of the first resurrection will be in the billions or that they are male virgin Jews or some other view that is non scriptural. I have used scripture to prove what I have written here.
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