When John was exiled to the isle of Patmos, after he could not be boiled in oil, he saw many things in a vision for a period of two years. He was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.
One of the visions he saw was about the 144,000 Jews spoken of in Revelation chapters 7 and 14.
Many religious people have thought and taught wrongly that these 144,000 Jews are the Bride of Christ to be in heaven and that the rest of Christians outside this group will not be in heaven but in paradise. This thinking is contrary to the Bible and cannot be supported by any Scripture.
On the contrary, the Jews, rejected the Gospel so that Salvation could come to the Gentiles. Paul speaks to this in Romans 11:1-29. God has never dealt with the Jews and the Gentiles at the same time. He dealt with the Jews in His 3 ½ years ministry when He was rejected. He is now dealing with His Gentile Bride during 7 church Ages for a period of 2,000 years. At the expiration of the 7 Church Ages, the Gospel will return to the Jews for the salvation of the 144,000 Jews through the ministries of Elijah and Moses as the two olive trees in Revelation 11.
Romans 11:1-29 states
"I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them:
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance".
The life of Joseph is a perfect type of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to brother Branham. For the sake of this article, I will pick some of the excerpts of the life of Joseph that type the Life of Christ: Just as Joseph was hated by his brethren but loved by his father, the Lord Jesus was hated by His brethren (the Jews) but loved by His Father. Just as Joseph married a Gentile bride (an Egyptian), Jesus marries a Gentile bride. The true Christian church is the Bride of Christ. Just as the eyes of Joseph's brethren were withheld from seeing who Joseph was, the eyes of the Jews were withheld from seeing who Jesus was. Just as Joseph revealed his identity to his brethren through an interpreter, the Lord Jesus will reveal His identity to His brethren (the 144,000 Jews) through an interpreter, the ministry of Elijah.
The following are extract from AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES authored by Bro. William Marrion Branham.
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
Now where will the Gentile Church be while Jesus is making Himself known to His brethren? Remember that the bride of Joseph with the two children were in the palace, for Joseph had commanded, "Let everyone leave me; put them all out from before me." So the Gentile bride was hidden in the palace of Joseph. Where will the Gentile Church go in the rapture? Into the palace. The bride will be taken off the earth. She will be caught up before the great tribulation to meet her Lord in the air. For three and one-half years while the retributive wrath of God is poured out, she will be in the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Then will He return, leaving His bride in "His Father's house," while he makes Himself known to His brethren. At this very time, the antichrist covenant that the Jews have made with Rome will be broken. Rome and her allies then send their troops to destroy all the God-fearing, Word-abiding Jews.
But as they come against the city to destroy it, there will appear in the heavens the sign of the coming of the Son of Man with His mighty armies to destroy them who have been destroying the earth. With the enemy repulsed, Jesus then comes and presents Himself to the 144,000. Having seen His mighty acts of salvation, they have come to know His power. But also seeing His wounds and knowing that they had rejected Him even to that moment, causes them to cry out in the agony of terror and fear, even as did their brethren of old when they stood before Joseph, being sore afraid that they would be killed. But as Joseph said, "Don't be angry with yourselves. It is all right. God was in it all. He did it to preserve life." Even so will Jesus speak peace and love to them.
Why did the Jews reject Jesus? God was in it all. It was the only way that He could bring out the Gentile bride. He died on the cross to preserve the life of the Gentile Church.
Now these 144,000 are not in the bride. In Revelation 14:4 they are called virgins and they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. The fact that they have not defiled themselves with women shows that they are eunuchs (Matthew 19:12). The eunuchs were the keepers of the bridal chambers. They were attendants. Notice that they do not sit in the throne but are before the throne. No, they are not in the bride, but will be in the glorious millennial reign.
Note particularly that the punishment for idolatry was that the name of that tribe was to be blotted out 'from under heaven.' Deuteronomy 29:20. It does not say that it would be blotted out 'in heaven,' but from under heaven. And that is exactly as it is, for now Israel is back in Palestine, and soon the Lord will seal 144,000 of them. But from that number Dan and Ephraim are missing.
SARDISEAN CHURCH AGE
Revelation 7:4-8,
"And I heard the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of ALL the tribes of the children of Israel.
Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."
(Note, Dan and Ephraim missing).
Now with this see Daniel 12:1 which refers to these one hundred and forty-four thousand being sealed during the sixth seal and the time of the Great Tribulation or Jacob's trouble.
However, after this period of tribulation, (during the millennium,) as seen by Ezekiel in 48:1-8, and 22-29 we see the tribes back once more in Divine order. But, from the time that Ephraim and Dan joined themselves to idols, they died, and those tribes have no more recognition. Now I realize that since the destruction of Jerusalem, all records of all tribes have been lost, so that no one can say for sure what tribe he is from, BUT GOD KNOWS. That great God Who is bringing Israel back to Palestine knows exactly which tribe every true Israelite is from, and from all the assembled one hundred forty-four thousand Dan and Ephraim will be missing. (End of quote).
Clearly, the time allotted for the Gentile dispensation should be winding up. Israel spent 430 years in slavery in Egypt even though the prophecy for their slavery was to be 400 years. In the same way, even though 2000 years is allotted for the Gentile dispensation, we cannot pinpoint our finger to the particular year the Gentile dispensation comes to a close.
We should just be ready for the rapture of the Gentile bride and for the Gospel to return to the Jews because the message that is to prepare the second coming of the Lord has already gone forth.
God bless you!