I make a covenant with you, for a kingdom (Luke 22:28–30)

12 min readJun 23, 2024

The Covenant for a Kingdom concluded between Jehovah and Jesus Christ and between Jesus Christ and the 144,000

“However, you are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials; and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel”

(Luke 22: 28–30)

This covenant was made in the same night that Jesus Christ concluded New Covenant. This does not mean that they are the Covenants. The covenant for a kingdom is between Jehovah and Jesus Christ and then between Jesus Christ and the 144,000 who will reign in heaven as kings and priests (Revelation 5:10; 7: 3–8; 14: 1–5).

The covenant for a kingdom concluded between God and Christ is the extension of the covenant concluded by God with King David and his offspring. This Covenant is a promise of God regarding the permanence of David’s dynasty on the royal throne. Jesus Christ is both the direct earthly descendant and the heavenly King anointed by Jehovah (in 1914), in fulfillment of this Covenant for the Kingdom (2 Samuel 7: 12–16, Matthew 1: 1–16, Luke 3: 23–38, Psalm 2).

(Jesus Christ is the heavenly king established by his Father, Jehovah God, in 1914 (according to the biblical chronology of the prophecy of Daniel chapter 4))

The Covenant for a Kingdom concluded by Jesus Christ with his apostle and by extension with the group of the 144,000 is, in fact, a promise of heavenly marriage, which will take place shortly before the great tribulation: “Let us rejoice and be overjoyed and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has arrived and his wife has prepared herself. Yes, it has been granted to her to be clothed with bright, clean, fine linen — for the fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the holy ones” (Revelation 19:7,8).

(Only 144,000 human beings (men or women), will have a heavenly resurrection and reign with the King Jesus Christ, in heaven, according to the prophecy of Revelation chapters 5,7 and 14)

(The prophecy of Ezekiel chapters 40–48 details the role of the future princes, in the earthly paradise)

(The prophecy of Ezekiel chapters 40–48 details, also, the role of the future priests, in the earthly paradise)

Psalm 45 describes prophetically this heavenly marriage between King Jesus Christ and his heavenly “royal consort” (queen), the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21: 2). From this heavenly marriage, will be born earthly sons of the kingdom, the princes who will be the earthly representatives of the heavenly royal authority of the Kingdom of God: “Your sons will take the place of your forefathers. You will appoint them as princes in all the earth” (Psalms 45:16, Isaiah 32: 1,2).

The everlasting blessings of the New Covenant and the Covenant for a Kingdom will fulfill the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant which will bless all nations at the end of the thousand years and for all eternity. The promise of God will be fully fulfilled: “A hope of the everlasting life that God, who cannot lie, promised long ago” (Titus 1: 2).

Only 144,000 ?

Jesus Christ told to his faithful apostles that they would reign with him in the heaven, to rule over the earth where the future humanity will be the “Twelve Tribes of Israel” (see Matthew 19:28). This idea that humans who will have the privilege of living in heaven, will rule over the Earth, is written in the book of Revelation: “you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth” (Revelation 5:10). Nevertheless, the book of Revelation repeatedly shows that the number of those who will live in heaven will be only 144,000, taken the humanity: “Then I saw, and look! the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1–5). The context of the book of Revelation confirms that it is a literal and not a symbolic number. For example, this number is found for the first time in Revelation 7: 4–8: “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Revelation 7:4–8).

And the context of this important information makes us understand that this is a real and not a symbolic number. Indeed, after Revelation 7: 4–8, the prophecy continues in verses 7: 9–17 describing the great crowd that will survive the great tribulation. This time, regarding this group, the prophecy gives this detail: “After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). A “great crowd which no man was able to number” in this case the number of people is not known. We therefore understand that the information before, regarding the precise number of 144,000 humans who will live in heaven is to be taken literally.

It is written in The book of Revelation that 7000 humans will complete the 144000 in the heavens just before the Great Tribulation: “In that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and 7,000 persons were killed by the earthquake, and the rest became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 11:13). The “tenth of the city” that falls, represents all of the 144,000 who died on earth to live in heaven, while the 7,000 people “killed” (just before the great tribulation) represent those who will complete the 144000, with their heavenly resurrection: “Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

This group of humans will be the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away”” (Revelation 21:1–4).

(The blessings of the release of the humanity from the yoke of sin inherited from Adam)

(The blessings of the heavenly resurrection)

(The blessings of the earthly resurrection)

(The blessings of the earthly administration of the Kingdom of God)

Are you a Son of God?

“For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons”

(Romans 8:14)

This question is only in the biblical context, and particularly of the letter to the Romans, the chapter 8. The answer will be based on the context of chapter 8, in order to know if, the status of “son of God” is only reserved for a category of Christians, for example, those who have the heavenly hope of being one of the 144000, or to all Christians, including those who are an earthly hope (Apocalypse 7:1–8 (144000); 7:9- 17 (the great crowd coming out of the great tribulation). In order for the reader to check by himself, the context reveals two important points:

1 — The apostle Paul does not speak at any time directly, of two categories of Christians, but rather of two categories of humans, those who live according to fleshly desires and those (the faithful Christians) who live by being led by the Holy Spirit.

2 — The apostle Paul does not evoke the hope of everlasting life, by directly making a difference between everlasting life in heaven and everlasting life in the future earthly paradise.

Let us examine the context of Romans chapter 8: “Therefore, those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation. For the law of the spirit that gives life in union with Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. What the Law was incapable of doing because it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, condemning sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, on the things of the spirit. For setting the mind on the flesh means death, but setting the mind on the spirit means life and peace; because setting the mind on the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not in subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be. So those who are in harmony with the flesh cannot please God.

However, you are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in union with you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. If, now, the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his spirit that resides in you” (Romans 8:1–11).

In verses 1 to 8, the apostle Paul describes those who walk according to the flesh: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, on the things of the spirit” (verse 5). This verse sums up very well, the contrast between these two categories of humans, those who live according to fleshly desires, and those who live led by the holy spirit.

In verses 9 to 11, he is describing those who are “sons of God”, by adoption, with the difference between the two categories of humans, in a different way: “However, you are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this one does not belong to him” (verse 9).

“So, then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh; for if you live according to the flesh, you are sure to die; but if you put the practices of the body to death by the spirit, you will live. For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs — heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ — provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:12–17).

Verse 17 seems to be applied only to the 144,000: “If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we may also be glorified together” . When the Apostle Paul wrote that those who are sons of God, are as heirs with Christ, he seems to refer to the heavenly hope to live with Jesus Christ (even if he is not directly mentioned) (see Apocalypse 14:1–5, the 144000 on Mount Sion (in the heavens), with King Jesus Christ). In addition, the previous verses seem to describe this process which allows a Christian, to know that he has the heavenly hope (to be heirs with Christ): “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children” (verses 15,16). At this stage of the study, the question that arises, is the following, if the apostle Paul applies the expression “sons of God”, to the heirs with Christ (the 144000), does it not apply to all Christians who live led by spirit, and who have the earthly hope? Let us read the context of Romans 8.

“For I consider that the sufferings of the present time do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now. Not only that, but we ourselves also who have the firstfruits, namely, the spirit, yes, we ourselves groan within ourselves while we are earnestly waiting for adoption as sons, the release from our bodies by ransom. For we were saved in this hope; but hope that is seen is not hope, for when a man sees a thing, does he hope for it? But if we hope for what we do not see, we keep eagerly waiting for it with endurance” (Romans 8:18–25).

Verse 19 seems to be referring, only to the 144000: “For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God” (see 1 John 3:2: “Beloved ones, we are now children of God, but it has not yet been made manifest what we will be. We do know that when he is made manifest we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is”).

Nevertheless, the 20,21 verses refer to the whole of humanity: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will but through him that subjected it, on the basis of hope that the creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God”. However, some will say that this last release will take place at the end of the millennial reign of Christ. This interpretation seems fair in accordance with Apocalypse 20:5a: “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended”. It should be mentioned that just as the Apostle Paul uses the expression “creation” to designate the earthly humanity as a whole, similarly, Apocalypse 20:5a applies to humanity in the earthly paradise, as a whole. On an individual level, the human (the faithful Christian) who currently lives and in the future earthly paradise, led by spirit, according to the context of Romans 8, can be called “son of God” by being simply heir of God, without necessarily being a joint heir with Christ like the 144000: “If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God” (verse 17).

The very fact that the apostle Paul added, “but joint heirs with Christ”, seems to support the idea that the “heirs of God” represent the whole of obedient humanity and the “joint heirs with Christ”, in this context, regarding the 144000. It is completely logical, always according to the context of Romans 8, to consider the faithful Christians having earthly hope, as “sons of God” who will be his heirs, in view of everlasting life. It should be recalled that in Romans 8, the apostle Paul wrote that the “sons of God” are who live led by spirit, and this is quite the case of the faithful Christians who have the earthly hope. In addition, if it is obvious that the expression of “joint heirs with Christ” has a restrictive meaning in Romans (8:12–17), applying only to the 144000, this expression can be applied currently to the faithful Christians who have the earthly hope, in the broad sense of Luke 23:43: “You will be with me in paradise”. The currently faithful Christians who have the earthly hope, will be, in a broad sense, “joint heirs with Christ”, because they will be with Jesus Christ in paradise…

Finally, it is also good to remember how the Model Prayer begins: “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9)… If Jesus Christ asked his disciples to begin this prayer with the expression “Our Father”, it is well proof that God will not wait a thousand years to consider, right away, that the faithful Christians who have the earthly hope, are their sons, the sons of God… “For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons”(Romans 8:14)…

The Promise of God. The complete explanation of Genesis 3:15.

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