Q: I got up this morning a little early to do some more research. I found an article from the w66 2/15 p. 112  - Benefits from God’s New Covenant Spreading Worldwide.  What is interesting is the comparison the society makes between the old and new covenants. The old covenant was made with fleshly Israel. The new covenant was made with Israel of God. Notice what the article says, and how it might help one to understand who the spiritual 12 tribes of Israel are that are judged by Jesus and the 144,000.  Luke 22:28-30

THE DIVINE PURPOSE

⁸ The new covenant takes the place of the old covenant of the Law with natural Israel. So the purpose of the new covenant can be seen in that of the old one. When, at Mount Sinai in Arabia, God proposed to bring the nation of Israel into a covenant with him through the mediator Moses, God said: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, that I might carry you on wings of eagles and bring you to myself. And now if you will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then you will certainly become my special property out of all other peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me. And you yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”—Ex. 19:4-6.

⁹ Note the expressions “my special property” and “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” By strict obedience to their part of this covenant with God, the nation of natural Israel was to become something. What? God’s permanent “special property out of all other peoples.” They would also become, not a holy nation with only some members of it serving as priests and others as kings, but a “holy nation” that, as a whole, was a “kingdom of priests.” That is to say, every member of this “holy nation” would be a kingly priest. The entire “holy nation” would serve God as a royal priesthood.

¹⁰ Such a thing as this God had in mind, but would he gain it from just the nation of natural, circumcised Israel? If natural Israel were to take advantage of this opportunity and become a “kingdom of priests,” O what benefits they could bestow on all the rest of humankind from whom God took them out to be a “special property” to him, his “holy nation”!

¹¹ More than eight centuries after Moses, Jehovah God inspired his prophet Jeremiah to foretell a new covenant, thus showing that the nation of Israel was failing to meet God’s purpose, As a nation they would not become his “special property,” his “holy nation,” his “kingdom of priests.” Over six hundred years later the Mediator of the promised new covenant arrived, Jesus Christ, the Son of God from heaven. He being sinless, perfect as a man, he was able to present the needed sacrifice to provide the blood for putting the new covenant into force between God and spiritual Israel. What was its purpose? Nothing less than that of the old covenant of the Mosaic law. The old covenant missed its purpose, the producing of a “kingdom of priests.” Would the new covenant also? No! For the “blood of the covenant” is better than the animal blood that Moses sprinkled on the Law book and the Israelites. There is also a better mediator, one who does not die as Moses did. Hence we read:

¹² “He because of continuing alive forever has his priesthood without any successors. Consequently he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them. For such a high priest as this was suitable for us, loyal, guileless, undefiled, separated from the sinners, and become higher than the heavens.”—Heb. 7:24-27.
 
        Back to my thoughts. It would seem that as a kingdom of priest and a holy nation, Israel, if they were faithful, would officially represent Jehovah to the other nations of the earth. Just as Jehovah used the Levitical priesthood to intercede with the sons or children of Israel, Jehovah' would use the nation of Israel to intercede with the rest of the world, that is, if they strictly obeyed Jehovah. Of course they didn't.

Notice that the article said that "They would also become, not a holy nation with only some members of it serving as priests and others as kings, but a “holy nation” that, as a whole, was a “kingdom of priests.” That is to say, every member of this “holy nation” would be a kingly priest. The entire “holy nation” would serve God as a royal priesthood." How does that speak as to how we're to understand the organization of the 12 tribes of Israel mentioned at Revelation 7:4?

As a holy nation, they would be set apart or separate from all other nations. Jehovah' would require of them, as the people with and through whom he would work, that they be different, a cut above, of a higher standard. They had a responsibility to be a model for the nations to observe and emulate. Again, they failed, which brings us to the Israel of God that replaced natural Israel. The question is, what do we learn from the pattern Jehovah established with fleshly Israel to understand the way Israel under the new covenant would be organized?

It's interesting to note that although the entire nation would serve as kings and priest, only a few served in the "Most Holy" of the temple, which pictured "heaven" itself. The other priest served in the area of the temple that represented things here on the earth. I can't help but to think that the 12 tribes of Israel is the Christian Congregation from which the 144,000 are taken.

Rather than the "Israel of God" being only the 144,000, it would seem that the 144,000 are just a part of the "Israel of God". What do you think? Isn't the entire Christian Congregation interceding between Jehovah and the world of mankind today? As one of those who's hope is earthly, am I not, and the other brothers with an earthly hope, serving in the capacity of  "priests" or "ministers" to the people of the world along with the anointed remnant?
 

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A: The Society's interpretation of the “Israel of God” (whom they most often refer to as "spiritual" Israel) and the associated new covenant teaches that only the Israel of God, as the 144,000, is included in the new covenant; and since the late 1970’s that Jesus is the mediator solely of these anointed ones. In your Watchtower quote, it explains that God's promise, as recorded at Exodus 19:5,6, applied to the entire nation of Israel to make them a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This has led them to conclude that the entire nation pictures the "little flock" of 144,000; which in turn has created a lot of inconsistencies in many other of their teachings, beclouding the simple truth. The apostle Paul definitely explains that the high priest foreshadowed Christ Jesus. (Heb. 8:1-6; 9:11-14) The high priest had other priests helping and officiating at the temple under him, just as the 144,000 are also working in association with Jesus, once they start ruling as kings and priests with him. (Rev. 20:6) In the Revelation it says that they rule "for the thousand years," which means they do not start to rule until their resurrection to heaven and the thousand years actually start. Therefore, they do not rule while on earth, in the way the governing body has already started to rule. (1 Cor. 4:8-13)

We can see that nobody serves in a priestly position today, except for the high priest Christ Jesus. Not even any of the 144,000 who are still alive on earth. (Heb. 4:14-16) No one is "interceding" between Jehovah and the world of mankind, except Jesus. Paul writes: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus." It is Jesus who intercedes in our behalf, as our helper before God, for "he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them." (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1,2) But, yes, we are "representing" God and his kingdom when we participate in the preaching of his good news. Jesus included all his disciples in the directive to preach the good news of the kingdom "in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations." (Matt. 24:14; 28:18-20) We do not require any special status or appointment, either within the congregation, nor the world, to carry out this command. Therefore, all God's people who participate in this important work are acting as substitutes for Jesus, for he initiated the preaching, teaching his disciples to carry it on after him. That is why Paul writes: "But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of the reconciliation, namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling a world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and he committed the word of the reconciliation to us. We are therefore ambassadors substituting for Christ, as though God were making entreaty through us. As substitutes for Christ we beg: 'Become reconciled to God.'" (2 Cor. 5:18-20) Instead of "interceding" between Jehovah and the world of mankind, something that only Jesus as the high priest can do, we are ambassadors substituting for Christ, begging the world of mankind, by our preaching, to become reconciled to God.

I agree that the entire nation of "Israel, if they were faithful, would officially represent Jehovah to the other nations of the earth." If the nation of Israel had proved faithful, it would have been them, as natural Jews, who would have served as "ambassadors substituting for Christ," taking the lead in preaching to the people of every nation the good news, and pleading for them to become reconciled to God. (Matt. 10:5-7) Yes, Jehovah would have used the nation of Israel, who bore his name and were his "witnesses," to represent him to all the nations, to take out of them "a people for his name." (Isa. 43:10-13; Acts 15:14-18) Since the old covenant became obsolete once it had served its purpose, the Jews needed to be brought into the new covenant, to be "born again" as Jesus told Nicodemus, which would now also include "people of the nations" who likewise would be born from God. (Gal. 3:8,9; Eph. 2:11-22; John 3:3, 7, 16-18) Jehovah foretold: "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn back to Jehovah. And all the families of the nations will bow down before you. For the kingship belongs to Jehovah, And he is dominating the nations. . . A seed itself will serve him; It will be declared concerning Jehovah to the generation. They will come and tell of his righteousness To the people that is to be born, that he has done this." (Psalms 22:27-31)

If the Jews had remained faithful and kept the covenant with God, then the entire number of the "royal priesthood and holy nation" would have been sealed exclusively from among them. There would have been no grafting in of foreign branches into the domestic tree of "the Israel of God." (Rom. 11:20-24; 1 Peter 2:9) And very likely the high priest and other priests would have been among the first to be chosen by Jehovah for this sealing. But on account of breaking the covenant they lost out. Yet, as Paul explains, this did not nullify God's promises. (Rom. 3:1-4) The Scriptures are very clear that Jehovah did not adjust the numbers downwards of those who would be sealed [144,000] simply because the nation as a whole proved unworthy. That number had been determined "before the founding of the world," before the birth of Abel, along with Christ Jesus who "was foreknown before the founding of the world." (Eph. 1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:19,20; see Luke 11:50,51) Jehovah kept the details regarding the royal priesthood, the "Israel of God," a "sacred secret" until the time arrived for it to be fulfilled; and that began with the choosing of the twelve apostles. The total number was revealed when the apostle John received the Revelation. (Rom. 16:25; Rev. 7:4) The choosing and sealing of these ones, the "Lamb's bride" [as they are also called], will continue right up until shortly before the four winds of the "great tribulation" will be let loose to blow upon the earth. (Luke 6:12-17; Rev. 7:1-8, 14; 14:1-3; 19:7-9; 21:9-14; John 3:29)

We need to consider this basic but important fact: Even if the entire Jewish nation would have proved faithful and accepted the Messiah, the time would come when their uniqueness as God's people would end under God's kingdom; when all mankind is again reconciled to God. Under God's kingdom there will no more be a Jew or any other racial or national distinctions. (Acts 10:34,35; 13:45-48) Everyone will belong to Jehovah, having been redeemed through the sacrifice Jesus paid, who now becomes our "Eternal Father," rather than our original father Adam who sold his children into death. (1 Cor. 15:22-26, 45; Isaiah 9:6; Rom. 5:18,19) Please note: Under God's kingdom a person’s genealogy will have no bearing on a person’s standing before God. That is not the case with the "kingdom of priests," the "holy nation" made up of the 144,000, in association with Jesus. These ones will forever have the distinction of belonging to Abraham, in fulfillment of God's covenant with him. They will forever be the "Israel of God." (Rom. 3:1,2; Gal. 3:7-9, 16-18, 28,29; 6:15,16; Rev. 20:6; 21:1-6; 22:1,2)

Contrary to what the Watchtower says, from which you quote, it is clear that Jehovah never purposed to have the entire nation of Israel become a "kingdom of priests," although all of them needed to be a "holy nation" in "all their conduct," which the covenant required of them. (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:14-16) The entire nation was a "special property" to God; and all of them, from the youngest to the oldest, from the least to the greatest, yes, all of them were included in the covenant made with Moses as the mediator. The old covenant did not miss its purpose of producing a “kingdom of priests,” as the same article claims. That demonstrates a lack of understanding of the covenant. (Deut. 29:10-13; Rev. 1:6) The apostle Paul explains that Jehovah did not replace the old covenant with the new covenant because his people broke the covenant made at Mount Sinai. Jehovah had all along purposed to replace that covenant with a "new" and "better" one, because the first covenant was made for the purpose of producing the promised seed. Once that seed (the Messiah) arrived, the old covenant became obsolete. And whereas the original covenant was made exclusively between Jehovah and Abraham's descendents, the Jews, the new covenant includes all peoples of all nations who exercise faith in the promised seed and are reconciled to God. (Heb. 8:6-13; 9:11-15)

In conclusion: The "Israel of God" refers only to the "royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession," who are seen in John's vision with "the Lamb standing upon the Mount Zion." They number 144,000 and have been "bought from among mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb." (Exodus 19:5,6; 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 14:1-3) These ones will rule with Christ for the thousand years. (Rev. 20:6; Matt. 19:27,28; Luke 12:32) They have been chosen from among God's people, beginning with the twelve apostles whom Jesus chose from among his Jewish disciples early in his ministry. (Luke 6:12-17) Gentiles started to be included when Peter was sent to the uncircumcised Roman army officer Cornelius, and it has continued throughout the many centuries until the final ones will be sealed immediately prior to the great tribulation. (Acts 10:1,2, 44-48; Rev. 7:1-4)

 

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