Dearest Plum... again, may you have peace!
Do not worry yourself over asking 'many' questions; I am your servant. You have now asked:
"Revelation 5:9, 10, which states that this nation would be of kings and priests would be "bought from the earth" and taken out of EVERY nation, tribe, tongue and people... Now would not this be referring to 'The Little Flock'"?
No, for the "little flock", Israel, is NOT "taken out of every nation, tribe and tongue and people," but SOLELY OUT OF ISRAEL. That is why the 144,000 are SAID to be "from among THE SONS OF ISRAEL", and the tribes listed.
"Who would be "Kings and Priests" over the Great Crowd?"
The is only ONE King (thus, ONE Lord) over the great crowd, just as there is only ONE King over Israel: my Lord, the Son of God, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH. Along WITH the 144,000 'taken from among the sons of Israel', the great crowd are ALSO 'kings and priests'... taken from "EVERY nation, tribe and tongue and people", to replace those of Israel who LOST such privilege. This is so "the FULL number" is done. Israel first (144,000), then the nations... to make up a "people for a special possession"... ONE flock.
"That doesn't seem to correlate with being a literal Israel but seems to fit with the theory that this would be referring to a symbolic Israel since the Little Flock according to the verse says they will be taken from every nation and tribe and peoples and toungs."
I have no knowledge of the "little flock" being taken from every nation and tribe and peoples and tongue. When my Lord SPOKE to the "little flock", he was speaking to the Jews/Samaritans: Israel.
"And also if the 144,000 is actually literal Israel then wouldn't they ALL be in heaven already? There would be nothing left to fulfill in regard to that prophecy."
Actually, for those who "die in union with Christ", they are alread "in heaven", per se. That is, their SPIRITS are "under the altar", but the BODIES of such spirits, spirit bodies... the "white robe", although GIVEN to such ones... have not yet been resurrected ("it is sown (buried) a physical body; it is raised up (resurrected) a SPIRITUAL body).
Let me clarify something for you, if you will permit me: contrary to the ERRONEOUS WT teaching, the 144,000 do not "go to heaven" and the great crowd stay on earth. BOTH the 144,000 AND the great crowd are given "white robes"... SPIRIT bodies... and granted entry into the kingdom as "a nation of kings and priests". They are... ONE FLOCK. Who then do these rule OVER? Those who do NOT 'belong' to the Christ, the sheep and goats that are SEPARATED by such ones when we sit down with my Lord on his throne (note: there is only ONE throne, the Father's, so that when we 'sit down on thrones' we are actually sitting down on ONE throne, in essence SHARING a rulership).
The sheep are ALSO given white robes and granted entry as GUESTS to the marriage feast... based on their good deeds done to CHRIST, by means of their good deeds done to his brothers. They are NOT the Bride (the 144,000 and great crowd are), but GUESTS at the wedding feast of my Lord and his bride. These are the ones that correlate to RAHAB, who, although NOT an Israelite, and her household NOT circumcised, one who did NOT eat the manna and drink from the rock-mass (take note, Daddy-O, for I will apply this to your comments), and NOT under the Law Covenant... still PROVED her "faith"... by taking CARE of Israel - hiding the spies so that they were safe. In doing this, she saved both herself AND her entire household.
Hebrews 11:31
Matthew 25:31-40
Joshua 2:12, 13
The great crowd ARE "Israelites", by means of having such bestowed upon them in the SAME manner as the vast mixed company that left Egypt: they celebrated the Passover, passed through the Red Sea, ate the manna, drank from the rock-mass... AND... entered into the Law Covenant mediated by Moses at Mt. Sinai. Thus, the great crowd represents those who "although NOT Israel, will be CALLED Israel", those of whom my Father, the Holy One of Israel, JAH OF ARMIES, said, "Those NOT my people I will CALL my people." Since His "people" WERE Israel, He was NOW referred to those who were NOT Israel being considered AS Israel. And please note, too, that it was the vast mixed company who FIRST grew "tired" of the manna and eventually incited Israel to protest it!
1 Corinthians 10:1-5
Romans 9:25
Exodus 12:48 49
Numbers 11:4-6
The goats, on the other hand, are those who did 'bad' to Christ, by doing 'bad' to his brothers (error and/or ommission) and thus are "cut OFF" from entry into the kingdom. Rather than be given a "white robe"... a SPIRIT body... they are left in the flesh... OUTSIDE the city. They are "Gog"... and are eventually destroyed, along with "Magog", the wicked SPIRITS... who are enticed by Satan to come AGAINST the holy city. Why? Because the Tree of Life exists INSIDE the city and if they can get to it and eat... they will live forever. But my Father will not allow this: He himself destroys them by fire from heaven. And THAT... is "the Great Day of God Almighty", the "war" called "Har-Maggedon", which takes place AFTER the 1,000 have ended.
Genesis 3:22-24
Revelation 20:7-10
Matthew 25:41-46
This "Har-Mageddon" which culminates in the destruction of Gog (wicked flesh) and Magog (wicked spirits) is the FULFILLMENT of the words, "the heavens (spirit realm) and earth (physical realm) that are NOW... are stored up for fire." And, "there will be a NEW heavens (one WITHOUT wicked spirits and their influence) and a NEW earth (one WITHOUT wicked flesh and THEIR influence)... Look! I am making ALL things new!"
2 Peter 3:7
Revelation 21:1
You see, after the marriage of the Lamb, the city of NEW Jerusalem "comes down out of heaven"... TO THE EARTH. The kings/priests sit with my Lord and "separate" the "sheep" from the "goats". The sheep are granted access to the city to take part in the marriage FEAST (which occurs AFTER the wedding), but the "goats" are left outside... in the "darkness"... where they "weep and gnash their teeth." Satan has been abyssed during all of this, but at the end of it, 1,000 years later, he is "loosed" and convinces those left outside, physical flesh and spirit being alike, that if they can just get to that Tree, they can eat and live forever. And they buy it... and make an attempt. They lose, of course.
Once THAT is over, then the general or "second" resurrection takes place (the "first" occurred BEFORE the 1,000 years started, BEFORE the marriage of the Lamb and Bride, when my Lord returned to 'gather his belongings from the four winds...'. Such ones are those that sit down on his throne to judge... SEPARATE... the sheep and goats.)
Revelation 20:4-6
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Matthew 24:31
At THAT time, my Lord hands the kingdom BACK over to the Father, who sits down on His throne to judge... the living and the dead. All who were not included in the FIRST resurrection (because they did not 'belong' to the Christ by means of being in the Covenant), are resurrected. Some to life, some to everlasting destruction. It takes place like this:
My Father sits down and is given scrolls, two (2) sets. One is the Book of Remembrance in which the deeds of all these are written, whether good... or vile. The second is the Lamb's Book, the Book of Life. If one's name is written in the Lamb's Book, then his 'sins' are 'blotted OUT' of the Book of Remembrance. He is 'covered' by the blood of the Lamb. Thus, he has NO sin and thus he is granted life, by means of being given a "white robe", a SPIRIT body in which there is NO corruption (sickness, aging, etc.) or death. By means of this body, then, such one can now 'enter' into the kingdom.
Now suppose one's name is NOT written in the Lamb's Book. Well, then such one is 'judged' (some are resurrected to LIFE, as we have just seen; some are resurrected to 'judgment'. These, are those.) Because ALL have sinned, such one, like the others, has sins recorded in the Book of Remembrance. Since this one's name is NOT written in the Lamb's Book, this one has no 'covering'. His sins are NOT blotted out, but remain and he is, therefore, subject to judgment. And since the 'wages'... or PRICE... of sin... is death, he is condemned to death... everlasting destruction... which occurs ONLY in the Lake of Fire. The Lake is necessary because ONLY this fire... heavenly fire... can kill the body AND the spirit.
Revelation 20:11-15
Matthew 10:28
And that's how it works. Quite simple, really.
I hope I have been able to help, as I have been granted to by the spirit of my Father, the Holy One of Israel, JAH OF ARMIES, through His Son and Christ, my Lord, JAHESHUA MISCHAJAH, by means of holy spirit.
I am YOUR servant, and a slave of Christ,
SJ
