Zola on Jesus' First Fruits Offering

There is one group of individuals described briefly in the New Testament that appear to possess all the traits above, a group thoroughly analyzed earlier in the book. That group is the "many saints" of Matthew chapter 27 that were resurrected to immortality just after Christ’s resurrection. The following is a list of reasons why the "many saints who had died" and were resurrected is a possible explanation for the elusive identity of the 144,000. Each numbered point below corresponds with the eight numbered points above:

The "many saints" were raised from the dead in and around Jerusalem at the least, so they would be in a territory where the children of Israel had been. Their description as "saints" couldn’t mean saints of Christ, because he had just died and been raised. Therefore, these saints must have been righteous members of the tribes of Israel who died prior to Christ’s death.

There is no restriction in Matthew chapter 27 to the gender of the "many saints", so it is possible that the Lord chose only males to be raised.

In a resurrected state, these men would not have sexual relations. As Jesus stated, in a resurrected state, people will be like the angels in that they do not marry nor are given in marriage:

Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

The "many saints" were redeemed from humanity, just as the 144,000 are described.

The "many saints", in their resurrected state, would be "blameless", or in a state of holiness and purity. The Greek word amomoi, in addition to being a word used to describe Christ as a lamb without blemish, is also used several times to describe the people of God when they will be presented to him:

Eph 5:27 so that he may present the church to himself as glorious—not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless [amomos].

Jud 1:24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish [amomous] before his glorious presence,

The "many saints", in their resurrected and glorified bodies, would be able to be with the Lord wherever he went. The supernatural seal of God and the Lamb that is on their forehead during the time they are on the earth in the first part of Daniel’s 70th week may be how they stay supernaturally united with the Lamb while he is in heaven and they are on the earth.

The "many saints" would be considered "firstfruits" to both God and the Lamb, just as the 144,000 are described, since they were the first human beings resurrected to immortality after Jesus Christ. They were part of a larger whole that was taken out of the larger whole as a firstfruits offering to God and the Lamb.

The "many saints" would, in their immortal state, possess the supernatural qualities that the 144,000 seemed to possess. These are the same qualities Jesus displayed after his resurrection and described in an earlier chapter.