Hi Doves!  I am one who sees the numbers, and lately I have had a new one come up quite regularly.  That was 8:18!  I am a rancher and am a very busy man most of the time and had not had any time to try and see what it might mean.  However, God loves me and brings things to me all the time, and this morning in my bible time, I was prompted to read the first 12 chapters of Isaiah.

        I was reading along and finding a lot there as you know, when I came across Isaiah 8:18: 

                               Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!

                               We are for signs and wonders in Israel

                               >From the Lord of hosts,

                                Who dwells in Mount Zion.

 

         When I read that, my spirit about jumped out of my chest, then I looked to see what verse it was and I about fell over!!!  There was my 8:18!!!  I am so excited now that I just had to share this.  The Lord has a special covenant with the descendants of David. 

          Jeremiah 33:14   'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord,  'that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah;

                                   (15)          'In those days and at that time

                                            I will cause to grow up to David

                                            A Branch of righteousness;

                                            He shall execute judgement and righteousness in the earth.

                                      (16)  In those days Judah will be saved,

                                                And Jerusalem will dwell safely.

                                                And this is the name by which she will be called:

                                                  THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.'

 

                                      (20)  "Thus says the Lord;  If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day or night in their season,

                                       (21)    'then My covenant may also be broke with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers.

                                       (22)     'As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.'"

                                       (25)      "Thus says the Lord;  'If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,

                                       (26)      'then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.'"      

 

                  My understanding is the 144,000 are descendants of David and they will witness to the Gentiles and the Jews.  The representatives of the Branch in the bible are Joshua and Zerubbabel, who are both descendants of David.  

 

ybic  Doran