HOLY ONES
Those who are clean, particularly in a spiritual or moral sense; it also denotes persons set apart for the service of God, in heaven or on earth.
Jehovah himself, supreme in cleanness and righteousness, is the Most Holy One. (Hos. 11:12) He is frequently called the “Holy One of Israel.” (2 Ki. 19:22; Ps. 71:22; 89:18) The apostle John says to fellow members of the Christian congregation: “You have an anointing from the holy one.” (1 John 2:20) Jesus Christ is called “that holy and righteous one” referred to at Acts 3:14. Angels of Jehovah in heaven are holy ones, fully devoted to God’s service, clean and righteous.—Luke 9:26; Acts 10:22.
IN ANCIENT TIMES
Humans on earth who have been set apart for the service of God have also been called “holy ones.” (Ps. 34:9) Israel, brought into covenant relationship with God, became his special property and was, as a nation, holy to him. That is why individuals of that nation who practiced uncleanness or wrongdoing brought defilement and Jehovah’s disfavor upon the nation, unless action was taken to clear them out. Greedy, disobedient Achan is a case in point; his sin brought distress on Israel until he was discovered and stoned to death.—Josh. chap. 7.
Aaron, anointed with the holy anointing oil as the nation’s high priest, was holy in a special, intensified sense (Ps. 106:16) Accordingly, the requirements of his office were very exacting. (Lev. 21:1-15; also note the disqualifying factors for all priests in verses 16-23; see HIGH PRIEST.) A sin on the part of the high priest (for example, an error in judgment of a matter) could bring guiltiness upon the people, and had to be atoned for by the sacrifice of a young bull, the same sacrifice required for a mistake of the entire assembly.—Lev. 4:3, 13, 14.
CHRISTIAN HOLY ONES
Those who are brought into relationship with God by means of the new covenant are sanctified, cleansed and set apart for God’s exclusive service by the “blood of the covenant,” the shed blood of Jesus Christ. (Heb. 10:29; 13:20) They are thereby constituted “holy ones” (“saints” in AV and some other versions). Consequently, they do not become “holy ones” or “saints” by decree of a man or an organization, but by God, who brings them into covenant relationship with himself through the blood of Jesus Christ. The term “holy ones” applies to all those thus brought into union and joint heirship with Christ, not to a mere few considered to have exceptional holiness. It is also applied in the Bible to them from the beginning of their sanctified course on earth, not being deferred until after their death. Peter says they must be holy because God is holy. (1 Pet. 1:15, 16; Lev. 11:44) All the spiritual brothers of Christ in the congregations are frequently called “holy ones.”—Acts 9:13; 26:10; Rom. 1:7; 12:13; 2 Cor. 1:1; 13:13.
As the “wife” of Christ, the entire congregation is represented as wearing bright, clean, fine linen, which stands for the “righteous acts of the holy ones.” (Rev. 19:7, 8) Against these, while they are on earth, Satan the Devil’s symbolic political “wild beast” is seen in vision waging war. (Rev. 13:3, 7) Thereby the endurance of the holy ones is severely tested, but they conquer by observing the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.—Rev. 13:10; 14:12.
Their hope
In a parallel vision Daniel saw a wild beast making war upon God’s holy ones, followed by a court scene in which the “Ancient of Days” gave judgment in their favor and the holy ones themselves took possession of the indefinitely lasting kingdom, “the kingdom and the rulership and the grandeur of the kingdoms under all the heavens” being given to them.—Dan. 7:21, 22, 27.
These “holy ones” do not exercise kingly authority while on earth, but must await their being united with Christ in the heavens. (Eph. 1:18-21) They must first be ‘conquerors.’ (Rev. 3:21; compare Revelation 2:26, 27; 3:5, 12.) They are to act as priests and to rule as kings with Christ during his 1,000-year reign. (Rev. 20:4, 6) The apostle Paul states that the holy ones will judge the world, also being given the privilege of judging angels.—1 Cor. 6:2, 3.
ATTACK ON “CAMP OF THE HOLY ONES”
At Revelation 20:7-9 Satan the Devil is foretold to lead the nations in war against the “camp of the holy ones and the beloved city” after the end of the thousand years of Christ’s reign. This account follows the vision of their resurrection to heavenly thrones, described in verses 4 and 6. The “nations,” being on earth, could not, of course, literally reach the “holy ones” reigning on heavenly thrones. The prophecy evidently refers to an earthly rebellion against the sovereignty of God’s kingdom over earth, which, in effect, is an attack on the “holy ones.”—See HOLINESS.