WHO ARE THE 144,000?

1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

God chose Israel to be His witnesses on earth. He made a promise to Israel through the seed of Abraham -- that the land of Canaan would be their everlasting possession and that God would be their God (Gen. 17:8). God gave Israel a law through Moses (Exo. 20:1-17). Israel broke the law (Exo. 32:19). They defiled the land and crucified the Lord (Acts 2:23). God's promise to national Israel was a sure promise, and that promise is still in effect and always will be. Israel became so backslidden that for a long period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament there is no record of special contact between Israel and God. However, God's promise to Israel was still good, so God sent John the Baptist:

And if ye will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come (Matt. 11:14).

God offered Israel the Messiah (Jesus) and Israel rejected Him.

Matt. 23:37-39:

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

God turned to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:46:

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Rom. 11:20-26:

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graff them in again.

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

The Gentiles' time is running out. The time is near for Israel to be grafted in again.

Acts 15:14-16:

14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.

Jesus is coming back to earth again to set up the Davidic-type kingdom. There were 12 tribes of Israel so the kingdom that Jesus sets up will have the same number of tribes as Israel had in the Old Testament. The 144,000 will consist of 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel which makes 144,000.

Jesus promised the 12 disciples that they would sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). The disciples never sat upon any throne while Jesus was on earth, so this is a future event. This will take place when the Son of Man (Jesus) shall sit in the throne of His glory (Matt. 19:28). Jesus will sit upon the throne of His glory beginning at His appearing to fight the battle of Armageddon.

Matt. 25:31-32:

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

These nations are living nations of people. They are not dead, nor have they been resurrected. The 12 disciples, who were all "Galilaeans" (Acts 2:7), will sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. The faithful saved from among the Lord's churches will have power over the nations (Rev. 2:25-27).

A description of the 144,000 is found in Rev. 14:1-5:

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God (Rev. 14:1-5).

God promised Israel the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession (Gen. 17:8). Israel backslid to the point that they did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, so Jesus instituted His church which would mainly be made up of Gentiles.

11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy (Rom. 11:11).

As I search the Scriptures, it seems to me that the time of the Gentiles is undoubtedly almost over. Both Jew and Gentile need to get ready because it seems that the coming of Jesus is very near!

WILL PEOPLE BE SAVED DURING THE TRIBULATION?
Yes, some will be saved. All who have not previously heard the true gospel will have an opportunity to be saved, but those who have heard the true gospel before Christ comes and takes away His faithful church members can never be saved after Christ comes.

II Thess. 2:8-12:

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It is a dangerous thing for a person to think that riches, pleasures, or the accumulation of worldly goods will be worth losing their soul, for all of those things stop at death.

The 144,000 spoken of in Rev. 7:1-8 are a good example. Notice that a tribe by the name of Dan (Gen. 35:25), a son of Bilhah, is not listed among the 12 tribes of Israel in Rev. 7. Manasses (Rev. 7:6) seems to have replaced the tribe of Dan. I am not sure why Dan was replaced, but it may be because he turned to idolatry. Keep in mind that the number 12 is a literal number, but it is also a representative number.

Rev. 7:9-14:

9 After this [after the 144,000 are seen as being saved and sealed] I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Saved -- but what a terrible price they pay physically for having been saved! They overcome the Man of Sin "by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11). They will be beheaded.

Rev. 20:4-6:

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The "second death" is described by Jesus in Mark 9:40-48. Jesus warned us of the second death as a place "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). Too few people have ever studied what Jesus is describing. Jesus is talking about the resurrected body of people who died without having accepted Christ as Saviour. The body of man is clearly described in the Bible as being a "worm".

How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm? (Job 25:6)

But I am a worm... (Psalm 22:6).

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel;... (Isa. 41:14).

Scientists now agree with Jesus that humans are worms. A headline in the Lakeland Ledger (10/21/04) reads:

In Gene Count, We're at Worm's Level

"In a blow to human vanity, researchers now say that people have about the same number of genes as a small flowering plant or a tiny worm. The new estimate is down sharply from just three years ago."

Mark 9:43-48:

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Many have used Mark 9:43-48 and followed the teaching of the Russelites that those Scriptures refer to a place where the bodies of paupers were cast into a pit and burned as they went down into the pit. Their bodies would hit the side of the pit and the flesh would be eaten by worms. But remember -- Jesus said, "Where their [personal pronoun] worm dieth not." The "second death" will be eternally burning. Repent -- trust Jesus -- be saved!

FROM HORROR TO TOTAL HAPPINESS

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Rev. 7:14-17).

If we were to just read these verses hurriedly without rightly dividing the word of God, we would miss a great blessing. These verses cover a lot of time. Notice that verse 17 closes with these words, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." The word of God makes it very clear that this only happens after John saw a "new heaven and new earth" (Rev. 21:1), and "God Himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Rev. 21:3).

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Rev. 21:4).

This answers many questions that are asked today, such as:

If I go to heaven and some of my family have died lost, will I have sorrow up there? No, "the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

9 ...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (I Cor. 2:9-10).

When those of us who have trusted Christ's shed blood to save us wake up in heaven and see what God has prepared for them that love Him, I believe all the sacrifices we may have made or suffering we may have done, and all the worldly pleasures we may have missed will not be remembered. Praise God through the name of Jesus!

It must have been a glorious day when Jesus told Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, "Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me" (Matt. 28:10).

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them (Matt. 28:16).

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled [where Jesus had appointed them (Matt. 28:16)] for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you (John 20:19).

What a joy that must have been! The new covenant was now in force.

16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth (Heb. 9:16-17).

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second (Heb. 8:7).

It must have been a great joy when Israel no longer had to have the law written on boards or frontlets. Now under this new covenant they had the laws written in their minds and in their hearts.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people (Heb. 8:10).

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth (Rom. 10:4).

Since Jesus came to earth and became the end of the law, the Lord's people have suffered horribly -- but the following Scriptures will make it a happy time and worth it all:

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him (I Thess. 4:14).

This is only to believers. This is written to one of the Lord's churches, not to lost people.

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (I Thess. 4:17).

When Jesus comes back to the mount of Olives, all the saints will come with Him (Zech. 14:4-5).

5 ...and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee (Zech. 14:5).

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints (Jude 1:14).

The saints could not come with Him if they were not resurrected and caught up in the clouds.

Suffer the horrors for a short time for Christ's sake and enjoy His happiness forever. Amen!

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