I have heard so many different stories during my life as to who and what these 144,000 are, and none have ever come close to what the bible says that they are. Different religions and cults teach different things about them, but I am here to show you the only sutable biblical answer as to who these people are.
"Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:" Rev 7:2-4 |
These 144,000 will help Jesus when he returns to earth to fight in the battle of Armagedon and during the wrath of God that is also suppose to come at that time.
"Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads." Rev 14:1 |
"For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Rev 6:17. |
When the wrath of God starts to happen the 144,000 that will receive an invisible seal beforehand. They will also be here when Jesus returns as seen by them standing with him on Mount Zion. The rapture will take place before the wrath starts, and so these chosen ones will be in heaven standing in the clouds waiting until that's over. There is no mystery about them unless you make it a mystery. They are men who have been chosen to help when Jesus returns.
"These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God." Rev 14:4-5 |
In all the years of asking questions about these people, namely to myself, and who they are, it has taken me until recently (past 20 years) to finally figure out who they are, and who they are not. These people are the ones that came up out of their graves shortly after Jesus was resurrected.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Mat 27:51-53. |
In the past I would hear most people claim these people were resurrected and then later died just as all people do.
Perhaps you have heard the same thing, or even thought the same thing. But when connecting events in other parts of
the bible, I have determined they did not live out their lives, and they never died again.
These were saints, men that God had placed a great deal of faith in before Jesus came to earth, and no doubt a few
were here when Jesus was alive, and even slightly after. Take note to this because it's important to
understand the 144,000 "all" died before Jesus left the earth and returned to heaven.
These people are what John is calling "firstfruits" to God and to the Lamb. To God because they come out of the
12 tribes of Israel, and to Jesus because he rose them from the graves first. These people were raised from the
dead after Jesus was resurrected, but not before his resurrection. Listen to this closely:
and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Mat 27:53 |
The bible doesn't tell us in the book of Matthew what happened to these people, but it does tell us that they went into the holy city
and appeared to many. What happened after that has to be determned by other factors.
Revelation 14:4 calls the 144,000 "firstfruits." So what does that mean?
"Firstfruits" means they are the First of their kind. What kind would that be because they are humans?
Humans, that were resurrected and that is how John was able to see them, and that is how the world will be able
to see them with Jesus. The only resurrection mentioned in the bible as having taken place, other than Jesus,
is this one. This means the 144,000 were the ones resurrected and that also means their mission started 2,000 years ago.
While it may seem impossible for this to happen or for anyone to live that long, it's not. When we are resurrected
we will live for a long time like them. In fact the chosen ones are suppose to never die again. The millennium comes
after Jesus returns to earth, and that is 1000 years
long.
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Rev 20:4 |
Many people in recent years have been preaching that these 144,000 are going to be preachers when Jesus returns. This
is because there are more people in the world that don't understand the bible than there are that do, and making
them preachers shows two things, wishful thinking and not understanding their role in prophecy. So what will they be
doing with Jesus?
Where did Jesus go when he left earth? He went back to God and his throne, but it's highly unlikely he stayed there.
"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2 |
"I go to prepare a place for you." We are not meant to live in heaven, so that is not where Jesus is preparing a place for us. He is at he New Heaven and New Earth where we will be spending eternity.
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." Rev 21:1 |
That is the place we will call home after this world is over and done with. But that is still some 2,500 years into the
future. We still have the millennium and the Day of Judgment to go through before we ever go to paradise. In the meantime,
many things will happen and these 144,000 will be with Jesus all the way.
The main thing they will be dong is helping Jesus fight against the world, Satan, and the demons and
fallen angels when they return. The great battle of Armageddon will take place then. Jesus will need
all the help he can get.
Other than this, there is no propehcy of them becoming preachers and preaching the gospel. Keep in mind,
they return at a time just before the Mark of the Beast begins in Rev 14. Seeing them and Jesus will sway
the remnant to reject the Mark.
There is one more factor involving the 144,000, and that is the thief who died on the cross with Jesus.
You see, he too is one of the 144,000. Yes, that's right. Jesus left to prepare a place for us, and when he did,
the 144,000 went with him. Then they all went to paradise to prepare places for us.
And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43 |
Jesus died on the cross and did not go to paradise. If he had, then he would have ascended back to heaven,
and that was not in his prophecy to do. His prophecy was to be inth ebelly of the earth for three days and three nights.
This makes it impossible for Jesus otbe inparadise while fullfilling that propehecy. This also means the thief
was not in paradise when he died either.
The thief was later resurrected when the other members of the 144,000 were, and so that is how and why Jesus said
"I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Again, we are under close scrutiny, so we need to go farther
into this statement.
The correct meaning goes like this: "I say to you, by what has happened today, you will be with me in paradise." That means
the commas is in the wrong place and should be after the word today like this:
"I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise."
I've said for years, the comma is in the wrong place. But it is the religious people who demand it be placed where
it is. This way they can believe in life after death and living in paradise in heaven.
Satan is a false teacher, and so is the Antichrist. If you want answers, you need to look farther than face value
sometimes, and the thief is one of those subjects that needed further evaluation, because he is one of the 144,000.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Mat 11:15 |