Could There Be Another Interpretation of the 144,000?

We’re back in the book of Revelation and once again, we are not going to look at this well known passage of scripture as dogma. This is another study that will look at a biblical teaching that we are familiar with, in a different way. This post is meant to provoke further Bible study and discussion, It will in no way present a different Gospel.

We know that the book of Revelation is full of symbols, most of which are found in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that the book of Revelation is 100%, a retelling of Old Testament prophecies, all but one thing…the 144,000.

You won’t find that number anywhere else in the bible. Other numbers, like the numbers 7, 12, and 40 for instance, are used many times in many ways. It allows us to determine their relevance and interpret their meanings from other places. This means that, by the time we get to the book of Revelation, we better have a foundation in the rest of the Bible, or we could easily misinterpret what we find there. It also means that we will have to look for the interpretation of the 144,000 within the book of Revelation itself since it is found nowhere else. 

So, let’s start with the actual verses that tell us of the 144,000:

“And after these things I say 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. 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 sea, saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 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.”  Revelation 7:1-4

 

Following these verses, there are12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel listed, though in a unique way which we will cover later.

Later we read: 

And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him and hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 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: 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. 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. And In their mouth was found no Guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Revelation 14:1-5

This is it folks. This is all that is given to us from the word of God about these 144,000. The prevailing view is that they are a literal 144,000 Jewish young men that are literal virgins who will travel the globe as evangelists. But read the passages again carefully; there is nothing there about these being end time evangelists.

Where did this idea come from? Is there scriptural precedence or a hint of this in the Old Testament? If there is, it is truly and deeply hidden. It is possible that this idea comes from the verses immediately after we see the 144,000 on Mount Sion (Sion in Revelation, Zion elsewhere), we see a great multitude before the throne of God and of these, a particular group identified as those who have come out of great tribulation (Revelation 7:9,14). But even then, we aren’t told specifically that the 144,000 had anything to do with their salvation.

Regardless of the origin of this teaching, it behooves us to look deeper into this. We must look through the lens of the guidance of the Holy Spirit and our own reading of the Word, not just through the lens of other teachers and authors. We are accountable before God to study and show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Let’s start with our foundation in the rest of the Word of God. What do we know about the Word? We know that it is: 

• Given by inspiration from God and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
• Full of types and shadows to help our understanding (Hebrews 8:5, Colossians 2:16-17, Hebrews 10:1, Romans 5:14)
• The end has been shown from the beginning. Meaning, nothing has a new interpretation. Everything should be interpreted from the foundation already established. (Isaiah 46:10)
• Full of mysteries hidden by God and He delights when we seek them out (Isaiah 45:3, Psalms 78:2, Proverbs 1:6, Proverbs 25:2, Revelation 2:17 {hidden manna}, 1 Corinthians 2:7)

With this in mind, let’s look at the clues we have been given in the Word. Many times, we will just skim over familiar things or even think they mean something different in a particular case. Let’s not do that here. Let’s give due diligence to this passage. 

Knowing that God has shown us the end from the beginning and Revelation is the end, does Genesis have anything to say in this? Possibly, consider that the overall creation is found in the first chapter of Genesis and chapter 2 zeros in on a particular corner of that creation called the Garden of Eden. What can this mean for our study of Revelation? Could it be that, just as the first book of the Bible has two accounts of creation, one overview and on detailed, that the last book may have two accounts of the end, one overview and one detailed? It is a possibility and cannot be ruled out.

Most think Revelation is in chronological order, but could it be that the account of the seven seals is an overview of the end times and, after the seventh which is silence, we are given a detailed account? Based on our study of the Rider on the White Horse earlier, we could even look at the Seven Seals as the history of the church ending with the tribulation. After all, didn’t Paul and John both indicate that the deceptive spirit of antichrist was already at work in the world in their time? (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7, 1 John 2:18, 4:3, 2 John 1:7)

Now let’s look at the 144,000 from that perspective. When we do, we see that it is likely that they are the raptured Bride of Christ. This view isn’t a pre-tribulation view; this is a pre-wrath view, and before you throw this idea out the window, let’s examine what the Bible says. 

The 144 thousand are sealed and protected through the tribulation but they are on Mount Sion with the Lamb after the last trump and do not experience the vial judgments of the wrath of God. Remember, Jesus himself said, 

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Can we find clues to back this up? Using the book of Revelation to interpret the book of Revelation, we can. 

In the letters to the seven churches we find that the church in Philadelphia was without reproach. They were spotless, as it were. The rewards that are promised to the overcomer in the church of Philadelphia are found in Revelation 3:12. They are:

• Jesus will make him a pillar in the temple of God
•  He shall go no more out
• Jesus will write upon him the name of God and the city of God which is New Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven
• Jesus will write upon him His new name

Hold on to this thought and let’s talk about the seal in the foreheads of these 144 thousand. Is there an Old Testament reference to a seal in the forehead of God’s elect? Indeed, there is. It is found in Ezekiel chapters 8 and 9 which have an obvious parallel to the seals in the foreheads of the 144,000. It is a lengthy passage because the whole of both of these chapters are relative. They are linked so you can read them, but they will be broken down in this study. 

Ezekiel 8 tells how God took Ezekiel by the hair of the head to Jerusalem and showed him all the abominations that were happening. The vision Ezekiel relates directly influences John’s interpretation of what he is seeing as he writes his revelation. For instance, God uses six messengers with destroying weapons to carry out His judgment in Ezekiel as He does in Revelation. Ezekiel sees, in the inner court of the temple, an image that provokes God to jealousy, like Revelation. The parallels abound.

But before the angels are allowed to bring judgment in Ezekiel, a different messenger is sent to seal the righteous, those who mourn against sin, on the forehead. After the sealing takes place, judgment is set loose. Refer to Revelation 7. This directly parallels that passage as well. 

The word for mark used in Ezekiel is only used three times in the Bible, Ezekiel 9:4, Ezekiel 9:6 and Job 31:35. It is the word ‘tav’, and the Strong’s definition is; a mark; by implication, a signature.

Interestingly, the definition found in the Gesenuis’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon in reference to Ezekiel 9:4 is; 

“A sign in the form of a cross branded on the thigh of neck of horses and camels, whence the name of the letter ת, which in Phoenician, and on the coins of the Maccabees has the form of a cross. From the Phoenicians the Greeks and Romans took both the name and form of the letter.” 

Imagine that. Those sealed with a mark on their foreheads in the book of Ezekiel were marked with a cross.

Now let’s look back at the church of Philadelphia. They are marked with, not only the name of God and the new name of Jesus, they will be marked with the city of God, which is the new Jerusalem. This passage of scripture directly connects the ‘bride’ Christians of Philadelphia with the new Jerusalem which is found in Revelation 21.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2

“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9-10

Now, let’s tie the Philadelphian Christians and the bride New Jerusalem to the 144 thousand, if we can. We will do this by looking closer at the city itself. The Bible has a lot to say about New Jerusalem, though the ‘new’ isn’t capitalized in the Bible. It is just the new, holy Jerusalem. 

• The city has twelve gates and the gates have twelve angels, and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them. 
• The city has twelve foundations and on those are written the names of the twelve apostles. 
• The city is foursquare, meaning the length, breadth, and height are equal and measure 12 thousand furlongs. 
• The wall measured 144 cubits
• The gates are each one pearl
• The foundations of the wall are garnished with twelve precious stones
• There is no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
• The city doesn’t need sun or moon because the glory of God, the Lamb, lighted it
• The nations of them that are saved walk in the light of it
• The gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there
• Nothing that defiles or works abomination or lies can enter, only those that are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Without doing an entire study on the new Jerusalem, let’s just look at what is immediately relative to this study. Remember, Jesus told His disciples that they would rule the twelve tribes of Israel in Matthew 19:28:     “And Jesus said unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, that ye which         have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall        sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,     judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'” (See also Luke 22:30)

The entire foundation of the whole city is the teaching of the twelve disciples of Jesus, which includes Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. We have the twelve tribes times the twelve apostles, which gives us 144. But where is the thousand?

Thousand in the bible is often used to represent a multitude too great to be numbered. Two examples of this would be Samson slaying the thousand Philistines, heaps upon heaps the Bible says (Judges 15:16), and the cattle upon a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10).  

It is doubtful that Samson counted the Philistines in the heat of battle as he slew them. It is more likely that there were too many to number, but they laid in heaps everywhere. Likewise with the cattle, does God only own the cattle on one thousand literal hills? What about the cattle on hill one thousand and one? Obviously the number one thousand in these passages just means a mass multitude.

One more example of 'thousands' representing an indefinite but very large number is what is said in Deuteronomy 7:9:

Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is ineed God.  He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations...

Folks could easily thae that number literally. But they havent thought it through.  The expression, a thousand generations, basically means forever because there have only been less than 200 generations since Adam.

Another thing to be remembered is that we are now part of Israel; not having replaced Israel but grafted into Israel. We understand all about Grace and the Church, but we tend to forget that the ‘wild branch’ (gentiles) are now able to partake of the fatness of the olive tree (Israel, see Romans 11). We are adopted children and thus, considered ‘Sons of Abraham’. 

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:14-16

“And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:12-13

Now that we have established that Christians are considered Israel according to the Word, let’s look at the virgin reference. When John said they were virgins that had not defiled themselves with women, does he mean that literally? How can we interpret this considering other scriptures?

2 Corinthians 11:2 says:

“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

Ephesians 5:25-27 says:

“Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

The virgin reference is much more about the condition of your spirit than how many sexual partners you may have had before you became a Christian. Furthermore, women are often used as a type of false doctrine in the Bible. Revelation 2:22 speaks of, “That woman Jezebel,” and that woman Jezebel had been dead for centuries. The very religious system of the end days is typified by The Whore of Babylon, a woman (Revelation 17).

Amazingly, God ended the Bible as He began it in another interesting way. In the fifth chapter of the book of Genesis, the Bible lists the Generations of Adam. If you take the meaning of the names of the Patriarchs and make them into a saying, they are a prophecy of Jesus (see attached image). The names put together say,

“Man is appointed mortal sorrow. The Blessed God shall come down, teaching. His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest.” 

We can find something similar in the way the twelve tribes are listed at the sealing of the 144,000.

The tribes are listed in a unique way in the seventh chapter of Revelation, not at all like we find in other places in the Bible. Judah is listed first, Dan and Ephraim are omitted, Levi and Joseph are included.  Why would Ephriam be omitted and Manesseh included?  Especially when you consider that Joseph is included as well. We know from Ezekiel 48 that Dan and Ephraim receive an inheritance in the new kingdom. When the tribes are divided in the Torah, Levi didn’t receive land because they were the priestly tribe and Joseph was divided between his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  So, this isn't about land or inheratance.  Why this brand-new listing of the sons of Jacob?

If we consider that there are no coincidences in the Bible, look at what the mothers said at the time of the birth of each of the sons of Jacob, and in the order they appear in Revelation, we get another saying that gives insight into this whole thing. Here is a list of the statements of the mothers of the twelve tribes at the birth of their sons:

• · Leah said when Judah was born, “This time I will praise the Lord,” Genesis 29:35.
• · When Reuben was born, she said, “Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction, now therefore my husband will love me,” Genesis 29:32.
• · Gad- “How fortunate!” (Gad means fortune) Genesis 30:11.
• · Asher- “Happy and I for the daughters will call me blessed,” Genesis 30:13.
• · Naphtali- “With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and I have prevailed,” Genesis 30:8
• · Manasseh- For God hath made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house. Genesis 41:51
• · Simeon- “Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, He has therefore given me this son,” Genesis 29:33
• · Levi- “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me,” Genesis 29:34.
• · Issachar- “God has given me my wages,” Genesis 30:18.
• · Zebulun- “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me,” Genesis 30:20
• · Joseph- “The Lord shall add to me another son” Genesis 30:24.
• · Benjamin- “Son of the right hand,” Genesis 35:18.

Lets put these exclamations into a phrase.

“Now I will Praise the Lord. Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction. How fortunate! Happy am I for the daughters will call me blessed. With great wrestlings have I wrestled, and I have prevailed (think overcomer). Now will my husband be joined unto me. God has given me my wages. God has given me a good gift; my husband will dwell with me. The Lord shall add to me the Son of (His) right hand. 

Pretty awesome, Huh? The Bible never ceases to amaze.  I would say that this is a pretty good indication that the 144,000 are the Bride of Christ.

There is only one more little thing to point out that might point to the 144,000 as the Bride of Christ and that is that little verse that said:

“These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” Revelation 14:4

This little snippet of a verse takes us back to the Song of Solomon which is full of end times symbolism. If you remember the story, there are two accounts of the virgin, one account turns out well, the other, not so well. The first account, found in Song of Solomon 3:4:

“It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.”

There are many interpretations of the Song of Songs and people can’t even always agree on who is saying what, when.  But if you read the end of chapter 2, it appears that the beloved young man came early and invited his ‘beautiful one’ to go with him for the day but she tells him to go on and leap like a gazelle on the mountains.

That night, whether she was dreaming or awake, she misses him and realizes what she has done. She goes out into the city to seek him and doesn’t stop until she finds him. When she does find him, she grabs on and won’t let go.  This is reminiscent of the 144,000 that follow the lamb 'whithersoever he goeth.' 

Later in the book, we have the second account and the beautiful one didn’t fare so well. When the beloved knocked and asked to come in, (See Song of Solomon 5:2-7, and Revelation 3:20) she basically said, “Sorry I’m already in my pajamas.” When she realized what she had done, she ran after him into the city at night. She was taken for a prostitute and abused. She missed out.

One can’t help but draw parallels between this story and the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. But take note, when the wise virgin in the Song of Solomon finds her beloved, she doesn’t let him go, just like the 144, 000 in Revelation.

Hopefully, this will prompt you to seek God in His Word. It is indeed full of treasures for those who would seek them.   
If your are interested in more Bible study, please visit the blog, A Reasoning Together.  If you have any questions or prayer requests, please email areasoningtogether@gmail.com.  If you would like to know how to become a Christian, there is a short video called, What Must I do to be Saved, or please read, The Gospel, post at the blog linked above.