All created beings including humans and the angelic realm are evaluated by God indiscriminately, and He treats all without bias in perfect judgment. He knows our past, present, and future, and is aware of our thoughts, motives, and intentions. God does select individuals and groups for special purposes and this requires that certain groups must be separated and set apart for His service.

God does this in order to create structure, form, and contrast for us to observe so that we can see His hand in human affairs. The 144,000 Israelites are an example of one of these unique groups and the number of 12,000 from each of 12 tribes of the nation of Israel should be interpreted literally. Many theories have been presented describing this group. Some Gentile Christian denominations have identified themselves as the 144,000 and there are those who advocate a general application which includes all believers. Neither of these interpretations is correct. The 144,000 are Jewish, they are believers, and they will be present during the 70th week.

Their mission will begin in Israel at the beginning of the 70th week and will reach other Middle East nations and beyond. By the middle of the week they are seen in Jerusalem with Jesus and they will take the Gospel to the whole world. There are a few direct explanations about this group, their purpose, and their activities appearing in the Book of Revelation, but no where else in Scripture. These servants of God are sealed with His protection. Their sealing will include protection against the attacks by the angels of the abyss during the 5th trumpet judgment and all other dangers during the 70th week including God's judgments and those instigated by Satan and his agents.

They will also be the first fruits of the earthly 1,000 year Kingdom of Jesus which they will enter as mortals. The Lord will confirm the covenant of the 70 weeks of years decreed for national Israel by executing the 70th and these 144,000 Israelites will be the first portion of the believing remnant of national Israel that will turn an saved during the tribulation period. The 144,000 Israelites are not to be confused with the Church which is composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers (Old and New Testament).

This great multitude will be resurrected and translated into the eternal state just prior to or at the same time the 144,000 are sealed. Both of these groups will be protected from the judgments of the tribulation as the result of the resurrection/translation and sealing events. Jesus will enter the material world unexpectedly as a thief and execute both of these events. The 144,000 sealed Israelites will be set apart from all other unsealed mortals who will experience the tribulation. They will be the only living believers on earth at the beginning of the 70th week just after the Church is taken to heaven.

There will be other unsealed humans who will become believers during the tribulation and others who will not. Jesus will resurrect those believers (Jew and Gentile) who die physically by beheading (martyrs) at the end of the tribulation.

The believers who remain alive (survive the tribulation) will enter His earthly Kingdom as mortals. Jesus will gather and sort out these believers from all of the humans left in the nations of the world just after the 70th week. The "elect" will consist of believing Jews (His brethren) and the sheep will be the believing Gentiles. These will all be mortals who will enter His worldwide Kingdom which will last for 1,000 years. The rest of the survivors will be unbelieving Jews and Gentiles (goats) who will not enter the Kingdom, but will be cast off into the outer darkness. Their fate will be like any other unbeliever who dies physically.

All unbelievers will be resurrected (the second resurrection) to face judgment and elimination. Their names will not be found in the Lord's Book of Life. This is the resurrection that leads to death. The first resurrection is the resurrection to life. Jesus was the first, the Church will be next, and the tribulation martyrs will be resurrected at the end of the tribulation.

There will be a believing Jewish remnant who will be living in the Land of Israel during Israel's defeat at the hands of the little horn (antichrist, beast). It is these who will flee into the Jordanian Wilderness when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (temple mount area). Their escape route will be along a great rift that is formed by Jesus who will split the Mount of Olives to the north and to the south. This event is recorded in Zechariah 14 and Revelation 12. They will be kept from the reaches of Abaddon (the little horn) whose armies will occupy and rule the nation of Israel for 42 months (1,260 days).

This remnant will receive Jesus as their Messiah upon His return and will enter His Kingdom as mortals at the end of the tribulation. This remnant is not to be confused with the sealed 144,000 Israelites who will spread the Gospel of the Kingdom. The 144,000 will be active during the entire 70th week. First to Israel, and then to the entire world. A more comprehensive understanding of the purpose of the 144,000 Israelites can be developed by researching Revelation for the Lord's continuous provision of individual salvation during the tribulation.

The 70th week will be a very confusing and perplexing time with regard to the events that will be taking place which will be very difficult for humans to understand and experience. I believe that God will provide a very strong measure of the truth about what is happening in proportion to the confusion, deception, and the judgments. The first seal that Jesus opens is the symbol of the white horse which depicts one of six themes (seals) that will be characteristic of the 70th week. The seventh seal is a pause that leads to the beginning of the seven trumpet judgments.

The white horse represents an ongoing communication of the truth about Jesus, personal salvation, and His soon coming 1,000 year earthly Kingdom which will emerge in the wake of the destruction of the last kingdom of the Gentiles. This activity will begin at the onset of the 70th week and will continue through the tribulation period. The white horse does not represent the little horn (antichrist), but is the symbol of salvation. The 144,000 will be a powerful force that God will use to continue spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom and of individual salvation to an unbelieving world during the 70th week. They will also serve as an inspiration for those believers who will be present during the tribulation period. Many of these will be martyred for their faith. The message will be to fear and worship God, that His judgment is in process, and that the visible appearance of Jesus to establish His Kingdom is at hand. Jesus said that this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to the whole world just before His visible return.

The 144,000 are seen by John on Mount Zion with Jesus. Their sealing will take place between the beginning of the 70th week and the 1st trumpet judgment. They will begin their mission from Jerusalem just like the original 12 Apostles did in the first century.

Jesus will be present during the entire 70th week and He will guide the 144,000. He opens the seals, controls all of the judgment events of the 70th week, and His visible appearance to the world is scheduled immediately after the tribulation period. He will not be seen by the world during His hour of trial against an unbelieving world, but those who do not turn and repent will know where the judgments are coming form.

Jesus can have an invisible presence or a visible presence in relation to His involvement in the material world. Scripture records events and evidence of this unique ability at His first coming. He will function in the same manner during His involvement at the time of the end. The immortal state of existence is outside of the dimension of the material world and Jesus can move in and out at will. He can be present and invisible to humans during one encounter and visible and present in another. He will be present and invisible during the tribulation, and then visible when He appears at the end of the tribulation. Heaven is not a place in some far off corner of outer space....it is a state of existence which allows for optional entry or exit of the material universe.

There is a great deal of confusion concerning the event of Jesus returning from heaven visibly at the end of the 70th week. Some interpret this as nullifying the possibility of His invisible presence for involvement in the events that lead up to His visible appearance. The first will be His unannounced invisible presence as a "thief" to resurrect/translate dead and living believers and position them away from the earth.

The Day of The Lord is a process that will begin with the translation of believers and the meeting and sealing of the 144,000 Israelites on Mount Zion. His Day will then continue during and beyond the 70th week. The Day of The Lord is not just one day when He appears visibly to the world. His Day will include bringing man's day(human rule) to a close at the end of this present age, and then continue eternally.

The 144,000 will most likely be believers before the 70th week begins, but they will remain on the earth as protected mortals for God's purposes. The primary mission of the 144,000 Israelites will be to communicate the message of personal salvation and the soon coming earthly Kingdom of Jesus which will replace the last kingdom of the Gentiles.

Actually, none of this makes any sense scripturally. First of all, your use of the term "national Israel" is deceptive and misleading. The 144,000 do not come from some group other than what the Apostles belonged to. It is just silliness to claim that only unbelieving Jews are a part of Israel, because these 144,000, once sealed (believers), are still Israel.

Secondly, you are classifying believers into these various groups without scriptural support. There are no scripturally supported "classes" of saints.

All are in Christ by his blood:
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

If you are a saint, you are in Christ.



According to Jesus, all who are in him are raised "at the last day".



Yes, but none of those who enter the MK in their mortal bodies, enter it as an inheritance:

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

He is obviously referring to the physical kingdom of God on earth, because if he is referring to the way we "recieve the kingdom" in this life, through the new birth (Mar 10:15)....then he would be wrong. We can recieve it in this life, and even enter it, but we cannot "inherit" it in these corruptible bodies.

The rapture (resurrection) is required.

I agree with super, not much of this makes any sense. It ignores the context of the Apocalypse as well as the larger context of the NT. It also lifts prophecies out of their OT context. Also missing is any kind of exegesis of the passages. All we get is the author's opinion. Let's see what the Bible says.

Warning the following will be radically different from the Dispensational "Left Behind" interpretation. Anyone blindly following the novel series will be brought face to face with some issues which if true will challenge their core beliefs. Do not read this if you are not open to evaluating new ideas and testing them out with Scripture. As long as we stand on Scripture, we have nothing to fear.
Disclaimer: I do not believe that the 144000 are my church. I know that Stephen will make that claim, it is His usual tactic on this forum. So Hopefully I can head him off at the pass. This is highly debated by many scholars. Therefore one would expect evidence. No evidence is given, just the author's conclusion. The evidence from Revelation, (the only book in the Bible where the number is found) is for a symbolic interpretation. Rev. begins with the words, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Not the Revelation of Israel. It goes on to say that God "Signified" [symbolized] this revelation of Jesus by sending his angel to John(v1-3). That means Revelation is a symbolic book that symbolizes and reveals Jesus.The first vision is Jesus in the Jewish Temple standing amoung the 7 Golden Lamp stands [also Jewish imagery] which Jesus identifies as the church. That should get our attention. Further more, the second picture of the 144,000 shows them on Mt. Zion with the Lamb (Rev 14:1-5). Obviously the Lamb is a symbol for Jesus. So what basis do we have, exegetically and hermeneutically to arbitrarily decide that the Lamb is a symbol but Mt. Zion and the 144000 are not? Since we all agree (I think) that the lamb is a symbol, lets look at Mt. Zion and the 144000.

The number is only found in two places in the Bible, both in Revelation, chapters 7 and 14.
The eighth chapter ends with the great day of the wrath of God and the Lamb, followed by the question, "Who can stand (6:16, 17)." The answer to that question is the 144000 who are sealed, 12000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. They can stand through the testing time because they were sealed with God's Mark on their foreheads. When we compare that to the OT images of God's Mark on the forehead and hand, we discover there that it is a symbolic mark, symbolizing obedience to God's laws (Deut 6:5, Exo 13:9 etc.). That is something to keep in mind as we read through the passage.
Next we see a great multitude no one could count wearing white robes.... They had come out of the great tribulation and they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb (7:14).
It is important to see that by washing robes in the blood of the Lamb, they were saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The same Gospel for the church, and the only Gospel that saves. This proves that there is not a "different gospel" for those left behind in the great tribulation, as some have suggested. And raises a question about whether the church is present for the great tribulation, merging victorious with white robes. A good case can be made for showing that the 144000, are sealed before the great tribulation, were protected during the great tribulation and emerge as the un-numbered multitude after the tribulation. This can only be possible if the 144000 are symbolic and not literal, which is the point we are trying to prove so we cant be definitive about that yet. It is not an honest approach to assume what you are trying to prove.

An interesting comparison with the church is found in Revelation 3.
Rev 3:4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Rev 3:18 I counsel you to buy... white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.
Are they the ones who came out of the great tribulation?

Especially interesting is the fact that Jesus promised the chruch of Philadelphia that the would "keep" them form the hour of trial (3:10) and the same Greek word for "keep" is translated "protect from" in John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Where John actually contrasts Keep or Protect from with taking them out of the world. Could those in white robes who came out of the tribulation possibly be the church?

There are several notable differences in the 12 Tribes mentioned in Revelation and the Original 12 in Genesis. Much could be written on this topic but briefly:
Levi is included here even though he did not receive land with his brothers in the OT, Why? In the OT Levi and Joseph were replaced with Joseph's two half Gentile sons. Levi was the Priestly tribe. Now Jesus has restored the priesthood and He is Our Hi priest. Perhaps that is why Levi is present.

Joseph was one of the 12 original tribes, but his portion of the land was given to his two sons, Ephrim and Manasseh who had been reckoned as sons of Israel. However Joseph is included here in Revelation. The Bible does not say why. Most like to speculate on why Ephrim was missing but it may be more fruitful to ask why Joseph was included. One reason might be that he was a type of Christ, and this list is a symbolic indication of Christ's work. Manasseh is already present, even though he was half Gentile. So this list could give us a little symbolic glimpse into Christ's church with Gentiles reckoned as children of Abraham. Just a possibility, not a proof. One thing is certain however, it is not a literal fulfilment or gathering of the OT 12 tribes into the land that God promised them (Gen 48:4). If God ment for them to fulfill it literally, then He failed in his promise because Dan and Manasseh are missing. Is this possibly a clue or piece of evidence that we should look for a more Christ centered definition than a literal gathering of 144000 literal ethnic Jews into the land?

Now lets move to the second and last mention of the 144000.
Just as the firs picture of the 144000 was the answer to the question asked on the Day of God's wrath; "Who can stand?" So this picture is the answer to the same question asked about the beast, "Who is like the beast and who can make war against him?"
1Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless "Rev 14:1-5).

What can we learn from this text? Some fascinating things.
First, what is meant by Mt Zion. We already recognize that the Lamb is a symbol. We also know that Mt Zion is the temple MT in OT times.
But how do the NT writers view it?

Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
Joel sees a time when deliverance of God's remnant people will be from Mt Zion where "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
This is not a gathering of unrepentant Israelites to Jerusalem. They are first called to repentance (13f). Then God will pour out his Spirit on all people.
We should not miss the fact that Peter actually quoted this prophecy as being fulfilled to the church, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21). Paul also saw that same phrase as being fulfilled in the church (Rom 10:11-13; 1Cor 1:2). Of course that is not the completion of Joel's prophecy because I will not climax until the Day of the Lord, I dont see how anyone can deny that the initial fulfillment of this pouring out of the Spirit and Salvation on Mt Zion begins with the church.
Acts 2:16 No, this[Pentecost] is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.... 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Ac 2:16-21).

Is Joel one of the prophets Peter was talking about when he said:
1 Peter 1:10 Concerning this salvation [NT in Christ and his chruch], the prophets [OT], who spoke of the grace that was to come to you [church], searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

Now when we read Hebrews 12:12 we discover:
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched... 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.... 23 to the church (Heb 12:18-23).
I dont know any other way to understand that text except that those who are in Christ, believers, are on Mt. Zion, in the heavenly Jerusalem and the Church! I realize that some have ridiculed me, accusing that I am saying we must all be ethnic Jews. But Hebrews is not speaking in literal terms. Anyone with half an IQ can see that. He is speaking of the Heavenly Jerusalem and Mt. Zion. Not a literal place on earth. He even says they are the church. This is all Spiritual, not literal.

So if the Lamb is a symbol for Christ and Mt. Zion a symbol for the church, then doesnt that suggest that 144000 should also be a symbol? Especially when considered in the light of the observations on chapter 7. But lets look deeper at some identifying marks:

1. They are already redeemed and are shown in the temple (Mt Zion) in heaven singing before the throne.
2. They had been redeemed from the earth. 3.
3. They had his [Lamb] name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.
4. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. (Sounds like Christians to me)

So, they are in the temple, Mt. Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem.
That is where the church is pictured in Hebrews.
But to me, here is the clincher, a promise Jesus made to the church in which He promised he would "keep from the hour of trial,"
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name (Re 3:12).
Compare this verse to the three characteristicts describing the 144000 above.
In my thinking that makes for pretty compelling evidence that the 144000 is a symbol for the final ultimate gathering of God's people who were scattered across the earth and is being fulfilled in the church.
I have to admit, that after so much bombardment with the "Left Behind" books, this will sound radical. But the question is, "Is it true?" I have tried to be as honest and fair with Scripture.
There are still many questions to answer, but I always feel like I am on the right track when we keep Jesus as the center.

2 Cor 3:12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

This is a new one and a classic example of the problem with dispensationalism. Now he is saying there are members of the body of Christ, the church, Christian Believers, who will not be raptured with the rest of the church but left behind with the sinners to go through the great tribulation. Hmmm! Sounds like the church in the tribulation after all. Any volunteers?

Follow the Lamb
3am

You are going to do exactly what God created you for. He fashioned your life before you were born. You were either created for Honor or Dishonor. If you were created for Honor you will praise Him no matter what. If you were created for dishonor you will be shaking your fists at the sky as if God did something wrong and you will never understand why.


Psalms 139
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.




Romans 9
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth."
18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?"
20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"
21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory