Question for mainstream Christians: what is the significance of the number 144,000? What does it represent?

Question

I was reading that Jehovah's Witnesses believe that 144,000 people will rule with God in Heaven. And that all others will live in paradise on earth one day.

This is generally not believed by mainstream Christians (protestants, catholics, anglicans, orthodox, etc)

Yet the number '144,000' is in the Bible.

Can someone tell me where this number appears, and what it means? Does it really refer to the number of people that God will take with him? If not, then what does it mean?

Answer 1

The 144,000 are from the 12 tribes of Israel(the Jewish, not JW"S)


Revelation 7
1And 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.

2And 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,

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

4And 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.

5Of 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.

6Of 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.

7Of 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.

8Of 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.

9After this 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;

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

11And 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,

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

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

14And 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.

15Therefore 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.

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

17For 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.


Revelation 14
1And 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.

2And 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:

3And 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.

4These 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.

5And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.





Revelations 21 describes the new heaven and the new earth and calls it the New Jerusalem. Paradise is another word for hell and purgatory and grave.As Jesus told the thief on the cross next to Him that he would be in paradise that day with Jesus. Jesus went to paradise(hell,purgatory) for 3 days and preached to all of those who died before His birth and death and resurrection. When Jesus ascended after His 40 days on earth He took those who He preached to in paradise to heaven. Paradise will not be on earth

Answer 2

In Revelation 7:4 we see the 144,000
" And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel"

These are the Israelites who will keep the Commandments of God during the great tribulation( Rev 12:17 and 14:12)

The book Of Revelation is a prophetic book. It was given to John by signs and as such has to be approached , treated and interpreted in this manner

There is another set of 144.000 seen in the book of Revelation. And this is NOT the sons of Israel ...
Rev 14:1
"And I saw and behold the Lamb standing on Mount Zion and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Rev 14:3-4
And these sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty- four thousand who have been purchased FROM the earth

These are they who have not been defiled with women for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased from among men as FIRSTFRUIT to God and to the Lamb.

So we have the 144,000- sons of the tribes of Israel

And the 144,000 who are the Firstfruit

The Firstfruit are the early overcomers. These are puchased from the earth meaningn that they will be raptured to the heavens before the great tribulation. They are the ones who paid the price to loose the soul-life during their lifetime. These are the ones who did not taste death, they were raptured during their lifetime and lived a life according to the Spirit of God to follow the Lamb wherever He may go..

.Where did the Lamb go? He went straight to the cross .. these ones lived a crucified life in Jesus.. they denied the self..took up the cross and followed the Lamb. They were fully ripened and transformed in their souls.. they were conformed to the Image of Christ during their days.
The rest of the believers will have to go through the Tribulation to be ripened and will be the Harvest near the end of this Great Tribulation as seen in Rev 14:16

The sons of Israel numbering 144,000 will be the Israelites who will keep the commandments of God druing the tribulation ( Rev 12:17 and 14:12)

THE NUMBER 144,000
This must be an actual number with a SYMBOLIC MEANING. 144,000 is 1000 x12x12
12 is the number of Completion in God's eternal plan and adminstration.
144 is 12x12, which signifies the completion of completions, the ultimate completion in the FULLEST WAY.
The number here is 1000 times THIS ultimate completion.

And its no wonder.. the Book of Revelation is the CONSUMATION of all of the Bible.

May we pay the price as the wise virgins and be transformed to be part of the Firstfruit by the Lord's mercy

In Christ
sandy

Answer 3

The 144,000 spoken of in Revelations are of Israel. It plainly says that there will be 12,000 from every tribe.

Now, what is the significance of this?

In the Old Testament, God's chosen people was Israel. Yet, because they became complacent when it came to God, their hearts were hardened and God removed the duty of keepers and spreaders of his Word and gave it to the Gentiles.

Now, what I mean by being complacent is this. God required sacrifices to be made for atonement of sin. Yet, the sacrifices made was only part of what was needed. God wanted them to truly be sorry for their sins when coming to his alter with their sacrifices. Yet, what happened was many were coming to the alter, but were not truly repentatant in their hearts. So atonement became a work.

So God removed the duty of keeping his Word and handed it over to the Gentiles.

And from around the time of Jesus, to now, this period has been known as the time of the Gentiles.

Yet, scripture tells us that Jesus will be coming to remove the saints off the earth before God executes judgement upon the face of the earth. This is commonly known as the great tribulation, which is the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulaton period.

This will be the end of the time of the Gentiles. And the duty of spreading God's Word will again revert back to Israel. Because all those who believed will have been removed. And God will open the eyes of many in Israel who will spread his Word to the world. And the 144,000 are those who will be spreading the Gospel, along with the two witnesses spoken of in Rev. 11.

Answer 4

Interesting, yesterday at our pagan Ostara ritual, there was a presentation called: A Celtic Spring Equinox Celebration "Sacred Stories of the Young God: Aengus, Mabon, Maponos" Exploring the "Young God" in Continental, British, Irish and Welsh religions. Archaeology, history and sacred stories, full of adventure, trickery and romance, will all be used to reveal the depth and beauty this important and widely worshipped deity. We will also look as some of the popular misconceptions about this god and discuss the relevance of this deity and his themes in the modern world. anyway, i noticed the number 7 and 3 came up many times throughout the lecture and corresponding stories. i wonder what the correlation is?

Answer 5

Revelation
14:1 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.

14:3 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.

14:4 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.


So, 144,000 celibate men can sing some song that no others can learn.

Answer 6

Revelation chapters 7 & 14. The number is the sum of 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. They will all be male and virgins and they will be Jews who will survive the Great Tribulation inspite of the efforts of the anti-Christ to martyr them all. These will accept the returning Christ as their long awaited Messiah (Rev. 14: 1-5)

Answer 7

The 144,000 is located in the Book of Revelation. It is in reference to the witnesses...there will be 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will be preaching and teaching that Jesus is and was indeed the Messiah! This will occur during the seven yr. period in which the anti-christ will rule!

These 144,000 will be witnessing in spite of the costs...beheading for Christians! God will protect them and they will indeed spread the news!

I hope this has helped you to better understand.

Answer 8

144,000 redeem from earth the term "Jews" is figurative and not meaning that all are jews, as the word "Lamb" doesn´t means that Jesus is an animal is the people who are God´s people regardless of his origin (Jews and gentiles remember people who were gentiles became proselite jews to be christians), they are virgins (Not touch woman) means that they didn´t belong to organizations that were against God´s kingdom, woman in the bible is used to represent organization example the great harlot of Revelation 17 representing false religion.

Humans taken from earth to g oto heaven if you notice in Revelation 7 you will see 144K and a great crownd that nobody can´t count so that means the other numer is literal bot figurative.

Answer 9

Harpazo = Rapture

END-TIME BIBLE PROPHECY

The Messiah Lord Jesus said BIRTH PANGS would signal the time of the end (Matthew 24:8). There are NINE birth pangs, they are all PRE-TRIBULATIONAL and the 1st three already occurred.

The first birth pang was worldwide conflict coupled with famines and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7-8). Worldwide conflict was fulfilled in 1914-1918, major famines happened in 1918-1921 and most of the world’s major earthquakes began to occur since 1900.

The second birth pang was the restoration of a Jewish State (Ezekiel 20:33-38; Ezekiel 22:17-22; Ezekiel 36:22-24; Zephaniah 2:1-2). This was fulfilled in 1948.

The third birth pang was Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1-2). For the third Jewish Temple (Tribulation Temple) to be rebuilt, Jerusalem needs to be under Jewish control and this was accomplished in the Six Day War in 1967.

The fourth birth pang will be the Ezekiel 38 war. Russia, allied states of Iran, Ethiopia, Somalia, Germany and Armenia will invade Israel. God will miraculously destroy the invading army by earthquake, civil war among the invading soldiers, pestilence, blood, flood, hailstones, fire and brimstone. This will bring a revival in Israel where many Jews will turn to the Lord, and Israel will spend 7 years and 7 months burying the bodies and burning for fuel the military equipment left behind (Ezekiel 39:9-16).

The 5th birth pang will be the development of a one world government (Daniel 7:23-24).

The 6th birth pang will be the splitting of the one world government into 10 kingdoms and this Ten Kingdom Stage will continue until mid-Tribulation (Daniel 7:24).

The 7th birth pang will be the revelation of the Antichrist (II Thessalonians 2:1-3; Daniel 7:24).

The 8th birth pang will be a period of peace and false security that will be shattered by the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

The 9th and final birth pang before the Tribulation is the signing of the 7-year covenant between Israel and the Antichrist. THIS EVENT IS WHAT BEGINS THE (7-year) TRIBULATION - NOT THE RAPTURE!

The Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) is also a pre-tribulational event (Luke 21:34-37; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 19:6-8). The fact that the Church is not mentioned in any of the Tribulation Scriptures proves the Rapture is pre-tribulational. All raptured Christians will receive glorified bodies (Romans 8:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54)) and it can happen at any second.


THE FIRST HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES IN REVELATION 6-9 AND 17)

The Ministry of 144,000 sealed Jewish believers will bring many throughout the world to accept Christ.

There will be a powerful Ministry of Two Witnesses who will also be anointed Jewish believers.

A one world religious system (Babylon the Harlot) will rule. Under this one world religious system, many who are saved during the Tribulation will suffer persecution and death.

The Political system of the 10 kings of the one world government will continue.

During the first half of the Tribulation there will also be war, worldwide famine, death (1/4 of the world’s population will die), a huge earthquake, a blackout and a meteor shower. 1/3 of earth’s dry surface will be destroyed, 1/3 sea life and salt water will be destroyed, a fallen angel called Wormwood will make 1/3 of earth’s fresh water bitter, 1/3 of earth’s natural light sources will be destroyed, there will be another blackout and demons in the form of “locust-scorpions” will come up out of the abyss led by Abaddon their king and they will inflict harm and pain for five months upon those who are not sealed by God (unbelievers). Another demonic invasion will occur and the demons involved will be led by four fallen angels who will be released from the Euphrates River and this army will kill 1/3 of the earth’s population.


MID-TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES IN REVELATION 10-14 AND 17)

The Antichrist will war against the 10 kings, and during the war the Antichrist will be killed.

Satan will be cast out of the atmospheric heavens onto earth and will resurrect the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will kill 3 kings (the kings of Syria, Egypt and Mesopotamia) and the 7 other kings will submit to him.

The Antichrist will kill the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem and the wicked people will celebrate this event. Three and a half days afterwards, God will resurrect the Two Witnesses and take them up to Heaven and the people who celebrated will become terrified. The city of Jerusalem where the murder of the Two Witnesses occurred will then suffer an earthquake which will kill 7,000 people.

The False Prophet will receive from Satan the power to perform great miracles and will deceive many. The False Prophet will command all people to worship the Antichrist and have persons create an image to the Antichrist. The False Prophet will use his satanic powers to give it life and the ability to speak. The False Prophet will cause those who refuse to worship the Antichrist and the image to be killed.

The False Prophet will issue his own counterfeit seal known as the Mark of the Beast and it will be placed on all those who surrender to the Antichrist’s authority and accept him as god. Those who refuse to take this mark will not be able to buy or sell. Those who take this mark will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

The Antichrist will break the seven-year covenant he made with Israel, cause the sacrifices to stop, sit in the Jewish Temple, declare to the world that he is really God and set up an idol called the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15-16; 11Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:11-15).

Through the Antichrist and the False Prophet, Satan will attempt to destroy the Jews once and for all but he will fail because 1/3 of the Jews will succeed in fleeing into the wilderness. These Jews who escape will accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour during the Tribulation (Zechariah 13:7-9) and while they are in hiding, God will miraculously provide for them (Zechariah 13:8-9; Isaiah 41:17-20). Divine intervention will also destroy the pursuing army.


THE SECOND HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES FOUND IN REVELATION 15, 16, 18, 19, 20)

In the second half of the Tribulation, those with the Mark of the Beast will suffer skin sores, the remainder of sea water and fresh water will be destroyed, the sun will cause terrible burns and the wicked will blaspheme God. There will be yet another blackout and persons will suffer gnawing pains.

Babylon will be the center of world economy and political system but Babylon will be swiftly destroyed by fire and become uninhabitable for man.

The Antichrist will locate the Jews who sought refuge in the wilderness and surround them with his armies to wipe them out. The Lord Jesus will then descend from Heaven with His angels and Saints. He will come with great glory riding upon a horse and will destroy the Antichrist, the False Prophet and all of their armies. After this, a loud voice will cry out “It is done!” followed by the greatest earthquake in the earth’s history and hail weighing 120 pounds will fall.

At the end of the Tribulation, there will be another blackout, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken (Matthew 24:29), the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire and Satan will be cast into the Abyss and bound for 1,000 years.


THE MILLENNIUM

The Lord Jesus will reign over the entire earth during the Millennium. The Jewish and Gentile believers who survive the Tribulation will go on to populate the Millennium. Believers who died before and during the Tribulation and believers who were raptured will be present on earth during the Millennium and because they will have glorified bodies they will not reproduce. All believers will be given special tasks by the Lord Jesus (Revelation 20:4-6). There will be no wars (Isaiah 2:2-4), animals will return to the Edenic state and become vegetarians (Isaiah 11:6-9), people will not labour in vain but eat what they plant and inhabit what they build, there will be renovations in the heavens and earth and there will be righteous and unrighteous children born during the Millennium (Isaiah 65:17-25).

At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be loosed from the Abyss and will deceive and gather the unrighteous for a war against the righteous. This will be his final attempt to destroy the righteous and when the unrighteous of the Millennium surround the good people, God will send fire down from Heaven which will suddenly and massively annihilate all of the wicked people. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will remain in torment for eternity (Revelation 20:7-10).


THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

The Great White Throne Judgment will be the next main event. The old heavens and earth will be done away with and all will stand before God’s throne to be judged (Revelation 20:11-12). Those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire which will be their final and eternal abode (Revelation 20:14-15).


THE ETERNAL ORDER (REVELATION 21 AND 22)

Those whose names are found in the Book of Life will enjoy paradise with God forever. The heavens and earth will be made new and the New Jerusalem will come down upon the earth making the earth like Heaven. All curses from the fall will be removed and the earth will be inhabited by the Triune God (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit), all angels and all of the righteous. The seas, moon, night and sun will be done away with and the glory of God will illuminate the earth. The River of Life will flow from God’s throne, the Tree of Life will bear health-giving fruits and leaves and the name of Jesus will be on the foreheads of all of the righteous.


God’s Plan of Salvation for Us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkDk1GZ7do

Answer 10

The 144,000 in the endtimes are the 144,000 kings (military commanders) from the 12 groups (tribes) of christianity worldwide led by the incarnated King David. In the general scenario such as, the presence also of the 200 million soldiers from the east under GOG bivouac at Armageddo valley and the 66.6 million (number of men or military strength) from the west under the fake-Christ or false Prophet and bivouac at Ashdod City, shows a tactical or battle formations; and this is called the battle of Armageddon-the last battle. Of course, the invisible force in these battle formations is from above in mid-heaven under THE LORD JESUS CHRIST with all the armies of heaven (soldier-angels with swords led by Archangel Michael). At the 1st dawn the fake-Christ forces of 66.6 million soldiers will attack GOG 200 million forces at the Armageddo Valley and the fake-Christ will lose per divine plan. Then the next dawn, the 200 million forces of GOG will attack the jerusalem with with the perimeter security forces of 144,000 commanders with their 20 million soldiers from the Philippines (10% of the 200 million soldiers) and who were able to outrun to reach Jerusalem 1st over the fake-Christ forces that is why the fake-Christ bivouac at the City of Ashdod and knowing of the two military forces as its obstacle forces to enter Jerusalem to declare himself as the true-Christ. Thus, when the 200 million soldiers from the east as it will attack Jerusalem defended by the 20 million soldiers of GOD, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST will appear in heaven with the armies of heaven and wll melt all the 200 million on their toes. That is the battle significance of the 144,000 commander-kings of THE LORD GOD led by the incanated King David.THANK GOD; FEAR GOD; PRAISE GOD; GLORIFY GOD; HONOR GOD; LOVE GOD AND WORSHIP GOD.

Answer 11

It appears in Revelations. I believe it's how many are supposed to be able to get into heaven. I think it's symbolic since Revelations was written for the early Christians and referred to a lot of stuff that they would get. I think the number 144,000 was used because it was perhaps the biggest number people of that time could conceive.