144,000 in Revelation?

Question

I have been looking at the tribes in Revelation. Some say these tribes are not to be taken literal..but i have been doing some research so tell me what you guys think...

- The word "tribes" in scripture is never used as anything but a literal ethnic group.

- Now, i realize the tribe of Dan and Ephraim are missing, but it is important to know that the OT has no fewer than 12 variant lists of tribes, and these lists include anywhere from 10-13 tribes, though the number 12 is predominant (Gen 49; deut 33, Ezek. 48) Thus, no list of the 12 tribes must be identical...

- Dan's tribe was probably omitted b/c they were guilty of idolatry on many occasions and as a result were largely obliterated (Lev 24:11, Judges18:1,30; 1kings 12:28,29)

- Ephraims tribe was also eliminated becuase of idolatry and paganized worship (Judges 17, Hosea 4:17)

Usually when listing the tribes it is either Joseph, or his sons Manasseh and Ephraim...but do to the idolatry it is understandable why the list would be readjusted like this..

- The tribe of Levi was not usually a part of the 12 tribes, it was separate because of their special status as a priestly tribe. But, now Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 7-10). Now that there is no reason for their service as priests, so there is no reason to continue to keep them distinct..

I was also curious how come the tribes are seen as symbolic, but the number isn't...doesn't that reasoning seem inconsistent...

i was just curious for the reasoning behind the JW translation of the 144,000?

Answer 1

What exactly is your question?

Pastor Art

Answer 2

We see the matter of the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14
from what we see there is not just ONE set of 144,000..
The number 144,000 is actually a literal number with a spiritual significance. 12 is the number for completion in God's Administration..Revelation is the last book of the bible and consummates all the Divine things related to God... so 12x12=144...
144x 1000 speaks of the completion of completion


So the first 144,000 seen in Rev 7 are regarding the faithful Jews who will keep the commandments of God during the Great Tribulation.

The other 144,000 are the " firstfruit" who follow the lamb wherever he may go
These are actually the believers who are alive and never taste of death... they are the early overcomers.. those that paid the price to loose the soul life... take take up the cross and follow Jesus ... they paid the price in their being to be transformed by the Lord during their lifetime. And because of that they will be spared from " the hour of trial" meaning the Great tribulation which will come upon the whole inhabited earth.
These are the ones who got ripened before the whole harvest. While other brothers and sisters chose to love the self.. live by the flesh or love the world.. these ones lived a crucified life... walked talked and had their being according to the SPirit through the power of God.
May many more of us give ourselves to be part of this 144,000

This is not a JW teaching.. in fact their teaching is NOT according to the word at all.

Answer 3

The 144,000 are the remnant of the Jews- 12,000 men from each tribe. The Bible speaks about them in this manner:

and no man could learn that song but the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 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.
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Bad news for the JWs, unless they are all virgin males, they DON'T QUALIFY!

Answer 4

The majority of the book of Revelation, where the 144,000 is found, is symbolic.

The number "144,000" must not be taken literal. It simply represents the complete number of the martyred saints. If one makes the number literal, he must also make their description literal. This would mean that only virgin men will go to heaven (14:4). On the contrary, these were the "firstfruits" to God and the Lamb (14:4) indicating others would follow. The Bible speaks of heaven for every faithful child of God (2 Cor. 5:1-2; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Pet. 1:4-5). Those who limit heaven to only 144,000 have completely misunderstood the Bible, not to mention John's teaching in Revelation.

Answer 5

Peace be with you,

The 144,000 are those Jews who died because they believed in Jesus. They were His first fruits of the first Harvest. Many were killed because they refused to deny Jesus, or His testimony. They were from the Tribulation.

The Great Tribulation is my generation, the Time of the fig tree, which last 280 years and ended 1960 AD.

The 10 lost tribes are those who settled Europe, and the United States.

England knew their time was near, and they and Spain gave up power, will we follow ? Yes, The next president of the United Sates will fall to Asia and Russia.

And the 1st Season of the 7th Age will be at hand.

Answer 6

Clearly the reference is to the descendants of Israel and it is not referring to the Church.
Of course Ephraim is included in the Tribe of Joseph. Why Manasseh is mentioned separately and why Dan is missing is a mystery to me.

Answer 7

The different peoples of the earth are figuratively represented throughout Revelation as the twelve tribes of Israel.

Looking at Revelation 4:4, If one multiplies the efforts of the prophets (represented by the number 24) by the number of years of human existence (6000) leading up to the Millennium, the equation produces the product given by John in Revelation 7:4: 144,000.

Because God is no respecter of persons and has not chosen any one group of people over another, John presents those who accept the gospel of Christ by receiving the “seal of the Father in their foreheads” as an equal number of each particular tribe of Israel. Many of the Jews in John’s time used their family’s ancestry as a way of putting themselves above others.

For example, there were groups from the tribe of Judah and Levi who thought themselves more worthy and chosen than those whose ancestry linked them to the tribe of Rueben, or the tribe of Simeon. Even in modern times, religious groups set themselves above others by claiming lines of ancestry either directly or through adoption to one group of the sons of Israel or another. This mentality, and the obsession of one’s genealogy, are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, in which one’s lineage means absolutely nothing. John exemplifies this in his narration by presenting all tribes as equal in relation to the righteous people of the world.

Answer taken from the book describing ALL of Revelation in plainness.

Answer 8

Yes, the 144,000 is a literal group of people that will come from the twelve tribes of Israel.

Answer 9

Revelations was written in a time of great persecution. I think its full of codes that we can't even begin to understand. Its only one small chapter in a larger work. I wouldn't obsess about it. The rest of the book mentions that all who seek God, accept Christ, repent, and are baptized will be saved.

Answer 10

Jewish virgin men who become Christian from the tribes of Isreal who teach the Word.

Answer 11

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