Who are the 144,000?

[Christian77]

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Merciful. All praise to Him, all honor to Him.

From Revelation 7

4 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.
5 Of 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.
6 Of 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.
7 Of 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.
8 Of 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.

9 After 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;

The 144,000 is a symbolic number that describes the church. The church consists of Gentiles and Jews who follow Christ; they are called Christians. The Bible calls the Church the true Israel in Gal 6:16 and the Bible calls Christians the true Jews in Romans 2:28-29, who according to Gal 3:28-29 inherit the promises of Abraham. In the Bible, the number 12 is the number of election (John 6:70). The calculation 12 times 12,000 therefore describes the final election of all saved Christians.

Verse 9 also speaks about the church, i.e. the 144,000, but from a different perspective. The first perspective in verses 4-9 is about election, verse 9 is about fulfillment. The phrase "no man could number" refers to Genesis 15:5, where God promised Abraham descendants that no man could number, and the phrase "of all nations" refers to Genesis 17:4, where God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many nations. So verse 9 wants to say: The promises to Abraham have been fulfilled in the church.

Romans 11: Israel is still God's people?

Thank you for reading this far. This knowledge was given to me by Jesus Christ. All praise is due to him.

 

[Delete_me]

I take a similar idealist view of Revelation as you do, but I see the 144,000 differently. John DOES mean to symbolize the 144,000 as saved Jews. I don't disagree with you that "Jews who follow Christ, they are called Christians", and that the Church consists of Gentiles and Jews who follow Christ. But that is exactly what John is saying here: you have the 144,000, and you have the Great Multitude. In Heaven. Both the Jews and Gentiles who follow Christ will make it to Heaven. That is what John is saying. Or, perhaps more: John literally did have a vision, and he literally saw saved Jews and Gentiles, in Heaven. Either way....

I don't think there is any distinguished or higher status of the 144,000 over the Great Multitude in Heaven, however. No spiritual superiority. They are both equally in Heaven. John is simply making a point.

 

[JT4444]

I take a similar idealist view of Revelation as you do, but I see the 144,000 differently. John DOES mean to symbolize the 144,000 as saved Jews. I don't disagree with you that "Jews who follow Christ, they are called Christians", and that the Church consists of Gentiles and Jews who follow Christ. But that is exactly what John is saying here: you have the 144,000, and you have the Great Multitude. In Heaven. Both the Jews and Gentiles who follow Christ will make it to Heaven. That is what John is saying. Or, perhaps more: John literally did have a vision, and he literally saw saved Jews and Gentiles, in Heaven. Either way....

I don't think there is any distinguished or higher status of the 144,000 over the Great Multitude in Heaven, however. No spiritual superiority. They are both equally in Heaven. John is simply making a point.

It's a sign of the end times as well. After centuries of Jews rejecting Christ, a remnant has been emerging. The number of Messianic Jews is not huge, but it has been growing in recent decades.

 

[hawkman]

The 144,000 is a symbolic number that describes the church.

In Chapter 14 of Revelation , the 144,000 "redeemed from the earth " describes the church . Not the 144,000 from all the Jewish Tribes in Chapter Rev. 7 . Two different groups of 144,000 .

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.

2 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:

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.