As some readers know I sometimes do not take the majority positions on certain passages in the Bible. For example, I took the position that the fulfillment of Ezekiel 37’s dry bones prophecy could be about a literal resurrection of the house of Israel and not just a metaphor for the return of the Jews occurring in our time. Now I will give a view on the 144,000 Israelites of Revelation that will never be taught in your church. Even so, differences on the interpretation of the 144,000 are quite common. If you do a Google search on the meaning of the 144,000 Israelites of Revelation, the first 50 search results will give you almost 50 different explanations.

The 144,000 are first mentioned in Revelation Chapter 7. That chapter starts by answering the question about who is able to stand in the great day of His wrath asked in the last verse of chapter 6. (There are no chapter breaks in scripture.) It is these sealed 144,000 Israelites that will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord.

Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Rev 7:1  And 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. 2 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 the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 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.

The rest of the chapter names the twelve tribes they came from and then it talks about the great number seen around the throne who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and came out of the great tribulation. These tribulation saints apparently were converted because of the witness of the 144.000. Revelation Chapter 14 gives us further details about the 144,000 Israelites.

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

The sealed have the Father’s name written in their foreheads. These identified with Father God in their foreheads will be exempt from the Trumpet Judgments of God that fall after these people are sealed.

Chapter 14 indicates that the 144,000 Israelites sealed in chapter 7 are now in heaven. They must have got there either through death or by being taken alive to be with the Lord. I don’t see why God would seal these men with His name to protect them from the Trumpet Judgments only to let them be killed by the forces of the Beast. Therefore, I think the 144,000 will be gathered when God sends His angels to gather His elect (Mt 24:31). This gathering is not the same gathering as the Rapture of the Church. This gathering of believers occurs after the tribulation of those days but before the final bowls of wrath are poured out (Matt 24:31).

Some claim that these 144,000 are Christians but that requires spiritualizing of the passages. If these passages are to be taken literally, it is clear that they come from 12 tribes of Israel. In all of today’s world can 144,000 Jewish adult virgin men even be found? Further, with the lost tribes, and all the intermarrying that took place over three millennia, do men that can be identified with some of these tribes even exist?  That leads some to speculate that the narrative should not be taken literally.

One thing is certain. The 144,000 Israelites become firstfruits, without guile and without fault before God. That eliminates anyone that is walking in our flesh nature. Some believe these elect of God are Jews who were converted to Christ by hearing the message of the two witnesses or that they receive direct revelation like Paul. That may be true, but that still does not explain their tribal identify and their purity.

A couple of teachers have suggested that these 144,000 firstfruits are the children killed by King Herold. Supposedly, these innocent contemporaries of Jesus were taken to heaven with Jesus when He arose. The problem with that theory is there is no historical record of any slaughter of children of such a magnitude. The Bible narrative limits the babies killed to areas around Bethlehem. In those days there were not more than a few thousand people living in that whole region. The soldiers of King Herold probably did not kill more than a few dozen children. Even so, the thinking that the 144,000 are resurrected Israelites might be on the right tract.

These 144,000 come from twelve tribes. We cannot make such an identification from the Jews of today. Any literal general resurrection of Israel that I have claimed may occur (Ezekiel 37) does not happen until after the time of Jacob’s trouble is over, so, that is not where these Israelites come from either. The problem might be solved in the  “firstfruits” description. Firstfruits are picked before the general harvest. These might be called back like Lazarus and sealed before the time of Jacob’s trouble even begins.

We know from scripture that the righteous of Israel went to Abraham’s blossom. Jesus emptied that place and took those souls with Him to heaven. Those that went with Jesus certainly would have been spiritually changed into His likeness and would fit the narrative about the pure nature of these 144,000 Israelites. They go out to all the world with a two-fold mission to lead all Jews out of the nations and to proclaim the coming Kingdom of the Lord to the whole world. It will be a second exodus and yes they will take much of the world’s gold and their gifts with them. (That may be why Gog comes down to take a spoil).

So are the 144,000 Israelites risen men? Who really knows? The usual explanations about these Israelites seem to fall short and those giving their conjectures generally do not consider the possibility of the supernatural. Yet, we know other figures in Revelation are supernatural in one way or another. The two prophets have supernatural powers and nobody can kill them until their testimony is complete. The Beast and False Prophet have supernatural powers and nobody can kill them. Revelation tells us the Abyss is opened and supernatural beings come out of it to torment people on earth. There obviously are many events in Revelation that defies usual natural explanations. So a supernatural appearance of the 144,000 is no more illogical than some other Revelation fulfillment’s.

The 144,000 Jews apparently go out into all the world to fulfill Israel’s commission to take the revelation given about God to all nations. It is not until the gospel of the kingdom is preached to all the world that the actual end comes (Matt 24:6). The gospel of grace to all given during the Church age is not the same as the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel of the kingdom is the same gospel that John and Jesus gave. This gospel tells everyone on earth to repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand. The gospel of the kingdom will first be preached as a witness and then the judgment of God falls on the world because Satan and his followers try to prevent this Kingdom from coming.

The 144,000 will do in the whole world what the Lord’s disciples did in Israel. It could be a greater fulfillment of Luke Chapter 10. Most of those that believe the message of the 144,000 will lose their lives because they will be killed by the Beast. They are the great number seen around the throne in Revelation 14. These came out of the great tribulation. Those that do not believe the message of the 144,000 Israelites will be among those gathered against Jerusalem and the Lord’s return.

God choose Israel to fulfill His purpose on earth for mankind and the revelation of Himself. Nothing can stop God from accomplishing what He set out to do through Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The Israelites and the 144,000 will play a huge role at the end of this age even if God has to raise them from the dead to accomplish it. My conjectures are written as food for thought. The fulfillment of the 144,000 sealed Israelites may not happen as I suggest. Nevertheless, literal fulfillment’s of scripture do happen. Other reasonable conjectures about these 144,000 Israelites can be added to the comments below.