The 144,000 and the "Rest". AN INTERLUDE IN THE STORY OF THE SCROLL, THE STORY OF THE SAVED. JOHN CAN ONLY SEE THE SAINTS AS 144,000 BUT NOT AS INNUMERABLE BECAUSE THE REST DO NOT YET EXIST AT THE DAY OF THE LORD.

Use this link to go back to the summary.

At this point there is a pause in the activities of the trumpets responding to the the seals being ripped off. This pause is created by an angel preventing wind from getting to those trumpets for the sake of the 144,000. The Day of the Lord is the restoration of the Kingdom, which is preceded by 3½ years. After this pause in chapter 7 the focus is the 3½ years up to chapter 13 . Another thing that John saw on the Day of the Lord was the resurrected Church. God now stops to explain how He kept His promise in Jeremiah 30 (the return of the captivity). God made promises to Abraham that his biological seed would inherit the Kingdom and in fact they are the bulk of the initial resurrected Church but that ratio changes over time to be representative of all nations that ever existed.

The Kingdom is based on a promise to Abraham who grows into twelve, which begins the nation that becomes like the sand of the sea. It initially survives to be a small spiritual nation identified by 144,000 but eventually grows to become an innumerable multitude, which people mistakenly call the rest or remainder from the 144,000. God also explains how Israel survives the years leading up to the Day of the Lord and how it grows. The seals are the obstacles to the establishment of the Kingdom, which exists in promise as Israel and the Church. The sixth seal was opened in chapter 6 (heavenly signs or celestial displays) and the seventh seal (seven trumpets) will be opened in chapter 8. I cannot guarantee that this interlude of chapter 7 is explaining the half-hour wait at the beginning of the seventh seal but it seems very likely. The angels are prevented from blowing the trumpets but Christ is not prevented from opening the seal. He opens the seal in Revelation 8:1 and there is a wait until the first trumpet is blown in verse 7. The signal of the sixth seal will spur Christians to action. The sixth seal is not the wrath of the Lamb and Him that sitteth on the throne. Revelation 6:16-17 was talking about the Day of the Lord which is expected to come soon but is not here yet. Before this nothing is said of God or his angels causing the devastation but now God specifically says that angels are poised to act. Four angels poised to hurt the Earth and Sea. God's servants are sealed in their foreheads. We will begin to look at some scriptures on foreheads here in Revelation 7 and expand on it when we reach chapters 13 and particularly 17, but for now I believe that the forehead confirms our attitude to GOD (from Ezekiel 9), identifies us as God's and if we are unclean or not (as with lepers, Leviticus 13), as such we can be made accountable to God as the High priest was accountable to God (bore the iniquity). If you are unclean you cannot live in the city. Note that 144,000 were all sealed in v4 and v3 says that these are ALL the servants of God.

Revelation 14:4 says that they are the Firstfruits therefore they must include servants from everywhere (those in gentiles in the place of safety too) or else only biological Israel are Firstfruits of God.

According to the harvests associated with the annual feasts there are only two main harvest seasons; spring (Firstfruits) and fall, with Christ being the first of the Firstfruits during the wave sheaf. There are two main seasons but three times that God harvests. The fall harvest is a completely separate harvest but the spring harvest season can be split into two. The Firstfruits start with barley crop and continues until the second crop in the first harvest season - which is wheat - and both are represented at Pentecost. The barley came out of the total crop which includes the wheat. The barley would be those at his coming and the rest of the 144,000 that join later while the wheat are those resurrected at the end of the millennium according to my understanding. We now have the task of rationalising the two groups. From Revelation 14:4 it appears that the harvests correspond to the two groups of Revelation 7 because it links 144,000 to the Firstfruits. People generally assume that the sealed as with the firstfruits, cannot also be included in those which came out of great tribulation but that is not necessarily so.

Let me also add that in the initial Exodus the inheritors of the Kingdom had to go through a period in no-man's land. We refer to it as the wilderness journey. Historically the children of Israel left with a high hand Exodus 14:8, when the power of Egypt was broken with the ten plagues in Exodus 7:14 to Exodus 12:36. Pharaoh pursued them and his army was finally crushed as they crossed the Red sea for the Promised Land. It was the first time that the inheritors of the kingdom could be identified as a people. They now had a innumerable multitude (there is no count of them given in the Bible) when the biological family of Israel was combined with the mixed multitude who volunteered to come with them out of Egypt. They could not be just numbered as an increase of Israel's seed alone. A repetition of that is now occurring. We will see the 144,000 leaving Egypt here in chapter 7 and then we see them entering the Kingdom later in Revelation 14. The point is that you have an Israel and a 144,000 exiting and an Israel and a 144,000 entering.

Mark in the forehead

This phrase occurs several places in the Bible but somehow when it is used in relation to the Mark of the Beast it becomes all mysterious. Let us look at some of the places where it is used.

In Exodus it is used describing something that is actually in the mitre (turban). So the mark on the forehead does not mean that it penetrates the skin. This also shows the function of God's mark as, (i) so that you are always accepted and, (ii) to bear the iniquity of the holy things.

Now ask yourself, what iniquity did Aaron bear for Holy offerings? The actual Hebrew for iniquity here is :

Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments

iniquity

H5771 `avon (aw-vone') n-m.

1. contortion.

2. (moral) depravity.

3. (consequence) penalty for depravity.

[from H5753]

KJV: fault, iniquity, mischeif, punishment (of iniquity), sin.

For Aaron bearing iniquity meant ensuring that offerings were done in the prescribed manner so that they would be accepted because he was accountable with his life. Certain parts of the ceremony could only be performed by him. He bore the responsibility. Remember what happened to Nadab and Abihu for violating the rules. So in clearer language the mark ensures acceptance by the one who bestowed it and conferred responsibility to ensure that the rules were followed.

In Leviticus the mark on the forehead identifies when someone is unclean or clean and can be accepted in the camp of Israel.

That explanation continues in Chronicles.

In Jeremiah we find out that it represents our ability to recognise our own vices and repent.

Ezekiel reveals it to represent determination.

Then he goes on to use it as is defined in Exodus. These people bore the iniquity and would be always accepted.

So by the time we reach Revelation the meaning has already been given, we just have to apply it.

1. It represents that you are under authority and will be always accepted
2. It conferred responsibility to ensure that the rules will be followed
3. It distinguishes you as clean or unclean to be among God's people
4. It represents our ability to recognise our own vices and repent
5. It represents determination

Implementation varies depending on whose authority we are under. If it is God we do well but if it is the beast then that means we are under the state.

The Tabernacle

Christ will come from the East (representing the entrance to the Temple and hence to Jerusalem and Israel) with the 144,000 (Revelation 14:1) who we know were said to have been sealed. It is therefore difficult to reject outright the assumption that these 144,000 in Revelation 7 are exactly the same individuals as those in Revelation 14 but evidence indicates that Revelation 7 is only a subset of Revelation 14.

The temple was oriented with the gate to the east.

Christ will come from the East

From the east represents coming to the Temple and hence to Jerusalem.

The Great Tribulation

According to tradition, ONLY those who live through the 3½ years go through a period called The great tribulation. One group is sealed and apparently protected leaving the other to suffer. The group that is supposed to suffer is the unfaithful, while the Church is protected. The source of this opinion can be traced to Revelation 7:13-15 but that is not what it actually says. There is a big difference between THE Great Tribulation and great tribulation. As a matter of fact the Bible indicates that it is the Church that suffers the Great Tribulation. I am not denying that the 3½ years is a special period named by God but that name is not the Great Tribulation.

The problem comes with identifying the Great Tribulation. The phrase great tribulation is found three times in the King James Bible. I used a tool called ISA Basic for these translations.

The period in Matthew 24 is identified as a time that will never occur again and that has never been before. We ask ourselves, based on the Bible which is worse, the trouble during the 3½ years or that during the Day of the LORD? People like Amos and Joel indicate that the Day of the LORD is worse.

In Revelation 2:22 above it is speaking of what will happen to all who commit adultery with Jezebel. This is something that will happen to all world powers connected with this religious entity simultaneously. Jezebel is represented in the wealthy and powerful religious influence that joins with the state to corrupt the Church from its relationship with God. This message was sent to Thyatira, the fourth church in the series.

Most who believe in Church eras put Philadelphia (the sixth message) at the time of the 3½ years, consequently the tribulation must start a great deal (at least an era) before the 3½ years. For those like me that do not believe in Church eras, if you accept what I proposed for Revelation 2, then this is something that is happening all through the centuries, hence great tribulation is happening through all the centuries. The powers that have supported the false church have brought their peoples tribulation: war and suffering on a horrendous scale, particularly in pursuit of her campaigns to adopt a catholic/global religion, but this will be worse. The suffering is usually not at the top of society except for when the situation climaxes, but in this case nobody escapes. For the most part the top live sumptuously in this life. God does not say that He will destroy her (the religious power) at this time but put her to sit down (the Greek word kline, Strong's G2825, translated bed is actually couch) while He puts her suitors through terrible suffering. If you look at what happens initially during the Day of the LORD, God wipes out the armies first and the then stricken false church can do nothing to help them. He goes after the false Church after.

Revelation 7 (our final quote was Revelation 7:14), is the chapter that is the focus of this article, and has the only verse of the three with the definite article the in the Greek, so it literally says the Great Tribulation. From verse 9 those who pass through the tribulation of verse 14 are an innumerable multitude. Luke 12:32 talks of a little flock and Matthew 7:13-14 shows that only a few find the Kingdom of God in this era. In my own opinion the Church is spoken of prophetically as a small Church throughout the ages before the millennium, but there is no absolute statement that sets limits on the total so you could still argue that cumulatively it would be innumerable. We do not know how many people will be in in the first resurrection. Even if the Church will be small throughout the ages that does not guarantee that it could not at some point cumulatively be considered an innumerable multitude, but to me that is unlikely based on the experience over the past 2,000 years.

So let us look at all the candidates for the Great Tribulation and by a process of elimination see which remains. The greatest tribulation by volume comes at the time when Satan is released at the end with Gog and Magog (when they are as the sand of the sea), or in intensity during the Day of the LORD when we have the Seven Last Plagues along with the spillover from the 3½ years. A problem with the period of Satan's release is that the Bible does not describe suffering at the time, just rebellion.

The options for the great tribulation are:

OPTION 1 - it is all of the suffering of mankind caused by Satan. To me this is most reasonable because the problems caused by Satan (all of the other candidates), can be considered as one terrible period that will not occur again.

OPTION 2 - It is during the 3½ years ONLY. The Day of the Lord period follows the 3½ years and has all of the problems of the 3½ years along with the seven last plagues. There is nothing more destructive in intensity than what happens at Armageddon and that occurs along with the locust plague and the remaining seven last plagues of the Day of the Lord plus the continuing plagues of the the same 3½ years that we are comparing it to. It therefore has to be worse. The destruction at Armageddon happens shortly after the 3½ years, during the Day of the LORD. Based on Matthew 24:21 where it must be the worst period of all time, that alone disqualifies this option.

OPTION 3 - It is at the time of Christ's return ONLY, i.e. during the Day of the LORD. There is also no devastation like the valley of decision compounded by the seven last and the spillover plagues of the 3½ years leading up to it. Along with the worldwide problems that developed during the previous 3½ years is added a horrendous locust problem and the valley of decision. So you have the things that made the 3½ years bad plus some even more severe events. The valley of decision destroys what appears to be all of the world's armies in an instant, billions of people, and in such a gory fashion that there will be blood for miles. On the other hand there is no Thyatira and there is no Church that cannot be numbered as required from Revelation 7. Revelation 2 says it must happen to Thyatira. The Church, including those that would have made up Thyatira gets resurrected as soon as Christ returns so by the time of Armageddon they are already immortal saints and there is no mortal church, Thyatira or otherwise, for the tribulation to happen to.

OPTION 4 - it is ONLY at the time when Satan is released for the last at the end of the millennium. This holds if great means great by volume. In the 2,000 years since this prophecy all evidence suggests that the Church has always been small. It is only during the millennium that the whole earth will be the Church and blanketed with the knowledge of God and His system will be enforced. It is only then that the earth will be reconditioned to support massive populations that will make these numbers natural. It is only then that everyone alive will go through one massive tribulation at the same time when Satan is released to tempt all who lived for the 1,000 years: And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.[9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them, Revelation 20:8-9 (KJV). The problem here is that this would exclude the 144,000 that stand with Christ at His return and are said to have gone through the tribulation (Revelation 7:14), so this too must be discarded. There is also no Thyatira. While there is nothing said about martyrdom it is obvious that Satan will bring to bear all of his experience and bring tremendous pressure on these however it cannot be like the devastation during the 3½ years because the millennium is otherwise perfect.

Another way of arriving to this conclusion is by considering the 144,000. What the Bible actually says is that the 144,000 are sealed and at some time after, all people who have gone through the great tribulation sing a song of salvation. The salvation comes after the sealing but the sealing does not include salvation, it is just sealing. The 144,000 have to be saved as part of the innumerable multitude because that is the group who are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. The people who sang the song of salvation went through the great tribulation so what about the 144,000? Do they serve God night and day in His Temple? As I see it the 144,000 (which exists before the millennium) experience the Great Tribulation and since they exist at the Day of the LORD then the Great Tribulation exists at that time. On the other hand the innumerable multitude (cannot be numbered - Revelation 7:9) which also go through the great tribulation (Revelation 7:13-14) can only exists at the end of the millennium when Christians are as the sand of the sea and are therefore innumerable (Genesis 32:12) so the Great Tribulation must be there too. Option 1.. resolves these and other problems so it is my choice.

Part of the problem is recognising what sealed means. Sealed confirms our attitude to GOD, identifies us as GOD's and if we are unclean or not and makes us eligible to bear the iniquity of holy things. Sealed is not resurrected.

The 144,000 were sealed but what was the sealing about? If only Israelites are sealed then all other Christians are abandoned and this cannot happen. The sealing creates legitimate citizens (like being given a passport) of the headquarters of Israel, Jerusalem i.e. Israelites. They are sealed for citizenship, which happens to include protection, but the citizenship (access and rights) is the issue.

The innumerable multitude follows the sealing of the 144,000 but it does not say by how long? This group (the innumerable multitude) is not set out to describe current citizens of Israel but ALL those saved who endured persecution and overcame. They are from everywhere. The multitude is resurrected and their tears wiped away. Revelation 7:13-15 says that they shall serve God night and day in the Temple, so they are all citizens of Jerusalem i.e. Israelites. What is the difference between them and the 144,000? There is no difference that I am aware of. To me this is enough to assume that they are a future representation of the 144,000 and not an alternative to the 144,000; the actual final tally will be innumerable. Some of the 144,000 will be resurrected/changed in Revelation 14 but most will not even be alive yet. The 144,000 represents the citizens of Israel and the quantity changes by Revelation 14 when some are resurrected/changed, and it becomes innumerable by the end of the millennium.

From this understanding the great Tribulation is all of the suffering through the ages. There is no suffering after the millennium. The last is when Satan is released at the end.

One more thing to consider. Remember that Revelation 7 is the only place where the great tribulation is found in the Greek. We are never told that the 144,000 do not pass through the great tribulation too, just that they are sealed before the plagues begin. Scripture supports that many other Christians of this time endure great tribulation. The Greek word used for tribulation, is actually used many times in the New Testament but is is not always translated as tribulation. In Romans 12:12 we must be patient in tribulation, in 2 Corinthians 1:4 God comforts us so we must comfort those in trouble, 2 Corinthians 7:4 Paul was exceeding joyful in tribulation, Philipians 4:14 it is mentioned, 1 Thessalonians 1:8 the Thessalonians received the gospel in much tribulation and 1 Thessalonians 3:7 they were comforted, James 1:27 we are to visit the afflicted, Revelation 1:9 John wrote to those were companions in his tribulation. Paul was promised affliction Acts 20:23, And in 2 Thessalonians 1:4 we are all promised affliction, It is also translated affliction in 2 Corinthians 6:4, Ephesians 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 3:3, Hebrews 10:33, Acts 7:10, and Colossians 1:24. In acts 14:22 we must continue through much tribulation. In John 16:21 it is the travail of childbirth, In acts 11:19 they were scattered though the persecution, 2 Corinthians 1:8 it is trouble that happened in Asia, 2 Corinthians 2:4 much affliction, 2 Corinthians 4:17 our light affliction, in Matthew 13:21 when tribulation comes some forfeit the gospel, in 2 Corinthians 8:2 the Macedonians were generous in spite of great affliction, in Matthew 24:9 we will be delivered up to be afflicted but in verse 29 immediately after the tribulation is the same word, Mark 13:24 talks about the same period. It is also in John 16:33, trouble in 1 Corinthians 7:28. It is mentioned in Philippians 1:17 but that verse is translated strangely in KJV when compared to others. In 2 Thessalonians 1:6, Revelation 2:9,10,22 it is tribulation. The point is that this is something common to Christians and not unique to some narrow period. Sometimes it is described as extreme as in much affliction but only once as THE great tribulation and that is in Revelation 7:14 where it speaks of the others who had their robes washed and made white and who appear to be the final tally. To me it makes sense for this to be all of the suffering brought on Christians by Satan over the years.

SEALING OF THE FIRSTFRUITS (144,000)

Revelation 7 contains the introduction to the 144,000. There is another description in Revelation 14:3-5 where they are called Firstfruits and are given the promises that apply to the bride. In Revelation 7 they are sealed but in Revelation 14:3-4 they are sealed and in Revelation 14:5 it goes further, since they are redeemed. We know that they are spiritual in Revelation 14 because they stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb (Revelation 14:1) but here in Revelation 7 they are mortal because the final 3½ years have not even started yet. This first mention deals with sealing and assigning mortal saints to Jerusalem before the 3½ years. In Revelation 8 there is a pause to begin to gather the mortal saints to the place of safety, in Revelation 10 they are actually moved but Revelation 14 deals with the spirits  entering the Kingdom when they are resurrected. There is a striking similarity between the events in Ezekiel and the events in Revelation. Using Ezekiel 8:1 we can work out that Ezekiel 8 is five years before the fall of Jerusalem. In Ezekiel 9 the righteous are sealed. By Ezekiel 10 we have God's glory leaving the temple signifying that sacrifices would be useless. Then in chapter 11 we have the fall of Jerusalem. The sequence is similar in Revelation.

I said earlier that sealing confirms our attitude to God, among other things. In Ezekiel 9 we had six men come to Jerusalem and one was identified as righteous by his white clothes. He had a writing kit and they set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. Following this the other men were told to kill indiscriminately. They were told not to touch those marked at all but to start with those who were involved in worship, i.e. in the sanctuary, which I interpret as Christians. So what did the mark indicate? That these were repulsed by the evil being done all around them, it had to do with their attitude. We can infer that sealing or marking the forehead flags our attitude to sin for God and His angels to see.

The Bible shows that the reward of Christians will be to be with Christ always, i.e. . . .and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17 [KJV]). That is the same promise made to the 144,000 in Revelation 14:4 [KJV] where they . . . are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. If two groups are each told that they are THE group that gets a promise then they must be the same.

One school of thought is that since the names given to the 144,000 are the names of the tribes of Israel then they must be the biological descendants of Israelites. I disagree because for one thing it contradicts the book of Romans e.g. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (Romans 2:29 [KJV]). I propose that it is more likely that they are the descendants of spiritual Israel since the focus of Revelation is a spiritual, eternal kingdom. So let us begin to explore my proposition. What is spiritual Israel and what's in a name? A name is an identifier. God names things what they are. The reason for the names being identical is because they have the same role as their physical counterparts. God is telling us that our inheritance is provided in the same manner, basically by faith and by promise. Our personalities are also bound up with theirs as demonstrated in the twelve areas. These twelve areas are given in the description of the names given earlier: 1. Reuben - a son; 2. Simeon - Hearing; 3. Levi - Joined, attached; 4. Judah - YHWH be praised; 5. Issachar - he will bring a reward, man for hire; 6. Zebulun - Dwelling; 7. Dan - Judge; 8. Naphtali - My wrestling; 9. Gad - Troop, invader, good fortune; 10. Asher - Happy; 11. Joseph - Increaser; 12. Benjamin - Son of the right hand. To give a bit more detail:

1. a son - Israel was extremely pleased that his firstborn was a son, someone to carry on his name. God is pleased that He has a firstborn. That is how we end our prayers. We are His brothers, that is what we are, sons. God's legacy.

2. Hearing - God will always hear us. We will always have access to Him wherever we are. We will also hear Him.

3. Joined - This name came because he was the third son in a row. The sons formed an unbroken link. There will be an unbreakable link between us.

4. YHWH be praised -  this one is obvious. We will praise God always. That is a promise. He will always act to deserve our generous praise.

5. Increaser (he will bring a reward) - This is literally talking about God increasing the 144,000 as wages. Perhaps we can look at this in two ways. [1]God will always produce fruit in us and with us. [2] On the other hand this may be intended in the sense where God will always reward us with increase. He will always find a way to give us more. However much you think you can have, God will give you more.

6. Dwelling - Another obvious one. We will always be with God. He will make His home in us and with us.

7. Dan is missing from Revelation 7!

8. Wrestling - This has to do with always prevailing to get what we really want as seen in Genesis 30:8. He did not let go until he got the blessing. We will achieve our greatest desires.

9. Fortune or fortunate -  The consensus of the resources that I have found say that the name actually means fortune or fortunate. This is another part of our inheritance. There will be no bad luck just good fortune.

10. Happy -  God will also give us an inheritance of happy in His family.

11. Increaser - Rachel was anticipating more of her heart's desire to come. God gives us an inheritance of always more new and wonderful things to come.

12. Son of my right hand/Son Of The South - Both of these meanings are positive. Have you ever heard the expression right hand man? It means indispensable. I however prefer Son Of The South. Benjamin was born when Jacob had left Laban far behind and was down south, back to his inheritance in Canaan and far from the troubles of Laban. He was down south near Bethlehem, in the land of promise.

So the names tell us our blessing and our future. If you compare the order here with the order in Revelation 7 you will see that the order of Revelation 7 is jumbled. God gives no significance to the order of birth, they are all equal. This supports my proposition that the numbers  (12,000) are given to show equality in the reward or increase.

Now why would Dan be missing. Dan means judge. Is that not something that the Church should inherit? But notice the context of Dan's judging. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O LORD! Genesis 49:16-18 [KJV].

Dan brings calamity! There will be no need for that any more. Dan is also associated with the serpent which represents Satan: a serpent's whelp is offspring of Satan. There will be none of that either. Dan also seems to duplicate Judah or usurp Judah, which is what Satan wanted to do with God. ...Dan is a lion's whelp; He shall leap from Bashan. Deuteronomy 33:22 [KJV]; but look what is said of Judah, Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk, Genesis 49:8 [KJV]. Judah is the line of Christ the promised king and messiah but Dan is a contender. One of the places where the Golden Calf was set up in opposition to Jerusalem was Dan. There will be nobody to challenge Christ in the Kingdom.

Why should he be replaced by Manasseh? Look at this quote from ABARIM Publications,

The name Manasseh is probably due to a grammatical form in Hebrew that is comparable to the English present continuous. It fixes the letter (mem) to the root. That would give the name Manasseh the meaning of Forgetting. Another reason why a mem may occur in front of a root is when it comes from a particle that means "from". Hence the name Manasseh may also mean From A Debt. This is significant because Manasseh's brother is named Ephraim, a name with a distinctly bitter secondary meaning. Perhaps Joseph named his son From A Debt, because he figured that besides his gratitude for being rescued, he felt that either God or his family owed him a debt for tearing him away from his father.

author(s) of ABARIM PublicationsManasseh meaningABARIM Publicationshttps://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Manasseh.html#.VCfokNT7EW028 September 2014

The name has the dual meaning of debt and forgotten. The implication from this name is that all of our debts will be forgotten so instead of judgement, debts are forgotten.

In Revelation 7 the tribe of Dan (the serpent) is left out. Manasseh is mentioned separately but Ephraim is mentioned in Joseph. Why not a separate Ephraim? That word is often ascribed the meaning of doubly fruitful (more than his brother) but that interpretation is challenged by some who associate the word with ashes. Ashes are a sign of repentance but ashes come from what remains after the sacrifice is burned. It is useless if not for the breath given to it by God (Genesis 18:27). If this is so then that is food for thought, but the answer in my opinion is that Dan is the source of the debt (the serpent) and in Manasseh the debt is forgiven, therefore Dan is swapped out and replaced with Manasseh and there is no similar value in separately identifying Ephraim.

These are the real riches that we will receive in our inheritance. Having said all this, the sealing of the 144,000 assigns them to the tribes of Israel and gives them permanent access to Jerusalem. This is what the sealing is all about. So the name and the fact that they are divided into the twelve tribes of Israel tells us that they are of Israel but we still have to determine if it is biological or spiritual Israel, and to understand what spiritual Israel is.

Some things to note in Revelation 7:1-8

verse 1 - you cannot blow without wind (Ezekiel 37:9-10).

verse 3 - ALL of the servants of God are to be sealed, so unless only biological Israelites serve God then this is spiritual Israel. What is this seal? This is before the so called Great Tribulation i.e. the 3½ years. Since this is also the 144 thousand (from verse 4) then is this saying that all of God's servants are biological Israelites? The Bible reveals otherwise. Even if it means only servants alive at this point, it would contradict the concept of the place of safety for ALL (including non-biological Israelites) whom God recognises as faithful, and that does not make sense. When this is coupled with the fact that they are called Firstfruits it is more likely that they are all Christians.

verse 4 - I break the 144,000 down into 12 x 12 x 100 x 10 which indicates that they bore fruit. Matthew 13:8 [KJV] But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. The most productive bore 100 fold. The twelve sons produced 12 tribes. Each tribe produced fruit through the 12 apostles so that the word was given to the twelve Apostles and they went to the lost tribes (Matt 15:24; 10:5-6, James 1:1). Each Apostle/tribe bore abundant fruit an hundredfold. Paul was apostle thirteen that bore additional fruit among the gentiles based on the foundation work with Christ and the original 12 starting with Cornelius, so that is the additional 10 fold. This is the Israel as seen by Paul in Romans 11 where gentiles are grafted in. So in order to accept this determination of the number 144,000 we have to accept that they include gentiles that are grafted in.

The two groups in Revelation 7 (the hundred and forty and four thousand from v4 and the great multitude, which no man could number from v9) can easily be justified as follows. The first group is sealed and protected from Satan to inherit as Firstfruits, hence they are mortal. The second group is all the saved that came out of tribulation and stand before the beasts etc. that is, all the saints up to that time. They are two stages of Firstfruits. My proposal is possible but does it stand up to scripture? What I use to identify them as Firstfruits is that Revelation 7:13-15 says that they shall serve God night and day in the Temple which is the inheritance of the Firstfruits (Revelation 1:4). The obvious reason for calling the 144,000 by the names of the tribes is because the 144,000 are assigned to the temple and live there. The Temple and Israel were designed according to the pattern laid out in heaven, Exodus 25:40 [KJV] And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. That pattern requires that only Israelites could enter the Temple complex and hence worship far less serve. The complex consisted of the courtyard and the tent. Anyone of Israel could bring sacrifices into the courtyard, but only the priests could enter the tent itself. Nobody but Israelites could participate, however even from the Old Testament an Israelite could be a proselyte, i.e. convert from another faith. I myself was convinced for a long time that they represented something else because it was etched in my mind that the second group was the alternative to the 144,000, but it does not say that. It says only that they follow the sealing of the 144,000. Now to explore these concepts some more.

THE HOLY SPIRIT AS SEAL

Before we continue the pursuit of the 144,000 let us probe further into the significance of sealing. Let us look at some scriptures to determine what is meant here:

Just to remind everyone reading, the archaic meaning of word earnest used in the scriptures above is a small down payment as a promise to pay the sum in full. These scriptures speak clearly of the Holy Spirit as a seal that identifies us as belonging to Christ and are His private property to be opened at a future time. That is what seals do. They guarantee that only those authorised have access and all others are prohibited. From that stand-point they define ownership.

Other scriptures go on to explain more about what this sealing represents. These are a sample:

What do these scriptures tell us? The Holy Spirit is God's seal given to us as an earnest or down payment. The seal is a promise of an inheritance that we receive at the day of redemption. This is talking about Christians. They are being sealed so that, like with Jericho, they will inherit at the sound of the trumpet which comes later.

Sealing in Revelation 7 is is related to the ancient promises to the tribes. The tribe of Dan (the serpent) is left out. Ephraim is mentioned in Joseph. Dan's stone is Jacinth and it is seen in Revelation 9 when the serpent (Dan's sign) is active. This is an indication that those Christians who still have an affinity to the serpent are left out of this group. Dan will once again be included in Israel as indicated by his stone, Jacinth, in Revelation 21 after all are saved. The sealing in Revelation 7 has to do with those who reject the serpent and are given access to Jerusalem for protection. The spiritual dimension is that being sealed into a tribe gives you access through the gate of that tribe. The present Jerusalem does not have these physical gates but it has to do with how the tribes were arranged around the Tabernacle and how God still views them.

Who are the 144,000

Now back to the 144,000. First consider what Paul said to the Philippians. Philippians are people from Philippi i.e. gentiles.

There is the question of what Paul called the concision. On this website there is an article on the 144,000 and this is draws from that. It is clear that these dogs are the concision i.e. circumcised Jews that rely on their law of cutting the foreskin for salvation, rather than on a heart like David's.

The 144,000 Defined

God actually defined the 144,000. Once is in Revelation 14.

These are some of the attributes of the 144,000.

1.    They are ALL that were not defiled. The word ALL is implied in verse 4.
2.    They are virgins. Christ's parable in Matthew 25 tells us that virgins are Christians.
3.    They follow the LAMB wherever HE goes.
4.    They are redeemed people.
5.    They stand with Christ when He comes.
6.    They are THE Firstfruits. Nobody but them at that point.

Another place is of course here in Revelation 7.

1.    They are sealed and avoid great tribulation.
2.    They are all Israelites i.e. they fall under a tribe of Israel because from v4 they are of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
3.    They are not spirit beings because they need protection from the tribulation.

These questions arise:

1.    what do they have in common?
2.    where are they different?

How are they the same? They both are destined to live in Israel and become Israelites. One during the 3½ years and the other beyond that. They are both identified before the event. Those in Revelation 7 are sealed before the 3½ years and taken there for protection and those in Revelation 14 were sealed (v1) and are also the redeemed (v3) before the Day of the LORD when the trumpet sounds and they rise with Christ.

They are different because one deals with redeemed mortal saints and the other deals with redeemed immortal saints. The primary and core definition of the 144,000 are the things that they have in common, that being they are the true citizens of Jerusalem getting ready to occupy. The other things depend on circumstances and time. They are not necessarily the same individuals in both cases, although the ones in Revelation 7 are undoubtedly included in the ones in Revelation 14, but they have the same essential characteristics. We now have to account for these differences to show that they are appropriate to the time and circumstances based on our understanding of Israel and the 144,000.

ARE THE 144,000 BILOGICAL ISRAELITES?

Are the 144,000 only descendants of Jacob and Jewish proselytes? To answer this we examine if there is another type of Israelite (other than biological descendants of Jacob etc.) and which type is associated with true salvation, the one that Revelation is concerned with. God says that there in no difference between Jew and Greek i.e. gentile (Romans 10:9-12) who become Christian.

What do you mean there is no difference between Jew and Greek (gentile)? is there one nationality that unites gentiles and Jews? Paul goes on in Romans 11 to explain that some of Israel were blinded for the sake of the gentiles that they (gentiles) should be saved. There was a type for this mixing and salvation during the exodus. Exodus 12:37-38 (KJV) says, And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.[38]And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

That was the physical representation but now we have the true fulfilment with the 144,000 as in Revelation 14. Then he goes on to show that without casting away the gentiles, those Jews cast off will be brought back making all one in the resurrection i.e. when we have life from the dead as in verse 15, (Romans 11:11-15).

Now if they were cast off and died then this Israel that will unite them must be a nation that transcends death and hence life from the dead. Paul shows that this casting away (and the context is talking about people that died having been cast away) was not permanent because a way was preserved for them to be grafted back in. Paul is not talking about a change in genes or physical nationality. He is talking about Israel from God's perspective. God intends to reconcile THE WORLD. All are reconciled in the Israel that transcends death. That is spiritual Israel and the Israel of God. He casts off some temporarily for the sake of reconciling the rest of the world (Romans 11:26-32).

From Romans 11:26, And so all Israel shall be saved, we see that virtually everybody who was born as a physical Israelite will be saved and God will not change HIS mind. God temporarily blinded Israel so that through the mercy of Jews (like Paul) the gospel would come to us gentiles and through our mercy they will be reclaimed (Romans 11:16-25).

Everybody that is saved is joined to that Israel. Israel in Christ, who was a Jew and who is the holy root and trunk. Now go back to chapter 2 for the final piece of the puzzle. See that the uncircumcision becomes the Jew and judges the rest, through a transformed heart (Romans 2:26-29).

God counts Jews from the heart, although He will never abandon biological Israel (1 Corinthians 7:18-19, Galatians 6:12-18). God has now selected the Israel of God, the ones from the heart. Galatians (viz. gentiles from Galatia who received this letter) were counted among the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) but circumcised Jews were left out. The promise went to Abraham the father of the faithful not to Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (Genesis 18:18, Galatians 3:8). Let the book of Galatians explain it.

The 144,000 in Revelation are not the children of the bondwoman but of the free. Notice Galatians 4:30 . . .Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman, So has God changed His mind in Revelation after clarifying it in Romans and Galatians and Colossians? Of course not! All the saved are grafted into Israel and saved as the Israel of God through Christ the firstborn and as the children of promise to the faithful Abraham. All of the saved are placed into a tribe according to the pattern set out in Jacob who produced Israel, or else they cannot enter through those gates (Revelation 21:12, Revelation 22:14).

The righteous that have the right to the tree of life go in under the name of Israel (who gained the inheritance and the blessing by promise instead of Esau) through the appropriate gate. So we see that New Covenant (or spiritual) Israel fits the requirements but does Old Covenant (or literal, biological) Israel also fit? In other words does a literal understanding of the narrative hold? For example Revelation 14:1 says, 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. The upper-case letter L that begins Lamb is added in English, the L is not in upper-case in Greek. Actually I said that in the opposite. In ancient Greek writings, only upper case was used. The lower case letters were later developed by Christian scribes. Does someone brand these with the name Israel on their head? It is not literal! Remember that they are defined as the tribes of Israel therefore Israel is their father. How will the name of the father of a lamb (which would have to be a goat or a sheep) save them? The answer to the original question is no. A physical/literal interpretation does not fit.

Paul made it clear that the Philippians (who were gentiles) were of the true circumcision while most who were Israelites by law (the law of the Torah), are not. He also made it clear that for the pursuit of the objectives of Christ, being an Israelite by human, legal birthright had no value.

The word concision (Greek:katatome, mutilation, cutting) is how Paul contemptuously describes those of the merely fleshly circumcision.

Firstfruits

Only the 144,000 in Revelation 14 are specifically identified as firstfruits. If we know who these firstfruits are then we will know the 144,000 at that point in time and if it conforms to my proposition. Let us take a look at what John said to the Seven Churches. John said that the faithful in the Church were already considered kings and priests by God (Revelation 1:6-7). They were already picked out to be His choice fruits. Were some first and some second string or onety-oned (to add a bit of humour)? These churches were gentile churches that had problems. None were left out and none were segregated. You were either an endurer (and hence a king and priest) or you were out completely. That is the message to us. The same kings and priests are identified as the 24 elders and 4 living creatures (Revelation 5:9-10).

Let me attempt to clarify something. God names things what they are. The 144,000 of Revelation 7 has to be the same 144,000 of Revelation 14 because they have the same name. If we already have 144,000 at Revelation 7 where it consists of people alive at the opening of the 7^th seal, then how do we fit in all of the others needed to make up the Firstfruits of Revelation 14?

Firstfruits mean first from the harvest. Paul goes to lengths to tell us that in the harvest one set will not precede (the KJV uses prevent) another so that it is one harvest (I Thessalonians 4:15). In spite of this we have a popular view that the Firstfruits cannot be those who rose first because it should be instead 144,000 people who were born of the tribe of Israel.

Now it does not make sense to talk about Firstfruits if there are no second fruits. Who could the second fruits possibly be if the first are people of Israelite blood? If you do that would it cause you to have third fruits? There are no third fruits in the Bible. Just Firstfruits and the second harvest and there are no zero-th fruits, which would come before first. Let us look more closely at this issue of Firstfruits and the 144,000.

Are the people in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:1-5) included? In Ezekiel we have people that go through exactly the same sealing process as the 144,000 in Revelation 7, so are they discarded? What about those gentiles in Ephesians 1:13-14? Are they not Firtsfruits? Zero is the thing that comes before one but in this context it does not make sense. These are people that God loved and that loved Him so what happens to them? What happens to Noah and Lamech and Abraham and Isaac and Job and Enoch and all of the others mentioned in Hebrews 11 who were not Jews? What about us. God says that we are Firstfruits in the general epistle by James (James 1:18) but was He mistaken? How do you decide who is in and who is out? When Paul talks about NO difference between Jew and Greek in Christ is he mistaken (Romans 10:11-12, Galatians 3:28-29, Colossians 3:10-11). So does all that become irrelevant when we reach Revelation? Where do we draw the line? An image of the 144,000 is presented in Revelation 14:1-5. To put this in context we need to include Zechariah 14:3-4 which talks about standing on the mount causing it to split. So we see here that this is talking about the coming of Christ and those who are with Him. But how do they get to be with Him? 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 explains that we all rise at the last trump together. All of us who faithfully serve/served God will be with Him whether we die before or not. God's faithful servants throughout the ages will be with Him when He stands on the Mount of Olives so Firstfruits make no sense if it excludes many of the faithful. This clearly demonstrates that those who stand with Christ at His coming are the Firstfruits and hence must be the 144,000.

To add a little more clarity, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says that the whole thing will happen in a twinkling of an eye. Who is first? There is only one order. Christ is first of the Firstfruits and then the rest (1 Corinthians 15:23), and Matthew tells us that they will come from everywhere on earth (Matthew 24:31). So the 144,000 at one point are Firstfruits that rise with Christ when He comes and it does not depend on nationality.

With Him Wherever He Goes

The Bible shows that the reward of at least some Christians will be to be with Christ always. Who are these Christians? Does this also conform to my proposition of the meaning of the 144,000?

Revelation 14:4 describes a group that are not defiled by women and are THE Firstfruits. They follow the LAMB everywhere. From Revelation 14:1 we know that these are the 144,000. We learn that they are THE Firstfruits and virgins. On the other hand we also learn that all who overcome of the seven churches will remain at the New Jerusalem with Christ (Revelation 3:12). Now since Christ is always there it means that they will always be with Christ. So all who overcome of the seven churches and the 144,000 appear to be the same. Combine this with what we learned from studying the Firstfruits above and we know that these are identical to those who rise with Christ. But also ask yourself overcome who or what?

According to Revelation 3:12 ANYBODY who overcomes of those who receive the message to Philadelphia (a gentile Church, not just Jews or people at the end time) will be with God forever. These will collectively have the name of God (Mrs. God) which comes from being His offspring. I propose that the who being overcome is Satan and the what is Satan's rule. Delving into that in detail would require going out of scope so unfortunately I have to request the interested to investigate that on their own until I reach the latter Chapters. What I want to suggest is that all Christians resurrected at the time of Christ have overcome and most have heeded the message to Philadelphia. Since that is the only criteria then they all qualify for this being in the New Jerusalem. In any case the Bible tells us that they will ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

So according to 1 Thessalonians, both the 144,000 and ALL who overcome and are resurrected when Christ comes, will be with the Lord. Their reward is identical suggesting that they are either identical or one is included in the other. Revelation 7:13-15 claims that all who come through the Great Tribulation will always be with the LORD. What? Now we have another group (all who come through the Great Tribulation) who will be with God always. This is all those who suffer tribulation, not all those who go through the so called the Great Tribulation of 3½ years, but all people who suffer for Christ's sake. Are these all different groups or one group viewed from different perspectives? The evidence is clear; they are all the same. A discussion of who these are will be too involved to cover now but we know that they are Christians and that they are saved after the 144,000 are sealed. We know that it is unlikely that they are those who went through the tribulation to the 3½ years alone because we covered the true Great Tribulation earlier. If they do not include the 144,000 from Revelation 7 then when does that 144,000 stand before God? From Revelation 7:1-3 the 144,000 are protected from harm but they are not all who stand with Christ in Revelation 14:1 at the time of HIS return. The issue here is a matter of time. They are Christians who receive the same reward as the 144,000 at various times. That reward is to be a citizen of Jerusalem. This last evidence suggests that the 144,000 is descriptive and not a finite amount.

Why 144,000?

The concept that Paul used in Romans about the tree and grafting is an extension of what Christ Himself said: John 15:1-5 (KJV),  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.[2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.[3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.[5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Paul was not dreaming up something new but carrying the gospel to the gentiles. It was revealed to him how it applied to them. This is the springboard for why 144,000. Luke brings out some more of what Christ said in the Parable of the Sower which is found in Luke 8. In John Christ explains that those who do not bring forth fruit are burned up but in Luke He shows the system for producing fruit. If the word of God falls on fertile minds it will produce fruit, Luke 8:15, Luke 8:8. But Christ and His disciples were not just supposed to bring forth fruit, they were intended to bring forth much fruit ( John 15:5). Matthew shows that it would be up to 100 times more (Matthew 13:23) and that they would initially be of the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24, Matthew 10:5-6) which they found (James 1:1).

So let us apply this to the disciples. The original pattern of Israel that God gave had twelve tribes that came out of Abraham. It applied to a physical law with physical promises pictured in the Tabernacle that was made according to a pattern. The promises and the law were condensed from a spiritual law (Romans 7:14) of a spiritual realm conforming to the same pattern. It was given to twelve apostles, biologically from physical Israel, but now inheritors of a spiritual kingdom. They received the word originally but it bore MUCH fruit (John 15:5 Luke 8:8) implying x 100 and they began the Church out of Israel. They were sent to all 12 tribes including the lost ones and in each tribe they produced an ekklesia (which is translated as church), which had the promises of all 12 tribes put together. The original Israel with its 12 tribes was called the church (ekklesia) in the wilderness i.e. the ekklesia in the wilderness. Now the ekklesia in the wilderness produces an spiritual ekklesia drawing from each of the 12 tribes. This 12 x 12 is a spiritual Israel but made only of biological Israelites. The Churches bore MUCH fruit, 12 x 12 x 100. But there was a thirteenth apostle that went to the gentiles, Paul. This is an over-abundance that came out of the foundation laid by Christ through the Apostles beginning with Cornelius. You will notice that Paul always went to the Jews first so it grew out of the spiritual church that was of biological Israel and the work grew from there (12 x 12 x 100), and again bore fruit x 10, hence 12 x 12 x 100 x 10 =144,000. They exceeded any requirement.

So again they were 12 who received the word originally but it bore fruit: 12 x 12 x 100 x 10. The 12 disciples were sent to the 12 tribes as apostles and now in Revelation God is expecting the fruit of that labour. The reason for 12 x 12 may well also be that the gospel (spiritual) from each apostle (a biological Israelite) also bore fruit in all of the 12 tribes as listed in Revelation 7:4-8. Each apostle was sent to a specific tribe but his gospel did not bear fruit only in that tribe (it went to all 12 tribes) however that is not the extra increase (x 10). Since all increase among biological Israel is accounted for as MUCH growth (x 100) of that tribe, the extra increase ( x 10) was in the gentiles. God emphasized this by clearly representing each tribe as 12,000. 12,000 from a tribe implies the growth of the gospel (12 x 100) but also that there was excess growth from elsewhere, viz. the gentile converts (x 10). It bore fruit everywhere that it went. It all has to do with what Christ told the disciples in John 15. The Kingdom of God will be like the mustard seed (Christ being the mustard seed) spoken of in Luke 13:31-32 but only the Firstfruits will have the special blessing. Among the Firstfruits the 144,000 stand out because of what is recorded in Revelation 20. So again, why the final x 10? It is very likely because of the grafting in. The yield of the gospel includes a yield of other nations that are grafted into Israel. The number is inflated because of the gentiles! For each Israelite it bears 10 gentiles, 10 being a number of completion like 7 meaning all!

Revelation 20 shows that the criteria for living and reigning with Christ during the millennium does not include being a descendant of Jacob (Revelation 20:1-5). With regard to that the 144,000 are spoken of only in the context of those who stand with Christ at His coming to reign with HIM during the Millennium and have therefore come out of the current world order with the present Church-structure. The present Church-structure will always produce a small Church (Luke 12:31-32, Matthew 7:13-14) but the present Church-structure will change during the Millennium as prophesied by Habakuk; Habakkuk 2:12-14 (KJV), Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! ¹³ Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? ¹⁴ For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

We have previously dealt with the names of the tribes signifying access through the gates of Jerusalem and living in the Holy City. We will come to it again in Revelation 21 and 22. We combine that information with what we just covered and we see that the 144,000 represent a system where people from all nations become naturalized Israelites and reign with Christ from Jerusalem. This provides for anyone to join the group although it is not always called the 144,000 later in Revelation.

A lesson from Numbers 31

Numbers 31 recounts a situation that needed rectifying just before Israel entered the Promised Land. The Midianites needed to be dealt with.

Moses took 1,000 from each tribe to represent Israel. These 12,000 exacted a justice that was fierce. Christians need to be prepared to carry out such instructions in the hopefully very rare occasions where it is demanded of us. God obliterated the Midianites killing even the children and only preserved those who would join to Israel and either produce Israelites or die. As we are told in Hebrews 10:31 [KJV], It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The 144,000 are similar in that they are required to assist God during the Day of the Lord with purging evil before the Millennium. We will see the details of this further on in Revelation. I do not know why Moses used 1,000 instead of 12,000 but the 1,000 does have the 100 for growth plus the 10 for gentiles from the multitude that joined Israel from Egypt. My idea of the the additional 12 fold has to do with apostles bearing fruit and so would not have applied to ancient Israel.

Who marries Christ and what's in a name?

One of the key things about identifying the 144,000 is that Revelation 14:4 tells us that they . . . are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. What sort of talk is that? They are men who have not had women because they are women who have not had men? If they are literally Israel's children then they must also be literally men-women. People try to fiddle with meanings but places like Leviticus 18:22 and 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 are very clear in condemning men-women. So they are not, because the Bible tells us that such will not inherit the kingdom, so the argument is ridiculous. It is in the Old Testament that we find most about the intimate relationship that is meant by being married to God. He talks about it extensively in His marriage relationship with Israel. In the New Testament (e.g. Romans 7:4, 2 Corinthians 11:2-3) the matter of who marries Christ also serves to confirm who the 144,000 are.

The above scriptures tie the concept of a virgin to the Church marrying Christ. The Church is espoused to Christ. The book of Romans, written to Romans, refers to Paul's brethren (they would certainly have to be by majority Romans) to be married, and he also says it of the Corinthian brethren. These are now dead and therefore cannot be mortally alive at His coming. Those who do not accept that the 144,000 receive that same reward as others have to justify why those Romans and Corinthians are left out. Remember, God is not partial (Acts 10:34). Christ died rather than cheat on His law, in order to save man. So consider Romans 2:10-16, which shows that whether Jew or gentile, it is the doers of the Law that are justified.

It is a historical fact that Jews have been exposed to the gospel first but all are judged equally. God does not give special favour without justification (note Romans 2:11 KJV, no respecter of persons). Now we have to bear that in mind when we read Revelation 14. Check Revelation 14:1-5, see that the 144,000 have done nothing that is different from the Seven Churches, or those who Paul wrote to, or any other Christian for that matter.

It is clear from this that the 144,000 marry Christ, that is why they are called virgins. The symbolic use of virgins suggest that they either attend the wedding (as demonstrated in Matthew 25) or are the bride. Guests leave the wedding and go elsewhere after but the wife stays and serves her husband and follows him wherever he goes. We are told in Romans that Christians in general, not a select few, are intended to marry Christ. Remember that this letter is to the ROMANS, not Jews, not twelve tribes, but all who overcome that were living in Rome and it is being written by the apostle to the gentiles. The 144,000 are also described by nature. They are virgins. I understand this to mean that they died in Christ. They did not die as Satan's, or symbolically married to the scarlet woman, or spiritual harlots as will be the case with some. That is however another discussion but it seems clear to me that whoever dies in Christ are part of the 144,000.

This all ties in perfectly with what we have read before. Part of the summary message to all churches who are already promised that they will be kings and priests (Revelation 3:12) says that these remain in the city that has no physical temple but are pillars in the temple and go no more out. This group has names which are the same name as God's (exactly what you would expect of his bride, a married woman or their children) and they also have the name of the city which would mean that it is her home-town. We see this all the time in the Bible. Aaron was Aaron, the Levite (Exodus 4:14), which differentiated him by his tribe from other Aarons. Jesus was Jesus of Nazareth, which named him based on His home-town (Matthew 26:71; John 18:5). One Simon was Simon the tanner (Acts 10:6) which differentiated him by his occupation. Judas was Judas Iscariot because he came from Carioth, a small town in the land of Judah. Matthew was Matthew the tax-collector (Matthew 10:3). These were in addition to the use of Hebrew ben and Aramaic bar which both mean son of, hence In Hebrew the term ben-adam is used to say son of man, while in Aramaic its equivalent bar-adam is used. This is the context in which we become sons of God and have His name instead of Adam's.

We also find that the group has names written and the city has names written. It reminds you of directions or addresses to a person's place of business. These major names are the same as the twelve tribes of Israel but we have already established that the Church has these names since the only way to become an Israelite is to join a tribe (Revelation 21:12). Remember that New Jerusalem has names written on the city. The whole city from the foundation (the apostles) up had names written on it. Remember Revelation 4 explaining In my house there are many Mansions.

The Israel of God

Because of how God now defines a Jew we are forced to consider the change in priesthood. The priesthood of the pre-Christian Jew is Aaronic or Levitical. The priesthood of the Israel of God is Melchisdec or Christ.

The change in priesthood makes it possible for the Church to function globally.

Because of the new priesthood we do not have to Go to Jerusalem to be with Christ. In the Old Testament God placed His name at Jerusalem and only at Jerusalem. It was the place of the Temple. The Temple sustained the Shekina fire which was the presence of God. Today the fire is in each Christian by the Holy Spirit. The cloven tongues on Pentecost represented that change and now we are the Temple.

Because of this, when we gather together God has placed His name there. It only requires two. It does not require a Church building or a large congregation. We do not have to go to Jerusalem to find a place that God has placed His name. In the Christian priesthood we can meet in small groups around the world to keep His Feast and Sabbaths. The implications are far-reaching because the obligation is no longer to be in a place but to be part of an institution established by Christ and it is not centralised. It is everywhere that the Christian goes.

THE 'OTHERS' (great multitude, which no man could number)

The OTHERS  or the REST is what many call the other group described in Revelation 7. This group is mammoth and far greater in size than the 144,000. The first thing to note is that they are not the others. The 144,000 were only sealed but this group has gone one step further, they have been delivered from bondage (Egypt), and hence it occurs AFTER the 144,000 were sealed. These were before the throne (Promised Land) ready to receive their reward.

Some commentators propose that this group is all the remaining Christians at Christ's return. I find this hard to accept because of how the first group is identified in Revelation 7 as coming out of the great tribulation, and also there is no way that those who suffer through 3½ years are this many more than all Christians up to this point (or even than those alive when Christ returns). Christians who enter the 3½ years would most likely be few if they came out of a little flock in the first place.

Earlier we looked at options for the 144,000 so now we look at what are some of our options for this remaining group?

1.  They are a second of three harvests.   
2.  They are the second of two harvest.    
3.  They are the wheat of the first harvest and the 144,000 are the barley.   
4.  God just arbitrarily threw things together without conforming to any organised plan.   
5.  The 144,000 are special because they are Jews and the other Christians are second string and represented by this multitude.   
6.  They are all the first harvest.   
   
7.  They are all the Firstfruits that are ever saved and include the 144,000.

I would discard item 1 because the Bible only supports two harvests although it breaks them into three times. The 144,000 would have to be first followed by this group, which could be the same as Revelation 14:15-16 but then there would have to be three to reap the white throne period and the millennium. I do not support 2 because Revelation 14:15-16 shows that there is a harvest after the 144,000 and again if they are the second of two and hence final harvest then what would be the fate of those in the white throne period? Item 3 is entirely possible because it would present the first harvest broken into 2 parts. This conforms to the harvests in the feast of God's calendar. This option would require that they are not part of the bride because the bride is only barley. The description of this large group as serving in the Temple night and day does not support the view that they are not the bride. I do not support item 4 because I see no evidence of God ever acting arbitrarily and not conforming to His plan outlined in the Old Testament. It must match the harvests and the Feasts. I do not support 5 because I do not see God acting on pure favouritism (Romans 2:11). In any case we have already ruled out the 144,000 being biological Israelites. Rewards are according to works not pedigree. This is the promise of the letter to the Churches and also explained in Romans 2. I find 6 to be a possible choice because it conforms to the Bible. The 144,000 are only sealed while the others are linked to a coming reward for all Firstfruits, which includes those already sealed. Based on Revelation 7:15 which says that the 144,000 will serve in the Temple, these must be Firstfruits in my opinion. My final alternative is 7, that the rest are all of the Firstfruits that are saved. This is also correct in my opinion. As I see it they are a superset of the 144,000. So my position is that items 6 and 7 and perhaps 3, are all true while the others are not. The evidence is that this innumerable multitude is the final tally of all of the people who suffer tribulation for the sake of the Kingdom and the 144,000 is a representation of all who have suffered for the Kingdom at a particular time.

Palm Branches

Palms remind us of the feast of Ingathering which is more often called Tabernacles/Sukkot today. There is duality in the meaning and I have explored that in Outcasts Government and unification. Having a palm branch points to that time which follows Atonement and represents deliverance from bondage or great tribulation. In the context the Feast of Ingathering it marks the end of the religious year, which is the end of the year from God's perspective. The sukkot/Ingathering festival was a reminder of the wilderness journey when they dwelled in booths. It precedes entering the Promised Land and Ingathering was given even before they rebelled with the Golden Calf. It is during this period that they were fed with manna. It was a reminder of tough times and how they were miraculously provided for.

From Nehemiah we see that the people did not necessarily use the booth as they would their home but they sat in them. This is translated from the same Hebrew word translated dwell in Leviticus and is the proper meaning. Egypt and Babylon represent bondage. One was under Pharaoh and the other under Nebuchadnezzar. Booths were not made only from Palms but e.g. from Leviticus: goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook and from Nehemaiah: olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees. The people in Revelation 7 are not building anything hence this is probably not the image that holding branches in the hand is intended to call to mind.

Palms are especially symbolic because they grow tall and straight and are identified with righteousness in Psalms. Palms are evergreen trees. As evergreens they are the same no matter the time or season. Unlike other trees they do not branch off in arbitrary directions but maintain that one course. Palms are all almost identical. One palm tree or palm branch is just like all of the others. You could transplant a branch from one tree to another without noticing a difference. Palms bend but do not easily break or are they easily uprooted. In storms they sway violently but even though they are growing in sand the roots anchor them firmly. When the storm passes they go straight again.

One other amazing thing about palms is that palms can be used to pave the way. There is also a lot of meaning when compared with their use in the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Palm branches were regarded as tokens of joy and triumph and were typically used on festive occasions (Leviticus 23:40, Nehemiah 8:15). Kings and conquerors were welcomed with palm branches thrown in their path and waved in the air. In this context the palm branches would represent welcoming the King.

Palms are a wonderful representation of righteousness.

Another grasp of their symbolism comes from the fact that they separated the cherubim. Cherubim can be seen as enforcing judgement to protect the tree of life. They were outside of the Garden of Eden and on the doors all along the way to the Most Holy Place and finally over the ark. They are often depicted between two palm trees which would indicate that the judgement was upright, which may be why Deborah chose to sit under a palm tree.

Ceroxylon quindiuense, is a palm native to the Andes in Colombia and northern Peru. According to Wikipedia this species can grow to a height of 45 m (148 ft) or rarely, even as high as 60 m (200 ft). It is the tallest recorded monocot in the world. 200 feet is as tall as the average 20-story building.

Another wonderful thing about palm trees comes out in the book of Exodus. The original party of Jacob (Israel) that came into Egypt to start the nation was seventy in total.

When God wanted to establish a structure to judge Israel he chose seventy elders. Seventy indicates completion and to some degree or another perfection i.e. 7 x 10. These would represent Israel and be at its core in judgement.

So God was working with them but how was He supposed to sustain this perfect nation? When the children of Israel left Egypt to begin their nation in freedom their first major challenge was water. They found a lot of it but it was not fit to drink. God made the water at Marah drinkable and also made a promise that if they followed Him they would never have that kind of sickness again. This current sickness would have been brought on by something that they ingested but the indication is that there would be nothing that would make people sick in Israel. Right after they left Marah they came to Elim where God gave a foretaste of this future and how He would sustain Israel. There were 12 wells (one for each tribe) and 70 palm trees (one for each elder). The image presented is that the palm trees (which were the uprightness of Israel) were watered by the wells (the Spirit of God from its representation as water). They were to be just like these palm trees.

This imagery is supported by Jeremiah. He contrasted the tall and straight palm trees of Elim with the evil heart of man.

Dissecting Revelation 7:9-17

Some things to note in Revelation 7:9-17:

Verse 9 - The multitude appears after the 144,000. It does not say immediately after. Even if you are autistic you could not count them. It includes some of everyone who will ever live, including Jews. They had palm branches. The king is coming and they are waiting for Him. The event called the Triumphal Entry is recorded in all four Gospels – Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-38, and John 12:12-15. It is from there that we gather the true import of this seemingly pointless act. John puts it together concisely, the people Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord (John 12:13 [KJV]). They were prepared to meet the King. The palm branch was an easily recognised symbol of victory, triumph, peace in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This information is easy enough to find on-line but I was surprised not to be able to find it in Encyclopaedia Britannica. They were looking to victorious king to save them so they lined the way with the palm branches and shouted hosanna which is usually translated as something like please save us. They saw it as a fulfilment of prophecy coming from places like Zechariah 9:9 [KJV], Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. So the king is approaching but is not there yet in Revelation 7 but you will not see any palm branches in Revelation 14.

Verse 14 - They have already gone through tribulation symbolically. The Greek has the Great Tribulation. All who seek Christ suffer tribulation in this world (John 16:33) therefore THE great tribulation can be counted as one big mess that started in the Garden of Eden.

Chapter 7 is an interlude explaining what must happen before the seventh seal. It puts itself in context by explaining that all Firstfruits will at some point endure tribulation but they will overcome and they will become innumerable eventually. The ones that are sealed before the 3½ years begin will be part of that group. The Church before Christ returns is never large. It is never innumerable. The Church before the second coming is always a little flock (Luke 12:32) and can therefore be numbered. There is no way that those who come out of the 3½ years is that much more than all the Christians before as to be innumerable by comparison. As a matter of fact there are only likely to be very few Christians to suffer through the 3½ years because the church that they come from will be small to begin with. It will be like Sodom. Those in the millennium suffer as Satan is released just before the white throne judgement so they qualify as part of the great tribulation.