WHO ARE THE 144,000?

[Doug]

[Revelation 14:1 KJV] 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.

There are different views as to who the 144,000 are.

I think we have a clue as to who they might be..............[Revelation 14:3-4 KJV] 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...............They are redeemed from the earth..............[Deuteronomy 21:8 KJV] 8 Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
[Deuteronomy 21:8 KJV] 8 Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them..........Believing Israel has been redeemed...........[James 1:18 KJV] 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures...............believing Israel is called firstfruits...............................This verse identifies, beyond a doubt, the 144,000 as being Israelites............[Rev 7:4 KJV] 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.

It is possible that the 144,000 are resurrected believing remnant of Israel saints.

 

[Davy]

Per the Revelation 7:1-4 verses, the 144,000 are only about sealed Israelites for the end of this world. Brethren, don't allow anyone to cast doubt upon you against that...

Rev 7:1-4
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.

Why are those "four winds" being held back? What do they represent? They represent the Power of God used to end this present world. Those "four winds" are ALSO involved in the gathering of Christ's Church on the LAST DAY of this present world (Matt.24:31; Mark 13:27). It will involve the 'change' Apostle Paul mentioned that will happen on the "last trump" at the "twinkling of an eye" on that day (1 Cor.15).

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.
KJV

That sealing is about the sealing of Christ's servants by The Holy Spirit (2 Co 1:22; Eph.1:13; Eph.4:30). That idea about that 'sealing' right there is enough to know this Revelation 7 subject of sealing the 144,000 is about the latter days after... Lord Jesus's death and resurrection, and specifically in prep for those who will go through the "great tribulation" at the end of this world.

This sealing is specifically pointed to on the 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe period of Revelation 9...

Rev 9:4-5
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
KJV

That above in red is a type of indirect statement. You have to think. It says only those who do NOT have God's Seal can be stung by those locusts. That means the unsaved. Only those in Christ Jesus are Sealed with God's Seal by The Holy Spirit, which points to a type of protection against that 'stinging' by those locusts.

Now then, what timing are those locusts for? Back in Revelation 8:13 we are warned about the 3 Woes that accompany the three angels (trumpets) which are preparing to sound. The last trump, or 7th Trumpet - 3rd Woe, represents the events of Christ's future return per Rev.11. So that has to mean the 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe period represents the "great tribulation" timing that happens just prior to Christ's future return. And the 5th Trumpet - 1st Woe has to then mean a preparation time just before the "great tribulation" begins.

And that's what we see here in the Revelation 9:4-5 verses above, a reference to the 'sealing' of the saints with God's Seal in their foreheads so as to be protected from the locust's 'stinging'. So what is the stinging by those locusts? And their stinging the non-sealed is to last "five months" as shown there. That stinging by the locusts is not allowed to kill the non-sealed unsaved people, so it has to mean something else other than flesh death. Further down in Rev.9:17-19 during the 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe period, is a hint about that stinging being about what comes out of their mouths. That points to the locust stinging being about WORDS OF DECEPTION. And that was our Lord Jesus' very first warning SIGN about the end, to not allow any man to deceive you.

By all that, the sealing of the 144,000 of Revelation 7 is definitely pointing to Israelites in Christ's Church sealed with God's Seal in preparation to go through the coming "great tribulation". And then later in Rev.7:9, the "great multitude" represents the Gentiles in Christ that are 'sealed' for the tribulation also, as it is shown there how they will have come out of great tribulation. Thus the whole Rev.7 Chapter is about Christ's Sealing of His servants in prep for the "great tribulation."

 

[HealthyShape]

In preterism:

They represent the faithful remnant of first‑century Israel - Jewish believers in Jesus (the “true Israel”) who are sealed/protected during the Roman judgment on Jerusalem (AD 66–70).

Revelation’s contrast (the 144,000 vs. the “great multitude from every nation”) is read as distinguishing the Jewish Christian remnant in Judea from the wider Gentile church dispersed across the Roman world.

 

[soberxp]

The Book of Revelation is very clear about who they are.


144000/12/12=1000
I think it symbolizes they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.