The 144,000, who are they?   You have to wonder why so many have a teaching about the identity of the 144,000 and hold so many different views.  Some say they are Jews that are "left behind" to preach the gospel to the world, after the true church (Christians) has been "ruptured".  Others say they are the church—Christian Church?   Still, others say their particular group is the 144,000 and, of course, teach that the 144,000 is symbolic, that it really does not mean what it says.

In times past, a certain group used to teach that they and they alone were the 144,000 until their group, their church, grew to over the required number.  Another long-time teacher of the bible says the  144,000 is Israel, 12,000 from each tribe -- so far, so good -- and that these are the heavenly signs following the Great Tribulation, "... which SHOCK into repentance the  144,000". Or so goes that teaching. This teacher goes on to say the 144,000 will suffer the horrors of World War III, "suffering terrible hunger, sickness, privation, and almost unendurable hardship!  They will have seen loved ones and relatives KILLED!"  The 144,000 will be preaching the Gospel of the Christ, so this teacher says, as do many others on this one point -- converted Jews preaching the Gospel.  And where does all of this information come from?  He does not say, and he certainly gave no scriptural references for such misdirected statements.  It is all guessing, everyone is guessing, as opposed to just believing what the Word itself says.

Who is this author, teaching these things?  It does not matter who the particular author is, as it is a teaching that most modern-day Bible teachers teach.  To point a finger at a single writer or self-professing prophet serves no purpose here and to be just in this, I would have to list nearly all of those teaching the “rapture error”, because it is among this group of teachers that this treachery is found.   Suffice it to say, he is not alone in this false teaching.  

Standing on the word of the Living God -- the 144,000 are not Jews shocked into repentance, causing them to preach the gospel.  They are, however, from every tribe of Israel; they are Israelis that are not corrupted by this world’s evil religions, and they may very well be living the Word as our Savior YaHshua did.  Then again, they may be spiritually clean only, not on display, invisible, as it were, praying and patiently waiting the arrival of our  Savior, YaHshua.  144,000 men of Israel walking as our Savior walked, totally deserving to walk with Him when He returns.  

Here they are, marked, not only by His name but also by His Father's Name as well.  Some, in this time of watching, understand our Savior’s name, but even fewer know the Father’s name.  Those of Israel, the 144,000, have both the name of the Son and the Father; these are seen to be standing on Mount Zion, which is the City of David, meaning, today, Jerusalem. This then would be after our Lord has come down from Heaven, something the whole earth witnesses, and after that witness, He first stands on the Mount of Olives, across the valley from Mount Zion. This gathering of the 144,000 to YaHshua personally, strictly a gathering of Israelis, followed by the uncountable number in what is called the Resurrection m—the First Resurrection – the second resurrection does not happen until at the end of His 1,000 year rule from Jerusalem.  Some believe (teach) that the 144,000 come with YaHshua from Heaven, the Heaven where the Thrown of the Father is, but that is a mistake.  It is only after the First Resurrection that the 144,000 are with our Savior, YaHshua – wherever He goes they go – His entourage, the 12,000 from each of the families (tribes) of the nation He created.   Maybe they, too, were resurrected and met our Lord in the air and then landed on the Mount of Olives, then walked over to Mount Zion.  Either way, these are Israelis, not Gentiles.

Others teach that this 144,000 is a symbolic number for the Christian Church—a teaching largely rejected by Evangelical Christians.  Today’s popular teaching of the  Rapture (not to be confused with Resurrection), this rapture doctrine conflicts with the old teaching that the 144,000 is the Christian Church because, for the Rapture teachers, it plain, even to them, that the 144,000 are on this earth during the Time of Trouble, the Tribulation period, and this goes against the false rapture teaching of the good Christians being taken away to Heaven before the Great  Tribulation comes.

It never ceases to amaze me that a simple reading of the "word" (our guide and study text for the Kingdom) tells us exactly who the 144,000 are, and it says it quite plainly.  Please read chapters 7  and 14 of Revelation.  The 144,000 are Israelis, and this includes Judah (the Jews) being one of the 12 mentioned, 12,000 from each tribe.  This is a number set by the Creator Himself.  Many teachers cannot abide by this, as the numbers given are “even” and very specific, suggesting to them that the Messiah really didn't mean what he caused to be written.  The Word is plain, no conflicting interpretation can be found to contradict what is recorded, it is 12,000 from each of the tribes, less the tribe of Dan (?), making up 144,000 "marked" individuals -- Marked by the Name of YaHshua and the Name of the Father.  Our Savior has a specific number in mind, and this is it, 144,000.   They are not the Christian Church, but the Congregation of Israel, and they are the beginning of the "restoration of all things" .  They are "true" believers and the proof that Israel survives into eternity. They will stand with the Messiah and be with Him forever.  They are the perfection of the Messiah on Earth and a guarantee of Israel’s survival.

If Satan had the power to destroy all the people of God, these would still be saved.  Satan would and will fail -- it has been decided -- there is no competition, the battle has already been won, Satan, the Adversary, has lost.  The Messiah, YaHshua, defeated Satan and has taken the power of death from him.  He, Satan, is fighting a losing battle.  Our hope, as Christians, is in the Messiah’s promise and the Father’s love for us that we too can be saved and have eternal life through YaHshua.

Follow Principle #1 -- "... Let God be true and every man a liar."  (Romans  3:4)

Again, let us understand something: all  Jews are Israelis, but not all Israelis are Jews.  It is an identity problem modern society suffers from.  The people of Israel (lost tribes) are spread all over the world, many having lost their identity, but our God knows who they are,  and in the last days of man's rule, a specific number is going to be marked for protection.  The Beast has his mark and the Living God has His mark, and they both have to do with "identity", that is contained in "names" (Rev  14:11).   

Once the 144,000 are marked, then the "Wrath” of the Living God, YaH, will begin.  In Revelation 6, we see the 6th seal opened. and from verses 12-17. We are told this event is a declaration that His  “Wrath is coming", but shortly after the great earth-shaking event, everything is stilled, and the marking of the 144,000 takes place.  We see by this that the 144,000 are on this earth and are then given divine protection from what is to come sometime after the Great Quake of verse Revelation 6:12.

I have a speculation about the 144,000 —namely, that they are not composed only of men.  The idea that they are all males comes from Revelation 14:4, "These are  those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves  pure."  Here is the problem with that straightforward cutting and damning of women, suggesting they are somehow "impure" or "unclean", for we know that in the Christ all are equal, especially between male and female, she being  purified as the Christ purified the church, making her clean and holy, without  stain (Ephesians 5:25-27).  This verse, as well as many others, gives honor to women and to the order of things on earth and in Heaven. This should lead us to a different conclusion than that seemingly held by the majority of false teachers.  As you read through your Bible, you run into many phrases that are addressed to "men" or "man" and also "brother" or "brothers," yet it is recognized that those terms in gender are not meant to exclude women or sisters of the faith.  It is understood that a term like "mankind" covers all humans, no  matter the gender or the color, and we clearly see this in the following  verse:

2Cor 6:18  - I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and  daughters, says the Lord Almighty.  

But for some, when they come to the 144,000, they throw this courtesy out and make it gender-specific. This thinking suggests that women, also in the body of our Lord, are somehow "impure".  Women in the Body of our Lord YaHshua are not more impure than any male; all have sinned, all have fallen short, all, men and women alike, need YaHshua . Still, it is the opinion of many that those who qualify for access into this exclusive club are men only.  While this may be true, it is difficult for me to believe that those numbers are men only, and do not include women -- we will see, one day.  And one more point, aren’t we told that in the we are to become as the Angels of Heaven, in respect to sex, that there is neither male nor female?  

However, all of that aside, I believe we can see that the context of those verses concerning the 144,000, is saying that these have remained "pure" by not consorting with false religion, nor the worship of idols, or demons, and certainly not the Devil in any form.  And from the description they are clearly NOT gentiles but Israelis, and having lived a life as near Christ-like as any in the flesh could, and being faithful to YaHshua, not consorting with, or committing a type of spiritual adultery with any false deity, and even though being of Israel, as mentioned, 12,000 from each family, it is YaHshua, and no other they have confessed.  Remember, religion is often referenced as a woman, such as the Woman riding the Beast in Revelation chapter 17, which is prophetically recognized as a religion.  YaHueH, Himself identifies Himself as the Husband of the unfaithful wife, represented as Israel, and her sister, Judah -- this is very important, and needs to be understood, so let us read just one example, and if you can see this relation, then you will see many more such comparisons as you look into His inspired words.  

Read these verses as many times as you need to see this -- so much is being said:  "...your Maker is your Husband...".  This is speaking directly to all of Israel and Judah, the two sisters.  YaHueH brought the nation of Israel into existence and took them as His wife (the symbolism is clear).  It is then further revealed that this Husband of all Israel, the One who created them, literally caused them to be, also is their REDEEMER, the Holy One of Israel.  But we are not done, as we see in this one verse, there is a third reveal -- The God of the whole Earth shall He be called.  Three markers, first the Husband of all Israel/Judah, and second the one called their Redeemer, and finally the third reveal as to who this God is, the Holy One of Israel.  But wait, there is one more, a fourth -- the God of the Whole Earth.  This is the perfect identity of the Husband of all Israel, the One they hung on the Cross, their and our Redeemer.  Yes, the self-righteous leaders of Israel conspired and hung their own husband, the God of all Israel on the Cross.  This act of jealousy and greed opened the door for Gentiles -- those not of Israeli birth -- to enter into a relationship with their God, their Redeemer, now becoming also the Redeemer of Gentiles too, and a Savior, whom we know as YaHshua.  He has redeemed, that is, to save those who willingly confess Him.  Before going to the Cross, He also selected many to go before Him in the flesh, culminating in the Prophet John, the Baptizer, in preparation for a better way, a better Covenant –

On the whole, the nations of Israel/Judah rejected Him; some few did not, and a vast, uncountable number of those non-Jewish peoples, however, did accept Him as their Redeemer.  Israel had been divorced, and even though Judah, the sister, had witnessed the putting away of her older sister, the people of Israel, she went and did the same thing.  How is it that a nation of people commits adultery?  By failing to see that entering into any agreement, either in the flesh or by spirit of worship, is a marriage, a union of your spirit with another, and even a whole nation of people can be in the same spirit of union, as a wife to a husband.  Read it for yourself --

Remember, when those words were recorded, the nation of Israel's seat of power was hold up in Jerusalem.  They claimed to be the people of YaHueH, and as such, the threats from Assyrian, and Babylonian kings meant nothing to them. They would eventually discover how their God had finally had enough of their self-righteous conduct, mixing their worship of Him with that of other gods that are no gods, and found themselves divorced, and literally taken into captivity -- not just the royals, or the military, but the whole body of the sister wives, those called Judah.  They had witnessed what happened to their sister Israel, and still went down a similar path, getting full of themselves, and becoming so religious, taking to the worshipping of other gods, YaHueH becoming just one of many.  They saw themselves as too holy for their primary God, YaHueH, to allow Gentiles to bring them down.  

By understanding this feature in the word -- that a whole people are compared to a single body and even a wife, even a wife united to a single husband, we can see, too, that when it comes to the 144,000, they can be seen as a single unit of both males and females.  Of course, there are other aspects to this, and it is not my attempt to make the word say something it does not, but to bring more light to a possibility.  In the end of it all, it does not really matter, especially to those who are not born in Israel or Judah.  Gentiles, most, the uncountable number -- Rev 7:9 -- that we are in one group or the other.  Our salvation does not depend upon these matters; only when we want to understand things in the "prophetic word", these things should be considered and not twisted out into some other imagining.  Like, saying that the 144,000 is a representative number for all believers, or a special group of "gentile" believers, claiming that the "new " is real.   This is called Replacement Theology, something the Roman Church has engaged in, as have Jehovah's Witnesses, among others.  

Why, then, refer to a woman as something unclean?   Because it was the woman whom Satan deceived, it is fitting that a religion of “deception” would be symbolized as a woman.  Still, I have trouble seeing it quite like that.  The idea seems more reasonable to me that women would also be included in this grouping of the 144,000.  Then again, our Lord YaHshua was never married and remained a virgin Himself, so maybe those 144,000 are to be just like Him.  Would this include the Apostles, then?  Not at all, which also seems strange, but true if we stay strictly with the written word, because we know that some of the Apostles had wives, some even before the Crucifixion -- Mt 8:14 -- Peter has a wife, and 1 Cor 9:5 -- they had wives.  This group of 144,000 must be a special group indeed.  The only thing that keeps me from saying the 144,000 are virgin men, as pure in flesh as you can be, counterparts of YaHshua Himself on Earth, is that derogatory statement about women being likened to something unclean.  It may just be poor wording, because we know that it is considered in the Courts of Heaven that there is neither male nor female, and neither Jew nor Greek either.  How to reconcile all of this?  Something we may not be able to understand or sort out until that time has come.  We do know, however, who they are not -- see Part 1  

Nearly all bible students recognize the image of a woman as representing the nation of Israel. We see Israel and Judah mentioned as wives, as previously mentioned, in a relationship with Yahweh, their God, their husband. Then there is the Whore of Babylon, and she has daughters (Revelation 17:1-6, Zech 2:7, Isa 47:1).  Churches, religions, prostitutes, and nations.  My take on these verses concerning the 144,000 is that they have not defiled themselves in "false religion" or in fornicating with unclean Christian Churches.  I believe the 144,000 may include women as well as men. Remember, there is neither male nor female as we know it in this coming change to resurrected Spirits – we will be like the angels of Heaven (Matthew 22:30).  Are they virgins?  Maybe, maybe not, one thing is for sure, they are virgins when it comes to religion - they have spiritual purity, certainly after the resurrection, the quickening to Spirit form, all will be virgins.   

Even if my take on this is wrong, it changes nothing; no principles are crossed that make the Word ineffective.  The 144,000 are still all Israelis, 12,000 from each tribe, they are like the  7,000 that, unknown only to Elijah (EliYH), had not defiled themselves by bowing a knee to the false religion of their day, Baal worship.  Eli-YaH was told by YHWH that He had set aside exactly 7000 Israelis, and EliYaH (Elijah) was not aware of them, he thought he was alone, the only one, and this may be the way it will be in the end.  

When Elijah fought it out with the preachers of Baal, that religion had many different gods under the banner of  Baal (1 Kings 18-19).  There were many Ba’als in the land, the term becoming a qualifier for various names.  The name Baal means "lord" or "master", a type of Lord worship.  Ba’al, as a Lord god of that era, began as the god of spring and of rain in due season, bringing in new life, a single god, Baal, but as time advanced, there came many Ba’als, or Lords.   The many Ba’als, or gods, that followed concerned themselves with the passions of man in the form of fertility images, new birth, sex, and fornication of every kind.  Christianity has picked up on this from their forefathers and the forefathers before them in the form of rabbits and eggs for Easter, during the week or our  Messiah's Passover.

Eventually, to say, My Lord is YaHshua,  is the same as saying, " My Ba’al is YaHshua.  This is not saying the ancient god Ba’al, is our Savior, but demonstrates the change in the use of the name Baal, being changed to a title meaning “lord”.  Ba’al worship became “Lord worship”.  So, you might ask the question, Whose Lord is your Lord?  The answer cannot be God or Lord, as these are not names but titles, and as we are told by the Word that there are many gods and many lords – 1 Cor 8:4-6.  Keeping with this example, we can see the same thing concerning the use of the title "god".  Satan is called the god of this world; does that mean he is a god?  Only to this world as it has, for the most part, accepted him, the "Destroying Angel" as the god of this world (2 Cor  4:4).

My God and Lord is YaHshua, and my Father, also a, or better, The God, is Y'H.  Who is your daddy?  Who is your brother?  If you think you are in the body of the Messiah, you need to have the answer, and when you do, it will not be from me but from the Messiah Himself.  Without Him making known to you the Father, you cannot know Him, not really know Him -- as a child knows his Father.  

The 144,000 is not so complicated as to not be understood -- understanding who they are -- makes the promise of the Living God concerning the future of Israel even more real.  He has determined a certain number, a number that cannot be touched, not by men nor, most of all, by  Satan.  No matter how close Satan can come to deceiving the whole world, or to its destruction, our Father has determined the salvation of Israel.  Apart from these 144,000 Israelis (Rev 7:4 14:4-5), there is an uncountable number that have crossed over into martyrdom as have past brothers and sisters, having given their lives for the testimony of the Messiah, YaHshua, and having not denied His name, and there is the uncountable number as well (Rev 3:8 and 7:9 ).  Praise you YaH.