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Who are the 144,000?
First thoughts...
When the 144,000 were chosen they were considered "first fruits"... from the beginning of bible times "first fruits" were considered the first and best selections of all crops and animals. Biblical references... Revelations 7:2-8... "And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed." Revelations 14:3-5... “And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless." Revelation 14:1... "Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads." Galations 3:7-9... "Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. Ephesians 2:11-17... "Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;" Revelations 7:3... "...Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” Matthew 24:14... "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Discussion thoughts... Revelations 7:2-8 describe how the 144,000 will be selected and from which Israel tribes they will be selected... but then notice that in Galations 7:3-9 and Ephesians 2:11-17 both Jews and Gentiles are all descendants of Abraham so the 144,000 may be Jews or Gentiles or a mixture of both! An interesting historical note here... in AD 70 the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem, and all genealogical records of the 12 tribes were destroyed by fire; so only God knows who are direct descendants of those original tribes. Revelations 14:3-5 decrees that the 144,000 are virgins and seems to suggest that they are men (some scholars think they could be men or women but give no references). Revelation 14:1 and other scriptures describe that the 144,000 will have God's name written on their foreheads (we don't know details). Because of the "firstfruits" descriptions, and that they are virgins, we can conclude that the 144,000 are young. Revelations 7:3 also tells us when the 144,000 are selected... not until the 144,000 are selected during the "Rapture" will the the first tribulation be released! Matthew 24:14 explains what the 144,000 will do during the tribulations (they will preach the Gospel to the whole world)!
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