Who are the 144.000 preaching during the tribulation?

[angels4u]

THE 144,000
Revelation 7:1-17
OVERVIEW
We are in the third division of the book of Revelation - those (things) that are to take place after this
(1:19). Chapters 6-18 reveal the events of the seven year Tribulation. The Tribulation will begin with the
signing of the seven year covenant between Antichrist and Israel (Dan. 9:27).
Chapter six reveals the first of three series of judgments that take place during the Tribulation. Some
scholars believe the Seven Seal Judgments will take place in the first quarter of the seven year
Tribulation, that is, during the first 21 months of the Tribulation (see Chart on page 5). The first four seal
judgments follow one another in a cause and effect relationship: the Antichrist sets out to conquer the
world, war breaks out resulting in famine and mass death from starvation, disease and wild animals (6:1-
8). The fifth seal judgment reveals that all during the first half of the Tribulation persecution and
martyrdom will break out against followers of Jesus (6:9-11). With the sixth seal judgment, God will shake
heaven and earth producing catastrophic destruction (6:12-17). The seventh seal judgment reveals a half
hour of silence in heaven and preparation of the next series of judgments called the Trumpet Judgments
(8:1-2).
Notice in your Bible that the seventh seal judgment (8:1-2) is separated from the sixth seal judgment
(6:12-17) by chapter 7. Chapter 7 is a parentheses, an interlude in the flow of action for the purpose of
explaining something mentioned in chapter six.
Let’s begin by reviewing the sixth Seal Judgment paying particular attention to the closing statement of
verse 17.
Revelation 6:12–17 (ESV)
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun
became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as
the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being
rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and
the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid
themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks,
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
From the severity of the Seal Judgments, and the sixth seal in particular, it would appear that no human
could or would be saved from the wrath of God. But, as the fifth seal reveals, men, women and children
will be saved during the Tribulation and, as revealed in 7:9, will “stand” before the throne and the Lamb.
Revelation chapter 7 explains how it is that people will be saved during the first half of the Tribulation.
God will seal 144,000 Jewish evangelists to evangelize the entire world during the first half of the
Tribulation!
THE SERVANTS OF GOD WILL BE SEALED BEFORE THE SEAL JUDGMENTS COMMENCE (7:1-3)
Revelation 7:1–3 (ESV)
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the
earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending
from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four
angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or
the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
It is significant to observe that verse one begins with after this (meta touto) and not after these things (meta
tauta; example 4:1). Unfortunately the ESV fails to make the distinction, but it is important. After this
indicates a break in chronology whereas after these things indicates a sequence of events that follow in
chronological order. Verse one introduces a break in the flow of chronological events; what follows is a
parentheses in the action.

THE 144,000 REVELATION 7:1-17
2 GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
John was shown four angels standing at the four corners of the earth refering to the four directions of the
compass. They are commanded by another angel to suspend their judgments temporarily until the
servants of God are sealed. This may convey the idea that before the Seven Seal Judgments
commence, the sealing of the servants of God will be accomplished.
Revelation 14:1 indicates that the seal will be the name of the Lamb and of the Father written on their
foreheads. The purpose of this seal is service and protection. They are sealed for protection so that they
cannot be hurt either by the judgments poured out by God or by the persecutions against believers. They
are also sealed for service, for they are the ones who will proclaim the message of the gospel in the
Tribulation.
The identity of these servants is very clear; 144,000 Jews will be sealed as servants of God at the
beginning of the Tribulation. Stated another way: following the Rapture, these 144,000 Jews will come to
faith in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. At the beginning of the Tribulation, they will be sealed for
protection and for their service. The 144,000 sealed servants are clearly Jews, what we would call
“Messianic Jews”. They are not the Church. They are not the chosen few of Jehovah’s Witness
teaching. They are 144,000 post-Rapture, Messianic Jewish evangelists through whom God will
accomplish one of the main purposes of the Tribulation: the salvation of a myriad of Tribulation saints.
That these sealed servants of God are Jews is made clear in verses 4-8.
144,000 JEWS WILL BE SEALED AS THE SERVANTS / EVANGELISTS OF GOD (7:4-8)
Revelation 7:4-8 (ESV)
4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 12,000
from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000
from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
Two unique features of this list are that the tribes of Ephraim and Dan are omitted. We need to
understand that there were actually thirteen tribes of Israel. Jacob had twelve sons, but Jacob’s son,
Joseph had two sons who became two tribes: Ephraim and Manassah. Here, Manassah is mentioned
and Joseph is substituted for Ephraim. Dan was probably omitted to maintain the symmetry of twelve.
The tribe of Dan is included in the Millennial Kingdom (Ezekiel 48:1, 32).
That the service of the 144,000 is evangelism is verified in verses 9-17.
MYRIADS WILL BE SAVED THROUGH THE EVANGELISM OF THE 144,000 DURING FIRST HALF
OF TRIBULATION (7:9-17)
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all
tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and
around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power
and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where
have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of
the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who
sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching
heat.REVELATION 7:1-17 THE 144,000
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH 3
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living
water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The fifth Seal Judgment reveals that persecution and martrydom will break out against followers of Jesus
early in the Tribulation. These described in chapter 7:9-17 are those martyrs written of in 6:9-11.
Chapter seven explains the means by which people will come to faith in Jesus as Savior during the first
half of the Tribulation: it will be by the means of the gospel preaching of the 144,000 Messianic Jews
sealed and sent by God throughout the world. Through their preaching people of every tribe, tongue and
nation will come to faith and be saved.
JESUS’ PROPHECY OF A WORLDWIDE EVANGELISM CAMPAIGN DURING TRIBULATION WILL
BE FULFILLED BY THE 144,000 (MATTHEW 24:9-14)
This will fulfill that which Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:9-14 concerning a worldwide evangelistic
campaign during the Tribulation.
Matthew 24:9–14 (ESV)
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for
my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And
many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the
love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of
the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and
then the end will come.
REFLECTION
The sealing and sending of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists is yet another manifestation of God’s mercy
and love for sinners.
The Apostle Paul refers to God as our Savior
1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV)
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
It is only because God loves us that any of us have been saved. Jesus made it very clear that none of us
would come to Him unless the Father drew us.
John 6:44 (ESV)
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last
day.
Since the Fall, it has always been us who move away from God, not the other way around. Think about
it, even after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, everyone at that time in our history knew
God – even Cain. But what happened? We rebelled against God and followed Satan until our race was
so depraved God washed us off the face of the earth. How many people got off the Ark? Eight. What
percentage of the human race at that time knew God exists? 100%. But in a fairly brief span of time
what happened? The people rebelled and built the Tower of Babel.
We always move away from God.
But God pursues us.
If you are hearing this message and have not put your faith in Jesus for salvation, God is pursuing you
right now. It is no accident that you are hearing this message that God loves you and gave Jesus to die
on the cross to pay the penalty of all your sins, be buried and rise again on the third day to give you
eternal life. There are people around the world who go through their entire lives never hearing this
message of God’s love. But you are hearing it today and I want to encourage you to accept God’s gift of
forgiveness today. Put all your faith in what Jesus did for you on the cross and in His resurrection. You
will be forgiven all your sin, past, present and future and God’s Spirit will come to live in your life and
begin to change you to be like Jesus. Trust in Jesus today!THE 144,000 REVELATION 7:1-17
4 GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
I was prepared to talk to those of us who are trusting in Christ about different ways to witness to our
unsaved family and friends. But the truth of the matter is that if we have a heart for the lost, we have or
will discover ways to share the gospel with our unsaved friends and family.
I think the more fundamental issue we need to explore is our attitude toward the lost.
If we are abiding in Christ and walking in the Spirit it is inevitable that our concern for the lost will
increase; as we are conformed to Christ His perspective on the lost will increasingly become our
perspective on the lost.
If we find that we have little concern for the unsaved, it may indicate that we not abiding in Christ or that
there is some kind of spiritual breakthrough that needs to set us free from fear or bitterness or self-
righteousness or whatever is causing our disinterest in the salvation of the lost. If we have little interest or
concern for the lost, we are not in step with Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
I am not talking about your evangelitic style or methodology; those with the spiritual gift of evangelism
generally are going to be bolder in their presentation of the gospel than those of us who do not have the
spiritual gift of evangelism.
What I’m talking about is our attitude.
I’m not trying to make us feel guilty. I want to encourage healthy, honest self evaluation. If we discover
that we really don’t have much concern for the lost let’s not deny it or ignore it. Better, let’s ask the Spirit
to work in us to change us and give us a heart for the lost. We can pray this prayer knowing that we are
praying according to the Father’s will. He “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth” will give us that same heart if we ask for it.http://gccramona.com/gccmain/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/140316AM_notes.pdf

[Paul River]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:13 AM, angels4u said:

THE 144,000
Revelation 7:1-17
God will seal 144,000 Jewish evangelists to evangelize the entire world during the first half of the
Tribulation!
Revelation 14:1 indicates that the seal will be the name of the Lamb and of the Father written on their
foreheads. The purpose of this seal is service and protection. They are sealed for protection so that they
cannot be hurt either by the judgments poured out by God or by the persecutions against believers. They
are also sealed for service, for they are the ones who will proclaim the message of the gospel in the
Tribulation.
The identity of these servants is very clear; 144,000 Jews will be sealed as servants of God at the
beginning of the Tribulation. Stated another way: following the Rapture, these 144,000 Jews will come to
faith in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. At the beginning of the Tribulation, they will be sealed for
protection and for their service. The 144,000 sealed servants are clearly Jews, what we would call
“Messianic Jews”. They are not the Church. They are not the chosen few of Jehovah’s Witness
teaching. They are 144,000 post-Rapture, Messianic Jewish evangelists through whom God will
accomplish one of the main purposes of the Tribulation: the salvation of a myriad of Tribulation saints.
That these sealed servants of God are Jews is made clear in verses 4-8.

The sealing and sending of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists is yet another manifestation of God’s mercy
and love for sinners.

The 144,000 may have been tasked with evangelizing the earth, but there is nothing in the text of Revelation that would suggest this. Certainly, there is no literary tie between the 144,000 and the multitudes of saints that came out of the Tribulation in Revelation 7:9, 10. Both of these groups are in Heaven - the 144,000 are being sealed in Heaven and the and now found in Heaven being comforted by God but there is nothing in the text that connects the two of them.

We see the Two Witnesses prophesying in Revelation 11:6 and the angel in Rev 14:6 having the eternal gospel to preach, so if the 144,000 were evangelists, why doesn't the text say so?

What do we know about the 144,000?

1) As angels4u suggests, they are saved from among the lines of Israel as the text so clearly states in Revelation 7:4-8. Those in the replacement theology camp are uncomfortable with this idea so they attempt to allegorize and spiritualize this passage away, but the fact is that God still has a plan for the people of Israel.

2) They were sealed in Heaven Rev 7:1-4 as the whole drama of Rev 7 takes place in Heaven, suggesting they are resurrected, and glorified saints. What I do disagree with you here is when you say they are not "The Church" as every believer, Jew or Gentile becomes part of the "One New Man" Eph 2:15. Perhaps because you are in the pre-trib rapture camp you cannot reconcile a part of the church being on the earth. However, these are resurrected and glorified saints so even within the pre-trib construct, they can. Perhaps the most compelling reason to believe that these 144,000 were resurrected and glorified saints is they were described in Rev 14:4 as: "These are the ones who have not been defiled with women," contrasting them to the 200 falling angels in the Book of Enoch who united with women and created the Nephilim. We find in Rev 14:4 that they had been "purchased from the earth", and finally, they are defined as "the first fruits of God" Rev 14:4 which connects them with the resurrection imagery of the Feast of First Fruits.

3) The 144,000 are sealed with the name of the Father and the Son, partially as you suggest to protect them. As the righteous were protected in Ezekiel 8 - 9, by being sealed with a Tev, or a cross as it would have been marked in Ancient Hebrew, so the 144,000 come under the authority and atoning blood of Messiah. But there is more to this sealing than just coming under the protection of the upcoming judgment, as the seal of 144,000 is being contrasted here in chapter 14 with the seal of those who are marked by the beast in chapter 13. As those who followed the Beast were able to buy or sell because of their mark, the 144,000 were connected to God through their seal for their provision and power.

4) What we do know that the 144,000 did, was worship! Revelation 14:3 says "They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand." There are 10 celebrations of worship in the Book of Revelation and after each celebration, something amazing happens. In this case, the worship of the 144,000 evokes the rapture of the church in Revelation 14:14-20. I also believe they are part of the worship celebration of Revelation 15, as "they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb" - something you could imagine a group of redeemed and glorified Messianic saints could do. In the celebration of worship of Revelation 15, they bring about the the anti-creation event of Revelation 16.

[Know Jah]

We must remember Revelation is written in signs and symbols. Therefore everything is not literal

[AdHoc]

On 10/24/2023 at 7:13 PM, angels4u said:

THE 144,000
Revelation 7:1-17
OVERVIEW
We are in the third division of the book of Revelation - those (things) that are to take place after this
(1:19). Chapters 6-18 reveal the events of the seven year Tribulation. The Tribulation will begin with the
signing of the seven year covenant between Antichrist and Israel (Dan. 9:27).
Chapter six reveals the first of three series of judgments that take place during the Tribulation. Some
scholars believe the Seven Seal Judgments will take place in the first quarter of the seven year
Tribulation, that is, during the first 21 months of the Tribulation (see Chart on page 5). The first four seal
judgments follow one another in a cause and effect relationship: the Antichrist sets out to conquer the
world, war breaks out resulting in famine and mass death from starvation, disease and wild animals (6:1-
8). The fifth seal judgment reveals that all during the first half of the Tribulation persecution and
martyrdom will break out against followers of Jesus (6:9-11). With the sixth seal judgment, God will shake
heaven and earth producing catastrophic destruction (6:12-17). The seventh seal judgment reveals a half
hour of silence in heaven and preparation of the next series of judgments called the Trumpet Judgments
(8:1-2).
Notice in your Bible that the seventh seal judgment (8:1-2) is separated from the sixth seal judgment
(6:12-17) by chapter 7. Chapter 7 is a parentheses, an interlude in the flow of action for the purpose of
explaining something mentioned in chapter six.
Let’s begin by reviewing the sixth Seal Judgment paying particular attention to the closing statement of
verse 17.
Revelation 6:12–17 (ESV)
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun
became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as
the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being
rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and
the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid
themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks,
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
From the severity of the Seal Judgments, and the sixth seal in particular, it would appear that no human
could or would be saved from the wrath of God. But, as the fifth seal reveals, men, women and children
will be saved during the Tribulation and, as revealed in 7:9, will “stand” before the throne and the Lamb.
Revelation chapter 7 explains how it is that people will be saved during the first half of the Tribulation.
God will seal 144,000 Jewish evangelists to evangelize the entire world during the first half of the
Tribulation!
THE SERVANTS OF GOD WILL BE SEALED BEFORE THE SEAL JUDGMENTS COMMENCE (7:1-3)
Revelation 7:1–3 (ESV)
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the
earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending
from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four
angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or
the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
It is significant to observe that verse one begins with after this (meta touto) and not after these things (meta
tauta; example 4:1). Unfortunately the ESV fails to make the distinction, but it is important. After this
indicates a break in chronology whereas after these things indicates a sequence of events that follow in
chronological order. Verse one introduces a break in the flow of chronological events; what follows is a
parentheses in the action.

THE 144,000 REVELATION 7:1-17
2 GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
John was shown four angels standing at the four corners of the earth refering to the four directions of the
compass. They are commanded by another angel to suspend their judgments temporarily until the
servants of God are sealed. This may convey the idea that before the Seven Seal Judgments
commence, the sealing of the servants of God will be accomplished.
Revelation 14:1 indicates that the seal will be the name of the Lamb and of the Father written on their
foreheads. The purpose of this seal is service and protection. They are sealed for protection so that they
cannot be hurt either by the judgments poured out by God or by the persecutions against believers. They
are also sealed for service, for they are the ones who will proclaim the message of the gospel in the
Tribulation.
The identity of these servants is very clear; 144,000 Jews will be sealed as servants of God at the
beginning of the Tribulation. Stated another way: following the Rapture, these 144,000 Jews will come to
faith in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. At the beginning of the Tribulation, they will be sealed for
protection and for their service. The 144,000 sealed servants are clearly Jews, what we would call
“Messianic Jews”. They are not the Church. They are not the chosen few of Jehovah’s Witness
teaching. They are 144,000 post-Rapture, Messianic Jewish evangelists through whom God will
accomplish one of the main purposes of the Tribulation: the salvation of a myriad of Tribulation saints.
That these sealed servants of God are Jews is made clear in verses 4-8.
144,000 JEWS WILL BE SEALED AS THE SERVANTS / EVANGELISTS OF GOD (7:4-8)
Revelation 7:4-8 (ESV)
4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 12,000
from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000
from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
Two unique features of this list are that the tribes of Ephraim and Dan are omitted. We need to
understand that there were actually thirteen tribes of Israel. Jacob had twelve sons, but Jacob’s son,
Joseph had two sons who became two tribes: Ephraim and Manassah. Here, Manassah is mentioned
and Joseph is substituted for Ephraim. Dan was probably omitted to maintain the symmetry of twelve.
The tribe of Dan is included in the Millennial Kingdom (Ezekiel 48:1, 32).
That the service of the 144,000 is evangelism is verified in verses 9-17.
MYRIADS WILL BE SAVED THROUGH THE EVANGELISM OF THE 144,000 DURING FIRST HALF
OF TRIBULATION (7:9-17)
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all
tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and
around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power
and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where
have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of
the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who
sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching
heat.REVELATION 7:1-17 THE 144,000
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH 3
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living
water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The fifth Seal Judgment reveals that persecution and martrydom will break out against followers of Jesus
early in the Tribulation. These described in chapter 7:9-17 are those martyrs written of in 6:9-11.
Chapter seven explains the means by which people will come to faith in Jesus as Savior during the first
half of the Tribulation: it will be by the means of the gospel preaching of the 144,000 Messianic Jews
sealed and sent by God throughout the world. Through their preaching people of every tribe, tongue and
nation will come to faith and be saved.
JESUS’ PROPHECY OF A WORLDWIDE EVANGELISM CAMPAIGN DURING TRIBULATION WILL
BE FULFILLED BY THE 144,000 (MATTHEW 24:9-14)
This will fulfill that which Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:9-14 concerning a worldwide evangelistic
campaign during the Tribulation.
Matthew 24:9–14 (ESV)
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for
my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And
many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the
love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of
the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and
then the end will come.
REFLECTION
The sealing and sending of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists is yet another manifestation of God’s mercy
and love for sinners.
The Apostle Paul refers to God as our Savior
1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV)
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
It is only because God loves us that any of us have been saved. Jesus made it very clear that none of us
would come to Him unless the Father drew us.
John 6:44 (ESV)
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last
day.
Since the Fall, it has always been us who move away from God, not the other way around. Think about
it, even after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, everyone at that time in our history knew
God – even Cain. But what happened? We rebelled against God and followed Satan until our race was
so depraved God washed us off the face of the earth. How many people got off the Ark? Eight. What
percentage of the human race at that time knew God exists? 100%. But in a fairly brief span of time
what happened? The people rebelled and built the Tower of Babel.
We always move away from God.
But God pursues us.
If you are hearing this message and have not put your faith in Jesus for salvation, God is pursuing you
right now. It is no accident that you are hearing this message that God loves you and gave Jesus to die
on the cross to pay the penalty of all your sins, be buried and rise again on the third day to give you
eternal life. There are people around the world who go through their entire lives never hearing this
message of God’s love. But you are hearing it today and I want to encourage you to accept God’s gift of
forgiveness today. Put all your faith in what Jesus did for you on the cross and in His resurrection. You
will be forgiven all your sin, past, present and future and God’s Spirit will come to live in your life and
begin to change you to be like Jesus. Trust in Jesus today!THE 144,000 REVELATION 7:1-17
4 GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
I was prepared to talk to those of us who are trusting in Christ about different ways to witness to our
unsaved family and friends. But the truth of the matter is that if we have a heart for the lost, we have or
will discover ways to share the gospel with our unsaved friends and family.
I think the more fundamental issue we need to explore is our attitude toward the lost.
If we are abiding in Christ and walking in the Spirit it is inevitable that our concern for the lost will
increase; as we are conformed to Christ His perspective on the lost will increasingly become our
perspective on the lost.
If we find that we have little concern for the unsaved, it may indicate that we not abiding in Christ or that
there is some kind of spiritual breakthrough that needs to set us free from fear or bitterness or self-
righteousness or whatever is causing our disinterest in the salvation of the lost. If we have little interest or
concern for the lost, we are not in step with Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
I am not talking about your evangelitic style or methodology; those with the spiritual gift of evangelism
generally are going to be bolder in their presentation of the gospel than those of us who do not have the
spiritual gift of evangelism.
What I’m talking about is our attitude.
I’m not trying to make us feel guilty. I want to encourage healthy, honest self evaluation. If we discover
that we really don’t have much concern for the lost let’s not deny it or ignore it. Better, let’s ask the Spirit
to work in us to change us and give us a heart for the lost. We can pray this prayer knowing that we are
praying according to the Father’s will. He “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth” will give us that same heart if we ask for it.http://gccramona.com/gccmain/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/140316AM_notes.pdf

I propose the following understanding.

Right at the start I would like to maintain that our Lord presented Himself to Israel first. It was only when our Lord was accused of being an emissary of Beelzebub in Matthew Chapter 12 that our Lord Jesus broke His ministry with His "mother, brothers and sisters" and embraced a New Company called His "disciples". Subsequently our Lord removed the Kingdom of Heaven from Israel (Matt.21:43) and left the Temple desolate (Matt.23:38). Many scholars through the centuries have taken this mutual rejection as the end of Israel's aspirations. But it is not so, for Israel has two Covenants with God which concern them NATIONALLY and in which our Lord Jesus was never mentioned as a condition.

The first Covenant was mad with Abraham and his "seed" via Isaac and then Jacob. God made about 15 promises to Abraham and his seed and the only condition Abraham and his seed had to meet was that every male was to be circumcised. 430 years later, the seed of Abraham had grown to about 2 million and God visited Israel in the seventh generation and freed them from Gentile servitude. Because God desired to dwell WITH Israel, He made a second Covenant with them to ensure a holy and ritually clean Nation in which He could pitch His Tent. In this second Covenant Israel agreed to keep about 615 Laws. The condition was that if Israel broke these Laws they would be ejected from their Land and dispersed as a NATION. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 summarize Israel's fate.

Deuteronomy 30 starts with Israel's dispersion as a fact. In the first 5 verses God outlines the condition for Israel to be NATIONALLY recovered to their Land. The condition was NOT to believe in their Messiah. The condition was that they return to what Moses was preaching THAT DAY. Moses was expounding the Law THAT DAY. If Israel wanted to be recovered to their Land with God's blessings, they were to return to the Law of Moses as a NATION, with all their hearts. But God is not naive. He knew that Israel would not do that, and that their last days under the Covenant of Law would see them install a gentile king in their temple. So God applied a well proven principle - the principle of the REMNANT. God would accept a select number of people and count their condition as REPRESENTATIVE of the Nation. If He would save Sodom for TEN righteous, He would count Israel as REPRESENTED by a minority.

In Romans 9 and 11 God promises a representative minority for the end days just as  He had 7,000 Israelites who followed Elijah in being "jealous for the Covenant" (1st Ki.19:10-14). REVELATION 7:1-8 PRESENTS THIS REMNANT. Revelation is a Book of "signs" (Rev.1:1), so i judge that the round number 12,000 of each Tribe except Dan is a "sign" more than literal. 12 is the number of God's People and 144,000 can be fathomed in New Jerusalem. Dan does not feature. The reason is not given. The aim of God in raising up this remnant is to fulfill Deuteronomy 30:1-5. This REMNANT is SEALED so that the mechanism of the Great Tribulation does not kill them (Rev.9:4). This REMNANT is found TWICE more.

In Revelation 12 a "Mother" is presented. This heavenly Woman has THREE SEEDS. (1) The man-child which is rapturd to heaven, (2) the "REMAINDER" of her seed "that keep the commandments of God, and (3) the "REMAINDER" of her seed which has the Testimony of Jesus Christ. Notice the grammar. The sentence is streamlined, which we expect from a Master Author like the Holy Spirit, but it actually is correct to write it like this;

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and the remnant of her seed, which have the testimony of Jesus Christ

Grammatically, for elegance, we leave out the second "remnant of her seed", but it is implied. The word "and" is a conjunction. It does three things. It is cumulative - it adds a second subject (the bread AND the butter). It is copulative - it joins tow or more things (he ate bread and butter). And it is  sequential (he pulled the trigger and the gun fired). That means that THOSE which keep the commandments of God ARE A DIFFERENT COMPANY to those who "have the testimony of Jesus Christ". There are TWO groups of people revealed here. And the phrase "commandments of God" is used EXCLUSIVELY in the Old Testament to indicate the Law of Moses, and except fro a few exceptions, is so used in the New Testament. Notice - they are NOT the commandments of CHRIST.

Thus, we have in Revelation 12:17, and under the same circumstances, in Revelation 14:12, a group of people who keep the Law of Moses. Based on the evidence, the 144,000 of Revelation 7 are the Remnant promised in Romans 9 and 11, and serve the purpose of fulfilling Deuteronomy 30:1-5 - the NATIONAL RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.

Note;
They do not believe in Jesus. They are Israelites and remain blind till the end (Rom.11)
They do not preach any gospel
They can NOT be Believers because in the Church there are NO Jews (Israelites) (Gal.3:28, Col.3:11)
Their number is the number of God's people
Dan dos not have to be there if they are representative
They are sealed to avoid the judgement on Israel of "Jacob's Trouble"
The Seal protects them like God did in the siege of Jerusalem (Ezek.9:4-6)