Who are the 144,000 in Revelation?
This article is post number seven in our series on Revelation. If you’ve been following along, you know that number is highly symbolic in Revelation! I’ve included links to the first six articles for your convenience:
2. The Literary Genre of Revelation
3. The Glorious Son of Man in Revelation 1
4. The Seven Churches in Revelation
6. Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls Oh My!
This article will take a look at the 144,000 mentioned in both Revelation 7 and 14.
What Have Others Said?
So who are the 144,000? After all, much speculation surrounds their identity. Before giving you what I think is the right explanation, allow me to share two other popular views. The first view is heretical, while the second is held by faithful, bible-believing Christians.
First, Jehovah Witnesses teach that the 144,000 refer to a select group of those who are saved. Specifically, they are the anointed ones who will ascend into heaven in spiritual form and serve God and Christ forever. While most of the redeemed will experience eternal life on a restored earth, only the 144,000 receive access to God’s eternal throne room.
A second view, held by Bible-believing Christians, is that the 144,000 refer to ethnic Jews who convert to Christianity during the end-time tribulation. Those who hold this view typically believe that the church is raptured out of the world before the tribulation begins. These 144,000 Jews, then, evangelize the rest of the world until the end of the tribulation period.
While only one of these views is heretical, neither view is convincing. Allow me to explain.
The Seal on the 144,000’s Foreheads
In Revelation 7, we read that four angels hold back God’s end-time judgment until the 144,000 receive a seal on their foreheads. This seal will protect them from final judgment—a judgment mentioned right before this text (Rev 6). Therefore, before the angels unleash God’s fury on the world, they must seal up the 144,000 for protection.
Similarly, in Revelation 14, we read that the 144,000 have the name of the Father and the Lamb written on their foreheads.
Now the seals on their foreheads aren’t literal. They symbolize those who belong to God and receive his protection. We find similar imagery in Ezekiel 9 where before God judges Jerusalem for their rebellion, the righteous inside the city receive a mark on their foreheads which protects them from the judgment. It should be noted that the mark in Ezekiel 9 wasn’t literal either.
In Revelation, those who receive the seal on the forehead are contrasted with those who receive the mark of the beast on their foreheads (Rev 14:9; 20:4). These respective marks symbolize allegiance and identity. Those with the mark of the beast have given their allegiance to and identify with the beast. Those with God’s seal give their allegiance to and identify with him.
The Identity of the 144,000
I think a good case can be made, then, that the 144,000 represent all of God’s redeemed under both old and new covenants. Why do I think that? In keeping with the book of Revelation, allow me to give you seven reasons why.
Marks on their Foreheads
First, throughout Revelation, God writes his name on the foreheads of all the saints, not just a select group of saints. Consider Revelation 3:12 which notes, “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God.” Or consider Revelation 22:4. When speaking of the redeemed in the New Heavens and New Earth, John writes, “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” Both of these texts indicates that those who have God’s name on their foreheads are the people of God in toto, not just a select group within the community of God.
They Worship around the Throne
Second, the 144,000’s worship looks just like the all the saints’ worship. In Revelation 14:3 we read of the 144,000 that “they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.” Yet elsewhere we read of the entire heavenly choir: “And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe, and language, and people and nation (Rev 5:9). In short, the 144,000 appear to be worshipping in the same way as all the saints in other passages.
They’re God’s Servants
Third, Revelation 7:3 calls the 144,000 “servants of our God.” That said, God’s servants throughout the book of Revelation always refers to the complete people of God, not just 144,000 Jews. Revelation 1:1 begins with “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” Is the book of Revelation only for the 144,000, or all of God’s people?
Or what about Revelation 19:4 where there is great rejoicing in heaven saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, great and small.” Therefore, it’s not just the 144,000 who are to praise God, it’s anyone who fears the Lord (e.g., believers).
They’re the Redeemed
Revelation 14:3 declares that the 144,000 “have been redeemed from mankind” Perhaps another of saying it is that they had been “ransomed.” Either way, a payment was made for them. They were purchased by the Lamb’s blood. Yet as the heavenly choir proclaims of the Lamb, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev 5:9). You see, Jesus didn’t only redeem 144,000 Jews, he redeemed countless people from all across the globe.
They are Virgins who have not Defiled Themselves
In Revelation 14:4, John notes that the 144,000 “had not defiled themselves with women, for they were virgins.” This imagery should not be taken literally. After all, Scripture no where praises virginity. In fact, Paul condemns deceitful, demonic teachers “who forbid marriage” (1 Tim 4:3). And elsewhere, Paul commands married couples to consummate their marriages (1 Cor 7). Therefore, this imagery cannot refer to literal Jews who avoided sex of any kind.
Rather, I think it’s better to understand this metaphorically. It’s much like what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:2 when he wished to present the church “as a pure virgin to Christ.” Paul seems to be alluding to the several OT references where Israel was accused of spiritual harlotry by whoring after other gods (Jer 3:8-9; Hos 1-3).
The point Revelation 14:4 is making is that these people are the ones who have remained faithful to Christ. They have not chased after other gods by committing spiritual adultery. These are the one who wear white garments, demonstrating their righteous standing before God. And as we see several times throughout revelation, it’s the entire redeemed community who is clothed in white robes, not just a select group of 144,000 (Rev 3:4, 5, 18; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 19:14).
He Heard . . . Then he Saw
Biblical scholar Tom Schreiner points out in his commentary that chapter 7 follows a similar pattern to chapter 5. For in chapter 5, John hears about a Lion, but when he looks, he sees a Lamb. Both the Lion and the Lamb are referring to the same entity.
In similar fashion, in chapter 14, John hears about the 144,000, but when he looks, he sees “a great multitude no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9). If chapter 7 follows the same pattern as chapter 5, then the 144,000 and the great multitude are also referring to the same entity.
And the scene of this great multitude in Revelation 7 is one that mirrors the New Heavens and New Earth. We read that “they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore . . . and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes”—all of which echoes language from the New Heavens and New Earth (Rev 21:3-4). It goes without saying, those who experience the eternal blessings of the New Heavens and New Earth are not a limited group of 144,000 people, but all the saints.
Not the Twelve Tribes
Perhaps the strongest argument against my view is that John says the 144,000 consists of 12,000 people from twelve tribes of Israel. Be that as it may, I don’t think we should take this literally. As I’ve mentioned several times throughout this series, numbers are highly symbolic in Revelation. Here we have 12 x 12 x 1,000 = 144,000. The number twelve represents the complete people of God (tribes of Israel and apostles of Jesus). The number 1,000 is used elsewhere throughout Revelation to generically refer to a great number (Rev 9:16; 11:13; 20:2). I think it’s best to conclude that this number symbolically conveys the complete people of God from both the Old and New Covenants.
Also, a brief glance at the tribe list shows that the list is a little off. That is to say, it’s a list that’s not used anywhere else in Scripture. What’s odd about it is that John gives the names of the twelve sons of Jacob minus Dan. Instead of Dan, he lists Manasseh (Joseph’s son). Scholars speculate why he did this. Perhaps the best explanation is that the tribe of Dan committed great evil in its day (Judges 18; 1 Kings 12:28-30). And this doesn’t surprise since his father Jacob prophesied that “Dan shall be a serpent in the way” (Gen 49:17). If this explanation is right, then the reason for leaving Dan out is to signify the purity of this group. The redeemed are pure (wearing white robes), unlike the tribe of Dan.
Finally, the list places Judah at the top even though he was the fourth born. Why would he do this? It’s because Judah is where Jesus was from. He’s the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5). This top location suggests that the entire list means to convey those who belong to Jesus.
So What?
So why does this matter? It matters because it’s only the ones who are sealed by God who will be saved. It’s only the ones who have his name written on their foreheads who will be protected from judgment. Scripture is clear that faith and repentance are the marks of a true believer. Those are the ones who bear the spiritual mark of God on their foreheads.
