One of the intriguing mysteries of the book of Revelation is the identity of the 144,000 in chapters 7 and 14. In this prophecy, an angel announces that certain servants of God will be sealed on their foreheads, a sign of protection against the judgments being poured out in the Tribulation period (7:3). The apostle John writes of these servants, “And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed” (v. 4).
How should we understand this verse?
The Literal Understanding: Children of Israel
The simplest and best interpretation is to take the Bible literally at face value. We must address two elements with this prophecy: 1) labeling those servants as the “children of Israel” and 2) the meaning of the number 144,000. Following the literal understanding, exactly 144,000 Jewish people have been set aside for a particular purpose during the Tribulation. The phrase children of Israel points to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The text identifies this group even more clearly in the following verses (vv. 5–8), mentioning 12 Hebrew tribes specifically by name. Later, in Revelation 14:1, the reference to Mount Zion again points to these people’s Hebrew heritage. Thus, the Jewishness of the designation could not be established more strongly.
Following the literal understanding, exactly 144,000 Jewish people have been set aside for a particular purpose during the Tribulation.
We should take the number 144,000 at face value. In fact, contrary to some commentators’ understanding, we should understand the vast majority of numbers in the book of Revelation literally. For example, there are precisely seven churches in Asia Minor (1:4, 11; chaps. 2—3). In addition, there are exactly seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowl judgments (chaps. 6—19). It is true that the terms seals, trumpets, and bowls are figurative. It is also true that the descriptions of the judgments being poured out in Revelation 6—19 are often symbolic or figurative (for example, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse in chapter 6).
However, it is untrue that the numbers are nonliteral. John lists a series of seven judgments called seal judgments. This holds for the seven trumpet judgments and seven bowl judgments. Another example is the use of the number three in a literal sense in 16:13. In this verse, “three unclean spirits like frogs” appear. While the term frogs is symbolic, the text identifies these three as evil spirits associated with the Dragon (Satan), the Beast (Antichrist), and the False Prophet (vv. 13–14). The number three refers literally to three personages. There are many more references, but these are sufficient to highlight the overwhelming use of literal numbers in Revelation. So, we have no valid reason to take the number 144,000 nonliterally.
The Problem With Symbolic Interpretation
Despite this evidence, many reject the understanding that the 144,000 refer to those in Israel during the Tribulation. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses view the 144,000 as a reference not to Jewish people but to God’s people, which in their cult interpretation means themselves. They sometimes suggest the 144,000 cannot refer to those in Israel because the list of tribes differs from the normal list. In particular, the tribe of Dan is missing in Revelation 7:5–8, while Joseph and his son Manasseh are both listed.
The problem with this argument is that the Bible gives different lists of the tribes in various passages. Genesis 49 gives the list of the original 12 sons of Israel (see also Numbers 1:1–17, 47). The Millennial vision in Ezekiel includes both of Joseph’s sons—Manasseh and Ephraim—in place of Joseph, listing 13 total tribes (Ezekiel 48:1–29). Although we do not know why the tribe of Dan is missing in the Revelation 7 list, this problem does not suggest abandoning literal interpretation. The text tells us who the 144,000 are: members of the tribes of Israel listed in the passage.
These nonliteral understandings of the 144,000 reflect traditional Replacement Theology in which the church replaces Israel in God’s plan for history, leaving Israel without a national future.
Unfortunately, some Bible-believing, born-again Christians take a nonliteral view of the 144,000 and the 12 tribes. Not only is the divergent list sometimes referenced, but the large number of symbols and figures of speech in Revelation lead interpreters to assume that 144,000 is a number that simply speaks of completion. They believe the number references an indefinite amount of God’s people in the church.
However, as shown above, we should not consider the numbers in Revelation figurative or symbolic. These nonliteral understandings of the 144,000 reflect traditional Replacement Theology in which the church replaces Israel in God’s plan for history, leaving Israel without a national future. The text says that these 144,000 protected servants come from 12 tribes of Israel. This is evidence that God has a future for the Jewish people. The apostle Paul taught that one day all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26–29). In the end, the Jewish people will come to their Messiah, Jesus, who was pierced for them (Zechariah 12—14). There is absolutely no good reason to reject a literal interpretation of the 144,000 in the book of Revelation.
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