The 144,000 and the Great Multitude
In Revelation 7 we read about the 144,000. These are 12,000 Israelites from each of the 12 tribes. Verse 3 tells us that they are sealed (i.e., protected) from harm during the trumpet judgments, and they may well be protected during the cup judgments as well.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 7
1 After these things I saw four messengers standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another messenger ascending from the east, having the seal of the living Elohim. And he cried with a loud voice to the four messengers to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our Elohim on their foreheads."
4 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:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
The text does not mention Dan, or Ephraim. Rather, it mentions only Manasseh and Joseph. This is strange, as Joseph contains both Manasseh and Ephraim; and so Manasseh is basically mentioned twice, while Ephraim is not mentioned at all. Scholars speculate as to why Dan and Ephraim are not included in the list (as well as why Manasseh is included twice), but we are never really told why. [In Nazarene Israel we identify America with Ephraim, England with Manasseh, and Dan with Germany.]
We also read about a great multitude which no one can number, coming from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. Verse 14 tells us these “come out of the great tribulation.” This may mean they die in the tribulation, which would be in keeping with what we learned at the fifth seal, which is that more of us have to die before the blood of the martyrs can be avenged.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 6:9-11
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of Elohim and for the testimony which they held.
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Yahweh, Qodesh and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Verse 15 tells us the multitude will be before Elohim’s throne, and verses 16 and 17 seem to speak of life either in the throne room, or in the new earth. Both of these things seem to indicate that they have died.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our Elohim who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
11 All the messengers stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped Elohim,
12 saying: "Amein! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our Elohim forever and ever. Amein."
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"
14 And I said to him, "Adoni, you know."
So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore they are before the throne of Elohim, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And Elohim will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
That many die in the great tribulation is consistent with Matthew 24, where Yeshua tells us that unless Yahweh shortens the tribulation, no flesh will be saved.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 24:21-22
21 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.”
That a great many die seems consistent with passages such as Isaiah 13, which prophecy near-complete destruction His land.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 13:9-14
9 Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11 "I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of Yahweh of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.
14 It shall be as the hunted gazelle, and as a sheep that no man takes up; every man will turn to his own people, and everyone will flee to his own land.
In other studies we show that prophecy focuses mainly on Israel (and the land of Israel), and later we will see that the tribulation may be far more intense in the land of Israel, than in other parts of the world. This also makes sense from a geopolitical perspective, as Israel is surrounded by hostile armies. While we will see that America will also “be punished,” she may not be “wiped out” until after the second exodus is complete.
If Yeshua tells us that the tribulation will be shortened for “the elect’s sake,” then it seems likely that the 144,000 represent at least part of the “elect.” We are not told why Yahweh chooses them, but they may be selected to provide “spiritual leadership” through the second exodus (and into the millennium).
The 144,000 show up again in Revelation 14, where we are told they are “virgins.” This may mean they have not committed idolatry (which is spiritual adultery). This might refer to our next generation, which has always believed in Yeshua, and kept Torah.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 14:1-5
1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.
3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to Elohim and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of Elohim.
It is often said that prophecies are not given to us so we can know exactly how things will go ahead of time; rather, they are given to us only so that when the things that have been prophesied come to pass it will serve as a confirmation of our faith. The same applies to visions, except that while the interpretation of prophesies can be a little difficult, visions can be downright mysterious. For example, verse 1 tells us a “Lamb” will stand on Mount Zion, with the 144,000. If Yeshua is the “Lamb,” then if He stands on Mount Zion on earth, then how do we explain that in verse 3 we are told that the 144,000 sing a new song before the throne?
There are many different ways we can interpret this passage. One is that Yeshua and the 144,000 are standing on Mount Zion here on earth, and they are simply being given credit for “singing a new song” before the throne (in heaven). Another interpretation is that the earth is simply a shadow of heaven, and so we are looking at what might be called (for lack of a better term) a “parallel reality.” There are many other ways we could interpret this passage, and traditional scholarship does not agree on how to interpret it.
It is exciting, however, to see the next generation of our children growing up, never having known anything other than Yeshua and Torah. If they follow Yeshua wherever He leads them, they could be part of this 144,000.
Next we will talk about the seal 7, which introduces the trumpet judgments.