Rev 7:4-8 Part 1B, Who are the 144-000

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Rev 7:4-8 – Part 1B, Who are the 144,000

[Study Aired June 9, 2024]

The multitudes who are “not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God’ are even now being deprived of gleaning any spiritual knowledge from outward words, outward physical healing and outward physical miracles. Even Christ’s miracles, like turning water into wine and feeding the multitudes, or even the physical raising from the dead which Christ performed on more than one occasion, are nothing more than a history lesson to those from whom is taken even what little spiritual understanding they once had. Such “carnal… babes” (1Co 3:1-4) can’t even discern that “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly.” We have all first lived for many years in our outward natural state without the benefit of spiritual eyes and spiritual ears, and for most of “the multitudes” who come to Christ, that outward understanding is the way this entire life will be lived. “I will bless them that bless you, and I will curse them that curse you” will always apply to outward Jews and outward circumcision.

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Christ and Paul were both so called ‘replacement theologians’ who both taught that ‘neither at Jerusalem nor at Samaria would anyone worship God because God is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in Truth’:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Paul taught the same so-called ‘replacement theology’ with these words:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Failure to understand and believe these words of Christ is why we see such humbling displays of spiritual blindness in theatrical religious productions such as the popular “Left Behind” series in which dramatic physical devastations and physical plagues upon the planet, and even physical fire coming out of the mouths of the two physical witnesses of Revelation 11, were portrayed. Truly “Even that [understanding] he hath shall be taken away from him.”

Luk 19:26  For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not [much spiritual understanding], even [what little] that he hath shall be taken away from him.
Luk 19:27  But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Luke 19:26  is just another way of saying “the flesh profits nothing.” Understanding God’s Words physically, profits nothing. That is the doctrine of Christ concerning how few are given spiritual understanding of the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” That is how few will ever really understand who these 144,000 firstfruit virgins are who follow Christ wherever He goes.

Whose are the Words of this Book?

Who happens to be the person who is “opening His mouth in parables” to give us this revelation of Jesus Christ? There is no need to speculate. This is:

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

There it is. This revelation is “the revelation of Jesus Christ… signified by His angel unto His servant John.” That being so; Christ being the author of this book, then this book, too, must be a book of signs and symbols, because:

Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

We will not at this point explain all the symbolism involved in the revelation of Jesus Christ, but here is a rather extreme example of how this book is written, and how it must be understood. That includes these “144,000 of all the tribes of Israel.” Just look at the symbolism of these verses in chapter 17.

Rev 17:7  And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Rev 17:9  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:10  And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

“The mind that has wisdom” is being told how to see and understand this mystery, this secret… “I will tell you the mystery…” To “the mind that has wisdom” these verses are perfectly clear. “The mind that has wisdom” understands clearly what all the symbols are which are involved when it reads that “the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits… and there are seven kings.”  Here we have a parable within a parable, and the mind that has wisdom can see clearly what is being said because “the time has come” that Christ is no longer speaking in a parable to those who are now “being shown plainly of the Father” the spiritual significance of each of these symbols. He is now “speaking to us [all] plainly,” if we have been granted “eyes that see and ears that hear… the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.”

Joh 16:25  These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. [“I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns” (Rev 17:7)].

When would “the time come” for Christ to show His disciples “plainly of the Father?” Was that to happen only after the resurrection? If so, then which resurrection? Apparently Christ was speaking of His physical resurrection and after the coming of the holy spirit on the day of Pentecost.  Spiritually He was speaking of the downpayment, “earnest of the spirit” form of being resurrected in Christ, because these are Christ’s own words:

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Christ’s yet unconverted disciples still could not comprehend how they “had seen Him” and said the same thing then that all of Christ’s yet unconverted disciples say to this very day.

Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

You and I have never seen the physical Christ, any more than Philip and the eleven other apostles had physically “seen the Father.” Until this very day, for most professing Christians, the ability to spiritually see the True Christ of scripture and to “hear His voice” is “not given.” Otherwise, any carnal mind could understand what ‘seven mountains’ are, and there would be no need in scripture for phrases like “whoso reads let him understand…let him that hath wisdom count…” and “here is the mind that hath wisdom…”

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Look at this verse in Matthew 13.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Those who are given to understand the parables of Christ understand the symbolism of each parable, and they understand that each parable means what it means and not what it says. If a parable meant what it said, then it would not be a ‘parable.’

To determine who the 144,000 “of all the tribes of Israel” are, we must remember what physical Israel itself symbolizes in scripture. Nevertheless the natural man within us all will still ask, if this is a spiritual group, then why is each individual tribe mentioned? In answer to that question, it is instructive to know that the spiritual significance of the number 12 is ‘foundational’ and ‘foundations.’

Ishmael had twelve princes as the foundation of all the nations which spring from him:

Gen 25:16  These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, also had twelve sons who became 12 foundational tribes of the physical nation of Israel:

Gen 49:28  All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

Why are “all the tribes of Israel” mentioned individually?

The reason why each tribe is mentioned individually is the same reason for any parable. It is designed to hide the true spiritual identity of these symbolic 144,000 “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). The mention of each tribe keeps the carnal mind focused on the physical 12 tribes of Israel. It is very instructive to notice that while the tribe of Dan is not listed in Revelation 7, The tribe of Manasseh is listed, but the far more populous tribe of Ephraim is not mentioned and is replaced with the phrase “the tribe of Joseph.” The message has nothing to do with the names of the tribes as much as the fact that ‘the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb’ come out of every nation and tongue of mankind and are the very foundation upon which the entire family of God is built.

Could it possibly be that the fact that the tribes are listed individually means that the real Jew has to be descended ‘outwardly’ from Abraham before he can be one of these “12,000 firstfruits from all the [outward] tribes of Israel?” How irresistibly tempting it is for the natural man to revert to such reasoning. How quickly we all tend to forget that Paul has just told us that “they which are the [outward] children of the flesh, these are NOT the children of God, but the children of promise are counted for the seed?:

Rom 9:7  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Has not Ephesians 2:11-14 answered this question once and for all? Does not Ephesians 2 explain to us that being of Israel, and being of the entire commonwealth of all the 12 tribes of Israel, is now all a matter of spiritually being “in Christ?” Does not Ephesians 2, to this very day, explain to us that the true spiritual “commonwealth of Israel” now consists of both Jews and Gentiles who are “both… in Christ?” Does not Ephesians 2 tell us that Gentiles “in Christ” are no longer Gentiles? Let’s read those verses again, and if ever you tend to forget this, then go back and read them again.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

“Who hath made both one…” The word ‘both’ refers to those who “were in times past Gentiles,” and “that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands.” The word ‘both’ refers to “the commonwealth of Israel” and “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.” What is God doing with these two groups according to the pen of the spirit here?

Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

God is not making ‘of twain two new men.’ He is “making of twain ONE new man.” So much for the false ‘two administrations’ doctrine which is based upon a misunderstanding of the events of Acts 15 and the fact that all the events of Acts 15-Acts 21 were “the time of reformation”, during which the Jewish Christians were indeed temporarily retained under the law of Moses while the Gentiles were not.

Christ’s life in the flesh demonstrated for us that the days, months, times and years of Judaism, the priesthood of Judaism, the animal sacrifices of Judaism and the letter of the laws of Judaism, were all a wall of enmity which is now “abolished in His flesh” and in the example He has left for us to follow. Now we Gentiles are no longer Gentiles but part of the very commonwealth of the twelve tribes of Israel, and those who are “called circumcision” are now no more than Gentiles if they are not “in Christ Jesus.”

Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off [Gentiles], and to them that were nigh [Jews].
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners [From the commonwealth of Israel], but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Now Biblically, in Christ the Gentiles who are “His inheritance” (Eph 1:18) are a part of the 12-tribe commonwealth of Israel. Ephesians 2 means what it states when Paul says “that at one time [in the PAST] we WERE Gentiles in the flesh, who are CALLED uncircumcision by that which is CALLED the circumcision IN THE FLESH made by hands.” (Eph 2:11). “He IS NOT A JEW which is one outwardly” (Rom 2:28-29), cannot be twisted to mean that ‘outward Jews are now God’s physical chosen people’, as the whole world wants us to believe. That is a lie because the holy spirit clarifies and qualifies that statement in Romans 2:28-29 to mean that “He is making of twain one new man…” (Eph 2:15). This is The Truth and let “every man be a liar” (Rom 3:4):

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new manso making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

The Lord is not making twain of twain. He has but “one body.” He is not “divided” into a Jewish body and a Gentile body. Yes, it is true, as Acts 15 demonstrates, that for decades after the day of Pentecost, the Jewish Christians continued to observe the law of Moses. Here is the reason they did that, and as you read these words realize that the Lord spoke these words to His apostles on the very night He was apprehended to be crucified:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Christ’s “one body” will not call “circumcision in the flesh, made by hands” a spiritual Jew nor a spiritual Israelite. Rather, His ‘one body’ will always declare the Truth, which is… “he is NOT a Jew which is one outwardly, and circumcision is [now spiritually only] of the heart, in the spirit.” Paul repeats this same doctrine when writing to the Philippians:

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision [Gentile Philippians], which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Who is ‘the true circumcision?’ Who is ‘the true Jew?’ Who are ‘the true children of God?’ Who is ‘the commonwealth of Israel?’ There can be no doubt. According to the scriptures, they are only those “which worship God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Let’s look at the verses of scripture which demonstrate who these 144,000… Virgins…are which follow the Lamb… being firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb (Rev 14:4).

As we pointed out at the beginning of this study, the 144,000 are mentioned once again in the book of Revelation in chapter 14. Here we read:

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Surely the Gentiles converts are never called virgins, are they? The answer to that question just happens to be, “Yes.” They are called virgins in 2 Corinthians 11.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

John tells us of this 144,000 “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth…” Do Gentiles in Christ follow Christ wherever He goes? Yes, Gentile converts are followers of Christ “wherever He goes.”

1Co 11:1  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am [a follower] of Christ.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after[Christ], if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

1Th 1:6  And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

1Th 2:14  For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

Finally, it is said of these 144,000 “of all the tribes of the children of Israel,” [that] “these were redeemed from among men being the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and to the Lamb” (Rev 14:4). Yes, once again Paul tells us that Gentile Roman converts of Christ, “ourselves also… have the firstfruits of the Spirit.”

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

There is but one “firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”. There are not Roman, Gentile ‘firstfruits’ and a separate Jewish ‘firstfruit.’ The naming of the twelve thousand from each tribe is simply symbolic of the foundational function of these ‘blessed and holy… firstfruits’ (Rev 20:6).

James, who was well aware of these truths, despite what Martin Luther or any of our modern purveyors of that false ‘two administrations’ doctrine might say, tells us this:

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James was one of the apostles who heard Peter say these words:

Act 15:5  But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them [the Gentiles] to keep the law of Moses.
Act 15:6  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Act 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, EVEN AS THEY.

In spite of all men’s doctrines to the contrary, Peter was brought to believe that “we [Jews] shall be saved even as they [the Gentiles].” So when James addressed his epistle “to the twelve tribes scattered aboad”, James knew what he meant by that, whether we know that Christ “has made of twain, one new man” or not.

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Those in Christ, are until this very day “scattered abroad.” Nevertheless, all who are “in Christ” are still to this very day “the commonwealth of Israel.”

Summary

Let’s review what we have seen in the scriptures today.

1) As always we reminded ourselves that these words are not words which man’s wisdom teaches, but they are words which the holy spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

2) We saw a few of the many verses which demonstrate who it is who now, in Christ, constitutes a true Biblical ‘Jew’.

3) We saw the scriptures which show us who is now considered by God to be the true circumcised Israelite, and we saw that Paul considered himself, as a physical Benjamite, to be a spiritual Jew and a spiritual Israelite, and that he considered his physical heritage from Abraham to be nothing more than dung.

4) We saw that the listing of the names of the 12 tribes serves to draw the attention of the carnal mind to the carnal, physical nation of Israel and away from the fact that being “in Abraham” and bring in “the commonwealth of Israel” are no longer a matter of physical pedigree, but ‘Israel’ is now a spiritual commonwealth consisting of both physical Jews and Gentiles who are “in Christ.”

5) We saw that Romans 9:8 and Ephesians 2 reveal in great detail that the only requirement for being “counted for the seed of Abraham” is that we must simply be “in Christ Jesus.”

6) We considered whether the first two verses of Romans 3 contradict the last two verses of Romans 2, and we saw that Paul was simply explaining in the first two verses of Romans 3 that the advantages of being a circumcised spiritual Jew are the only advantages that matter. Both being circumcised and being Jewish are now “of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter.”

7) We saw that Paul’s doctrine concerning the transfer of all of the blessings of physical Israel to a new spiritual “Israel of God” is in complete accord with Christ’s own doctrine, as He Himself revealed it to the Samaritan woman at the well.

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the [spiritual] Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

8) We saw that it is through Christ’s symbolic spiritual words that “even [what] they have” is taken away from them” refers to those who are “not given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.”

9) Finally, we took note that “without a parable” Christ never spoke to the multitudes, and we applied that verse to this present study concerning who these 144,000 firstfruit virgins are who follow Christ wherever He goes.

There is much more we need to discuss concerning these firstfruit, virgin 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. We need to know why they are enumerated as they are with 12,000 being from each tribe. We need to consider why the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not even mentioned. We also need to know which of the promises made to Abraham apply to these spiritual 144,000, of all the tribes of Israel, and finally we need to know exactly when the scriptures actually teach that all of physical Israel will be saved. Lord willing, we will cover all of those questions and more, in our next study.

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