Artwork Used By Permission © Pat Marvenko Smith

1 AFTER THIS I saw four angels stationed at the four corners of the earth, firmly holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow on the earth or sea or upon any tree. 2 Then I saw a second angel coming up from the east (the rising of the sun) and carrying the seal of the living God. And with a loud voice he called out to the four angels who had been given authority and power to injure earth and sea, 3 Saying, Harm neither the earth nor the sea nor the trees, until we have sealed the bond servants of our God upon their foreheads. 4 And [then] I heard how many were sealed (marked) out of every tribe of the sons of Israel: there were 144,000. 5 Twelve thousand were sealed (marked) out of the tribe of Judah, 12,000 of the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 of the tribe of Gad, 6 Twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, 12,000 of the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 of the tribe of Manasseh, 7 Twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 of the tribe of Levi, 12,000 of the tribe of Issachar, 8 Twelve thousand of the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 of the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 of the tribe of Benjamin. 9After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10 In loud voice they cried, saying, [Our] salvation is due to our God, Who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [to Them we owe our deliverance]! 11 And all the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] and the four living creatures, and they fell prostrate before the throne and worshiped God. 12 Amen! (So be it!) they cried. Blessing and glory and majesty and splendor and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might [be ascribed] to our God to the ages and ages (forever and ever, throughout the eternities of the eternities)! Amen! (So be it!) 13 Then, addressing me, one of the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said, Who are these [people] clothed in the long white robes? And from where have they come? 14 I replied, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they who have come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are [now] before the [very] throne of God and serve Him day and night in His sanctuary (temple); and He Who is sitting upon the throne will protect and spread His tabernacle over and shelter them with His presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun smite them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:1-17 Amplified Bible

The vision described in this portion of Scripture is given to the Apostle John as he is receiving the vision pertaining to events that have to do with the opening of the sixth seal. And in this vision he sees a group of people (the Believer's that are alive at the time) being divided into two groups:

1. the 144000 (verses 1-8)
2. and the great multitude of people that will go through the Great Tribultion period (verses 9-17)

So who are these two groups of people? And who are the 144,000 that are sealed?

In understanding who the 144000 are, we need to begin by understanding the word "sealed", the word "sealed" comes from the Greek word, "sphragizo" which means, "to stamp for security or preservation", and is derived from the root word, "sphragis" meaning, "a signet, as in fencing in or protecting from misappropriation" and by implication means, "a mark of genuiness". Therefore, those that are "sealed" are those that are deemed genuine and are fenced in or protected from misappropriation and are done so for their security and preservation. And in this vision the Apostle John tells us that he "heard" the "number" of those that were sealed,

4 And [then] I heard how many were sealed (marked) out of every tribe of the sons of Israel: there were 144,000.

The King James Version actually uses the word "number" in place of the phrase, "how many were",

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

So let's take a quick look at these two words, "heard" and "number" as they come out in the original Greek, the word "heard" comes from the Greek word, "akouo" which means "to hear; in the sense of coming to understand" and the word number comes from the Greek word, "arithmos" meaning, "a number; as in reckoned up", this word is specifically derived from the word, "airo" which when properly translated means, "to lift up, to take up, or catch away, with the implication of raising with the voice." Now we can safely take the Greek definitions of these words and insert them into the Scripture in order to gain a clearer understanding of what is actually being said, so let's do that, and when we do the Scripture verse actually reads like this: "And I heard (or came to understand) the number (to be reckoned up, lifted up or caught away) of them which were sealed (fenced in for protection and stamped as genuine): and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of Israel.

4 And I heard (or akuou-came to understand) the number (or arithmos-to be reckoned up, derived from airo-to be lifted up, taken up, caught away) of them which were sealed (or sphragizo-stamped for security or preservation and sphragis meaning, "a signet, as in fencing in or protecting from misappropriation" and by implication means, "a mark of genuiness"): and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Therefore, we can plainly see that the 144,000 are those that receive a "seal" because they are genuine and because they are to be protected or fenced in from being misappropriated, and they are those that are "numbered" to be lifted up, taken up and caught away or in other words "raptured". Well this being the case there seems to be quite a dilemma if these 144,000 actually come out of the nation of Israel and are Jewish by birthright and blood line. Why the dilemma? The dilemma lies in the mystery that the Apostle Paul told us that he did not want us to miss, and that is that the eyes of the nation of Israel are closed to the Truth of the Gospel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes into the kingdom of God.

25 Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in,

Now, if these 144000 that are sealed come from the birth right of the nation Israel and the bloodline of those that are Jewish that would be a direct contradiction to this mystery that Paul did not want us to miss because in this vision that John receives he sees a great multitude that come into the kingdom of God after enduring the Great Tribulation period and this great multitude come out of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, or in other words the great multitude that comes out of the Great Tribulation include the Gentiles!

9 After this I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out] of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10 In loud voice they cried, saying, [Our] salvation is due to our God, Who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [to Them we owe our deliverance]! 11 And all the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] and the four living creatures, and they fell prostrate before the throne and worshiped God. 12 Amen! (So be it!) they cried. Blessing and glory and majesty and splendor and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might [be ascribed] to our God to the ages and ages (forever and ever, throughout the eternities of the eternities)! Amen! (So be it!) 13 Then, addressing me, one of the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said, Who are these [people] clothed in the long white robes? And from where have they come? 14 I replied, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they who have come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are [now] before the [very] throne of God and serve Him day and night in His sanctuary (temple); and He Who is sitting upon the throne will protect and spread His tabernacle over and shelter them with His presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun smite them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

So now we need to ask ourselves who is the true Israel?

The True Israel by Promise

So who is the true Israel that the 144000 come out of? To answer this question we simply need to turn to Paul's explanation in Romans chapter nine and he says, "For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel."

6 However, it is not as though God's Word had failed [coming to nothing]. For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel. 7 And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [the promise was] Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son].

What Paul is talking about is the Promise and he goes on to say, "it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham's true] descendants."

8 That is to say, it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham's true] descendants.

Now the Promise was this (and we are going to read through the full context of what Paul is saying):

2 That I have bitter grief and incessant anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off and banished from Christ for the sake of my brethren and instead of them, my natural kinsmen and my fellow countrymen. 4 For they are Israelites, and to them belong God's adoption [as a nation] and the glorious Presence (Shekinah). With them were the special covenants made, to them was the Law given. To them [the temple] worship was revealed and [God's own] promises announced. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and as far as His natural descent was concerned, from them is the Christ, Who is exalted and supreme over all, God, blessed forever! Amen (so let it be). 6 However, it is not as though God's Word had failed [coming to nothing]. For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel. 7 And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [the promise was] Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son]. 8 That is to say, it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham's true] descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said, About this time [next year] will I return and Sarah shall have a son. 10 And not only that, but this too: Rebecca conceived [two sons under exactly the same circumstances] by our forefather Isaac, 11 And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them], 12 It was said to her that the elder [son] should serve the younger [son]. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in [a]relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). 14 What shall we conclude then? Is there injustice upon God's part? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then [God's gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy. [It depends not on one's own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God's having mercy on him.] 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you, so that My name may be proclaimed the whole world over. 18 So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills. 19 You will say to me, Why then does He still find fault and blame us [for sinning]? For who can resist and withstand His will? 20 But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use? 22 What if God, although fully intending to show [the awfulness of] His wrath and to make known His power and authority, has tolerated with much patience the vessels (objects) of [His] anger which are ripe for destruction? 23 And [what if] He thus purposes to make known and show the wealth of His glory in [dealing with] the vessels (objects) of His mercy which He has prepared beforehand for glory, 24 Even including ourselves whom He has called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles (heathen)? 25 Just as He says in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved [I will call] My beloved. 26And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the living God. 27 And Isaiah calls out (solemnly cries aloud) over Israel: Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant (a small part of them) will be saved [from perdition, condemnation, judgment]! 28 For the Lord will execute His sentence upon the earth [He will conclude and close His account with men completely and without delay], rigorously cutting it short in His justice. 29 It is as Isaiah predicted, If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed [from which to propagate descendants], we [Israel] would have fared like Sodom and have been made like Gomorrah. 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not follow after righteousness [who did not seek salvation by right relationship to God] have attained it by faith [a righteousness imputed by God, based on and produced by faith], 31 Whereas Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law [for the securing] of righteousness (right standing with God), actually did not succeed in fulfilling the Law. 32For what reason? Because [they pursued it] not through faith, relying [instead] on the merit of their works [they did not depend on faith but on what they could do]. They have stumbled over the Stumbling Stone. 33As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations.

So then those who belong to the true Israel are not those that are of the bloodline of Abraham, but those descendants that are called and counted through the line of Isaac, that is to say, it is not the children of the body of Abraham who are God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the Promise applies that shall be counted as Abraham's true descendants. For this is what the the promise said, "About this time next year will I return and Sarah shall have a son. And not only that, but this too: Rebecca conceived two sons under exactly the same circumstances by our forefather Isaac, and the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls them, it was said to her that the elder son should serve the younger son. As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau Have I hated.

For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel. 7 And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [the promise was] Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son]. 8 That is to say, it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham's true] descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said, About this time [next year] will I return and Sarah shall have a son. 10 And not only that, but this too: Rebecca conceived [two sons under exactly the same circumstances] by our forefather Isaac, 11 And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them], 12 It was said to her that the elder [son] should serve the younger [son]. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). 14 What shall we conclude then? Is there injustice upon God's part? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then [God's gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy. [It depends not on one's own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God's having mercy on him.]

What happened was this, when Israel crossed into the Promised land, Joshua commanded the Israelites to carry twelve stones representing the twelve tribes to be carried across with them,

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." 8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

So twelve men were appointed from among the Israelites, one from each tribe and they were commanded to "Go over into the Promise land before the ark of the Lord," and as they are crossing into the middle of the Jordan, each was commanded to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites to serve as a sign among us, and those stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel were carried into the Promised land and these stones were to be a memorial forever. In other words, forever it would stand as a memorial that the twelve tribes who reside in the Promised Land or quite simply belong to those who dwell in the place of Promise!

Therefore, when Jesus commissioned His twelve He said to them that they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And as My Father has appointed a kingdom and conferred it on Me, so do I confer on you [the privilege and decree], 30 That you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

To understand what Jesus meant when He told them that they would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel we need to look at the two words, "judging" and "throne". The word "throne" comes from the Greek word, "thronos" which is derived from the word, "thrao" and by implication means, "power, as in the power of a potentate or monarch." The word, "judging" comes from the Greek word, "krino" which means, "to properly distinguish or decide." So what Jesus was saying to the Twelve when He conferred upon them the Father's kingdom was, "I have conferred upon you (the privelege and decree) to sit upon thrones (or positions of power in order to act as a monarch for the purpose of properly distinguishing and deciding who the twelve tribes of Israel are!" The power or position of power to distinguish and decide who the twelve tribes of Israel would be was to be found in the message of the Gospel entrusted to the Twelve! For it was by and through the message of the Gospel that the nation of Israel actually became enemies of God.

28 From the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they [the Jews, at present] are enemies [of God], which is for your advantage and benefit. But from the point of view of God's choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.

Therefore, the true Israel are those that are of the offspring of the Promise which is obtained through the Gospel.

17 This is my argument: The Law, which began 430 years after the covenant [concerning the coming Messiah], does not and cannot annul the covenant previously established (ratified) by God, so as to abolish the promise and make it void. 18 For if the inheritance [of the promise depends on observing] the Law [as these false teachers would like you to believe], it no longer [depends] on the promise; however, God gave it to Abraham [as a free gift solely] by virtue of His promise. 19 What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of transgressions and [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it [the Law] was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between God and man]. 20Now a go-between (intermediary) has to do with and implies more than one party [there can be no mediator with just one person]. Yet God is [only] one Person [and He was the sole party in giving that promise to Abraham. But the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity was dependent on both]. 21 Is the Law then contrary and opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer [spiritual] life, then righteousness and right standing with God would certainly have come by Law. 22 But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].

So then it is by faith in and through Christ the Messiah that the inheritance and the blessings of the Promise given to Abraham is obtained and the possession of the inheritance of the twelve tribes was transferred to the offspring of the Promise by the stones carried across the Jordan and the power to properly decide and distinguish (or judge) the twelve tribes of Israel conferred upon the Twelve by Jesus. Therefore, James addresses the Church as being the twelve tribes of Israel that are scattered among the Gentiles!

1 JAMES, A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad [among the Gentiles in the dispersion]: Greetings (rejoice)!