Who are the 144,000 in the book of Revelation? The Bible gives us a description of who will stand when Jesus come back. Join Pastor Mark Finley as he studies from the Bible this commonly misunderstood topic.

<p>Who are the 144,000 in the book of Revelation? The Bible gives us a description of who will stand when Jesus come back. Join Pastor Mark Finley as he studies from the Bible this commonly misunderstood topic.</p>

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HopeLives365

Mark Finley

144,000: Who Will Stand When Jesus Comes Back?

The question of the 144, 000 has perplexed men and women down through the centuries.

Many students of the Bible, pastors and theologians have been confused by that subject.

They've attempted to answer it in different ways.

Some people believe that the 144, 000 are 144, 000 Jews that go out to preach the gospel during the time of the tribulation.

Now you might be thinking, well isn't that true?

Well we're going to study from scripture to find out what is true.

Let's cast off all man-made ideas and go directly to the Bible.

Let's throw off our preconceived ideas, let's cast off all man-made ideas and go directly to the Bible.

Now in the Bible the 144, 000 are mentioned in 2 places, Revelation chapter 7 and Revelation chapter 14.

The seventh chapter of the book of Revelation is an answer to a question that is raised in Revelation chapter 6.

In Revelation chapter 6 the Bible is talking about the 7 seals and it interrupts those seals with a question in Revelation 6 verse 17.

It says, For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?

Now you'd expect the answer to that question, who shall be able to stand, to be given in the next chapter.

So Revelation chapter 7 that mentions the 144, 000 is the answer to the question who shall be able to stand?

Who will stand in the day when Jesus Christ comes?

Who will stand in the day when the heavens are illuminated with his glory?

Who will stand in the day when lightning flashes from the east and to the west and Christ comes with 10, 000 times 10, 000 angels?

The answer is given in Revelation 7 verse 1.

After these things I saw 4 angels standing on the 4 corners of the earth, holding the 4 winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Now notice what you see in that first verse, because it's extremely important.

Then it says, I saw the 4 winds of the earth.

The number 7 is the number of perfection.

The perfect working of God down through the centuries in every 1 of his churches is part of his people.

Then you have the 7 seals, God's work down through the ages as his church makes an impact on the world.

You have the 7 trumpets, the 7 perfect judgments of God on those that have turned from his love and spurned his grace and oppressed his people.

So in the Bible, numbers are significant.

In the Bible, you have the number 3 in the book of Revelation.

You have the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But then you also have the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

The false divinity that wars against the true divinity.

So the point is that numbers have significance.

When the Bible speaks and uses the number 4, It's using it to illustrate the 4 points of the compass, north, south, east, west.

Well, the angels belt the earth, of course, but mentioning 4 is the total ministry of these angels as it circles the earth.

Then it says 4 winds of the earth and that the wind should not blow on the earth nor on the sea.

It also talks about the 4 corners of the earth.

That's the 4 points of the compass, as we mentioned, north, south, east, or west.

When it says the 4 winds, what is wind representing in the Bible?

Well, in Daniel chapter 7, a companion book to the book of Revelation, we saw wind blowing upon a turbulent sea as beasts rise up out of the sea, kingdoms coming up amidst turmoil and conflict.

Jeremiah chapter 49 is probably 1 of the best chapters in the Bible to understand the significance or the meaning of winds.

And we're looking there at Jeremiah 49, verse 36 and onward.

And we're trying to discover what is the meaning of the winds.

And here in the book of Jeremiah, this is how it describes it.

And you look at Jeremiah and it describes the conflict and the turmoil among nations.

And as it describes that, it points out here in Jeremiah chapter 49 that the conflict that's taking place, the strife that's taking place, the struggle that is taking place, and it equates that struggle with winds.

For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before them that seek their life.

And I will bring upon them my fierce anger, saith the Lord, and I'll send the sword after them.

And he says in verse 36, upon Elam I bring the 4 winds from the 4 quarters of heaven, I'll scatter them toward those winds, there'll be no nation.

So in verse 37 he says that his anger is going to come upon them, that evil is going to come, that war and conflict and strife are going to come.

And in verse 36 he says that's the winds.

So in Revelation chapter 7 and verse 1, When we read about 4 winds blowing upon the great sea there, we read about 4 winds on the 4 areas of the compass.

What we're actually reading about is strife and conflict coming upon the world.

So with that understanding, Let's go back and look at verse 1 of Revelation 7.

They hold back the destruction, the conflict.

Now, sometimes we see little gusts of that wind blow through the fingers of those angels, but all hell will break loose in the last days of verse history.

There'll be a time of trouble according to the Bible such as never has been in the history of the world.

Then it says, I saw the angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.

And he cries with a loud voice to the 4 angels to whom was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying, don't hurt the earth, the sea, the trees, till we've sealed the servants of God in their foreheads.

Now notice the seal of God is placed in the foreheads.

So the great time of tribulation, the time of trouble will not come until the servants of God are sealed in the foreheads.

What does the Bible say about who's sealed?

So when the Bible describes shortly the 144, 000, it's describing the servants of God that are sealed in their foreheads.

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144,000: Who Will Stand When Jesus Comes Back?

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