‍Revelation 7:1-8 (NIV) After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.  Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God.  He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:  Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.  Then I heard the number of those who were sealed:  144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.  From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

Revelation 7:9 (NIV) After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and before the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Revelation 7:13-14 (NIV) Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes-who are they, and where did they come from?”  I answered, “Sir, you know.”  And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

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Who are the 144,000?

There are so many theories about the 144,000. Who are they? When should we expect them? What is their role? Why are there so many Christians in heaven? 

To answer these questions, we must first understand “who” they may be. “Then I (John) heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” These individuals will be God’s chosen because a seal will be placed “on the foreheads” and they will be “servants of our God.”  And it is even more amazing to discover that God will select exactly 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel and you can guarantee each will have a direct lineage to the original 12 tribes of Israel. So, the 144,000 are God’s warriors who will be specifically chosen for a critical mission that will take place at some future time. 

Next, we must answer the question of “when.” God will activate the 144,000 immediately following the rapture. It is important to note, once the rapture takes place there will be no Christians left on the planet. So, if all the Christians are gone, who will save those left behind? 

Ok, so now we have answered the questions of “who” and “when.” Now we need to answer the question of “what.” What is the role of the 144,000 in end times events? What is their special mission? When John asked about the “great multitude" in heaven, he was told “these are they (Christians) who have come out of the great tribulation.” Apparently, many Christians will die during the tribulation period, some by the hands of the Antichrist and some by war, but God will never give up on trying to bring more people to Christ. So how will He do this? Answer: The mission of the 144,000 will be to bring souls to Christ throughout the tribulation period.

Then “why” are so many in heaven “standing before the throne”? Apparently the 144,000 will be successful in bringing their message to the masses, but the tribulation period will be a dangerous time for Christians. The Antichrist will take extensive measures to eliminate God’s people because they threaten his ability to be accepted as “God.” And, as previously mentioned, there will be a global thermonuclear war taking place during the second half of the tribulation period, and war, like all before, does not only kill soldiers, but innocent civilians are sometimes targeted.

So now we have answered the question of “who,” “when,” “what,” and “why” regarding the 144,000 using scripture. God's goal is to save as many souls as possible and the 144,000 play a critical role in this agenda.