What is the meaning of 144.000 in the Bible? Who are these mysterious people numbered in the book of Revelation?

The meaning of numbers: the number 144.000
What is the meaning of 144.000 in the Bible? Who are these mysterious people numbered in the book of Revelation? Do they make up the whole church of God over the years? Could they live today?

Could the 144.000 be a group of people whom the leadership of a Christian group or denomination has designated as "special"? What does the Bible say about this fascinating prophetic topic?

These people are specifically mentioned only twice in the Bible. Eventually, after God commands a temporary cessation of earth's calamities (Revelation 6, 7: 1 - 3), he sends a mighty angel on a special mission. The angel must not allow the sea or the trees of the earth to be damaged until a single group of people is set apart.

The revelation then states: "And I have heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed by each tribe of the children of Israel" (Revelation 7: 2 - 4, HBFV).

The 144.000 are cited again later in Revelation. The apostle John, in a vision, sees a group of resurrected believers standing with Jesus Christ. They were called and converted by God during the time of the great tribulation.

John says: "And I looked, and I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, with the name of His Father written on the forehead (they obey him and have His spirit in them)" (Revelation 14: 1).

This special group, found in Revelation 7 and 14, is made up entirely of physical descendants of Israel. The scriptures struggle to list twelve of the Israeli tribes from which 12.000 people will be converted (or sealed, see Revelation 7: 5 - 8).

Two Israelite tribes are not specifically listed as part of the 144.000. The first missing tribe is Dan (see our article on why Dan was left out). The second missing tribe is Ephraim.

The Bible does not indicate why Ephraim, one of Joseph's two sons, is not named directly as a contributor to the 144.000 as his other son Manasseh is listed (Revelation 7: 6). It is possible that the people of Ephraim are "hidden" within the distinct denomination of the tribe of Joseph (verse 8).

When are the 144.000 (a spiritual sign to indicate their conversion, a possible allusion to Ezekiel 9: 4) of a powerful angel sealed? How does their sealing fit the end-time prophetic events?

After a great martyrdom of saints instigated by the world government inspired by Satan, God will make the signs appear in the heavens (Revelation 6:12 - 14). It is after these signs, and just before the prophetic "Day of the Lord", that 144.000 descendants of Israel and "a great multitude" from all over the world are converted.

The 144.000 are unconverted physical descendants of Israel who repent and become Christians in the middle of the Great Tribulation period. At the beginning of this period of global trials and troubles (Matthew 24) they are not Christians! If they were, they would have been taken to a "safe place" (1Talessonians 4:16 - 17, Revelation 12: 6) or they would have been martyred by Satan the devil for their faith.

What is the meaning of all this? It is true that all true Christians living today, no matter how sincere they are or how affirming their ecclesial leadership, are not considered by God to be one of those in this selected group! The 144.000 are part, but not all, of the church of God converted during the tribulation period. Eventually they will be changed into spiritual beings at the Second Coming of Jesus (Revelation 5:10).