The 144,000

Lessons From Israel

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning;
and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.
Proverbs 1:5

    The renowned philosopher, George Santayana, once commented, “Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.” Undeniably true, this statement reflects one of the fundamental purposes of God’s Word. He inspired much of the Bible to be a history lesson for mankind.
    The history of the Bible focuses almost exclusively on the ancient nation of Israel. Whether the stories are about the heroes of faith, the most wicked despots, or terrible heretics, God intends for Christians to learn important lessons from their examples. The Apostle Paul writes:

Now all these things happened unto them (Israel) for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come (I Corinthians 10:11).

    The millions of Israelites who lived through the Exodus experienced the same kinds of sufferings, joys, hopes, and dreams that we all undergo. But their lives had a transcendent meaning that they never understood. Their life experiences were preserved as lessons for God’s people who would live at the end of the age. We are that end time generation, and we need to learn the lessons!

Symbolism in the Exodus
    There is much to glean from Israel’s example. Consider how the types and symbolism of the Exodus mirror the Christian experience. Israel of old pictured spiritual Israel, the Church. Satan, the devil, is pictured by the Pharaoh, who controlled a vast and powerful, but corrupt, political and religious system.
    Moses and Aaron both worked true miracles. At the same time, they contended with Janes and Jambres, the two magicians of Pharoah’s court. These tricksters performed deceitful “lying wonders.” However, God’s true miracle workers foreshadow the two witnesses who will one day face the beast and false prophet of the end times.
    Egypt is a type of this sin-filled world. The slavery ancient Israel experienced pictures each Christian’s personal enslavement to the bondage of sin. Physical Israel partook of the Passover sacrifice, and was made free to become a nation of priests in the promised land (Exodus 19:6). However, it is the Church, that accepts Christ as the Passover, in order to be free from the bondage of sin (I Corinthians 5:7). Through Christ’s sacrifice, Christians leave sin behind, and it is they who will actually become a nation of priests (Revelation 5:10).
    On the original Passover, the ancient Israelites placed lamb’s blood on the door posts at the entrances of their homes. But for spiritual Israel, the blood of Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice is pictured by the wine the Christian places in his mouth, which is the entrance of our tabernacle, our body (II Corinthians 5:1). The death angel’s mission pictured the fate of those who do not have Christ’s blood to protect them.
    Israel of old was delivered from their slavery in Egypt by plagues that literally broke the back of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. The final plagues at the end time parallel those of Egypt. They also precede the freedom of God’s people from Satan’s wicked system.
    The waters turning to blood, the impenetrable darkness, and the terrifying hail that destroyed Egypt all portray the horrific plagues to come upon this world in the future. They picture God’s terrifying plagues occurring from His end time wrath.
    The Israelites left Egypt on the first day of Unleavened Bread—the day when Israel was commanded to be without leaven. The leaven pictures vanity, pride, and all that corrupts this sin-filled world. The Israelites leaving Egypt on this day pictures the Christian first accepting the sacrifice of Christ, and then beginning the process of leaving sin behind.
    Israel of old was taken out of Egypt on the “wings of an eagle” (Deuteronomy 32:10-11). This symbolism foreshadows the flight of the end time Church, which will be taken on the wings of an eagle to a place of safety preceding the three and one-half year Tribulation and Day of the Lord (Revelation 12:14). And just as the Red Sea opened for Israel and closed on Pharaoh, destroying the pursuing army, God promises that the earth will open to swallow the flood—an army—that chases after the Church (Revelation 12:15).
    The children of Israel also went through the Red Sea on the last day of Unleavened Bread, exactly seven days after beginning their journey. Since the number seven symbolizes completeness, this dramatic event pictures the Christian’s baptism, and his or her commitment to leave sin completely behind (I Corinthians 10:1-3).
    The wandering of Israel in the Wilderness of Sin is also a type for believers today. Those who are now called and chosen must wander through the wilderness of a sinful world. As ancient Israel continued her journey, she ate of the manna that God provided daily. As Christians journey on their way toward the Kingdom, they must partake daily of the heavenly manna—Jesus Christ, “the bread of life” (John 6:35).
    Also notice that the Israelites who first fled Egypt did not enter the promised land. It was a later generation who actually entered the land.
    This portrayed that physical Israel was not able to enter into the promised, spiritual Kingdom. It was a later generation, spiritual Israel, who will finally enter the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 4:1-11).
    The entrance of physical Israel into the promised land is also a type. This event foreshadows the saints inheriting God’s Kingdom one day. Notice that it was Joshua, not Moses, who led Israel into the land. This is of great significance because the name “Joshua” in the Hebrew language is the same name as “Jesus” in the Greek. Joshua was a great general who led Israel in a holy war against false gods and all who were in opposition to the Almighty God. Joshua pictures the future conquering Jesus, who will return with “ten thousands” of His saints to establish the Kingdom and take over the entire world.
    The fall of Jericho is also prophetically significant. Jericho was the first city conquered by the Israelites when they entered the land. The towering walls fell after the blowing of trumpets for seven days. This event represents the future fall of Babylon, the first city to be destroyed at the onset of the Kingdom of God. After the seventh trump, the angels cry, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen” (Revelation 14:8). The governments of this world become Christ’s and His saint’s.
    After Babylon falls, Christ will destroy the remainder of the wicked system presently controlling this earth. He will systematically eliminate everything that is contrary to God’s way of righteousness and love. He will set up His Kingdom, and begin to teach the way of God throughout all the world (Zechariah 14:16-19). The prophet Habakkuk describes this wonderful time, saying:

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

    Habakkuk’s inspiring prophecy of God’s coming Kingdom is a future reality, in which we should fully trust. Christians can be absolutely certain of this because of the example God left etched in the history of ancient Israel. Just as God delivered His people then, He will free His Church from this sinful world, and lead them into His promised Kingdom. Christians who live at the end of the age have this absolute assurance. They can be certain because God already provided a symbolic type in Israel thousands of years earlier.
    Before God’s promised Kingdom arrives, however, there is also promised a time of terrible upheaval and trouble on the earth. The example of the Exodus also provides comfort and encouragement for those who will live through this ultimately tumultuous time.

Encouraging Lessons from the Exodus
    The devastation that God rained down on Egypt to free His people is a type of the plagues that He will bring upon the earth at the end of this age. There will be wars, earthquakes, famine, disease, and terrifying trumpet plagues that will pummel the earth into submission. God’s people, who are living at the end time, will witness these frightening events.
    The Israelites who lived through the Exodus also experienced some of the awesome and frightening plagues which God sent to destroy Egypt. Eventually, however, the Eternal made a definite distinction between His people and the Egyptians. Beginning with the fourth plague, God supernaturally intervened to protect the children of Israel from His wrath on that land (Exodus 8:22).
    The incredible set of events that played out in Egypt foreshadow what is to come. They were recorded for the benefit of spiritual Israel. God’s people at the end are going to experience the most horrifying and frightening time in the history of the world!
    They will see Satan venting his wrath on mankind during the Great Tribulation. They will witness the awesome earthquakes, destructive weather patterns, armed conflict, hunger, and diseases ravaging the planet. These things will finally culminate in the awesome heavenly signs and seven trumpet plagues inflicting the most terrifying destruction ever witnessed by the inhabitants of planet earth.
    Like the ancient Israelites, God’s people will likely experience the initial effects of these terrible plagues. Rather than be fearful, they will actually be encouraged. Despite the unimaginable horror of what they see, they will realize that they shall be spared from God’s wrath. Just as ancient Israel was spared, God promises He will safeguard those who are His! He will protect them from the most terrible earthly events to ever occur in the presence of mankind.
    These are inspiring truths indeed! The events that happened to Israel of old picture God’s plan to protect, and provide for, His Church. He will bring them out of this world into His glorious Kingdom.

A Lesson from the Old Covenant
    God’s covenants constitute the core of His desire for a relationship with man. What many have not considered is that the old covenant was literally a marriage agreement between God and Israel. The Lord of the covenant was Christ. It was He who spoke from Mount Sinai, and guided Israel through the wilderness (I Corinthians 10:4-6; John 1:18, 5:37). When He gave the law at Mount Sinai, Israel agreed to obey Him as their husband. As it is written:

All the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD (Exodus 19:8).

    When the people gave this answer, it was virtually the same as saying, “I do.” They entered into a marriage with the Almighty. Later, when God pleaded with the children of Israel to repent of their idolatry, He reminded them of their intimate relationship with Him:

Turn, O Backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you (Jeremiah 3:14).

    God’s covenant with Israel was a marriage contract, looking forward to, and picturing the new covenant, which is also a marriage accord. Tragically, Israel broke her marriage agreement with God by committing adultery. She worshiped other gods, and the Eternal divorced her. Jeremiah explains:

And I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce: yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also (Jeremiah 3:8).

    God considered the worship of other gods tantamount to adultery, and therefore grounds for divorce. He will not divorce those He marries in His Kingdom, however.
    The reason is that He has designed the perfect plan for the marriage of the saints, and that plan includes an espousal period. The Apostle Paul explains:

For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ (II Corinthians 11:2).

    Christians today have entered into a covenant with God in which they are “espoused” to Christ. The word “espoused” means to be “engaged.”
    We are not automatically married, like Israel of old, when we accept His covenant. Instead, we enter a marriage agreement in which there is a trial period.
As the fiancé of Christ, we have been given a period of time to prove our intent to complete the marriage, and to show ourselves faithful. God has the right during this time to break off the engagement before the marriage takes place, should this be necessary.
    Christians should realize that this trial period is a great blessing from God. The true believers will use this time wisely, to really prove their love, loyalty, and faithfulness to Him who has proposed.
    This is an awe-inspiring truth, more wonderful than man can fully imagine (I Corinthians 2:9). True Christians, who attain the first resurrection, will marry Jesus Christ. They will experience a unique intimacy—sharing in His throne, eating and drinking at His table, and enjoying pleasures with Him forever (Luke 22:30; Revelation 3:21, 20:4; Psalm 16:11).

Lessons from the List
    People make lists of many different things they value. There are lists of possessions, priorities of things to do, or even friends to acknowledge on anniversaries and other events. God also makes a unique list in the book of Revelation. There He records the 144,000 by their tribes in the following order:

Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand (Revelation 7:5-8).

    Christ inspired John to record the order of the tribes in such a way as to make it clear that the 144,000 are not the twelve tribes of physical Israel. When those tribes are listed in the Bible it is by birth order or location. As Moses writes:

The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram (Genesis 35:23-25).

    The list in Revelation does not follow their birth order or the tribes’ positions as they assembled around the ensigns, as described in the book of Numbers, chapter two. Further, it does not reflect the list of Israel when she is placed back in her land after Christ’s return. In that list, Judah is numbered last, not first (Ezekiel 48:1-8).
    The Revelation list does not follow the historic geographical order of the tribes either. Overlaying this list on a map, the roster moves from Judah, at Jerusalem, toward Manasseh in the north. Then it shifts to Simeon, who was located in the southern most area below Judah. Finally, the list goes back to Zebulon, who was located the farthest north.
    The fact that the tribes are not listed according to birth order, assembly by ensigns, or geographical location is another indicator that this is not physical Israel. This register is comprised of spiritual Israel—the Church of God.
    When Christ begins the list in Revelation, chapter seven, He commences with Judah, His tribe of origin. Instead of enumerating Israel according to physical birth order, this list reflects the spiritual birth order. Judah is listed first. It is the tribe of Christ, and He is the firstborn of spiritual Israel (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18).
    The fact that the list in Revelation includes Levi is further evidence that Christ must be speaking of spiritual Israel. As teachers and judges among the people, the Levites were historically scattered throughout all the other tribes. Levi had no inheritance in the land, and therefore was never listed as being part of the other tribes. In Revelation, Levi is simply listed as the eighth tribe without comment. This is because the 144,000 are the resurrected Church in which all the members are priests (Revelation 5:10).
    Additionally, both the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are omitted from the Revelation list. However, the Scriptures reveal that these two physical tribes will exist after Christ returns, and establishes the Kingdom. This is another proof that the 144,000 are not physical Israel (Ezekiel 48:1-6).
    The list of the tribes of Israel in Revelation is different from any other list documented in the Bible. The children of Israel described in Revelation, chapter seven, are an entirely new creation! They are not the tribes of old. This Israel is the Church of God, of which the apostles, prophets, and all other Christians throughout the ages are a part. This is spiritual Israel, created for the express purpose of first governing physical Israel, and eventually all the world.

A Warning in the List
    The list of tribes found in Revelation contains an important warning to all those true Christians seeking the Kingdom of God. It is only when we understand that the Apostle John is referring to spiritual Israel that we are able to grasp this vital message from God.
    The verses in Revelation, chapter seven, state that the 144,000 are “of all” the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4). The word “of” is “ek” in the Greek, and it means “out from.” The 144,000 are 12,000 “out from” each of the tribes of Israel. The implication of this tiny word is awesome! Those sealed are a chosen “out of,” or “out from,” a larger group.
    Since the Israel that is spoken of is the Church, this means that God is selecting the true Church “out from” the professing church. As Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). This is a great lesson to those who profess to be members of God’s Church. The mark of a true Christian is not what they profess, but how they perform! It is how they live every part of their lives!

The Lesson of Ephraim
    Through the prophet Isaiah, God spoke of a time when ancient Assyria would attack Ephraim. There is a prophetic duality throughout the Bible, and in the early seven hundreds B.C. the first fulfillment of this prophecy took place. The second fulfillment will occur just before Christ’s return. At that time, the modern day descendants of the Assyrians will be a vast military power dominating a United States of Europe, and will again strike the people of Ephraim. Notice God’s warning to this tribe of Israel:

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet (Isaiah 28:1-4).

    God indicts the tribe of Ephraim for drunkenness. In another place He says that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:10). The drunkenness of Ephraim became an embarrassment—a besmirching of the name of Israel.
    For this reason, when Christ returns to establish His Kingdom, and set the 144,000 up as the civil and ecclesiastical leadership for His government, He takes steps to insure that spiritual Israel’s reputation is untarnished. He, therefore, omits the name of Ephraim as being a part of His spiritual leadership team in the millennium.
    This is a very important message for Christians who are seeking the Kingdom today. Character counts in our quest for the Kingdom of God!

The Lesson of Dan
    The tribe of Dan is also omitted from the list of the 144,000. Many scholars suggest that this tribe is not included in the list in Revelation because of this tribe’s blatant idolatry. The people of Dan exhibited a profound proclivity for idolatry from an early time. We read the following account in the book of Judges:

And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? (Judges 16:16-19).

    The great sin of the tribe of Dan was blatant idolatry. Could Dan’s sins have been so severe, and their reputation so vile, that God chose to blot out the name of this tribe as part of the resurrected family of God?
    Another possible explanation lies in the future actions of this tribe. It has been speculated by Students of the Bible and scholars alike that the modern day people of Dan will eventually ally themselves with the idolatrous beast power. It is possible they will be part of the army that persecutes God’s true people at the end of the age (Daniel 12:7). The prophet Jeremiah records a curious prophecy relating to Dan which reads:

The snorting of his horses was heard in Dan; the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it (Jeremiah 8:16).

    In his series on Revelation, Bible commentator William Barclay describes the early church’s understanding regarding these verses in Jeremiah. He explains:

That saying (Jeremiah 8:16) came to be taken as referring to Anti-Christ, the coming incarnation of evil, and it came to be believed among the Jewish Rabbis that Anti-Christ was to spring from Dan. Hippollytus says ‘As the Christ was born from the tribe of Judah, so will the Anti-Christ be born from the tribe of Dan.’ (P.25).

    Is it possible that the tribe of Dan will be complicit with the beast and false prophet at the end? If so, it is conceivable that for this reason God would blot out their name from spiritual Israel.
    Because the spiritual is mirrored on earth in the physical (Romans 1:20), is it possible that there are spiritual Danites in the church who will betray God’s people at the end? Christ stated that some would turn their brethren over to the authorities (Mark 13:12). Daniel also foretold that some will forsake God’s covenant and betray their brethren:

Therefore he (the beast) shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant (Daniel 11:30).

    According to prophecy, some who understand the truth will betray it! Consider the incredible implications. Is there a spirit of Ephraim and Dan that exists within God’s Church? Is it possible that true Christians have qualities of character, or personality traits that fit those of the various tribes? If so, there will be spiritual Danites or Ephraimites—individuals for whom the pleasures of this life exert too great a pull. Some will be infected with various forms of idolatry. Others may betray God’s people in order to save themselves.
    This is a vital lesson from Israel. There are those who appear to be a part of the congregation of Israel, but in reality they are not. Tragically, their names, like those of Ephraim and Dan, will be erased.
    Christians who have an ear to hear will read God’s Word and learn this lesson. One cannot simply drift into the Kingdom of God. In order to be true Christians, believers must honor what the name Israel means. We must be “Princes of God,” and overcomers. We must persevere.
    Those who will constitute the 144,000 are individuals who are chosen out of a larger group. The criteria for their election is more than what the individual professes, and more than just what they believe. It is their spiritual character! Knowledge alone is not enough. What matters is what we do with what we know. As the Apostle Paul writes:

The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are His. Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work (II Timothy 2:19).

    The people of God must remember—true Christians must perform, as well as profess!

A Lesson in the Names
    William Shakespeare penned the famous question, “What's in a name?” Names have a great deal of meaning, especially when God inspires a title for His purpose. The Almighty names things for two reasons—what they are, or the function they serve. For example, when God promised Abram and Sari that He would give them a son, He renamed them Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude,” and Sarah, meaning “princess.” When Jacob prevailed with God, the Eternal changed his name to Israel, which means, “Overcomer with God.”
    It is inconceivable that God would not give profound spiritual meaning to the names of the tribes that will one day make up spiritual Israel—the 144,000. In every case, except Benjamin, the names of Jacob’s children—which later became the names of the tribes—were chosen by their mothers.
    The children were named, in each instance, according to the unique circumstances surrounding their births. When these names are viewed in the order given in Revelation, chapter seven, a unique pattern appears. Consider the meaning of the names:

The Names of Israel

    The Almighty God inspired the names of the tribes of Israel in such a way that they tell the wonderful story of every true Christian’s struggle and ultimate triumph. Notice how a paragraph placing the meaning of these names in their order might read:

I will praise the Lord for He has looked on me, and good fortune comes. Happy am I because my wrestling with God makes me forget (my trials). God hears me, and has joined me to Him. He has purchased me, and my Husband will dwell with me. God will add me to the Son of His right hand.

    The order and names of the tribes themselves reveals the ultimate destiny of the 144,000. Realize that those names will be emblazoned on each gate of the New Jerusalem. From any direction that individuals enter the holy city they will read the names, and the message will be clear. It is the story of those who will then reside within these gates.
    This is the incredible hope of those who are now called to seek the Kingdom of God. As with Abraham and Jacob, God will change each Christian’s name accordingly. He will give every overcomer a new name which will likely include the term, Israel, but also the tribe to which they are assigned (Revelation 2:17; 3:12). Carrying the name Israel, each overcomer will one day stand on Mount Zion with Christ and all the holy saints.

Click here for the next chapter