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[kueh]

Greetings

I have problem with understanding Revelations. So for a start here is one that I do not understand:

What is with the 144,000 Jewish men mentioned?

Is it about this figure will be going to heaven??

God bless.
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"I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power."

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[Shadow]

I found this on gotquestions.org

[T. Whyman]

2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4And 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.

5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7Of 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.

8Of 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 7:4-8)


Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. (Rev 14:1-5)

In Rev. 7 we saw that it makes sense to view the 144,000 there just as they're described ... Messianic Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel, witnessing to the world after the church is gone. They are the end times fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 43:10, being witnesses for the Lord to the nations of Earth during Daniel's 70th week.

As far as the phrase "defiled themselves with women" is concerned, it's used to symbolize the worship of idols. Since pagan worship was sexual in nature, the Lord sometimes described idol worship in sexual terms. (Read Ezekiel 16 & 23 if you dare.) These 144,000 had not done that.


(As for the Jehovahs Witnesses cult, they have flip flopped on this issue a number of times in their history. Especially now since the last of their 144,000 are in their late 80's and 90's and they have claimed that the world would come to an end before the last one died, however in light of the unequivocal declarations of the Bible itself, their doctrines have no basis in fact)
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