Who Are the 144,000?

Jehovah’s Witnesses Teach

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that 144,000 refers to selected Witnesses who are going to heaven and that they will rule with Jesus there. Other Jehovah’s Witnesses (other sheep) are resurrected to life on earth.

The Bible Teaches

Revelation 7:4 plainly states that 144,000 are made up of the 12 tribes of Israel. Verses 5-8 say that 144,000 consist of 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel (2 × 12,000 = 144,000). Thus, no members of the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses are included in the number 144,000.

There is no direct support in the Bible for claiming that 144,000 will sit in the Messianic government and rule as kings with Christ. On the contrary, Revelation 7:3 refers to the 144,000 as “slaves of God.” Revelation 22:3 indicates that God’s slaves are to perform sacred service in the city. They are singers who sing “before the throne” (Revelation 14:3). It does not say that they sit on thrones. The Bible never refers to 144,000 as kings or priests, but as people who “keep on following the Lamb wherever he goes” (Revelation 14:4). The 144,000 are considered saints “without fault and without defect” (Revelation 14:5).

New and Old Jerusalem
Historic Jerusalem is the city in Israel that existed at the time of Jesus and was destroyed in 70 C.E. Revelation 21:2, 10 speaks of "the New Jerusalem . . . who came down from heaven." That city will be established on earth in the future. It may be natural to refer to this city as a future capital as well, since Revelation 22:3 says that "the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city." The cities have some similarities, but there are also significant differences.

In ancient Israel, Levitical singers and musicians served at Jehovah’s house, and the Bible in some places lists these by number (see, e.g., 1 Chronicles 25:1–7; 23:5). The Levites were also not priests or kings, but they had sacred ministry status in ancient Israel. Numbers 3:12 says that the Levites were separated from the other Israelites to belong to Jehovah¹. Revelation 14:4 says of 144,000 that “They have been bought from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.”

The Bible actually says who specifically will rule with Christ. Luke 22:30 says that the 12 apostles will “sit on thrones” with Christ in the Messianic Kingdom “to judge the 12 tribes of Israel.” If more than the apostles “will rule as kings with him during the 1000 years,” then the Bible does not quantify how many (Revelation 20:6).

Revelation 21:10 says that God will establish “the holy city of Jerusalem.” The city’s 12 “foundation stones” bear the names of the apostles. That this city is physical is evident from the detailed description of how the city will be built, what materials will be used and what measurements it will have. It is striking that the city measures 12,000 stages and that the wall is 144 cubits high. On the city’s 12 gates are written “the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel” (Rev. 21:12). However, this in itself is not a tenable basis for concluding that 144,000 will reign with Christ in this city. Revelation 21:27 does not say that only the Lamb and his fellow kings are in the city but that all who are “written in the scroll of life belonging to the Lamb” are allowed to enter the city. The 144,000 must be in the city to perform sacred service before the throne of the city.

It is noteworthy that Revelation 21:24 says that “the kings of the earth will bring their glory into” the city. This again emphasizes that the New Jerusalem is on earth, but at the same time reveals that there are “kings of the earth” outside the city. Since only persons who are written in the book of life are allowed into the city, “kings of the earth” must also be persons who are written in the book of life. At the end of the 1000 years, the armies of Gog of Magog will advance throughout the earth and surround the city. They were unable to enter the city because “fire came down from heaven and consumed them” (Revelation 20:9). See separate chapter in the book about Gog of Magog.

The Messianic Kingdom lasts for 1000 years (Revelation 20:6). When “God has put all enemies under his feet” and death has been destroyed, then “Christ gives up the kingdom to his God” (1 Corinthians 15:24–28). There is no class division between 144,000 and “the other sheep,” as Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. As explained in the chapter on “the sheep and the goats,” “the other sheep” refers to the Christians, while the first enclosure refers to the Jews. However, it is important not to confuse the fact that 144,000 are made up of Jews, while the rest are made up of people from all nations. The sheep in the first enclosure refer to all Jews and proselytes who were subject to the Mosaic Law. Thus, the first group of sheep does not refer only to 144,000 selected Jews.

1. Israel consisted of 12 tribes after Jacob’s 12 sons. 144,000 includes all the tribes of Israel except the tribe of Dan, while the Levites were only one of the 12 tribes of Israel. It is noteworthy in this connection that Jehovah initially selected the firstborn from each tribe to perform this function, but he chose the tribe of Levi instead of each of the firstborn from all tribes (Numbers 3:12). Thus, those whom Jehovah had initially selected for sacred service were from all tribes of the Israelites. If there is a parallel between the Levites’ tasks and those of 144,000, then it is possible that Jehovah has chosen 12,000 firstborn from each of the tribes of Israel to perform this sacred service. ↩︎

Curious about prophecy? Must Read: ↓