Many of us have been visited by Jehovah?s Witnesses. We have heard them read and interpret passages of Revelation: particularly portions of chapters 7 and 14, regarding the 144,000. They use these passages to refer to themselves, but chapter seven specifically describes a Jewish group, as you can see from the passage itself.

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And 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, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And 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." (Rev 7:1-4)

He goes on to list each tribe and says that 12,000 were numbered from each of them. The argument could possibly be made, ?Well, we are spiritual Israel,? and that is true. We must, however, acknowledge that we are not the twelve tribes of Israel, and He goes to great lengths to specify that these were numbered of those tribes.

After listing these 144,000, he adds, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." (Rev. 7:9) Apparently, there is an innumerable multitude of born again believers, above and beyond those specified as the 144,000 Jews.

Now, let us look at the other passage, found in Rev. 14. The Jehovah Witness would have you believe that this describes the same group of people, but let us carefully look at the terminology used.

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." (Rev 14:1-4)

These are described as having been ?redeemed from the earth? and ?redeemed from among men.? These are not called Jews, as those in the 7^th chapter. The ensuing verses describe what we all know as the time of the end: the fall of Babylon, the beast, his image, his mark, etc. These are all well-known subjects pointing to the time immediately preceding the return of our Lord. We are to understand, therefore, that these particular numbered saints live at the time of the end. The terms ?redeemed from the earth? and ?redeemed from among men? are written as a clue to give us even better understanding about these people: they are Gentiles.

We have, therefore, two sets of 144,000: one is comprised of Jews, the other of Gentiles. That?s 288,000 (plus an innumerable company besides.)

Upon realizing the time frame of at least one of these two passages, and seeing that it is set in ?the end?, we must then look to where God explains the end in Scripture. In Isa 46:9-10, God spoke through the prophet, saying, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done." Let us look, therefore, at the beginning.

In Genesis chapter 1, we are told of the creation. In verses 20-23, on the fifth day, God said, "?Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.? And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ?Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.?"

Some key points in this passage are: (1) it is the fifth day; (2) the first living creatures were created on this day; (3) all life at this time is coming forth from the sea; (4) there is, specifically, the moving creature that hath life (singular), and later, great whales and every living creature (plural).

The next day is similar, in that God continued to create living creatures. "And God said, ?Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:? and it was so?and God saw that it was good. And God said, ?Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion?? And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ?Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth?? And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Gen 1:24-31)

Again there are some key statements made in this passage of scripture: (1) it is the sixth day; (2) everything created on this day was a "living creature"; (3) the living things of the sixth day were formed from the earth; (4) again the phrasing states the creation of ?the beast of the earth? (singular), and cattle and every creeping thing (plural); (5) God made man; (6) last of all He made woman.

One might well ask, "How, pray tell, have we come to Genesis when the subject is Heavenly Jerusalem?" The word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little." (Isa. 28:10) The Bible is not written as a novel, but one must ?rightly divide the word of truth.'

It is widely understood in the Christian community that the 7^th day of creation, the day God rested, represents the 7^th millennium: the thousand year reign of Christ. "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Heb 4:9) Now one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day with the Lord (2 Pet. 3:8), and the scientific community notwithstanding, most Bible-believing Christian concur that Adam lived approximately 6,000 years ago. We are therefore approaching the end of man?s allotted time, and the beginning of the Lord?s day. "Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God." (Deut. 5:13-14)

Realizing this, it is readily seen that we are nearing the end of the ?sixth day?, Jesus and the early church walked the earth towards the start of the ?fifth day?, and Jesus? millennial reign takes place during the ?seventh day? of the world as we know it.

By David M. McNabb