Will only 144,000 be Saved?
Will only 144,000 be saved as stated in Revelation 7? God tells us throughout the Bible that he wants all people to be saved. Jesus says he “came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), and “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). These are only some of the many Bible verses that tell us about God’s love for us and His promise to save all believers.
God often uses numbers in His Word to indicate a number too large to count. He also says in verse 9 that there were too many believers to count. Here in Revelation 7, God uses the 12 tribes of Israel to represent all Old Testament believers and the 12 apostles to represent all New Testament believers. Multiplying the 12 tribes, 12 apostles, and 1000 (10x10x10 symbolizes completeness) is God’s way of showing us the number of people that will be saved is too large to count. God doesn’t limit the number of people that can be saved to 144,000 when he so loves the world.
In Revelation 7, the angel ascending with the rising of the sun with the seal of the living God is Jesus. Jesus is directing the other 4 angels not to cause harm on the earth or sea until all the servants of God have been sealed on their foreheads. This means that the destruction of the earth will not happen until the last believer has been identified. This time period of sealing believers started from the time sin entered the world and will continue until the last day. What a joy for believers to know that Jesus will not allow the last day to come until the last believer is known.
God’s word on 144,000: NIV, Mark 16:16; Luke 19:10; John 12:44 – 47; Rev. 7:9.