Who Are the 144,000 Spoken of in Scripture?

Who are the 144,000?

Look at the book, "Opening the Seven Seals" by Richard Draper for potential source material.

The 144,000 is symbolic of all the Saints (past, present, and future) who are saved in the Celestial Kingdom – that's one of the possible interpretations. All of the billions and trillions of God's children who go to the Celestial Kingdom is symbolized by the 144,000; and now, I will try to explain how it is so.

Joseph Smith said that of all the languages on this earth, ancient Hebrew is the language that is closest to the language that God speaks and writes.

In Hebrew 12 is one of the perfect numbers. In Hebrew, 12 is actually the highest of the perfect numbers. (3, 7, 10, and 12 are the perfect numbers). In Greek the word for perfect (teleos) really means to be complete or whole, meaning to be completed by God or to be finished by God, meaning to return to the Celestial Kingdom and become a God yourself. That's how you are completed by God or perfected by God. What do you get when you multiply 12 by 12? You get 144. You get ultimate perfection times ultimate perfection. 144 is perfection multiplied by perfection, or "ultimate perfection squared". This is completeness completed, or the Saints of God being made into Gods and Goddesses in the Celestial Kingdom. The 144 represents people who are perfected or completed and exalted in the Celestial Kingdom. So, how many of them will there be?

Richard Draper also explained that when some number is multiplied by 10, 100, or 1000 in the Hebrew language; then it's that thing 10-fold, 100-fold, or 1000-fold. These numbers are multipliers, with 1000 being the highest or ultimate multiplier in the ancient Hebrew language. This is all part of the Gematria of the Hebrew language. In Hebrew a 1000 tends to be the highest multiplier or the ultimate multiplier and sometimes symbolizes infinity. This multiplier tells us that an infinite number of God's children will be 144'd, or receive ultimate completeness and perfection. To be 144'd is to be Exalted in the Celestial Kingdom or the Kingdom of God.

So in this case, the 144,000 represents symbolically "completeness completed a thousand times over" or "perfection squared a thousand times over" or "ultimate perfection squared all multiplied by infinity". This means that billions and trillions of God's children are going to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom thanks to the atonement of Jesus Christ. If you are a baptized Latter-day Saint or former-day Saint who has been baptized by real Priesthood Authority, and you keep all your baptismal covenants for the rest of your life by repenting of your sins, then you are one of the 144,000 or one of the billions of Completed individuals who will enter into the Celestial Kingdom and take up residence with the Gods, maybe one day even becoming a God yourself. Cool, huh?

Notice the multiplier here. The multiplier is 1000. What does the 1000 symbolize? It symbolizes the number of people who will be Exalted in the Celestial Kingdom and one day become Gods and Goddesses. What is 1000? It is 10 times 10 times 10, or “perfection cubed”. 1000 as a multiplier is perfection completed or perfection whole, or perfection times perfection times perfection, in the ancient Hebrew language. 1000 is the ultimate multiplier. And, that's the number of people who will be Exalted in the Kingdom of God or Celestial Kingdom.

So, what does the word or number 1000 really symbolize or mean in the ancient Hebrew language? It means infinity. It's their way of representing infinity or starting to represent infinity, especially when used as a multiplier as it is with the 144,000. 1000 as a multiplier represents infinity perfected, or infinity cubed, or infinity raised to infinity. This means that an infinite number of Gods children will be Exalted in the Celestial Kingdom. It means that there is room enough even for me and you. It means that God's work is One Eternal Round without end. It means that when you go to the Celestial Kingdom your seed and your spirit children saved and exalted in the Celestial Kingdom will be infinite in number. Cool huh?

 

The 144,000 will be known or recognized as those who make and keep covenants with God and have their covenants sealed or ratified by Priesthood Authority, Baptism of Water and Fire, and all sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Again, it is perfection times perfection; doing it all the right way or the authorized way. These are the people who come into the Kingdom of God (or LDS Church) by the right gate and choose to stay in the Kingdom once they get there. These are the ones who will be Completed and go to the Celestial Kingdom in the next life. They will become co-heirs with Jesus Christ, or heirs of Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. That's the 144,000 that the scriptures are really talking about. It's you and me if we want it to be.

Believing and Willing Truth into Existence Where It Didn't Exist Before:

Now I am going to try to play this concept through to the end, exploring it from all angles in an attempt to come to a real understanding of the idea. There will be some parallelism or repetition going on. Bear with me.

LDS apostates, anti-Brethren, anti-Authority, and anti-Christs will eagerly come forth and say that my particular interpretation of the 144,000 is wrong; and, guess what? They are right. For them, the interpretation stating that the 144,000 are the heirs of Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom and joint-heirs with Christ is indeed the wrong interpretation for them, because they do not qualify to be heirs of Exaltation. They choose not to go in the right gate, so they choose not to be heirs of Exaltation; therefore, the claim that the 144,000 are all the heirs of Exaltation (whether true or false) does not apply to them and is wrong for them.

They need some other interpretation for the 144,000 in order to make the concept realistic or useful for them; and, any other interpretation that does so is right for them. For them, any other interpretation for 144,000 that soothes their conscience or strokes their ego is much more correct and accurate than the one I have given here. This concept is extremely important, so I will now pursue it further, because I have realized that this is one of the keys to understanding the mysteries of God or understanding how God and “Faith in Christ” really work.

We are talking about truth here. Some people will complain and say, “Why are you so sure that your particular interpretation of the 144,000 is the right interpretation? Why are you so sure that it is true?” It's because I know and believe that for all the billions and trillions who one day receive Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom they are part of the 144,000 spoken of in scripture and my interpretation of the concept applies directly to them. The 144,000 are the joint-heirs with Christ in the Celestial Kingdom, and my interpretation of the concept only applies to the joint-heirs with Christ. In other words, my interpretation is only true or useful when it is applied to the recipients of Exaltation or the joint-heirs with Christ. For all others, my interpretation does not apply and it is actually the wrong interpretation or a worthless interpretation for them, because they don't qualify for Exaltation in the Kingdom of Heaven or the Celestial Kingdom.

Human beings are marvelous god-like beings. We actually have the power to will things into existence or to believe things into existence. We actually have the power to accept Christ's Church, accept Christ's Ordinances, accept Christ's Duly Authorized Servants, accept and keep His commandments, and make and keep covenants with God. When we do these things believing that Christ will keep His covenants and fulfill His promises, we actually choose our Exaltation into existence or will our Exaltation into existence or believe our Exaltation into existence. Faith without works is dead. The works part is choosing to believe Christ when He says that He can save you and exalt you. The works part is choosing to do it all Christ's way through repentance or forsaking your own sins, baptism by real priesthood authority into His Kingdom or Church on earth, receiving the Holy Ghost or baptism of fire into your life, and making covenants with God to seek and keep His commandments for the rest of your existence.

I never liked the term “enduring to the end” because it has a negative connotation and implies “suffering to the end” or “fighting to the end” or “hating every minute of it to the end”. It also has the word “end” in it, and where God is concerned there is no end. I prefer the idea of “enjoying Christ and the Gospel for the rest of Eternity” or “enjoying Exaltation for the rest of Eternity” or “loving and living our Eternal Life for the rest of our existence”. In a sense, it's choosing to do all things Christ's way and God's way for the rest of our existence. It's choosing to be happy, or “in God”, or blessed for the rest of our existence. So, maybe from the Beatitudes, it is being “Blessed to the End” instead of simply enduring to the end? I suggest that it really should be “Blessed for all Eternity” rather than just “enduring to the end”.

“Enduring to the end” should really be changed to “Being Happy for all Eternity”.

If we accept Christ in faith and choose to do all things His way, we actually will our Exaltation into existence or choose it into existence where it never existed before. For us, our Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom or our becoming part of the 144,000 actually becomes real and true for us, because through belief and works we willed it into existence or chose it into existence by trusting and having faith in Christ. Without Christ and His Atonement, it is not possible for any of us to choose Exaltation or to will Exaltation into existence. In a sense, we will this particular truth into existence or believe it into existence where it never existed before by desiring it into existence; and then, our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ actually gives us a way to do the works necessary to make it all possible in our lives. We desire Exaltation, and then Christ makes it possible to receive a full measure of our righteous desires. Cool huh?

If you want to will your membership in the 144,000 into existence, Christ has actually given us the method and the possibility to do so. In other words, if you want to will your Exaltation or work your Exaltation into existence, Jesus Christ has given each one of us the means to do so. On the other hand, those who don't want to have anything with Christ's Church, Christ's Priesthood, Christ's Commandments, Christ's Ordinances, Christ's Authorized Servants, or Christ's Exaltation will simply lack the power to believe such a thing into existence for themselves in their own lives. In other words, they won't be able to qualify for Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom having chosen to pass through some other gate instead. That's the power of faith, particularly faith in Christ. Through Christ, we each have the power or the ability to believe and work our way into the Celestial Kingdom, or to believe and work our way right out of it. Either way, whatever we choose to believe and accept or whatever we choose to have faith in will become true for us. It will become our own personal reality in the end.

God won't force us to Heaven and won't force us into Heaven if we don't want to go. God won't force us into His Church and won't force us to go to church if we don't want to go. God won't force us to believe in Him or to trust Him, if we choose not to do so. God won't force us to follow the Brethren and won't force us to keep the commandments that He gives us through the Brethren, if we don't want to do so. God won't force us into Exaltation and won't force us to become part of the 144,000 if we don't want to do so. God always gives us what we want most. That's the way it works. God can only work with and exalt the willing. God can't help those who don't want to have anything to do with it, or Him.

Through faith in Christ and the Atonement of Christ we gain the power and the ability to make Exaltation a truth or a reality within our own personal lives. We actually will the truth into existence or will the reality into existence. Likewise, the atheists also will their reality or their truth into existence for them as well. See how that works?

What's true for one person or possible for one person is completely false and completely impossible for the other person. We each get what we want most, and we each get what we believe to be possible or true. In the end, your truth or reality will be whatever you choose for it to be. So, how does Christ fit into all of this if we believe our own reality into existence? Jesus Christ provides a way for all of your righteous desires or all of your right desires to come true. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Without Christ, there would be no Celestial Kingdom for any of us to desire or dream about, because without Christ it is impossible for any of us to go to the Celestial Kingdom. Jesus Christ is the one who unlocked the gate and opened the door that leads into the Celestial Kingdom; and, we each can go there if we are willing to do all things His way or willing to follow His example and do exactly what He did to get there.

Jesus Christ is the one who showed us the way. Jesus Christ is the one who made the Celestial Kingdom a true or realistic possibility for each one of us. Jesus came to give us life and to give it more abundantly. Why? It's because Jesus came to give us the chance to have Eternal Life in the presence of God; and, Jesus came to help us to have good lives or better lives while we live here in mortality as well. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. It fits, but we have to be willing to look and see and accept that it is so.

If you don't believe that any of this is possible, then you are right, it's not possible for you. If you don't believe that you can become part of the 144,000 by doing it all Christ's way, then you are right, it's not possible for you to do so. If you don't want to follow Christ and His Duly Authorized Servants, then it's not going to be possible for you to do so. If you don't want to go to church, don't want to keep God's commandments, and don't want to go where Christ has gone, then it's not going to happen for you. If you don't want to have anything to do with Christ and His Church, it will be so; and, it will become your own personal truth. You will be “without God” in the world. You will be given exactly what you want most.

Exaltation is only possible or true for those who choose to believe in Christ, choose to do all things Christ's way, and choose to believe that He can indeed save them and exalt them in the Kingdom of God. It's only possible for those who choose to come in the right way through the right gate. What's the right way? It's Christ's way. What's the right gate, it's literally the gate that leads into the Celestial Kingdom.

The LDS scriptures tell us that the gate to the Celestial Kingdom is baptism into the LDS Church (Christ's Own Church) by real Priesthood Authority (Christ's Priesthood) and having it all sealed, verified, or ratified by the Holy Spirit of Promise (Holy Ghost) certifying that we have indeed kept all of our baptismal covenants, repented of or forsaken all of our sins, and have chosen to keep all of Gods commandments for the rest of our existence. The gate to the Celestial Kingdom is unlocked to all of those who have chosen to do everything Christ's way or have chosen to believe and follow Christ in every way possible.

Are we saved by Grace or are we saved by Works? The answer is “Yes”. If we were saved only by grace then everyone, even the devils and the most evil of men, would go to the Celestial Kingdom and become joint-heirs with Christ. Yet the Bible tells us that it is not so. Only those who do the works required by Christ will receive a full measure of the grace of Christ. Only those who do it all Christ's way will end up going where Christ has gone. Only those who enter in by the right gate will actually end up in the Celestial Kingdom or the Highest Degree of Heaven. Those who do evils works, those who do the incorrect works, and those who do no works will all go someplace else. Those who do not qualify for the grace of Christ will not receive a full measure of the grace of Christ. Does that make sense? Does that seem fair? Or should all the devils, murderers, pedophiles, genocidal, and the most vile go where Christ has gone? Thinking about it logically, what seems proper to you?

It has been said that if one were to take all of the people in Heaven and put them in hell, and take all the people in hell and put them in Heaven, before long Heaven would become hell, and hell would become Heaven. Heaven is not about the destination or the location, but is all about the people who live there. Interesting, huh?

If you choose to believe that Christ can make you a part of the 144,000 by doing it all His way, then it will be so. If you choose to believe that He doesn't exist or that He can't do it, then it will be so for you; and then, my particular interpretation of the 144,000 will no longer apply to you and will actually be false for you. If you choose to reject Christ, His Ordinances, His Church, and His Gospel, then any other interpretation for the meaning of the 144,000 will actually be better for you or more true for you, because you are not willing or able to make my particular interpretation true for you. When it comes to entry in the Celestial Kingdom, God can only work with the willing and God can only help the willing; and, those who don't want to have anything to do with it will be unwilling and unable to take the steps necessary to qualify for it. See how that works?

We believe our own reality into existence or choose our own reality into existence. In the end, our righteous desires or our evil desires become our ultimate truth or our ultimate reality and destination. We will our future into existence where it never existed before. God always gives us what we want most. This is the true nature and the true result of choosing to have Faith in God, or choosing to reject God. It all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even the atheists are prophets in the secular sense of the word, given the fact that by refusing to seek, find, and obey God, they will never find God and never have God in their lives.

Consequently, my particular interpretation for the term 144,000 is both true and false, all depending upon the person(s) you are talking about. Strange, huh? But, the fallen man or the natural man simply isn't used to seeing these things this way. They can't seem to comprehend how something can be both true and false all at the same time. Instead, they will often say, “My interpretation of the 144,000 is the right one, and all the others are wrong”, when in fact their personal interpretation might truly be 100% true or right for them yet be completely wrong or false for me and you. Interesting, huh?

In the end, you are your own reward. You are also your own punishment as well. It's your choice. Christ simply gives us the means to have it all His way; and, His way is the best way, especially if you choose to believe that it is so. Christ's way is the right way or the true way, especially when you choose to make it right and true for you. You are part of the 144,000 or become part of the 144,000, when you choose to do it all Christ's way and actually do it all Christ's way for the rest of your existence. Cool, huh?

Some call this the Gospel of If. If we do it all God's way, then we will be saved and exalted His way. In other words, if we do it Christ's way, then we will go where Christ has gone. That's why Christ invites us and even commands us to “Come Follow Me”, so that in the end we will go where He has gone. Jesus Christ is asking us to join The Ultimate Movement, the only movement that will truly make a real difference in our lives and in our Eternal Lives.

It's hard to see all of this at first, but don't give up until you do. It's a valuable insight. Now that I have explained it the way that I see it to the best of my ability, let's see if anyone else can find some better way to explain it.