Are 144,000 Too Few?
What does the wording of the letter written to the Philadelphians in Revelation chapter 3 mean to you?
Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
There are unique statements made in this letter that have been underlined. But the purpose of this paper are the words that have been bolded and enlarged. I would like to pass on what those words mean to me. There are other papers that deal with the fact that there are those that are of the synagogue of Satan in Gods church and the fact that the church will be protected from “the hour of temptation (or trial as the Youngs Literal Translation has it), which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”. The words of verse 8 are of special interest because none of the other churches were given this very profound statement.
The fact that Jesus has given this church an open door has far reaching implications. It is quite clear that the time of this church will occur during the time, as Genesis 49:1 states, “the latter end of the days”. One of the most important developments has been the ability to have world-wide communications. It is this type of thing that has made it possible for the true church to have a far-reaching effect. In particular it had a significant national result. The words “I have set before thee an open door” indicates to me that the number in the church would be considerably higher than in the first five churches. Especially with our ability to so easily communicate.
Another thing to consider is that “the truth” was very quickly perverted. Satan, from the beginning of God’s church, has done all he could to pervert the truth that Jesus taught. Then later the teachings of the apostles were corrupted. The early church was subjected to a number of heresies that included legalism. Legalism may be defined as the strict adherence to religious laws or moral rules necessary for salvation. This was a problem with Christian Jews. Then there were those that held to antinomianism. Those believed that a person was saved apart from “works” and that it was only the “grace” of God that provided salvation. The church at Pergamos had a problem with fornication because of this thinking. There was the belief in Gnosticism. They taught a type of salvation of only the soul through a special “gnosis” or knowledge given to the elite. And they taught that there was no resurrection of the body. And there was Syncretistic Ebionism. Syncretistic Ebionism followers viewed Jesus as a normal human man being the biological son of Joseph and Mary. He was considered as the Messiah or Son of God because of his righteousness. And they denied his pre-existence and his divinity. There were also those who rejected the writings of the apostle Paul, viewing him as a false teacher who corrupted original Christian doctrine. The following is a sample.
YLT 2Ti 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; may the Lord repay to him according to his works,
2Ti 4:15 of whom also do thou beware, for greatly hath he stood against our words;
2Ti 4:16 in my first defence no one stood with me, but all forsook me, (may it not be reckoned to them!)
So, it is easy enough to see how the many problems the true church had would affect the numbers of those who lived by truth. A very telling verse speaks of numbers.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
As the centuries passed “Biblical truth” became less a priority for the “Christian” churches. As an example, we can ask; how many Christians keep the feast that 1Cor 5:8 is in reference of?
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Then there is the church that preceded the Philadelphian church.
Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
We can be so thankful that there were a few that kept “truth” alive so that the following church had credible substance to build upon.
When we closely examine the last two churches it becomes clear that the two existed during the time of the” last days” or the time prior to great tribulation that is spoken of. Even though the numbers of the Philadelphian church would be significantly higher than the other churches, Matthew 25 shows us only half of those who are “protected from the hour of trial” will become part of the chosen and become the wife of Jesus. Considering all of this the 144,000 that is spoken of in Revelation 14, as the firstfruit, is a number that is valid.
