And I was told the number. John does not see the number, he hears it! 144,000. Numbers have symbolic meanings [this was especially true with the ancient peoples]. This number (144,000) is formed by multiplying 3 (the Trinity) by 4 (the total Creation, because the redeemed come from the "four corners" of the world), which makes 12. This number (12) becomes the symbol of the Father acting through the Son in the Spirit to set men free from their sins (3 ? 4 = 12). To show God's people in both the Old and New Testaments, we multiply 12 times 12 (12 Tribes: 12 Apostles) to get 144. Then to emphasize that it is the total number of God's people, not just a small part, we multiply 144 by 1, 000! [1,000 = 10 ? 10 ? 10 symbolic of perfect completeness.] This number 144,000 represents the total Church Militant in both the Old and New Testaments [all those who do in fact belong to God]. The Church Militant is the messianic community of believers, at work in this world (First Seal). [The Redeemed in the Old Testament are included in this number, although not actually part of the church which Jesus built. However, they will share in the promise (Hebrews 11:39-40).]

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Old Testament