Many years ago, I came across a common eschatological, or “end times” doctrine surrounding the 144,000. I have found this doctrine to be primarily popular among Dispensationalists/Premillennialists, in which the 144,000 mentioned within the book of Revelation are believed to be virgin Jewish men from the 12 tribes of Israel which come through the “great tribulation”. I have seen different variations of this doctrine; however, the main teaching is focused on a literal interpretation, that elevates physical bloodline/descent.
After initially hearing this doctrine, I decided to look into the scripture myself and found it to be in error. The Holy Spirit gave me the most basic understanding of it at that point, and as the years have passed, I have been able to grow in that understanding more clearly, of which I am most thankful. This doctrine is a part of many that surround this eschatological, or “end times” theology known as Dispensational Premillennialism. Which in turn, has given rise to Christian Zionism, or the support the State of Israel, without question and elevating physical Jews as “God’s chosen”.
One of the biggest deceptions that is plaguing Christians today is not knowing who Israel is, not knowing who a Jew is, and not understanding who God’s people are. To not have a solid understanding on those three things has led to much deception, lack of understanding prophesy and even heresy. The 144,000 when examined, while knowing the truth on the above three things, becomes a lot clearer and the false doctrines begin to fall away. I hope that this challenges those who read as well as encourage those who already have this understanding.
Part I.) Revelation 7: “The Sealed of Israel”
The first mention of the 144,000 is within Revelation chapter 7, and speaks on those who are sealed as the “servants of God”:
Rev 7:2Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
Now, two points I want to address here, before moving on. First, is that Jesus did not come to proclaim physical children, born of the physical tribes as children of God, but those born again of the Spirit.
Joh 1:11He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Read that passage carefully. He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (Jesus) who were born not of the physical descent, nor of will of the flesh, but of God. Not only that, but the 12 tribes no longer existed together, as the 10 tribes from the Northern Kingdom (House of Israel), were scattered in 721 BC after the Assyrians captured the capital of Samaria. This was after Yahweh had declared His divorce from the Northern Kingdom, or the House of Israel (Jeremiah 3:8). These 10 tribes were legally “cut off” from covenant with Yahweh.
The only tribes that remained during the time of Jesus, were the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and a portion of Levi. This was originally the House of Judah, and they were allowed to come back into the land after their Babylonian captivity. The House of Israel was not. However, there was a prophesy in which the 12 tribes would become unified again under “King David”. This prophesy was fulfilled through Jesus/Yeshua and if you are not familiar with this prophesy, then you can read about it further within my blog, “Ezekiel’s Two Sticks Gathered into One“.
Before the ministry of Jesus, we have John the Baptist proclaim to the current descendants of Abraham that they should not be so confident that they have a physical lineage to connect them to Abraham. Then, Jesus/Yeshua tells Nicodemus that he had to be “born again”, because the physical lineage will not get you a pass into the Kingdom. 
♦Joh 3:3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
♦Mat 3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even Paul stated that even though he was a Pharisee, the stock of Israel, coming from the tribe of Benjamin, being circumcised on the eighth day that this held no significance (Phil 3:4-6). That the true people/children of Yahweh were no longer of a physical descent but that the promise is through Jesus/Yeshua.
♦Rom 9:6But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
♦Gal 3:7Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
♦Gal 3:26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
That the Jew is no longer physical, but spiritual:
Rom 2:28For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
The physical Jews at the time were called of the “circumcision” however, Paul makes a declaration, to both converted Jew and Gentile, that those of the faith in Jesus were now the true circumcision and no longer those of the physical lineage; nor did the physical circumcision prove to be a sign of the covenant with Yahweh as it had previously.
♦Phil 3:3For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
♦Eph 2:11Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh
“Formerly” indicates a past condition, highlighting the transformation that has occurred. “Gentiles in the flesh” refers to their ethnic and physical identity, distinct from the Jewish people. The Greek term for Gentiles, “ἔθνη” (ethne), often denotes nations or peoples outside of Israel. This phrase underscores the physical and cultural separation that existed between Jews and Gentiles, a division that Christ has now reconciled.
and called ‘uncircumcision’
The term “uncircumcision” was a label used by Jews to describe Gentiles, emphasizing their lack of the covenant sign given to Abraham. In the Greek, “ἀκροβυστία” (akrobystia) carries a connotation of being outside the covenant community. This label was not just a physical description but a spiritual and social marker of exclusion from the promises of God.
by the so-called ‘circumcision’
The “so-called ‘circumcision'” refers to the Jewish people who bore the physical mark of the covenant. The Greek term “περιτομή” (peritome) signifies this physical act, which was meant to be an outward sign of an inward faith. However, Paul highlights that this distinction, made by human hands, is not the ultimate measure of one’s relationship with God. It points to the deeper truth that true circumcision is of the heart, a theme Paul explores in other epistles.
So, when we look forward into the book of Revelation, it is important to take in all the context previously to understand properly. It would make no sense to refer to literal, physical tribes, when that would contradict all of the above passages that I have provided. It was through Abraham by which the 12 tribes of Israel came to be, however, according to scripture, since the promised heir is that of Jesus, to which Issac was a foreshadow, it is through Jesus by which any tribes are attributed. The children of Israel, or the children of God, are only though Jesus, and it does not pertain to those who “claim to be Jews, but are not”(Rev 3:9)
Rom 8:16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
The second point I want to address is that the “sealed servants of God” are those who believe in faith in the name of Jesus/Yeshua by the receiving of the Holy Spirit. It does not matter what lineage is proclaimed, nor does it hold any bearing in a person to receive it.
♦Eph 1:13In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
♦2 Cor 1:21Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
So, looking again back at the context of Revelation 7, it is pointing to those who are either in Christ, or coming to Christ, having “seal of God on their foreheads.”
Much like the mark or the blood that was placed over the doorposts, during the first
Passover, this is representation of the blood of the Lamb being placed over the souls of those who believe. The mention of the forehead has been a concept in scripture from the beginning (Ex 13:9, Ex 13:16, Deut 6:8-9, Deut 11:13), and represents our thoughts, or the desires of our heart.
If we allow scripture to interpret scripture, we can understand that this is a spiritual reference to those who have received the Holy Spirit and thus carry on the same understanding to the following verses of the tribes of Israel.
Continuing on with Revelation 7:
5of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
Some things to initially point out is that these are not the original 12 tribes, nor are they listed in order. The tribe of Judah is mentioned first, yet the firstborn of Jacob/Israel was Reuben. Also, the number 12, 144 and 12,000 are highly symbolic numbers used to describe the “Bride of the Lamb” later on in Revelation 21. (I will come back to this).
The following excerpt is from Ellicott’s Commentary (and will be quoting from him throughout this blog) which I have come to really appreciate over the past years as he is one of the only older commentaries that is not corrupted by many of the newer ones, and it has been somewhat of a refreshing read on a lot of topics that the Holy Spirit has led me on. I do quote from other commentaries as I feel have an importance to add and sometimes like how they expound further.
There are two or three questions which these verses suggest. What are we to understand by the number twelve thousand from each tribe? Who are these who are drawn from the tribes of Israel? Why is there a change of the order and name of the tribes? It may help us to clearer thoughts to take the second of these questions first. (1) Who are these one hundred and forty-four thousand? An answer to this has been partly anticipated in our previous comments; but perhaps a fuller consideration is needed. Some have thought that the sealed ones must be Jewish Christians: i.e., they are disposed to take the twelve tribes literally. The scope of the previous verses seems decisive against this view.
The sealed ones are explained to be the servants of God; the description which follows proclaims them to be the “Israel of God.” It would be a strange leap away from the subject to introduce a sudden limitation of thought. Nor is there any necessity for doing so. Israelitish and Jewish names are freely adopted by the sacred writers, and used in a spiritual sense without any explanation of such usage; and the Apostle most emphatically laid down the principle that “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter” (Romans 2:28-29); and the principle he applies by affirming that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28). The Christian Church absorbs the Jewish, inherits her privileges, and adopts, with wider and nobler meaning, her phraseology. She has her Jerusalem, but it is a heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22): a Jerusalem from above (Galatians 4:26): a new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2; see Revelation 3:12); and to that Jerusalem of God the true Israel of God, the chosen generation and royal priesthood of every age, turn the eye of faith.
Ellicott’s views here are in alignment with mine and express the correct context in understanding not only who the 144,000 are, but those who are the “Israel of God”. 
From my blog “Who is the Israel of God?“
For many that hold to a separation of Israel and the church, will often accuse those who speak otherwise as promoting “replacement theology” in which the church has somehow replaced Israel. The scriptures do not teach that Israel replaced the church, but that the church and Israel are synonymous. However, there is also a distinction between those who claim to be Israel but are not, those who are Jews but are not, and those who are of the flesh and those who are not. In such case, it is evident that those of spiritual descent, those through Christ, have replaced, those after the flesh.
♦John 1:11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13WHICH WERE BORN, NOT OF BLOOD, NOR THE WILL OF THE FLESH, nor of the will of man, but of God.
♦Gal 6:15For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. What counts is a new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who walk by this rule, EVEN TO THE ISRAEL OF GOD.
Quoting several commentaries from this passage, all state the same thing, that the “Israel of God” are those made up of spiritual Israel, those born again of the Spirit.
And upon the Israel of God.–The benediction is addressed, not to two distinct sets of persons (“those who walk by this rule” and “the Israel of God”), but to the same set of persons described in different ways. “And” is therefore equivalent to “namely:” Yea, upon the Israel of God. By the “Israel of God” is here meant the “spiritual Israel;” not converts from Judaism alone, but all who prove their real affinity to Abraham by a faith like Abraham’s. (Comp. Galatians 3:7-9; Galatians 3:14; Galatians 3:29; Romans 4:11-12; Romans 9:6-8.)
And upon the Israel of God – The true church of God; all who are his true worshippers; see the note at Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:6, note.
Understanding who the Israel of God is, we can understand who the 12 tribes are also. In the beginning introduction of the book of James, the greeting is addressed to ” the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad”:
1:1James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:
Greetings,
2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Now, it makes no sense for James to be writing to the literal 12 tribes, when 1.) as mentioned previously, the 12 tribes had no longer existed since the scattering of the 10 tribes from the House of Israel, and only the House of Judah, with the tribe of Judah and Benjamin remained at the time of the writing of the letter. 2.) James is writing to believers in Jesus.
So, James is writing to those within the body of Christ as the 12 tribes of Israel.
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion
James addresses his letter “to the twelve tribes”, a phrase that evokes the entirety of Israel. This is a symbolic reference to the Jewish Christians scattered abroad, known as the “Dispersion” or “Diaspora” (Greek: “Diaspora”). Historically, the Diaspora refers to Jews living outside of Israel, a result of various exiles and migrations. By addressing the twelve tribes, James connects the Christian community to the historic people of God, emphasizing continuity and fulfillment of God’s promises through Christ. This also reflects the early church’s understanding of itself as the true Israel, a spiritual community transcending geographical and ethnic boundaries.
But there is something figurative, and perhaps prophetic, in the number twelve. Strictly speaking, at the time this Epistle was written, Judah and Benjamin, in great measure, were returned to the Holy Land from their captivity, though numbers of both tribes were living in various parts of the world, chiefly engaged, as at the present day, in commerce. The remaining ten had lost their tribal distinctions, and have now perished from all historical record…
I believe that the tribe of Judah is mentioned first, because this is the tribe that Jesus/Yeshua came from and thus by which we are all “Jews” spiritually, as the term “Jew” comes from those initially from the tribe of Judah.
♦Hebrews 7:14For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
♦Matthew 2:5So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet (Micah):
6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Now, why is the tribe of Dan excluded, and Manasseh in its place? Well, much like the prophesy in Genesis 49, that the “scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh (Messiah) arrive”(vs.10), I find that there is significance to the prophesy with the tribe of Dan, leading to a possible spiritual implication of those who were once part of the olive tree but were “cut-off” due to increased immorality and unbelief.
Genesis 49:17Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward.
The omission of one tribe and the changed name of another are designed to show that in the Church, as in Israel, the most splendid opportunities may be lost. Dan, once a tribe, and not an insignificant tribe, which had reared its heroes, gradually lapsed into idolatry and immorality, dwindled in numbers and importance, and at length disappeared, and as a tribe became extinct. Its omission in this list is a silent but emphatic comment on the sacred warnings: “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” “Begin not to say we have Abraham to our father: God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
Part II.) Revelation 7: “A Great Multitude”
Moving on to the following verses within Revelation 7, it states that those which came out of the “great tribulation” are “of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues”. Therefore, the belief that the 144,000 are only physical Jews which come out of the “great tribulation” is not within context of that chapter.
Revelation 7:
9After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
13Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Now, the Hebrew word for “multitude” is rebabah, and is used interchangeably with “myriad, multitude, ten thousand”. I want to mention this because the reference within the OT of ten thousand is not a literal number, but that to represent a great multitude or vastness/infinite number.
Genesis 24: 59So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:
“Our sister, may you become
The mother of thousands of ten thousands;
And may your descendants possess
The gates of those who hate them.”
Strong’s Lexicon:
Usage: The Hebrew word “rebabah” is used to denote a large number or multitude, often quantified as “ten thousand” or “myriad.” It is employed in the Hebrew Bible to convey the idea of vastness or an innumerable quantity, whether referring to people, animals, or other entities.
Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, large numbers were often used symbolically to express greatness or abundance. The number “ten thousand” was a common way to describe an exceedingly large group, as it was one of the largest units of counting in the ancient world. This reflects the agrarian and tribal society of ancient Israel, where population size and the abundance of resources were crucial for survival and prosperity.
So, even numbers within the OT were not used as literal numbers, but symbolic to represent something. The usage of thousand with 144, is symbolic of a great multitude, which we see in context in following verses: “a great multitude which no one could number”. 12 x 12 is 144, which is not only the names and number of gates of the heavenly Jerusalem (the bride), but also the 12 foundations bearing the names of the 12 apostles. You see these numbers throughout the description of the heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb:
Rev 21:9…Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
The apostle Paul references the body of Christ as being the temple “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone”(Eph 2:20). Paul is revealing who the 144,000 are:
Eph 2:19Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Lastly, the 12 stones mentioned within the 12 foundations are similar to the stones that were within the breastplate worn by high priest (Exodus 28:17-20). What I find to be highly significant about this is that under the old covenant, the 12 stones within the breastplate were illuminated by what was called the Urim and Thummim (Ex. 28:30) meaning, “Lights “and” Perfections,” and was used by the high priest to consult a matter from the people to Yahweh. So, when the high priest was wearing the breastplate, the stones would all illuminate into “perfect light”.
We are told through the epistle of Peter that we are “living stones, being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5) and we are to be the “light of the world” emanating the light of Jesus through us. The fulfillment of these 12 stones, that were illuminated into “perfect light” are symbolic of the Holy Spirit shining through us not only individually, but united as a whole within the body of Christ. All 12 stones by which the high priest Jesus wears are illuminated through His light. Us in Him and He in us.
When we are born again, we are grafted into the “good olive tree” which is Jesus/Yeshua, the Branch, and become a royal priesthood, also wearing the breastplate of righteousness(judgement), we have the fulfillment of the Urim and Thummim, His Spirit, which is the seal, and promise of our salvation and inheritance:
Eph 1:13And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.
Part III.) Revelation 14: “The Lamb and the 144,000”
Moving on to Revelation 14, we see the mention of the 144,000 again standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion.
Rev 14:1Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.4These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Now, when reading the first verse, what Mount Zion are they standing on, physical/earthly or spiritual/heavenly? Well, for starters we can go over to the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 12:22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven
Within Hebrews it states that those who are at Mount Zion, which is heavenly Jerusalem, is the church of the firstborn, which is the church or congregation of Christ. This is the mountain in which we are to gather to, and also why in the book of Galatians, Paul compares the new covenant to the heavenly Jerusalem:
Gal 4:22For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Jesus also spoke that they would no longer need to gather in physical Jerusalem to worship (Joh 4:21). Then we look to Revelation and can conclude that these again are those within the body of Christ, who are gathered in Spirit with the Lamb at heavenly Zion.
♦Phil 3:20For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
♦Eph 2:4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus
Moving on to verse 4, this is where the doctrine of these 144,000 are viewed as literal virgins. However, we can see that Paul already states in 2 Corinthians that a “virgin” symbolizes those who are undefiled by the world and remain faithful to Christ.
2 Cor 11:1Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
We see similar imagery used within a parable given by Jesus/Yeshua of the wise and foolish virgins. The five wise virgins were those who remain faithful, and keep their lamps filled with oil and we could say that they “follow the lamb wherever He goes”. 
Mat 25:1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
The characteristics of the servants of the Lamb are given in this verse and the following. The first is purity: they are virgins. The expression can hardly be limited to the unmarried, as the 144,000 represent the wide society of the choice ones of God. They are those whose hearts have been made as the hearts of little children (Matthew 18:1-4), who have that purity of heart which Christ declared to be blessed, and which St. James declared to be the first mark of heavenly wisdom (Matthew 5:8, and James 3:17). The next is implicit obedience: they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. Some, indeed, take this to be a kind of heavenly reward: they shall be the nearer companions of the Lamb. But it is better to take it as describing their complete consecration to Christ.
They are those who are with Christ, who have tasted the cup that their Lord tasted, and have taken up their cross and followed Him (Matthew 20:22; Luke 14:27; John 12:24-26). It is well to weigh these words; it is in the “wheresoever” that we may test the reality of our Christian life. Here lies the cross that Christ bids us take up. Here is the echo of Christ’s words, “Whosoever forsaketh not all he hath cannot be My disciple.” The third mark is separation, or unworldliness: they were purchased from among men, as a firstfruit to God and to the Lamb. They were a chosen generation, a peculiar people (Titus 2:14; 1Peter 2:9), as the Israel of God (Deuteronomy 7:6). The fourth feature is utter truthfulness: in their mouth no guile or no falsehood. (Comp. Psalms 14 and Deuteronomy 32:1-2.) The verse emphatically ends with “They are blameless.”
The passage from Revelation 14 goes on to say, “these were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God and the Lamb.” To be redeemed is to be purchased, and this is not limited to a specific number of people, as in a literal 144,000, but as mentioned previously it is to represent great multitude or vastness/infinite number. This is also not limited to a specific moment in time but rather has been going on since before the writing of the book of Revelation. These are those over the last 2,000 years by which have been purchased by the Lamb through His blood and then offer up their lives as a sacrifice.
♦1 Cor 6:20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
♦Rom 12:1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
♦1 Peter 1:6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8whom having not seen you love.
♦1 Peter 1:18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Sacrifice is their life song, a song that they sing mentioned in verse 3 and previously in Revelation 5.
Rev 5:9And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”
Those that know this song understand the cost of following Jesus, and it is on their lips even upon their death because they know that “to be absent from the body, is to be present in the Lord” (2Cor 5:8).
This brings me into the mention of first fruits, “being first fruits to God and the Lamb”, as it has to do with harvesting, more specifically the harvesting of souls. First fruits were the first part of the crop to ripen and was presented as an offering to Yahweh. Two of the main harvests were barley, and wheat, which coincided with the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost. Those who are part of the new covenant are part of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, which began at Pentecost (Ex 23:16, Num 28:26), those faithful believers from the old covenant were part of the barley harvest with Jesus being the first, and the fulfillment of first fruits.
From my blog, “Barley Harvest, First-Fruits and Ezekiel’s Dead Bones“
Yeshua/Jesus was resurrected from the dead during the Feast of Unleavened Bread on first-fruits, as the sheaf offering. This is why He is called our “First-fruits”(1 Cor 15:20). This is in regards to the first fruit offering of the ripe barley harvest, which happens during the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
Leviticus 23:10“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. 11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD(YHWH) so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD(YHWH), (BSB)
When wheat is being gathered it is the harvest of souls into the Kingdom of heaven. This is why you see the 1st century martyrs, to begin with Stephen seeing Yeshua on the throne, and then in Revelation, we see those who have been martyred or died in Christ around the throne holding to the testimony of Jesus and His commandments. These were part of the wheat harvest that were gathered up into heaven, of which still happens today.
♦John 4:35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
♦Matt 9:37Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
