The 144,000 are Jewish servants of God from all twelve tribes of Israel—twelve thousand from each—sealed by God during the Tribulation.
Revelation 7:4 says they come 'out of all the tribes of the children of Israel.' Les Feldick specifies that these are young Jewish men, sealed immediately as the seven-year Tribulation begins, protected from demonic locusts, and used to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the Gentile nations.
Revelation 7:4 — Explicitly states the number and origin of the sealed servants—144,000 from all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Revelation 9:4 — Shows the protective seal of God on the foreheads of these servants during the Tribulation.
In Revelation 7, John hears of God's sealed servants: 'And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel' (Revelation 7:4). The passage then names twelve tribes, with twelve thousand sealed from each. Revelation 7:3 records a command not to hurt the earth, sea, or trees until God's servants are sealed in their foreheads. Later, Revelation 9:4 shows that the demonic locusts are to hurt only 'those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.' Revelation 7:9 then presents a great multitude from every nation standing before the throne, clothed in white robes, with palms in their hands.
Les Feldick identifies the 144,000 as literal young Jewish men—12,000 from each of twelve tribes of Israel—sealed by God at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation. They are not a cult's self-claimed title, and they are not only from two tribes; all twelve tribes are represented. The ten tribes are not lost, as Peter's words to 'all the house of Israel' show. Their mission is to take the gospel of the kingdom—the same message Jesus preached, 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'—to every tongue, tribe, and nation during the first half of the Tribulation. They will be supernaturally enabled to speak every language and will encircle the globe, and as a result a great multitude out of every nation stands before the throne in white robes. God seals them in their foreheads, protecting them from the demonic locusts. Les also notes that Dan and Ephraim are omitted from the tribal list because they were the first to go into idolatry. Additionally, Les carefully distinguishes the 144,000 from the mixed remnant of Jewish society in Matthew 24: the 144,000 are young Jewish men, while that other group is an entire society.
In Revelation 7:5-8, twelve tribes are named with 12,000 sealed from each; Ephraim is not named as a tribe (Joseph is listed in its place), and Dan is omitted. Les explains that Dan and Ephraim are left out because they were the first tribes to go into idolatry, back when the tribes were under Joshua. This is his stated reason; the biblical text itself does not give the explanation.
Les teaches that the 144,000 are sealed immediately as the Tribulation begins, and they take the gospel of the kingdom—the same message Jesus began with, 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'—to Gentile nations around the world. They will know the language of every tribe and dialect, and for at least the first three to four years of the seven they will encircle the globe. Through their ministry, a great multitude from all nations comes to salvation and stands before the throne in white robes, having washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
No, says Les. He points to the passage describing a remnant of Jewish society—'an admixture of a whole society'—where people on the housetop and in the field are told not to come down. He says this is not the 144,000 young Jewish men that Revelation describes. The 144,000 are a specific, sealed group; the Matthew 24 remnant is a broader society.
The twelve tribes are not lost
Les points to Acts 2:22 and 2:36, where Peter addresses 'ye men of Israel' and 'all the house of Israel,' showing that all twelve tribes still exist and are represented.
144,000 are not the mixed remnant
Les contrasts the 144,000 young Jewish men mentioned in Revelation with the mixed society described in Matthew 24, clarifying they are not the same group.
Sealed from all twelve tribes
Les reads Revelation 7:4 and shows 12,000 are sealed from each named tribe of Israel, totaling 144,000.
Ministry and the great multitude
Les describes the 144,000 knowing every language and encircling the globe; the great multitude in white robes comes from their ministry.
Sealed at start of Tribulation with the kingdom gospel
God seals 144,000 young Jews as the Tribulation begins; they preach 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand,' the same gospel Jesus proclaimed in Matthew.
Protected from demonic locusts
Those with God's seal in their foreheads—the 144,000—are the ones the demonic locusts cannot touch.
Ministry to the Gentile nations
The 144,000 go to every tongue, tribe, and nation, and a great multitude comes to salvation through their ministry and worships before the throne.
Why Dan and Ephraim are omitted
Les explains that Dan and Ephraim are left out of the list because they were the first tribes to turn to idolatry in the days of Joshua.
Revelation 7:4: And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Gives the number and origin of the 144,000.
Revelation 7:3: Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Shows that God's servants are sealed in their foreheads before judgments proceed.
Revelation 7:9: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Reveals the great multitude that stands before the throne after the sealing of the 144,000.
Revelation 9:4: And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Reveals that those without the seal of God in their foreheads are the ones harmed by the demonic locusts, implying the sealed 144,000 are protected.
Acts 2:36: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Peter addresses 'all the house of Israel,' supporting the point that the ten tribes are not lost.
Yes. Revelation 7:4 says they are sealed from 'all the tribes of the children of Israel,' and Les stresses that all twelve tribes are represented, not merely two.
Les says that when the Tribulation period begins, God immediately seals 144,000 young Jews. They are sealed in their foreheads, which protects them from the demonic locusts described in Revelation 9.
Les teaches that Dan and Ephraim are the two tribes omitted from the list in Revelation 7 because they were the first to go into idolatry. The biblical text lists twelve tribes but does not state the reason.
They preach the gospel of the kingdom to every tongue, tribe, and nation during the first half of the Tribulation. Through their ministry, a great multitude from all nations comes to salvation and stands before the throne in white robes.
Watch the Teaching: The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel — What the Bible Really Says