Justifying 100 Years of Evangelistic Failure:
The SDARM Literalist View of the 144,000
SUMMARY
The
Reformists of the SDARM generally BELIEVE and TEACH:
- The 144,000 mentioned in Rev 7 and 14 is a literal number.
- It
is not merely 144,000 at the Second Coming, being those still alive and lived
through the Time of Trouble (as opposed to those who have long since died),
but rather only this small literal number since 1844.
The Reformists are WRONG because:
- The SDARM Reformists
themselves admit aspects of the 144,000 are not literal – when it suits them
that is. For example, Reformists admit
the number might only represent adult males, not women and children. Similarly, the admit the description of
these 144,000 in Rev 14:4 as virgin men from the 12 tribes of Israel does not
literally mean celibate-Jewish males – but rather has a symbolic and
spiritual meaning of undefiled Christians.
- Ellen White explicitly
said we are not to preoccupy ourselves with the question of whether the
144,000 is a literal number of not. It
is not to be an essential doctrine or test of fellowship.
- The real underlying reason
for the SDARM position is to justify their extremely poor take-up of Jesus’
Great Commission to spread the Gospel.
For example, in 150 years the mainstream SDA Church has grown to 22
million; in 100 years, the SDARM has only grown to some 30,000. Growth does
matter as a test of fruits, as acknowledged in Acts 5:38-39.
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Introduction: The book of Revelation and the 144,000
The book of Revelation mentions a group of 144,000 in two places. The first place is Rev 7:1-4:
‘After this I saw four
angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds
of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on
any tree.
[2] Then I saw another
angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out
in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land
and the sea:
[3] “Do not harm the
land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the
servants of our God.”
[4] Then I heard the
number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.’
The
second place is Rev 14:1-5:
‘Then I looked, and
there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who
had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
[2] And I heard a sound
from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder.
The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
[3] And they sang a new
song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No
one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the
earth.
[4] These are those who
did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow
the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered
as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
[5] No lie was found in
their mouths; they are blameless.’
In the
history of Christianity, there has been much speculation as to who or what this
144,000 really. Common theories include
Preturists views that they are the Christian Jews of the Early Church who
escaped the destruction of Jerusalem.
Futurist-Dispensationalist views hold they represent Jewish converts at
the End of Time.
Adventist
eschatology, which adopts a Historicist position, has traditionally taught that
they represent God’s last people (spiritual as opposed to literal Jews) who are
alive at the End of Time, live through the Great Tribulation, and thus are
still living when Jesus returns. Thus,
when the Apostle Paul talks in 2 Thes 4:17 about those still alive at the
Second Coming, it is to this same group of people that John in Revelation is
addressing:
‘After that, we who are
still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.’
The
question that has remained in Adventism has been whether this is a literal or
figurative number. The mainstream SDA
Church has largely remained out of the debate, with both views being held by
mainstream Adventists. Most importantly,
mainstream Adventism does not see the question as an ‘essential’ or ‘salvation
issue’.
The SDARM
Church on the other hand, which has been a total failure in its evangelistic
endeavours, has committed to a literal view.
Most importantly, where traditionally the identity of the 144,000 has
been a non-issue, the Reformists turn it into one of their core beliefs.
The SDARM position on the 144,000
In short, the SDARM view the
144,000 as a literal number, whilst the question is in debate within mainstream
Adventism. As described by A. C. Sas in
the SDARM publication, The Sealing of God’s People (Reformation Herald Pub: Roanoke, Virginia) at page 96:
‘The number, 144,000, must mean a
definite number, composed of just so many individuals.’
As observed by Helmut Kramer in SDA Reform Movement at page 50, this literalist view is very important to
Reformists:
‘Another area where Reformers take a divergent doctrinal
view is the subject of the 144,000. Whereas in the Adventist Church this matter
has become almost a non-issue, to Reformers the topic is very important. They
hold to the view (expressed by Elder J. N. Loughborough) that the number
144,000 is a literal rather than a symbolic number, and that it includes all
those who have died under the three angels' messages.’
Similarly, as noted by Vance Ferrel in The Truth About the Adventist Reform Church at
page 17:
‘In regard to their teaching on the 144,000, it is this: Their position
is that the entire number of people that will be saved after 1844 will be
144,000 literal people, no more and no less. And they preach that when this
number is reached, Christ will return the second time. All that matters is
achieving that number. Yet such a teaching is foreign both to the Bible and the
Spirit of
Prophecy. It cannot be found in either.
Living to themselves, warning no one out in the world, waiting for the
coming of Christ while doing little or nothing. —This is not what I want for
myself, my wife, or my children.’
The scriptural basis for the SDARM
justification for a literal 144,000
The SDARM
position
The
scriptural basis for the SDARM justification for teaching the 144,000 is a
literal number is explained by A. C. Sas in the SDARM publication, The Sealing of God’s People at pages
96-97:
‘OBJECTION No. 15
The 144,000 is not a literal number.
It is a symbolic number.
ANSWER
In the seventh chapter of Revelation
two companies are brought to view: One is a great multitude which no man can
number (verse 9), and the other is the 144,000 sealed.
This company is numbered, because
John declares this:
“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.” Rev. 7:4.
The following commentary of Elder Uriah
Smith will clarify this point:
“The number, 144,000, must mean a
definite number, composed of just so many individuals. It cannot stand for a
larger but indefinite number; for in verse 9 another company is introduced
which is indefinite in its proportions, and hence is spoken of as ‘a great
multitude,’ ‘which no man could number.’ If the 144,000 were designed to
represent such an indefinite number, then John would have said, in verse 4,
‘And there were sealed a great multitude, which no man could number, out of all
the tribes of the children of Israel.’ But instead of this, he says, 144,000,
twelve thousand from each tribe, a number which can easily be enumerated.
The reason for this distinction is
apparent if we take the innumerable multitude of verse 9 to be the whole host
of the redeemed, who will have part in the first resurrection, and the 144,000
to be Christians who will be alive on the earth when Christ appears. And that
the 144,000 are the ones who will be thus alive, and meet Christ at His second
coming, appears from the prophecy here they are next mentioned; that is, Rev.
14:1-5. Here they are represented as coming triumphant out of the last
religious conflict in this world (Rev. 13:12-18), and as being ‘redeemed from
the earth,’ and ‘redeemed from among men’. Rev. 14:3, 4.
“Will there, then, be only 144,000
saved from among the living when the Lord appears? May not this number be so
far representative as to include many others? There seems to be quite a
plausible supposition that this latter may be the case; that is, that the
144,000 may include only the adult males connected with the great Advent
movement, while the women and children associated in the same movement would be
so many additional ones to be saved from among the living in that day. The
plausibility of this idea lies in the fact that the Hebrews were so numbered
when delivered from Egyptian bondage, which was a figure of the deliverance of
the remnant of the true Israel from the Egypt of this world at the coming of
the Lord.
Some three million, in all, came out
of Egypt, yet there were numbered only those who were able to go forth to war,
from twenty years old and upward, amounting in all to 603,550. Num. 1:2, 3, 46.
This would be about one to five of the whole multitude, as is computed by Dr.
Clarke, on Ex. 12:37, where the number of fighting men is given as only about
600,000. If the enumeration of Rev. 7:4 is founded on the same basis (of which,
of course, there is no positive proof), it would give the number to be
translated probably over seven hundred thousand instead of only one hundred and
forty-four thousand. It would indeed be most gratifying to think that so many
would be ready for the Lord’s appearing; but looking over the condition of the
world, and marking the rapid religious decline of these days, the wonder is
where so many as 144,000 will be found who will ever be ready for the Lord when
He shall appear.” RH August 10, 1897.’
In
effect, the Reformists argue:
- Various Adventist pioneers, such as Uriah Smith, believed it was a literal number.
- The 144,000 must be a definite number, otherwise it makes no sense that the Bible refers elsewhere in Rev 7:9-17 to a ‘great multitude’ that could not be counted.
Problems
with the SDARM position
First of
all, arguments from Adventist pioneers are interesting but hardly
persuasive. By Protestant standards, it
is a far cry from sola scriptura (the Bible and the Bible alone). Moreover, the SDA pioneers were hardly
infallible, and themselves had to undergo a theological evolution, over a whole
range of beliefs and practices: shut door theory; midnight Sabbath; Arianism;
Pantheism; pork-eating; legalism etc. In effect, this argument is nothing more
than tradition, more akin to the Roman Catholic practice of quoting the early
Church Fathers – it seems Uriah Smith is like the Saint Augustine to the SDARM.
Secondly,
the SDARM itself admit there are several aspects of the 144,000 that are not
literal. For example, as admitted by A.
C. Sas in The Sealing of God’s People at
pages 96-97, the number might only represent adult males, given in ancient
times women and children were not counted in censuses:
‘May
not this number be so far representative as to include many others? There seems
to be quite a plausible supposition that this latter may be the case; that is,
that the 144,000 may include only the adult males connected with the great
Advent movement, while the women and children associated in the same movement
would be so many additional ones to be saved from among the living in that day.
The plausibility of this idea lies in the fact that the Hebrews were so
numbered when delivered from Egyptian bondage, which was a figure of the
deliverance of the remnant of the true Israel from the Egypt of this world at
the coming of the Lord.’
Thirdly,
the SDARM itself admits that the description of this 144,000 is not
literal. For example, Rev 7:4 says these
people are from the tribes of Israel.
Moreover, Rev 14: 4 says they are virgins. However, the SDARM acknowledges that these
are mere spiritual descriptions, and not to be taken literally as meaning
144,000 literal virgin-celibate Jews, as A. C. Sas in The Sealing of God’s People at pages 86-88:
‘OBJECTION No. 10
The 144,000 are virgins, not defiled
with women. (Rev. 14:4). Therefore they are single men, who have never been
married.
ANSWER
In the Bible a woman symbolizes a
church. A pure woman represents the church of God, and a corrupt woman
represents an apostate church. See 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 12:1;
17:3-6; Is. 4:1.
The 144,000 are not defiled with the
false doctrines of other churches. They are not partakers in their communion
and have no fellowship with them. They might have once been their members, but
having accepted the truth and obeyed the Sabbath, keeping it according to the
commandment, they are sealed. They are free from the errors and defilement of
other churches that make up Babylon.
But especially they believe and teach
pure doctrine. In this sense they are virgins.
“So of the 144,000; though some of
them may have once had a connection with corrupt churches, they sever that
connection when it would become sin to retain it longer.” DR 584.
In the parable the word “virgins” is
used to represent those who profess a pure doctrine: “They are called virgins
because they profess a pure faith.” COL 406.’
OBJECTION No. 11
The 144,000 are made up of the Jewish
people, because the Bible says that they are from the twelve tribes of the
children of Israel (Rev. 7:4-8).
ANSWER
Because the prophecy says that the
144,000 are made up of all the tribes of the children of Israel, we
should not understand that they are the literal tribes. Notice the following
reasons:
a) In the list of the twelve tribes
of Israel in Revelation 7, the tribe of Dan is left out.
b) Of the tribe of Joseph two are
included: Joseph and his son Manasseh.
c) The clear distinctions between the
original twelve tribes have ceased long ago.
When the apostle James wrote his
epistle to the Christians he addressed it to the twelve tribes: “James, a
servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are
scattered abroad, greeting.” James 1:1.’
Finally,
the whole notion that there are exactly 144,000, not one more or less, and that
they contain exactly 12,000 in 12 groups, not more or less, seems somewhat arbitrary. It falls it the first hurdle of form
criticism, such as thinking Jesus fed exactly 500 people – not one more or
less. By contrast, today we would
realise that a description on the news of 80,000 at a baseball game means
around that number, not that exactly number. The Bible is not false – it is
just the false way people read it.
Thus, the
SDARM takes the curious stance of recognise the spiritual and non-literal
characteristics of the 144,000 when it suits, but then goes on to insist the
numbering is literal. That appears to be a wholly inconsistent and somewhat
illogical approach.
Mainstream
SDA position
As
further explained by the mainstream SDA scholar Ekkehardt Muller, in The 144,000 and the Great Multitude
(Biblical Research Institute), there is now a tendency in mainstream Adventism
to see the number as figuratively:
‘VI. A Symbolic Number?
It
is now quite clear that the 144,000 must be understood in a symbolic way rather
than in a literal way. The immediate context is clearly symbolic (7:1-3)
mentioning the four corners of the world, the four winds of the earth, sea,
earth, trees, and the seal of God.
But
also the extended context, namely Rev 6 is largely symbolic, for instance, the
apocalyptic riders and the martyrs under the altar. The parallel passage in
14:1-5 must be understood symbolically. It tells us that the 144,000 "have
not defiled themselves with women."
They
are "virgins" and follow the "Lamb." The group does not
consist of unmarried men only. The term "woman" is a symbol in Rev as
is the term "Lamb." Therefore, symbolic language is also to be
expected for 7:4-8. The number is symbolic—12 times 12 times 1,000—and points
to the fullness of the people of God. The enumeration of tribes is very
unusual.
The
tribe Dan is missing, whereas Manasses should already be contained in Joseph.
Ephraim is not mentioned, however, Levi is counted. Judah is found in the first
place and Benjamin in the last, forming a parenthesis which encompasses the
tribes of the Northern Kingdom. Such a list is not found elsewhere in
Scripture. Most of the twelve tribes no longer exist today. Therefore, it is hardly
possible to find 144,000 literal Israelites according to their tribes as listed
in Rev 7 forming God's end time people.
However,
the NT knows descendants of Abraham that are not literal descendants (Rom
4:11-12) as well as a spiritual Israel (Rom 2:28-29; Gal 6:16).’
The
mainstream SDA position effectively says that because most aspects of the description
about the 144,000 is symbolic, there is no certainly one can say the number is
therefore not symbolic but literal.
Perhaps it could be literal, but the Bible itself provides no definitive
evidence of that.
Arguments from SOP for the SDARM
justification for a literal 144,000
The SDARM
position
The
support from SOP for its literal view is helpfully referred to by A. C. Sas in
the SDARM publication, The Sealing of God’s People at page 97:
‘The Spirit of Prophecy makes it
clear that the 144,000 is a literal number.
The living saints, 144,000 in
number.” EW 15.
‘An angel with a writer’s inkhorn by
his side returned from the earth and reported to Jesus that his work was done,
and the saints were numbered and sealed.’ EW 279.
‘The names of those who are steadfastly
looking and waiting and watching for the appearing of their Savior—more
earnestly and wishfully than they who wait for the morning— will be numbered
with those who are sealed.’ TM 445.
‘Christ has made the atonement for His
people and blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up.’ GC
613, 614. (SDARM emphasis)
Another instance where the same
expression “in number” appears indicates that it cannot be symbolic but
literal:
‘Jezebel’s prophets, eight hundred and
fifty in number, like a regiment of soldiers prepared for battle, march out in
a body with instrumental music and imposing display.’ 3T 279, 280.
And
another common argument used in support of a literal understanding of the
144,000 includes:
‘I saw
that she [referring to Mrs. Hastings, a wife and mother, who had passed away]
was sealed and would come up at the voice of God and stand upon the earth, and
would be with the 144,000.’ 2SM
263
Problems
with the SDARM position
First,
none of the above SOP quotations directly and unambiguously say the 144,000 is a literal number – it merely says they are people who will be numbered.
Second,
the statement about Mrs Hastings does not say she belongs to the 144,000 but
rather merely says that at the resurrection she will be raised and then come
together with the 144,000. That is
little different from Paul’s account, where he said the dead shall be raised
and then come to be with the changed living.
Thirdly,
Mrs White herself makes clear in the Great Controversy that the 144,000 are those
who lived through the Great Tribulation; thus, the notion of special
resurrections for persons like Mrs Hastings are not in conformity with either
the Bible or SOP:
'These
are they which came out of great tribulation'; they have passed through the
time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; they have endured
the anguish of the time of Jacob's trouble; they have stood without an
intercessor through the final outpouring of God's judgments.’ GC 648-649
In summary of Ellen White’s various statements,
Ekkehardt Muller, in The 144,000 and the Great Multitude (Biblical Research Institute) observes:
‘Ellen
White affirms that the 144,000 are those that are alive at Jesus' Second
Coming. They have been sealed and went through the great tribulation. Thus,
Ellen White seems to confirm that the 144,000 and the great multitude are the
same group. She also calls them "saints" which remind us of Rev 13
and 14. According to her the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb mentioned
in Rev 15:3-4 are the song of the 144,000. This is the new song of Rev 14:3,
which, however, is not recorded in that chapter. The characteristics of the
144,000 found in Rev are also attributed to them by Ellen White.’
Essential or non-essential: Does it actually
matter?
No, it
should not be an essential question, as the SDARM make it. Ellen White made very clear herself:
‘Christ says that there will be
those in the church who will present fables and suppositions, when God has
given grand, elevating, ennobling truths which should ever be kept in the
treasure house of the mind. When men pick up this theory and that theory, when
they are curious to know something it is not necessary for them to know, God is
not leading them. It is not His plan that His people shall present something
which they have to suppose, which is not taught in the Word. It is not His will that they shall get
into controversy over questions which will not help them spiritually, such as,
Who is to compose the hundred and forty-four thousand? This those who
are the elect of God will in a short time know without question.’ (Selected Messages, book 1, p.174). (emphasis added)
And
further:
"When There Was No Light: I have no light on the subject
[as to just who would constitute the 144,000]. . . ." 3SM 51 (emphasis added)
Thus, the
concern is not so much whether the 144,000 is a literal number or not, but
that the SDARM spend so much time and energy over an issue that is
essentially a non-essential one.
Conclusion: Some underlying rational for the
SDARM position
The larger question to all this is – why do the SDARM
care so much about a non-essential issue?
Much of it has to do with the simple fact that the SDARM have failed the
biblical fruits-test as observed by Gamaliel in Acts 5:38-39:
‘Therefore, in the
present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their
purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be
able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’
In 150 years, the mainstream SDA Church has grown from a small handful to 22
million, but the SDARM is still under 30,000 – in two separate schisms. How can the SDARM explain its massive evangelistic failure? The answer is to turn the matter on its head,
in claiming some sort of elite status, too good for the rest of the world. Belief in a literal 144,000 is integral to
maintaining that self-lie.
As
observed by Kramer in SDA Reform Movement
at page 51:
‘The larger question is, How does this teaching affect the spiritual
growth of the Reform Movement? The answer quickly becomes evident. If one
believes the above, there will be little zeal for active evangelism. Members
can sit back in complacency and say, Soon the Lord will pour out His spirit
upon us, and the work will be finished quickly.
This doctrine excuses the small
numbers and explains away the many defects in the Movement. Reformers reason,
After all, very few will be saved; so if you only stay with the Reform ship,
all will turn out right. In the main Reformers lack an understanding of the
gospel commission and the place of the church of God in this work.’
So,
in many ways, the SDARM’s literalist view of the 144,000 is really its core
argument to justify 100 years of evangelistic failure.
This is a interesting verse in the Bible showing that those in Philadelphia are part of the 144,000 and are raised in the special resurrection for this special occasion, the wicked worshipping at their feet. Note it is well before Laodecia is announced.
ReplyDeleteRevelaton 3:7-13. "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, 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. 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. 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. Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." {June 17, 1862 JWe, ARSH 20.17}
Philadelphia signifies, brotherly love, and expresses the position and spirit of those who received the advent message up to the autumn of 1844. As they came out of the sectarian churches, they left party names and party feelings behind, and every heart beat in union as they gave the alarm to the nominal churches and to the world, and pointed to the coming of the Son of man as the consummation of the true believer's hope. Selfishness and covetousness were laid aside, and a spirit of consecration and sacrifice was cherished. The Spirit of God was with every true believer, and his praise on every tongue. Those who were not in that movement know nothing of the deep searching of heart, consecration of all to God, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit, and pure, fervent love for each other, which true believers then enjoyed. Those who were in that movement are aware that language would fail to describe that united, happy state. {June 17, 1862 JWe, ARSH 20.18}
ReplyDeleteThe Son of God is the rightful heir to the throne of David, and is about to take to himself his great power and reign, hence is here represented as having the key of David - key, a figure of power. The throne of David, or of Christ, on which he is to reign, is the capital of his kingdom, the New Jerusalem now above. The opening and shutting can refer only to the change of ministration from the holy to the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary, at the end of the 2300 days, in 1844. It was then that the ministration in the holy place closed, and the ministration in the most holy for the forgiveness of sins, and to cleanse the sanctuary, was opened by him that hath the key of David. For a full exposition of this point, see work entitled, The Four Universal Kingdoms, the Sanctuary, and Twenty-three Hundred Days. {June 17, 1862 JWe, ARSH 20.19}
hen it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us who could wash one another's feet, and salute the holy brethren with a holy kiss, and they worshipped at our feet. Soon our eyes were drawn to the East, for a small black cloud had appeared about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the Sign of the Son of Man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer, lighter, and brighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire, a rainbow was over it, around the cloud were ten thousand angels singing a most lovely song. And on it sat the Son of Man, on his head were crowns, his hair was white and curly and lay on his shoulders. His feet had the appearance of fire, in his right hand was a sharp sickle, in his left a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched his children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Early Writings - EGW.
This is plainly the true church, which will be alive at Christ's appearing, and will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and united with those raised at the first resurrection, will enter through the open door set before them. {July 3, 1844 JVHe, HST 174.19}