A prominent position awaits the servants of God who will endure during the great tribulation that will come upon the earth. They will have given their testimony, without fearing the threats received for proclaiming the Word of the Lord: And I said to him: “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7.14). What a privilege awaits them!

This group made up of people from all over the world will minister before the Lamb forever, and it will not be possible to count them: After 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 (Revelation 7.9).

It's no use speculating about Christ's return, saying it's a matter of years or days. The most important sign that will announce this event has not yet been fulfilled: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24.14). Half the people in the world haven't heard of Jesus yet, but the Savior declared that the same Gospel preached by Him will be known by all!

By using the demonstrative pronoun “this”, the Master was referring to the same Gospel that heals the sick, frees the oppressed and blesses with all sorts of blessings. After all, the abundant life He promised has not failed (John 10:10). In fact, if we don't see God's operations, it's because we pay more attention to religious rules than to the Word of the Lord. The Gospel needs to be known by everyone!

The 144,000 had been appointed to stand before the Lord on Mount Zion continually. The Bible says that they were bought from the Earth and had the Name of the Lamb and His Father written on their foreheads. In heaven, the saved will see what they have never seen in the world. The Almighty will not forget anyone. Those who accept Jesus and persevere will be with Him forever.

This is how the Word justifies the position of the 144,000: These are the ones who are 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 (Revelation 14:4). It's certainly a special group, as your description highlights!

We must remember that Jesus warned that many will not be chosen: So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen (Matthew 20.16). It doesn't matter whether you were the first or the last to hear the Good News, because it will depend on whether you persevered in following the Savior (1 Peter 1.2).

           In Christ, with love,

           R. R. Soares