THIRD QUESTION

Will any who have died in the faith since 1848, when that message was received, be reckoned with the 144,000?

SOME persons, more especially since 1894, have claimed that none will be reckoned among the 144,000 but those who lived until the second coming of Christ; and that this must be so, for according to Revelation 14:3, 4, they are “redeemed from among men,” and “from the earth.” According to Daniel 12, there is a partial resurrection in the “time of trouble,” just before Christ’s second coming. We read: “At that time shall Michael stand up, ... And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Surely those who awake to everlasting life will be alive and “among men,” when Christ comes.QSM 22.1

If, in 1848-1850, persons were being sealed, we would naturally expect they would be of those wakened to everlasting life, and so be with the 144,000. Of this resurrection we read in “Early Writings,” “Spiritual Gifts,” old edition, page 145 old edition,: “There was one clear place of settled glory, whence came the voice of God like many waters, shaking the heavens and the earth. There was a mighty earthquake. The graves were opened, and those who had died in faith under the third angel’s message, keeping the Sabbath, came forth from their dusty beds, glorified, to hear the covenant of peace that God was to make with those who had kept His law.”QSM 22.2

In “Spiritual Gifts,” pages 145, 146, we read: “As God spoke the day and the hour of Jesus’ coming, and delivered the everlasting covenant to His people, He spoke one sentence, and then paused, while the words were rolling through the earth. The Israel of God stood with their eyes fixed upwards, listening to the words as they came from the mouth of Jehovah and rolled through the earth like peals of loudest thunder. It was awfully solemn. At the end of every sentence the saints shouted, Glory! Hallelujah! Their countenances were lighted up with the glory of God, and they shone with glory as did the face of Moses when he came down from Sinai (glorified). The wicked could not look upon them for the glory. And when the never-ending blessing was pronounced on those who had honored God, in keeping His Sabbath holy, there was a mighty shout of victory over the beast and over his image.”QSM 23.1

Of the same we read in “Testimonies for the Church 1:59: “Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number (remember that the resurrected Sabbath keepers are then among the living saints), knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spake the time, He poured upon us the Holy Spirit, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.QSM 24.1

“The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads were the words ‘God.’ ‘New Jerusalem,’ and a glorious star containing Jesus’ new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall helpless to the ground.”QSM 24.2

If it be claimed that none will be numbered among the 144,000 but those who live until Christ’s second coming, without tasting death, what about those Sabbath keepers who in 1848 to 1850 were being sealed? There are not a half dozen of those now alive who were then keeping the Sabbath. If they were then sealed, they will be among those resurrected to eternal life at the voice of God.QSM 24.3

There are some things connected with the case of Sister White that have a bearing on the matter of the 144,000. She is now at rest. But as reported in her first vision, “Experience and Views,” is an account of what is to take place in the kingdom: “Zion was just before us, and on the mount was a glorious temple, and about it were seven other mountains, on which grew roses and lilies.... As we were about to enter the holy temple, Jesus raised His lovely voice and said, ‘Only the 144,000 enter this place,’ and we shouted, “Alleluia.” It seems, however, that in this view of things to occur in the new earth, she entered that temple; for she said: “This temple was supported by seven pillars, all of transparent gold, set with pearls most glorious. The wonderful things I there saw, I cannot describe.... I saw there tables of stone in which the names of the 144,000 were engraved in letters of gold. After we beheld the glory of the temple we went out, and Jesus left us, and went to the city.” From this we would surely conclude that in the new earth, Sister White would be one of the 144,000. ^{1The use of “we,” “us,” and “our” includes Sister White.}QSM 25.1

On page 33 of “Experience and Views,” old edition, she speaks of what the angel told her while she was viewing Saturn: “I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said, ‘You must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000, shall have the privilege of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handiwork of God.’” That surely looks like some of the 144,000 being of those who will have been raised from the dead.QSM 25.2

Notwithstanding these facts in the testimonies presented, it is still urged by some, that what is said in The Great Controversy, 649, shows that the 144,000 will be composed wholly of those who have never died. Let us see what is said, and the condition under which the said statement occurs. Here it is: “These having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as ‘the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.’ (The Sabbath keepers resurrected to eternal life will surely be among the living at Christ’s second coming.) ‘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.” That trouble of the nations will be under the sixth plague; and it is at that time, according to Daniel 12:1, that the partial resurrection will take place, bringing up the sealed Sabbath keepers. This will be when the seventh plague is yet to come. Of the situation at that time, we read in “Experience and Views,” page 29: “These plagues enrage the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues would then be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob’s trouble. Then all the saints cried out with anguish of spirit, and were delivered by the voice of God. The 144,000 triumphed. Their faces were lighted up with the glory of God.” We have already seen that this glorification takes place with the resurrected Sabbath keepers, as well as those who had not died, when God delivers the everlasting covenant on those who had honored Him by keeping His Sabbath.QSM 26.1

Of this scene we read in “Spiritual Gifts,” page 143: “I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death.... Satan wished to have the privilege of destroying the saints of the Most High; but Jesus bade His angels watch over them. God would be honored by making a covenant with those who had kept His law, in the sight of the heathen round about them; and Jesus would be honored by translating, without their seeing death, the faithful, waiting ones who had so long expected Him.” Keeping the law “in the sight of the heathen” was in the sight of these inquisitors who had the decree to put them to death, and not to death in an ordinary sense, under calm conditions.QSM 27.1

It is from this testimony, “translating, without seeing death,” that the claim has been made that none will be among the sealed 144,000 but those who live until Christ’s actual second coming. We see that the death they are saved from is the death permitted by the “papers circulated.” Bear in mind that the resurrected Sabbath keepers are included among the covenantees. So they are to be translated at Christ’s coming, without suffering the threatened death. By this decree, they are brought into “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” His trouble was the news that Esau was coming with four hundred armed men. Unless the Lord should aid him, it looked like death to him and his whole family.QSM 28.1

There is another testimony from The Great Controversy, 649, used by those who claim that none who have died in the message will be among the 144,000: “They have stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of God’s judgments. But they have been delivered, for they have ‘washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ... They have seen the earth wasted with famine and pestilence, the sun having power to scorch men with great heat, and they themselves have endured suffering, hunger, and thirst.” This is what is said of the whole of 144,000, and in part will be true of the resurrected Sabbath keepers; for they endure the time of Jacob’s trouble. They are raised under the sixth plague, and see the final outpouring of God’s judgments under the seventh plague, and are among those delivered from this decree of death.QSM 29.1

In “Spiritual Gifts,” pages 146, 147, we read still further of what will take place with the living resurrected and living Sabbath keepers, after the voice of God declaring the everlasting covenant, when the wicked were enraged against them: “Soon appeared the great white cloud, upon which sat the Son of man. When it first appeared in the distance, this cloud looked very small. The angel said that it was the sign of the Son of man. As it drew nearer the earth, we could behold the excellent glory and majesty of Jesus as He rode forth to conquer.... His countenance was as bright as the noonday sun, His eyes were as a flame of fire, and His feet had the appearance of fine brass. His voice sounded like many musical instruments. The earth trembled before Him, the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.... Those who a short time before would have destroyed God’s faithful children from the earth, now witness the glory of God which rested upon them. And amid all their terror they heard the voices of the saints in joyful strains, saying, ‘Lo, this is our God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us.’ The earth mightily shook as the voice of the Son of God called forth the sleeping saints. They responded to the call, and came forth clothed with glorious immortality, crying, Victory, victory, over death and the grave! O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Then the living saints and the resurrected ones raised their voices in a long, transporting shout of victory. Those bodies that had gone down into the grave bearing the marks of disease and death, came up in immortal health and vigor. The living saints are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and caught up with the resurrected ones, and together they meet their Lord in the air. Oh, what a glorious meeting! Friends whom death had separated, were united, never more to part.”QSM 29.2

If there is still a doubt of the resurrected Sabbath keepers’ being numbered with the 144,000, consider the following from Sister White’s words in 1909. At the general Conference in 1909, Elder Irwin had a stenographer accompany him in a call upon Sister White. He wished to ask her some questions, and have an exact copy of the words of the questions, and the exact words of the replies. Among other questions was this one: “Will those who have died in the message be among the 144,000?” In reply, Sister White said: “Oh, yes, those who have died in the faith will be among the 144,000. I am clear on that matter.” These were the exact words of question and answer, as Brother Irwin permitted me to copy from his stenographer’s report.QSM 31.1