This message is so very true.  Most people are in total confusion about these things.  Two nights ago, I had really been praying for God to take me deeper into the word.  As I was praying and mediating, God said to me   "thousand does not mean numbers".  Well, I knew that God had said it to me.  As always, when he tells me something I seek for proof in the Word.  I asked Him, then what does it mean to you.

I looked up 'thousand' in the Hebrew dictionary.  It showed that this word's original meaning was not a number,  but it meant to learn,  then to teach, utter.  It meant the mother, the bond of the family;  it meant the ox head, which it said, was the first letter of their alphabet.  The 'ox' is the first stage of Christian experience; the first head of the four faced living creature.

Then, I looked up  twelve;  this has almost the same meaning;  not a number.  Then, cubic,  this also meaning the same thing.  Year   also has this kind of meaning;  so does,  day,  time,  and month.

So, then the next night, the Lord kept me awake almost all night showing me things I had never known before. 

The 'thousand' years is not refering to a certain number of  years.  It is a condition of a certain time.  The 144,000 does not mean that many people.  The 12,000 sealed does not mean that many people.  It has not one thing to do with   'how many'.  Twelve means, in the Hebrew tongue of the Scriptures,  to double, and other things I will not take the space to type here.  You look these things up, and study it.

12 x 12  gives the 144.  This is doubling it.  The description of the Holy City shows the gates to have on them the names of the 12 tribes of Israel;  not the natural people, but the true people of God; from all nations.

The 12 foundations has the names of the 12 apostles;  this means they laid the foundation; the new testament teachings.  All of the true Christians are in this City. 

The walls of 144cubics.  But this, is not a distance measure.  It is made up of all God's people.  It said the height and breath are equeal = 4 square;  but this is not showing arctecture;  it shows that the o.t. and n.t. saints are all there as part of this Holy City.

The 144,000 is not how many;  it shows that after he sealed those teachers (the 12,000 from each tribe)  the great multitude, of Rev.7:9 came in.  He said they were from  ALL  nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues.   Every one of them;  this includes the natural Jews and everyone else.  This is all of God's people from the beginning with Eve.

The 1,000 years is also not a certain number of years.  I will go into this in another message.