“Upon the crystal sea before the throne, that sea of glass as it were mingled with fire,--so resplendent is it with the glory of God,--are gathered the company that have ‘gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.’ With the Lamb upon Mount Zion, ‘having the harps of God,’ they stand, the hundred and forty and four thousand that were redeemed from among men; and there is heard, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of a great thunder, ‘the voice of harpers harping with their harps.’ And they sing ‘a new song’ before the throne, a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It is the song of Moses and the Lamb--a song of deliverance. None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experience--an experience such as no other company have ever had. ‘These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.’ These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as ‘the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.’ Revelation 15:2, 3; 14:1-5. ‘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. But they have been delivered, for they have ‘washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ‘In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault’ before God. 'Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.’ 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. But ‘they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.’ Revelation 7:14-17. {GC 648.3-649.0}

Ellen White speaks interchangeably of the 144,000 and of the great multitude. Therefore, both expressions must refer to the same group.

Well here is from the Appendix: E. G. White and the 144,000 from Adventist Biblical Research site http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/documents/144,000greatmultitude.htm

This appendix contains different Ellen G. White quotations on the 144,000 found in her writings. Most of them occur in more than one book and/or articles, however, only one source will be indicated in the following compilation. We will first list these quotations and then comment on them briefly.

1. Statements Reflecting Biblical Passages

"The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake." "The 144,000 were all sealed, and perfectly united." EW 15
"Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted 'Alleluia!'as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." EW 16
"Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square." EW 16
"And 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.'" 1T 68
"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." EW 36-37
"The 144,000. They sing 'a new song' before the throne, a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It is the song of Moses and the Lamb—a song of deliverance. None but the hundred and forty‑four thousand can learn that song, for it is the song of their experience—an experience such as no other company have ever had. 'These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.' These, having been translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as 'the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb' (Rev. 15:2, 3; 14:1‑5.) '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 (1911).
"The 144,000 Without Guile.—One of the marked features in the representation of the 144,000 is that in their mouth there was found no guile. The Lord has said, 'Blessed is the man . . . in whose spirit there is no guile.' They profess to be children of God, and are represented as following the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. They are prefigured before us as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven will first have followed Him on earth, in trustful, loving, willing obedience, followed Him not fretfully and capriciously, but confidently, truthfully, as the flock follows the shepherd. . . ." 3SM 424
"Strive to Be Among the 144,000. —[Rev. 7:9‑17 quoted.] Those whom the Lamb will lead by the fountains of living waters, and from whose eyes He will wipe away all tears, will be those now receiving the knowledge and understanding revealed in the Bible, the Word of God. . . . Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty‑four thousand (RH March 9, 1905)." 7BC 970
"The Signet of Heaven.—John saw a Lamb on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 having His Father's name written in their foreheads. They bore the signet of heaven. They reflected the image of God. They were full of the light and the glory of the Holy One. If we would have the image and superscription of God upon us, we must separate ourselves from all iniquity. We must forsake every evil way, and then we must trust our cases in the hands of Christ. While we are working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, God will work in us to will and to do of His own good pleasure (RH March 19, 1889)." 7BC 978
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.

2. Statements Opposing False Ideas about the 144,000

"Bro. Arnold held that the 1000 years of Rev. xx were in the past; and that the 144,000 were those raised at Christ's resurrection." 2SG 98
Ellen G. White wrote a letter to a certain brother, who held: ". . . that the 144,000 will be Jews who will acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah." She responded saying among others things: "We must beware lest, under cover of searching for new truth, Satan shall divert our minds from Christ and the special truths for this time. I have been shown that it is the device of the enemy to lead minds to dwell upon some obscure or unimportant point, something that is not fully revealed or is not essential to our salvation. This is made the absorbing theme, the 'present truth,' when all their investigations and suppositions only serve to make matters more obscure than before, and to confuse the minds of some who ought to be seeking for oneness through sanctification of the truth. Your ideas of the two subjects you mention do not harmonize with the light which God has given me." 14MR
Not only did Ellen White support the biblical teaching of the 144,000. She also opposed erroneous views. As we have seen the 144,000 are those who are alive when Jesus returns. By challenging a kind of literal understanding of the 144,000 she supported the symbolical interpretation pointing out that we should not transform side-issues into essential doctrines.

3. Statements concerning Those Who Belong or Do Not Belong to the 144,000

"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." EW 40
"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
"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." 1SM 174 (1901).
"When There Was No Light: I have no light on the subject [as to just who would constitute the 144,000]. . . ." 3SM 51
The first two quotations do not claim that Ellen White or Mrs. Hastings belong to the 144,000. Both of them are seen with the 144.000. This does, however, not imply that they are part of them. Again we are admonished to be content with what we can know about the 144,000 and not to press the issue.

4. Other Statements on the 144,000

"I saw there tables of stone in which the names of the 144,000 were engraved in letters of gold." 1T 68
"Why were they [the 144,000] so specially singled out? Because they had to stand with a wonderful truth right before the whole world, and receive their opposition and while receiving this opposition they were to remember that they were sons and daughters of God that they must have Christ formed within them the hope of glory. They were ever keeping in view the great and blessed hope that is before them." 1SAT 72-73
It seems that with the second statement Ellen White associates the 144,000 with the three angels messages. They have accepted that Awonderful truth@ and present it.

Summary

Obviously, E. G. White did not make many definite statements about the 144,000. Therefore, we should be careful not to read into her statements, what she did not say. Apparently, she opted for a symbolic understanding of the 144,000, who would be living at the Second Coming of Christ and seems to have described the great tribulation as the experience of the 144,000. Most important may be her warnings not to become preoccupied with details that are not important and not to try to interpret what cannot be determined, but rather live one=s life in such a way that one may be counted among them.

Good post. I agree with the conclusions drawn.

Richard and Rosangela, nothing you quoted even remotely proved Sister White believed the 144,000 and the Great Multitude are one and the same group. Nothing she wrote comes close to this conclusion. So, how can you so confidently say so?

In the quote I posted earlier she listed 3 groups of believers in concentric circles around the throne. The 144,000 occupied the middle circle, whereas the great multitude occupied the outer most circle. From this picture it should be obvious she did not view them as one and the same group.

Mike,

All the underlined phrases in the quote I posted refer to the great multitude in the Bible, and Ellen White applies them to the 144,000. How do you explain that?

Rosangela, are you assuming these verses are referring to the Great Multitude and not the 144,000?

Of course I am! The text reads:

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 in white robes and with palms in their hands.
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!"
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living beings, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying, "Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, "Who are these that are arrayed in white robes, and from whence have they come?"
14 And I said unto him, "Sir, thou knowest." And he said to me, "These are they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

And Ellen White confirms it:

He [John] describes the great multitude who shall stand before God as overcomers, and says, "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." The palms signify that they have gained the victory, and the white robes that they have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Thank God that a fountain has been opened to wash our robes of character, and make them as white as snow. And they "cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." {ST, May 2, 1895 par. 6}

Rosangela, are you suggesting the great multitude are the only ones in heaven who wear white robes washed in the blood of Jesus? What about all the other people who wear white robes in heaven - are they part of the great multitude, too? Is there just one group of saints in heaven?

Revelation
6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they [were], should be fulfilled.

Also, how can we conclude the following two groups are one and the same when the descriptions are nearly opposite?

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.
7:5 Of the tribe of Juda [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad [were] sealed twelve thousand.
7:6 Of the tribe of Aser [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses [were] sealed twelve thousand.
7:7 Of the tribe of Simeon [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar [were] sealed twelve thousand.
7:8 Of the tribe of Zabulon [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin [were] sealed twelve thousand.

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;

1. The 144,000 are from 12 specific tribes; whereas the Great Multitude are from all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.

2. The 144,000 is a set number of people; whereas the Great Multitude is an innumerable number of people.

This thread is discussing the SOP, and the 144,000 are the ultimate beneficiaries of the SOP. It seems evident to me that the 144,000 and the Great Multitude are two separate and distinct groups. Note the following passage:

[1] Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the cause of Satan, but who, plucked as brands from the burning, have followed their Saviour with deep, intense devotion. [2] Next are those who perfected Christian characters in the midst of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian world declared it void, and the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their faith. [3] And beyond is the "great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, . . . before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Revelation 7:9. Their warfare is ended, their victory won. They have run the race and reached the prize. The palm branch in their hands is a symbol of their triumph, the white robe an emblem of the spotless righteousness of Christ which now is theirs. {GC 665.2}

She describes three groups forming three concentric circles around the throne of God. The first group is closest to the throne, then the second, and finally the third group is the furthest from the throne of God. The 144,000 are included in the second group; whereas, the third group is the Great Multitude. Thus, they cannot be one and the same group.

The second group is composed of two groups. "Next are [1] those who perfected Christian characters in the midst of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian world declared it void, and [2] the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their faith." The first one is referring to the 144,000.

Would it be a terrible blow to your beliefs Mike, if it turns out there is just one group? Could you live with that? Could you live in post-sin for eternity in such conditions?