You are thinking of 144. It is twelve times twelve. Twelve represents a whole set of something. 144 is a way of saying the completeness is absolute.
It was most likely the whip. The crack of a whip comes from the tip exceeding the speed of sound.
In all my six decades I have heard from one source or another we are in the end times. My parents, growing up through the world wars and the Great Depression were taught they were living in the end times. My grandmother, born in the nineteenth century, learned from her church as a little girl they were living in the end times. Rev. William Miller and a host of others in the 1830s in America and Europe taught they were living in the end times. Fact is, there has NEVER been a time when someone did not believe they weren't living in the end times. The deepest and best thinkers can study the prophecies until their eyes bleed and they will not get it right. The best thing to do is to live a reverent and spiritual life and just be ready. Prophecy is best used to understand events that have already been. Consider how there have been wars and rumors of wars consistently and without cease for two thousand years. Of that, Jesus pointed out "...the end is not yet." And there have been unnumbered false prophets since His time. With a little humility, we can admit we are not privy to God's timetable and just place our faith and patience in Him.
The signs of the end tmes have been noted all my six decades of life. My parents have described how, when they were young, with world wars and the Great Depression, they were living in the end times. My grandmother, born in the nineteenth century, remembered as a litle girl how her church informed its followers the end times were upon them. Rev. William Miller and a host of other clergy in America and Europe warned the end times were upon them in the 1830s. Fact is, there has NEVER been a time when someone didn't believe they were living in the end times. The deepest and best thinkers amongst us can study the prophecies until their eyes bleed and still not get it right. Just live a reverent and spiritual life so you are ready. Then you don't have to be preoccupied with God's timetable.