Translation
Then I heard the number
Go to footnote numberof those who were sealed,
One hundred forty-four thousand,
who were sealed
from
all the tribes of the sons of ISRAEL.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
Then I heard the conclusion to the question “Whom will God protect? God will protect
absolutely all of His servants who demonstrate the mark of God’s ownership, that come from every category of God’s people who REFUSE TO LET GO OF GOD.
Footnotes
1
The word “number” is a quasi-symbol, not a true symbol, but in conjunction with a number that is a symbol, it must point to something more than a number. Think of a shepherd counting his sheep, or an army commander hearing the count of his fighting men. If the number of the sheep was the correct and full number, it meant none were missing. It was the conclusion of the matter and nothing more needed to be done. If the number of fighting men was not enough to face the enemy, that was a conclusion of sorts as well, it meant that negotiating was necessary in order to obtain the most favorable terms of peace in light of their need to surrender.
2
The Tribes were divisions of God’s people. God knows we can be divided into a number of categories but He does not place any emphasis on those divisions the way we do. This is a way of saying “ALL” with great emphasis—any way you look at this body of people the result is still “ALL.” Israel meant “one who struggles with God.” To struggle with God is different than struggling against God. It is a good thing, rather than a negative thing. To struggle with God means that you want very badly something that can only come from Him, and you are willing to do anything He asks in order to receive it.
The 144,000 Who Are Sealed
“Sealed” means that God is claiming them as His own. By doing so He is also pledging to carry them through their time of persecution and give them an eternal reward after they are martyred.
We already know that the numbers 3 and 4 mean “all, completeness, fullness, or perfection.” And we know that 3×4 = 12. What does 144,000 mean? It is obviously 12×12,000. 1000 was often used in the OT for “many, or a great number.” So here we have a symbol which obviously means “absolutely ALL.” If twelve tribes means “all” the tribes, does “144,000 sealed” mean “all the sealed”? I believe that is exactly how the Jews and believing Gentiles of John’s time would have understood it. Therefore, we should not interpret the number 144,000 found in Revelation 7:4 as a specific group of people numbering exactly 144,000, rather we should understand it as “all” those who are sealed, “all” God’s servants, all of the faithful. We should interpret the number just as the people of that time would have, as ALL. Why was John given their number in the first place? It was a way to say “ALL” in big letters.
Understanding this as imagery means I do not focus on identity. What we can be sure of is this: Those who are sealed are the “servants of our God” Revelation 7:3. Another way we can know the 144,000 refers to “all” faithful followers of Jesus is that the 144,000 were different from those who deserve punishment, not different from other believers!
Does “all” God’s people include you? They are dressed in white robes Revelation 7:9, which means they are pure and have been victorious in their fight against evil. Are you a servant of God? Is your heart pure? Are you doing all you can to remain victorious in your battle against evil?
Rev 7:5-8 lists the tribes these servants of God will come from. Verse 4 specifically says these 144,000 will come from “every tribe of the sons of Israel.” When it says “every” think “all.” It goes on to list twelve tribes by name with 12,000 from each of them. Here we have “all” mentioned over and over again through the number 12,000. This is another way of emphasizing that “ALL” the followers of God will be included; none will be left out who should be included. How many tribes are listed? Count them—there are twelve, just like we would expect. But there were actually 13 tribes, so which tribe is excluded? In this case it is not Levi or Manasseh or Ephraim as is often the case in the Old Testament; it is Dan that is left out. Why is Dan not
included? Dan was associated with idolatry and was considered unfaithful as a tribe. We could say that Dan was the first tribe to institutionalize idolatry.
Ephraim is replaced in this list with Joseph. Joseph does not take the place of both his sons, only Ephraim. This is because Ephraim was involved with idolatry more than most tribes, though not as much as Dan.
You will also notice that Judah is mentioned first, even though Reuben was the first born son. I have read that there are approximately 20 different arrangements of the names of the tribes of Israel found in the Bible based on the purpose of the list. So we should not make a big deal of the fact that this one does not follow the order of birth. But it should make us ask about the purpose of the list. The purpose is obviously tied to the issue of purity and faithfulness in contrast to rebellion and idolatry. Therefore, placing Judah first stands in contrast to the exclusion of Dan and the switching of Ephraim to Joseph. Judah the man, was far from perfect, but the tribe of Judah was a leader among the tribes and was the tribe of Jesus.
By excluding the tribe of Dan, substituting Joseph for Ephraim, and placing Judah first God was sending a signal to all who were paying attention that there is no room for idolaters among the “servants of God.” Furthermore, He is clear about what He is looking for in His followers; He is looking for people who are striving to be like Jesus.
When God lists all His servants, He does not leave out any who should be included, but neither does He include any who should not be there (unlike the membership rolls of the institutionalized churches of today). So make sure you are on God’s team.
How is it that we are to demonstrate purity according to Revelation? Those who are pure will demonstrate it by standing for their Lord in the face of persecution and strong opposition. These are not ashamed of His name but are willing to put a target on their backs. Here is what I mean by having a target on your back. If a student in a university or a public high school takes a clear stand for morality based on his faith in Jesus and the Bible, he will be watched very closely to see if he slips up. He will become the target of jokes, and criticism. Some may try to tempt him with sexual stimuli, or sneak alcohol into his pop, or something similar. But the very fact that he has a target on his back makes him be more careful about the example he is living. Yes, it is easier to not take a clear stand and just blend in with the crowd, but that does not please Jesus. Revelation makes a clear distinction between the followers of God and the enemies of God. It also shows what will happen to the enemies of God—it will not be pleasant. And Revelation makes clear that to be among the faithful will require taking a stand and enduring hardship and even death. Our example is the Lamb who gave His life for us; we should be willing to give our lives for Him.
More will be said about the number 144,000 when it appears again in chapter 14 of Revelation.