Troublesome Topic: 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 7:2-4 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” (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 (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.

We return to our discussion of the use of the number 144,000 because there are some differences between this passage and that of chapter 7. First we should consider the character of these who are sealed by God’s mark. “They had His name (the Lamb’s name) and the name of His Father written on their foreheads’ ” (v.1); “These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are pure. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been redeemed from among men; they are firstfruits to God and to the Lamb” (v. 4). The 144,000 are not the focal point of this passage, the Lamb is. However, regarding those that are sealed by God, the emphasis is on their character, not their identity.

Having established that this passage is about character more than identity, we need to take a closer look at a few dilemmas presented by this passage. It uses the number 144,000 in conjunction with those “who have His name and the Father’s written on their foreheads.” This obviously means “all” who have God’s name constantly before their eyes.

Yet in verse 4 it calls them an offering of “first fruits” to God and to the Lamb, which at first glance seems to imply that there are more to come later. I cannot see any way to make 144,000 mean anything other than “all,” so I must see if there is another way to understand “firstfruits,” and there is. The NLT renders this as “a special offering” to God and to the Lamb. I think that is the idea here. We should not get hung up on the fact that in the Old Testament era the people gathered the first fruits, then later gathered the rest of the crop. In a general sense the term “firstfruits” meant a special offering that was very pleasing to God. When applied to Jesus (I Cor 15:20 & 23), it did not mean there were more like him to come, rather it meant supremacy, or the most special one. So in the end, the term “firstfruits” was always used of something that was special, and sometimes there was more to come later, but not always.

Who is presenting this sacrifice? Did the Lamb purchase us and then offer us as an offering to the Father and to Himself, or are we offering ourselves as a firstfruits offering to God and to Jesus? The Greek text says it like this: “These have been redeemed from among men, firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” It is obvious that something in this sentence is assumed rather than stated, therefore something needs to be inserted between “men,” and “firstfruits.”  There are two things that can be inserted at this point in the verse. “These have been redeemed from among men, as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb,” or “These have been redeemed from among men; they are firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” Either way is plausible. (New Testament era Greek used no punctuation whatsoever, and verbs of being are often assumed in many languages).

In my opinion, if Jesus were offering us as firstfruits, the offering would be made to God the Father. He would not offer us as a firstfruits offering to Himself. Therefore, I favor rendering it as: “These have been redeemed from among men; they are firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.”

If my assumption is correct, there are two separate realities being expressed here. Jesus has purchased/redeemed us with His blood; that is the first reality.  Then we offer ourselves as a special offering to God the Father and to Jesus through a life that is fully committed to them; that is the second reality. When we are acting as a firstfruits offering, we offer ourselves totally and continually to God; we are “consumed” for God. In this case the firstfruits is all there is going to be. Here the firstfruits is not a portion that we give to God with more coming that we can use for ourselves, rather it is all we are, and it is all given to Him.

Another perceived “problem” with this passage is that, in calling them “pure or chaste” it uses the term often used for “virgins.” Is it the intent of the passage to isolate 144,000 specific people who are actual virgins, or is it to point to “all” of those who are pure in heart? Our answer depends largely on whether we see 144,000 as a specific number or as a symbol. I suggest that the people of John’s day would have seen it as a symbol of all those who are pure.

If “144,000” means “all,” then “chaste” and “firstfruits” cannot indicate “some” selected from the whole; the passage must mean “all the pure who are also a special offering to God.”

The emphasis of this passage is on the Lamb, not on the 144,000.  Those who praise Him must be pure and righteous, but the emphasis is not on them, it is on the Lamb who is worthy of our praise.

The next lesson is: The Seven Bowls Have a Common Theme