Revelation 7;4-8 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.
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.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
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.
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.
NOTE –Amazing Discoveries Revelation 7 Commentary--7:4-8 The Bible tells us that the number of those who will receive the seal of the living God is 144,000 “of the children of Israel.”The “children of Israel” refers to God’s church.
The Bible speaks of “Israel” and “Gentiles”. Israel used to be the literal tribes of Israel, but after 34AD, at the stoning of Stephen, Israel lost its status as God’s chosen people, by rejecting Christ and those that He had left behind to preach salvation. During the early church’s work, there is seen a distinct move to evangelization of the Gentiles.
The apostles traveled far and wide to proclaim the good news of a risen Saviour, and Paul was one of the foremost that ministered to the Gentiles. In Acts 10, we read an interesting story of Peter’s vision of the unclean animals that opened to his mind that God had now broken down the separation between the exclusive nation of Israel and the rest of the world. (Acts 10:34).
As a result, the gospel went to the world, and all those who accepted Christ as their Saviour came under the banner of “Israel”. No longer “unclean”, they were to be considered as part of God’s people because they had chosen to align themselves with God’s truth.
This was always the case, even in Old Testament times (Lev 19:33,34; 24:22). The 144,000 are not of the literal tribes of Israel, which no longer even exist, but of spiritual Israel – God’s final church.
You may also notice that the tribes listed in Revelation 7 are not identical to the original sons of Jacob found in Genesis 29 and 30 or Exodus 1:1-5.
In Revelation 7 the tribe of Dan is missing. Instead the tribe of Manasseh is listed. Manasseh was Joseph’s oldest son. (Genesis 41:51) There are 19 places where Jacob’s sons are listed and they are not always the same. Surprisingly enough, in several places there are 13 tribes – not 12, because Joseph’s tribe is separated into 2 separate tribes – Manasseh and Ephraim. (Numbers 1 for example). As in Numbers 1, the tribe of Levi, of which Moses and Aaron were a part (Exodus 2:1) is sometimes left out of lists because it was set apart for the service of the Lord. (as in Numbers 1)
How did it come about that Joseph’s tribe was split in two? When Jacob met Joseph’s sons after being separated from his son for so long, Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons as his own (Genesis 48:5). Joseph therefore received a “double portion” as prophesied by Jacob because his 2 sons Ephraim and Manasseh each received a territory.
But in Revelation 7, why is Dan missing? In Judges 17-19, we see a story of apostasy in Israel, centered on the tribe of Dan. Dan sinned by counting the land God allocated to them as unacceptable, and abandoning it. They sent spies northward to find a new land for themselves. While passing through Ephraim, they stole idols from a home and recruited a Levite to serve in a false temple in the new territory.
The Danites became the first tribe in Israel to embrace idol worship in Israel. In the north, they learned of an area inhabited by a peaceful people, and then attacked the city, killing its inhabitants, burning the city with fire, and then re-established the city for themselves, naming it Dan.
Later, when Israel was divided into north and south, the tribe of Dan was part of the northern kingdom of Israel and under King Jeroboam I, a pagan worship center was established in Dan. (1 Kings 12:29) Therefore, Manasseh, Joseph’s oldest son is substituted for the tribe of Dan in Revelation 7.
It is said of the 144,000 that they are, “redeemed from the earth,” have a unique victory song, are called the “first fruits,” are “without fault” and “they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” Revelation 14:1-5. This group will be alive at theSecond Coming of Christas “firstfruits” of all those that are redeemed alive on the earth when Jesus comes. They will have Christ’s righteousness and His character. The message for us is to follow Jesus wherever He may lead.
A type of these 144,000 is Elijah. He was an Israelite and he never tasted death. He was taken directly up to heaven just as the 144,000 will be. 2 Kings 2:8 tells us that as Elijah went across the Jordan he smote the waters and divided them so that he and Elisha could cross on dry ground. This eludes to the work of the 144,000 to preach the last message to the world, presenting a message that divides the world into those that want to follow Christ and those that don’t.
What is the meaning of that specific number
NOTE –-The announcement of the number of those who are sealed marks the completion of the sealing. John hears that their number is 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel. The reference here is not to a literal number but to what it signifies. The number 144,000 consists of 12 times 12 times 1,000. [ Twelve is a symbol of God’s people: the tribes of Israel and the church built upon the foundation of the Twelve apostles (Ephesians 2:20). Thus, the number 144,000 stands for the totality of God’s end-time people: “All Israel” (Jews and Gentiles) who are ready for Christ’s return and who will be translated without seeing death (Romans11:26, 1 Corinthains15:51-53).
The 12 tribes listed in Revelation 7 are, obviously, not literal, because the 12 tribes of Israel, encompassing both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, are not in existence today.The 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom were taken into captivity during the Assyrian conquest (2 Kings 17:6-23), where they became integrated with other nations. Thus, the 12 tribes do not constitute Judaism today.
Also, the list of the 12 tribes in Revelation 7 is like no other found in Scripture (compare Number 1:5-15; Ezekiel 48:1-29). Judah is listed as the first tribe (Revelation 7:5)instead of Reuben (compare with Number1:5). Also, the tribes of Dan and Ephraim, included in the lists of Numbers 1 and Ezekiel 48, are omitted from the list in Revelation 7, while Levi and Joseph are included instead (Revelation 7:7-8). The obvious reason for the exclusion of Ephraim, and apparently Dan, from the list in Revelation 7 is that in the Old Testament these two tribes are apostate and idolatrous (1 Kings 12:29-30; Hosea4:17).
The list of the tribes in Revelation 7 is not historical but spiritual. The absence of Dan and Ephraim from the list suggests that the unfaithfulness of these two tribes will have no place among God’s sealed people. Also, the church in the New Testament is referred to as the 12 tribes of Israel (James 1:1).
The 12 tribes in Revelation 7 stand for the entire people of God who endure to the end, both Jews and Gentile
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