(*All Bible verses are from the NIV unless otherwise noted)
Chapter 7
4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
Rev 7:4
Then I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
John is shown that this number represents 12,000 people sealed to God from each of the twelve tribes of Israel (vs. 5-8). Paul declared to the Corinthian saints that Christ:
2Cor 1:21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
The roots of this promise are found in Abraham, whose covenant with God secured the pledge that numberless multitudes would be called the people of God:
Gen 17:5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
While this covenant referred specifically to the nation of Israel that would arise as Abraham’s descendants, the Apostle Paul affirms that anyone, Jew or Gentile, who accepts Jesus as Christ will be “grafted in” to the original root to “share in the nourishing sap!”
Rom 11:13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root…
Eph 3:6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
And Jesus declared:
Luke 3:8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
The Jews were the branches of this “tree,” planted by God in His covenant with Abraham. All who call on the name of Christ are grafted in; multitudes are made heirs of Abraham’s faith!
So, what is the significance of the number 144,000? Some take the number literally, believing that only 144,000 people on the earth will be saved, which is highly unlikely. So, let’s look at the passage as a symbolic expression.
As we’ve seen, twelve and its multiples symbolize God’s power and authority – His perfect governmental foundation. The word “twelve” appears 129 times in the NIV (165 in the KJV). It is found 26 times in 1 Chronicles and 22 times in Revelation.
In addition, the word “twelfth” is found over 20 times and multiples of twelve 15 times. The image of 144,000 is akin to Jesus’ declaration that we are to forgive our neighbor “up to seventy times seven” (Matt 18:21-22). In other words, both expressions convey the image of an infinite number.
Verses 9 and 13 hold the key as to who the 144,000 represent. This numberless multitude will be explored further in the next section.
*All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
