Verse 4 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.
An hundred and forty and four thousand. Regarding this number two views have been held: (1) that it is literal; (2) that it is symbolic. Some of those who hold that the number is literal point out that the numbering may be by a system such as that employed in the numbering of the 5,000 who were miraculously fed, where only the men and not the women and children were counted (see Matt. 14:21). Those who hold that the number is symbolic point out that the vision is clearly symbolic, and that inasmuch as the other symbols are not to be literally interpreted neither need this one be. Twelve is considered by many Bible students a significant number in the Bible, doubtless because there were 12 tribes in Israel (see Ex. 24:4; 28:21; Lev. 24:5; Num. 13; 17:2; Joshua 4:9; 1 Kings 4:7; 18:31; Matt. 10:1; Rev. 12:1; 21:12, 14, 16, 21; 22:2). The twelve fold repetition of the number 12,000 (Rev. 7:5–8) may suggest that the principal aim of this passage is not to disclose the precise number of the sealed but to show the distribution of the sealed among the tribes of spiritual Israel.
The 144,000 are here presented as those who are “able to stand” through the terrible events portrayed in ch. 6:17 (see comment there). They have the “seal of the living God” (ch. 7:2) and are protected in the time of universal destruction, as were those who possessed the mark in Ezekiel’s vision (Eze. 9:6). They are approved of Heaven, for John later sees them with the Lamb on Mt. Zion (Rev. 14:1). They are declared to be without guile and without fault (Rev. 14:5). John hears them singing a song that “no man could learn” (Rev. 14:3). They are designated as “first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4).
There are differences of opinion as to precisely who from the last generation of the saints will constitute the 144,000. Lack of more definite information such as would be needed to arrive at dogmatic conclusions on certain points has led many to give emphasis, not to who the 144,000 are, but what they are—that is, the kind of character God expects them to possess—and to the importance of preparing to belong to that guileless throng. The following counsel may be apropos: “It is not His [God’s] will that they shall get into controversy over questions which will not help them spiritually, such as, Who is to compose the hundred and forty-four thousand. This those who are the elect of God will in a short time know without question” (EGW Supplementary Material on ch. 14:1–4; cf. PK 189).Nichol, Francis D., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1978.
Our Lesson Author’s View
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 (Eph. 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 (Rom. 11:26, 1 Cor. 15:51–53).
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 Num. 1:5–15, Ezek. 48:1–29). Judah is listed as the first tribe (Rev. 7:5) instead of Reuben (compare with Num. 1:15).
Also, the tribes of Dan and Ephraim, included in the lists of Numbers1 and Ezekiel 48, are omitted from the list in Revelation 7, while Levi and Joseph are included instead (Rev. 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; Hos. 4:17).
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 entirepeople of God who endure to the end, both Jews and Gentiles.
The 144,000 are further described as the ones who have been“redeemed from among men” as “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb”(Rev. 14:4, NKJV). In ancient Israel, the firstfruits were the best fruits of the harvest offered to God (Num. 18:12). The word “firstfruits” can refer to saved people as distinct from those in the world (James 1:18),
but in Revelation the 144,000 are clearly a special group because they will be translated without seeing death (1 Cor. 15:50–52). Thus, they are the firstfruits of the larger harvest of the saved through all the ages(see Rev. 14:14–16).
Revelation 14:4, 5 is a description of the 144,000 that aligns with God’s last day people, who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
The final characteristic of the 144,000 is that “in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God”(Rev. 14:5). While the people of the world choose to believe Satan’s
lies, God’s end-time people, who are without deceitfulness in speech or conduct, will receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (2 Thess.2:10, 11).
“Without fault” (Greek amo-mos, “blameless”) refers to the fidelity of the 144,000 to Christ. In the Bible, God’s people are called to be holy(Lev. 19:2, 1 Pet. 2:9). Abraham (Gen. 17:1) and Job (Job 1:1) were blameless. Christians are called to be holy and without blemish before God (Eph. 5:27, Phil. 2:15).
Romans 3:19–24 and the Meaning of “Without Fault” (Rev. 14:5)
Romans 3 makes clear that nothing a human being can do earns justification before God (Rom. 3:20). All have sinned and therefore fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The present tense of “fall short” (NKJV[Greek: husterountai] )means that we will always need a Savior and the forgiveness that His sacrifice has provided for us. Not until the sins are blotted out and we are given the finishing touch of immortality will that change. So “without fault” does not mean without the need of forgiveness.
It means the kind of loyalty in which one would rather die than sin. The 144,000 trust Jesus to keep their robes clean (Rev. 7:14) and are uncompromising in their obedience to the One who redeemed them (Rev. 14:4,5). It is His righteousness after all.
In the closing days of this world’s history, the 144,000 will reflect the character of Christ. Their salvation will reflect what Christ has done for them and in them rather than their own holiness and works (see Eph.2:8–10). The 144,000 have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14) and, as such, are found “spotless and blameless” before God (2 Pet. 3:14, NASB).
Is the Number 144,000 Literal or Symbolic?
A symbolic reading of the number is to be preferred.
1. The list of 12 tribes is not found in this form anywhere else; it is not a literal list. In proof of point, Judah is listed first, instead of Reuben. Joseph(father of Ephraim and Manasseh) replaces Ephraim. The tribe of Dan is missing from the list, and Levi is included (compare Num. 1:5–15, Num.13:4–15). They also are not listed in birth order (Gen. 49:3–28).
2. Revelation 1:1 tells us the whole book of Revelation was “signified”(KJV [Greek: esêmanen, often translated “made known”] )in symbolic language referring to the future. So in Revelation the best way to approach the text is to treat everything as a symbol, unless it is obvious that a literal meaning is intended.
3. Interpreting the tribes as literal descendants of Jacob flies in the face of the fact that at least 10 of those tribes are essentially lost to history.Some Jews can still trace their lineage back to Judah, Benjamin, or Levi—but not the rest.
Are the 144,000 and the Great Multitude Two Different Groups or Two
Ways of Describing the Same End-Time People of God?
Some believe that the two groups are different; some believe that they are the same. In this lesson, we will first look at an argument for the groups being the same.The terms used for God’s end-time people are often interchangeable in Revelation. John never sees the 144,000 in chapter seven. He hears the number (Rev. 7:4), but “after these things” when he looks, he sees a group that no one can number, a great multitude (Rev. 7:9). This is said to be a literary pattern in Revelation. John hears one thing (Lion) then sees its opposite (Lamb); but the two are different ways of describing one reality (Rev. 5:5, 6; see also Rev. 1:10–12; Rev. 17:1, 3).
On the other hand, there are many who believe that the 144,000 and the great multitude are two different groups—the former representing God’send-time people and the latter representing God’s people throughout all the ages. Those supporting this view usually point out the differences between the groups. The 144,000 are a number from the 12 tribes of Israel who are seen on the earth and appear before the four winds are released. In contrast, the great multitude cannot be numbered, are from every nation,are seen before the throne, and appear after the great tribulation. Also,Revelation 14:1–5 further distinguishes the 144,000 from that group.
The identity of the 144,000 is a hotly debated issue. What seems evident in Revelation is that the 144,000 are the last generation of God’s people in the closing days of this earth’s history. We know that they will go through the time of trouble and be protected from the seven last plagues (see Ps. 91:7–16) and that their loyalty will be tested like no generation in the past.Exactly who will be in that group is not revealed to us. Their identity is one of the secrets that God has kept for Himself (Deut. 29:29). Only the future will reveal who will be a part of this group of saved saints.
Regarding this mystery, we have been given a warning:
“Christ says that there will be those in the church who will present fables and suppositions, when God has given grand, elevating, ennobling truths which should ever be kept in the treasure house of the
mind. When men pick up this theory and that theory, when they are curious to know something it is not necessary for them to know, God is not leading them. It is not His plan that His people shall present
something which they have to suppose, which is not taught in the Word.It is not His will that they shall get into controversy over questions which will not help them spiritually, such as, Who is to compose the
hundred and forty-four thousand? This those who are the elect of God will in a short time know without question.”—Ellen G. White, Selected
Messages, book 1, p. 174.
