Who Are the 144,000?

from an exposition of Revelation 7

In Revelation 7:4-8, John hears a roll call of the sealed, 12,000 from twelve tribes of Israel. The “twelve tribes” indicate “all Israel.” Twelve from each would be the fullness of each, but multiply by a thousand makes it a huge multitude of “all Israel.” Then he gives the roll call of the tribes.

Some, today, argue that this has to be literal, that God is going to save 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel in the future. They will insist on it. The Jehovah’s Witnesses insisted the number 144,000 was literal but not the tribes; that it was 144,000 of their people, but then they had a problem when they got more than 144,000 converts.

Besides, the real literalists would say that it has to be from the literal 12 tribes of Israel. There’s a big problem with that interpretation: ten tribes disappeared a long time ago, in 721 BC, when the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took those tribes away. Today, among the Jews, they are all so intermingled that they no longer identify themselves by their tribes.

Also, there are several hints here, in the text, that this is not intended to be literal. First, it’s the “servants of God” who are sealed. John has already reported the “new song,” in which the Lamb is celebrated for ransoming people for God from every “tribe.” So, this listing of twelve tribes indicates that: Christ’s ransoming all kinds of people.

Then, we’re talking about a symbolic number in a book that uses numbers symbolically.

Also, Jesus has already, in Revelation, said there are Jews “who call themselves Jews but are not,” because they don’t believe in Him. If you can be an ethnic Jew but not a true one if you don’t believe in Jesus, then you can be an ethnic Gentile but really a “Jew” (one of God’s people) by believing in Jesus.

Then the tribes are strange here in chapter 7. The tribe of Dan is missing entirely. The roll makes up for that by having a tribe of Manasseh, who was Joseph’s son, and then a tribe of Joseph, so partly counting Manasseh twice. Besides, if it were literal, it would be very unfair to the big tribes, like Judah and Ephraim (which isn’t listed), to have the same number sealed as the small tribes, like Simeon which practically disappeared. But that sort of literalistic nit picking misses the point. This is about all kinds of people being saved.

This pictures what Paul calls “all Israel” in Romans 9 to 11. Paul writes, first, that “not all who are of Israel — literally — are of Israel,” really, in their heart. Then he takes the prophesy from Hosea about God calling people who were “not My people” now “My people.”

He says that’s the Gentiles being included in the true Israel, symbolized by an olive tree, in chapter 11, where He says the current harvest of believers from all kinds of Gentiles — as Jesus’ messengers go out on a white horse, conquering with the gospel — will be added to the one olive tree — Israel or the church, same thing — and possibly a future mass conversion of Jews which will make, all together, “in this way” — adding the Gentiles grafted in to the believing Jews — “all Israel.” Revelation 7 pictures that with a roll call of the sealed.

Proving that is the next picture: a great multitude. Keep in mind that the roll call of the sealed is something he heard. “I heard the number of the sealed.” Then, “after this,” “I looked” (Rev. 7:9). So, first he heard and then he looked. If I said, ‘I heard the most angelic voice singing and then I looked and there was Angel!,’ you would know that I’m saying first I heard Angel and then I saw her. Here, first John hears the roll call of the sealed — the 12,000 from each tribe — and then he looks, and what does he see? Does he see 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel (most of which have disappeared already)? No. He sees “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” These are the same people the Lamb was praised for ransoming in 5:9, “Worthy are You… for You were slain and by Your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Now, John sees them after hearing them counted as “all Israel.”

So, in Revelation 7, the 144,000 are not a literal, physical number of Israelites from the twelve tribes (most of which had disappeared even by the first century AD). Rather, they are a symbolic representation of the fullness of God's elect from every nation and ethnicity. The twelve tribes illustrate the diversity of God’s people, and that they make up one “multitude” illustrates the unity of redeemed humanity in Christ.

Dispensationalists object, claiming that they are interpreting the Bible “literally.” But, literally, Revelation 7 cannot possibly be about 12,000 from twelve tribes (most of which did not exist anymore). A proper hermeneutic must recognize the apocalyptic genre’s use of symbolism rather than the literalistic reading that dispensationalism employs. The number 144,000 signifies perfection and completeness—12 multiplied by 12 squared—pointing to the comprehensive scope of God's salvific plan, which includes all nations, not just Israel. This interpretation shows the biblical theme of God's covenantal faithfulness. It extends beyond ethnic Israel to encompass the entire elect community, what the Lord Jesus referred to as “sheep who are not of this sheepfold” (John 10:16). The roll call of the tribes in Revelation 7 illustrates that salvation is rooted in God’s election, not in a literal genealogical line.

Who are they? They are ransomed, they’ve been bought for God. They’ve not been bought to live for themselves, to indulge sin — be as unfaithful, immoral, greedy, chasing dollars as much as anyone — and then escape hell. No. They’ve been ransomed “for God,” to be His people. And there’s a great, multi-ethnic multitude of them.

For the full exposition of Revelation 7, listen:

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church is Caswell County’s & Danville’s Reformed church.