“And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.” (Revelation 7:1-8, NASB)

Are you one of the 144,000? Today’s reading takes us to one of the most intriguing and talked-about passages in the book of Revelation. In this passage, we read about the calling and sealing of the 144,000 bond-servants of God. Between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seals, an angel shows John the vision of the 144,000 and the great multitude from every nation. John writes,

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.”

So who are these people, and why are they chosen? There are many interpretations regarding these people, but the two most reasonable ones are that they are either Jews or Christians who will be called to serve during the Great Tribulation. Another persistent erroneous interpretation is from the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who say that these people are faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses who will go to heaven to rule with Christ, while the rest who do not make the rank will remain on earth to serve God. They believe that most or all of the 144,000 are already filled and in heaven.

This obviously is a wrong interpretation for so many reasons. First, since the events of chapter seven take place in the middle of the Great Tribulation, between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seals, the calling of these 144,000 has not yet taken place. Therefore, whether these people symbolize the church or Israel, one thing is unmistakable: they are called to serve during the Great Tribulation Period, which is still in our future.

Second, this passage breaks down the 144,000 bond-servants as coming from the various different “tribes of the sons of Israel.” From each tribe of Israel, 12,000 people were selected, having the seal on their foreheads as bond-servants of God. The seal on their foreheads symbolizes God’s ownership and protection over them during the tribulation. One interesting thing to note is that “every tribe of the sons of Israel” is represented except the tribe of Dan, which is replaced by the tribe of Joseph (represented by “Manasseh” and “Joseph”). Since there is no clear explanation for this, your guess will be as good as any as to why the tribe of Dan is missing. On paper, it seems clear that these bond-servants are chosen from Israel rather than the church.

Third, these 144,000 reappear in Revelation chapter 14, where they are described as bodyguard-like servants of God, to the Lamb. It says, “These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless” (Rev.14:4-5). Based on this passage, it seems apparent that they are all virgin men and not women, human beings and not angels, and men of integrity characterized by being truthful and blameless. So are you one of the 144,000? Probably not.

It just means that God is merciful and will offer hope of salvation even on the day of the Lamb’s wrath. They are specially elected servants of God, chosen to serve in a special time on earth. However, it doesn’t mean that we cannot serve God in a special way, as we are all called to be a living temple of the Holy Spirit and to be a priest of that temple today! We are called today to go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations, and we are living in the time of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. While we may not be one of the 144,000 of the Tribulation, we can be bond-servants of God serving in the Great Commission.

• Who do you think the “144,000 bond-servants of God” represent?
• What do you think it means to be “sealed bond-servants of God,” and how can we best serve Him today?