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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. ~ Revelation 7:4-8
We return to our study of the first group who will be able to stand during the releasing of the wrath of God during the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27. It is clear that this group is Israel and only Israel! These are the well-known 144,000 Jews of the last days.
In this list of the tribes of Israel, two of the tribes, Ephraim and Dan, are not mentioned. Though Ephraim is not named, his brother-tribe, Manasseh is included. Ephraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph, the next to the youngest of Jacob's sons. Because of Joseph's role in the history of Israel, and his preservation of the nation in Egypt, his two sons were adopted by Jacob to be given an inheritance with the rest of Joseph's brothers. When it came time to divide up the land, Levi was left out because he was called to be the priestly tribe. Ephraim actually does appear here under the name "Joseph." So Manasseh and Joseph are really Manasseh and Ephraim.
The tribe of Dan is not included here because they are the tribe that introduced apostasy into Israel. The closing chapters of Judges give an account of the way the tribe of Dan led Israel into apostasy, involving homosexuality and idol worship. This was in line with Jacob's prediction concerning Dan in Genesis 49:17. There Jacob predicts the future of his twelve sons and he says, "Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heel so that its rider tumbles backward." Interestingly, during the millennium, according to Ezekiel 48, Dan will have a portion in the distribution of the land.
In Matthew 24:14, the Lord Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
The gospel has always been the same in every age. It is the story of God sending a Savior to die for the sins of man. Whether it is told by means of Old Testament symbols or whether it is during the early days of the church, the gospel is has always been the same.
The phrase "of the kingdom" in Matthew 24:14 indicates the specific application of the gospel to Israel. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus both introduced to Israel the messianic kingdom, long promised by the prophets. You see, when the Lord Jesus walked the earth, He announced Himself to be Israel's King, but not the kind of King the Jews expected. His kingdom has always been about providing a personal relationship with God through His sacrifice on the cross.
The Lord Jesus deliberately fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
This prophecy was fulfilled on the day when the Lord Jesus rode a donkey down the side of the Mount of Olives and was greeted by the people as the promised King of the Jews. This group of 144,000 select men from Israel, will fulfill the word of the Lord Jesus that this "gospel of the kingdom" will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the final judgments of God will come. This group will proclaim the gospel during this seven-year period. This enlightened group will preach the gospel throughout the earth as the judgments of God will be on display. This teaches us, among many things, that in the midst of judgment, there is always mercy.
In Malachi 3:16-17 we read, “16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. 17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.”
The first tribe named in Revelation 7:4 is Judah. But Judah wasn’t the firstborn; Reuben was the firstborn. Judah is named first, though he’s not the firstborn, because according to 1 Chronicles 5:1, Reuben lost his birthright because he sexually defiled his own father’s bed.
Then in v.7, Levi is included, even though in the Old Testament they were never given a territory. The Levites are mentioned because the tribe of Dan is left out due to their idolatry, as mentioned before. In Deuteronomy 29:18-21, we learn that anyone who brings idolatry into Israel will have his name blotted out.
Interestingly, in the millennial listing of the tribes in Ezekiel 48, Dan is included. God’s grace will triumph on Dan’s behalf, but Dan will not be protected through the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27 because of their idolatry. But, no Jew knows the tribe from which he descended because the records have all been lost and destroyed in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. But God does. And, I find it amazing how Israel still has a tribal heritage, they just don’t know what it is, but God does.
So, it is clear that God is not finished with Israel. History has been unable to blot out the Jew. Genocide has failed to remove him because God is true to His word. The Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless all families of the earth through Abraham.
It is quite instructive that according to Deuteronomy 7:7-9, “7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
And, in Zechariah 12:7-10 we read, "7 The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."
By the way, back in v.3 the mark that will be put on the foreheads of these Jews is mentioned also in in Ezekiel 9:4. The Hebrew word used is the word tav, which was the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The design of the tav is a dalet and a nun. These two Hebrew letters, at first glance, looks like a person kneeling before the Judge. And, Dans name means judged.
In the ancient Greek text, the Greek equivalent to Dan looks like a cross. This will be the mark that will be set on their heads at that time of judgment. In this seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27, the believing Jews will be protected by the sign of the cross on their foreheads. And, as the Apostle Paul guarantees in Romans 11:26, "And in this way, all of Israel will be saved." Simply amazing!
