A Revelation Invitation

And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 
          12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
          12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
          12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
          12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
          12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
          12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
          12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
          12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
          12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
          12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
          12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
          12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. 
(Revelation 7:4-8 ESV)

When you look at this passage, what jumps out at you? If you’re like me, the number 144,000 grabs your attention. It will pop up again in Revelation 14, but this is our first encounter. I will probably come back to this fascinating number in a future post, but today I want to pose some questions about this list of the tribes of Israel.

Did you know that this list is unique in scripture? Nowhere else in the Bible will you find this specific list of the sons of Jacob or of the tribes of Israel in this specific order. Take a moment to ask yourself what is different about this list from any other. Check out other lists of the sons/tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and compare. To get you started look here: Numbers 26; Deuteronomy 33; 1 Chronicles 2:1-2; Ezekiel 48. What are the similarities? What are the differences? And more importantly, what is the significance of those differences? Comment below with your observations.

I believe that the tribes listed here were chosen deliberately and purposefully. Let me point out a few curiosities. I don’t believe that Judah, Jacob’s fourth child, is ever named first. Typically his oldest child, Reuben, is mentioned first. Then there’s the case of Levi—a son of Jacob, yes, but never listed as one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Levites had been ordained for a special role in service to the nation, but they were not given a land inheritance. What about Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh? Joseph is never listed as a tribe of Israel. Joseph’s descendants became two tribes named for his sons. Yet, Ephraim’s name has been replaced with his father’s. And what should we make of Dan’s absence from this list? What other differences have you uncover?

The most important question in all this is what does this list tell us about God’s people today? What is the Holy Spirit saying to the church? How are we supposed to identify with the 12,000 from each tribe who have been sealed? For now, I’m leaving you with unanswered questions. Dig a little into the Bible because I believe the answers are in the text. Share in the comments section what you uncover from your search. In my next post I will share my thoughts.

(Part 2 of “Every Tribe of the Sons of Israel” is posted here.)