Revelation 7:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

NIV: from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

NASB: from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

CSB: 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

NLT: from Asher — 12,000 from Naphtali — 12,000 from Manasseh — 12,000

KJV: 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.

NKJV: of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

The tribe of Asher is named as having 12,000 of its members sealed. Asher means "happy" or "blessed." In blessing his twelve sons, Jacob said of Asher, "Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies" (Genesis 49:20). The tribe of Asher settled along the fertile northern coast of Canaan when Israel settled into the Promised Land. In the tribulation, as members of the 144,000 sealed Jewish evangelists, Asher will be spiritually fruitful, bringing others to faith in Jesus.

The tribe of Naphtali is named as having 12,000 sealed. Jacob said of Naphtali, "Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns" (Genesis 49:21). Like a doe, Naphtali would dwell in the mountains northwest of the Sea of Galilee. Deborah, a female judge and deliverer, sang about the people of Naphtali as risking their lives to the death on the heights of the field (Judges 5:18). They will also be willing to risk their lives in the tribulation as they endeavor to win people to Christ.

Manasseh is mentioned as having 12,000 of its members sealed. Manasseh was the elder of Joseph's two sons. Manasseh's descendants Gideon and Jephthah were victorious in battle. The tribe of Manasseh will overcome persecution in the tribulation and emerge victorious.

The tribe of Ephraim, Joseph's other son, is not listed in the 144,000; it instead appears to be synonymous with the tribe of Joseph (Numbers 1:32–33). Descendants of Ephraim, such as Joshua, Deborah, and Samuel experienced victory over Israel's enemies.

Revelation 7:5–8 lists the tribes to which the 144,000 saved Jews belong. They are the firstfruits of all the Jews who will believe on Jesus as their Messiah during the tribulation. Each tribe listed in this passage includes 12,000 sealed believers. Although some teach that ten of the tribes have been lost, they have not been lost to God. We may not know the identification of each tribe today, but God knows each tribe and who belongs to it. The tribe of Levi is listed, but Dan is missing. The absence of the tribe of Dan from the list may indicate that the false prophet of Revelation 13 comes from the tribe of Dan. The Danites were the first to plunge Israel into idolatry (Judges 18:30–31). Nevertheless, God extends grace to the tribe of Dan in the tribulation and saves some members of the tribe. Ezekiel 48:2 includes Dan in the distribution of land in the millennium.

Revelation 7 occurs after the opening of the sixth seal, and before the seventh. John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth and another angel ascending from the rising sun with the seal of God. He seals 144,000 saved Jews on their foreheads. These 144,000 sealed servants of God are instrumental in leading a great number of people from all parts of the world to faith in Jesus Christ. This multitude of believers have passed through the tribulation and will serve God perpetually in the millennial temple. Their troubles and tears will be behind them.

The last and largest section of Revelation began in chapter 4, where John is shown events yet to come (Revelation 1:19). Chapters 4 and 5 describe what John saw in heaven, including a scroll of God's judgments. Chapter 6 focused on the events that transpire when Jesus opens six of the seven seals on that scroll, one at a time. Now, in chapter 7, an interlude occurs between the opening of the sixth seal and the seventh seal. In the interlude an angel seals 144,000 saved Jews as God's servants. Chapter 8 will describe the seventh seal, and the beginning of the ''trumpet'' judgments.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''