Rev 7:4-8  "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."

Many have tried to somehow tie the above to the literal twelve tribes of Israel.  However there are several reasons why this won't fit.  First, the timing is wrong.  Ten of the twelve tribes had already been dispersed among the Gentiles and had lost their identify centuries before.  Second this is written in the opening of the seven seals of salvation and thus should be identified with the new covenant of worship.  Third, a new definition of Jews is given to us in Rom. 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."  Thus the true Jew or the true children of Israel are not natural descendants of Israel, but spiritual children of Israel.  This includes both Jews and Gentiles.  Fourth, the twelve names in this passage of scripture do not correspond to any other listing of the twelves tribes of Israel in the entire bible.  Jacob or Israel as his name was changed by God had twelve sons and the descendents of these twelve sons became the original twelve tribes of Israel.  Later Joseph, the next to youngest son of Israel had two sons and his two sons were given tribe status and were sometimes called half tribes and other times they were called tribes and Levi was not listed as Levi had not a separate inheritance in Israel but were dispersed among the twelve tribes. 

The above listing includes both Joseph and Manasses, the eldest son of Joseph.  This is not done anywhere else in the scriptures.  Also Dan is not listed as a tribe in the above listing, but in all other places in the scriptures Dan is listed as a tribe. 

The key to our understanding starts with realizing the significance lies not in the natural descendents of Israel, but the key is in the names that are given and in the numbers that are listed.

The one hundred and forty four thousand were previously identified as the servants of God and that they were sealed in their forehead.  Since the sealing took place after they heard and believed the gospel and trusted in Christ, this is another reason why the 12 tribes cannot be a literal 12 tribes of the natural descendants of Jacob.  Using Ezek. 9:3-6 as an example we find the purpose of the sealing was to exempt the ones sealed from the future judgment: Ezek. 9:3 "And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house." 

When each of the sons of Jacob were born they were named by either Leah or Rachel and the meaning of the name was based on the circumstances of their birth:

          1.  Gen. 29:32 "And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me."  Thus the name Reuben means He looked.

          2.  Gen. 29:33 "And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon."  Thus the name Simeon means hearing.

          3.  Gen. 29:34 "And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi."  Thus the name Levi means joined.

          4.  Gen. 29:35 "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing."  Thus the name Judah means praise.

          5.  Gen. 30:6 "And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan."  Thus the name Dan means judged.

          6.  Gen. 30:8 "And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali."  Thus the name Napthali means wrestled.

          7.  Gen. 30:11 "And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad."  Thus the name Gad means a troop.

          8.  Gen. 30:13 "And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher."  Thus the name Asher means blessed.

          9.  Gen. 30:18 "And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar."  Thus the name Issachar means hired.

          10.  Gen. 30:20 "And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun."  Thus the name Zebulun means endowed.

          11.  Gen. 30:24 "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son."  Thus the name Joseph means adding.

          12.  Gen. 35:18 "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin."  Thus the name Benjamin means son of my right hand.

          13.  Gen. 41:51 "And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house."  Thus the name Manasseh means forgetting.

Since Dan's name means judged and Dan is not listed in chapter 7 this signifies that eternal judgment is passed for God's servants.  It, of course, took place at the cross of Calvary when Jesus became sin for us to deliver us from our sins. 

The meanings of the names above speak to us about the relationship between Christ and his servants.  The name Reuben means looked and the Lord looks upon his servants and thru an eye of faith they look upon him. 

The name Simeon means hearing and the Lord hears our cries and petitions and we hear him thru the preaching of the gospel and the testimony of his word and the providential experiences of life.

The name Levi means joined: 1 Cor. 6:17 "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."   

The name Judah means praise.  We are created spiritually to praise the Lord and Rom. 2:29 tells us that we are to God's praise: Rom. 2:29 "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." 

The name Napthali means wrestled.  As Jacob of old wrestled with the Lord for a blessing, the Lord allows his servants to wrestle with him, but eventually they cling to him. 

The name Gad means troop.  The Lord has made his servants an "army of heaven." 

The name Asher means blessed.  The Lord's servants are certainly a blessed people. 

The name Issachar means hired.  The scriptures speak of the Lord hiring servants throughout the day.  The scriptures also tell us that the laborers are worthy of their hire.  The hire of the servants is the blessings they receive in his service. 

The name Zebulun means endowed.  The Lord has endowed us with his name and his kingdom and the service of his kingdom and to eat at the master's table. 

The name Joseph means adding.  When his servants seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, the Lord adds to them the necessities of life.         

The name Benjamin means son of my right hand.  The sheep are set on the right hand of God when the sheep and goats are separated.         

The name Manasses means forgetting: Heb. 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."         

Since twelve tribes are listed in this chapter, we should consider the significance of the number twelve.  Twelve is a representative number and it represents the whole.  For instance, there were twelve princes in Israel, being one to represent each tribe.  The twelve princes together represented all of Israel.  There were twelve stones on the breastplate of judgment on the breast of the High Priest.  Each stone had a name of one of the tribes of Israel.  This signified that the High Priest thru his High Priestly duties was representing all of Israel.  There were also twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan.  Each spy represented a tribe of Israel.  Thus all Israel was represented by the twelve spies.  Thus twelve is used to represent the whole.  In the context of the seventh chapter the twelve represents the whole of the servants of God.

The number twelve thousand is associated with an army.  Please notice this association in the following verses: 

          1.  Num 31:5 "So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand."

          2.  Jud. 21:10 "And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children."

          3.  2 Sam. 17:1  "Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:  2  And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:"

          4.  1 Kings 14:26 "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen."

          5.  1 Kings 10:26 "And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem." 

Based on the above we conclude that the servants of God compose the army of heaven (the kingdom of heaven).  This explains what Nebuchadnezzar said: Dan. 4:35 "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"  In conjunction of this Paul told Timothy, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."  Also Paul wrote to the disciples in Ephesus to put on the whole armour of God.  The following verses also speak to us of certain aspects of the servants of God composing the army of heaven: 

          1.  1 Cor. 9:7 "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?"

          2.  2 Cor. 10:4 "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

          3.  1 Tim. 1:18 "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;"

          4.  2 Tim. 2:4 "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

          5.  Rev. 12:17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Rev 7:9, 10  "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

The background for v. 9 begins with some covenant promises that God made to Abraham.  When God appeared to Abraham he begin to make promises to him about his seed.  According to Gal. 3:16 that seed is identified as Christ: Gal. 3:16 "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."  Thus the promises concerning the "seed" of Abraham are really promises concerning Christ.  The following promises were made to Abraham concerning his seed: 

          1.  Gen. 12:3 "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

          2.  Gen. 22:17 "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

          3.  Gen. 13:16 "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."

          4.  Acts 3:25 "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." 

From the above we gather the following conclusions: 

          1.  All families of the earth are blessed in Christ.  The word "kindreds in Acts 3:25 comes from the Greek word "patria" meaning of the Father.  This identifies a family as consisting of a father, and, of course, a mother, and at least one child.  Since all families of the earth are blessed in Christ then at least one of every family is a part of the elect of God!

          2.  The seed of Abraham which is Christ is multiplied to an innumerable host (dust of the earth, sand of the sea shore, stars of heaven).  This corresponds to the prophesy concerning Rebekah made by her brother and mother: Gen. 24:60 "And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."  Thus the seed of Abraham numbers at least into the billions. 

          3.  The seed of Abraham would possess the gate of his enemies.  To possess the gate of ones enemies means that you have the victory over your enemies.  Christ won the victory over sin, death, hell, the grave, and Satan on behalf of his covenant people.  

Next, let us identify who the multiplied seed of Christ are.  Gal. 4:28 tells us who the multiplied seed are: Gal. 4:28 "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise."  The children of promise are the multiplied seed.  They are children of promise as Isaac was a child of promise.  Let's review how Isaac was a child of promise and we will then see how we are also children of promise: 

          1.  God promised Isaac before he was ever conceived: Gen. 17:21 "But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year."

          2.  God promised Isaac would be born contrary to the flesh.  According to the scriptures Abraham's body was dead (i.e. his reproductive ability was dead) and Sarah's womb was dead:  Rom. 4:19 "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:"

          3.  God promised Isaac would be born at God's appointed time: Rom. 9:9 "For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son."

Similarly, according to the covenant of redemption (Rom. 8:28-30) we are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world: Eph. 1:4 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love."  Second, we are born spiritually when we were dead in trespasses and sins: Eph. 2:1 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."  Finally our spiritual birth is at God's appointed time: John 3:8 "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." 

This innumerable host is said to be of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.  Thus this would consist not only of nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues that are in existence today, but also all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues that have existed in the past.  God's covenant of redemption is far more inclusive and encompassing than all the religious works systems of men combined. 

"They stood before the throne."  They stand before the throne of judgment because "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."  They stand before the throne of glory because they have been glorified: Rom. 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."  They stand before the throne of grace, because their salvation is by grace: 2 Tim. 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."  They stand before the throne of mercy, because they deserved to be condemned, yet God is merciful to his elect. 

They were "clothed with white robes."  They having no righteousness of their own are clothed with the righteousness of Christ: 2 Cor. 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 

They had "palms in their hands."  The palm is a symbol of victory.  This victory wasn't one in which they accomplished, but it is one given to them: 1 Cor. 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

They "cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."  Notice that all the credit for their salvation is given to God and to the Lamb.  It was God in covenant that purposed to save them from their sin and it was the Lamb who came and executed the purpose of God. 

Rev 7:11-12  "And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." 

Whether the angels mentioned above are the angels in glory or the messengers to the churches I am unable to prove one way or the other.  One thing we can be certain of is that they were worshipping God for his blessings, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honour, power, and might.  All praise was being given to God.  This is according to what the psalmist wrote: Ps. 115:1 "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake."  The fact that they fell before the throne on their faces shows us that they had humbled themselves before God.  How we should follow their example and humble ourselves before God and give him all the praise, honor, and glory for our eternal salvation and recognize that he has all wisdom and power and might.  Additionally we should thank him for all his blessings and watch care over us in this time world and for the spiritual kingdom he has set up for us to worship and serve him in this time world. 

The use of the word "amen" twice shows us the statement is both truthful and without doubt.  Surely if we pay attention to what the scriptures tell us we will know for a truth and be without doubt that all the praise, honor, and glory belongs to God and none belongs to man.  

Rev 7:13-17   "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 

Verses 9 and 10 of this chapter give us a word picture of the entire elect redeemed family of God standing before God and glorified.  The questions in verse 13, "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? are answered in verse 14: "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."  The questions are answered in the experience of God's people.  All that stand before God in glory shall know why they are there.  Some know through their personal experiences here in time and the rest will know in the resurrection.  We are, as David said of himself, conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity.  We come into this world as sinners and begin to live out our sin nature.  Prior to being born of the Spirit we live out our lives without a heartfelt conviction of sin.  At God's appointed time we are born of the Spirit of God at which occurrence God writes his laws in our heart and mind and sprinkles our heart from an evil conscience.  Thus a courtroom is set up in our heart and mind in which the laws of God are the basis and our thoughts either accuse us or else excuse us and our conscience bears witness with our heart either condemning us or condemning us not. 

Sometime after the spiritual birth we begin to be convicted of sin.  We see ourselves as guilty before a just and holy God.  Upon being convicted of sin in our heart and mind often God's people begin to attempt to get right with God.  However, there is nothing we can do that will do away with our sins.  All the rituals, legal wrangling, and good works we may perform cannot atone for past sins, nor current or future sins.  The conviction of sins and the efforts to get right with God are a great tribulation for God's born again people.  Those who are blessed to hear and believe the gospel or good news that Jesus has redeemed his people from their sins come to realize that Jesus blood is what makes them righteous before God.  Thus in their experiences of mind and heart they wash their robes (which before were filthy garments) and make them white (through the imputed righteousness of Christ) in the blood of the Lamb.  In other words they see their sins redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  While many of God's elect continue throughout their lives attempt to get right with God through a corrupt works system, yet in glory they will know precisely why they are there as they will know it wasn't their works that got them there, but the blood of the Lamb.

"Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple."  This gives us the reason for service.  We don't serve God in order to get eternal life, but we serve him because we have eternal life and the redemption of sins.  We love him because he first loved us.  There is a cause and effect relationship.  Those who believe in a works system of salvation believe that their works is what makes them righteous before God and what gives them eternal life.  In that system the cause is their works and the effect is justification and eternal life.  However, those who believe in the truth, which is that the Lamb redeemed us and God gives us eternal life, we serve him because of these things.  The cause is redemption and eternal life from God and the effect is that we serve him.  

It says that they will serve him day and night in his temple.  Since there is no night in the glory world, this is referring to service here in this time world.  God's people who serve him, do so, both in the day seasons of their lives and in the night seasons of their lives. 

"He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."  God dwells in his temple and in 2 Cor. we read that the church is his temple: 2 Cor. 6:16 "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."  God dwells among his people here in time as the Lord said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."  

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat."  Now we hunger and thirst after righteousness and it is a blessing to do so.  But we that know the truth about salvation by grace, no longer hunger or thirst after a saviour.  There is no need to hunger and thirst after a saviour for our Saviour has come and we are perfectly satisfied that he has saved us from our sins. 

As the sun and the heat of the sun represent the law and judgment under the law, the sun no longer lights on us nor any heat as Rom. 8:33, 34 proclaims, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."  Therefore the law no longer condemns us and we are no longer subject to eternal condemnation from judgment under the law.

"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 

In the glory world there won't be any tears to wipe away from our eyes.  Here in time, however, we mourn over our sins and the effects of our sins.  We are in a blessed state to so mourn and we are doubly blessed in that God comforts us from our mourning (wipes way our tears from our eyes).

Furthermore, God feeds us spiritually here in time with the gospel as the Lord told Peter to "feed my lambs, and feed my sheep."  Also Paul through the Holy Spirit instructed the elders at Ephesus to "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."  Also it is the Lamb who leads us into living fountains of gospel waters to refresh our souls in our journey through life.