October 21, 2017: Day 62 – Revelation 7

This chapter and chapter 14 contain the number 144,000.  You need to know that the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that this number literally represents those who are “anointed” and will make it into heaven.  It is a tragically small number and one that is drawn from inferences and conclusions that simply are not Scriptural.  In short, I do not hesitate to say that we do not know who is saved and who is not, and we know that God’s character would reach out and bring to His side all of humanity and not just 144,000 thousand.

So what does this number represent?  It represents a completeness that is significant.  The twelve tribes listed are the tribes of Israel and so the entire nation of Israel and its descendants are represented.  But because it is not just a branch or a shoot but rather a significant number I’m going to take that to mean that it represents even those who are not in the tribe of Israel.  So much of the New Testament is devoted to opening the door to salvation to those who are not in the tribe of Israel.  Even if Revelation is written primarily to those from that nation who are suffering because of their new found belief in the Messiah who had come, Jesus himself.