There were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel

The revelation given to John about the opening of the seals stopped at the sixth seal for a while. The next vision is that four powerful angels are stationed at the four corners of the world to hold back the winds, probably the winds of destruction. These may be the angels of judgment because there appeared another angel from the East who called on these four angels to delay their destruction, so that 144,000 ( a hundred and forty four thousand) of the descendants of Israel can be sealed or set apart.

These 144,000 are not just the modern Israelites who can trace their ancestry back to the kingdom of Judah (and the tribe of Benjamin). The Scripture here is specific, the 144,000 Israelites are composed equally of the twelve tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe.

Then the vision is of a multitude of people, who are the Gentile and non-Gentile saved believers (with white robe) in Yshua. So the 144,000 are clearly in addition to the Christians (believers white robes). So these Christians praised God and together with the 24 elders and the four beasts, worshipped God. Then one of the elders revealed to John that these multitude of people in white robes are the ones that have gone through the tribulation period. Hence the people in white robes are also in addition to Christian believers caught up in the Rapture. In other words, the tribulation period will result in many people coming to the Lord.





Revelation 7
The Sealed of Israel

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;[a]
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 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;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir,[b] you know.”

So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.[c] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”