Revelation 7:5-8

Revelation 7:5-8

[5] Of  the tribe  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  twelve  thousand.  Of  the tribe  of Nepthalim  twelve  thousand.  Of  the tribe  of Manasses  twelve  thousand.  [7] Of  the tribe  of Simeon  twelve  thousand.  Of  the tribe  of Levi  twelve  thousand.  Of  the tribe  of Issachar  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. 

What does Revelation 7:5-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God will deal with Israel as a nation in the future (cf. Romans 11). Though an Israelite may not know from which tribe he or she comes, or even that he or she is an Israelite, God does. God, or His angelic agent, will select each person for sealing.
There are at least19 lists of Jacob"s sons in the Old Testament ( Genesis 35:22-26; Genesis 46:8-25; Genesis 49:3-27; Exodus 1:2-5; Numbers 1:5-15; Numbers 2:3-31; Numbers 13:4-15; Numbers 26:4-51; Numbers 34:19-28; Deuteronomy 27:12-13; Deuteronomy 33:6-25; Joshua 13:7-22; Judges 5:12-18; 1 Chronicles 2:1 to 1 Chronicles 8:40; 1 Chronicles 12:24-37; 1 Chronicles 27:16-22; Ezekiel 48:1-7; Ezekiel 48:23-28; Ezekiel 48:31-34). Not one of them is the same as the list here.
The tribe of Judah was usually first in such lists, as it is here, due to the prophecies that it would lead the other tribes and that Messiah would come from Judah ( Genesis 49:10; 1 Chronicles 2:3 to 1 Chronicles 4:43). "The lion that is from the tribe of Judah" is the Lamb ( Revelation 5:5; cf. Revelation 6:16-17; Hebrews 7:13-14).
The tribe of Dan is absent in this list perhaps because that tribe was the first to establish idolatry in Israel ( Judges 18:30; cf. 1 Kings 12:29-30). However the Danites will receive a portion of land in the Millennium ( Ezekiel 48:1-2).
"Joseph" represents Ephraim ( Revelation 7:8; cf. Revelation 7:6). Ephraim was also "notorious for ... fickleness and proclivity to idol worship." [1] Ephraim was the head of the Northern Kingdom of Israel that apostatized under King Jeroboam I"s leadership. Ephraim will also be in the millennial kingdom ( Ezekiel 48:5). Perhaps Ephraim"s name does not appear in this list, though he is included in the reference to Joseph, to avoid the unpleasant connotations of his name. [2]
The listing of Manasseh"s name ( Revelation 7:6) is unusual since his father Joseph"s name also appears. Perhaps this honors Manasseh"s faithfulness in contrast to Ephraim"s unfaithfulness.
References such as the one in this passage argue strongly for the continuance of Israel as a nation in the future and for God"s dealing with ethnic Jews again as His chosen people (cf. Romans 11). This is a major assertion of dispensational theology. Jehovah"s Witnesses or any other Gentiles who claim to be part of this group today fail to recognize that these witnesses will be the physical descendants of Jacob. When God seals them they will know their tribal roots. The sealing will take place after the Rapture.
The sealing of the144 ,000 Jewish servants of God in the Tribulation raises the question of the Holy Spirit"s relationship to these believers. Will the Spirit baptize them? Evidently He will not since the baptizing work of the Spirit joins believers to the body of Christ ( 1 Corinthians 12:13). The body of Christ (i.e, the church) will be in heaven during the Tribulation, not on earth. None of the references to the church in Revelation refer to its being on the earth during the Tribulation. The saints who are on the earth during the Tribulation and the great multitude of Revelation 7 are not the church. This implies that the church will not be on the earth during any part of the Tribulation. [3]
Will the Spirit indwell Tribulation saints? Probably He will not. In the church age Spirit indwelling takes place at the same instant as Spirit baptism, namely, at the moment of salvation ( Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13). The Spirit"s indwelling is probably unique to the church age as is His baptizing ministry. Probably the Holy Spirit will come upon and influence Tribulation saints as He did in Old Testament times. [4] The sealing of these witnesses therefore probably indicates God"s special selection and protection of them during this time of unprecedented global catastrophes.