"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree. I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel:
From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed."
There are countless theories about how these verses, particularly the number 144,000, should be interpreted. Just a handful of examples of how these verses have been interpreted over the years are given at this article in wikipedia . For example, Jehovah's witnesses believe that only 144,000 people will be resurrected as immortal beings to spent eternity with Christ ; the other souls acceptable to God will "live forever in a restored paradise on earth", according to the article.
Charles Ellicott, in a commentary on biblehub.com, argues against literal interpretation of this verses: "No one has ever said that the number should be taken literally; and there are evident reasons why it could not be so intended." Conversely, the writer at gotquestions.org concludes the number addresses adherents of Judaism specifically: "Nothing in the passage leads to interpreting the 144,000 as anything but a literal number of Jews—12,000 taken from every tribe of the children of Israel, according to verses 5–8."
The book of Revelation is definitely one of the most challenging books of the Bible to interpret because of its use of so much symbolism and concrete amounts, and you don't have to go far before you find folks in disagreement with each other. I started this blog because I was so phobic of eschatology beyond what Christ prophesies in the Gospels. It took a long time for me to go through the book of Revelation a few verses at a time but since I have done that I don't have fear of it anymore and I read a chapter or two from Revelation every day (as well as from some other books of the Bible too).
Since I got over my original fear I have found Revelation to be one of the easiest chapters of the Bible to read (if not to understand). What I have come to conclude is that it is important to keep reading the text no matter what my level of understanding. Each time I read through a chapter or a book of the Bible I find new understanding. All of it points to the Gospels and the words of Christ that we live in a finite world and that through him only can we achieve salvation through his infinite grace.
If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:
A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:
Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.
A more detailed step by step process:
https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life
