keep in mind that revelation 7 doesn't list the tribes of israel according to their birth order, as they are listed in leviticus. furthermore, the tribes of ephraim and dan were omitted from the list because of their idolatrous practices. when you translate the names of the tribes from Hebrew, as they are listed in revelation 7, a message is given to god's end-time church:
Judah=praise
Reuben=a son
Gad=a company of sons redeemed and
Aser=happy after
Nepthalim=wrestling in prayer
Manasses=forgetting self and the past and
Simeon=hearing god's word
Levi=joined to god as
Issachar=servants and
Zabulon=dwelling with
Joseph=added joys and special blessings as
Benjamin=sons of the right hand
the whole message:
praise a son: a company of sons redeemed and happy after wrestling in prayer, forgetting self and the past and hearing god's word, joined to god as servants and dwelling with added joys and special blessings as sons of the right hand.
that message is given to god's entire bride-church, not just a select ethnic or race group, which is made abundantly clear in verse 9:
Rev 7:9 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.
revelation 14 makes it even more clear that the 144,000 are symbolic of the entire bride-church, as the lamb is symbolic of Christ, the mt sion is symbolic of god's entire community of believers, the father's name written in their foreheads is symbolic of them being sealed with his law in their minds (Exodus 13:9,16; Isaiah 8:16), their virginity is symbolic of them not being defiled by the erroneous doctrines of false churches and the women that they aren't defiled by are symbolic of the papacy and her apostate protestant daughters:
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Judah=praise
Reuben=a son
Gad=a company of sons redeemed and
Aser=happy after
Nepthalim=wrestling in prayer
Manasses=forgetting self and the past and
Simeon=hearing god's word
Levi=joined to god as
Issachar=servants and
Zabulon=dwelling with
Joseph=added joys and special blessings as
Benjamin=sons of the right hand
the whole message:
praise a son: a company of sons redeemed and happy after wrestling in prayer, forgetting self and the past and hearing god's word, joined to god as servants and dwelling with added joys and special blessings as sons of the right hand.
that message is given to god's entire bride-church, not just a select ethnic or race group, which is made abundantly clear in verse 9:
Rev 7:9 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.
revelation 14 makes it even more clear that the 144,000 are symbolic of the entire bride-church, as the lamb is symbolic of Christ, the mt sion is symbolic of god's entire community of believers, the father's name written in their foreheads is symbolic of them being sealed with his law in their minds (Exodus 13:9,16; Isaiah 8:16), their virginity is symbolic of them not being defiled by the erroneous doctrines of false churches and the women that they aren't defiled by are symbolic of the papacy and her apostate protestant daughters:
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.