In Genesis 17:5, God changed Abraham's name. Formerly Abram, he becomes Abraham. Not just a great father, but a father of a multitude of nations. Genesis 17:4-7 "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. We often see Abraham as the father of one nation, Israel. How is Abraham the father of a multitude of nations? In Genesis 25 we get part of the answer that points us to the greatest answer.
Abraham is indeed the father of the nation of Israel that comes through the line of Isaac. In Genesis 25 we also find that Abraham fathered many other children. There are six sons named through a wife (or concubine) called Keturah, and we also know that Abraham had Ishmael as a son who came through Hagar, Sarah's maidservant. The names of the sons in the line of Abraham's concubines are listed in Genesis 25:1-4, and 12-18. Many of the names on this list find their ways into Scripture as future nations (e.g. The Midianites), or in some of the records of the ancient civilizations of Assyria. This makes sense when we read in Genesis 25:5 that Abraham sent the sons of the concubines east.
Even though the idea of concubines reveals Abraham's sinful past, we also see that even through Abraham's sin, God keeps his promise to make Abraham into a multitude of nations. God also told Abraham that through his offspring he would be a blessing to all nations.
As you track through the Old Testament, there are many statements about Israel being a blessing to nations, having victory over the rebellious nations, being a light to the nations, and even being enlarged by the inclusion of the nations as God's people. We get a sense that through Israel, the offspring of Abraham, the blessing of God would be both encompassing to the nations and incorporating the nations into his family.
This makes sense of what we see in John's apocalyptic vision in the book of Revelation. John is told of Israel as the sealed (elect) people of God and yet the explanation of who that is extends well beyond physical borders of Israel. Revelation 7 shows this in spectacular imagery in the way that only the symbolism of this apocalyptic literature can.
Revelation 7:4-8 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
We should first note that John hears the number of the seal and the description of what constitutes that number. There are 144,000 who are sealed or elect in God's nation. It may seem strange to us that this would be the number until we see the blatant symbolism shown in the break-up of the tribes listed. We know there are twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve is often a number that symbolizes the people of God. Also, the number 10 or 1000 often symbolizes a total. 144,000 is 12 x 12 x 1000. This is a complete number of the elect people of God.
Why does John then list each of the 12,000's as specific tribes of Israel? Is John saying that only those who are physically born in the line of Abraham and Isaac part of the elect of God? If you look closely at the list, you will find that there are a few glaring discrepancies. You will notice that the tribe of Dan is missing. You will also notice that Joseph, as the twelfth son of Jacob, was represented by the two half tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, but this is not represented in the list. Manasseh is present, but Ephraim is not. Instead, Joseph is listed as a tribe and Manasseh is still separately listed. You could also notice that Reuben as the firstborn son is not listed first. Judah is listed first. It would seem that these tribes are listed this way because John's revelation of them is teaching us something.
It would make sense to a New Covenant believer that Judah is listed first, because Jesus came from Judah. The priority is being given to the tribe from which Jesus came. We note that Dan and Ephraim are missing, and this forces us to remember that these tribes brought blatant idolatry into Israel and were judged for doing so. This is a list that encourages us to consider that though there was a physical Israel from the line of Isaac, there is most definitely a true Israel who believed God's promises and lived in faith in God's ultimate Offspring.
After John hears about the tribes as the elect people of God, he is then given a full vision of who they are. He is actually able to then see them in a vision. Revelation 7:9-10 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
What did John actually see as the explanation of what he heard? He saw a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. John saw a multitude of nations as the explanation of who is the elect, sealed, Israel.
John saw that they were standing around the lamb who was standing before the throne. What we see in Revelation 7 is a picture of the plural offspring of Abraham standing around the singular Offspring of Abraham who became their sacrificial lamb and made them heirs of all of God's eternal promises.
Genesis 25 gives us a picture that Abraham is physically the father of a multitude of nations, but Revelation 7 shows us that God's sealed (elect) offspring of Abraham are those who have come to faith in the one true Offspring of promise, Jesus. If you believe in the Lord Jesus, this also means you.