: This is another interlude given to encourage the church as it hears the horrors of disobedience and judgment. The scene shifts from the tumultuous sea to the solid ground of Mt. Zion. The 144,000 represent those who have been sealed and endure in grace. The number, like all numbers in Revelation, is symbolic: 12 tribes times 12 disciples times ten to the third power represents the “fullness,” the complete number of the redeemed. This interpretation is verified by the vision of a multitude no one can number from every ethnic group and every tongue who will worship the Lamb.
