Revelation 7:5
Revelation 7:55From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
Watchtower commentary takes as the start of the literal census of the 144,000 sealed servants of God — exactly 12,000 from each named tribe of Israel. The number is treated as literal even when other details (gender, virginity, tribal identity) are read symbolically. The 144,000 are the heavenly class who will rule with Christ; the great crowd of v9 is a separate earthly class.
This is the heard/saw pattern's keystone. In v4 John HEARS the number sealed: 144,000 from twelve tribes. In v5-8 the tribes are listed — and the list is symbolic, not literal: Dan is missing entirely, Manasseh is listed separately from Joseph (which never happens in any actual OT tribal list), and Levi is included as a land-holding tribe (contradicting ). This is not a historical census. Then in v9 John LOOKS and SEES "a great crowd which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues." Same pattern as 5:5-6: heard the Lion, saw the Lamb — the Lion IS the Lamb. Heard 144,000, saw the great crowd — the 144,000 IS the great crowd. Same group, symbolic census language followed by visual reality.