Revelation 7

I think I need someone with the gift of reading tea leaves to help me get through this book.  What are 144,000 sealed individuals?  Were these the disciples who went out and gathered the multitudes mentioned later in the chapter?  These "sealed" people were sealed with a mark on their forehead, now that is something that sounds rather familiar!

I was looking this stuff up a little and the Jehovah's Witnesses used to claim themselves as the 144,000, until that is, their number surpassed 144,000.  Seems that all of us can get a little carried away if we think of ourselves "more chosen" than the rest.

Maybe that is what John is telling us in this confusing tale.  That you can do math, study history and read deeply into the symbolism of this text, but in the end, all you have is a pile of tea leaves.  God is the central theme.  The worship of the angels and His followers is what we should emulate.  If we can...