I believe that the 144,000 redeemed Jews from every tribe are a microcosm of redeemed and restored Israel. (Definitely NOT the fantasy of the Jehovah's Witnesses). That vision also confirms the meaning of "all Israel".
But for the naysayers and scoffers we have the words of Christ to His apostles -- that the twelve apostles of the Lamb would sit on twelve thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28). So when the apostles came to Christ just before His ascension and asked as to when He would restore the kingdom to Israel, that was a reflection of what had been promised earlier. Of course, only the Lord knew that the Church Age would intervene before the redemption and restoration of Israel. Therefore they were given the Great Commission instead.
Those who think all the 144,000 are JEWS show they don't know their Bible history.
The title of 'Jew' is derived from the sole tribe of Judah, and was applied only to those of the southern "kingdom of Judah" at Jerusalem-Judea after the split of old Israel into two separate kingdoms. The Jewish historian Josephus said that title of 'Jew' is what those who returned from the 70 years Babylon called themselves, and so did all those living in the lands of Judea (including the strangers).
So who made up that "kingdom of Judah" per God's Word?
That history begins at 1 Kings 11 thru 2 Kings 17, and then forward. The southern "kingdom of Judah", or "house of Judah", was made up of only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin at first, with Solomon's son Rehoboam of the house of David as king over them. Then the tribe of Levi was joined with them when the Levites couldn't perform their duties among the ten northern tribes of Israel under king Jeroboam which God setup. And per 2 Chronicles 11, a small remnant of the northern ten tribes also refused the calf idol worship in the northern kingdom, so they went south also and joined with Judah.
"house of Judah", or "kingdom of Judah" = tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, and small remnant of the ten northern tribes.
"house of Israel", or "kingdom of Israel" = tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Naphtali, Dan, Gad, Asher, Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun. (These were separated from Judah, Benjamin, and Levi of the southern kingdom. These ten tribes dwelt in the northern land, and made up the "kingdom of Israel" which God gave to Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim, per 1 Kings 11. These were scattered by God when He brought the kings of Assyria upon them and took them all captive to the lands of Assyria and cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17). Only the "kingdom of Judah" remained in the land.
The ten tribes of Israel are still lost today, have still yet to be joined back together with Judah, and that won't happen until Jesus returns to fulfill Ezekiel 37 about the two sticks being put back together. The Jews do not know where the ten tribes are, nor who they are, but God knows. And even most of the lost ten tribes don't even know their heritage as the larger portion of the children of Israel, because God caused the majority of them that went into their Baal worship to forget Him, and God's holy days and sabbaths, etc. They became as Gentiles living among Gentiles, the curse of Deuteronomy that God warned.
Therefore... the proper interpretation of the 144,000 per Revelation 7:4-8:
JEWS = tribes of "Juda", "Levi", "Benjamin", (and some small remnants of the other tribes which have taken the name Jew also, and became under Judah).
NON-JEW ISRAELITES (lost) = tribes of "Reuben", "Gad", "Aser", "Nepthali", "Manasses", "Simeon", "Issachar", "Zabulon", "Joseph".
Notice that the tribe of Dan is left out, and "Joseph" is put there instead of the tribe of Ephraim. Dan fell into idol worship first, and Ephraim is to fall away at the end. But both are put back in final per Ezekiel 48. If the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are counted as separate tribes, then there are actually 13 tribes of Israel, not just 12.
