The number 144,000 (12 times 12 times a thousand) represents the complete number of all the saints. It is not a literal figure, nor does it represent only Jewish saints. The number represents company of kings and priests (Rev 5:10) in their destined role. There is no distinction made between saints of Jewish descent and those of non-Jewish descent in the passage at all. Those who claim that these are literally 12,000 individual Jews from each of the twelve tribes are saying much more than the biblical text does - adding human invention to God's word.

-Robin