144,000 Sealed
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’[Isaiah 49:10 ]
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[Isaiah 49:10]
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[Isaiah 25:8]”
NOTES:
7:1–17 An interlude of two visions precedes the breaking of
the seventh seal, just as two more will separate the sixth and seventh trumpets
(Rev 10). In the first vision (Rev 7:1–8), the elect receive the seal of the
living God as protection against the coming cataclysm; cf. Rev 14:1; Ez 9:4–6;
2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30. The second vision (Rev 7:9–17) portrays the
faithful Christians before God’s throne to encourage those on earth to
persevere to the end, even to death.
7:1 The four corners of the earth: the earth is seen as a
table or rectangular surface.
7:2 East: literally, “rising of the sun.” The east was
considered the source of light and the place of paradise (Gn 2:8). Seal:
whatever was marked by the impression of one’s signet ring belonged to that
person and was under his protection.
7:4–9 One hundred and forty-four thousand: the square of
twelve (the number of Israel’s tribes) multiplied by a thousand, symbolic of
the new Israel (cf. Rev 14:1–5; Gal 6:16; Jas 1:1) that embraces people from
every nation, race, people, and tongue (Rev 7:9).
7:5–8 Judah is placed first because of Christ; cf. “the Lion
of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5). Dan is omitted because of a later tradition
that the antichrist would arise from it.
7:9 White robes…palm branches: symbols of joy and victory;
see note on Rev 3:5.
7:10 Salvation comes from: literally, “(let) salvation (be
ascribed) to.” A similar hymn of praise is found at the fall of the dragon (Rev
12:10) and of Babylon (Rev 19:1).
7:14 Time of great distress: fierce persecution by the
Romans; cf. Introduction.
7:17 Life-giving water: literally, “the water of life,”
God’s grace, which flows from Christ; cf. Rev 21:6; 22:1, 17; Jn 4:10, 14.
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