Revelation 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Revelation 7

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5   12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
  12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
  12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6   12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
  12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
  12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7   12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
  12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
  12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8   12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
  12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
  12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming 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   They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
17   For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
  and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Commentary

v1-8: John describes events falling between the sixth (6.12) and seventh (8.1) seals, the judgments are suspended as 144,000 are sealed. The four winds are identified with the four horses in chapter 6 (Zech 6.5). There is a pause in the terrible judgments, as God's people are sealed.

The 144,000 are referred to again in 14.1-5, where they enjoy the presence of Christ. These are from the 12 tribes of Israel, although a slightly different list than elsewhere in Scripture; Dan is not mentioned; Joseph presumably means Ephraim, since Manasseh is also listed. The inclusion of the sealing of the people shows God's preservation of His people, even whilst the earth suffers the events of chapter 6.

John writes about the re-gathering of the Jews (Mark 13.24-31).

The actual duration of the tribulation is restricted to "this generation" (Mark 13.30).

v9-17: A different scene; a great multitude, representing every 'people group' on the earth, but standing before the throne and the Lamb. They have come through the great tribulation, and now enjoy rich reward, and security and provision;

no longer hungering or thirsting;
no more scorching heat from the sun;
no more tears;
they will be before God's throne;
they will be shepherded by the Lamb;
they will enjoy springs of living water.

These people share the eternity of Heaven with God and with the Lamb. Our God can and will deliver His people through the events of earth, and into Heaven itself.

John observes a crowd more than can be numbered. It is beyond debate that the number of those redeemed from the earth will be huge. But the NT seems not to describe Christians meeting together in large numbers, nor is that presented as a specific goal. Christian impact in this world is expressed in terms of Christ-likeness and transformation of households and communities.

The reference to palm branches alludes to the Feast of Tabernacles, the final feast of the Jewish year, in which Israel lived in palm booths for a week. Now, the week becomes eternal.