Revelation chapter 7
English Standard Version
1After 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. 2Then 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, 3saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
512,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 612,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 712,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 812,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. 9After 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, 10and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11And 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, 12saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" 14I 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. 17For 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."
What does Revelation chapter 7 mean?
The scene described in this passage seems to occur between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals, seen on the scroll John observed in chapter 5.The first vision includes angels being commanded to hold back the winds at every point on earth. Symbolically, this refers to God suspending His judgment on the earth. Scriptures such as Jeremiah 49:36 describe the judgment of God by referring to wind. The purpose of this delay, it seems, is to allow for a "sealing" of 144,000 servants of God. As seen later (Revelation 13:15–18), the "mark of the beast" stands in stark contrast to the sealing seen in this chapter (Revelation 7:1–3).
These 144,000 are specifically named by their respective tribes of Israel. Twelve thousand from each tribe are indicated. Jacob had twelve sons from whom the twelve tribes of Israel originated. In the Promised Land, each of the tribes received an inheritance except for the tribe of Levi, whose inheritance was the Lord. Joseph's tribe was split into two, one for each of his sons (Manasseh and Ephraim), and each received an inheritance. In the list of those sealed in Revelation, the tribe of Levi is listed. The tribe of Manasseh and that of Joseph (which is what the tribe of Ephraim was also referred to) are also listed. The tribe of Dan is excluded. Theories about this absence are varied. Some suggest that the false prophet of Revelation may be from the tribe of Dan. Others see Dan's role in leading Israel into idolatry as a cause for being left out of the 144,000 (Judges 18:30–31). While the tribe might not be blessed through inclusion in this particular seal, other prophetic books indicate members of the tribe of Dan will be saved and receive land in the millennial kingdom (Ezekiel 48:2). Though mankind has lost track of which people are members of which tribes, God has no such memory loss (Revelation 7:4–8).
John's next vision is of a staggering number of people, from every race, ethnicity and language, dressed in white and shouting out praise to God. This is a poignant reminder of God's love for all people, and the essential unity of mankind. Despite efforts to divide humanity based on appearance or heritage, Scripture is clear that all people, of all tribes and languages, will be represented in God's eternal plan of salvation. An unnamed elder defines these white-robed saints as those who have come out of the great tribulation—the second half of the seven-year period which closes out history prior to the millennial kingdom (Revelation 7:9–17).
After this interlude, John's vision will continue with the opening of the seventh seal, introducing the next phase of God's plan: the "trumpet" judgments.
The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''
The last and largest section of Revelation began in chapter 4, where John is shown events yet to come (Revelation 1:19). Chapters 4 and 5 describe what John saw in heaven, including a scroll of God's judgments. Chapter 6 focused on the events that transpire when Jesus opens six of the seven seals on that scroll, one at a time. Now, in chapter 7, an interlude occurs between the opening of the sixth seal and the seventh seal. In the interlude an angel seals 144,000 saved Jews as God's servants. Chapter 8 will describe the seventh seal, and the beginning of the ''trumpet'' judgments.