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Revelation 7

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The Sealing of the Servants of God 1–8

1
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. ​
2
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, ​
3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. ​
4
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. ​
5
Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. ​
8
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

The Great Multitude in White Robes 9–17

9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; ​
10
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. ​
11
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. ​
13
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ​
15
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. ​
16
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. ​
17
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Revelation 7

Verse 1

the four winds of the earth — The ‘four winds’ are those of Dan 7:2 and Jer 49:36, and Christ speaks of gathering his elect ‘from the four winds’ (Matt 24:31). The four angels ‘holding’ (krateo) them keep the wind from earth, sea and trees, a pause in judgment like the ‘hurt not’ of 6:6, until the sealing in vv.2–3.

Verse 2

the seal of the living God — Sphragis here is the seal held by an angel who comes ‘from the east’ (anatole, sunrising), the direction from which ‘the glory of the God of Israel’ came in Ezek 43:2. Believers are ‘sealed unto the day of redemption’ by the Spirit (Eph 4:30; 2 Cor 1:22). The four angels have power ‘to hurt’ (adikeo), the verb of 6:6.

Verse 3

in their foreheads — The mark on the forehead recalls Ezek 9:4, where the LORD had a mark set ‘upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry’. Doulos is a bondservant, John’s word for the Lord’s people (1:1). The sealed are later seen with ‘his Father’s name written in their foreheads’ (14:1), and ‘his name shall be in their foreheads’ (22:4).

Verse 4

an hundred and forty and four thousand — John ‘heard the number’ here and then ‘beheld’ a multitude no one could count (v.9), as in 5:5–6 he hears of the Lion and sees a Lamb. They are ‘of all the tribes of the children of Israel’, each tribe listed in vv.5–8 with twelve thousand. The same number appears with the Lamb on mount Sion in 14:1.

Verse 7

the tribe of Levi — Levi is counted here with twelve thousand, though under the law ‘thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi’ (Num 1:49). The list names Juda first, the tribe from which ‘our Lord sprang’ (Heb 7:14). Joseph and Manasses are both named, so Ephraim does not appear by name, and neither does Dan.

Verse 9

a great multitude, which no man could number — Abraham was told, ‘tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: … So shall thy seed be’ (Gen 15:5). They come ‘of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues’, the fourfold phrase of 5:9. The ‘white robes’ are those of 6:11, and the palms recall Lev 23:40 and John 12:13. They ‘stood’, the answer to 6:17.

Verse 10

Salvation to our God — Soteria is deliverance. The cry gives it to the One on the throne and ‘unto the Lamb’ together, as ‘Salvation belongeth unto the LORD’ (Ps 3:8). Rev 12:10 has ‘Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God’. It is the answer of the redeemed to their own deliverance in v.14.

Verse 12

Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might — Seven terms, as in 5:12, where the Lamb is given ‘power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing’. Here eucharistia, ‘thanksgiving’, stands where ‘riches’ was, and the ascription is to ‘our God for ever and ever’ (aion). ‘Amen’ opens and closes it.

Verse 14

These are they which came out of great tribulation — ‘Sir, thou knowest’ echoes Ezek 37:3, ‘O Lord GOD, thou knowest’. Thlipsis is pressure, affliction. The robes are washed and made white ‘in the blood of the Lamb’, the cleansing of 1 John 1:7, ‘the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin’, and of Isa 1:18, ‘as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’.

Verse 15

shall dwell among them — Skenoo is to pitch a tent, the verb of John 1:14, ‘the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us’, and related to the tabernacle of God with men in 21:3. ‘Serve’ is latreuo, sacred service, here ‘day and night’ in the temple (naos, sanctuary). They are ‘before the throne’ where they were first seen standing in v.9.

Verse 16

They shall hunger no more — The words of Isa 49:10, ‘They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them’. Christ gave the same promise of himself: ‘he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst’ (John 6:35). The Isaiah verse goes on to the guiding ‘by the springs of water’, which v.17 takes up.

Verse 17

shall feed them — Poimaino, to shepherd. The Lamb ‘in the midst of the throne’ is also the Shepherd, as in ‘I am the good shepherd’ (John 10:11), and the ‘living fountains of waters’ (pege) are the water Christ gave (John 4:14). ‘God shall wipe away all tears’ is from Isa 25:8, ‘the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces’, and returns in 21:4.