Revelation Chapter 7

The Revelation of Yahshua Christ

Chapter 7

VII 1 After this, I saw four messengers standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth that a wind would not blow upon the earth nor upon the sea nor upon any tree. 2 And I saw another messenger ascending from the rising of the sun having the seal of Yahweh who lives, and he cried out with a great voice to the four messengers to whom it had been given to do wrong to the earth and the sea, 3 saying: “Do not do wrong to the earth nor to the sea nor to the trees, until we should seal the servants of our God upon their foreheads!”

4 And I heard the number of those being sealed, a hundred forty-four thousand, being sealed out of all the tribes of the sons of Israel:

5 from the tribe of Iouda twelve thousand being sealed,

from the tribe of Rouben twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

6 from the tribe of Aser twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Nephthalim twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Manassa twelve thousand,

7 from the tribe of Sumeon twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

8 from the tribe of Zaboulon twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Ioseph twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand being sealed.

The destruction of Rome is momentarily suspended while the tribes could be sealed. This assures that a sufficient number of Israelites would survive the judgement to come upon the empire. There is no tribe of Dan mentioned here, which gives us a historical clue as to the context of this sealing. Since those who follow, the innumerable multitude dressed in white robes, are the same as those who suffered tribulation mentioned in Chapter 6 at verses 9 to 11, in addition to their brethren whom they were told are going to die as they did.  

These people who are sealed must be those who, having kept themselves unsoiled from the world and the decadence of the empire (for which compare the mention of these people again in Revelation Chapter 14), were assured preservation from the tribulations prophesied to come upon the world, seen in chapters 6, 8 and 9. The tribe of Dan is not mentioned, because the main body of that tribe as Israel exists in the world at this time, is not within the bounds of the empire nor among those invading the empire, but rather they are already quite safe in northern Europe. The relationship of the people in the verses which follow to those mentioned in the previous chapter (6:9-11) assures that this interpretation is the correct one.  

9 After these things I looked, and behold! A great crowd, which to number it no one was able, from all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb, having been cloaked in white robes and palm-branches in their hands, 10 and they cry out in a great voice, saying: “Salvation is with our God sitting upon the throne and with the Lamb!” 11 And all the messengers stood around the throne, and those of the elders and the four living creatures also fell on their faces before the throne and they worshipped Yahweh, 12 saying: “Truly, the praise and the honor and the wisdom and the gratitude and the dignity and the power and the might are for our God for the eternal ages, truly!”

The phrase “all nations” could only mean all of the nations of the Adamic oikoumenê – that part of the world which Rome rules over and which has undergone this tribulation. The great crowd, which no one was able to number, is a glimpse into the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham – for all of these people are descendants of the Israelites.

13 And one from among the elders responded, saying to me: “These who are cloaked in white robes, who are they? And from where have they come?” 14 And I said to him: “My lord, you know!” And he said to me: “These are they coming from out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of Yahweh and they serve Him day and night in His temple, and He sitting upon the throne shall tabernacle with them. 16 They shall hunger no longer, nor shall they thirst any longer, nor shall the sun fall upon them nor any burning heat, 17 because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall shepherd them and shall guide them to fountains of living waters, and Yahweh shall wipe every tear from their eyes!”

This represents the Hebrew (Job 19:25-27) Christian promise of resurrection and eternal life. Much of the language is found again in Chapter 22.