Revelation 7

¹After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on land or sea or against any tree.[#: the earth is seen as a table or rectangular surface.; #Jer 49:36; Zec 6:5.]

²Then I saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea,[#: literally, “rising of the sun.” The east was considered the source of light and the place of paradise (Gn 2:8). : whatever was marked by the impression of one’s signet ring belonged to that person and was under his protection.]

³“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”[#Ex 12:7–14; Ez 9:4; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30.]

⁴I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites:[#: 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 (Rev 7:9).; #14:1.]

⁵twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,[#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.]

⁶twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,

⁷twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,

⁸twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Benjamin.

Triumph of the Elect.

⁹After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.[#: symbols of joy and victory; see note on Rev 3:5.]

¹⁰They cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,

and from the Lamb.”

¹¹All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God,

¹²and exclaimed:

“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,

honor, power, and might

be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.[#: fierce persecution by the Romans; cf. Introduction.; #Mt 24:21.]

¹⁵“For this reason they stand before God’s throne

and worship him day and night in his temple.

The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.

¹⁶They will not hunger or thirst anymore,

nor will the sun or any heat strike them.

¹⁷For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them

and lead them to springs of life-giving water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”