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7 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. 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, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
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, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 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, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 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.
“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.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
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.”
(ESV)
God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation.
I think it’s important to understand Revelation in terms of the overall picture instead of as individual narratives. We see a great transformation occur here in Revelation 7 that fits with the theme of this book as a whole. Though at times John hears or expects one thing, there is a transformation that occurs which reveals another. In our experiences, this is definitely consistent with the nature of God.
Take, for instance, the scroll. John hears the call go out to anyone who would be able to open the scroll. When no one responds, he is greatly troubled. However, a transformation occurs when he is told the Lion from the tribe of Judah is worthy to open the seals. Immediately following, we read of another transformation. John looks with his eyes expecting to see a lion and he sees a lamb looking as if it was slain. The entire scene shifts from a primarily Jewish worldview (the Lion from the tribe of Judah and the root of David) to a more universal and true Messianic principle (the slain lamb).
Here in Revelation 7, we read of a similar transformation. The key to the 144,000 lies in the fact that John has again only heard (and not yet seen) the number of those sealed.
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel
Revelation 7:4 NASB
The listing of the tribes is a transformation of sorts because it is not consistent with the traditional Jewish order and is even missing a few. But immediately following, he sees a great multitude from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Once again, the entire scene shifts from a primarily Jewish worldview to a more universal and true Messianic concept. From John’s perspective, a lion has turned into a lamb and 144,000 Jews have turned into a great multitude from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation.
There are lots of great parallels here to compare this to but probably the most obvious is Jesus Himself. The Jews had heard about what the Messiah would be like for years. They even read about Him in Scripture. But when He actually showed up, what they saw was someone different than they had come to expect.
Let’s quickly look back at what John previously saw back in Revelation 6…
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Revelation 6:9-11 ESV
Here in Revelation 7, we find something very intriguing. It is implied that these are the full number of Christians who have come in and that the number is now complete. Both these passages (in Rev 6 & 7) describe receiving a white robe. It is possible that these are believers who have lived through the tribulation and been faithful to Jesus.
Now let’s jump back to Romans and read of the mystery that Paul spoke of regarding the Jews and their coming Salvation.
There is a secret truth, my friends, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God. 26 And this is how all Israel will be saved. As the scripture says, “The Savior will come from Zion and remove all wickedness from the descendants of Jacob. 27 I will make this covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Romans 11:25-27 GNB
Now, look at the prophecy from Zechariah.
“I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son.”
Zechariah 12:10 GNB
Paul writes of this mystery; there is a partial hardening that has occurred over the Jewish nation until the full number of Gentiles come in. It is possible Revelation 7 is the fulfillment of this prophecy because in Revelation 7 we read that the great multitude John sees around the throne of the Lamb are most certainly Gentiles. They are said to be from every race, tribe, nation, and tongue.
Then we have Zechariah who writes of a time when the Jews will mourn the fact that they killed their Messiah, Jesus Christ, and this could be the fulfillment of the 144,000 from the 12 tribes. You may agree or disagree, but the fact is there will be some kind of restoration of Israel.
Regardless of how it all fits together, we would benefit from studying the immediate context of this letter. The early church was enduring a tribulation of sorts at the hands of the Romans and the message here is that those who patiently endure will receive special blessings. Let’s look at what those are as we wind down Revelation 7.
“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.”
Revelation 7:15-17 ESV
For those who persist in their faith through the Great Tribulation, they will have the greatest responsibility of the entire created order. They will personally serve the King of King and Lord of Lords day and night in his temple. They will receive the ultimate protection and provision from Him as the beautiful metaphor states: The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of living water.
And every tear will be wiped away.