Revelation 7:1-17

In addition to the occurrences recorded in Revelation chapter 6 following the opening of the sixth (6) seal with its continued effects on the earth, and the question posed in 6:17 (who is able to be caused to stand?) - John continues with the answer that he receives as to whom God and the Lord Jesus Christ will cause to stand during the time of the opening of the seventh (7) seal (refer to Revelation 8:1).

Revelation 7:1-8:

^7:1After this I saw four angels having stood² on the four corners of the earth, strongly-holding the four winds of the earth in order that a wind may not blow on the earth neither on the sea nor on every tree. ^.2And I saw another angel ascending from (the) rising sun having (the) seal of (the) living God, and he shouted with a great sound to the four angels to whom it was given to them to treat-unrighteously the earth and the sea, ^.3saying, "You must not treat-unrighteously the earth neither the sea nor the trees continuously-until we may seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads."

^.4And I heard the number of the (slaves) having been sealed² - hundred forty four thousands having been sealed² out-from every tribe of (the) sons of Israel: ^.5out-from (the) tribe of Judah - twelve thousands having been sealed², out-from (the) tribe of Reuben - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Gad - twelve thousands, ^.6out-from (the) tribe of Asher - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Naphtali - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Manasseh - twelve thousands, ^.7out-from (the) tribe of Simeon - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Levi - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Issachar - twelve thousands, ^.8out-from (the) tribe of Zebulon - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Joseph - twelve thousands, out-from (the) tribe of Benjamin - twelve thousands having been sealed².

John writes: After this (after seeing the effects of the opening of the sixth seal recorded in Revelation 6:12-17) I perceived (knew with my mind) four angels...

having stood and continuing to stand
- on the four corners of the earth (the 4 angles or quarters of the earth referring to the directions of east, west, north, and south to reach the extremities of the earth),
strongly holding (exerting their forceful-strength holding)
- the four winds of the earth (all winds originate, come, or move from the 4 directions)
for the purpose and result that a wind would not presently and actively blow (breath from the different sides, as blowing streams of air which may force the motion of an object that a wind would hit or come in contact with/against, but of course the response of an object to the force of a wind depends on the stability or instability of that object)
- on the earth
- neither on the sea
- nor on all/every tree
  - (it was extremely calm, very still everywhere).

And I perceived (knew with my mind) another angel ascending (mounting, going upwards) away from the rising sun (moving from the east where the sun rises)...

having the seal (holding that-which is used to seal something else by placing on it the mark of authentication, approval, ratification, that-which makes fast, as when using a seal such as a signet-ring to ensure that a letter is secure by impressing the mark on the object to show its authenticity)
- of/from the living God (pertaining to God Who is living, Who is presently and actively alive - as opposed to idols),

...and the angel shouted with a great sound (a large voice or uttered-tone, he cried out loudly)...

to the four angels to whom it was given to/for them (these 4 angels had received an assignment from the devil/satan and were about to obey him instead of remaining obedient to the only true God)
- to treat unrighteously (to wrong, to act unjustly towards)
  - the earth and the sea,

...saying...

"You must not treat unrighteously
- the earth
- neither the sea
- nor the trees
for the whole duration of time up to the point when we would seal (securely fasten, put on the mark of authentication and approval, ratification, make fast)
- the slaves of our God (the bond-servants, those who are bound to serve our God, the people being slaves in the working or service category, who live their lives to/for the only true God Who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ)
  - on their foreheads (the area between/above the eyes - visible to everyone looking at the face; refer to Revelation 2:17, 14:1, and 22:4)."

And I (John) heard the number (the total count, arithmetic, quantity) of the slaves who have been sealed and continue sealed - hundred forty four thousands (144,000) remaining sealed originating from all/every tribe of the sons of Israel (marking the selected or elect people from every clan from among the descendants of Israel/Jacob):

out-from the tribe of Judah - twelve thousands (12,000) sealed,
out-from the tribe of Reuben - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Gad - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Asher - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Naphtali - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Manasseh - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Simeon - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Levi - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Issachar - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Zebulon - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Joseph - twelve thousands (12,000),
out-from the tribe of Benjamin - twelve thousands (12,000) sealed (by repeating this word added emphasis is given - emphatically sealed).

This list covers the 12 tribes of Israel (Jacob) via his 12 sons. The definite and literal number of 144,000 of Israel's true biological descendants all together will be saved during this time from the effects on the earth which result from the opening of the seventh (7) seal. The tribes of Dan and Ephraim are not listed, and Levi and Joseph are listed instead of them. During this time, the people from the tribes of Dan and Ephraim will be unprotected (not sealed) because of their worshipping of idols instead of the only true God. Refer to Leviticus 24:10-16; Deuteronomy 29:10-28; Judges 18:1-31; I Kings 11:26, 12:25-33; Jeremiah 4:15; Hosea 4:17.

This list is not referring to future inheritance on earth which God has promised to all those who believed and obeyed God from among all of the 12 tribes of Israel (including Dan and Ephraim) - God continues to keep this promise (refer to Ezekiel chapter 48; Romans 11:29; Revelation chapters 20-22).

During the present age today - which is between the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2 and the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ will gather all holy-people together with him in the air - the seal that all holy-people have (true Christians who constitute today's church of God) is the gift of holy spirit - and all the holy-people will be with the Lord Jesus Christ during the time when the wrath of God will be in the process of implementation (refer to Romans 5:9; I Corinthians 15:23-28 and 51-58; II Corinthians 1:21 and 22, 3:3; Ephesians 1:13 and 14, 4:30; I Thessalonians 1:9 and 10, 4:13-18, 5:1-3; II Timothy 2:19).

[Reference: Genesis 32:29, 35:10 and 22-26, 48:5 and 6; Exodus 12:7, 12 and 13, 21:2-6, 28:36-38; Deuteronomy 15:12-18; I Kings 19:18; Psalm 105:10-15; Jeremiah 10:1-15, 49:36; Ezekiel 9:3-6; Daniel 7:2, 12:1; Joel 2:32; Matthew 24:15-22 and 31; Mark 13:27; John 3:33 and 34; Acts 7:53; Romans 11:4; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 1:7 and 14; Revelation 2:17, 3:12, 5:1, 9:4, 14:1-5; 20:8.]

Revelation 7:9 changes to John writing about events which take place in heaven (not on earth as chapter 6 and 7:1-8 above). The next events which take place in heaven span from Revelation 7:9 - 8:6.

Revelation 7:9-17 records what John saw regarding the future outcome for all the people who will be saved by God and by the Lord Jesus Christ (not only the descendants of Israel/Jacob)...

who will live their lives on earth during the wrath period, which will be after Christ gathers all the present holy-people (Christians) together with him away from the earth (recorded in I Corinthians 15:51-58 and I Thessalonians 4:13-18, etc),

...and therefore verses 9-17 below exclude...

all the holy-people who receive the gift of holy spirit during the present age
and all the unbelievers who reject Christ today and who will die before the gathering of all the holy-people together,
and all the people who lived their lives and died before the day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts chapter 2).

Verses 9-12:

^.9After I saw these-things, and look!, a big crowd - which not-one-person used-to-be-able to number it - out-from every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues having stood² before the throne and before the little-lamb, having been clothed² (with) white robes and palms in their hands ^.10and shouting with a great sound saying, "The salvation (is) with our God, the (One) sitting-down on the throne, and with the little-lamb."

^.11And all the angels had stood circling-round the throne and the elders and the four living-beings, and they fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God ^.12saying, "With-certainty, the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thankfulness and the honor and the ability and the strength (are) to our God into the ages of the ages, with-certainty."

After I perceived these things (after I knew the events recorded in verses 1-8 above with my mind), and look (behold, see, pay attention)!...

a big crowd (a throng of many people) -
- which not one person was continuing to be able (during that period of time none, no-one had the able-power, the capability)
  - to number it (to do arithmetic to figure the amount of people in this big crowd) -
originating from
- all/every nation (singular - every single nation)
- and tribes (plural - clans)
- and peoples (plural - masses or groups of people)
- and tongues (plural - languages)

...and these people stood and continue standing...

in the sight and presence of God's throne
and in the sight and presence of the little/small lamb (representing the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby emphasizing the viewpoint of the man, Jesus, carrying out God's requirements during his life, including his sacrifice and his resurrection, in order to reach and attain the victory of redemption and salvation; refer to Revelation 5:6, 12 and 13),

...having been clothed and continuing clothed with white robes ("robes" are long outer garments equipped or fit for people of good and honorable standing or position in a community such as priests or kings - these people have robes that are radiant, emitting light, effulgent, brilliant and bright which had already been thrown or cast around them as a vesture, wrap, covering)...

...and there are palms (branches or leaves from palm trees) in their hands and they are shouting with a great sound (a large voice or uttered-tone, crying out loudly) saying...

"The salvation (the safety, the standing and state of being saved, made-safe to God from sins and their consequences, from destruction) is
- with our God (it belongs-to, comes-from, is-given-by Him),
  - the One (God) Who is sitting down on the throne (refer to Revelation 4:2 and 3),
- and with the little-lamb."

And during that past time with a result that is ended - all the angels had stood all around the throne and the elders and the four living-beings (refer to Revelation 4:4, 6 and 7), and the angels fell down flat in the sight and presence of the throne on their faces (demonstrating complete submission and recognition of their superior) and they worshipped (paid homage to, were obeisant towards) God saying...

"With-certainty (amen, truly, surely!),
- the blessing (this word is a noun meaning: the good word spoken, good wording, the speech that is well; the good/well words spoken by God happen, they come to pass; the outcome, effect, result of God’s good word is received)
- and the glory (the importance, splendor, renown)
- and the wisdom (the skillful and expert application of personal knowledge, what to do as the most appropriate action concerning a specific situation or circumstance)
- and the thankfulness (the expression of gratitude for the reception of grace, the thanks for bestowed unmerited or undeserved favor)
- and the honor (the estimation of being valuable, deemed to be worthy of price)
- and the ability (the able-power, capability)
- and the strength (the inherent strength, the strength which God is)
are to/with our God
- into the ages of the ages (the durations of lifetimes for/throughout the durations of lifetimes – not only one age or a group of ages, but emphatically for all the durations of life, the entirety, for eternity, forever),
with-certainty (by repeating this word the angels give added emphasis to what they were saying - emphatically amen, truly, surely!)."

[Reference: Genesis 10:5, 20 and 31, 15:5 and 6, 17:4-6, 22:17 and 18; Leviticus 23:40; Matthew 18:10, 22:29, 25:31-46; Luke 1:19; Acts 4:12, 5:31; Romans 15:11; I Corinthians 6:14; Philippians 2:11; I Timothy 1:17, 5:21, 6:16; Hebrews 1:14, 5:9, 9:28, 12:22; James 3:17; Revelation 3:21, 4:4 and 8-11, 5:6-14, 6:1 and 16.]

Verses 13-17:

^.13And one from the elders answered saying to me, "Those-people having been clothed² (with) robes, the white (robes), who are they and from-where did they come?" ^.14And I said² to him, "My Lord, you knew²." And he said to me, "Those-people are the (people) coming out-from the pressure, the great (pressure), and they washed their robes and whitened them in the blood of the little-lamb; ^.15because-of this they are before the throne of God and they render-service to Him day and night in His interior-temple, and the (One) sitting-down on the throne will tent on them; ^.16they will not yet hunger, neither will they yet thirst, nor may the sun nor every scorching fall on them, ^.17because the little-lamb, the (little-lamb) up-among (the) midst of the throne, will shepherd them and he will guide them on springs of waters of life, and God will wipe-out every tear from their eyes."

One from the elders answered (judicially replied to what was seen and heard in verses 9 and 10 above) by saying to me...

"Those people who have been clothed and continue clothed with robes,
- emphatically and specifically the white robes,
who are they and from where (what source, location, place) did they come?"

And I said and continue said (what I said is still applicable today) to him...

"My Lord (addressing this elder as "Lord" - not because he thought that the elder was God or the Lord Jesus Christ, but because from John's viewpoint the elder has more authoritative-power and ability than he has regarding this - Master, the one with power over me in this situation),
- you knew and continue to know (perceive, see)."

And he said to me...

"Those people are the people coming out from the pressure (from either the Israeli/Judean background or the Gentile/other-nation background who will be saved following the pressure, the compression or stress which afflicts, whatever may squeeze them whether it be physical or mental or spiritual),
- emphatically and specifically the great pressure (the time when there will be a large amount of it - which will occur when the seventh seal will be opened; refer to Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 8:1),
and they washed their robes and whitened them (they did this to clean and purify themselves from sin and its effects, consequences, etc, and to become holy)
- in the blood of the little-lamb (not their own blood - but within the cause and sphere of action of the blood that was shed by Jesus making redemption and salvation available; refer to Revelation 1:5 and 6, 5:9 and 10);
on account of this they are in the sight and presence of God's throne
and they render service (perform, carry-out service as hired servants)
- to God during day-time and night-time (all the time)
  - within His interior-temple (the innermost part of God's temple),
- and the One (God) Who is sitting down on the throne
they will not yet hunger (they won't still be hungry),
- neither will they yet thirst (they won't still be thirsty),
- nor would the sun nor all/every scorching (from intense heat and various rays hitting the earth) fall on them (refer to Isaiah 49:10),
because the little/small lamb (representing the Lord Jesus Christ),
- emphatically and specifically the little-lamb located up among the middle of the throne (refer to Revelation 5:6),
  - will shepherd them (he will take-care of and protect them, he will exercise the whole office of a shepherd which involves not only feeding them but also leading and guiding and guarding, etc)
  - and he will guide them (lead them, show them the way, the method of proceeding, the manner of action to be done)
    - relating down upon springs (not on containers or cisterns which may hold only a specific amount of water in each one - but on wells or fountains which are sources or issues)
    - of waters of life (referring to the various ways of behaving in accordance with holy spirit-life, which will be the eternal life that God will give to these people by means of the Lord Jesus Christ),
and God will wipe-out (erase, blot-out, smear and completely obliterate) all/every tear from their eyes."

Prior to the time when Jesus accomplished salvation, the "interior-temple" usually referred to the innermost-part, the most sacred area within the temple in Jerusalem, where the only true God's presence was manifested-forth during the old covenant times, called the "Holy of Holies." During the current age, God's interior-temple is not a stone or brick building or other destructible materials such as a physical temple in today's Jerusalem. God's interior-temple is made up of His people who have received the gift of holy spirit, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation - it consists of all holy-people (true Christians) no matter what location we may live in on the earth. There will again be a temple including an interior-temple area in Jerusalem between Christ's coming to gather all holy-people together with him in the air and the descending of the new Jerusalem as written about in Ezekiel chapters 40-48. However, in the new Jerusalem the interior-temple will be as written in Revelation 21:22. References regarding this topic are: Matthew 26:61; John 2:19-22; Acts 17:22-31; I Corinthians 3:16 and 17, 6:19 and 20; II Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; and Revelation 21:22.

In this chapter, John writes the Greek root-word pas 6 times, which can be translated into English as "all" or "every" depending on the context and whether it is plural or singular - therefore it is not always possible to translate it the same way for all usages.

[Reference: Exodus 19:10; Psalm 51:1-19; Isaiah 1:18, 25:8, 49:10; Jeremiah 2:13; Matthew 2:6, 17:2, 22:1-14, 24:15-22 and 29-31, 25:31-40; Mark 9:3; John 1:33, 4:14, 7:38, 10:10-16; Acts 8:31; Romans 3:25; II Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 8:5, chapters 9 and 10, 12:24, 13:11, 12 and 20; I Peter 1:19, 2:25, 5:4; I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5 and 6, 3:12, 5:5, 9 and 10, 21:3-6, 22:1-3 and 17. Chart. Stars and Constellations. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

Revelation Chapter 8