Revelation 7
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The Four Angels (vs. 1-3)
In chapter 7 we read about four angels holding back the four winds at the four corners of the earth, so that no wind could blow on the earth, sea, or tree. Wind is a common symbol used by God to depict judgment. Notice Jeremiah 49:36, “Against Elam I will bring the four winds From the four quarters of heaven, And scatter them toward all those winds; There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.” Also Jeremiah 51:1-2, “Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind. And I will send winnowers to Babylon, Who shall winnow her and empty her land. For in the day of doom They shall be against her all around.”
Therefore, the angels are holding back the judgments that we have just read about in the first six seals. The judgment is to be restrained until the servants of God are sealed. Premillenialists want to take this passage literally that people will have literal marks on their foreheads. Again, the problem is that this book is written in symbols according Revelation 1:1. We also know that the events that we are reading would happen quickly to the readers of this book in the first century and is not referring to something that has not happened yet (Revelation 1:1,3). A seal conveys the meaning of protection and ownership. The sealing before the depicted national judgment is a token of assurance for God’s people that they are protected and still owned by God.
This sealing is not unusual in the scriptures. Ezekiel 9 reveals a very similar picture as judgment was going to come upon the nation of Israel. Judgment is at the door against Israel for their wickedness (Ezekiel 9:9), so six men are given charge to bring judgment (Ezekiel 9:1-2). But before that judgment takes place, God’s servants were to be sealed on their foreheads (Ezekiel 9:4-6) and therefore would not be destroyed. Ezekiel 9:4 says, “‘Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,’” the Lord said to him, “‘and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sign and groan over all the abominations committed in it.’” A similar image is given by Jesus in Matthew 24:31 where Jesus is describing the destruction of Jerusalem. In verse 31 He says, “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This is very similar to the words we have read in Revelation 7. The angels are to gather God’s servants to be protected from the coming judgment that Jesus described. Further, notice it is the same sequence of events in Matthew 24 and Revelation 6-7. In Matthew 24:29-30 the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven. The picture of judgment is given as the Son of Man comes in power and glory. Revelation 6:12-15 shows the same image of judgment, with the sun, moon, and stars and the great judgment and wrath that is about to come. But before it will come, Revelation 7:1-3 tells us that the saints will be sealed. It is the same sequence of events. The Christians are given assurance they are God’s and God will not bring wrath upon them.
The 144,000 (vs. 4-8)
John hears the number who are sealed. We see that 12,000 are from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Notice, however, that the twelve tribes are not according to the twelve sons. Usually Levi is left out because they did not have land and Dan is included. But Dan and Ephraim are left out of this listing. We cannot give a clear reason why, but a possibility is these two are left out because Ephraim led Israel into idolatry (1 Kings 12) and Dan practiced idolatry as well (Judges 18). Therefore these two cannot represent God’s loyal, covenant people. But we should not make too much of this for the order is given differently in many of the listings of the tribes. Further, we know all of the tribes of Israel fell into idolatry and evil.
Premillennialists teach the 144,000 to be a literal group of Jews who will preach to the world during the supposed end times tribulation. However, Revelation 7:3 clearly told us who the 144,000 are: “the servants of our God.” To make the 144,000 refer to only Jews or any other group simply ignores the text.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses also take this number literally and teach there will only be 144,000 in heaven. If this is true, then only Jews from these tribes then will be saved. But notice where the 144,000 are? They are on the earth and not in heaven. These are the ones that are going to go through this judgment but are to be sealed first before the judgment comes.
Clearly then this is not a literal number but representative to God’s covenant people. The numbers are power numbers. Twelve is a number that is a religious number, like 12 apostles and 12 tribes. The large number than, being multiplied by 1000 shows us that no one would be left out of the sealing. If you were a Christian, you would be sealed. Thus we see the spiritual Israel of God, as called by Paul in Romans 2:28-29 and Galatians 6:16. Revelation 7:1-8 is describing the sealing of all the Christians on the earth at that time before God’s wrath is revealed. The message is simple: all the saints of God will be protected during this time of great tribulation to affect the earth in their lifetimes (Matthew 24:34).
The Great Multitude (vs. 9-17)
John then sees a great, innumerable amount of people standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They have the robes of white and cry out in a loud voice that salvation belongs to our God and the Lamb. Meanwhile the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures are continuing to worship God before the throne. One of the elders asks John if we knows who these people are who are in white (vs. 13). This is not a question to John as if the elder does not know, but he wants to make sure that John knows. John, by saying, “you know” is asking the elder to tell him. The great multitude represents the ones coming out of the great tribulation (7:14). John sees the end result of these who would go through the tribulation that was coming. These had been sealed on the earth and went through the great tribulation. John sees that the sealed were not lost to Satan and his operation, but are now victorious, in white robes before the throne of God. Verses 4-8 shows the servants of God on the earth sealed before the tribulation. Verses 9-17 show these very servants of God after the tribulation having overcome and are victorious.
We now begin to see who is the object of the judgment pronounced in the seven seals. Revelation 7:14 tells us that these are the ones who came through the great tribulation. If we can determine who was the object of God’s wrath during the great tribulation, we can know who the seven seals are judgments against. The phrase “great tribulation” only occurs in three places in the New Testament: here, Revelation 2:22 and Matthew 24:21. Read Matthew 24:21: “For at that time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again!” Remember Jesus was pronouncing judgment upon Jerusalem in Matthew 24. A reading Matthew 23:37-24:2 will remind us that Jesus is talking about the wickedness of Jerusalem and its impending destruction. The end of the Jewish temple and Jewish power was being described by Jesus. Before pronouncing this judgment, notice what Jesus says in Matthew 23:34-36 says that they as a nation had persecuted and killed the righteous people of God from Abel all the way to Zechariah. Then Jesus says for these things Jerusalem will be destroyed. We have seen in Revelation 6, in the fifth seal, the saints that had been killed for the word of God crying out for judgment and vengeance by God. God’s response to the saints was the vengeance was coming and to wait a little longer.
After all the doom and gloom of the first six seals, the Christians are given a message of hope in this chapter that God was with them and they would overcome. And we see that relief is given to these who came through the tribulation. Verses 15-17 show that they are not experiencing the horrors that were taking place on the earth. They no longer hunger and thirst. Comfort is given to them and they are taken care of by the Lamb and by God. The saints of God would listen to the words of Jesus and “flee to the mountains” to avoid the judgment against the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea (Matthew 24:16).
