This is viewed as a scene change, or a parenthetical section, by many. The chronology of the seals is broken, put on pause, and an intermediary portion is inserted in the middle, which both provides hope, but also brings a continuity from one thing to the next. In such a way, before the whole of the prior is done away with, namely through the seventh seal, the future is brought to fruition.
Indeed, as this looks forward in the eyes of John to the ultimate destruction of the old order, the fall of Jerusalem, it is now witness to what in one sense of the word takes its place, the church. Indeed, it is actually out of these trials that the fullness of the first-fruits church is brought forth. As the baby is brought out through birth-pains, so the new church is sealed and brought forth through the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. As all the Christians fled Jerusalem when Jerusalem was first surrounded by Cestius Gallus in 66 AD, who then fled back and allowed them to escape, so also, before the final judgment of the Jewish order that did not come into Christ, the assembly of the righteous is brought forth, sealed, and promised a future.
Thus, as the light of Israel as a nation went out, the light of Christ’s church was coming forward. Not that God is done with national Israel at this point, but the effect upon them as a nation is evident clearly in history from this time until their regathering to their homeland began in 1948.
Revelation 7:1
(1) After this (2) I saw four angels standing (3) at the four corners of the earth, (4) holding back the four winds of the earth, (5) so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.
- Whether or not this is indeed a parenthetical section, per se, is not the object here, but the text does say “after this”. This could refer to next in the sequence of the vision, or next in the sequence of events described by the vision. As this is a heavenly encounter, it could be either.
- John again is seeing things which comprise the bulk of his prophecy. Indeed, in 1 Samuel 9:9, it says that prophets were at one time called “seers” (people who “see”). While John is not officially a prophet (he’s an apostle), Peter said in Acts 2 that we could all see visions and prophecy because the Spirit has been given to “all flesh”, that is, all who believe in Christ, and not simply the select few prophets. While some prophets prophecy by the voice of the Lord, others prophecy based on what they see. As this is Scripture, this fact is well established and set forth by the existence of the book of Revelation itself. Here, John sees four particular angels who are performing a specific task.
- Further, it is stated that they stand at the four corners of the earth. This is where they stand, and, as the Earth is not literally a rectangle, this speaks of them standing at the extremities, wherever God has established that, and they, from there, perform their task.
Revelation 7:2
And (1) I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, (2) having the seal of the living God; (3) and he cried out with a loud voice (4) to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
- Now another angel comes onto the scene from the east.
- He has the seal of God, which He will employ upon the church.
- He cries out with an intervening command. This break most probably refers to the inexplicable retreat of Cestius Gallus. He was poised to destroy Jerusalem, but the Christian believers had not escaped. Hence, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus in Luke 21:20, when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by the armies of Cestius, and then his subsequent retreat, they fled. The general had no reason to do so, other than to fulfill the word of the Lord. His doing so brought about heavy casualties upon his own troops as he fled back to the sea pursued by the Jewish rebellion. Yet, heeding the word of prophecy, the Jews fled to Pella, where they remained for three and a half years of the tribulation that followed.
- The specific command is given to the four angels. In this direction, the heavenly interaction is the thing that dictates earthly events, as is always the case, despite modern science which attempts to explain away creation to a purely geologic and other mechanism. God is intimately involved in His people, and it is the spiritual reality which has direct bearing upon the natural, at all times.
Revelation 7:3
saying, (1) “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees (2) until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
- The command is given to the angels. The harm that will come upon the Earth must be held off for a moment.
- This indicates the reason for the short delay. The sealing of the 144,000 is the spiritual event, a spiritual mark on the belieiving people of God, even as it is manifested in their flight and hiding away in Pella shortly before the Great Tribulation which is about to befall Jerusalem from 66 AD – 70 AD. The people of God are sealed, and as they make their exodus from Jerusalem to their place of saftey in the desert, the words of Christ in Luke 21 and the revelation of John here are both fulfilled.
Revelation 7:4
(1) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, (2) one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
- Those who were sealed were counted, and the number was given.
- I doubt it is worth the discussion to say whether this is a literal number or figurative. If it were completely literal, in any eschatology, that in itself would be quite miraculous to have all the tribes equal exactly 12,000 each. For those who want to use literal vs non literal to attempt to disprove this position, it would be only in their favor if they came up with a literal number and actual per-tribe count of those who did flee from Jerusalem. Certainly, a figurative count approaching this figure would be sufficient to most, if not all, but the sense is that a body of believers are delivered by the mark of God, as they now represent not just the “Jewish church”, as the entirety of the church is indeed “one new man”, but they represent the church of Jesus Christ, as it fled from the Jerusalem and apostate Israel that was about to be destroyed. This destruction would be in fulfillment of “all that was written”, and it would signify the end of the temple that was begun in the declaration of Cyrus, which existed within and through the 490 years prophesied by Daniel. We see no reason whatsoever to divide the Jewish church from the Gentile church. Doing so is in contrast to Paul’s explanation that they are indeed one. Indeed, as any house divided against itself cannot stand, there is no division in God’s heart between the believing Jew and the believing Gentile. This has never been God’s heart, or plan. The dispensationalist here is wrong on all accounts.
Revelation 7:5-8
(1) from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
- The twelve tribes are listed, each with 12,000 members. Twelve tribes times 12,000 is 144,000 believers. Judah is in the lead, not by birth order, but because Judah is the tribe of the King. Notably missing is Dan, and Joseph could be viewed as a substitute for Ephraim, as Manassah and Ephraim were technically Josephs sons.
Revelation 7:9
(1) After these things I looked, and behold, (2) a great multitude which no one could count, (2) from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, (3) standing before the throne and before the Lamb, (4) clothed in white robes, (5) and palm branches were in their hands;
- That is, after the 144,000 were sealed, that is, brought out.
- The great multitude here could be seen as the church through the ages. This is brought out in the next verse, as they are those who “came out of” the Great Tribulation. More will be said about that in verse 11.
- They are standing before the throne, so they are believers. Because this is looking at a 70 AD fulfillment, this cannot be the people alive then, as that would be insufficient for the multitude. The 144,000 were just named, and now we are looking at a much more vast group.
- They are before the throne, clothed in white. Since white robes are the symbol for righteous acts of the saints, and the only righteousness is Christ, this is an assembly of those who have believed. The conclusion that this is a yet future group comes from the deduction. While there may not be explicit proof as to the identity of the group, it follows with the rest of the argument, and there is no explicit proof against it either. Perhaps this could be viewed as a weaker point, but it stands its own test in the context of the whole until something proves against it. The identity of the multitude as a summation of the assembly of the believers either immediately following the Great Tribulation or the two millennia since provides a reasonable explanation for what the text does not directly state.
Revelation 7:10-12
and (1) they cry out with a loud voice, saying, (2) “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (3) 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, (4)”Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
- They are in praise before God.
- They echo the words of Psalm 3:8, and praise Jesus.
- They are joined with all the hosts of heaven, from the top down, in praise.
- Their praise is an Eternal one. Let it be ours always.
Revelation 7:13
(1) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, (2) “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”
- It is not John asking the question, but the elders (one of the twenty four, presumably), who brings the question to John. It is often questions that are the invitation to revelation. As God sensitizes us to a question, it draws us to the answer. As it says in Proverbs, those who have understanding seek knowledge (Proverbs 18:15). Additionally, it was with questions that the Lord permeated Job in Job 40-41. There, the questions were to prove that Job didn’t know the answer, didn’t have all that he needed. Perhaps it was the lack of the question in John’s mind that prompted the question from the Elder, not that John was necessarily deficient in not having the question, but simply that he needed to have the question so that he could have the answer. Surely, it is a wonderful thing when God both provides us with both the question we need, and also its sure answer. God, grant us your people the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you (Ephesians 1:17).
- The elder asks John a two-fold question, who, and from where. Of course, revelation often comes in layers, and many people in their interpretation of these passages are attempting to answer these precise questions, even in light of the answer.
Revelation 7:14
(1) I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “(2) These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- John’s answer is both honest and in wisdom. The man is not asking because he doesn’t know, but because John doesn’t. This is also Ezekiel’s answer in Ezekiel 37:3 responding to the Lord’s question, and is always a good option for a response when the Lord asks us something. No flesh will glory in His presence; how wonderfully freeing it is when we let God be God and we simply admit our insufficiency without Him.
- These people in white are those who have come out of the tribulation (the second question), and those those who have washed their robes, that is, believed in Jesus Christ (the first question). The question must be asked about the “come out” of this verse. The lexicon reads, for the word, “to come into being, arise, come forth”. Hence, as others also maintain, this could speak of those who directly came out, who themselves went through that time, or those that are brought forth, who grew out, or came out of the Tribulation, as a result of it, but not necessarily directly being in the three and a half years specifically. This latter view is adopted here, that the multitude are those who come of the tribulation, in the sense that the church came out and hence grew into this multitude.
Revelation 7:15
(1) For this reason, (2) they are before the throne of God; and (3) they serve Him day and night in His temple; and (4) He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
- For this reason would indicate their having washed their robes, then. The questions asked are answered in reverse order, and the reason for the being before the throne is based upon the substitutionary work of Christ. It could refer to both, of course, although the second part of the answer would appear to be a better fit.
Revelation 7:16-17
(1) They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; (2) for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and (2) God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
- Those who are resurrected will no longer experience trials. The age of Eternal life is peace, with no destruction for those who have entered into His rest completely.
- The reason is that the Lamb is their shepherd, in accordance to Psalm 23:1, and He will provide for them.
- And, the Father will remove all the tears, in other words, all cause for sadness, oppression, and hardship. This is not the Millennium; it is the Eternal home of the believer.