Revelation 7:1

The Sealed of Israel

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, ^aholding the four winds of the earth, ^bthat the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,

3 saying, ^a“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God ^bon their foreheads.”

4 ^aAnd I heard the number of those who were sealed. ^bOne hundred and forty-four thousand ^cof all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were¹ sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;

6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;

8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, ^aa great multitude which no one could number, ^bof all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^cclothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ^a“Salvation belongs to our God ^bwho sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11 ^aAll the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and ^bworshiped God,

12 ^asaying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in ^awhite robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him,¹ “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, ^a“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and ^bwashed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 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 ^adwell among them.

16 ^aThey shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; ^bthe sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Revelation 7:1 Mean?

In Revelation 7:1, the vision of four angels standing at the earth's four corners, holding back the four winds to prevent any wind from blowing on the earth, sea, or trees, occurs within an inset chapter. This chapter serves as a historical digression, pausing the sequence of events between the sixth and seventh seals to provide clarity on related happenings. This pause in the unfolding tribulations, including the fifth and sixth seals and the beginning of the seventh, allows God to create conditions during these times of trouble for the conversion of a vast multitude, ensuring that such transformations can occur amidst the described chaos.

Revelation 7:1

God is postponing the events that He has just described. If He does not do this, the events narrated in chapter 7 would have no opportunity to take place. In this historical digression, God will create an environment—even within the Tribulation (the fifth seal), the heavenly signs (the sixth seal), and the blowing of the trumpets (the beginning of the seventh seal)—that will make possible the conversion of an innumerable multitude of people. Even though all this trouble is going on, God will provide a way and means for many people to be converted.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Revelation 10 and the Laodicean Church

Revelation 7:1-17

Within the book of Revelation, there are inset chapters. An inset chapter is one that does not follow the time sequence established by the rest of the book. It explains in more detail events that are necessary to understand more fully what is happening in time sequence, so the insets are historical digressions that give greater clarity to the revelation.

In Revelation 6:12, we find the sixth seal is opened. But the seventh seal is not opened until Revelation 8:1—a whole chapter and a half later. But between these occurrences is a description of an event that is a necessary digression so that we will understand what is happening to a group of people during some of the events that have already been prophetically described. In the case of chapter 7, the digression is very close to being within the sequence of events, but it is still a digression, still an inset chapter.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Revelation 10 and the Laodicean Church

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The Sealed of Israel

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

What Does Revelation 7:1 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning