Revelation 7

This is a series of short expositions of Revelation 4-22 from a futurist perspective. Follow along with a timeline here.

We come now to the first in a series of periodic “timeouts” that John takes which interrupt his visions. Remember where we are:

• Contrary to claims from pastors, eager YouTubers, and even theologians who ought to know better, the bulk of this letter is not about the antichrist’s cruel reign of terror—what Jesus calls the “great tribulation” or “great oppression” (Mt 24:21; θλῖψις μεγάλη). Instead, the letter is largely about Jesus pouring out divine wrath upon the antichrist and turning out his lights (Rev 16:10), as it were (Rev 6-18).
• Revelation 4-5 brought us into the Lord’s throne room, to a solemn ceremony, as Jesus prepared to break open the seven “seals” which bound a mysterious scroll. Each “seal” represents a divine judgment. The angels and the mysterious “elders” sing a song of affirmation as Jesus accepts this charge (Rev 5:9-10)—it ceremonially reassures John and his readers that this coming judgment is just.
• In Revelation 6, we saw Jesus bring the first six “seals” of wrath upon the kingdom of darkness. One “seal” now remains.
• But, because this last “seal” consists two sets of telescoping judgments of seven sentences each, the balance of Jesus’ righteous wrath is yet to come.

Picture the opening of a great military offensive; Operation Torch in North Africa, Operation Uranus near Stalingrad, or the larger Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands—each of which happened in November 1942.¹ The forces are set in motion, the men and machines are on their way, initial contact with the enemy has occurred, and flag officers pace anxiously at their headquarters, awaiting word.

Now, imagine the camera panning away from these smoke-filled HQs to very different scenes—a grittier, more personal setting. Vichy French sailors open fire on American naval forces off Casablanca. German infantrymen hide in terror as swarms of Soviet Katiusha rocket barrages blast their positions near the River Don. The USS Atlanta opens fire on the Japanese destroyer Akatsuki in the early morning hours of 13 Nov 1942.

This is what John does in Revelation 7. After he “sees” the events of Revelation 6 (“after this,” Μετὰ τοῦτο), he pans away from the “headquarters” scene to show us two groups of individuals—what they have seen, felt, and experienced up to this point. Because antichrist’s kingdom is the culmination of evil, and a sort of Dollar Store rip-off of Jesus’ coming millennial kingdom, John focuses on their reactions as this divine “assault” upon the citadel of darkness rolls out.²

Group 1—All Believers Then Alive

John sees “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree” (Rev 7:1). You get the impression of a sudden, still silence—like a pause. This seems particularly frightening considering the divine hell Jesus has just unleashed on the world in the first six “seals” (Rev 6). A dramatic “pause” is often done for effect, and John is no different.

He then sees an angel going upward from the rising sun (ἀναβαίνοντα ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου), as if silhouetted against the dawn, bursting heavenward from the horizon. He holds God’s “seal” (or stamp) in his hand (Rev 7:2). He orders: “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads” (Rev 7:3). We have no idea who this angel is. Some declare it is Jesus,³ but the bible doesn’t tell us—for all we know it is an angel named Bruce!

John loves to borrow from the prophets, and this reminds us of Ezekiel 9:4—when Yahweh commanded an angel to “mark” the faithful few in Jerusalem who were still true to him, before divine wrath strikes down the traitors. Back in Revelation 7, John doesn’t actually see anyone receiving this “mark” or “stamp.” He hears it, maybe because an angel announces it.⁴ This “seal” is like an ownership mark that declares: “Property of Jesus.” As is his “evil twin” way, the antichrist already created his own “mark” which he forced people to bear (Rev 13:16).

Those whom the angel seals here are 144,000 “from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (Rev 7:4; ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ). Who are these “sons of Israel,” and is the number truly 144,000? My best answers are: (a) all believers alive during this time, and (b) no.

• There are 12,000 chosen from each tribe = 144,000 (Rev 7:5-9). John ignores the tribe of Dan altogether! Nobody knows why.⁵
• There is no reason why this cannot be a true number. But its precise nature—not 12,002 or 12,008 from each tribe, but exactly 12,000?—may suggest it just means “a lot.”
• The solution is in the purpose of the mark. In Ezekiel, the mark which the angel gave to the faithful Jewish remnant was a forcefield of protection from divine wrath: “do not touch any man on whom is the mark” (Ezek 9:6). Because John borrows from Ezekiel here, it likely has the same meaning.
• Jesus is pouring out divine wrath, just as the angelic “executioners of the city” did in Ezekiel 9:1-2. So, like Yahweh, Jesus likely does not want his faithful Jewish remnant to be destroyed by his own judgments. This “seal” tells the divine judgments to ignore his people (a la Ex 12:13). But, however, it likely does not protect God’s people from the antichrist’s wrath as his world falls apart around him.
• So, it seems best to take the 144,000 as a number meaning “a whole lot.”

But who are these “144,000”?

The parallel with Ezekiel 9:4 strongly suggests they’re believers, which leaves us with two options: (a) Jewish believers, or (b) believers of all stripes. It seems difficult to believe Yahweh would only protect all Jewish believers and leave gentile believers high and dry and at the mercy of his divine wrath. So, while we can only speculate, evidence suggests the “sons of Israel” here refers to “all believers.” Good Christians who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture will object to this interpretation.⁶

This is the answer to the unbeliever’s cry of anguish: “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:16-17). John’s answer is that only those who trust in Jesus for salvation and liberation will be safe from the divine wrath (cp. Jn 3:36).

Group 2—The Martyrs

Now, after all this (Μετὰ ταῦτα), John pans the camera away to reveal “a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands” (Rev 7:9). This is a second, separate group.⁷ These are people (Jew + gentile) from every corner of the earth—“every tribe” includes, but is not limited to, the Jewish people.⁸ They sing praise to God, quoting a portion of Psalm 3:8: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev 7:10). The angels, the 24 elders, and the four seraphim (“four living creatures”) fall down and do likewise (Rev 7:11-12).

Although John doesn’t say so, this is likely the throne room in heaven.⁹ That is where the Spirit brought John when this cycle of visions began (Rev 4:1-2) and it’s where the throne room has remained so far in John’s prophecy. God’s throne is not yet on earth, because the new creation isn’t yet here (see Rev 21-22).

Who are these people?

This is what one of the “elders” asks John (Rev 7:13), who stammers a non-reply. The elder explains that “[t]hese are the ones who come out of the great tribulation” (Rev 7:14), meaning they died.¹⁰ This is the most likely way they could “come out from” the tribulation—or else they’d still be alive to be “sealed” by the divine forcefield we just discussed. Remember—Revelation 6-18 is (almost—see the timeline) all about Jesus’ wrath against the antichrist. This means these martyrs did not die during the events of Revelation 6; they died before this time at the antichrist’s hands (Rev 13:15). Some argue that these are all the martyrs who die between Christ’s resurrection and his return,¹¹ but this is unlikely—John speaks of the great tribulation (τῆς θλίψεως τῆς μεγάλης) which Jesus foretold would be the climactic time of evil before the end: “such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will” (Mt 24:21).

Their white robes symbolize purity and holiness, which they were awarded by means of Christ’s death—atonement.¹² They don’t have white robes because they were martyred—they have white robes because they have been “washed in the blood of the lamb,” which is why they were willing to die for him. Christ’s death (i.e., his blood) as their vicarious substitute is the means by which believers have spiritual liberation—the forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7). Because they are true believers (διὰ τοῦτό), these martyrs worship before the throne continually (Rev 7:15).

John then quotes a passage which speaks of the mysterious Servant from Isaiah, and his love for the gentile people. Isaiah 49:6 explains: “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return; I will also give You as a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah told of a sort of paradise highway which would lead to Zion and to bliss: “They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who has compassion on them will guide them And will lead them to springs of water” (Isa 49:10). These “springs of water” are the same ones Jesus promised the woman at the well in Samaria (Jn 4:10-14)—the cleansing “waters” of salvation.

Now, the camera moves on and settles back on the drama around the throne of God itself. John’s “timeout” is over. The lamb readies himself to open the seventh “seal” on his scroll, and the story marches forward once more in Revelation 8.