7
After this I saw four angels. They were standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth. This kept the winds from blowing on the land or the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east. He brought the official seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels. They had been allowed to harm the land and the sea. 3 ‘Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees,’ he said. ‘Wait until we mark with this seal the foreheads of those who serve our God.’ 4 Then I heard how many people were marked with the seal. There were 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. 5 From the tribe of Judah, 12,000 were marked with the seal.
From the tribe of Reuben, 12,000.
From the tribe of Gad, 12,000.
6 From the tribe of Asher, 12,000.
From the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000.
From the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000.
7 From the tribe of Simeon, 12,000.
From the tribe of Levi, 12,000.
From the tribe of Issachar, 12,000.
8 From the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000.
From the tribe of Joseph, 12,000.
From the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.
9 After this I looked, and there in front of me was a huge crowd of people. They stood in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. There were so many that no one could count them. They came from every nation, tribe and people. That's true no matter what language they spoke. They were wearing white robes. In their hands they were holding palm branches. 10 They cried out in a loud voice,
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne.
Salvation also belongs to the Lamb.’
11 All the angels were standing around the throne. They were standing around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces in front of the throne and worshipped God. 12 They said,
‘Amen!
May praise and glory
and wisdom be given to our God for ever and ever.
Give him thanks and honour and power and strength.
Amen!’
13 Then one of the elders spoke to me. ‘Who are these people dressed in white robes?’ he asked. ‘Where did they come from?’
14 I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’
He said, ‘They are the ones who have come out of the time of terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 So
‘they are in front of the throne of God.
They serve him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne
will be with them to keep them safe.
16 “Never again will they be hungry.
Never again will they be thirsty.
The sun will not beat down on them.” (Isaiah 49:10)
The heat of the desert will not harm them.
17 The Lamb, who is at the centre of the area around the throne,
will be their shepherd.
“He will lead them to springs of living water.” (Isaiah 49:10)
7:1–17 Before the Lamb opened the seventh seal on the scroll, John saw a different seal. It was God's official seal. Whatever was marked with this seal belonged to God. With his ears John heard the number of people that the angels marked with God's seal. It was 144,000 and the people were from the 12 tribes of Israel. Then with his own eyes John saw the huge crowd of God's people. They were from all times and places and there were too many to count. The Lamb's blood was the seal of God that they had been marked with. This meant that these people believed the good news about Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Having this mark meant that God would bring them safely through suffering. The elder was talking about the suffering that would come on judgement day. The four angels holding back the winds were a picture of that judgement. Being sealed as God's people doesn't mean that believers won't suffer. It doesn't mean that they won't be killed for following Jesus. But it means that the Lamb will guide them as their shepherd. It means that God will comfort them and provide everything that they need. It means that they will be part of the crowd that worships God for ever. John saw God's people standing around the Lamb and around God's throne. Together with the angels, the elders and the living creatures, they were praising God. This was a picture of what would happen after God had judged all things. It was a picture of heaven and earth after God had made all things new. It was a picture of the new creation. This vision would bring hope and strength to the churches John was writing to.
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ’ (Isaiah 25:8)