The Bible — World English Bible

Revelation 7

In brief

Revelation 7 is a pause between the sixth and the seventh seal. While the judgments are held back, John first sees servants of God marked with a seal, 144,000 in all, and then an innumerable crowd from every nation worshiping before the throne. The chapter answers one question: who will be able to stand? The answer: those who belong to God and have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. It ends with one of the most beautiful promises in the Bible: God will wipe away every tear.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-3The winds held back and the angel with the seal of the living God
  2. v. 4-8The 144,000 sealed, twelve thousand from each tribe
  3. v. 9-12The great multitude before the throne and the praise of heaven
  4. v. 13-17Who are they? Washed in the blood of the Lamb, comforted by God

1After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.

2I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea,

3saying, “Don’t harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!”

4I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

5of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed, of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

6of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

7of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

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

9After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

10They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

11All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before his throne, and worshiped God,

12saying, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might, be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13One of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and where did they come from?”

14I told him, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who came out of the great suffering.They washed their robes, and made them white in the Lamb’s blood.

15Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.

16They will never be hungry or thirsty any more. The sun won’t beat on them, nor any heat;

17for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them and leads them to springs of life-giving waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Key verses

Verse 3
saying, “Don’t harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!”

Before evil is unleashed, God marks his own. In the ancient world a seal was a sign of authenticity and belonging: this verse says that God knows his servants and protects them before he lets the trial come.

Verse 9
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

The vision widens: a crowd that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. Salvation is not for one group only. The palm branches and white robes speak of the victory and joy of those who have arrived.

Verse 14
I told him, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who came out of the great suffering.They washed their robes, and made them white in the Lamb’s blood.

The elder explains who the crowd is: they come out of the great suffering and their robes have been made white in the blood of the Lamb. It is not the strength of believers that cleanses them, it is the sacrifice of Jesus.

Verse 16-17
They will never be hungry or thirsty any more. The sun won’t beat on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them and leads them to springs of life-giving waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The end of the chapter says what God does for those who have held on: he provides for their needs, he leads them like a shepherd and he wipes away their tears. The Lamb is presented here as the shepherd of his people.

What the sermons say

Frequently asked questions about Revelation 7

Who are the 144,000 in Revelation 7?

The text speaks of 144,000 sealed, twelve thousand for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Some see Jewish believers of the end times, others the whole people of God, Israel and the Church together, and others a symbolic number of fullness. Serious Christians read this passage differently, and it is better to say so than to settle it for them.

Who is the great multitude in white robes?

It is an innumerable multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Verse 14 describes them as having come out of the great suffering and been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. They recall the promise made to Abraham of descendants from every people and show that salvation is for every nation.

What does it mean to wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb?

The image looks paradoxical, since blood stains, but it says that the sacrifice of Jesus cleanses. The white robes stand for the righteousness received from God, not earned by effort. Whoever trusts in Christ is declared clean, and that purity is given, which is why the crowd can stand before the throne.

What is the main message of Revelation 7?

In the middle of the trials announced, God knows his own, marks them and keeps them. The chapter reassures: history does not end in chaos but before the throne, in worship, with a God who feeds, guides and comforts. It invites us to hold firm, because the end of the trial has already been seen.

Articles quoting Revelation 7

← All chapters

World English Bible translation — public domain.