Revelation 7:
The 144,000 on Earth &
The Innumerable Multitude In Heaven
Revelation 7:1-17
Timothy McKeown
Chapter seven begins the first stated resumption of the relationship of God with the nation of Israel. For 2,000 years, God has dealt with His people through the church, and now He will be relating to His first chosen people with whom He he related for 2,000 years before Christ, ever since the days of Abraham.
We have seen the opening of the first six seals and there is an interlude here before the seventh seal. Nothing in the previous six seals specifically dealt with
1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
It is obvious to us today that this is figurative language. The four corners phrase is symbolic of the “ends of the earth” (distant lands in all directions) as seen in a comparison of two passages from Isaiah.
5 “Do not be afraid, because I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the EAST and gather you from the WEST. 6 I will say to the NORTH, “Give them up,” and to the SOUTH, “Do not keep them.” Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the ENDS OF THE EARTH.” (Isaiah 43)
11 It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from ASSYRIA and EGYPT, from PATHROS and CUSH, From ELAM and SHINAR, from HAMATH and the ISLANDS OF THE SEA. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of
Since the four “corners” of the earth are figurative, could it be that the “four winds of the earth” is symbolic as well?
Yes! In the Old Testament, the “four winds” were figurative of armed forces scattering the nation of Elam (Jeremiah 49:35 - 39); of a prophetic breath to bring life into an army in the valley of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:7 - 10); of four military powers which took the place of the large horn (Daniel 8:8, 11:4); and the various directions that Israel was scattered. Virtually all of the “four winds” symbols from the Old Testament showed military might. Therefore, here in Revelation 7, for the four winds to be held and “should not blow on the earth” likely means that during the Tribulation there will be a time of peace, a calm before the storm, definitely after the tumultuous Rapture and after the opening of the first six seal judgments.
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, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of
During this interlude, nothing would hurt the land (earth), the waters (sea) or the plants (trees). This time allows 144,000 Jewish virgin male believers in Christ (see Revelation 14:4) to be sealed on their foreheads. They are called the “firstfruits” unto God, perhaps the very first Jews who will receive salvation after the Rapture and during the Tribulation. The four angels are not only able to withhold harm, they are also granted the power to inflict harm.
But from the east a fifth angel arises, this one with a “seal of the living God.” The seal will mark the 144,000 with redemption, which could mean they were sealed with the Holy Spirit. We too in the church age are also sealed with the Holy Spirit for the Day of Redemption. “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has SEALED us and given us the SPIRIT in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). See also Ephesians 1:13 and
Twelve is the number of God’s people, whether in the Old Testament and the twelve tribes, or in the New Testament and the twelve apostles. Twelve times twelve thousand means that God will seal not only the 144,000 but also all of His people whom He will redeem during this Tribulation.
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were 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 careful look at the twelve tribes shows that one of Israel’s sons is omitted: Dan. Instead, Manasseh, Joseph’s first-born son, is included. Ephraim, Joseph’s second son and the one upon whom Israel laid his right hand of blessing, is also not mentioned here, but Levi, the priestly tribe which did not have land to possess, is mentioned.
It is likely that Joseph’s name and tribe is synonymous and inclusive of the tribe of Ephraim. It is very possible that the descendants of the tribe of Dan have become totally extinct in the world by the time of the Tribulation. Even though most Jews today do not know for sure what tribe they are from, it appears that God knows and will seal the descendants Himself. Further, it is not stated in Revelation that those who are sealed will know that they are of a particular tribe, but undoubtedly it will be revealed in heaven.
When I first did this study back in 2006, DNA research was not nearly as thorough as it is now. Not only would God know who was of what tribe, but we also can now ascertain from what lineage the Jews would be from.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “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 white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The scene suddenly changes to heaven again, as it did in chapter six. This time, the souls are no longer under the altar, but before the throne and before Christ, now clothed with white robes. In heaven, there will be “a great multitude” (heard again in Revelation 19:1 and 19:6), which cannot be counted.
A false religion erroneously claims that only 144,000 will be in heaven, but here the Bible clearly says that is not true. God knows the number who will be in heaven, but here John refrains from saying, as he did before, “ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands” (see Revelation 5:11). This does not yet include the 144,000, but these are those who came out of the Great Tribulation.
These in heaven could be those who were saved after the Rapture. They could be those who failed to believe in Christ prior to His glorious appearance, but after their family and friends had vanished from the earth, these who were left behind “washed their robes…in the blood of the Lamb.”
Do you see the parallel to Revelation 3? White garments are promised for those in Sardis, which had those who, if they did not watch, would be overtaken by Christ like a thief (see Revelation 3:3). Numerous professing “believers” may know about Jesus, but they themselves are not known by Christ. Perhaps they will become saved during the Tribulation.
The opening of the sixth seal in chapter six indicates that many know that the “great day of His wrath is come,” and even know that it is the “wrath of the Lamb.” (Revelation 6:16-17). All we know for sure is that there will be a great numberless multitude of people saved from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue during the Great Tribulation.
Palm branches are a symbol of victorious triumph and reminds us of the glorious triumphal entry Christ made on Palm Sunday, when the people shouted out Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” See Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9, and John 12:13. Jesus said that
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 dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The worship of God is not mandated, it is intrinsic within those who are saved. They are granted no hunger, yet we will be able to eat. We shall never be thirsty, yet we can drink. The sun and its heat will not strike us, but the Lamb will never leave us, and His glory will enlighten us. And the blessed promise comes that God Himself will wipe away every tear, an occurrence which occurs again in Revelation 21:4, in which a promise comes which says crying will never occur again.
Our takeaway from this chapter:
Number one, (pardon the pun), God knows our number! He knows our genealogy; that is, where we came from, He knows where we are, and most of all, He knows where we are going.
Number two, God seals us now with His Holy Spirit, and we will never lose our salvation. Likewise, in the Great Tribulation, God’s servants will be protected until death, and then He will give them the crown of life.
Number three, God will keep His promises. The nation of Israel in Revelation will carry palm leaves to the Lord and recognize Him as the Lamb, they will look on Him whom they themselves pierced (Zechariah 12:10).
Number four, while there will be 144,000 Jewish men on the earth (later in heaven), the number of those who will be saved is going to be HUGE, a number that no human could ascertain. In all of the evil of the Great Tribulation, God brings good and He alone can bring good in the tribulation of your lives today.
Number five, the Shepherd, the Lord, the Lamb, will dwell among us someday.
Number six, Sardis was a church in existence before the Rapture and they were warned to be ready for the Lord who will come like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3, 16:15).
Number seven, no more crying there.
