Revelation 7 KJV
The 144,000 Sealed
Revelation Chapter 7: The 144,000 Sealed
The omission of Dan and Ephraim from the sealed tribes, replaced by Levi and Manasseh, subtly excludes groups linked to calf-idolatry sites in Judges and 1 Kings, framing the 144,000 as a ritually purified Israel.
1nd after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
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Did You Know?
The omission of Dan and Ephraim from the sealed tribes, replaced by Levi and Manasseh, subtly excludes groups linked to calf-idolatry sites in Judges and 1 Kings, framing the 144,000 as a ritually purified Israel.
The forehead sealing echoes the protective tau mark in Ezekiel 9 yet shifts its function from sparing Jerusalem's remnant to shielding believers amid global angelic restraint of the four winds.
The palm branches carried by the innumerable multitude deliberately recall the lulav ritual of Sukkot while also evoking Roman victory processions, merging Jewish eschatological ingathering with imperial triumph imagery.
The promise that the redeemed will serve God "day and night" inside the temple subverts the Levitical rotation system, extending perpetual priestly access to Gentiles in fulfillment of Exodus 19:6.
The Lamb shepherding the multitude to living fountains reworks Psalm 23 and Isaiah 49:10 by placing the slain-yet-standing Christ in the divine shepherd role traditionally reserved for Yahweh alone.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain And โ so B and Syriac. But A, C, Vulgate, and Coptic omit "and." after these things โ A, B, C, and Coptic read, "after this." The two visions in this chapter come in as an episodeโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation 7 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Sealing of the elect of Israel. The countless multitude of the gentile elect.
- 1
- And โ so B and Syriac. But A, C, Vulgate, and Coptic omit "and." after these things โ A, B, C, and Coptic read, "after this." The two visions in this chapter come in as an episode after the sixth seal, and before the seventh seal. It is clear that, though "Israel" may elsewhere designate the spiritual Israel, "the elect (Church) on earth" [ALFORD], here, where the names of the tribes one by one are specified, these names cannot have any but the literal meaning. The second advent will be the time of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, when the times of the Gentiles shall have been fulfilled, and the Jews shall at last say, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." The period of the Lord's absence has been a blank in the history of the Jews as a nation. As then Revelation is the Book of the Second Advent [DE BURGH], naturally mention of God's restored favor to Israel occurs among the events that usher in Christ's advent. earth... sea... tree โ The judgments to descend on these are in answer to the martyrs' prayer under the fifth seal. Compare the same judgments under the fifth trumpet, the sealed being exempt (Re 9:4). on any tree โ Greek, "against any tree" (Greek, "epi ti dendron": but "on the earth," Greek, "epi tees gees").
- 2
- from the east โ Greek, "the rising of the sun." The quarter from which God's glory oftenest manifests itself.
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