An Interlude

After this I saw (A)four angels standing at the (B)four corners of the earth, holding back (C)the four winds of the earth (D)so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending (E)from the rising of the sun, holding the (F)seal of (G)the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the (H)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “(I)Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have (J)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their (K)foreheads.”

The 144,000

And I heard the (L)number of those who were sealed: (M)144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Tribulation

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from (N)every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing (O)before the throne and (P)before the Lamb, clothed in (Q)white robes, and (R)palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,

(S)Salvation belongs to our God (T)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

11 And all the angels were standing (U)around the throne and around (V)the elders and the (W)four living creatures; and they (X)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,

(Y)Amen, (Z)blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. (AA)Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders (AB)responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the (AC)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I [a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the (AD)great tribulation, and they have (AE)washed their robes and made them (AF)white in the (AG)blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are (AH)before the throne of God, and they (AI)serve Him day and night in His [b](AJ)temple; and (AK)He who sits on the throne will spread His (AL)tabernacle over them. 16 (AM)They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun [c]beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their (AN)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the [d](AO)water of life; and (AP)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 7:14 Lit have said
  2. Revelation 7:15 Or sanctuary
  3. Revelation 7:16 Lit fall
  4. Revelation 7:17 Lit waters

The Vision of the Sealing of 144,000 People

After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the land, on the sea, or on any tree. I saw another angel coming from the east having the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been permitted to harm the land and sea, “Don’t harm the land, the sea, or the trees until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”

I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000. Those who were sealed were from every tribe of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, and 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

The Vision of Tribulation Saints

After these things, I looked, and there was a crowd so large that no one was able to count it! They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing in front of the throne and the lamb and were wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice,

“Salvation belongs to our God,
    who sits on the throne,
        and to the lamb!”

11 All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces in front of the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying,

“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength
    be to our God forever and ever! Amen!”

13 “Who are these people wearing white robes,” one of the elders asked me, “and where did they come from?”

14 I told him, “Sir, you know.”

Then he told me, “These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering.[a] They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. 15 That is why:

“They are in front of the throne of God
    and worship[b] him night and day in his Temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will never be hungry or thirsty again.
    Neither the sun nor its heat will ever beat down on them,
17 because the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd.
    He will lead them to springs filled with the water of life,
        and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”[c]

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 7:14 Or great tribulation
  2. Revelation 7:15 Or serve
  3. Revelation 7:17 Isa 25:8