The Revelation of St. John the Divine
Revelation 7
Chapter VII · Vol. IV, pp. 524–525
3 An angel sealeth the servants of God in their foreheads. 4 The number of them that were sealed: of the tribes of Israel a certain number. 9 Of all other nations an innumerable multitude, which stand before the throne, clad in white robes, and palms in their hands. 14 Their robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb.
1 And after athese things1 I saw bfour angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding cthe 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 angel2 ascending from the east, dhaving the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, eto whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, gHurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have hsealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.3
g ch.6.6;9.4. Is.27.8;65.8. Ps.76.10. Mat.24.22.
h Eze.9.4. ch.14.1-4;22.4. 2 Ti.2.19. Ep.1.13;4.30. 2 Co.1.22. Ca.1.11. Ga.5.22,23. Ex.12.13,23.
3 See note * below.
* This sealing on 'the forehead' seems to be an allusion to the inscription, 'Holiness to the Lord,' which Moses was commanded to engrave, and Aaron always to wear on his forehead, Ex.38.36-38. Here the seal bore 'the Father's name.' See ch.14.1. See also Jn.6.27. 1 Co.1.22. Ep.1.13;4.30; and from Eze.9.4 it will appear that the sealed are those true penitents 'who sigh and cry' for the sins of the nations and the churches.—C.
4 And I heard the number4 of them which were sealed: iand there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
4 The number is not to be taken literally as if 144,000 and no more were to be thus sealed. But there is conveyed in it the cheering truth, that the Lord knows, marks, and will finally take to glory his own. Their full number shall be preserved; not one shall be lost. Each section of the church—small or great, shall furnish its own elect band. The greatest and most distinguished on earth shall not be specially favoured; and the most obscure shall not be overlooked.—P.
i ch.14.1. Ge.15.5. Eze.13.9. Is.4.2,3. Ps.87.6. Ac.2.41;4.4;5.14;6.7. Ro.11.5,7,16. Eze.xlvii.xlviii. Ge.32.28.
5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand.5 Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
5 Dan and Ephraim are not mentioned, because they had been ringleaders in idolatry, Ju.xvii.xviii. 1 Ki.12.28-33. Ho.4.17.
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, ja great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, kclothed with white robes, and palms6 in their hands;Cited in WLC 62 · WCF 25.2
A.M. cir. 4100. A.D. cir. 96.
j Ge.12.3;22.18;49.10. Ps.2.8;22.27-31;xlv. xlvii. lxvi. lxvii. lxxii. lxxxvii. c.;110.2,3. Is.2.2,3;43.6;49.12-26;52.15;53.12;lx. lxii.;25.6. Je.3.17. Zec.8.22;2.11. Ro.11.25;15.9-12. ch.5.9;11.15.
k ch.6.11;5.10;1.5,6;3.4,5,18; ver.14; ch.14.4;15.2. Le.23.40. Ps.92.13,14. 2 Pe.3.18.
6 The palm grows by the water springs, lofty, straight, and fruitful. Among the Jews it was the emblem of joy, Le.23.40. Jn.12.13.—C.
10 Andl cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
l ch.19.1. Zec.4.7. Ps.3.8;115.1. Is.43.11. Je.3.23. Ho.13.4,9,11. Ac.4.12. ch.5.9,10. Jn.1.29,36. Ep.1.3-11.
11 Andn 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,7
12 Saying, oAmen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And pone of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
p ch.5.5;4.4,10.
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they qwhich came out of great tribulation,8 and rhave washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.Cited in HC 70, 73
q ch.15.2;13.7;6.9-11. Jn.16.33. Ac.14.22.
8 These are they which came out of great tribulation, &c. They are, therefore, multitudes though they be, not all the redeemed, but the persecuted and the martyred of all ages, thus (see ch.6.9-11) now exhibited, not 'under the altar,' as it were, of sacrifice, but 'before the throne,' in the glory of heaven, for the encouragement of God's suffering people of all generations on the earth. See ver.15.—C.
r Is.1.18. Zec.3.3-5. 1 Co.6.11. He.9.14;10.10. Ro.5.9. Ep.5.25-27. 1 Jn.1.7. ch.1.5,6.
15 Therefore are they sbefore the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne9 shall dwell among them.
s Ps.134.1,2. ch.21.3,4;22.3-5. Is.4.5,6. 2 Co.6.16.
9 He that sitteth on the throne is the Father with the Lamb—both sit, ch.3.21. Here 'he that sitteth on the throne' is the Son, 'the Lamb,' of whom it is said 'he shall dwell among them.' See ver.17. Jn.1.14, and comp. ch.21.3-7.—C.
16 Theyt shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
A.M. cir. 4100. A.D. cir. 96.
t Is.49.9,10. Ps.121.6. Mat.13.6,21. Ca.1.6. Is.4.6;32.2;25.4.
Notes
Ver. 1. The holding in of the winds for a time denotes the restraint of the Arian, Macedonian, Pelagian, Eutychian, and other errors which afterwards plagued the church; and the restraint of the fearful judgments that troubled and ruined the Roman empire which took place under the trumpets; till many souls were gathered to Jesus, and established in the faith by the Holy Ghost, during the last fifteen years of Constantine's reign, A.D. 323-337. 2, 3. Christ is the sealing Angel who seals his people. He has divine power and authority from his Father over angels and every other creature; he has all fulness of the Spirit dwelling in him; he knows who are his, and can distinguish, preserve, and appropriate them to himself as his peculiar people, and enable them boldly to profess his truths. 5-8. These sealed ones are represented as Hebrew tribes, because typified by the ancient Israelites, and begotten to God by the doctrine of the twelve apostles. 9-17. These verses represent the joy, purity, safety, and happiness of the souls in the heavenly state—of those that had suffered under the heathen persecutions; while no more than a short calm, succeeded by fearful storms of troubles, should take place on earth; and the joy, purity, safety, and happiness of the successors of such as had been persecuted by heathens and papists during the thousand years' reign of the saints; and, in fine, the complete joy, purity, safety, and happiness of all the redeemed, after the last judgment, through all eternity.—As ch. xx. xxi. xxii. [See Introduction, ch. v.]
Ver. 4. The 'hundred and forty and four thousand' is an arithmetical representation of the literal Israel converted to Christ, because Israel, as descended in the line of promise (Ge. 17. 19; Ga. 3. 16), was a numbered people (see Ex. 12. 37; Nu. 1. 2-4, 46)— numbered for sake of their genealogies, privileges, hopes, and possessions—emblems of the elect of God; and are thus contrasted with the Gentile converts 'whom no man could number.' But 'the Lord knoweth them that are his,' 2 Ti. 2. 19. C.
Ver. 9. After this. Literally, 'after these things'—the note of a new vision (see ch. 4. 1; 7. 1), that of the Jewish and Gentile martyrs, as the preceding was of the sealed Jewish converts.—Note, This sealing seems to open another vision which does not follow the sixth seal in order of time, but returns to represent Christianity at its origin under a new aspect—that of safety in the election of grace and sealing of the Spirit. This conclusion is drawn from the description of the sealed ones (ch. 14. 4) as 'the first-fruits to God and the Lamb.' C.
Reflections.—With tender care Jesus grants his people seasonable respite from trouble, lest they should utterly faint. For their sakes he often averts his judgments from the nations, in which they are permitted to live in peace and safety. And marvellously, even in the worst of times, he converts and preserves multitudes to own, honour, worship, and obey him. The expected glories of heaven ought powerfully to animate the saints to faithfulness in his cause. There all their labours and sufferings shall be abundantly compensated; there shall they be perfectly free from sin and from misery; a fulness of happiness and joy, pure and glorious appearances, and immediate fellowship with Christ and his Father, shall cause them to triumph in his praise.—But not to their care or goodness, but to God alone be the glory! Their whole salvation is owing to Jehovah's grace and to Jesus' merits: even their best works are not acceptable to God but through the blood of his Son.