Revelation Chapter 7: The 144,000 “Servants of Our God”

Chapter 7 is considered to be parenthetical or an interlude, inserted between the opening of the sixth seal (6:12) and the seventh seal (8:1). The chapter is intended to answer the question that is asked at the end of chapter 6, as survivors seek shelter, hiding from God in caves: “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (6:17).

The chapter opens after the judgment of the sixth seal has been revealed. Initially, John describes angels who are restrained (v. 3) from bringing destruction to the world until the 144,000 “…servants of our God…” from the tribes of Israel are sealed (vv.1-8):

“¹ After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ³ ‘Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ ⁴ Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. 5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, ⁶ from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, ⁷ from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, ⁸ from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000” (7:1-8).

In the vision, John  sees “…four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth…” (v. 1). The “…four winds…” refers to destruction from the judgment of God. It is a typical phrase used of God’s acts of judgment (for example, see Jeremiah 49:36, 37: “I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens…I will bring disaster upon them…”).

The 144,000 “…servants of our God…” are thought to be Jewish evangelists who seek converts during the tribulation, but there is considerable debate among biblical scholars about whether the reference is intended to be literal or merely symbolic. My own view is that these are literally 144,000 evangelists.

John sees the judgment being interrupted for a time as vision supplies the answers to the question posed at the end of the previous chapter (“…who can withstand it?”). The answer is that two groups will survive the judgments of the tribulation on earth:

• First, the 144,000, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel (vv. 1-8). In the present time, individual Jews do not know their tribal ancestry. This will change with the anointing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. God will reveal their tribal heritage o He has preserved His people Israel since He called Abraham nearly 4,000 years ago.
• The second group that will survive will consist of the converts resulting from the witness of the Jewish evangelists, who are depicted in white robes standing before the throne of God (see vv. 9-17).

Whichever is the case, John’s answer to the question implies that only the true “…servants of our God…,” are divinely sealed and will be shielded from the wrath of God and the Lamb. Just as the imprint of the owner’s seal was used on documents and scrolls in John’s era, God will mark His servants with His seal on their foreheads. This mark, or seal, could be the name of God, the Hebrew name of God (Yahweh), or perhaps just a mark of some other kind.

Two other times in the history of the Jewish people do we find a mark or sign to distinguish the faithful among God’s people:

• The Passover (Exodus 12); Exodus 12:7, 12-13, where the blood on the doorframes marked those who were obedient to God:

“…they (the Israelite slaves in Egypt) are to take some of the blood (of the sacrifice of a lamb by each household) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs…I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”

• Ezekiel 9:4-6, where Ezekiel envisions God judging in Jerusalem and ridding the city of idolaters. In Ezekiel’s vision, one person is selected to put a mark on the foreheads of the faithful, and temple guards were to follow him through Jerusalem:

“…Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it…Follow him throughout the city and kill without showing pity or compassion…but do not touch anyone who has the mark…”

The Hebrew text indicates the mark to be the Hebrew letter tav, or “t.” Some commentators hold the position that it is reasonable to assume God would be consistent in these two instances of the mark on the forehead, with the letter tav being used to mark the 144,000 “…servants of our God…” Others hold that the word “Yahweh” (God) or “Yeshua” (Jesus) would be more appropriate because the text indicates the mark is a seal.

These Jewish evangelists are Messianic Jews. They may be from the growing population of messianic Jews who have regathered in the land of Israel.

This second group appearing in John’s vision of chapter 7 are those who are saved during the tribulation, dressed in white robes (vv. 9-14):

“⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ ¹¹All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’ ¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?’ ¹⁴ I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”

The phrase “…standing before the throne and before of the Lamb…” (v.9) is reference to the great multitude’s position as God’s servants and is like John’s earlier vision in chapters 4 and 5 of the throne.

One of the 24 elders speaks to John and tells him who these people are: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (v. 14). Many of them are Jewish Christians who are saved by the witness of the Jewish evangelists, as then traveled throughout the world preaching Christ. They are “…from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (v.9). This is either a literary device confirming they were saved and worshipping God and His Son, or they have been martyred and are actually in heaven with the multitude are all the angels and the cherubim.

John’s description of them in white robes may be a factor identifying them with the white-robed martyrs that appeared when the fifth seal was opened (see 6:11). The white robes are symbolic of salvation and purity (v.10) and are “…made white in the blood of the Lamb…” (v. 14), suggesting they may have died as martyrs.

The palm branches held by the multitude (v. 9) symbolized victory and were traditionally used in various Jewish festival celebrations. In John 12, palm branches are used to celebrate the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Here in v. 9, they celebrate the victory of Christ’s faithful servants. Palm branches and the inscription “the redemption of Zion” appear on Jewish coins minted between approximately 140 B.C. to 70 A.D.

The word rendered “creatures” in v. 11 is better translated “beings” and refers to the cherubim, who are always close to the throne of God. Ezekiel describes them in Ezekiel 1: 12-20, observing that the cherubim are in constant motion around God.

In his vision of the multitude in vv. 15-17, John tells us that God will protect and sustain them:

“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 shelter them with his presence. ¹⁶ Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷ For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

V. 15 and following give insight about the true people of God in their relation to the Christ. John identifies them as continually serving God with praise and worship. He also mentions the temple in v. 15, which raises the question whether or not he is envisioning the saints in some intermediate, temporary state, since we know from 21:22 that there is no temple in the  New Jerusalem.

In. v. 17, we find the Lamb shepherding His people, who no longer suffer as they did in the tribulation. The assurance that “…God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (v. 17) is echoed in 21:4: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Thus, John has laid out the glorious existence waiting for the saints in heaven after the difficulties of the tribulation period. It is important for us to know that the Bible teaches that our eternal existence with the Father and the Lamb is not just something promised to us, but it is already our possession. We are just waiting for the time when we actually experience what John describes.

We will be before the throne of God and serve Him day and night. We will never again suffer discomfort (vv. 16-17): “The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat…the Lamb…will be your shepherd…He will lead you to springs of living water…And God will wipe away every tear from your eyes.”

In the presence of God, we will experience no pain, no suffering, and no sorrow.