Reflections on Revelation 7

Revelation 07 (Contemporary English Version)
1. After this I saw four angels. Each one was standing on one of the earth's four corners. The angels held back the four winds, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. These angels had also been given the power to harm the earth and the sea. Then I saw another angel come up from where the sun rises in the east, and he was ready to put the mark of the living God on people. He shouted to the four angels,
   
2. (SEE 7:1)
   
3. "Don't harm the earth or the sea or any tree! Wait until I have marked the foreheads of the servants of our God."
   
4. Then I heard how many people had been marked on the forehead. There were one hundred forty-four thousand, and they came from every tribe of Israel:
   
5. 12,000 from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad,
   
6. 12,000 from Asher, 12,000 from Naphtali, 12,000 from Manasseh,
   
7. 12,000 from Simeon, 12,000 from Levi, 12,000 from Issachar,
   
8. 12,000 from Zebulun, 12,000 from Joseph, and 12,000 from Benjamin.
   
9. After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands,
   
10. as they shouted, "Our God, who sits upon the throne, has the power to save his people, and so does the Lamb."
    
11. The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God
    
12. and said, "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!"
    
13. One of the elders asked me, "Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?"
    
14. "Sir," I answered, "you must know." Then he told me: "These are the ones who have gone through the great suffering. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and have made them white.
    
15. And so they stand before the throne of God and worship him in his temple day and night. The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
    
16. They will never hunger or thirst again, and they won't be troubled by the sun or any scorching heat.
    
17. The Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to streams of life-giving water, and God will wipe all tears from their eyes."

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Chapter 7 provides an answer to the question raised in 6:17, "the great day of Their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?" The question is prompted by the great suffering on earth that was set in motion by the opening of the first six seals of the scroll. Those able to stand are described in this chapter. We are told in 7:3 that further destruction on earth is held back until "the slaves of our God" are sealed on their foreheads. This seal symbolized protection from the further destruction that was to come and marked them with God's ownership. It is an action similar to the protection of Noah and his family from the flood, the Israelites from the plagues of Egypt, and Rahab and her household from the destruction of Jericho.

The seal was given 144,000 from among the 12 tribes of Israel. There is a lot of speculation about who this number might represent other than its literal meaning. I choose to take it literally, however. As stated in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, "The fact that specific tribes were mentioned and specific numbers from each tribe were indicated would seem to remove this from the symbolic and to justify literal interpretation."

Following the sealing of the 144,000 appears another group described as a "vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands." (7:9)  This group was mentioned earlier in 6:9, though on this occasion they are wearing white robes and holding palm branches which would seem to signify spiritual triumph based on their salvation which they ascribed to God and the Lamb. This group is joined by the 24 elders, the four living creatures, and all the angels. One of the elders asks who these people are and then answers the question, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (7:14)  Though this group did not survive the destruction physically that was brought on by the opening of the seals, they survived spiritually.

My understanding of the heavenly scene described here is that there are three groups present from earth:  1- The 144,000 Israelites who have been sealed for salvation, 2- The church, represented by the 24 elders, that has been raptured prior to this period of tribulation, and 3- the great multitude from every nation who were matryred during the tribulation and are now safe in heaven. Because of their matrydom, this last group now has the privilege of being before God's throne and being shepherded, or cared for, by the Lamb. No longer will there be tears.