Revelation 7:1-8 meaning

In Revelation 7:1-8, God sets apart 144,000 saints to protect them. The Lamb (Jesus) was found worthy to break the seven seals and open the scroll in Revelation 5, beginning a string of events that will ultimately bring the end of the age and redemption to the earth. Then in Revelation 6, the first six seals of the scroll were opened and each time a seal was broken a major event took place. But there is a pause before the seventh seal is broken, because God has more to reveal first.

Now, John writes that he saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree (v. 1)

All these happenings are being viewed from inside of the throne room where God is on the throne. Every event that happens occurs because God has authorized it. So now, God reasserts His power by proving that He is in control of nature. He can control the wind and tell it not to blow, and it will obey (Matthew 8:27). The phrase four winds likely means all over the earth, as in the four directions of the earth. It seems there is a complete stillness all over the earth. This applies to the sea, and every tree.

This stillness appears to be a worldwide “calm before the storm.” These four angels will soon wreak havoc upon the earth.

Then, John sees another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God (v. 2).

The Lamb has just broken the six seals that were on the scroll, but now God creates a new set of seals, and this time it is the seal of the living God. This seal is being delivered by an angel ascending from the rising of the sun. The sun rises in the east, so perhaps this ascent from the east symbolizes that a new era is about to dawn. This new era will be ushered in through God’s judgment of evil and wickedness followed by God’s installment of His Kingdom upon the earth.

As the additional angel ascends with the seal of the living God, he spoke:

he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying “Do no harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads” (v. 2-3).

The seals of the scroll in Revelation 5 were not permitted to be opened by anyone other than the Lamb, who was found worthy. God’s seal protected the contents inside the scroll, and they were only revealed when God allowed. In this case, in Revelation 7, God’s bond-servants are going to be sealed, and this seal of the living God will protect them from harm.

In Revelation 9, locusts that are unleashed in judgment upon the earth are given a similar command as that given to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea:

“And they were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree,    but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads”
(Revelation 9:4).

So in both instances, a being who is given the authority to do harm, whether it be the angels or the locusts, is given a boundary, a limit for their actions. Neither are allowed to harm those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. In the first instance, it is made even more clear that it is the bond-servants who will have the seal of God, and that the angels are currently going to deliver the seal to all of the bondservants.

This is similar to the authority God granted to Satan when He authorized him to test Job. God had prevented Satan from doing any harm to Job (Job 1:10). But at the urging of Satan, God gave authority to Satan to do whatever he would to him so long as he did not harm his person (Job 1:12). Throughout Revelation we see clearly that no matter what is transpiring upon the earth, God is still in control; He sets limits within which choices are made.

Nothing happens that God does not authorize, and no actions go beyond the boundaries God allows. In this instance, the four angels are commanded to hold off their judgment upon the earth. The additional angel commands them in a loud voice, perhaps indicating a superior authority. Again, nothing happens before its time.

This seal of the living God appears to save God’s bond-servants from this particular plague that the four angels are about to unleash. However, it does not appear to protect all believers, as a particular number will be sealed. And it does not appear to protect from other types of death, as there are still martyrs (Revelation 6:9). However, there seems to be a protection and a marking that keeps this group of servants from being affected by this particular plague.

This is not the first time that God has used a special symbol to protect His people from danger. In Exodus, for the tenth plague upon Egypt, God commanded the Israelites to paint lamb’s blood on the doorframes of their houses:

            “The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the
              land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13).

It is important to note that the seal is to be set on the foreheads of the bond-servants. Aaron, as the first high-priest, was commanded to make a gold plate with the words “Holy to the Lord” engraved upon it and wear it on his forehead while he consecrated holy gifts so that they would be found acceptable to God (Exodus 28:36-38). Also, in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are told to tie God’s commandments “as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead” Deuteronomy 6:8).

Then, John sees the identity of the bond-servants who are being sealed:

            And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel (v. 4).

John lists the twelve tribes that were sealed, 12,000 people are chosen from each tribe: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (v 5-8). For each tribe a formula is followed, beginning with Judah:

from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed (v 5).

Judah was not the firstborn, Reuben was firstborn of Jacob (later named Israel). However, Judah was chosen as the line through whom the Messiah would come, the One who would reign (Genesis 49:8-10). Jesus was descended from the tribe of Judah, as was His ancestor King David (Matthew 1:1-3). This is likely why Judah is listed first.

The formula continues for each tribe:

from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,

Reuben was the firstborn and is listed next after Judah.

Then:

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, 
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed (vv 5-8).

Notably, this is not the same list of tribes that had the Promised Land divided amongst them. The tribe of Levi, as the priestly tribe, was not given its own parcel of land, but they were sealed here in Revelation. Joseph’s double portion of land was given to Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. But here the tribes of Manasseh and Joseph are sealed while Ephraim is left off. The tribe of Dan is omitted. We are not told why Dan and Ephraim are omitted.

In the case of Ephraim, the descendants of Ephraim would also be descendants of Joseph. So this possibly refers to the same people with a different label. Ephraim was the dominant northern tribe and the northern kingdom was particularly ungodly. Conversely, Joseph was a type of Christ. So perhaps citing Joseph instead of Ephraim symbolizes the redemption of Joseph’s descendants and foreshadows the redemption of Israel and the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom upon the earth.

Further, the tribe of Dan is left off altogether. We see a pattern in scripture that there are always twelve tribes, but the makeup of the twelve varies. For example, Manasseh is substituted for Levi in the dividing of the land. Similarly, with Jesus’s apostles, there were twelve, but one (Judas) was removed and replaced. In the case of tribes, the original sons made up the twelve tribes. Then in the dividing of the land, Levi was left off and Joseph’s two sons both got allotments, making up twelve tribes that received the inheritance of the land (Joshua 13:8 - 17:18).

Perhaps Dan is omitted because Jacob prophesied:

“Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned snake in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that his rider falls backward.”
(Genesis 49:17)

This could mean that Dan was a stumbling block to Israel and therefore did not receive an inheritance. Dan was the location of a golden calf that was worshipped (1 Kings 12:29). Dan also relocated to the north rather than taking the land allocated to them, adopting idolatry and ambushing and slaying a peaceful people along the way (Judges 18).

It could also be that Dan assimilated with pagan nations to the extent of no longer being a tribe of Israel. Dan is not mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4-7. 1 Chronicles is a retelling of the history of Israel through the lens of those from Judah who had been exiled to Babylon due to their unfaithfulness (1 Chronicles 9:1).

Therefore, this 1 Chronicles listing which omits Dan was written later in the nation’s history, after Judah’s exile to Babylon. The notion that Dan was no longer a functioning tribe would be supported by the fact that the text here says that there were twelve thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

Dan might be a picture of those who are chosen of God but do not receive the reward of the inheritance, choosing rather the ways and rewards of the world as their inheritance (1 Corinthians 3:14-15). Dan was a prominent tribe when Israel came out of Egypt, and here at the end of the ages is nowhere to be seen.

The order of the tribes listed in Revelation 7 is completely different from the order God commanded them to follow when marching out of Egypt, and in creating an encampment. That order was Judah, Issachar, Zebulun (who camped on the east side) followed by Reuben, Simeon and Gad (who camped on the south side) then the tent of meeting/tabernacle with the Levites, followed by Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin (who camped on the west side) completed with Dan, Asher, and Naphtali who camped on the north side (Numbers 2).

Each set of three tribes had a lead tribe, which were Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan. Interestingly, this list in Revelation 7 begins with the lead camps, the camp of Judah and Reuben, who camped on the east and south, while the lead tribes of the western and northern camps are omitted altogether (the camps of Ephraim and Dan).

We are not told the reason for this reordering. However we are told that twelve thousand were sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Rather than a camp centered around a tabernacle in which God’s presence dwelt, now God has individually sealed each person in this group from the nation of Israel. While this order differs from the original order given by God during the nation’s exodus out of Egypt, what is similar is that there are twelve tribes and they are numbered and ordered.

This would indicate that God still has a special place for His people and the nation of Israel here at the end of the ages. Jesus referred to this end time as a time of great tribulation (Matthew 24:21). Revelation 7:14 refers to this time as “the great tribulation.” We can presume that this group is selected for special service, since they are designated as bond-servants.

An interesting exercise is to attempt to take the underlying meaning of each tribe in the order given here in Revelation 7 and put it into a statement. The following paragraph is an attempt. The reader might try it for themselves:

A praised/chosen (Judah) troop (Gad) of 144,000 that is blessed (Asher) by being chosen will wrestle (Naphtali) with evil on the earth and cause to forget (Manasseh) the troubles of those who heard (Simeon) and are joined (Levi) to God. There is recompense (Issachar) upon the earth, but these sealed servants of 144,000 will be exalted (Zebulun) through God’s protective seal and the service they will be allowed to exercise. Jehovah has added (Joseph) these servants to work and serve along with the Son of the Right Hand (Benjamin), Jesus.

We are not told specifics about the special service these Jewish bond-servants of Jesus will perform. However, we might infer that they are called to be faithful witnesses for Jesus, since that is the primary message of Revelation: “be a faithful witness who does not fear rejection, loss, or death and you will get a great blessing.”

The next scene is of a great host of faithful believers who “come out of the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14). We can infer that this grouping of 144,000 bond-servants play a significant role in testifying to this “multitude” that comes out of the “great tribulation” as those who are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.

The Greek word translated bond-servants is “doulos.” “Doulos” is the same Greek word translated “bond-servants” in Revelation 1:1, which begins “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants (‘doulos’).” That would indicate that this “doulos” term applies to any believer in Jesus. This special calling applies to a 144,000 subset of God’s “doulos.”

The fact that this Revelation of Jesus is directed at bond-servants to read, hear, and keep the words so that they might overcome and receive a great blessing means that bond-servants still have a choice as to whether or not they live faithfully. We can infer that these 144,000 Jewish bond-servants are faithful followers set apart for special service, and therefore given special protection from the plagues being wrought upon the earth in God’s judgment.