Chapter Seven

Sealing of the chosen: the appearance of an Angel with the seal of the living God, which was placed upon 144,000 sons of Israel (1–8 verses). Vision of those glorified before the throne, who in countless multitude stood before the throne in white garments and with palm branches, and together with other heavenly inhabitants glorified God and His Lamb (9–15); explanation of the source of their blessedness (16–17).

Revelation 7:1. And after this I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that the wind would not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. The first vision of the second series speaks of the separation of the righteous from among the wicked during the universal calamities of the approaching end of the world. – First, before the prophetic vision of John is revealed the picture of the quiet historical development of the Christian world under the image of four Angels restraining the winds from their destructive actions. These are in any case good Angels, not evil ones as Andrew of Caesarea supposed, and their image indicates that Christianity represents in history an incomparably greater guarantee of peace and tranquility than pagan religions.

Revelation 7:2. And I saw another Angel ascending from the rising of the sun and having the seal of the living God. And he cried out with a loud voice to the four Angels, who were given to harm the earth and the sea, saying: With time, however, this peace will cease. – A new Angel appears, who in his hand has the seal of the living God. This seal was brought by the Angel for the chosen servants of God and should first of all be the distinction and privilege of the chosen servants of God, an indication of their closeness to the Lord God and of God’s protection. Therefore, it must be said that this seal is the reflection upon the best and most chosen members of the Christian Church of that Divine grace, which, transforming their soul, will also transform their outward appearance – the forehead (Gen 4:15). But it is difficult to say whether this state will be marked with any external sign.

Revelation 7:3. do not do harm to the earth, nor to the sea, nor to the trees, until we seal the foreheads of the servants of our God. In the words of the Angel is contained a command, which must be understood as a divine command transmitted through the hierarchy by some Angels to others. The depiction here of good Angels as directors of the harmful actions of the elements is entirely in accord with Holy Scripture (Ps 103:4). In this case, the good Angels must restrain the harmful actions of the winds until the Angel who has appeared, together with his fellow servants, places the seal on the servants of God.

Revelation 7:4. And I heard the number of those sealed: one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed were from all the tribes of the sons of Israel. Revelation 7:5. From the tribe of Judah sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Reuben sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Gad sealed twelve thousand; Revelation 7:6. from the tribe of Asher sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Naphtali sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Manasseh sealed twelve thousand; Revelation 7:7. from the tribe of Simeon sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Levi sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Issachar sealed twelve thousand; Revelation 7:8. from the tribe of Zebulun sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Joseph sealed twelve thousand; from the tribe of Benjamin sealed twelve thousand. Those sealed from all the tribes of Israel turned out to be 144 thousand. The number 144 thousand is, in the unanimous opinion of interpreters, clearly symbolic and should mean the complete number of the chosen (12 × 12 × 1000). They are called Israelites and moreover with direct reference to the 12 tribes of the people of Israel. But neither this nor the other circumstance compels us necessarily to conclude that here are meant Israelites by fleshly descent. And Christians, who comprise the New Testament church, which is the continuation and replacement of the Old Testament church, can be called true Israelites, even if not by flesh, then by spirit 39. Such understanding fully corresponds with the Apocalypse (Rev 2:9). The sealing cannot here be understood as the conversion of Jews to Christianity in a mass way in the final time (Rom 11:25-26). This sealing cannot be equated with the acceptance of Christianity, for the seal is placed upon those who are already servants of God (Rev 7:3). It is best to understand by the sealed the perfect believers of the final time, who will attain the highest perfection and spirituality after the general conversion to Christianity of the Israelites – then, when both Israel by flesh and Israel by spirit will form one flock of Christ. Those sealed by the Angel are the most perfect of the Christians of the final time, the chosen people of God – that very one of whom the Savior spoke in His eschatological discourse (Matt 24:22).

Revelation 7:9. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude of people, which no one could count, from all tribes and nations and peoples and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb in white garments and with palm branches in their hands. This new vision speaks of how those Christians are rewarded in heaven who complete their earthly labors amid the sorrows of the world and especially amid the terrors of the final time. John sees a great multitude of people, that is, the souls of people, who were clothed in human forms (cf. Rev 6:9). – The uncountability here is not absolute, distinguished from the 144 thousand sealed, but relative uncountability. The composition of the numerous crowd indicates its universal human character; and, undoubtedly, it, like the souls Rev 6:9, is in heaven before the throne of God, not on earth, as those sealed 144 thousand. Thus, it is evident that here are meant all the dead Christians who have attained perfection and pleased God through various feats of faith and piety. Consequently, to the question whether perfect Christians who have died before the time of universal judgment and retribution have comfort, this vision answers that the souls of perfect Christians after their death move to heaven and stand before the Throne and before the Lamb as a sign of their closeness to the Lord as the source of blessedness. To this point to the white garments and the palm branches, as branches of festive joy.

Revelation 7:10. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying: salvation to our God, Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! The words of the cry of the entire multitude, in accord with the indicated significance of the palm branches and in correspondence with the content of the praise of verse 12, is the expression of a feeling of rapture before God and the Lamb, who save the world through various kinds of providence. The great multitude of saved Christians was not alone before the throne in the glorification of the Lord. Here John observes the Angels, and elders, and the four living creatures. All of them in response to the glorification of the holy saved, confirming it by the word Amen, worshipped before the One Sitting on the throne and the Lamb and on their part raised to them praise (Rev 5:12) for their seven virtues and perfections 40.

Revelation 7:11. And all the Angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell before the throne on their faces, and bowed down to God, Revelation 7:12. saying: amen! blessing and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 7:13. And, beginning to speak, one of the elders asked me: these clothed in white garments, who are they, and where did they come from? Revelation 7:14. I said to him: you know, lord. And he said to me: these are those who came from the great tribulation; they washed their garments and made their garments white in the Blood of the Lamb. The use of the address: “sir” does not mean John’s worship before the elder, but is an expression of ordinary respectfulness of the questioner to the respondent – humble John to the elder glorified by God 41. Those coming from the great tribulation are those who endured the tribulation, not escaped from it. And the expression “great tribulation” speaks (Matt 24:21-29) of the fact that these saved ones are all Christians in general, who both before and in the future (and especially under the antichrist) will endure suffering and sorrows. To understand by the washing of garments most naturally the removal, by God’s mercy, of all sinful defilement from the soul of the righteous, and by the whitening – the attainment of purity and virtuous perfection. They, the saved, stand before the throne of God and serve Him day and night, enjoying His direct protection. Such a state of perfect Christians after their death, inasmuch as it is called service, is not complete blessedness, but only its beginning. The source and cause of their blessedness will be their direct closeness to the Lamb – a closeness compared to the closeness of a caring shepherd to his sheep. And there will be no tears in their eyes, for they will have no sorrow, no grief. * * * Hengstenberg, Suller, Kliefoth and others. Ebrard, Suller. Kliefoth, Ebrard.