The 144,000 of Israel Sealed
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back Jer. 49:36;Dan. 7:2the four winds of the earth, [ver. 3]that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending ch. 16:12from the rising of the sun, with ch. 9:4the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, ch. 6:6;9:4"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God ch. 14:1;22:4;Ezek. 9:4;[ch. 13:16;Ezek. 3:8,9]on their foreheads." 4 And ch. 9:16I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
A Great Multitude from Every Nation
9 After this I looked, and behold, [Rom. 11:25] a great multitude that no one could number, ch. 5:9from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ver. 14;See ch. 3:4clothed in white robes, with [Lev. 23:40;John 12:13]palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, ch. 12:10;19:1;See Ps. 3:8"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and ch. 4:6the four living creatures, and they See ch. 4:10fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 ch. 5:14;19:4;[1 Chr. 29:10,11]saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, [See ver. 9above]clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of See Matt. 24:21the great tribulation. ch. 22:14;[Isa. 1:18;Zech. 3:3-5] They have washed their robes and [Dan. 12:10;1 John 1:7] made them white ch. 1:5in the blood of the Lamb.
15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and ch. 22:3serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne ch. 21:3;[Isa. 4:5,6]will shelter them with his presence.
16 Isa. 49:10They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
Ps. 121:6the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne Ps. 23:1,2;[Matt. 2:6]; See John 10:11will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of ch. 22:1;[Ps. 36:8,9;John 4:14] living water,
and ch. 21:4;Isa. 25:8God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."