THE REVELATION TO JOHN 7

The Sealing of the 144,000

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel [a]ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God. He cried out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the earth and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

5 From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben twelve [b]thousand,

from the tribe of Gad twelve [c]thousand,

6 from the tribe of Asher twelve [d]thousand,

from the tribe of Naphtali twelve [e]thousand,

from the tribe of Manasseh twelve [f]thousand,

7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve [g]thousand,

from the tribe of Levi twelve [h]thousand,

from the tribe of Issachar twelve [i]thousand,

8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve [j]thousand,

from the tribe of Joseph twelve [k]thousand,

and from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

Praise from the Great Multitude

9 After this I looked, and behold, there was a great multitude, which no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, [l]with palm branches in their hands. 10 They were crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to [m]our God, who sits on the [n]throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,

“Amen! Blessing, glory, and wisdom,

thanksgiving and honor,

power and strength

be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 In response one of the elders said to me, “Who are these people clothed in white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, yoʋ know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and they serve him day and night in his temple,

and he who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.

16 They will hunger and thirst no more;

the sun will certainly not beat down upon them,

nor will any scorching heat,

17 for the Lamb in the midst of the throne ‡shepherds them;

he §leads them to [q]springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

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