After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Commentary
In Exodus 23.14-17, which is Israel's oldest lawcode, it is written that all males should appear before the LORD three times a year. There were three pilgrimage feasts: unleavened bread, harvest and ingathering. Over the centuries, these developed into Passover, Weeks and the group of autumn festivals: New Year, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles….The vision of 7.4-8 may have been inspired by one of these pilgrimage festivals. There had not been twelve tribes as such since the Assyrian deportations from the northern kingdom in the eighth century BCE, but the return of the twelve tribes and the restoration of the great assemblies became part of the national hope….The ingathering of the tribes had become part of the hope for the great Day of Atonement and the last Jubilee. That day' was the Day of the LORD.
The seer of 7.9-17 sees the expected assembly of the last days, every nation, tribe, people and tongue. The multitude in white robes, we learn from the new interpretation of the vision, are those who 'are coming’ (note that this is the present tense) out of the Great Tribulation; they are the Christians in Rome, enduring persecution under Nero after the great fire of Rome in July 64 CE….The blood of the Lamb has made their robes white; in other words, they have been given the white garments of the priests in the sanctuary, the garments of glory, the resurrection body. The blood sprinkled on the Day of Atonement cleansed and consecrated (Lev. 16.19) and so the blood made their robes into garments of priesthood, garments of glory. By their death the martyrs have also made the high priestly sacrifice and are part of the Great Atonement.
Musical Selection
Hi qui amici sunti stolis albi, qui sunt, et unde venerunt? Hi sunt, qui venerunt de tribulatione magna et laverunt stolas suas, et dealbaverunt eas in sanguine Agni.Ideo sunt ante thronum Dei, et serviunt ei die ac note. Beati qui lavant stolas suas in sanguine Agni.
These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from? These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night. Blessed are they who was their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
Collect
Merciful God, you sent your only Son into the world to free the human race from its ancient bondage; as we watch for his coming, lavish your heavenly goodness upon us, that we may gain the prize of true deliverance. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
