Israel · The sealed of Israel

Revelation 7:1-8

John · ~95 AD · Status: Future · Confidence: 60%
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.”
King James Version · the opening — all 8 verses are below
More of Revelation 7 on this siteRevelation 7:9-17

Between the sixth and seventh seals, the sealing of the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel — held back from the four winds of judgment until the servants of God are marked.

Study this passage in depth The 144,000 →
Read the whole passage — all 8 verses (KJV)

7:1And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

7:2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

7:3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

7:4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

7:5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

7:6Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7:7Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

7:8Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

Fulfillment References

Revelation 14:1-5 Ezekiel 9:4-6 Revelation 5:9 Romans 11:25-26

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe redeemed of every nation stand before the throne of the Lamb — the one God gathering a people to Himself through Jesus.
JewishThe sealing of the tribes echoes Ezekiel 9's mark on the faithful; the tribal listing draws on Israel's covenant identity.
CatholicThe 144,000 and the countless multitude as the whole redeemed people — Israel and the nations — before God.
ProtestantViews differ: the 144,000 as literal end-time Israel or as a symbol of the complete church; the multitude as the redeemed of all nations.
OrthodoxThe sealed and the white-robed multitude as the glorified Church around the throne.
DispensationalThe 144,000 as literal Jewish evangelists sealed in the Tribulation; the multitude as Tribulation martyrs.
AcademicScholars debate the symbolic vs. literal sense and the irregular tribal list (Judah first, Dan omitted, Manasseh included).

Scholarship & Sources

The tribal list (7:5-8) is irregular: Dan is omitted, and Manasseh is listed alongside Joseph — much discussed by commentators. 12x12x1000 is widely read as a symbol of completeness. Compare the 144,000 here with 14:1-5. Key voices: Beale, Richard Bauckham ('The Theology of the Book of Revelation'), Koester.

Open the full interactive entry →
Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.