Disciples Global Network

One of the twenty-four “elders” interprets the vision of the innumerable saints that stand before the Lamb and the throne  - Revelation 7:13-17.  We have reached the point where the two questions have been answered - How long must the martyrs wait for vindication, and “ who is able to stand ” before the “ wrath of the Lamb ” and he “ who sits on the throne .” Having been sealed, numbered, and assembled, John now sees all the saints “ standing ” before Jesus and his Father in victorious worship.

John next sees an innumerable multitude of men from every nation standing before the Lamb and the Throne  – Revelation 7:9-12.  The saints are “ sealed ” before the unleashing of the “ four winds of the earth ,” then they are assembled for the sojourn to the Promised Land and John “ hears ” their “ number ,” 144,000 “ males ” from the “ twelve tribes of Israel .” Next, he “ sees ” the assembly of the saints as it arrives at its destination, a multitude so vast that “ no man could number them .”

The 144,000 males from the tribes of Israel are numbered and assembled for the journey to the city of New Jerusalem  – Revelation 7:4-8.  The “ servants of God ” have been “ sealed ” against the onslaught of the “ four winds of the earth ,” but now they must be “ numbered ” to ensure that no member of the covenant community is lost in the coming “ tribulation .” The full complement of “ witnesses ” must be assembled to witness the “ day of the wrath of the Lamb. ”

The saints must be “sealed” before the onslaught of the “four winds of the earth”  –  Revelation 7:1-3 .  Before the first four seals and their “ riders ” are unleashed, the “ servants of God ” must be prepared to persevere through the coming trials represented by the first six seal openings. And their “ sealing ” will enable them to “ stand ” before the “ Lamb ” and the “ throne ” on the coming “ day of the wrath of the Lamb ” when the “ sixth seal ” is opened.

The fourth seal releases “Death,” and “Hades” follows gathering the dead in its wake  –  Revelation 6:7-8 .  The “victims” harmed by the first three seal openings have not been identified, although details from the tasks assigned to each “ rider ” provide clues. Nothing has been said about the enemies of the “ Lamb ,” or about judgments against the “ inhabitants of the earth .” Moreover, the actions of the “ four riders ” are never labeled “plagues,” “wrath,” or “judgments.”