The Sealing of the Servants of God
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, holding 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 earth and the sea: 3“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4And I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred forty-four thousand, from every tribe of the sons of Israel — 5from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed; from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand; 6from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand; 7from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand; 8from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand; and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9After this I looked, and there 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 dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11All the angels were standing around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 13Then one of the elders spoke to me and said, “These who are dressed in white robes — who are they, and where have they come from?” 14I said to him, “Sir, you 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. 15That is why they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16Never again will they hunger, and never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat, 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
