Read Revelation 7:1–8
Today’s passage is a great example of and test case for some of the tools we have mentioned for reading and
understanding the book of Revelation. Here, we need to remember that Revelation is a highly symbolic book, as we see in its imagery and use of numbers—and the fact that John does not always write chronologically. Though this might seem like a daunting and intimidating task, John did not mean for it to be confusing to his readers, either back then or today. He wrote in such a way that he could be clearly understood, and that is the lens through which we will look at this passage.
Consider the immediate context of this passage. How did Chapter 6 end? The people asked, “who is able to stand [the wrath of the Lamb]?” John’s “After this” in verse 1 does not necessarily mean Chapter 6 happened and then Chapter 7 happened. If Chapter 7 answers the question “who can stand?” then it is a flashback with a
new perspective. While the chaos of God’s judgment unravels the world, God is still faithful to His people. So, who can stand the wrath of the Lamb? Those who have been sealed by God.
Tomorrow, we will consider who the 144,000 are and why John presents them the way he does, but today,
let’s reflect on John’s primary purpose in this passage: to emphasize that God will protect his people. Does
that mean we will not experience suffering if we are true Christians? To quote the apostle Paul, “Absolutely
not!” (Romans 6:2). Jesus promised His disciples that they would be rejected, mistreated, and poor. Yet those
experiences are not the judgment and wrath of God. Jesus promises us that we will be conformed to His image and made more like Him through the suffering we face. The suffering He promises to protect us from is the pouring out of His wrath and the execution of judgment upon those who have rejected God and the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ.
