Before Seal Plagues: 144,000 Sealed & Immense Multitude Come Out of Great Tribulation
Re 7:1, Re 7:2
Re 7:1, Re 6:1, Re 6:3, Re 6:5, Re 6:7 — The 4 beasts (subject) calling up the 4 horsemen (object) is the only time we see the pattern of Revelation 7:1's 4 messengers (subject) and 4 winds (objects). Likely, the 4 messengers of 7:1 are the four beasts, and the four winds connected to the four horsemen. In no other place do we see these numbers match up like 6:1-8 and 7:1.
Angel Ascends From The East
“The rising” (Greek ἀνατολή) is the ordinary term for “east,” derived from the direction of the sun’s rising. Thus “from the rising of the sun” (ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου) is a more explicit expression meaning “from the east,” preserving a vivid and literal manner of speech.
They are told not to hear "the earth and the sea". It does not include the heavens. This points to affects on the lower earth.
Re 7:1, Re 7:2 — These four messengers in 7:2 may initially feel similar to the first four of the seven trumpet messengers in Revelation 8. In 8:6-12, using wind instruments, the first four angels hurt the earth's grass and trees, the sea, the fresh waters, and the heavens. However, the four messengers in 7:2 are not four out of seven messengers (a subset); they are the foremost four out of four messengers, according to the text. Thus, these two groups, the seven messengers of 8:6-12 and the four of 7:2, should not be conflated without first exploring other, more fitting examples like the four beasts that summon the 4 horsemen.
Re 7:2, Re 14:1 — The name of the Father and the Son on the forehead of the 144,000 exclusively from the twelve tribes of Israel (Dan replaced by Manasseh).
"We" seems to indicate a leader angel among equals.
The 144,000: Dan Missing
Important Note: Juda is listed first. The tribe of Dan is missing, like Judas in John 17.
Immense Multitude Come Out of Great Tribulation
Important Note: This mirrors Revelation 19:1-5. A great multitude of people saying, "Salvation, glory, honor, power, unto our God." As we read Revelation 7:9-12, it is very possible that the angels in 7:11 are the same group described in Revelation 5:11. It is also important to understand that Revelation 7:9-17 is not telescoping into the far future; rather, it affirms that the two groups—the 144,000 and the great multitude—are being shown together at the same time. In biblical studies, telescoping refers to the compression of events that occur at different times into a single scene, making them appear simultaneous even though they unfold separately in history. Again, telescoping is highly unlikely in Revelation 7.
These are not the angels in Revelation 5:11 as they have a number and this multitude has no number. The text is making the distinction clear.
Psalm 92:12, John 12:13 — Palms — The symbol of victory and salvation. Note these do not have harps; this does not mean they never could. Song singers in Revelation hold harps exclusively. It seems the object of salvation is this great multitude with palms. In all instances of the salvation proclamation, only these have palms. Which seems like a signal to the object of all of those salvation proclamations. Thus each of the salvation proclamations in 12 and 19 could point us back to this group.
Re 7:9, Re 5:9 — In both 5:9 and 7:9, all nations are mentioned before the 7 praises (x) come from the messengers around the throne. Note that this "immense multitude" is not countable and therefore not the 144,000.
Re 7:10, Re 12:10, Re 19:1 — The proclamation of “salvation” (σωτηρία, sōtēria) forms a distinct thematic link across Revelation 7:10, 12:10, and 19:1—the only occurrences of this term in the book. In each case, it is declared in a heavenly context: the immense multitude before the throne (7:10), the heavenly voice following the accuser’s casting down (12:10), and the great multitude in heaven (19:1). This shared language and setting suggest a deliberate literary and theological unity, and may indicate that these passages present the same heavenly reality from complementary perspectives, though the text does not explicitly require them to be the same chronological moment.
Re 5:5, Re 7:13 — This clearly distinguishes the 24 elders from the saints. The 24 elders do not represent the saints in Revelation 5. Though they might be saints.
ESV says "coming out" instead of "came out". The ESV is better here than the KJV. The Greek identifies the multitude as οἱ ἐρχόμενοι ("the ones coming out") using a present participle, not a completed aorist. The ESV preserves this ("coming out"), while the KJV smooths it to "came out," likely because the group is already seen in heaven. The Greek, however, intentionally holds both together: the multitude is already present in heaven and yet defined by their act of emergence. This overlap signals a transitional moment, not a prolonged process. Read in context with the immediate counting of the 144,000 (Rev 7:1-8), the grammar points to a single coordinated event, with the sealing/counting on earth and the appearance of the great multitude in heaven occurring at the same time. This same "coming out" motif reappears in Rev 18:4 ("Come out of her, my people"), reinforcing the idea of a divinely commanded, quick exit rather than a drawn-out migration. Also, note how these are not described as "souls" or coming from under the altar; they are not dead but living. Revelation is very particular about who is a soul, dead, or living.
Re 7:14, Re 22:14
Re 7:14, Re 18:4 — ερχομαι - to come. Used in many places and not distinct for 7:14 and 18:4, but a connection in the language nonetheless. And we do see that group, which is commanded to come out in heaven directly after the fall of Mystery Babylon, which strengthens this connection.
Re 7:14, Re 12:11 — The only time we see the exact phrase "the blood of the Lamb" is in 7:14 and 12:11, it links the established identity of saints with salvation, specifically to the moments we would expect a resurrection or a catching up of living believers.
This is not the same moment as 21:22. In the New Jerusalem there is no temple (Revelation 21:22), yet in Revelation 7:15 the redeemed are described as serving God "in his temple." That distinction matters. Revelation 7 is therefore not describing the eternal state after the thousand years, but a scene in heaven prior to the final descent of the New Jerusalem. The presence of a temple in 7:15 indicates a heavenly setting before the consummation of Revelation 21-22. For that reason, and many others, we should not telescope these passages into one identical event. Instead, the text itself encourages us to see the sealing of the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1-8) and the great multitude before the throne (7:9-17) as occurring within the same redemptive moment — two perspectives on a coordinated heavenly and earthly scene — rather than forcing them into a later, post-millennial framework where no temple exists.
Note that "shall hunger no more" is a future proposition not a present one for this group.
ESV again is more accurate: "will be their shepherd" vs. "shall feed them"; in Greek, ποιμανει means "to shepherd, take care of sheep" instead of "shall feed them" in the KJV.
Re 7:17, Re 21:4
Parenthetical Scene 1: This happens before a new song is sung in Revelation 14. This is made known because Revelation 14 provides the timeline for many events, and a new song is sung after the seal of the Father is seen on the 144,000 in Revelation 14:1; here in chapter 7, the seal of the Father is not yet given. Also, note that the 6th seal has already affected the earth through an earthquake, so we know this must be before that earthquake at the very least.
Bookends: In this parenthetical scene, the bookends are the 12 tribes about to enter tribulation under protection, and the other is the church that comes out of great tribulation. Two groups are being protected by a seal or escape. Further, the first group is countable (144,000 exactly), and the other is an "immense multitude" that is not countable.