What happensPermalink
Judgment pauses as four angels hold back the winds until God’s servants are sealed. John hears 144,000—12,000 from each tribe of Israel—then sees an innumerable multitude from every nation, clothed in white and worshiping the Lamb. An elder explains that this crowd has come through the great tribulation; their robes are white because they were washed in the Lamb’s blood. Now they serve God forever, sheltered and satisfied under the Lamb’s care.
Why it mattersPermalink
Chapter 6 asked who could stand under the Lamb’s wrath; here is the answer: those sealed by God. His seal marks His people as His own, opposite the beast’s mark in chapter 13. As in chapter 5, John hears an Old Testament image—numbered tribes—then sees its New Testament fulfillment: a multinational multitude no one can count. God preserves His servants through every trial.
Key versePermalink
“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.”