1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Jesus “will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:31) They are now standing at the four corners of the earth and are holding the four winds that they should not blow on the earth, on the sea or on any tree. But this earth, along with its inhabitants, will be destroyed at His command.
“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God…” (2a) “This other angel is Christ, called the Angel of God. {Exodus 14:19; Exodus 14:24} And the Angel of the Covenant. {Malachi 3:1} He is said to ascend from the east, because He is the Day-Spring from on high, who will give light to them that sit in darkness. {Luke 1:78-79} And He is also called the Sun of Righteousness, {Malachi 4:2} who will rise unto and shine on the latter-day saints. {Isaiah 60:1-3}” (Hanserd Knollys)— “And He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, (2b)— Jesus “gives a command to those four angels, whom God had made the ministers or executioners of his wrath and justice in the world.” (Matthew Poole)
“‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ (3) "God‘s love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way of judgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Gen. 19:22)." (Jamieson Faucett, Brown) These were off limits, as was the home as were the homes with blood on the lintels during the Exodus. (Exod. 12:13) and as was the home of Rahab the harlot because she received the spies of Israel in peace. Do not touch the apple of God’s eye- spiritual Israel. "The Angel of the seals bids the angels of the winds to hush every breeze while He stamps the servants of God, Revelation 7:1-3.” (Whedon's Commentary)
Rehab the harlot— Joshua 2:17-19; 6:17, 22-23— “A slim scarlet cord dangling in a window might not trigger thoughts of deliverance. That is unless you were Rahab, a Gentile woman living in a home built into the wall of the ancient city of Jericho over three thousand years ago. Rahab’s scarlet cord was given as a sign to the approaching Hebrew armies to spare her family because she did not put her faith in walls, but in the God of Israel. When she encountered two Hebrew spies who had come to scout the city, she chose to be in the winning side. …The scarlet cord represented redemption for a handful of Gentiles. Threaded throughout the Old Testament is a 'scarlet cord' of Scripture, foretelling redemption through Jesus, the Jewish Messiah…. Rahab’s scarlet cord is a foretaste of how redemption will come to faithful Gentile. Rahab’s faith was rewarded with the astounding honor of being placed in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5); she is honored yet again by being mentioned in the Hebrew 11 'hall of fame'." [Jews for Jesus, Carter Corbrey]
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: 5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; 6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; 7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; 8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
The 144,000 people represent those converted during the Great Tribulation but still may be ”a definite is here put for an indefinite, but very large number, who had embraced the gospel and were made partakers of divine grace, and thus were sealed by the Holy Spirit to the day of redemption... None are secure from coming wrath, except those who are born of God, who manifest the fruits of His Spirit, and are thus distinguished as belonging to Him.” (Justin Edwards)
It seems that these are from the Jews, each of the twelve tribes of Israel, but perhaps not. "As Douglas Ezell observes 'Judah is never listed first in any of the Old Testament tribal listings (Gen. 49 Ezek. 48).This displacement is easily explained when it is remembered that the Lamb, the Messiah, came from the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5-6). He is the head of this expanded circle of the people of God.' Also, Dan and Ephraim are omitted, and the tribes of Joseph and Levi are included, even though the Old Testament does not mention a tribe of Joseph. In reality, Joseph, as the favorite son of Jacob, received a double portion in such a way that his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim became the heads of the tribes.... The tribes of Dan and Ephraim in the Old Testament are described as apostate. In his deathbed speech to his sons, Jacob spoke of Dan [judges] as 'a serpent in the way, a viper in the path, that bites the horses heels, so that his rider falls backwards' (Gen. 49:17)..." (Revelation of Jesus Christ by Ranko Stefanovic) Indeed the judges of Israel are unable to discern their time of visitation.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
As stated, the 144,000 was a subset of this larger group of the redeemed on all ages, coming out of the great tribulation. (7:14) “In these verses a prospect is given him of the church triumphant in heaven; a most magnificent description of which we have here before us." (William Burkitt). “Here we have the same kind of persons referred to in other numerical terms. They also are said to be from all nations. etc, which would prevent us from restricting the 'twelve tribes' to the Jews." (Zerr’s NT Commentary) In all ages, "there were some that sought righteousness." (Trapp)- "standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes," representing Jesus' righteousness, as well as signifying their "innocency, sincerity, and purity, {Revelation 19:8; Revelation 19:14}" (Knolly) which has resulted from a relationship with Him by faith.
And they have palm branches in their hands. These were used during the Feast of Tabernacles, observed in the fall, from the 15th to the 22nd of Tishri, according to the Scriptures. "During this time many Jewish families construct a sukkah (סֻכָּה) [of palm branches], a small hastily built hut in which meals are eaten throughout the festival. The sukkah is used to remember the [plural: sukkot] Israel lived in during their 40 year sojourn in the desert after the exodus from Egypt." (hebrew4christians.com) It reminds the glorified church of its wilderness stay in light of the fact that they are now home in glory. Consider, "their joy and rejoicing. {Leviticus 23:40} And ye shall take branches of Palm-trees, and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. {John 12:13} The people took branches of palm-trees, and cried, 'Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel, that cometh in the name of Yahweh.' (Psalm 118:26)" (Knollys' Revelation Commentary)
And they cry with a great voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.’" (10) “who hath saved us from all evil into all the happiness of heaven." (John Wesley) "This basically means 'our deliverance is due to our enthroned God to Whom we give praise'. The idea is taken from the words of Psalms 3:8, ‘Salvation belongs to Yahweh’. He alone is the Deliverer, the Saviour." (Peter Pett)— Not Mary nor "this or that Popish saint or mediator; of all whom these triumphers might say, as that heathen once, 'Contemno minutos istos deos, modo Iovem (Iesum) propitium habeam'- I care not for all those small gods, so I may have Jesus on my side." (Trapp)
11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
"The praise of God, celebrated first by the holy men, in verse 10 , then [joined] by the heavenly angels, in the two verses following (Revelation 7:11-12)." (Geneva Study Bible) They all worshipped, "thus paying an homage to God fitted to their glorified state, in consideration of His excellency." (Matthew Poole) This sevenfold praise "is parallel to that in the earlier chapter (Revelation 5:12) except that ‘riches’ have been replaced by ‘thanksgiving’.... to the One Who has bestowed these riches on him now that the inheritance is realised." (Peter Pett) "All things in heaven and upon earth shall at last join in the hymn of universal praise to God in Christ…” (Burton Coffman)
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “You know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.