Revelation 7:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "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 shelter them with his presence.

NIV: 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 shelter them with his presence.

NASB: For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

CSB: For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. The one seated on the throne will shelter them:

NLT: 'That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter.

KJV: Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

NKJV: 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.

In this verse, an unnamed elder continues his discussion of the white-robed multitude seen by John in heaven These were identified in verse 14 as those who had come out of the great tribulation. He speaks of the tribulation survivors' reward. They are positioned before God's throne and are privileged to serve Him continually.

Serving God is not a tiring or boring task for the tribulation survivors, and it should not be for us. We should serve Him with gladness (Psalm 100:2). The tribulation survivors serve God "day and night." This might suggest that the throne in this passage is in the millennial temple on earth, rather than in heaven, presuming that in heaven there is no day or night. It might also simply mean that they serve "constantly," and that God's light shines such that day and night are irrelevant in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25; 22:5).

God is said to "shelter them with his presence." He will spread His tabernacle over them as He did when the Hebrews journeyed through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. The tabernacle was the place God met with His people, and because it was portable, it went wherever the Hebrews went. Similarly, God's presence will be with the tribulation survivors at all times and wherever they go. Ezekiel prophesied about the millennial temple in Ezekiel 40—44.

Revelation 7:9–17describes an innumerable multitude standing before the throne and the Lamb. They ascribe glory to God and the Lamb, affirming that salvation belongs to God and the Lamb. This sets off a crescendo of praise from all the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures, all of whom prostrate themselves before the throne and worship God. John is not able to identify the multitude or indicate where they came from, but an elder identifies them as saved survivors of the great tribulation, Further, he explains they are now safe in God's presence, and will never again hunger or thirst or be scorched by the sun. The Lamb, the elder says, will be their shepherd, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 7 occurs after the opening of the sixth seal, and before the seventh. John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth and another angel ascending from the rising sun with the seal of God. He seals 144,000 saved Jews on their foreheads. These 144,000 sealed servants of God are instrumental in leading a great number of people from all parts of the world to faith in Jesus Christ. This multitude of believers have passed through the tribulation and will serve God perpetually in the millennial temple. Their troubles and tears will be behind them.

The last and largest section of Revelation began in chapter 4, where John is shown events yet to come (Revelation 1:19). Chapters 4 and 5 describe what John saw in heaven, including a scroll of God's judgments. Chapter 6 focused on the events that transpire when Jesus opens six of the seven seals on that scroll, one at a time. Now, in chapter 7, an interlude occurs between the opening of the sixth seal and the seventh seal. In the interlude an angel seals 144,000 saved Jews as God's servants. Chapter 8 will describe the seventh seal, and the beginning of the ''trumpet'' judgments.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''