Revelation 7:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

NIV: All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

NASB: And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

CSB: All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,

NLT: And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.

KJV: And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

NKJV: 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,

This verse paints a picture of universal worship in heaven. In response to the multitude's declaration that salvation belongs to our sovereign God and the Lamb, all the angels around God's throne and around the elders and the four living creatures (Revelation 4:3–6; 5:9–10) prostrate themselves before God's throne and worship Him. An acknowledgement that God and the Lamb provide salvation to all who believe prompted this group in heaven to worship God.

Worship is the correct response to God's sovereignty and saving grace. When God led the wise men to the place where Jesus was, they fell down and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:11). When Jesus healed a blind man, the man believed on Jesus and worshiped Him (John 9:38). Psalm 95:6 says: "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!" Psalm 99:5 commands: "Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!"

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.''