Revelation 7:9-17
- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible - KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit: Heaven.
- Chapter LVIII, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Tertullian (c. 211)
- Chapter XII, Scorpiace, Tertullian (c. 213)
- From the
Geneva Notes.
- "The explanation of the vision, in which the angel tells first the acts of the saints, that is, their sufferings and work of faith in Christ Jesus, in this verse. Secondly their glory: both present, which consists in two things, that they minister to God, and that God protects them Re 7:15 and to come, in their perfect deliverance from all annoyances Re 7:16 and in participation of all good things which the memory of past hurts shall never be able to diminish Re 7:17."
- From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
- "Faithful Christians deserve our notice and respect; we should mark the upright."
- From
Wesley's
Notes.
- "Let not any slothful one say, 'If I get to heaven at all, I will be content:' such an one may let heaven go altogether. In worldly things, men are ambitious to get as high as they can. Christians have a far more noble ambition."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "Twelve is the number of the tribes, and appropriate to the Church: three by four: three, the divine number, multiplied by four, the number for world-wide extension. Twelve by twelve implies fixity and completeness, which is taken a thousandfold in 144,000. A thousand implies the world perfectly pervaded by the divine; for it is ten, the world number, raised to the power of three, the number of God."
- From
The
People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "These numbers are not to be taken literally, but only signify that a great number, not a countless number, but a part of each tribe of Israel, accepted the gospel."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Commentary,
Revelation 7:9-17 (All Saints A), Micah D. Kiel,
Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- "The first challenge has to do with inclusivity/exclusivity. The second has to do with the social setting of the Apocalypse and how that translates to today."
-
Commentary,
Revelation 7:9-17 (Easter 4C), Walter F. Taylor, Jr.,
Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
- "When Revelation 7:9-17 is read as an isolated unit, much of its meaning is lost."
-
Commentary, Revelation 7:13-17, Lewis Brogdon, Jr., PhD., The
African American Lectionary, 2009.
- "A central part of the mystery and genius of black spirituality is the ability to use celebration in a way that imparts strength for the journey ahead."
-
"First
Thoughts on Epistle Passages in the Lectionary,"
Easter 4, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in
Australia.
- "So much of the imagery is strange if not, perhaps, even estranging. Yet it is a way of asserting hope for people who faced hopelessness. It is a way of making God central and keeping the vulnerability of God in our vision."
- "The Song of Victory," God's Song of Revelation: From Easter to Pentecost in the Apocalypse, Wendell W. Frerichs , Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1986.
- "'The Lamb Who Was Slain Has Begun His Reign. Amen!' Texts from the Revelation to John for the Sundays of Easter," James H. Burtness, Word & World, 1992.
- "The Lamb Is the Shepherd," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
-
Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion,
Revelation 7:9-17, Wesley White. "A place of
conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
- "If this apocalyptic literature is to mobilize us into action in this world, it is important to return to a question of who now is later going to celebrate. May it be the one's we love. And so we expand our love base."
-
"The
Great Escape,"
Expository Essay,
Revelation 7:9-17, Dr. William R. Long.
Part 2.
- "Let this be a day when the imagery of Revelation helps your spirit to soar."
- "The Redeemed
of the Tribulation (Revelation 7:1-17)," by J. Hampton Keathley III at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "The verb ?to seal? is sfragizw. It means ?to make an imprint in wax? and it was often done with a signet ring. This was done in ancient times in various kinds of business transactions. It could signify a number of ideas: (a) It often showed a completed transaction had occurred. For the 144,000 it was their personal redemption. (b) It was often a mark of identification and ownership. These became the servants of God and God?s people. (c) Finally, it was often a mark of protection or security. This is clearly the emphasis here."
-
"Whitewash," Martha Greene, The Christian Century, 2002.
- "We should be cautious about relinquishing the rich language of biblical metaphor. The therapeutic language of 'self-esteem' or 'Happiness comes only from within you' will not help us pass through the great tribulation. There are still some things that we cannot do on our own or for ourselves."
- Commentary,
Revelation 7:9-17 (All Saints A), Micah D. Kiel,
Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- Articles & Background:
- "The End-Time as Seven Seals," from The Most Revealing Book of the Bible, Vernard Eller.
- Lambrecht, J.,
"The
Opening of the Seals (Rev 6:1–8:6)," Biblica Vol. 79(1998) 198-221.
Abstract.
- "The second scene (7,9-17) is a proleptic vision. In an eschatological anticipation John leaves the basic story-line of his prophetical report of future events, a line which goes from chapter 4 to chapter 22. For a moment he neglects, as it were, the logical progression in time; he leaps forwards immediately to the eschaton. In apocalyptic literature, however, one should not in the least be surprised by such proleptic procedures."
- "Blood
and Purity in Leviticus and Revelation," by K.C. Hanson, in Listening:
Journal of Religion and Culture 28 (1993).
- "Purity derives from what the Lamb has done, not what the community has done (see Lev 20:7-8). It also does not derive from membership in a politically defined cultic-group of Israelites, but is composed of people from all groups. The "in-group" is thus diverse and scattered; and one of the implications of this is that there is no central control mechanism. And since all are "priests," no clear social hierarchy is in place within the group; no select group of official cultic personnel is required to perform the rituals."
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Bauckham, Richard, "The List of the Tribes in Revelation
7 Again," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Burtness, James H.,
"'The Lamb Who Was Slain Has Begun His Reign. Amen!' Texts from the
Revelation to John for the Sundays of Easter," Word & World,
1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Charles, Gary W.,
"Diving into Wonderland: Preaching Revelation in the Mainline Pulpit,"
Journal for Preachers, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Cook, W. Robert,
"The 'Glory' Motif in the Johannine Corpus," Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society, 1984.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Draper, J.A.,
"The Heavenly Feast of Tabernacles: Revelation 7:1-17," Journal for
the Study of the New Testament, 1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Frerichs, Wendell W.,
"God's Song of Revelation: From Easter to Pentecost in the Apocalypse,"
Word & World, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Greene, Martha,
"Whitewash," The Christian Century, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Kelly, Balmer H.,
"Expository Article: Revelation 7:9-17," Interpretation, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Long, Kimberly Bracken,
"'Who Are These People?' Revelation 7:9-17," Journal for Preachers,
2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Neyrey, Jerome H., S.J., "Lost in Translation: Did It
Matter IF Christians 'Thanked' God or 'Gave God Glory'?" Catholic
Biblical Quarterly, 2009.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Read, David H.C.,
"Communicating Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Smith, Christopher R.,
"The Tribes of Revelation 7 and the Literary Competence of John the Seer,"
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1995.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Warneck, Richard H., "Homiletical Helps on the LSB Series
C - Old Testament / A - Epistles," Concordia Journal, 2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Yates, Richard Shalom,
"The Function of the Tribulation Saints," Bibliotheca Sacra,
2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Yates, Richard Shalom,
"The Identity of the Tribulation Saints," Bibliotheca Sacra,
2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Yates, Richard Shalom, "The Resurrection of the
Tribulation Saints," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Yates, Richard Shalom,
"The Rewards of the Tribulation Saints," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bauckham, Richard, "The List of the Tribes in Revelation
7 Again," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1991.
- Reviews:
- Sermons:
- "Glimpsing Heaven in Thin Places," the Rev. Nora Tubbs Tisdale, Day 1, 2008.
- "Heaven," funeral homily by Sigurd Grindheim, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
- "Living in the Middle of Time," the Rev. Dr. Ted Wardlaw, Day 1, 1997.
- "The Greatest Thing a Person Can Do," John Jewell, 2001.
- With Children:
- "Who Are These People Dressed in White," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- Drama:
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art, Revelation 7:14, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Revelation 7:9, 11, 13, 14, 17. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
- At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Revelation
