John prophesies the survival of Israel through an imminent threat. John’s primary influence may have been Jeremiah, in which the ‘redeemed’ of Israel stand on Zion and sing praises to God. John saw the end times on the horizon, which would include events threatening the survival of Israel. He wrote this tract to assure his readers that Israel will be protected. Total certainty for the survival of God’s chosen people is taken for granted in the New Testament, but the idea that future events have been predetermined by God was not a normative element of Judaism until near the end of the Second Temple period. Examples of prophets going out of their way to provide such assurances are found throughout the Hebrew Bible. Compare the 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra, and 2 Baruch.

After these things I saw four messengers standing at the earth’s four corners, grasping the earth’s four winds so no wind would blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another messenger, ascending from the rising sun, holding a seal of the living God. And he shouted in a loud voice to the four messengers that were permitted to injure the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed our god’s slaves on their foreheads.’

And I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred forty four thousand were sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

From the tribe of Judah: twelve thousand sealed.

From the tribe of Reuben: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Gad: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Asher: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Naphtali: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Manasseh: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Simeon: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Levi: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Issachar: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Zebulun: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Joseph: twelve thousand.

From the tribe of Benjamin: twelve thousand were sealed.

And I saw, and see, the lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and the one hundred forty four thousand who have his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads were with him. And I heard a sound from the sky, like the rushing of many waters, and like the sound of immense thunder, and the sound that I heard was like harpists harping with their harps. And it was like they were singing a new song in front of the throne and in front of the four animals and the elders. And no one can learn the song if they are not one of the one hundred forty four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, because they are pure, the ones who follow the lamb anywhere he goes, the ones who are redeemed from men, first-fruits for God and the lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth. They are blameless.