Revelation Chapter 7:9-17/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 7:9-17 Revelation 7:9-17 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11And 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, 12saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." 13And one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?" 14And I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15"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 shall spread His tabernacle over them. 16"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes" 7:9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” Many believe that the 144,000 and the great multitude refer to the same group of people. The 144,000 stand for Christians that were sealed and entered into the tribulation while the great multitude refers to the Christians after they come out of such tribulation (7:14).

7:9 “Which no one could count”: Abraham was promised that his descendants would become like the sand by the seashore or the stars in the sky (Genesis 1

15:5). As noted in the previous lesson, Ogden and others contend that the 144,000 stands for a fixed number, that is, the Old Testament faithful and the great multitude stands for the New Testament faithful, a number that was constantly changing and growing.

7:9 “Every nation”: The gospel was to be preached to the entire creation (Mark 16:15), and the church is composed of people from every nation (Galatians 3:28).

See also 5:9.

7:9 “Standing before the throne and before the Lamb”: Notice that according to the Jehovah Witnesses the great multitude remains on the earth after the Second Coming, but in the Revelation letter they are standing before the throne of God in heaven. Hailey notes, “These are in a position nearer than any hitherto occupied” (p. 207).

7:9 “Clothed in white robes”: That is pure, victorious and forgiven. Those who overcome are promised such a robe (Revelation 3:5 “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments”).

7:9 “And palm branches were in their hands”: “The palms in their hands add to the festive spirit of the occasion reminiscent of the Feast of the Tabernacles, the most joyous of all Jewish festivals. This feast occurred in the fall of the year, after the harvest had been gathered and the fruit of the trees and vines was in. It followed the annual atonement when sacrifice had been made for sins (Leviticus 23:26-32, 39-44). On the first day of this festive week the people were to take the branches of palm trees and boughs of other trees, and ‘rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days’ (Leviticus 23:40). When Jesus entered Jerusalem in what is referred to as His ‘triumphant entry’, in a joyous and festive mood the people took ‘branches of the palm trees and went forth to meet Him’ (John 12:13). These uses of palm branches indicate festive occasions” (Hailey p. 207).

7:10 “And they cry out with a loud voice”: Notice the gratitude and enthusiasm.

7:10 “Salvation to our God”: “This doesn’t mean they wish God to be saved. It means ‘salvation is attributable to our God’. That is, ‘if we are saved, we can thank God for it’” (McGuiggan p. 119). “They are praising God and the Lamb for their total salvation, which began with redemption through His blood, and continued by the divine help through the persecutions and trials to the present moment of triumph (compare with 1 Peter 1:9)” (Hailey p. 208).

7:10 “Who sits on the throne”: “This is not merely to designate where He is sitting; it is an affirmation that He is acting in power on our behalf” (McGuiggan p.

119).

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7:10 “And to the Lamb”: Without Jesus, there is no salvation. Notice that salvation is attributed to God as well as Jesus, indicating His deity.

7:11 “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 worshipped God” “The angels, through their intense interest in the scheme of redemption, desired to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12); from Eden the angels had served as ministering servants for the sake of these who should ‘inherit salvation’ (Hebrews 1:14), and had learned the true significance of the divine plan as they had seen it fulfilled in Christ and the church (Ephesians 3:10f.) Now they fell before the throne in praise and adoration of what had been achieved” (Hailey p. 208).

The scene of adoration and praise in chapter 511-14 is now repeated; heaven is indeed a place of worship. Notice that the angels fell on their faces, even though they are in heaven, God has not become typical or usual for them. They remain in absolute awe of God, His wisdom, majesty and power. There are different postures for worship, yet do we ever feel the need to completely fall before Him or are we too proud? We need to let the angels teach us something about reverence.

7:12 “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen” Compare this section of praise with 5:12. Do we praise God like this? Do we readily acknowledge that to God belongs such things and that God is worthy to be praised? Unfortunately, many people today seem more intent upon gaining honor, power and might for themselves than for God and that they are more impressed with their own wisdom or the wisdom of others, than God. Do we speak in glowing terms about God or do we reverse such enthusiasm for the things of this world?

7:13 “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘These who are clothed in white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?’”

The reader of the book of Revelation obviously has had the same question since the great multitude was introduced, “who are they?” It was one of the elders who had come to John’s aid earlier in the book concerning another question (5:5).

7:14 “I said to him, ‘My Lord, you know’”: The term “Lord” here means “sir”.

7:14 “You know”: “Is both a confession of John’s ignorance and a request for information” (Hailey p. 209).

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7:14 “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation”: Some identify this “great tribulation” with the tribulation that led up to A.D. 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:21,29). Others view this tribulation as commencing with Nero’s persecution of Christians in A.D. 64 and continuing past the reigns of Domitian, Trajan, and Diocletian, until the edict of Constantine in A.D. 313.

Premillennial writers argue that this “great tribulation” is yet to occur and is a seven year period a the end of the present age before the Second Coming.

Typically when claiming this point of view, premillinnialists misapply Matthew 24:21,29 and seek to apply that section to the time before the Second Coming, yet Jesus noted that Matthew 24:21,29 applied to the destruction of Jerusalem and would happen within the lifetime of His contemporaries (Matthew 24:34).

Harkrider contends, that the “great tribulation” does not apply to one specific period of time, but rather that the great multitude includes the saved of all ages, the sum of all God’s people who continue faithful unto death. Likewise the “great tribulation” represents all periods of time, for never has tribulation been entirely absent from the church (Acts 14:22; John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12).

7:14 “And they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” By the blood of Christ, one is loosed from their sins (1:5; 5:9-10; 1 Peter 1:18f).

The term “washed” indicates that this is not a passive thing. These people had confessed their faith (Romans 10:8-10), repented of their sins (Acts 17:30), and had been baptized into His death (Romans 6:3) for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).

“In striking contrast to what some ‘Christian’ groups in recent years have been taught, the early Church did not expect to be miraculously preserved from all hardship in this life. They knew that they would be called upon to suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 1 Peter 4:12-13). We are not to see salvation as a magical formula for trouble-avoidance. As the whiterobed army of Christ, we are more than conquerors” (Chilton pp. 220-221).

Note, this washing their robes is said to be in the blood of the Lamb and not their own blood. Some of these may have been martyrs, but not all the faithful have been such.

“In the first phase of the vision (vv. 1-8) the saints were being sealed for protection; in this second phase they are coming out of the conflict victorious.

This great multitude includes those under the altar, the martyrs for Christ (6:911), and all who are victors through Christ. It also includes all who held fast from the beginning, those who were ‘firm unto the end’ (Hebrews 3:14)” (Hailey p.

211).

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7:15 “For this reason”: That is, because of their redemption and union with the Lamb through His blood.

7:15 “They are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple”: “It is clear from Scripture that at death the faithful saint goes directly into the presence of God to be with Christ. However, he is not in his final state of glory, for this occurs beyond the ultimate judgment (chapter 21)” (Hailey p. 211).

Compare with the following Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:21-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Acts 7:59. The expression “day and night” suggests continuous service, and yet the righteous are also spoken as resting from their labors (Revelation 14:13; Hebrews 4:9). Therefore, this serving is not a burden.

“Imitating the cherubim (4:8), these white-robed priests serve Him day and night” (Chilton p. 221). Compare with the following statements found in the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 9:33; 23:30; Psalm 134:1). What is described here is what David longed for in the Old Testament (Psalm 65:4; 84:1-2,10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside”, 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall see: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord”.

7:15 “In His temple”: Hailey notes that the term temple here means the sanctuary or holy place, as distinguished from the temple with its various divisions for Hebrews, Gentiles, and women” (p. 212).

7:15 “He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them”: Language that suggests that such people dwell under God’s protection. “As the tabernacle was a tent, the idea is that God Himself will tabernacle with them, overshadowing His people with His own presence and protection (Isaiah 4:5-6; Ezekiel 37:27-28)” (Harkrider p. 94).

7:16 “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat” “The saints who have passed through the great tribulation in which they suffered persecution, discrimination, and the various trials of the fourth seal are now beyond all these. Hunger and thirst, those fierce pangs from want of food and drink, are theirs no more. These torments are all forgotten in the joy of victory” (Hailey p. 212). “They shall experience no unsatisfied desire” (Harkrider p. 96).

Compare with Revelation 21:3-4. The reference to the heat from the sun is a reference to oppressive heat, such as happens in a dry and arid climate.

7:17 “For the Lamb is in the center of the throne and will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life”

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As mentioned in the Gospel of John, Jesus is the good Shepherd (John 10:11).

Even after Christians have finished their mission here on earth, Jesus will still lead, guide and protect them. God shepherding His people was often mentioned in the Old Testament (Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:12,24).

“In all the concern for security that surrounds us, there is a form of security that one hears little about. It is the security of our relationship with God. Yet it is the greatest of all securities, for it alone is a security that will continue, and what it guards are the best and deepest things in life” (Harkider p. 96).

Jesus had already mentioned the “water of life” (John 4:10). Eternal life may be likened to water because it is refreshing. All of us can relate to how a cold glass of water can give us new strength, motivation and refreshment. A relationship with God is not a burden; rather it should be viewed as something that invigorates the soul.

7:17 “And God will wipe every tear from their eyes”: Compare with Psalm 126:5; Revelation 21:4. Many things cause tears in this life, suffering, physical pain, emotional pain, persecution, frustration, disappointment, discouragement and so on. The removal of tears by God demonstrates that all the negative things that moved people to tears in this life have been removed.

Secondly, the verse also infers that in heaven we will not be sorrowing over the fate of family members and friends who did not obey the gospel or who did not remain faithful.

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