After the angels and living creatures break out into worship, the multitude is explained.
Nuggets
- The angels and living creatures broke into a worship service.
- The multitude identified.
While we are taking a break after seal six, the angels and living creatures begin to worship. After they are done, an elder asks John an interesting question.
This question may impact how we read the Book of Revelation. Let’s take a look.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Opening the Seals series
Angels and Living Creatures in Chorus
“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, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen’” (Rev. 7: 11-12 ESV)
The angels and living creatures broke into a worship service.
In this worship service around the throne, the angels and the living creatures join together. We have to go back to Revelation 4 to get a description of the living creatures.
We have only really gotten descriptions of special angels, such as the Cherubim. Home helped fix that. He wrote, “Angels are spirits. Not formed of the same gross materials, they are free from the inconveniences we feel, the temptations and sufferings to which we are subject. Their appearance is glorious as the light of heaven; and their motion, like that, rapid, and, as it were, instantaneous.”
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It is interesting that Home felt angels do not sin because of that of which they are made. I don’t know if I buy that.
Satan was also an angel. He sinned and was banished from Heaven.
One thing is for sure, angels do not value free will and independence at the same rate as mankind does.
The angels are grateful that God has provided the opportunity for salvation to mankind. They are grateful to both the author of the salvation and the vehicle for the salvation.
That gratefulness bubbled out of them to glorify the Savior.
This song the angels sing has most of the elements of the angels’ song in Revelation 5.
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1: 3 ESV).
- “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1: 3 ESV).
- “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (Jas. 3: 17 ESV).
- “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15: 57 ESV).
- “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Mt. 19: 26 ESV).
The theme of the angels’ song is salvation. No, they themselves are not in need of salvation, but they are overjoyed when we find salvation. “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15: 10 ESV).
Who Are They?
“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7: 13-14 ESV)
The multitude identified.
I have always thought it funny that a guy in the know asks a guy not in the know if he knows.
But we do that, right? We direct the discussion by the way we set things up.
The question of the moment is – who are they?
Ones Coming Out of the Great Tribulation
Tribulation just means trouble of any kind. Their whole purpose is to return us to God’s Will. “When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice” (Deut. 4: 30 ESV).
True, Romans 2: 9 hooks tribulation with punishment. “There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek” (Rom. 2: 9 ESV).
That could just mean that tribulation is a result of the original sin. Every human being has a sinful nature because of the original sin.
The elder was very specific. “… These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation…” (Rev. 7: 14 ESV).
This is the first time that we have heard the term the great tribulation. It may or may not be used as a title.
People like to think of the last half of the tribulation is going to be the Great Tribulation – yep, all capitalized and horrible.
The thing is, none of the translations capitalize it nor give it — most of the time — the article the. Some even translate it as suffering or persecution.
Jesus described it this way. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Mt. 24: 21 ESV).
We like to give this term to the time period seals, bowels, and trumpets. But then we like to think the Church has gone by them.
If these are new converts after Rapture, they would no longer be going on faith unseen. They would be going on sight.
And we really think God would showcase that? Not!
We may think these are the Matthew 7: 21 people who decided to quit masquerading as goats and to really become sheep. I’d still have some of the same issues for that.
Moral of the story, I don’t think the great tribulation is a specific time period. So, we don’t know when, what, or how long.
What we do know is that disciples will be persecuted beyond anything previously known that will disrupt things for everyone.
Disciples are going to encounter sorrow. We won’t be exempt from it. That is because we will be subjected to all types of temptations.
Spurgeon said that tribulations can have some benefit to us. They knock us out of our complacency. They teach us new things and help us grow from milk babies to steak adults.
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But remember these are the entire great multitude from verses 9 and 10. They overcame the tribulation they were in by the blood of the Lamb.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev. 7: 9-10 ESV).
That blows apart what I have been taught. I was told these are the ones who came to be believers during the Great Tribulation.
This isn’t discussing a subset of the multitude that found their Savior after the Church flew.
Remember, it is only through endurance that we are saved (Mt. 24: 13 ESV). That implies not all endure.
Where They Come From
If we look at the great tribulation as meaning the Great Tribulation, we would have only one answer to the question from where they came.
We all come from this life.
When we accept the multitude is “… from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages …” (Rev. 7: 9 ESV), everyone comes from this life.
What if the great tribulation is this life? That would explain the multitude coming through it. It would also explain why each age since the disciples felt they were in the end times.
That would mean we are in it now as they were in it then.
It makes some sense when we accept the fact mankind is not going to escape trials and tribulations. We go through them to help us grow in faith.
Clayson gave us a great snapshot of how that life should look.
- Pursuit of God’s truth
- Their restraint from and opposition to sinful practices
- Growth in holiness
- Completion of all duties, both public and private
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Our life should be all about faith and endurance.
Washed Their Robes and Made Them White in the Blood of the Lamb
What I am having trouble understanding is the last part of verse 14. It sounds like the white robes were soiled by some sin after conversion. They had backslidden and had to return to their Savior.
I am having a problem with who it says does the washing. It says, “… They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7: 14 ESV emphasis added).
They made a choice. It wasn’t something done to them without their permission.
But Jesus is the One Who washes us in His blood. “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9: 22 ESV).
Yes, the purification process of sanctification is usually difficult. I mean, God is cutting the sin out of us. That is going to be painful.
Spurgeon put together several arguments to clarify the meaning.
- Their washing indicates previous staining.
- All mankind possesses the stained nature of sin.
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At first, Spurgeon questioned whether each of us has own unique circumstances of coming to the Lord, some which may be through a cleaner path than others. While I agree all go through tribulations, I can see where some would think some paths are more treacherous.
Someone recovering from a drug addiction would have different — even more — challenges than someone raised in the church. Some feel everything is against them instead of having some support.
In truth, each has their own trials to encounter. Those are what will best grow them to maturity.
Welldon noted that there are several different robes of white. One is the robes of cleansing. He wrote, “God gives us not one start alone in life; He gives us many. We make our promises, and we break them. But God never bids us give up hope. Try to do better. Lift up your hearts.”
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The robes we get at the wedding feast will be the white robes of victory.
A major problem I have with this just being people surviving the Great Tribulation is I don’t see levels in Heaven. “Oh, I lost my life serving God.” “Well, I just had the faith of a mustard seed so I am off in the back forty and can barely see Jesus.”
I don’t think it is going to happen that way. That puts the focus on us and what we’ve done or the strength of our faith.
Making the Connections #1
Matthew 24:29 is confusing when put into this context. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Mt. 24: 29 ESV).
So, we are in between the sixth and seventh seal. The fifth and sixth seals were kind of a pause. The seventh seal has the seven trumpets, which really starts the destruction of the earth.
But then go back to the fourth seals – the fourth horsemen of the Apocalypse. It contained a lot of destruction to earth.
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Rev. 6: 12-14 ESV).
If these are chronological – and we would think one through seven would be – it doesn’t flow.
Let’s look at it this way. I thought about something going through the four seals. This may be out there, but I see another representation the horses could symbolize.
Timing wise, could the first white horse have been either Satan’s fall or the original sin? Either could be considered the beginning.
Satan came to Eve as a deceiver. He tried to pass himself off as someone who wore the white hat. He could have been presenting himself as a righteous angel (that he used to be) with a different, flawed message.
Sin has to be present throughout.
If red is also the symbol for blood, the red horse could symbolize redemption. The penalty for our sin was bought by the shed blood of Jesus. Instead of a great sword, Jesus’ blood was spilled by nails and a spear.
The blood had to have been present throughout time so allow for salvation.
The black horse carries scales. We evaluate and weigh our salvation against our lost states. We are sanctified when we compare what we should be doing in God’s Will to what we are and want to do better.
The fourth horseman, the pale horse, brings death and famine. It talks about Hades/She’ol. It talks about the disease and death that are a consequence of the original sin.
If the first seal is Satan’s fall or the original sin, the second one could be the crucifixion. The third seal is the time we have to gain salvation while the fourth seal talks about judgment that shows us our need for salvation.
I can see where all have to be occurring simultaneously. That makes us in the great tribulation now. It also validates Jesus telling the Apostles that they were in the end times then.
I can see where par-for-the-course is ramped up to hither-to-unknown proportions.
If the Church is raptured at the end of the fourth seal, what if the elders are asking why there is a pause between rapture and destruction. They would know if the Church was raptured yet or not, wouldn’t they? We would hope the population of Heaven suddenly increased by a sizable amount.
So, they aren’t talking about why isn’t the Church been raptured yet. They are asking why there is a Revelation 8: 1 pause. “God, You are all set to go. Why aren’t You going?”
I can also see a pause to get all the disciples newly arrived in Heaven situated. It is going to be somewhat of a culture shock to wake up in Heaven.
The celebration starts in the sixth seal. Then the seventh scroll is opened, and we go on from there.
Making the Connections #2
Clarke explained his take on how life in Heaven will be.
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We will be a community. Yes, Jesus is preparing our mansions (Jn. 14: 3).
However, none of the descriptions in Revelation show us off in our own room. We are always interacting with others in a worship service.
We aren’t described as mindless droids engaged in worship. We are Heaven’s equivalent of living, breathing creatures.
Whatever we do in Heaven will be done for the worship of Sovereign God.
How Do We Apply This?
- Meditate on God’s Word.
- Live to apply the blood of Christ on our hearts at all time.
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Father God. We don’t know when You are calling Your children to You. We know that You will protect us and provide for us until You do. Help us to take all these tribulations as growth experiences. Amen.
What do you think?
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