Revelation 7:9-17: Edit history

Context

In Revelation 6 the Lamb opens the sixth seal, and in 8:1 the seventh seal is opened. This scene falls between the two and is often called an "interlude." In 7:1-8 John "hears" the number of those sealed from each tribe of Israel: 144,000. Then in verse 9 he "sees" a great multitude that no one could number.

This multitude ascribes salvation to God and to the Lamb, and the angels respond in worship. One of the heavenly elders then asks John who those clothed in white robes are and answers the question himself. The promises of verses 15-17 are understood to draw on the language of Old Testament prophecies such as Isaiah 49:10 and 25:8. Many interpreters hold that the words "shall dwell among them" (literally, "shall spread his tent over them") recall the tabernacle in the wilderness, and that the palm branches recall Israel's Feast of Tabernacles.

Interpretation

• The two groups as one people: This is the reading of Reformed amillennial interpreters (who regard the millennium not as a literal thousand years but as a symbol of the entire church age) and of many evangelical commentators. They see the 144,000 and the great multitude as two descriptions of the same people of God, namely the church. They argue that the structure parallels Revelation 5, where John hears of a "Lion" and turns to see a "Lamb." On this reading, the "great tribulation" refers to the whole of the suffering the church endures throughout history.
• The dispensational reading: Dispensationalism generally identifies the 144,000 as Jewish believers who come to faith during the end-time tribulation. It identifies the great multitude as believers from many nations who are saved during the seven-year tribulation following the Rapture.
• The martyrs reading: Some interpreters connect the white robes and "the blood of the Lamb" with the martyrs of 6:9-11. This interpretation narrows the great multitude to those who kept the faith under persecution even unto death.

All of these readings share the confession that salvation belongs "to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." All likewise understand the paradoxical statement that they "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" as referring to Christ's atonement.

Debates and Issues

In verse 14, "great tribulation" carries the definite article in the Greek original, and the verb rendered "came out" is a present participle. Futurist interpreters point to the definite article as evidence that "the great tribulation" is a specific period at the end of history. Other interpreters point to the present tense to emphasize suffering that continues even now.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach a distinction between the 144,000, a group who will rule in heaven, and the great multitude, those who will survive Armageddon and live forever on earth. In South Korea, Shincheonji is known to teach that the "144,000" and the "white-robed multitude" refer to members of its own organization. Researchers of heretical movements from various denominations criticize this as an interpretation that forces the symbols onto a particular group.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, verses 16-17, especially the promise that "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," are frequently read as words of comfort at funeral services and memorial services. The phrase in verse 9, "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," is often quoted in sermons presenting a vision for missions.

Related Passages

• Revelation 7:1-8
• Revelation 14:1-5
• Isaiah 25:8
• Isaiah 49:10
• Revelation 21:3-4