Read Revelation 7:9–17
Do you remember how, in Chapter 5, John heard “the Lion from the tribe of Judah…has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll” but then “saw one like a slaughtered lamb” (5:5–6)? John was not hearing about and then seeing two different beings. Both images were descriptions of God the Son, Jesus Christ. Now, hold that thought for a second.
We stopped on a cliffhanger yesterday, promising to talk about who the 144,000 are today. Yet today’s passage does not seem to relate to that. Isn’t this a different scene? Maybe not. It seems like a similar thing to Chapter 5 is happening here. John heard about the 144,000 but saw “a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number” (7:9). So these might just be the same people. And if that is the case, then all of God’s people are gathered together to praise Him for His provision.
And what is it that God provided for these people? In one sense, it is the protection God has given them while His judgment was being poured out on creation. Remember, this passage answers the question at the end of Chapter 6: “who is able to stand [the wrath of the Lamb]?” (6:17). So, while God did protect these people from His physical wrath, physical protection is not the only thing being praised here. The robes these people wear are washed and made “white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14). These are the people who have placed their trust in God and have been saved spiritually and eternally through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And it is “[f]or this reason”—their being washed in Jesus’ blood—that they “serve him day and night” and so on as the song of praise continues (7:15).
So, who are the 144,000? Who are the vast multitude from every nation? Whether Jews, Gentiles, or a combination of both, they are those who have been saved by grace through faith. If you have placed saving
faith in Jesus Christ, then you are one of them, too.
