The Great Multitude

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!” 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.”

Revelation 7:9-12

The throne is once again the center of all that is happening. God is sitting on the throne, the multitude is standing before the throne, the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, and all the angels, elders, and four living creatures are all around falling down before the throne. Everything happening is in relation to the throne. Revelation 6:17 asks a good question, “Who can stand?” before this throne? Who can stand before the Lamb on the great day of His wrath?” Incredibly, Revelation 7:9 tells us that there is a vast, innumerable multitude standing before the throne and the Lamb! Who are they? How can they stand there? What are they doing?

Who are they, and how can they stand?
Revelation 5:9 says that the Lamb has ransomed this vast number of people by His death on the cross and with His blood, which was the price He paid for them. They are from every nation, every tribe, every people, and every language. No one can count the number of people– except the Lamb. He knows each one, and He has sealed each one with His Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:22 says that God “has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” Revelation 9, 14, and 22 also tell us that God has put His seal on those the Lamb has purchased. Now they belong to Him. Now He is always with them. Now they serve Him. Now they worship Him because the salvation of God has been given to them. Those who stand before the throne of God are those who have been sealed with His name on their foreheads. They have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. Because they belong to Him and have His name on them, they will be able to withstand all the distress and tribulations of life until He returns. They will be able to stand before His wrath because they are sealed by Him and covered in His blood.

What are they doing in Revelation 7:9-12?
They are crying out in loud voices and worshiping God and the Lamb with all their hearts in the vast company of believers and angels. They are serving Him “day and night in His temple” (Revelation 7:15), and He is sheltering and shepherding them. “He will guide them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17). The multitude can’t be counted, but God knows every tear and wipes each one away.

There are still millions of people who have not heard the gospel that will be in that multitude before the throne! Let’s pray together for the lost to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray for one another to share this good news and for God to send workers for the harvest! “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15)