THE FOURTH VISION.
The People of God Coming Out of the Great Tribulation Which Is Coming on the Church (Revelation 7:9-17).
‘After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands.'
‘After these things' usually infers a new vision. This vision is clearly in the future as far as John is concerned, and later than the vision of the one hundred and forty four thousand, for these stand ‘before the throne'. They are in Heaven. The multitude consists of any (or all) of those who have been sealed who have died or otherwise been taken up.
The countless number is in deliberate contrast to the symbolic one hundred and forty four thousand. The 144,000 indicated the exactness with which God has numbered His own, and their relationship with the true Israel as sons of the Promise. The multitude which no man can number demonstrates the vast numbers who will have served Christ, even to death.
The description confirms Jesus' words that the Gospel would be preached ‘to all nations' (Mark 13:10), to ‘the whole world' (Matthew 24:14). When Tacitus, the Roman historian, describes the deaths of Christian martyrs under Nero he speaks of ‘a great multitude', under Domitian there was an even greater multitude, and since then certainly a multitude which no one could number. But the inference is that God has them numbered and yet they are innumerable.
‘Standing before the throne and before the Lamb'. They are there to receive the rewards due to them for faithful service prior to sharing Christ's throne, and to be ‘confessed before the Father'. They stand before the throne of the Father, in contrast with the Lamb Who stands in the midst of the throne (Revelation 5:6), for He alone can share the Father's throne (Revelation 3:21). Indeed they have received their white robes indicating their heavenly standing (Revelation 3:5). As the palms indicate it is a time of celebration, of victory, and of acclamation of the Messiah (John 12:13).
(Much is sometimes made of the difference between sitting and standing. But distinguishing between standing and sitting must be limited to the fact that we stand, for example, to work and celebrate, and we sit to reveal authority and to enjoy rest. It does not necessarily say anything about status. It is true that the twenty four elders sit on thrones in the presence of ‘the One Who sits on the throne' because of their privileged position (Revelation 4:4), but they fall before the throne, both in submission, and when they carry out their priestly duties (Revelation 4:10; Revelation 5:8).
Jesus Christ is seen as both sitting at God's right hand (Mark 16:19; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12) and as standing there (Acts 7:55-56). In Revelation He stands in the midst of the throne (Revelation 5:6). One day we will share His throne, but not the Father's throne. Thus while we may one day sit in the Father's presence on the throne of Christ, as the elders do on their thrones, we also stand before Him as Christ did ready for service. (Of course we must recognise that all this is symbolic and not press it too literally).
We are told later (Revelation 7:14) that these are ‘the coming ones out of the great tribulation'. This is in order to provide an incentive to the church in the face of the coming tribulation anticipated by John's visions and his letters to the churches. They are not necessarily all martyrs, for some will suffer tribulation and die naturally, but they have all suffered tribulation.
The ‘great tribulation' is that referred to in Revelation 2:22 (the definite article referring back to that previous reference - a pattern in Revelation), and is thus experienced to some extent by the churches. It is not the same as that in Matthew 24:21, for that great tribulation was on the Jews in Palestine where it was seen as God's punishment for their failed response to Him. That one could be escaped by fleeing to the mountains. (These three references are the only references to the term ‘great tribulation' in Scripture).
The tribulation here is not primarily for Christians. It has in mind the sufferings of the world in the Chapter s to come, and Christians are to some extent protected from it. That is why those in Thyatira were warned that they may lose that protection if they did not repent (Revelation 2:22). But Christians do have to face the wrath of the world, even though they escape the wrath of God, and the world was clearly giving them a hard time. John has this very much in mind. As Jesus said, ‘in the world you have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world' (John 16:33).