2. The Blood Washed Multitude

2. THE BLOOD WASHED MULTITUDE.

Rev. 7:9-17.

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of ALL nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, SALVATION TO OUR GOD WHICH SITTETH UPON THE THRONE, AND UNTO THE LAMB. And all the angels stood round about the Throne, and about the Elders and the Four Beasts, and fell before the Throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, AMEN: BLESSING, AND GLORY, AND WISDOM, AND THANKSGIVING, AND HONOR, AND POWER, AND MIGHT, BE UNTO OUR GOD FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.

And one of the Elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in White robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the BLOOD OF THE LAMB. Therefore are they before the Throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His Temple: and He that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more: neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

p. 67

This "Blood Washed Multitude" introduces us to another class of the saved of the "End-time." They do not represent the Church, for the Church has already been taken out. They differ from the Elders, who represent the Church, in that they stand, and have "palms" in their hands, while the Elders have "crowns," and "sit on thrones," and have "harps," and "golden vials" in their hands. They are an "elect body" of Gentiles gathered out from all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. The statement that they "came out of great tribulation" does not necessarily imply that it was "The Great Tribulation" that they came out of, for that covers only the "last half" of the Week, and they are seen by John in the middle of the "first half" of the Week. The Revised Version uses the word "come" instead of "came," and some versions the words "coming out." It does not say that they came out of "THE Great Tribulation," but simply that they came out of "great tribulation," and as the whole of the Week is a period of tribulation they could come out of tribulation any time during the Week. They are a vast multitude saved by the preaching of the "Gospel of the Kingdom." While the Holy Spirit went back with the Church to escort the "Bride to be" home, it does not follow that He remained there. For in Old Testament times, and during the earthly ministry of Jesus, He was active in the conversion of men, and so it will be after the Church is caught out. Those who are converted during the Tribulation period will be converted by the Holy Spirit.

The claim has been made that this "Blood Washed Multitude" represent the Gentiles who shall pass safely through "The Great Tribulation," and who cry "SALVATION" because they have been saved from martyrdom and death during the Tribulation, and that they serve God day and night in the new "Millennial Temple" on the earth because there is no day or night or Temple in Heaven. While that is true of the Holy City, New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22-25), it is not true of Heaven, for they are not the same. The New Jerusalem is the place (City) that Jesus went to prepare for His Bride, the Church (John 14:2), and John declares that he saw it coming down "out of" Heaven. Rev. 21:2. Therefore the New Jerusalem is not Heaven. That there is a "TEMPLE" in Heaven we are told in chapters 11:19, 15:5-8, and 16:1. And the statement "That they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, for the LAMB which is in the MIDST OF THE THRONE shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and GOD shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," is not Millennial but Heavenly in character. And further this "Blood Washed Multitude, being Gentiles, could not serve in an earthly Jewish Temple."

The sight of this "Blood Washed Multitude" will so thrill and rejoice the Angelic Hosts that they will fall upon their faces and worship God, saying, "AMEN: BLESSING, AND GLORY, AND WISDOM, AND THANKSGIVING, AND HONOR, AND POWER, AND MIGHT, BE UNTO OUR GOD FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN."