February 9 - The Great Multitude

February 9 – The Great Multitude
Revelation 7:9-12

Revelation 7:9 begins with those two words again, “After this …” We’re about to see another sequence in the vision.

John is overwhelmed by what he sees next. When I was in elementary school, a teacher tried to help us comprehend the number ‘1,000,000.’ She described reams of paper with tiny numbers written on both sides of the paper. It was beyond my mind’s comprehension. Can you imagine what John was trying to assimilate? He saw a multitude that no one can count.

People as far as he could see – every ethnic background. Different hairstyles, small people, large people, young & old, boys, girls, women and men. All wearing white robes and holding palm branches.

On December 31, 1990, I stood in Times Square as the New Year turned amidst a sea of people. I moved only because the crowd moved. What John sees is greater than anything I’ve experienced or can imagine.

In Genesis 15:5, God promised Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars and in Genesis 32:12, He promised Jacob’s descendants would be like the sand of the sea which cannot be counted.

As the multitude stands before the throne and before the Lamb, we realize that God’s promises are always fulfilled. John sees more people than there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the earth. With this fulfillment of His promises, we find that we are offered the chance to stand before the throne of God in white robes holding a palm branch.

From this, the majesty moves out in concentric circles. The elders and four living creatures, then the angels fill the room. As the multitude lifts its voice in song, the angels respond with a song of their own.

I love this portion of Revelation. The great multitude sings out “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:10)

Angels don’t actually experience salvation, but they actively rejoice in ours. Luke 15:10 says that “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

1 Peter 1:12 tells us that (concerning salvation) “even angels long to look into these things.”

They want to know more about salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ. And when we look at this doxology of theirs in Revelation 7:12, they ascribe seven (there’s that number of completeness again) attributes to God. The list is similar to the doxology from Revelation 5:12, but replaces ‘wealth’ with ‘thanksgiving.’

“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Rev. 7:12)

Do you notice that they sing to “our God?” These beings have been in the presence of God for eternity. They are His messengers, His warriors, His choir, His workers on earth. They do everything. This is their God as well as our God.