Finally, the , represent true Israel as it was intended to be—in perfect symmetry and providentially sealed. She is the purified bride from every nation, tribe, people, and language that will step over Jordan into the New Jerusalem prepared for her from the very foundations of the world. Indeed, the , is the limitless great multitude of all whose names are written in the Book of Life and who will inhabit the courts of God for all eternity.
This article originally appeared at www. Who are the , of Revelation? Who are the , in the Bible? The Tribes of Israel? It may even point to outsiders coming into the community and excludes the tribes associated with idolatry and is a reminder that it is not physical descent, but rather spiritual fidelity, that determines our ultimate fate. In counting the , and seemingly describing them as celebate males in Revelation, this passage may also evoke the census of armies, thus showing that the Lord has an army of believers on earth as the , are on earth while the multitude in Revelation 7 is in heaven and that God is protecting His people.
Having laid out these options, you might wonder which one I think is more likely. I would lean towards viewing these , as symbolic of believers in all times and places.
As I have studied the Book of Revelation over the years, I have come to believe more and more that the visions often repeat and clarify each other; thus, I think that the vision of the great multitude and the , could likely be two ways of thinking about a similar topic. There seems to be so much symbolic language used through the Book of Revelation and even in this imagery, that I think we have to look beyond just the numbers and names to see what the symbols are pointing to. That being said, I always want to recognize that faithful Christians have had different views of this passage and that this is not something that affects our salvation or even greatly affects how I live as a follower of Christ.
Let us not forget the overall point which is that God has people and protects them…and the forces of Satan will be defeated in this world. For a couple of helpful posts by other pastors on this topic, see these by Sam Storms and Kevin DeYoung — both of helped me through think through passage. Questions about the Bible or theology? You can also request to receive weekly emails with our blog posts by filling out the information on the right side. All of these dangers come directly from God and represent His wrath upon the earth dwellers.
Does this necessarily mean that they are completely invincible for the entire duration of the Tribulation? If the example of the two powerful witnesses of God is any example, then perhaps not. The sealing they received protects them only from the wrath of God, not from the wrath of the dragon and the beast Rev. These are the same , as in Revelation Rev. They are the vanguard who bear the brunt of the struggle against the beast and pay the price of their own lives. Tony Garland.
The scene before us can also be interpreted in a different way which splits the participants between both a heavenly and an earthly location. John is given a preview of the Lamb and the , on the earthly Mount Zion at the introduction of the Millennial Kingdom to come. They are accompanied by thunderous praise from heaven. This interpretation understands the singers to be the harpists in heaven, rather than the , on the earth. They who sing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders Rev.
However, there is a significant textual variation at this verse which see. The heavenly harpists sing the new song and the , are the only ones who can learn the song from among those on earth. Some want to identify the singers as the redeemed ones themselves. The reasons for assigning this identity are the inability of anyone else to learn the song Rev.
This cannot be, however, because the song is sung in heaven and the , redeemed ones are on the earthly Mount Zion Alford, Beckwith. The song is intelligible to the ,, but they are not the singers Moffatt.
The association of the song with the harpists has the advantage of coupling the pronoun they more closely to the antecedent harpists.
It also associates the singing with those who initiate the music and play the harps. It also explains who the , would learn the song from.
They are the martyred company seen in connection with the fifth seal and they also include now their brethren which were slain during the great tribulation. Interestingly, a group of singing harpists in heaven is mentioned in the very next chapter, although they sing a different song the song of Moses and of the Lamb. The harpists here, although singing a different song, are probably also from among the redeemed.
The weaknesses of this view include:. A variation of this view understands the harpists playing their harps from heaven and the , singing the new song in response from the earth. This view takes they singers of verse 3, these virgins of verse 4, and their faultless ones of verse 5 as all referring to the , of verse 1.
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