Rev 7:9 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 with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. [Call to worship]
Rev 7:11 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,
Rev 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. [Response]
This Revelation text is one of the great motivations for Missions. It is God’s prophetic end declared before all Missionary endeavors had gone very far. Before the end of the first century after the death of our LORD, in which Christian missions received its commission from the Lord Jesus himself and the Apostles were the first heralds of the goodnews, God gave the end outcome of all missionary and Christian efforts. That men from all nations, uncountable in number would be gathered as redeemed disciples of Jesus Christ to fulfil the desire of God for worship. They are uncountable- this could be a way of saying they are numerous or it could be literally so. If taken literally, it means they are more than a billion! Halleluyah!
And let me tell you, these are saints who came out of great tribulation. The great tribulation is the period when the Antichrist will reign personally on earth and rule with an iron hand- enforcing his worship by refusing those without his mark on their forehead or right hand, or the number of his name to buy or sell. Yet, numerous believers and followers of Christ would go through the time and prevail against him (Rev 7:14).
If some doubt that ‘great tribulation’ refers to just the three and a half years (42 months) period of the reign of the Antichrist but severe testing (persecutions) throughout all Christian ages, the point remains, “Whatever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” 1 Jn 5:4. Let us be reminded and encouraged that the seed (of God) that is in us is not corruptible or perishable but is eternal and it is of God. By trust and obedience to God, we shall overcome all the fiery darts of the Devil.
The text also showed the fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant- in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed Gen 12:3. And clearly the ‘blessing’ is revealed here as salvation- for the nations (peoples), what they received was salvation. God gradually but faithfully would gather all the elect from all nations (tribes, peoples) of the world. The dispersed of the tower of Babel, who desired to connect to God in their own way, have now been gathered to God, not by their own efforts but by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. These are the multitudes, which no man could count, who are gathered to sing in worship for the salvation they had received from God and the Lamb. What a great assembly. One that should not be missed by anyone. Behold the longsuffering of God leads to Salvation Apostle Peter declared 2 Pet 3:15.
It was the twenty four elders and the Beasts who first testified by singing, “Thou art worthy to take the book, and open the seals thereof: for thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nations; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” Rev 5:9-10. While the identity of the twenty four elders and the four Beasts may be shrouded in mystery, the identity of the beneficiaries of this salvation (redemption) as seen in Revelation chapter seven cannot be debated. These are actual humans who prevailed by faith over the Antichrist during the great tribulation. The consistency of Scripture as to where these worshippers would come from is inspiring. ‘Out of every‘ and ‘Of all‘ are one and the same- it simply means each and every. No nation or people will be missing that will not have representatives in the Kingdom of God. Wow! I like the faith of God. Many of us would ask, “How would this be?” In the light of present day realities of ever increasing godlessness, how would God get redeemed persons that can’t be counted and from every nation? But it is the faithfulness of God that will make it happen. God will not promise what He cannot accomplish. As His wisdom is infinite, there is no need for us to try to imagine how God will get this done. His ways and thoughts are far beyond ours. But perhaps his people, like the children of Israel in dispersion- Babylon and Medo-Persia- began to take their calling more seriously as they took their stand against the tyranny of those heathen kings. God was honoured and revealed through His people and I think this will repeat itself during the reign of the Antichrist.
Will you be in the great throng that will sing of the goodness of God in saving them? It is not by your power or might- but by faith and the Spirit of God. May we now sing and still in the future:
“Salvation to our God
Who sits upon the throne
And to the Lamb
Forever more.”
Amen!