Protecting the Servants of God, Part 3, The True Israel

Revelation seven is a parenthesis break before the opening of the seventh seal (8:1). There are two groups that appear here: the 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel and the unnumbered multitude dressed in white robes standing before the throne. These are said to have come out of the great tribulation. We believe that these two groups are different pictures of one people, the church of Jesus Christ.

The purpose of this chapter is to answer two questions. The first has to do with the fixed number of the saints in response to the martyred saints under the altar (6:9–11) who ask how long it will be before God will judge those who persecuted them on earth. Jesus response is that they must wait a little longer until the number of their fellow servants is complete. The 144,000 sealed servants of God speak symbolically of that number.

The second question deals with how Christ will protect His own in the midst of tribulation. The second group (vv. 9–17) answers the question as an unnumbered multitude stands before God’s throne in white apparel. They answer the question posed in 6:17, “Who can stand?” The answer is those whose robes are washed in Christ’s blood. They can stand.

Finally, we want to address the question of tribulation and the great tribulation (v. 14; Matt. 24:21 and Dan. 12:1).