The Great Tribulation vs. The Great Multitude (Revelation 7)
Revelation 7:9 "...And I beheld a great multitude, so numerous that no one could count them, who came from every nation and tribe, from every people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands."
Revelation 7:14 "I said to him, 'You know, my lord.' He said to me, 'These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation, who washed their robes white with the blood of the lamb.'
Revelation 7:15 'Therefore they serve God day and night in his temple before the throne, and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his tabernacle.'"
|
Item |
The Great Tribulation |
The Great Multitude |
|
Meaning |
The totality of sufferings, persecutions, afflictions, and hardships experienced by God’s redeemed people throughout all generations |
The totality of God’s redeemed people manifested in eternity as the testimony of Jesus |
|
Cause |
The world opposes God and persecutes the church (John 16:33) |
The Lamb redeems people from every nation to constitute the church (Rev. 7:9; 5:9) |
|
Metaphor |
Refining fire, pressure, and the pathway of suffering |
White robes (righteousness and purified conduct), palm branches (victory and satisfaction) |
|
Function |
To test, expose, and refine God’s people |
To manifest the overcoming ones and the full effect of the Lamb’s redemption |
|
Explanation |
Not a single end-time event, but a general description of tribulations across all ages (Rev. 7:14) |
Those who come out of the great tribulation and stand before the throne |
|
Result |
Man is broken and limited in himself |
Man is victorious and uplifted in Christ |
|
Mutual Relationship |
Tribulation is the process |
The multitude is the outcome |
|
Tribulation is the background |
The multitude is the testimony |
|
|
Tribulation exposes man’s inability |
The multitude displays the power of the Lamb’s blood |
|
|
Examples |
Saints throughout the ages suffering persecution and hardship |
Redeemed ones from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue |
|
Application |
Not to escape tribulation, but to turn to the blood of the Lamb in tribulation |
To keep one’s robes washed daily and live in the reality of overcoming |
|
Burden |
To realize that tribulation is normal for the church |
To see that God’s goal is to gain a corporate people serving Him |
|
Prophesying Guidance |
Tribulation is not the end; the Lamb’s blood is the answer |
Overcoming is the destiny of all the redeemed, not a select few |
|
Conclusion |
None of God’s redeemed avoid tribulation |
None who live in the Lamb’s blood fail to enter victory |
|
Related Scriptures |
Rev. 7:14; John 16:33; Rev. 12:11 |
Rev. 7:9–17; Rev. 22:14; 1 John 1:7; Eph. 1:3 |
Spiritual Integration (Key Points)
God does not use tribulation to eliminate His people, but
to manifest those who live by the Lamb’s blood.
The great multitude is not an elite group of
special overcomers, but the ultimate portrait
of all the redeemed.
They overcome not by endurance alone, but by
continually washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
Standing before the throne signifies being raptured into the heavenly realm,
entering God’s presence and administration.
Their day-and-night service shows that today’s service in time is preparation
for eternal service.
One Prophesying Statement
The great tribulation is not the destiny of God’s people; the great multitude standing before the throne and serving God is the testimony of Jesus.
Key Spiritual Insights
- Tribulation × the Lamb’s blood = the overcoming multitude
- Washed robes × living water = eternal service
- Faithfulness in time = commission in eternity
*Please refer to the 2025 Winter Training: Experiencing, Enjoying, and Manifesting Christ (Part Four), Chapter One: God's Faithful Witnesses, Witnessing for Jesus.
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