9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers[c] should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. - Rev 6:9-11
Rev 6:17, after experiencing the wrath of the one who sits on the throne, the enemies of the saints declared, "for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”" Immediately the answer to their question (and the cry of the Martyrs in 6:10) are answered in the following chapter; the ones who can stand against the wrath of God are the 144,000 Jews.
In Rev 7, we see the 144,000 Jews being called out in verses 1-8. And then a great multitude in verses 9-17. We must firstly understand, that these 144,000 Jews are sealed to be protected from the powers given to the 4 angels to release the trumpets and bowls. But they are not sealed to be protected from the persecution of the beast and his followers (13:7). Hence in reference to the 5th Seal, they could well make up the numbers of the martyrs that has yet to be completed to trigger God's vengeance on the beast.
*it is my believe that the 144,000 Jews represents a complete figure of the new Israel, which is the church. 12 x 12 x 1000 is a figurative symobology for completeness. Hence we will not be expecting a literal 144,000 end time Jews getting the seal of God.
Secondly, Bauckham (1993b: 215-29) "provides cogent reasons for taking the 144,000 as not just the faithful church but even more so as "the messianic army".... He takes the 2 halves of the chapter paralleling the two images of Christ as the Lion (5:5 = 7: 1-8) and the slain Lamb (5:6 = 7:9-17).. Furthermore, the numbering of the tribes has the form of a census, and in the OT a census was done to determine the size of the army in preparation for battle." - Grant R Osborne, Baker's exegetical commentary on the New Testament for Revelations, page 313, on the 144,000 Jews.
Hence when we piece up these implications, we see the 144,000 Jews (which is the true Israel, the church), as an end time army of witness for Christ, who will be killed by the beast but yet protected from God's wrath against the beast. They are the answer to the question of the dead saints in 6:10 and the enemies of God 6:17. And hence naturally, the great multitude in 7:9-17 portrays the triumphant death of the saints who endured persecution till the end.
The lesson learnt here cannot be better expressed by the following commentary writer:
"When we stand before the great white throne with the living creatures, elders, and angels surrounding it (7:11 = Chap 4 and 5) and see all the angels of heaven rejoicing with us and praising God for what he has done for us (7:11), it will be a scene beyond anything we can imagine. How can anyone read this passage without a sense of worship and overwhelming awe? How can any Christian meditate on it without affirming his or her commitment to put the Lord first in everything? Can any earthly achievement begin to compare with this scene? Those who sacrifice everything and compromise their ethics to walk the corridors of power in Washington or in corporate headquarters around the world need to look at this passage again. Is it worth it to "gain the whole world and lose your own soul"? (Mark 8:36)
"When we stand before the great white throne with the living creatures, elders, and angels surrounding it (7:11 = Chap 4 and 5) and see all the angels of heaven rejoicing with us and praising God for what he has done for us (7:11), it will be a scene beyond anything we can imagine. How can anyone read this passage without a sense of worship and overwhelming awe? How can any Christian meditate on it without affirming his or her commitment to put the Lord first in everything? Can any earthly achievement begin to compare with this scene? Those who sacrifice everything and compromise their ethics to walk the corridors of power in Washington or in corporate headquarters around the world need to look at this passage again. Is it worth it to "gain the whole world and lose your own soul"? (Mark 8:36)
As believers go through difficult times, general trials as well as specific persecution (and note all the articles even in secular papers and magazines on the persecution of Christians worldwide), it is good to keep in mind the promised results of 7:14-17. Our salvation is assured not because of who we are but because of the "blood of Christ." Because we are the children of God and have been faithful in the days of trial (inherent in "washed their robes"; see 22:14), God and the Lamb will reward us. Here we must realize that what is being described is not the partial fulfillment of "God with us" in the present, nor just the earthly rewards of the millennial kingdom, but the eternal; rewards of our future heavenly existence. The church is "sealed" on earth (7:1-8) before the time of tribulation and it is rewarded in heaven (7:9-17) after the time of tribulation. The reward is threefold. First, we will be privileged to stand before the throne in worship continually throughout eternity (worship is the major activity in 21:1-22:5). This culminates all the hopes and yearnings of the people of God from Genesis to Revelations. The God whose Shekinah dwelt among his people in the pillar and cloud but especially in the Holy and Holies will not dwell (21:3) with us literally and physically for eternity. Second, all earthly sufferings and sorrows will be taken away once and for all. Both internal (hunger and thirst) and external (scorching heat) deprivations will be removed, and we will experience bliss and fulfillment forever. Third the Lamp will become our shepherd, leading us to the Life-giving springs, and God will wipe away all our tears of suffering. The purpose of this section is to encourage every believer to persevere in this life, for God will make up to us all that we have suffered. It is strange that many Christians will sacrifice and struggle in their earthly jobs, working always for future financial rewards and security, yet they will sacrifice little or nothing for their final eternal rewards. Why give everything for earthly "blessings" that will last only a short time and surrender heavenly blessings that will last for eternity? As Jesus said in Matt 6:19-24, seek heavenly treasures, not earthly.
- Grant R Osborne, Baker's exegetical commentary on the New Testament for Revelations, page 333-334, on Rev 7.
