13. answered—namely, to my thoughts; spoke, asking the question which might have been expected to arise in John's mind from what has gone before. One of the twenty-four elders, representing the Old and New Testament ministry, appropriately acts as interpreter of this vision of the glorified Church. What, &c.—Greek order, "These which are arrayed in white robes, WHO are they?" read more
14. Sir—Greek, "Lord." B, C, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic versions, and CYPRIAN read, "My Lord." A omits "My," as English Version. thou knowest—taken from Ezekiel 37:3. Comparatively ignorant ourselves of divine things, it is well for us to look upward for divinely communicated knowledge. came—rather as Greek, "come"; implying that they are just come. great tribulation—Greek, "THE great tribulation"; "the tribulation, the great one," namely, the tribulation to which the martyrs were exposed under... read more
John next saw another vision (cf. Revelation 7:1; Revelation 4:1). This vision seems to reveal things happening in heaven at the same time as what John saw happening on earth in Revelation 7:1-8.John saw an innumerable multitude of people in heaven before God’s throne. They came from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue on earth-Gentiles and Jews (cf. Revelation 5:9; Revelation 11:9; Revelation 13:7; Revelation 14:6; Revelation 17:15; Genesis 17:4-6; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 48:19). They stood... read more
2. The salvation of the great multitude 7:9-17There are a number of significant contrasts between the 144,000 and this great multitude that argue for two different groups even though some scholars have considered the two groups as one viewed from different perspectives. [Note: E.g., Beale, p. 424.] The number of the first group is not only smaller but definite whereas the number of the second group is larger and indefinite. People from the 12 tribes of Israel make up the first group, but people... read more
Together they praise God and the Lamb for their salvation, specifically their physical deliverance from the Tribulation scene and their consequent victory (cf. Revelation 12:10; Revelation 19:1). John never used "I save" (Gr. sozo) to denote salvation from sin, and it is questionable whether he ever used "salvation" (soteria) in this sense either. [Note: Thomas, Revelation 1-7, pp. 489-90.] Rather, he used it of other forms of deliverance. Probably the feast of Tabernacles is in the background... read more
Other angels, beside the four living beasts and the 24 elders, gathered around the throne. The angelic host assembled joined these Tribulation saints in prostrating themselves before God in worship (cf. Luke 15:8-10). read more
This is one of many doxologies in Revelation. "Blessing" or "praise" (Gr. eulogia) is what God deserves because of what he will do for these people (cf. Revelation 5:12-13). It is "that spontaneous act of thanks which men utter when they realize more vividly than ever before their happiness." [Note: R. H. Preston and A. T. Hanson, The Revelation of Saint John the Divine, p. 47.] "Glory" (doxa) is the honor due Him because of His good reputation, specifically for delivering them (cf. Revelation... read more
Occasionally in prophetic visions a dialogue takes place involving one of the characters in the vision and the person receiving it (cf. Jeremiah 1:11; Jeremiah 1:13; Amos 7:8; Amos 8:2; Zechariah 4:2; Zechariah 4:5). Here one of the elders asked John a question anticipating the question that was in John’s mind. This led to a clarification of the identity of the multitude in this vision (cf. Revelation 5:5; Joshua 9:8; Jonah 1:8). read more
John did not know the identity of these individuals, so the elder told him who they were. They are "those who are coming out from the great tribulation." Jesus coined the term "the Great Tribulation" (Matthew 24:15; Matthew 24:21) and identified it as the second half of Daniel’s seventieth week (Matthew 24:15-22; Mark 13:14-20; cf. Daniel 9:27). Positioned as this vision is just before the midpoint of the Tribulation, before the Great Tribulation begins, the elder must have meant that this... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Revelation 7:12
12. Greek, "The blessing, the glory, the wisdom, the thanksgiving, the honor, the power, the might [the doxology is sevenfold, implying its totality and completeness], unto the ages of the ages." read more