First, the perfect number of the remnant of Israel is sealed, before the
providential instruments of God's judgments are allowed to act; 144,000=12
x 12 x 1000. They are secured for blessing according to God's purposes and
set apart by Him; not yet seen in their blessings, but secured for them.
Afterwards the vast multitude from among the gentiles is seen. We must
remark here, there is no previous prophetic announcement of the blessing of
the spared ones in the great tribulation (not the three years and-a-half of
Matthew 24-this refers to Jews-but that mentioned in the epistle to the
church at Philadelphia). Hence this is fully given to us here, and we are
distinctly told who they are. A multitude of Gentiles is seen standing not
as around the throne, but before it and before the Lamb, their
righteousness owned and themselves victorious. They ascribe salvation to
God thus revealed, that is, to God on the throne, and to the Lamb. They
belong to these earthly scenes, not to the assembly. This is answered by
the angels who are around the throne, the elders, and the living creatures
-all together composing the heavenly part of the scene already connected
with the throne; the angels surrounding the others, which form the centre
and immediate circle of the throne, the white-robed multitude before it.
The angels give their Amen, and pronounce the praise of their God too.
All this belonged to the white-robed multitude and the angels; only the
former speak of the Lamb, who was also their salvation. The angels add
their Amen to this; but praise their God. They had ascribed glory and
blessing to the Lamb before; but, naturally, salvation to the Lamb was not
their own part of the song. But the four living creatures and the elders do
not worship here, because their own relationships were different, and these
are not what are spoken of here. They are found, as far as the book goes,
in chapters 4 and 5, where they are on thrones around, and cast their
crowns before the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever.
They give the motives of worship according to the relationships they are
in: that of the angels is with their God; of the white robed multitude,
with the God of the throne and the Lamb as having the title to the
government and deliverance of the earth as a present thing. That the Lamb
was the Son, yea, the God who created the angels, is not the question here,
but of each speaking in his own relationship, so as to bring these
relationships out.
We have thus the heavenly hosts, the glorified saints, and the white-robed
multitude, each in a different relationship, but the first and the last
thrown in the main together-the glorified saints forming a class apart.
They do not worship here. But one of the elders, who have always the
intelligence of God explains to the prophet who the white-robed multitude
are. It formed no part of the prophetic revelation as yet, and it was not
the assembly's own place. "Sir, thou knowest," says the prophet. They had
come out of the great tribulation, faithful in it, their robes white in the
blood of the Lamb. They were not millennial saints, that is, born in that
time, and subject by birth to the responsibility of that condition (which
grace had to meet). They were cleansed and owned to be so, having the
consciousness of it and victory when the others began; so that they, as
already cleansed and owned, are always before the throne a special class,
and serve Him day and night in His temple.
