Are the great multitude (Rev. 7:9), a different group?
So, are the ‘great multitude’ a different group? No. Its the same people. The difference is that in Rev. 7:1-8 we are looking at these people from the viewpoint of this world, but from verse 9 the action switches to Heaven! Notice verses 9-17 and see how the action has now definitely switched to Heaven: The group must be in Heaven in view of the ‘white robes’ (9 and 13), and they are plainly stated to be ‘standing before the throne’ (9 and 15). But also carefully read the next point for confirmation that the two groups mentioned in Rev. 7 are really the same. 3. Why are the 144,000 only from the 12 tribes? Because God has actually chosen to work with His human creation through the 12 tribes of Israel, the number of those redeemed from the earth are counted through those tribes. However, Christian believers become numbered with Israel: we become spiritual Israelites and are grafted into that number; therefore Rev. 7:1-8 (which, don’t forget, is looking at human redemption from the persp
