Charles Spurgeon Commentary Revelation 7:9

"After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of [all] tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands;" — Revelation 7:9 (ASV)

After this I beheld,

The Gentile Church.

And, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,

It will do some people good to see that sight, for they imagine that all the saints go to their place of worship. They imagine there are no good people anywhere except those who think exactly as they do. So they seem to imagine. Oh, that their eyes were opened a little, for I am afraid that some Christians are very like the mouse that had always lived in a box, and on some grand occasion climbed up to the edge of the box.

He looked over and saw the vast area of the cupboard, and said, "I had no idea the world was so big as that," and yet it had never seen outside the cupboard even then. Oh, for eyes that could see a sight like this! After this, I behold, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number (we can count pretty high too) of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.

Stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes.

Perfectly pure – perfectly happy – arrayed like priests and conquerors, for they had palms in their hands.

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, –

Our numbering can go a very long way; what, therefore, must be the countless hosts of the redeemed who are to be a great multitude, which no man could number? And what an infinite variety there will be among them, since they will not only be of all nations, but out of those nations they will be of all kindreds, and people, and tongues,—that is, all sorts and conditions of men, of every race, and of every age from the first century down to the last.

Christ's immeasurable redemption price must bring to him a great reward. Isaiah long ago foretold that He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; and it is no little result that will satisfy him for such travail of soul as he endured.

This great multitude stood before the throne, and before the Lamb,.

Clothed with white robes,—

To set forth their purity, their victory, and their entrance into the marriage state, for such was the color usually worn on such occasions. "Clothed with white robes," to show that they had entered into their rest, so that their garments were no longer soiled through their toil. They have reached their everlasting Sabbath; their weekday service is over forever.

After this.

I thought I would read this familiar and very precious passage once more, as so many of our people have gone home to heaven during the past few weeks. There has been a great flight of the Lord's doves upward to the heavenly dovecotes lately. We will think of them as we read these well-known words: After this.

I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Their purity is indicated by the white robes in which they were clothed, and possibly also their royal priesthood, while their victory over all their enemies is typified by the palms which they held in their hands. Montgomery was right when he wrote:

"Palms of glory, garments bright,
Crowns that never fade away,
Equip and adorn the saints in light,
Priests, and kings, and conquerors they."

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

This is the great gathering of the Gentile multitude redeemed by blood, numbered by God, never to be numbered by men, being like the sand on the seashore, innumerable.

They will be of all colors; and if we could see them, they would look to us on earth like a motley group, and if we heard them speak, it would seem like a strange jargon.

Many are the languages of earth, but one is the speech of heaven. All hearts are alike in the kingdom of the Most High, whatever the color of the flesh.

Do you know, the entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem seems to me to be the pattern before us here; only this is its fulfillment.

Here are the crowds that gathered around Him; the twelve disciples lead the way; and here are the multitudes with palms in their hands, scattering them in the pathway of their King.