Why Innumerable?
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
In light of what we have seen, it should by now be clear that the number of people within the Great Multitude is almost certainly gigantic—probably hundreds of thousands at least. In all likelihood, the number may well be much bigger than this, maybe millions, or even tens of millions.
On a side note, no matter its size, no matter how big the multitude might be, there is no number that cannot be counted by the mathematical systems of men. Men are able to count the now estimated 10 billion trillion stars in the universe, as well as numbers much, much larger. Thus, the only reason that the Great Multitude would be innumerable is because it is a number not yet established—a number that will only be known once it can be determined how many people around the world have chosen to repent as a result of what they have witnessed and experienced.
Every person possesses the same free moral agency. Each human being must decide what he will do when cataclysmic prophesied events about which he has been forewarned actually come to pass. People choose—numbers change.
“Came Out of Tribulation”
Jn 9:10 to 12 are not difficult to understand. But Jn 9:13 and 14 offer the biggest clue to when the Great Multitude appear: “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Obviously, this conversation involves a vision wherein John, on Earth, is talking with one of the twenty-four elders, in heaven. However, the verse plainly reveals that these people have repented—and that they “came out of great tribulation,” exactly as do the remnant—as well as that they come at the same time. (Yet they are not described as having been “sealed,” as were the 144,000, meaning they do not yet have God’s Spirit. Also, there is not yet mention of when they will be saved.)
The next several verses offer the biggest clue to how the process of conversion fits the multitude. As you read the final three verses of the prophecy, five times referencing “shall,” it becomes evident the multitude complete their conversion at Christ’s Return.
Now notice again: “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters [the Holy Spirit—see John 7:37-39]: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Jn 9:15-17).
It is obvious from the future tense used throughout that the Great Multitude are only fully converted upon Christ’s Return.
Now we begin to examine a fascinating parallel.
When Israel Left Egypt
Recall once more the principle of duality—and again in the context of Israel coming out of Egypt. Exodus 12:1-51 tells the story of Israel’s departure from Egyptian slavery and of the first Passover, instituted annually from that point. Exo 12:37 describes how the “children of Israel journeyed” from Egypt with “about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.” When wives and the size of families at that time are included, the 600,000 number likely grows to several million.
The size of the escaping Israelite nation of that earlier time becomes significant in a way that most have not recognized. This number was so large—this event so enormous, and with many powerful miracles surrounding God’s intervention on behalf of His people—that the local inhabitants of Egypt saw what God was doing and wanted to follow their escaping “employees” (slaves) to wherever God was leading.
The First “Great Multitude”
Many more than those of Israel chose to depart when Pharaoh gave permission to leave. Here is what the Exodus account records about the number of Gentiles, or what the Old Testament often refers to as “strangers,” who departed with Israel: “And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle” (Exo 12:38).
This is a fascinating statement, and carries within it a dramatic duality foretold to play out again in regard to the future Israelite remnant’s coming escape from the “Egypt” that, in this age, has become all the nations of the world. (Of course, while scattered worldwide, we did learn that some of the remnant are enslaved in literal Egypt once again.)
The Hebrew words translated “mixed multitude” offer a vital clue in regard to this very exciting prophecy of what lies ahead for people of all nations. The word mixed comes from the Hebrew ereb, which has this definition: “mixture…mongrel race…mingled people.” The word multitude is rab in the Hebrew, and means, “abundant…great…many…plenteous, populous.”
The picture here is that peoples of every kind—a diverse, mongrelized mixture or mingling of humanity, probably in many cases peoples who were also slaves in bondage beside their Israelite counterparts—came in large numbers. In other words, the size of the multitude was great, plenteous, populous or abundant in number. In fact, Exodus 12:38 could just as correctly have stated that a “Great Multitude” came with Israel from Egypt!
Remember that I Corinthians 10:1 and 11 tell us that Israel’s original exodus was an “ensample” or “type” for us today. Do not forget this! Of course, this would have no meaning if we could not know that God has specifically foretold a second, future, and much, MUCH greater exodus than happened 3,500 years ago.
Now we ask: Did God foretell, possibly in some kind of coded form, the appearance of the Revelation 7:1-17 Great Multitude in an Old Testament passage, one that is linked to Israel’s coming exodus from captivity? Can we find further corroboration of this co-mingled “escape” event beyond the parallel of the original Exodus account?
The answer to the first question is that God did, and thus to the second is we can!