In the book of Revelation the word "great crowd" appears 3 times,it is quite interesting that in all 3 verses it says A great crowd and not THE great crowd .Could that possibly mean that this is not a specific group but just a multitude of spiritual beings in heaven ?In the same line of reasoning the Bible uses the word "a great crowd " in John 6:2 ," 2 But a great crowd kept following him, because they were beholding the signs he was performing upon those who were ill." Are we to believe that the great crowd in John 6:2 has any significance ,or identifies a specific group of people with unique attributes?
Great Crowd ,who are they in the Bible ?
by raymond frantz 10 Replies latest watchtower bible
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mP
revelations story has passed. Revelation is the story of a frustrated jew who hated the romans. There were no xians in Rome, when it burnt down and Nero fiddled. There were however plenty of jews there who were frustrated and causing trouble which was their thing. A few years later vespasian and his son Titus came to Jerusalem to teach them a lesson.
666=nero, look it up on wiki.
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Vanderhoven7
The 144,000 and the Great Crowd are the same born-again, heaven-bound group (the church)...being described in two different settings (pre-trib, then in post-trib victory) and from different viewpoints (divine, then human). The "hearing" and then "seeing" sequence is a literary device used often by the apostle John to describe his images in the book of Revelation. The innumerable church body is described by God in symbolism which represents perfection and perfect symmetry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_JnephdlP8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLSO2vzNNiA&feature=relmfu
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raymond frantz
Hi Vanderhoven7 ,I'm trying to see this issue from a different point of view really .Concetrating on the fact that there is no definitive article in front of the phrase great crowd so therefore any interprentation of who they really are is loose ,thanks for the youtube videos .I'll watch them now
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transhuman68
This is a literal translation of Revelation 7:9, more or less
after these these-things I-PERCEIVED AND BE-PERCEIVING lo ! THRONG MANY vast WHOM which TO-NUMBER him himit NOT-YET-ONE no-one was-ABLE OUT OF-EVERY NATIONS nation AND tribes of-tribes AND PEOPLES AND TONGUES languages HAVING-STOOD standing IN-VIEW sight-ofbefore OF-THE the THRONE AND IN-VIEW sight-ofbefore
And this is how it appears in most Bibles:
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;
Strong's Concordance and the RSV Bible use the word 'multitude.' It occurs dozens of times in the Bible- nothing special about it.
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raymond frantz
Hi transhuman68 , I'm Greek and know how to read the ancient text (I'm not trying to show off) just looking for more ideas :The verse says "οχλος πολυς" which translates "crowd many" but there is no definitive article in front of it .If it was a specific group it would say "ο πολυς οχλος" , o , being the article .
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The Searcher
The 'great crowd' are described as a vast number of people who come out of the Great Tribulation .
The Great Tribulation is referred to 4 times in the Bible - and only by Christ himself! (Mattew 24:21, 29; Revelation 2:22; 7:14)
At Revelation 2:22,23, it is seen that Christ Jesus himself will cause this Great Tribulation to happen to the Christian congregation as a whole, and to no one else, because of the corrupt practices occurring in 'God's House' at the time of the end, by some influential "Christians".
Matthew 13:41 - "The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness."
Matthew 24:24 - "For false Christs (anointed) and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones."
Acts 20:30 - "from among YOU yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves."
2 Thess. 2:4 - "The day of Jehovah.......will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called “god” or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god."
2nd Peter 2:1 - "there will also be false teachers among YOU."
1st Peter 4:17 - "The judgement starts first with the House of God ."
The reason the great crowd endure the Great Tribulation, is given at Revelation 7:14 by the angel to John; it's because they have maintained their faith & Christian identity - by 'having washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb'.
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sabastious
Imo, the great multitude consists of all God's chosen people from every nation, tribe, people and tongue who have EVER existed. No group is left behind. 144k + Great Multitude = the Names in the Book of Life.
-Sab
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Christ Alone
Revelation 19:1 - "After this I heard what seemed like the loud voice of a GREAT CROWD IN HEAVEN saying ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God"
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Leolaia
I discuss them here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/96705/1/The-144-000-and-the-Great-Crowd-of-Revelation
They are everyone who was martyred in the great tribulation. They are dead; that is why they are in heaven.