Revelation 7:13: And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

One of the elders in this verse refers to one among the 24 Elders in John's first vision of celestial paradise from 96 AD.¹ This one elder explains the meaning of the great multitude that John saw in his second vision of paradise.²

Revelation 7:13 states that one of the elders answered, which sounds like he was responding to a question asked by John.³ However, this is a Hebraism (i.e., a Hebrew idiom) which means the elder spoke.⁴ He asked John two questions about the great multitude that puzzled John. John was puzzled by the countless spirits in the great multitude from his second vision of celestial paradise, which he had not seen during his first vision.⁵ John wanted to know, therefore, who they were and where they came from.

Revelation 7:14: And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. 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.

John referred to the elder as sir, as a respectful title that means Lord.⁶ John said to him, thou knowest, which indicates that John was truly ignorant about the meaning of the great multitude.⁷ The elder knew perfectly well because he lived during the fifth seal that coincided in time with John's first vision and, after his death, his disembodied spirit in celestial paradise became one of the countless many in the great multitude.⁸

The elder told John that the great multitude came out of great tribulation, which includes the period of martyrdom during the fifth seal.⁹ John's second vision, however, depicts celestial paradise at the end of, and after, the sixth seal just before the Second Coming.¹⁰ Therefore, when the elder said that the great multitude came out of great tribulation, his comment should be viewed in the present tense to mean that the righteous spirits in the great multitude come out of great tribulation as an ongoing tribulation that occurs simultaneously with the near approach of the Second Coming.¹¹

Original Greek manuscripts identify great tribulation in Revelation 7:14 as the Great Tribulation, with the definite article.¹² In a latter-day context, the Great Tribulation refers to the last 3½ years before the Second Coming.¹³ This confirms that John's second vision of paradise coincides in time with the near approach of the Second Coming after the start of the seventh seal.¹⁴ Some scholars misinterpret this timeframe entirely because they believe great tribulation in Revelation 7:14 refers to the trials¹⁵ of saints historically and in all ages past.¹⁶ Exaltation-worthy saints in all ages can and do experience tribulations and they become part of the great multitude as John foresaw in his second vision of paradise.¹⁷ However, only saints of the latter-days will endure the trials of the Great Tribulation just before the Second Coming.¹⁸

Disciples of Christ become part of the great multitude that John saw in Revelation chapter 7 as their faith and obedience endures through the furnace of mortal afflictions.¹⁹ Not all must die as martyrs for their faith to become part of the great multitude.²⁰ Martyrs and non-martyrs alike will be part of the great multitude in paradise after they die, and after they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.²¹ By this benchmark, disembodied spirits in prison can enter paradise and become numbered among the great multitude as they accept the gospel in prison and vicariously receive the gospel ordinances required for exaltation.²² The atoning blood of Jesus Christ is the cleansing agent that whitens the robes of all disembodied spirits that enter paradise.²³ Here, the white robes symbolize the pure and sanctified condition of these spirits in the great multitude in paradise,²⁴ which means they are worthy of exaltation.²⁵

The great multitude from John's second vision of celestial paradise corresponds to the 144,000 Servants that receive the seal of the living God primarily during the sixth seal as foreseen by John in Revelation 7:4-8.²⁶ In John's second vision of paradise he saw the great multitude (144,000 servants) in paradise after their sealing before they stand with Christ on mount Zion at the time of the Second Coming as recorded in Revelation 14:1-2.²⁷