Tom Bigbee,

 

thank you for that input on why the "great multitude that no man could number coming out of great tribulation..." is not the church but tribulation saints.

 

http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/oct2012/bigbee1020.htm

 

Another reason to add to your good explanation is in the numbers of the two groups under consideration. We know that the church has been described by Jesus as "few" in number:

 

Matthew 7:

 13.  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
 14.  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

Yet this group spoken of in Revelation 7 is so great in number that no man could number the multitude. The only way I can imagine that a description such as this would be given is to picture a multitude of people so great that if they were all in one place they would stretch from horizon to horizon in all directions thereby being beyond numbering by a man.

 

I know that the popular belief among many Christians is that when the rapture happens there will be "millions and millions" of people raptured and that they figure in relative terms that would still be considered "few" compared to the world in general that is left here. However some of the most thorough Bible scholars such as the late Bonnie Gaunt for example have stated that they believed that the numbers of people who will be raptured will be much less than what is popularly believed and I tend to agree with this according to the scriptures them self.

 

For example Jude quotes Enoch that when Jesus comes back to this earth with His raptured church the number given of people with Jesus may at first sound like an innumerable multitude but it is clearly not for Enoch places a very Conservative number on them as "ten thousands of His saints" and no matter how you slice that description it is not innumerable by any stretch.

 

We all can relate to the numbers of people that attend certain sporting events or large scale festival style concerts or what have you and even then the numbers of people in attendance is always number-able. Even when the numbers reach hundreds of thousands it is still very number-able by a man but even then you would use the term "hundreds of thousands" or if it was millions you would certainly have such terms available to describe the numbers. Why then "ten thousands"? Because that's how many there will be, few. I wish it were going to be the huge numbers going in the rapture that many expect but I think there will be these numbers going into and then getting saved through the tribulation.

 

Yet another reason why the tribulation saints are not he church is that they are in a completely different category when it comes to what they are doing in heaven. These are serving in heaven not ruling with Jesus the way the bride is.

 

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.
 15.  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
 16.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
 17.  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

 

The church on the other hand is not going to be serving Him but will reign with Him:

 

2 Timothy 2:

 12.  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him

 

Revelation 5: 

10.  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
 11.  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

 

(Notice even the angels around the throne are represented as number-able in contrast to the multitude that no man could number.)

 

But then there is a scripture that says tribulation saints will also reign with Him for the thousand years:

 

Revelation 20:

  4.  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

 Anyway, just wanted to add that to what you said.