Who Are the People of Revelation 7:9-17 and Revelation 20:4–6?
1) Direct Answer
They are the same people shown in two scenes—the Bride of Jesus Christ. Revelation 7:9-17 shows the Bride in worship before the throne, washed in the Blood. Revelation 20:4–6 shows the Bride in the first resurrection, enthroned to reign with Christ a thousand years.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Revelation 7:9-17: Now notice the marks—“a great multitude… of all nations,” “white robes,” “washed… in the blood of the Lamb,” “serve Him day and night,” “the Lamb… shall feed them,” and “God shall wipe away all tears.” The Bible says the Bride is given “fine linen, clean and white” (Revelation 19:7-8). White raiment is promised to the overcomer (Revelation 3:5). Being shepherded by the Lamb and having tears wiped away matches the Bride’s portion (John 10:27; Revelation 21:4).
- Revelation 20:4–6: “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them… they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years… this is the first resurrection… they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” You see, those who sit on thrones and reign as kings and priests are the very ones He redeemed to that position (Revelation 1:6; 5:10) and to whom He promised, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne” (Revelation 3:21). “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection”—that is the Bride.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The ones clothed in white, before the throne, shepherded by the Lamb, and having every tear wiped away are the overcomers—the Bride.
- The same company is later shown seated on thrones, priests unto God, reigning with Christ in the Millennium—the Bride in her reward.
- “Great tribulation” speaks of the saints’ pathway of suffering through the ages (Acts 14:22), not the wrath reserved for the ungodly (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The Bride comes through testing, washed in the Blood, and enters into rule.
4) Reinforcing Statement
One Body, two vantage points: in Revelation 7 the Bride is before the throne in worship; in Revelation 20 the Bride is on thrones in rule. Same Blood, same white robes, same overcomers—His Bride.
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Revelation, Chapter 4b Twenty-Four Elders
61-0101 §77
Now, a covenant, a token of what? A token of what? Of a sacrifice that has been accepted. Now get Genesis 8:20 and 22. Now, Genesis 8:20 and 22, all right, right across the page it is. And Noah ^^built ^^an altar unto the LORD; and took... every clean beast, and... every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of ^^his ^^heart is evil from his youth; neith...
Revelation, Chapter 4c Throne of mercy and judgement
61-0108 §82
Now we're at the laver. And notice, this laver was empty and was as clear as crystal. Why? The church had already been redeemed! Now, now we notice a little later on, though, when the tribulation saints comes up, we find it again full of fire. Did you know...? Would you like to read that? Let's go over to Revelation now, fifteenth chapter, the second verse, and read where we see this brassy fire again. All right. And I saw another ^^angel^^... I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having....
Revelation, Chapter 4c Throne of mercy and judgement
61-0108 §135
Now, that's the way they camped. Now, remember, let's read now in the Scripture now so we get this just exactly right. I'll begin back at the seventh verse: And the... beast was^^ likened unto^^ a lion, and the second...^^ likened unto^^ a calf ^^ (or a young ox),^^ and the third beast ^^was like the ^^face ^^of ^^a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts^^ each had^^ of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy,.....
Who is this Melchisedec?
65-0221E §19
Now we find in the Scripture that many people teaches that---three personalities in the Godhead. So you cannot have a personality without being a person. It takes a person to make a personality. A Baptist minister, a few weeks ago, come up to my house and said, "I'd like to straighten you out on the Godhead sometime when you got time"---called me up, rather. I said, "I got time right now." Because I want to be straight and we lay aside everything else to do it. And he come up, he said, "Brother Branham, you teach t...
Church Ages, part 9: The ten virgins, and the 144,000
60-1211M §103
Now, at the end of the time, how many knows that the Bible says that the saints shall judge the earth? Paul said so. Let's turn now to the book of Daniel, and get the white throne. We could get it out of Revelation, but I like to take it out of Daniel (same thing), Daniel 7. And we'll catch the great white throne judgment here. Let's begin at the 8th verse of the 7th chapter of Daniel: And I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them ... a little horn, before whom there were three of the first horn...