“After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they kept on crying with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation [we owe] to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb’.” (Rev. 7:9-10)
What does the Bible have to say about the location of the Great Crowd? Will it, in fact, reside forever on the earth? According to this verse, the great crowd is standing before the throne where God Almighty Himself is seated. However, instead of interpreting this passage to mean that they are literally in heaven, the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses teaches that standing before the throne is to be understood figuratively. It really means that, while on earth, the great crowd is “in sight of” the throne. For example, in Matthew 25:31,32 it says:
“When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”
Here the same Greek word for “before” enopion appears, although it is believed that Christ will be in heaven separating people on earth.
Can this interpretation be justified? First of all it must be said that we don’t really know how Jesus will perform the separating of people. Jesus begins this parable by giving a description of his arrival with his angels and saying that he will sit down on his glorious throne. However, according to Revelation 3:21 since his resurrection, Jesus has been seated on his heavenly throne:
“To the one who conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Rev. 3:21)
This future sitting down on his throne could very well involve him coming to the vicinity of the earth. (1 Thess. 4:15-17) The parable of the sheep and goats also mentions that there will be interaction between the king and those being separated.
“Then the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I became hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you received me hospitably; 36 naked and you clothed me. I fell sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? (Matthew 25:34-37)
How will this be accomplished if he is in heaven? It does not seem that this verse can be used as conclusive proof that those before the throne are on earth.
Let’s examine the immediate context of Revelation. Verse 11 says:
“And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell upon their faces before the throne and worshipped God.” (Rev. 7:11)
Here we see in the very same context that the angels, four living creatures and the elders all fall “before the throne”. Would it be prudent to conclude that these are not really in the presence of God in heaven, but at some earthly location with the great crowd? Hardly.
Jehovah’s Witnesses understand the 144,000 to be anointed Christians that are taken from earth to serve God in heaven. Yet notice how they are described:
Revelation 14:3 “And they are singing as if a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders….”
Here we see the same phrase, “before the throne”, yet Jehovah’s Witnesses understand that this scene literally takes place in heaven.
However, more is said of the great crowd than where they are located:
That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them. (Rev. 7:15)
Note that the verse also describes them as rendering God sacred service “in his temple”.
The governing body explains that this is to be understood as meaning the earthly courtyards of the spiritual temple. For example The May 1, 2002 Watchtower states:
“It is reasonable to say that the great crowd worships Jehovah in one of the earthly courtyards of his great spiritual temple, specifically the one that corresponds with the outer courtyard of Solomon’s temple. (The Watchtower May 1, 2002 pg. 30)
Is this a valid argument?
The word temple is a translation of the Greek word naos. (strongs 3485)
How is this word used in Revelation?
The word naos occurs 15 times in Revelation:
“‘The one who conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple (naos) of my God, and he will by no means go out from it anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from my God, and my own new name. (Rev. 3:12)
And a reed like a rod was given to me as he said: “Get up and measure the temple [sanctuary] (naos) of God and the altar and those worshipping in it. 2 But as for the courtyard that is outside the temple [sanctuary] (naos), leave it out and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months. (Rev. 11:1,2)
And the temple [sanctuary] (naos) of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple [sanctuary] (naos). And there were flashes of lightning and voices and thunders and an earthquake and a great hail. (Rev. 11:19)
Another angel emerged from the temple [sanctuary] (naos), calling with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: “Put your sickle in and reap, because the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 And the one seated on the cloud thrust his sickle into the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 And still another angel emerged from the temple [sanctuary] (naos) that is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. (Rev. 14:15-17)
After this I saw, and the sanctuary (naos) of the tent of the witness was opened in heaven, 6 and the seven angels with the seven plagues emerged from the sanctuary (naos), clothed with clean, bright linen and with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. 7 One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls that were full of the anger of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 And the sanctuary (naos) became filled with smoke because of the glory of God and because of his power, and no one was able to enter the sanctuary (naos) until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Rev. 15:5-8)
And I heard a loud voice out of the sanctuary (naos) say to the seven angels: “Go and pour out the seven bowls of the anger of God on the earth.” (Rev. 16:1)
The seventh one poured out his bowl on the air. At this a loud voice came out of the sanctuary (naos) from the throne, saying: “It has come to pass!” (Rev. 16:17)
I did not see a temple (naos) in it, for Jehovah God the Almighty is its temple (naos), also the Lamb is. (Rev. 21:22)
Would you agree that in Revelation, every other usage of the word “naos” refers to the heavens? Interestingly, Revelation 11:2 specifically makes a distinction between the naos and the courtyard that is outside the naos!
However, we notice that in some verses the New World Translation added the word sanctuary. Why?
Some of the occurences of sanctuary are in brackets. In the introduction to the New World Translation we read this concerning the use of brackets:
“Single brackets [ ] enclose words inserted to complete the sense in the English text. Double brackets [[ ]] suggest interpolations (insertions of foreign material) in the original text.”
What this means is that the word sanctuary does not appear in the original Greek text. The translators have inserted it in order to complete the sense in the English text. But for this, the translators would have to first know that John is making a distinction that needs to be clarified. How do they know this? The word sanctuary occurs 13 times in Revelation in the New World Translation.
Seven of these occurrences are in brackets:
And a reed like a rod was given to me as he said: “Get up and measure the temple [sanctuary] of God and the altar and those worshipping in it. But as for the courtyard that is outside the temple [sanctuary], leave it out and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months. (Revelation 11:1, 2)
And the temple [sanctuary] of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple [sanctuary]. And there were flashes of lightning and voices and thunders and an earthquake and a great hail. (Revelation 11:19)
Another angel emerged from the temple [sanctuary], calling with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: “Put your sickle in and reap, because the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” (Revelation 14:15)
And still another angel emerged from the temple [sanctuary] that is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. (Revelation 14:17)
Six are not:
After this I saw, and the sanctuary of the tent of the witness was opened in heaven, and the seven angels with the seven plagues emerged from the sanctuary, clothed with clean, bright linen and with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. (Revelation 15:5, 6)
And the sanctuary became filled with smoke because of the glory of God and because of his power, and no one was able to enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15:8)
And I heard a loud voice out of the sanctuary say to the seven angels: “Go and pour out the seven bowls of the anger of God on the earth.” (Revelation 16:1)
The seventh one poured out his bowl on the air. At this a loud voice came out of the sanctuary from the throne, saying: “It has come to pass!” (Revelation 16:17)
Whether it is rendered temple with sanctuary in brackets or just sanctuary the Greek word in all of these verses is naos. So, what’s the difference? Why not just render it sanctuary in all cases? Angels are said to emerge from the sanctuary, God’s voice is heard coming from there, it is where his throne is located, smoked filled it and the ark of the covenant was seen there. All references to the Most Holy compartment of the temple which is symbolic of the very presence of God. All are translations of the same Greek word naos. In the Greek portion of the Kingdom Interlinear it is translated always as divine habitation. The same Greek word naos occurs in Revelation 7:15. Yet it is not translated as sanctuary either with or without brackets. Why?
Unless it can be shown that there is a part of the sanctuary that represents earth, this interpretation of the Watchtower Society simply does not hold.
But there is:
Jehovah’s Great Spiritual Temple.
The tabernacle constructed by Moses and the temples built by Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod were only typical, or pictorial. This was shown by the apostle Paul when he wrote that the tabernacle, the basic features of which were included in the later temples, was “a typical representation and a shadow of the heavenly things.” (Heb 8:1-5; see also 1Ki 8:27; Isa 66:1; Ac 7:48; 17:24.) The Christian Greek Scriptures disclose the reality represented by the type. These Scriptures show that the tabernacle and the temples built by Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod, along with their features, represented a greater, spiritual temple of Jehovah, “the true tent, which Jehovah put up, and not man.” (Heb 8:2) As revealed by its various features, that spiritual temple is the arrangement for approaching Jehovah in worship on the basis of the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ.—Heb 9:2-10, 23.
The inspired letter to the Hebrews states that in this spiritual temple the Most Holy is “heaven itself,” the area where the person of God is. (Heb 9:24) Since only the Most Holy is “heaven itself,” then the Holy and the priestly courtyard, as well as their features, must pertain to things on earth, those things having to do with Jesus Christ during his ministry on earth and his followers who are “partakers of the heavenly calling.”—Heb 3:1.
The curtain was a barrier separating the Holy from the Most Holy; in Jesus’ case it represented “his flesh,” which he had to lay down in sacrifice, giving it up forever, to be able to enter heaven, the antitypical Most Holy. (Heb 10:20) Anointed Christians must also pass the fleshly barrier that separates them from access to God’s presence in heaven. Consistently, the Holy represents their condition as spirit-begotten sons of God, with heavenly life in view, and they will attain to that heavenly reward when their fleshly bodies are laid aside in death.—1Co 15:50; Heb 2:10. (Insight on the Scriptures vol. 2 pg. 1081)
This interpretation however, would place the great crowd serving as priests in the holy compartment of the temple. which would mean that they are anointed Christians with the hope of one day going to heaven.
Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness for the way of entry into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 which he opened up for us as a new and living way through the curtain, that is, his flesh, (Hebrews 10:19, 20)
To say that the “great crowd ” is standing in what would be a symbolic representation of the outer courtyard of Solomon’s temple would be going beyond the things that are written. Revelation 7:15 doesn’t even mention the word courtyard [aulen strongs 833] like it does in Revelation 11:2. And even in this verse it is outside the naos.
And the outer courtyard (aulen) of the temple (naos) put out and do not measure it, for it was given to the nations, and they shall tread the holy city forty two months. (Rev. 11:2 Apostolic Bible Polyglot)
How and why did the society come to the conclusion that the Great crowd must be an earthly class? This will be examined in a future article.