These Are the Ones … (Rev 7) 405 Given, then, the relationship of the great multitude to the martyrs in 6,9- 11, one may extend the application of Dan 7 to both of these passages, since the Great Multitude entails persecuted saints. These connections, however, cannot be established with certainty in the limited scope of this essay. Thus, in consideration of the four foci of this essay, we must conclude that though the suggestion that the righteous’ presence in heaven connotes their suffering martyrdom is appealing in light of the whole of the Apocalypse — which often portrays the righteous as martyred — it cannot be fully justified from the context of Revelation 7,9-17 alone. That Revelation 7, however, conceives of the righteous as those who have endured persecution, is derived from the fact that they have come out of the “great tribulation”. Whether this entails martyrdom, which seems reasonable, cannot be fully determined. d) Focus #4: Vindication of the Righteous The presence of the righteous in heaven, before the throne of God, implies their vindication. This is supported by the fact that those before the throne (7,15) are ‘the ones who have come out of the great tribulation’ (7,14). This thought, however, is encapsulated with only a brief description (54), and is incomplete unless it is compared to the account of the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11,3-13 (and the 144,000 in Revelation 14,1-5 as well). In both of these passages, especially the former, the resurrection of the righteous in the presence of their enemies and their place in heaven seemingly proclaim their vindication (55). However, if Revelation recapitulates certain themes and events, and if indeed it tends to expand on them when it recapitulates, then understanding the presence of the righteous of 7,15-17 in heaven may well indicate their vindication. * ** At this point, we should reiterate that of the four foci pertaining to the righteous, each of which was clearly present in the account of the Two Witnesses (11,3-13), only the first two were present in the portrait of the 144,000. Moreover, in the account of the Great Multitude only the last two were present. If, then, we were to read the accounts of the 144,000 and the Great Multitude as a unity, the depiction of the righteous in terms of the four foci accords with the account of the Two Witnesses. In light of Revelation’s proposed literary habit of making explicit features that were previously only implicit, it is not surprising that each of the four foci is more explicitly present in the latter account. Thus, a thematic analysis of John’s depiction of the righteous in Revelation 11,3-13 — the account of the Two Witnesses — lends support to the thesis that the 144,000 and the Great Multitude of Revelation 7 should be viewed as encompassing the same group. (54) Hendriksen suggests, “A few verses are devoted to a description of the Church triumphant after the final judgment” (Conquerors, 35). (55) Cf. Rev 11,11-12.