Tribulation Souls—Washed in The Blood 

Verse 14 identifies this congregation of people as more Christians born during the tribulation, wearing white garments that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, so that they are now outfitted with His imputed righteousness.  Without doubt, they are the product of the work and the energies of the 144,000 strong “special force” of evangelists, hand selected and picked by the Lamb, for a mission of soul winning that will be fraught with spiritual intrigue, betrayals by false Christians, false Christs and false prophets and other constant perils and dangers in the extreme.  Moreover, these are the ones whose coming was (foretold and) promised to the saints under the altar, the ones already dead, having been murdered for their faith, a number of years earlier.  In addition, in order to have arrived at this point, they will have to have represented—among unbelievers—some of the most difficult of prospective saints to reach.  If the Old Testament tale and narrative of Israel’s most wicked and most ignominious of kings is in anywise instructive (King Manasseh), some of these may even arrive at the foot of the cross with guilt-ridden consciences and bloody hands, having participated directly or indirectly in the roundup and slaughter of the first wave of tribulation saints (those were featured for us and shown under the altar of Heaven, in chapter 6).