Revelation 7:13, commentary and pictures

One of the elders asks about those dressed in white robes, where they came from and who they are. They are the redeemed, a great victorious multitude from every nation and people standing before God and the Lamb with palms of victory in their hands. They came up out of great tribulation and suffering for Christ, having washed their robes and made them white in His cleansing blood. The white robes are the righteousness of Christ, a spotless character made like His with every defect removed and nothing unlike Him remaining. Therefore they stand before the throne serving God continually, hungering and thirsting no more, fed and led by the Lamb to living waters while God wipes every tear away. The robes must be washed white now by patient obedience, living faith, and daily overcoming in order to be ready to join that sealed number.

Elder's Question and Vision

One of the elders addressed John with the question, what are these who are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they. The question asks for the identity of the great multitude clothed in white robes and for the place from which they came. It is asked by one of the elders around God's throne concerning the company around God's throne. The white-robed company so inquired after are the great multitude which no man can number.

John deferred to the elder, and the elder himself gave the answer of their identity and origin. The answer identifies them as those who came out of great tribulation and came up through great tribulation, and who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, made clean through Christ. Their robes represent cleansing from every stain of impurity, and this is the happy privilege of those who kept God's commandments on earth. The vision thus points afflicted sufferers to Jesus with assurance of salvation to God and to the Lamb and of life before the throne.

The vision shows them as of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and with palms in their hands. They cry with a loud voice salvation to God and to the Lamb, while all the angels and elders and living creatures fall before the throne and worship God. As crowned conquerors they wave palm branches of victory and sing Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and Salvation unto our God and unto the Lamb, joined by angels and archangels in Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, and their song is the victorious song of triumph from those who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. They are therefore before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple, with Him who sits on the throne dwelling among them, hungering no more nor thirsting any more nor struck by sun or heat, for the Lamb in the midst of the throne feeds them and leads them unto living fountains of waters and God wipes away all tears from their eyes. Their gathering is the joy of the resurrection morning never before known, when broken family chains are reunited and together they meet Jesus, the center and foundation of all hopes and the Author and Finisher of faith.

The question opens a comforting, beautiful pastoral picture of Shepherd and sheep that represents the members of the Lord's family in a way humanity can take in, rich in eloquence. It is a pastoral symbol of the redeemed whom the Lamb leads and cares for. These white-robed ones are the ransomed and glorified, gathered within the fold of the great Shepherd, where the faithful worker and the souls saved by his labors are greeted by the Lamb seated in the midst of the throne and led to the tree of life and to the fountain of living waters. They receive honor and glory, live in the presence of Him who died to elevate and ennoble them, each overcomer receiving a royal diadem, made sharers of the Redeemer's throne, and they gratefully remember those who were instrumental in their salvation, with heaven made more precious to those faithful in saving others.

John saw this as an exile on the lonely isle of Patmos, where Jesus met him and revealed events of the last days stretching over the ages to the coming of Christ as a bright light on the future, and made known the attractive glories of the heavenly home and the counsel of the Lord for future ages. He was permitted to look upon the throne of God and behold the white-robed redeemed, to see the glories of heaven and hear joyful anthems around God's throne. The scene reveals the triumph and joy of the redeemed and belongs to the prophetic history of God's people extending to the close of time. The Revelation 7:9-17 vision of the great multitude arrayed in white robes is counted among scriptures of comfort concerning death, resurrection, the blessedness of the faithful dead, and the wiping away of tears.

Identity of White-Robed Multitude

The white-robed multitude are the redeemed, the company of the redeemed, a great multitude that no one can number from all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb as a victorious, conquering multitude. They are those who came out of and came up through great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, made clean through Christ. They now stand victorious before God, serving Him and receiving His care, entering the city with a perfect right and receiving crowns and palms. Their white robes represent righteousness and cleansing from every impurity, and their period of toil will soon end when they see Jesus and are made like Him.

They are the faithful whom the world treated as weak and defenseless, hated and despised, but who endured persecution and suffering and stood firmly for God's truth. Their triumph is joined to refusing to worship the beast or its image and to honor the false sabbath, and to refusing the mark of the beast in order to overcome and inherit all things. They kept their eyes by faith on the throne and on the judgment and eternity ahead, which restrained them from sin as by beholding Jesus' character and purity they were transformed into His image. They are revealed among the martyrs close to God's throne, crowned as conquerors with white robes and starry crowns gained through suffering and faithful obedience.

Many were killed for holding to purity and holiness, but the faithful remained steadfast while others continually joined them and took the places of those who fell. They are those keeping all of God's commandments and having the faith of Jesus, preserved while judgment is held back until they are sealed. The One who purchased the world by giving Himself for its ransom has a chosen few whom He will preserve while the four angels are commissioned to hold back hurt to the earth until the sealing work is done, with Christ the Redeemer commanding the restraint. They are the sealed overcomers at the end of all things who bear the sign, the mark of God in their foreheads, because they sigh and cry for the abominations done among those professing to be God's people rather than being engrossed in selfish amusement, and after receiving the mark they are registered in the books of heaven as overcomers. Their cleansing is connected with repentance and receiving and practicing God's truth, and they are urged to seek it now so they may stand before God in white and have their names in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Together with Revelation 6:12-17 the vision brings to view two parties at God's judgment upon mankind, the white-robed company and another party who permitted themselves to be deceived. That other party allowed minds to become beclouded about what constitutes sin, transgressed the law and broke the everlasting covenant, took sides with those with whom the Lord has a controversy, and misinterpreted the messages sent them. They clothed themselves in robes of self-righteousness with sin not sinful in their eyes, in contrast to white robes representing lives cleansed through Christ. They taught falsehood as truth and by them many souls were led astray, and unless they make a decided change they will be found wanting and will receive according to their works.

Tribulation and Cleansing Blood

The white-robed ones are those who came out of great tribulation, who came up through great tribulation for Christ's sake to stand before the throne. The elder's question about who they are and whence they came is answered by their origin in that tribulation and by their cleansing, identifying them as the redeemed, the great multitude no one can number from all nations and kindreds and people and tongues. Their toil will soon end when they see Jesus and are made like Him, and the vision points afflicted sufferers to Jesus with assurance of salvation to God and to the Lamb and of life before the throne.

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, made clean through Christ. It is through that washing that they stand in spotless robes before God and the Lamb, serving Him day and night in His temple with Him who sits on the throne dwelling among them. Therefore they hunger no more nor thirst any more, neither does sun light on them nor any heat, for the Lamb in the midst of the throne feeds them and leads them unto living fountains of waters, and God wipes away all tears from their eyes.

They trod the fiery furnace of earthly affliction when heated intensely hot, coming from destitution, hunger, torture, deep self-denial and bitter disappointments. While they endured, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, the self-indulgent and disobedient, lost both worlds. Their suffering is part of the path to the promised reward, for those who suffer with Christ will reign with Him.

Meaning of White Robes

The white robes are the righteousness of Christ, the spotless righteousness in which the young are saved. They are the clothing of the redeemed gathered around the throne and the great white throne in the city of God, singing triumph and victory and praise to God and to the Lamb in eternal day without sorrow or separation. The elder's question who they are and where they came from is answered that they came through great tribulation and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and the palms in their hands signify victory.

They represent lives cleansed through Christ, not righteousness earned by one's own efforts. They represent character cleansed through the provision made at infinite cost, and those who wash at that fountain are promised a place in the mansions prepared for those who love God. In contrast to robes of self-righteousness, they mark those who have come through great tribulation for His sake and washed their robes in the Lamb's blood.

They are robes of character, spotless character without spot. They mean character cleansed and made like Christ's character, with all defects remedied and everything unlike Christ put away, including all hatred and jealousy and folly and covetousness. That cleansing is connected with repentance and receiving and practicing God's truth, with turning from sin so as to stand at last around God's throne, and believers are urged to seek it now in order to have their names in the Lamb's Book of Life and to prepare by imitating Christ. At infinite cost a fountain has been prepared for cleansing, and in the blood of the Son of God garments of character may be washed white, now ironed so as to appear before Christ without spot or wrinkle.

They are unfading beauty such as angels wear, formed from beauty of spirit and soul and heart and life. They are the inward adorning of a meek and quiet spirit, gained by cultivating the mind and being useful and laboring for others and bearing burdens of responsibility in life. This beauty may not be appreciated by the fashionable here but is appreciated in heaven, setting with divine grace upon every well-doer, adorning everyone whose life is virtuous and honest and true, molding the hands of charity and sweetening the voice of sympathy, and one day bearing the palm branch of victory.

The heavenly garments are white and shining, richer than any kingly robe, with beams of the Sun of Righteousness reflected upon them. They are worn by crowned conquerors and more than conquerors who are no longer poor and sorrowful and afflicted and hated for Christ's sake, but walk with jeweled crowns no earthly monarch wore, waving palm branches of victory.

The palms signify victory, and with jeweled crowns and starry crowns and crowns of glory they represent the reward of the overcomers. The white-robed, blood-washed throng who washed their robes in Jesus' blood and stood firmly for His truth will surround the great white throne, bear the palm branch of everlasting victory, and enter God's city with crowns and palms. Their white robes and starry crowns are gained through suffering and faithful obedience after passing through great tribulation.

Blessings Before God's Throne

Because they came out of great tribulation and washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple, and He who sits on the throne dwells among them. The white-robed company is the great multitude no one can number, and John in holy vision saw them as the redeemed host eternally saved and arrayed in white around the throne. They stand before God's throne and serve Him in His temple as those who came through great tribulation and made their robes white in the Lamb's blood.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall sun light on them nor any heat, for the Lamb in the midst of the throne feeds them and leads them unto living fountains of waters, and God wipes away all tears from their eyes. Their robes represent cleansing from every stain and impurity, and they will be led to fountains of living water with every tear wiped away, which is the happy privilege of those who kept God's commandments on earth. Their period of toil will soon end, and these blessings will surely be seen and realized when believers see Jesus and are made like Him, so believers should trust in the Lord to strengthen faith.

Their gathering is the joy of the resurrection morning never before known by the redeemed saints, when broken family chains are reunited and together they meet Jesus, the center and foundation of all hope and the Author and Finisher of faith. Sorrow over loved ones fallen in death is therefore mingled with joy through hope in the soon coming morning, connected with the hope of meeting again around God's throne. They dwell in peace and happiness and glory through ceaseless eternity with no more sorrow and no more separation, in eternal day as victorious conquerors standing before the throne. They live in the presence of Him who died to elevate and ennoble them, receive honor and glory and a royal diadem, are greeted by the Lamb seated in the midst of the throne and led to the tree of life and to the fountain of living waters, and are made sharers of the Redeemer's throne.

The scene portrays heaven as pure fellowship and harmonious social life among holy beings, angels, and the redeemed who share communal happiness rather than living for themselves. The saved gathered around God's throne join in heaven's song of victory giving honor and glory to God and to the Lamb, singing triumph and victory and praise, and the white robes are the spotless righteousness in which the young are saved. Each will then see and know just how much his own instrumentality did in the great work of salvation of the souls standing before the throne, including the unseen results of disinterested missionary labor in sowing papers, tracts, pamphlets, and books beside all waters to enlighten homes around the world, with crowns of glory given to them there. The saved gratefully remember those who were instrumental in their salvation through self-denying labors, persevering efforts, patience, perseverance, and earnest yearning that rescued them from being lost and turned them from error to truth and from the pains of the second death to immortality, and heaven is made more precious to the faithful worker beholding them with joy within the fold of the great Shepherd.

Sealing Judgment and Last Days

Revelation 7, where the elder asks about those arrayed in white robes, is full of meaning and shows mercy mixed with judgments, given for consideration and for comfort and encouragement. The One who purchased the world by giving Himself for its ransom has a chosen few whom He will preserve while the four angels are commissioned to hold back hurt to the earth until the sealing work is done. Christ the Redeemer commands that restraint, holding back judgment until His servants are sealed. Those in white robes are those keeping all of the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus.

Its setting stands in Revelation 6 and 7 concerning terrible judgments revealed against God's enemies. Seven angels stood before God to receive their commission and were given seven trumpets. The Lord goes forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, so that the earth discloses her blood and no more covers her slain. Coming plagues include hail about the weight of a talent falling upon the wicked who would not care for and obey God but insulted Him and despised all His mercies.

Together with Revelation 6:12-17 the vision brings to view two parties at God's judgment upon mankind. The verse belongs to a message about most important things that will transpire before long. It is of great importance to those acting a part in God's work for these last days, warning against deception about what is coming on the earth. It belongs to the description of the sealed overcomers at the end of all things, speedily to be fulfilled.

It is a message given for intelligent hearers to heed. It calls them not to draw apart but to be drawn together, to be of one heart and of one mind with one object before them, the salvation of souls, for there is a heaven to win. The close of the chapter exposes the unprepared state of the people for the judgment and calls for readiness. The question about those arrayed in white robes and whence they came presses the difference between genuine sanctification in the white robes that prepares for the judgment and the common spurious sanctification that leaves people unprepared.

Preparation for Joining Multitude

The account of those arrayed in white robes is the main business of life, meaning eternal life in the kingdom of glory, and the elder's question of who they are and whence they came will be verily fulfilled for every soul warring the good warfare for eternal life and for the crown of glory that fades not away.

The white robes must be washed and made white now in order to be among the sealed number, for they are robes of character, the white robe of Christ's righteousness cleansed through the provision made at infinite cost in the blood of the Lamb. That cleansing is connected with repentance and receiving and practicing God's truth, turning from sin so as to stand at last around God's throne and have the name in the Lamb's Book of Life with fitness for the society of heavenly angels and for the mansions prepared for those who love God and for the inheritance among the sanctified in the heavenly Canaan. The important work now is to make sure of that cleansing in order to be ready with spotless character, keeping Jesus ever before the mind and waiting, watching, and longing for His coming, imitating Christ and beholding Him whom the soul loves. Gaining the robes requires being earnest, self-possessed, firm, decided and persevering as overcomers, with patient continuance in well-doing, persevering integrity day by day, living faith made perfect by works, and calling on God for strength, and being among that number is the goal to seek and pray for daily. That inheritance will be enjoyed all the more for being pilgrims and strangers here who prize the rest that remains for the people of God, where those before the throne serve God day and night in His temple with Him dwelling among them, hungering and thirsting no more, sheltered from sun and heat, fed and led by the Lamb in the midst of the throne to living fountains of waters with God wiping away all tears.

This is the happy privilege and destiny of those who kept God's commandments on earth and willingly obey Christ's words, whose robes represent cleansing from every stain of impurity and who will be led to fountains of living water with every tear wiped away. Those who love and obey God on earth are accounted pure and loyal and worthy to join that pure and holy company who will dwell with Him in the heavenly courts, with place before God's throne and service in His temple under God's care and comfort. By keeping eyes by faith on the throne and on the judgment and eternity ahead, beholding Jesus' character and purity, they are restrained from sin and transformed into His image as they prepare for heaven. They remain faithful, refusing the mark of the beast and overcoming so they can inherit all things.

Joining them requires denying self, taking up the cross and following Christ, crucifying self and living for Christ, and being here like the angels in spirit in order to join them in the kingdom of glory. It requires holy dissatisfaction with self, earnest growth in grace, a more distinct and intelligent understanding of God's will, and striving for the mark of the prize, seeking fitness for usefulness and duty to bless others rather than for honor or glory here. It requires opening heart and mind to the impressions of the Holy Spirit and determining to stand for truth and righteousness, looking to Christ as the perfect Pattern, One equal with God who gave His precious life that people might live. It requires being refined, softened, and humble in spirit, being true and earnest, letting nothing stand in the way, letting self die and warring against self in and through Jesus, and being correct, truthful, honest, and faithful in all ways, for Christ died to redeem and to make sinners like Himself. Now is the time given to get ready, to wash and iron garments of character so as to appear before Christ without spot or wrinkle, with all defects remedied and everything unlike Christ put away, all hatred, jealousy, folly and covetousness, since at infinite cost a fountain has been prepared for cleansing in the blood of the Son of God, and gaining a place among the white-robed company requires personal righteousness and victory now with no time to lose, no petting of self, and no complaining or murmuring. Those who do so will be given a place in the mansions prepared for those who love Him, entitled to stand before God's throne among the blood-washed throng, bearing the palm branch of everlasting victory and eternal triumph.

Mingling with that blood-washed, glorified company before the throne requires overcoming as Christ overcame through acquaintance with the life of the Redeemer, especially the marked points in His history upon which the plan of salvation rests, through self-denial as Christ denied self, and through meeting temptations and overcoming obstacles through toil and suffering in the name of Jesus. Those who indulge in gaiety and feasting and imitate ancient Israel who ate and drank and rose up to play have no sense of His sufferings and cannot be partakers with Christ of His sufferings and cannot join that company.

The vision calls for cherishing faith, hope, and love as graces planted in the garden of the soul and cultivated to make believers bright, shining lights to the world and to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Each person is entreated by name to face the light and talk faith in order to have faith and not to talk darkness lest darkness come in abundance, because beholding changes into the same image.

The question is put to those waiting for the appearing of the Lord as a call to prayerfully consider position in an age that calls for reformatory action, with continued and protracted effort against intemperance, perverted appetite, and unholy habits that defile the soul-temple, amid increasing depravity among youth and children, fraud, forgery, bribery, and licentiousness. Belonging to that company of overcomers around the throne requires decided reform in everyday habits — living in strict economy rather than great expense and self-gratification, controlling appetite rather than indulging it in meat, butter and other excess, sharing practical domestic duties, and training children in right principles. Without decided changes in spending, appetite, self-denial and family order, parents and children will not be among those overcomers, but will enter temptations they do not dream of, and earnest work is required not only from those who open the Scriptures but from every child of God who will enter the Master's service.

In view of this scene it profits nothing to bury talents in worldly business or commercialism or to become so engrossed in the things of this world as to have no time or thought for getting ready. The vision points afflicted sufferers to Jesus with the assurance of salvation to God and to the Lamb and of life before the throne as a great multitude no one can number from all nations and kindreds and people and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb, come up through great tribulation with robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. These blessings will surely be seen and realized soon when the period of toil ends, when believers see Jesus and are made like Him, hungering no more nor thirsting anymore nor suffering sun or heat while the Lamb in the midst of the throne feeds them and leads them to living fountains of water and God wipes away all tears, so believers should trust in the Lord to strengthen faith. Suffering believers are encouraged to behold by faith the victorious faithful in white robes, with crowns and palm branches representing the reward of the overcomers who will surround the great white throne.

Serving before the throne means Christ opening the treasures and riches of Bible truth now unappreciated and hidden from eyes, requiring advancement as light comes so as to leave the present earthly common spiritual condition out of sight. It requires treating truth and light as priceless treasure hidden in a field to be bought and worked in every foot, with the promises of the Word growing brighter the more they are looked at and understanding deepening the more they are studied and practiced, holding position and faith in the Bible and never bringing the Testimonies ahead of the Bible. Outcasts rescued from Satan's power through loving human help and God's power can be restored to serve others and are precious to God, standing next to His throne.