June 30: ARRAYED IN WHITE ROBES

Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” Revelation 7:13

The 24 elders are not only seen by John, but one of them sees John and approaches him with a thought-provoking pair of questions. Together, this elder and John are seeing a vision beyond the end of fallen earth’s history and into the future: a vast, diverse throng of people arrayed in white robes. We know from verses 9 & 10 that they are unified, and that all nations (v.9) are represented. Not one is left out. This heavenly gathering around God’s throne—made up of every ethnicity, heritage, and culture—will be thoroughly unified in Christ. Though numerous world leaders throughout history have attempted to bring people together in unity, only the Creator and Redeemer can actually do it.

The redeemed of the Lord will be in complete and harmonious agreement with Him on every particular. Sanctification means nothing less than the purity and holiness of Jesus entering my life, replacing every unholy inclination, attitude, habit, or tradition. It is left up to me to “put to death” these unholy traits and practices, but—arrrrgh!—my typical fallen human response when being confronted with a specific change that needs to happen is to debate, argue, or rationalize why this or that particular thing “doesn’t really matter to Him.” It is only when I admit that such an attitude has the effect of diminishing Christ and His Word in my life that I can begin to overcome the very thing(s) that Satan wants to use as barricades to sanctification. We all tend to favor the ideas and opinions of certain people over what the Bible teaches. This is where the battle comes, and it is where most of us falter.

Let us compare the great multitude which no one could number (v.9) with great multitudes (Luke 14:25) that went with Him while He walked the earth. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:25-26) To put Him in first place, that is to love Him above all else (we must get to know Him first), means that we will come to love others with the love that He imparts to our hearts, not with the feeble, conditional love that is only human. The love of Christ is unconditional, agape, love. To accept it means a white robe, for each of His true disciples.

Although the elder will provide a general answer to the questions he posed, we can and should ponder who we are and where each of us comes from. The general answer is that we come from a fallen world. But each of us can look back to see where we have been, specifically. What road are you walking on right now? Are you shedding those things now that will have no place in heaven? The vision of the throng arrayed in white robes is intended to give each of us a vision of being there. How did they get to the throne of God?

Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were “robed” in the righteousness of the Creator. They stood and walked in His presence, enjoying His company. This sinless condition is the state of these arrayed in white robes!