Revelation 7:13-17 (NKJV) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
V13 “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” Instead of outright telling John, this elder asked a question as a teaching technique. Two questions to answer: 1) who are they and 2) where did they come from?
V14 “And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” John was honest and didn’t know. The angels wore white robes (Mark 16:5). Those with Jesus in the Transfiguration saw a transformation of His robe into a white robe (Luke 9:29). The 24 elders had white robes (Revelation 4:4). The Tribulation martyrs were given white robes (Revelation 6:11). Those who came out of Great Tribulation had robes that were washed in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus – 1 Corinthians 5:7). This blood is the atoning blood of Jesus that removes the stains of sin. The tribulation time is a time of suffering for all believers. Some understand “Great Tribulation” to be the last 3.5 years, as I do, and since Revelation is not necessarily in chronological order, is a prophetic look concerning those believers who died for their faith. Others consider it the whole of the Tribulation. Much depends on one’s interpretation of Revelation.
V15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.” We were created for fellowship and to serve God. In Genesis, they walked in the Garden for fellowship with the Creator (Genesis 3:8) for Adam and Eve recognized His footsteps. Likewise, we were created to serve God. This was Adam’s commission (Genesis 2:15).
V16 “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat…” Once dead, believers die no more. Believers in general die once (physical death) and are born twice (from our mother and be the Spirit of God (John 3:3). Unbelievers are born once (from their mother) and die twice (physical and eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10 and Matthew 25:41).
V17 “…for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” The Lord Jesus is our shepherd (Psalm 23 and Hebrews 13:20). He will do His shepherding faithfully and lovingly. Believers are led to living fountains of water and have their tears of sorrow personally wiped away by His loving hand. Keathley in his Revelation commentary writes: “It is important to note that their sufficiency stems from the shepherding ministry and the presence of the Lamb who is seen in the center of the throne. This stresses the importance and centrality of the person and work of Christ to the Godhead and the preeminence He should always have to us. How often in this life we experience insufficiency, but only because, like sheep who tend to wander, we fail to walk under the shepherding care of the Great Shepherd.”
We learn:
- Without Jesus, we are nothing.
- Faith in Jesus brings many blessings.