Revelation 7:13-14 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The identity of those dressed in white is explained by one of the elders. There are two key descriptions of the countless number of people from every tribe and nation and people. First is that they have come out of the great tribulation. There are different ways to interpret the “tribulation.” The word basically means time of trouble or oppression. It could include the time between Jesus’ first and second coming when all believers experience testing and suffering.This tribulation may more narrowly take place during the opening of the first six seals. Some interpreters even take this verse to imply the rapture and believers are taking before (pre-tribulation), during (mid-tribulation), or after (post-tribulation) the time of suffering. These verses alone do not say, so it is not wise to speculate. The bottom line is that God takes care of his people, even if they experience suffering.
Second, these people have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Like Isaiah 1:18, the stain of sin is removed by the red blood of the Lamb with the result that the believer is now pure and white. This “washing” is done through faith. Faith is the required response to the offer of grace through what Jesus has done for us. We must accept the purifying and cleansing of Jesus. This should lead to the transformed life of obedience and simple leaving.
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