(13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? (14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. (16) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. (17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
This is as beautiful and interesting a part as any, of the whole vision. We may suppose, that the mind of John was wrapt up in the most profound meditation, as he looked on, and heard, and stood, like one amazed, at what he saw. One of the Elders, therefore, interpreting by John's looks, that he longed to enter into a perfect apprehension of the whole, put the question to him, which John perhaps would himself, had he presumed, have ventured to ask: What are these things which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they? And the Elder, answering his own question, for John and the Church's information, is most gracious. And is, if I mistake not, in direct reference to the Church of God in the Last particularly at the time now coming on And though I do not presume to suppose, yea, I think the contrary, but that the Church in all ages may be referred to; yet, as this vision was given in a very particular manner, for the comfort of the Church then, when the seventh seal should open, I do conceive, that those here mentioned, as coming out of great tribulation, were those gathered more especially froth the Eastern part of the world, from among the dominions under Mahometan delusion, and had a primary respect to them.
And, I will venture to go further, under an humble hope, that I do not err in the relation, and say, that now in the day in which I am writing these observations, even in the day and year of our Lord God April 1, 1816, I do well remember the return of a godly man from the Turkish dominions, during the late war, who had formerly been a member of the Church of God to which I belong, and having been called into Egypt, there, found other godly persons, sent upon a similar occasion of war, with himself; and who, having formed meetings together for sacred worship, had the pleasure to find some from among the inhabitants of that city, who came and joined their services. A plain proof, that God's people are scattered; and, that Jesus hath his people, whom he is calling from the East as well as the West, and the North, and the South. And, oh! what a multitude will arise, from all those different corners of the earth, at the last day, when Jesus shall send his angels to call them. home! Though they are now separated by distant seas and climes, though diversified by customs and manners; yet Christ, the desire of his people in all nations, hath in all nations a people that serve him: and of all these it will be found, that as the Father hath given them to his Son, so all shall come to him; and nothing shall separate the members from the glorious Head of his body the Church, who filleth all in all.
I must not trespass too largely, but otherwise the subject is as extensive as it is great, and as interesting as it is beautiful. The Elder that put the question to John, answered it himself. He gives an account of their persons, their former state, their present felicity, with the source of all their happiness in Christ, and the everlasting home of blessedness, to which they are brought, in the service of God and the Lamb, forever. If the Reader will indulge me with few outlines, I hope the Lord may make them profitable.
First. They are said to have come out of great tribulation. Though it may be safely said, that the Church of Christ, in all ages, more or less, come out of great tribulation; for Christ himself hath made it a mark of Sonship, that in the world his disciples shall have tribulation; while in him they have peace; John 16:33. yet those times which followed the sealing, between the sixth and seventh seals, were eminently marked with persecutions. The history of the Church, which relates to us the dreadful ravages made by the sword of the false prophet and his followers at that time, Most plainly prove it. And indeed, what was the sealing of the hundred and forty and four thousand intended for, but as the Lord's token of love to his Church, before the coming on of those persecutions? Reader! mark then, this first feature in the Latin's people. They have come, out of great tribulation Every child of God knows somewhat of this, if not from the open persecution of the world, yet, from the plague of his own heart. It is blessed to know the tribulation from this quarter, in order to endear Christ. Till we know somewhat of our own wretchedness, we think lightly of his righteousness.
Secondly. They are said to have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Reader! I pray you, mark well what is here said. They come out of great tribulation. But, that was no cause of their acceptance before God. They had white robes, and palms in their hands. But the former were not made White by their washing, nor the latter put into their hands for their victory. No washing of their's, no sacrifice, no blood of bulls, or of goats; no merits, no works of their's, which they had done; not an atom of their's contributed to it: but it was the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's dear Son, in which their robes were washed; and therefore that is, for that very cause, and that alone, they were before the throne of God, and served him in his temple day and night.
And under this particular, I beseech the Reader to remark yet further, that it is their robes which they are said to have washed. Not their sins only, but their robes, that is, their very best things, or a man's robes are his best things. And what may we suppose is implied in their best things, but their best prayers, their best deeds, their most holy services, their Lord's day robes, their ordinance robes, their sacramental robes their holy conversation robes. All need washing. All must be washed and made white, in the blood of the Lamb, or all become offensive before God. Nothing but the blood of the Lamb, can make holy before God, neither any but the Person and righteousness of the Lord Jesus justify in God's sight. It is in Him and Him only, the Church of God find access here in grace or hereafter in glory. He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, Ephesians 1:6
Thirdly. Let our next view of this sweet subject be, to contemplate the blessed consequences which follow. Having looked at them in their Persons, being washed, being sanctified, being justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God; let us hear the Elders account to John of the blessedness of their station, 1 Corinthians 6:11. They are before the throne of God. They have the immediate enjoyment of God and the Lamb. Here it is in grace. Above it is in glory. Here, they enjoy that presence by faith. There, in sight. Here, in part. There, in a fulness of joy at God's right hand forevermore.
Moreover, they are described in their service of God before his throne night and day. We know not what the blessedness of such services consist in. We must be endowed with the faculties of the redeemed in glory, to speak of their employments. But we can, in some measure, conceive, what glory must continually pour in upon the soul, when no fleshly corruptions, any longer arise to interrupt spiritual pleasure. We can, and do now at times, for a short moment, when grace is in lively exercise, feel ourselves as in the suburbs of heaven, in contemplating God and the Lord. Sweet and precious, though rare and short, those holy seasons are. But what must it be, when the disembodied spirit of a redeemed regenerated child of God, shall join the spirits of just men made perfect, and is fully some not by faith, but by sight, to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to God the judge of the Judge of all?
Fourthly. The Elder added another information, by way of heightening to John 's view the unspeakable blessedness of the redeemed; namely, that He that sitteth on, the throne, shall dwell among them. God's presence among his people is the superlative degree of all happiness and glory. Even here on earth, it is the sweetner of all blessings. Where Jesus is there is blessedness. No blessing void of him can be called a blessing. Hence, for the want of Christ it is, that so many aching hearts are in fine houses while on the contrary, where Jesus is, however poor and humble, the Lord brings all blessedness with him. And what then must it be in heaven, where the immediate presence of God and the Lamb, forms the very heaven to the soul When John heard a great voice out of heaven, speaking of peculiar blessedness to the Church, it was to say, behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people; and God himself shall be with them, and be their God! Revelation 21:3
Fifthly. The blessedness of their state is further described, in their being forever exempt from hunger and thirst, and a complete freedom from sickness, or the pressure of the sun's heat. They are brought into that happy climate, where none of the inhabitants shall any longer say I am sick, for the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity, Isaiah 33:24. It is blessed here upon earth, to have tasted the heavenly manna, even Christ's body the bread of life, spiritual hunger is then satisfied with Christ. And when the Lord Jesus gives of the water of life freely, this becomes in the spirit, a well of water springing up to everlasting life. The child of God which daily feeds upon Jesus, will hunger no more after the empty, unsatisfying husks of this world. But in heaven, what unspeakable felicity must it be, to have Christ for our portion, and to live upon him forever!
Sixthly. There is somewhat peculiarly sweet and endearing in this whole account, in calling the Lord Jesus the Lamb. There can be no doubt, but that the personal glory of the Lord Jesus, is intended by it. The Holy Ghost delights in holding up to the Church the Person of her Lord. The inherent holiness of Christ, and the personal purity of Christ, in that pure portion of our nature, taken into union with the Godhead; underived as it was from all created power, possesseth in itself an holiness infinitely beyond the holiness of Angels. For though the Angels which are Elect Angels, are kept from sinning, yet this is by election. Their nature, without that electing and preserving grace, being in itself necessarily changeable, as all created excellence must be, would be necessarily subject to fall. And that they do not fall, is wholly to be ascribed to election. For those Angels which were not Elect, have fallen. And hence it is said, God putteth no trust in his servants, and even his Angels he chargeth with folly; that is, with a weakness capable of sinning, Job 4:18. But Christ in that holy portion of human nature, he took into union with himself, is said to be holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; that is, higher than Angels, being the uncreated Word, Hebrews 7:26; John 1:1
It is on this account, if I do not greatly mistake, that the Holy Ghost so often dwells in this Book on this expression, when speaking of Christ in calling him the Lamb. And there are numberless beauties in the name, as it concerns the Lord's Church and People. To mention only a few. First. It hath a sweet and sacred allusion to God the Father's decree, when Christ in our nature, was set up from everlasting. Hence he is called in this Book, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Revelation 13:8. And hence also in reference to the same, the names of his people are said to be written, in the Lamb's book of life, Revelation 21:27
Secondly. Through all the old Testament scripture, when the Holy Ghost speaks of the Lord Jesus, under the meekness and gentleness of his character, it is as the Lamb. Hence by the Prophet, he is said to have been led as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth, Isaiah 53:7. And no less in the New Testament dispensation, God the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of his servant John the Baptist, calls upon the Church to behold him, under this endearedness of character. For looking upon Jesus as he passed, he said; Behold; the Lamb of God! which taketh away the sins of the world, John 1:29-36
Thirdly. God the Holy Ghost never loseth sight of the same, by way of holding up to the Church's view, the personal holiness of the Lord, for when Jesus returned to his exalted state, still it is the Lamb. He, who was, and is the Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world; was, and is the Lamb as had been slain, which John saw, in the midst of the throne, Revelation 5:6. And now again in this vision, as in the midst of the throne, feeding the Church, leading them to living fountains of waters, and wiping away all tears from their eyes.
Reader! do not too hastily pass away from those views. The subject is too precious, too blessed to be so treated. Methinks I should like to dwell upon it forever. Lord the Spirit! I would say, give me grace to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Let my soul gaze upon him by faith, and feed on him in spirit, as my passover sacrificed for my sins. That while Jesus Seeds my soul, my soul may feast upon his blood and righteousness, and as Jesus hath said, he that eateth me, shall live by me, John 6:57
One view of Christ, as the Lamb in the midst of the throne, is so blessed, so gracious, and so delightful, for the faithful to meditate upon, that I would very earnestly, and very affectionately recommend it to every true follower of the Lord, as an effectual antidote against the poisonous breath of those men, who think lightly of our Lord, in this present Christ-despising generation. I mean, in that his being in the midst of the throne, must imply his Godhead. What can Christ be in the midst of the throne, and yet not God? Is there a hardened mind upon earth, so desperately bent to allow the one, and yet deny the other. Oh! how will such men turn into everlasting paleness, and an horrible dread overwhelm them, when they shall see our Jesus in the midst of the throne, where he now is, and the heavens passing away before his presence with a great noise, and the earths and all that is in it, burnt up.
Oh! the blessedness to God's people. Your God, your Jesus, is in the midst of the throne. And to you it is a throne of grace, where you are sure to obtain mercy and grace, to help in all time of need. It is to you a throne of justice also, where the Lamb is in the midst. For he hath satisfied justice, answered all the demands of the law, silenced all the accusations of Satan against his people, and reigns and rules: in his throne of righteousness, to see: all the merits of his blood, completely answered in blessings to his Church and people. And to you it is a throne of glory, for the Lord that gives grace, will give glory; and it is Christ's own glory which is concerned: to see, that the travail of his soul shall be satisfied, for in bringing many sons to glory, it behoved Jesus, as the Captain of our salvation, to be made perfect through suffering: Reader! shall you and I go to this throne, now Jesus is in the midst of it? Every way, and in every direction, it is open to poor sinners, behind and before, for Christ the Lamb slain is in the midst of the throne.
And how he feeds his people, here in grace, and there in glory; surely, every regenerated child of God cannot but know. Himself is the whole of our food. By faith, at his house, at his table, in ordinances and means of grace, all spiritual partakers truly eat of his flesh, and drink of his blood. And they find, by soul experience, what the Lord hath said, that his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed. John 6:55. And wherefore should it be questioned? If animal life is supported day by day, from the sustenance received in the bread which perisheth with using, shall it be thought incredible, that spiritual life is kept up and maintained, in constant supplies of grace and strength, from the bread of life which is Jesus himself, in the continued communications the Lord makes of himself to his people. Precious Lamb of God, that art in the midst of the throne! do thou, while giving out glory to thy redeemed above, feed with grace thy Church below. For surely, Lord, they are equally dear to thee, by every tye which can make them so, by thy Father's gift, thine own purchase, the conquest of thy Spirit over them in regeneration, and their surrender of themselves to thee, as thine, since thou hast made them willing in the day of thy power!