He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
The same - `THIS man;' he alone. So B; but 'Aleph (') A C, Vulgate, Coptic, Syriac, 'shall THUS be clothed,' etc.
White - glittering, dazzling white. Compare Matthew 13:43. The body transfigured into the likeness of Christ's, and emitting light reflected from Him, is probably the "white raiment."
Raiment - `garments.' "He that overcometh" shall receive the same reward as they who "have not defiled their garments" (Revelation 3:4): the two are identical.
I will not, х ou-mee (G3364)] - 'I will not by any means.'
Blot out his name out of the book of life - of the heavenly city. A register of citizens was kept in ancient states: the names of the dead were erased. So those who have a name that they live and are dead (Revelation 3:1), are blotted out of God's roll of the heavenly citizens; not that in God's electing decree they ever were there. But those having a high name for piety would be supposed to be in it, and were, as to privileges, actually among those in the way of salvation; these privileges, however, and the fact that they once might have been saved, shall not avail them. As to the book of life, cf. Exodus 32:32; Psalms 69:28; Daniel 12:1; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8. Many are enrolled among the called to salvation, who shall not be among the chosen at last. The pale of salvation is wider than that of election. Election is fixed. Salvation is open to all, and is pending (humanly speaking) in the case of those mentioned here. Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:27, exhibit the book of the elect alone, after the erasure of the others.
Before ... before - `in the presence of.' Compare the same promise, Matthew 10:32-33; Luke 12:8-9. He omits 'in heaven,' because there is, now that He is in heaven, no contrast between the Father in heaven and the Son on earth. He sets His seal from heaven upon many of His words uttered on earth (Trench). An undesigned coincidence, proving that these letters are, in words as well as substance, Christ's own; not even tinged with John's style, such as it appears in his gospel and letters. The coincidence is mainly with the three other gospels, not John's, which makes it more markedly undesigned. So also "He that hath an ear, let him hear," is not repeated from John's gospel, but from the Lord's own words in the three synoptic gospels (Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9; Mark 4:23; Mark 7:16; Luke 8:8; Luke 14:35).