Revelation 7:13 - Meaning and Application

Here we see the honor and joy of those who have faithfully served the Lord Jesus Christ and suffered for him.

One of the elders asks a question, not to learn for himself, but to teach John. Ministers can learn from the people, especially from older and wiser Christians. The least saint in heaven knows more than the greatest apostle on earth. The elder’s question has two parts: What are these people dressed in white robes? And where did they come from? He seems to ask with wonder, like the question in (Song of Solomon 3:6), “Who is this coming up from the wilderness?” Faithful Christians deserve our attention and respect. We should notice the upright.

John answers in a way that shows his own lack of knowledge and asks the elder for help: “You know.” Anyone who wants to learn must not be ashamed to admit ignorance or to ask instruction from those who can give it.

Then the apostle is told about that noble army of martyrs, those who stood before the throne of God in white robes, with palms of victory in their hands. First, we are reminded of the low and painful condition they had once been in. They had been in great trouble. They had been persecuted by people, tempted by Satan, and sometimes troubled in their own hearts. They had suffered the loss of their property, the imprisonment of their bodies, and even death itself. The road to heaven goes through many troubles, but even great trouble cannot separate us from the love of God. When tribulation is borne well, it makes heaven seem more welcome and more glorious.

Second, we are told how they were prepared for the honor and happiness they now enjoy. They had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). It is not the blood of the martyrs themselves that can wash away sin, but the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. His blood alone can cleanse the soul before God. Other blood stains. His is the only blood that makes the saints white and clean.

Third, we see the blessed state they have now entered because they are ready for it. They are happy in where they are, because they are before the throne of God day and night, and he lives among them. They are in the very presence where there is fullness of joy. They are also happy in what they do, because they serve God constantly, without weakness, drowsiness, or weariness. Heaven is a place of service, though not of suffering. It is a place of rest, but not of laziness. It is a joyful, praising rest.

They are also free from all the troubles of this life. They have no more hunger or thirst, because every need is supplied and every discomfort removed. They will never again be scorched by the heat of the sun. The Lord Jesus cares for them and leads them. He will feed them and guide them to living fountains of water. He gives them everything that is refreshing and pleasing to the soul, so they will hunger and thirst no more.

They are also delivered from all sorrow and from everything that causes sorrow. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. They had known grief before, and they had shed many tears, both over sin and over suffering. But God himself, with his own gentle and loving hand, will wipe those tears away, and they will never return. Yet they would not have been without those tears, because God comes to wipe them away. He acts like a tender father who finds his beloved child in tears. He comforts him, wipes his eyes, and turns sorrow into joy.

This should make Christians more moderate in their present sorrow and help them under all their troubles. Those who sow in tears will reap in joy, and those who now go out weeping, carrying precious seed, will surely come back rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.