The Righteous in White Linen
Revelation 19:5-9, 11-14 – Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in FINE LINEN, CLEAN AND BRIGHT, FOR THE FINE LINEN IS THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” … Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And THE ARMIES IN HEAVEN, CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN, WHITE AND CLEAN, followed Him on white horses.
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Revelation 3:4,5 – You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
A promise is given to this faithful church, that, should they remain faithful they will be given garments of white. This is a direct reference to the heavenly attire made in relation to a church.
Revelation 3:18 – I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. [Laodicea]
Similar to the Church of Sardis, white garments are mentioned in the letter to Laodicea. Here, they are told to repent and give up pursuit of earthly lusts, and in essence clothe themselves in heavenly attire, or righteous garments to hide their spiritual nakedness.
Revelation 4:4 – Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
The elders in Heaven are said to be attired in white robes.
Revelation 6:9-11 – When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
A picture of a scene under the altar before the throne emerges showing the souls of those who have been slain in persecution. The context of this is important. It is the fifth seal of Revelation. The previous seals have seen wars, famine, economic upheaval, and massive death upon the earth. In the pre-tribulational view of eschatology, the Church is already in heaven, yet here we are told of the persecuted righteous, and they are clothed in exactly the same attire as what was promised the earlier Churches.
Revelation 7:9,13-14 – After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands… Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” 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.
This passage makes certain that those who are clothed in white robes are people who come out of the Great Tribulation. It makes sense that these are part of the same group mentioned earlier in the fifth seal. However, there are those who contend these are tribulation saints, and are somehow different from the Christians in the Church. The only way to maintain this obtuse reading of Revelation is to accept that this would mean the Church, supposedly raptured before the Great Tribulation, is also not a part of the armies of heaven who return to reign with Christ and are not a part of the bride of Christ! Revelation 19, where we began, said it was the bride who was given the right to be clothed in these white garments, and that they are the righteous acts of the saints (not Church). Now, this is obviously preposterous to hold. The Church is coming back with Jesus, because the Church is synonymous with the saints. But it also means that the Church will be here for the Great Tribulation, and that is what so many Christians do not want to accept.