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” (Revelation 7:13-14).

Every human being on the face of the earth has a unique shade of skin color. No two people are exactly the same, on the outside anyway. But there’s one color that we all have in common. And that color is red. 

The book of Revelation is a book that reveals, among other things, events that will happen in the future. Chapter seven reveals a time when people from every tribe, nation, and tongue will stand before God’s throne and worship Him, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 

Two interesting details about the saints who will worship before the throne of God are revealed in verse 14. They are those that have been delivered out of great tribulation. They’ve had their robes “washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

What does it mean, exactly, to have your “robe washed in the blood of the Lamb?” 

Certainly, facing tribulation is a part of it. Paul makes clear in his letter to Timothy that persecution is a guarantee for those who endeavor to lead godly lives (2 Timothy 3:12). 

But it’s what comes before that – what causes tribulation – that reveals the most to us. 

Elsewhere in Revelation, “white robes” are representative of “the righteous deeds of the saints.” The persecution we face in this world is almost always a response to both our worship of the Righteous One and our commitment to His righteous standards. 

Ultimately, it is our commitment to the Righteous One that will one day unite us in worship before His throne.

To have our robes washed in the blood of the Lamb begins by recognizing the supremacy of the One for whom we live. We understand that following Jesus may lead us to be derided, laughed at, mocked, even threatened. But ultimately, our commitment in the face of all those things speaks more of His worth than anything else could. 

The mechanism that God will use to unite His church under a single banner will be His own worthiness, and those from every tribe, nation, and tongue who recognize it.

The saints who will one day worship before the throne of God are inextricably linked by one color. Not the color of our skin, but the color of our robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb who gave Himself for us, and who alone is worthy of our devotion.