WHITE GARMENTS
[p. 245] WHITE GARMENTS
Revelation 22: 14; Revelation 7: 13, 14; Revelation 19: 7, 8; Revelation 15: 6; Revelation 11: 3; Revelation 4: 4; Revelation 19: 14
I have in mind to speak about clothing, a subject which, as you will observe from the verses read, has a great place in this book. It is mentioned many more times than in these passages, and it would be a profitable inquiry to look up the passages in the entire book.
Before proceeding, I would remark, as to clothing, that whilst primarily it was introduced to cover nakedness, it also represents in the saints what they may be in appearance; in external appearance and deportment in relation to any given position or function. So that it may be regarded as covering in its import all that we are in our dignity and heavenly relations, and all that we are in our assembly and other relations down here. Luke 15 makes plain that the thought covers our most exalted position that is, “the best robe”. There is only one spoken of; it is that with which God has clothed us, for it belongs to the saints of the present dispensation. It is a question of the distinction God puts upon us, which involves His sovereign rights. He has His thoughts about every family, for every family is named of Him and the name given to it implies His thought as to each.
God has His mind as to ourselves and clothes us accordingly; but it is not only what we are in His mind, for the best robe is brought forth and put on us. It is Christ as He is: that is the supreme thought of God for men. Paul saw Him glorified and laboured to present every man perfect in Him; and would have us in our minds in accord with God’s mind. This implies the work of the Holy Spirit, for it is through Him all is effected: yet God is pleased to [p. 246] use bondmen, for He would have us understand His thought about us, and that is nothing less than that we should be like Christ, as He is. That is the greatest thought as I apprehend in our clothing. That thought must not be impaired. It may easily be impaired in us, but not in God’s mind; and so the force of the first verse I read: “Blessed are they that wash their robes”. It is a question of what is continuous; not what has been done, but what is being done. Our robes are to be washed, and it is an important matter to inquire into, to see what our wardrobe contains, as it were. The washing in this verse is obviously not a recurrence of the application of the blood of Christ, the death of Christ in that aspect, but the water.
I bring this subject before you, I may say, with certain deliberation on account of the present time of the year and where we are, that is, by the seaside. Seaside places are represented here. Moving about in holiday-making is apt to promote a holiday spirit, and a holiday spirit links on with the world; it is a matter of consequence there. It leads to defiled robes, and then the humiliating need of washing, so that we may come into the blessedness spoken of here and maintain our “right to the tree of life”. The presenting of a letter of commendation at any meeting may assume that I have a right to the tree of life and to enter by the gates; but it is legitimate to inquire whether the washing has been continued since the letter was written. If it has, no meeting will be missed that is available, natural pleasure or recreation will not supersede spiritual privileges; the latter will always be prominent, will be everything indeed.
I remark here, trusting that you will bear with the word of exhortation, that holiday spirit is apt to carry with it holiday attire; and this holiday attire effaces (outwardly, at least) our heavenly status and testimony;
[p. 247] we drop to the level of the world, and our real attire, which has cost so much, is soiled. Hence the importance of this verse, “Blessed are they that wash their robes”. If I do not wash mine, my letter of commendation had better not be presented: for if the letter contains a right, that right lies morally in the washing; “that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city”. You will understand what I mean. The city implies the assembly, and to have part in it there must be washing. Even aside from any gross matters which I have allowed which makes me like the world, I must wash. The Lord said to His disciples: “Come ye ourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while” (Mark 6: 31). They went and were recognised as they went; they belonged to Jesus; the company was recognised. We do not want to lose our identity these hot days, dear brethren. God appointed “summer and winter”, and His thought runs through, and summer should not become the occasion of our being damaged. “Cold and heat” are in keeping with “seed time and harvest”.
I want to show from these scriptures the varied robes in which believers may be seen; and they are all to be washed, to be kept bright or white. White predominates throughout this book in regard of the garments. We have, indeed, garments of a glittering character, but they are worn by Babylon. It is not the time for these glittering, showy garments. Babylon wears them: she has no sense of shame; she has no thought of hanging her head as to the terrible apostasy that has come in; indeed, as she has led in it, how could she? She is decked with her scarlet and gold, but not so the people of God; we shall be arrayed in what is glorious in due course, but this book contemplates apostasy; it contemplates the world, and the worst world that ever existed. It is [p. 248] the world that has taken on Christianity, glorified itself in it, but hates it in its true character, and we have to do with it in these days. John says, “the whole world lies in the wicked one” (1 John 5: 19).
Revelation 7 I dwell on first. There is a countless multitude, but a glorious multitude; palm trees in their hands and they come out of great tribulation. The represent the result of redemption; I speak of them in that way for the purpose before me. They include, therefore, every young believer even if he be only a few days old in the faith; and I may say to you that if you are to come into Christianity in its truly blessed character there must be in your experience something of tribulation. Paul said to companies of young believers, “Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14: 22). It might not have entered your mind that the way in is marked by that, but it is. These have come out of great tribulation and they are victorious, and they are clothed in white robes. Now that is the first thing, covering everyone that is a Christian this kind of garment belongs to Him. They are not spoken of here as washed by others, it is their own doing. It means that you, as a believer, have appropriated the death of Christ, you have faith in the blood. These persons would not have used it if they had not faith in it; they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Is that robe to be soiled?
I am not ignoring that as a believer in Christ your eternal place in Him is sure. You may miss much of the great salvation of God at the present time, but your eternal welfare is secure: but then this white robe has to be washed. It means you judge yourself, and not only judge yourself in the constant things that come up, but apply the death of Christ; there has to be the application of water or there can be no washing. As there is the washing the blessedness [p. 249] spoken of in chapter 22 will be yours. As you come into the meeting the brethren will not see a dull countenance, they will see you have maintained what you began with and perhaps you have gained. I believe every washing implies a spiritual gain and there is a blessedness attached to it. I would urge you to come into this blessedness accruing from washing, so that you have right to the tree of life and enter by the gates into the city.
The next robe is that which belongs to the Lamb’s wife. The youngest believer that has the Spirit belongs to the assembly as the wife. “The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready”. It means you are loyal to Christ and the Lord can trust you. It is a very blessed thing to be consciously trusted by Him; it is not beyond the reach of the youngest believer here. I know nothing more sweet in a sense than being trusted by the Lord, that He can commit something to you that you will keep and not desecrate. This robe is a most exceptional one: “it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure”. We cannot afford to allow a soil on that; what a treasure it is! One of the best in the wardrobe of God, and yet it comes from the saints. God loves to make much of the saints, what they are and what they do for Him. “The fine linen”, says the Spirit, “is the righteousnesses of the saints”. The youngest believer has part in this; righteousnesses: one, two, three, four, or however many more; the righteousnesses that have marked you since you became a Christian.
It is a question of privilege, that God has such regard for the saints in this light, as trustworthy, that He says, in effect, The garment I am granting you to wear is your own product. The product of the Holy Spirit, indeed, of the work of God in us, but still it “is the righteousnesses of the saints”. Some of you may think that the wife relation is [p. 250] future, but it is present; the bride relation is presented as future. She comes down from heaven adorned for her husband. That is the future, but already she is the wife; and, of course, this relation continues; her garments here are not for show, but indicate purity; fine linen, clean and bright. They are not only what I have done but what I shall do, it is the continuance of the threads of this wonderful garment, the material of it being the righteousnesses of the saints. What an incentive to be practically righteous! One of the greatest demands of the moment is to be practically righteous. John says, “every one who practises righteousness is begotten of him” (1 John 2: 29).
The next garment I would speak of is that worn by seven angels coming out of the temple of God: fine linen again! There is a certain progress in these scriptures in that way. “Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God?” says the apostle (1 Corinthians 3: 16). The Spirit of God is saying that to us now. What agrees with it is fine linen garments. Every whit of the temple is said to be glorious and I have part in that. How sorrowful that I should allow a stain to continue by refraining from the washing! I cannot afford to miss what the temple affords. The light of God is there; we have access to the temple of God where the light is. How essential, therefore, that we should keep our garments white! With such garments we are to attend meetings for the consideration of the Scriptures, where God graciously furnishes us light by His Spirit.
The next part of my subject is testimony, and that is chapter 11. The testimony is in those two remarkable men. “My two witnesses”, God says. They have no white garments; their garments are sackcloth. I do not know whether we know much about sackcloth. I have often marvelled at the quantity of it at Nineveh. There was enough to cover the [p. 251] men and the cattle. What a quantity was needed! Did not God know that that sackcloth was in Nineveh when He sent Jonah to it? He wanted to bring it out, He had pleasure in it. Bring out this sackcloth, let it come into display; they brought it out at Nineveh. It is for us to understand how there was so much of it. From the king down they were all clothed with it, and the cattle too. God does not satisfy our curiosity. It is a question of getting the spiritual meaning of it. Have I any of this fabric, any clothes made of it? They are in the wardrobe of God. The very best clothes in certain circumstances; when things are so bad that we feel them, we judge them, and our outward appearance denotes our feelings. So these two witnesses of God were clothed with sackcloth all the time of their testimony. “These are the two olive trees;” they are spiritual brothers, and the thought includes spiritual sisters. It is in the power of the Lord that such testimony is rendered and the feelings that accompany it. Great general failure is contemplated and the clothing of the witnesses is intended to remind all of this so that it should be felt and owned.
I would remark next on the elders in chapter 4. They are clothed in white. They have crowns and thrones, but they are clothed in white. They represent persons who have the care of the saints; and, of course, no one is exempt. The youngest believer here is involved: if he says he has no sense of care to help anyone I question his Christianity. One of the first things that should mark you is to help another believer. That is the spirit to maintain. These elders, of course, represent more; they represent men of experience; they are twenty-four in number, meaning that they are in the full understanding of the dispensations of God. They know something of the sovereign ways of God of old and of today. They know something of the regime of [p. 252] David, who developed the principle of the number twenty-four. Indeed, they are viewed as knowing all about it. So that they are very distinguished persons, but the principle marking them is care for others; and they think for God and His people; they know the saints, as we see in chapter 7.
I often think of those maidens that came out of the city when Saul and his servant were looking for the asses; they could tell them of Samuel. Some young sister may say, that is for the brothers, but these maidens knew about Samuel. They say, “Make haste now ... as soon as ye come into the city, ye shall straightway find him” (1 Samuel 9: 12, 13). They knew just what was happening. What intelligent women they were! These elders here know in every case; they know if any question is asked. How important that there are brethren who know about things, who look far afield and are conversant with the work of God! Scripture speaks of “the ears of the assembly” (Acts 11: 22); the leading brethren at Jerusalem knew what God was doing far away at Antioch. God would enlarge us in this sense. The elders cast their crowns before Jesus; they are subservient to Him; but they are clothed in white. How important that elder brethren should maintain the washing! Stains may come, “for we all often offend”, says James, but let there be the washing; judging as before God what is wrong. There is no virtue in an offence; you can never make it a virtue; an offence is always what it is, and has to be dealt with by the water, by washing. Scripture shows that the most spiritual men were guilty in this way; but there is the washing so that the robes are maintained in whiteness. The twenty-four elders represent all this, as having part in the testimony of God from the outset.
Chapter 19, the last scripture I read, is the military side. I am dealing with these things themselves, not enlarging on the context. These garments all [p. 253] apply to the believer, and the final one is military. The Lord Himself is seen in this book in varied garments and one could say much about them, but it is not what I have in mind. His garments are not for show. In the beginning it is a garment down to the foot, not His graces and beauty, but a judicial garment. So Israel, too, is seen clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet; and others are seen clothed. I mention this to amplify what I said, to show how full of this thought the book is.
The final garment I have in mind is the military one; we read of “the armies which are in the heaven:” how different from the armies of Europe! What experience we have had of those armies! And what experience will be had! It is well to face things; what preparations there are throughout the world! And what need for prayer on our part, so that God may overrule and help and limit evil on account of His people and His testimony! But then, God has His armies: they exist today here upon earth. We are called upon, in the epistle that governs our position in the last days, to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ: good ones, enduring hardness. Soldiership implies that; it is not all a question of field days, it is a question of hardness, of suffering. These armies spoken of in chapter 19 come out of heaven, following the Lamb. He has “a garment dipped in blood” it is real warfare, no longer grace; reminding us of the prophecy of old, His garments being bespattered with blood in the conflict. This would signify that the warfare is earthly, with the nations of the world. Our conflict is not with blood and flesh, but “against principalities, against authorities, against the universal lords of this darkness, against spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies” (Ephesians 6: 12). What darkness that is! The darkness that has developed in opposition to Christ and the assembly. There are garments suited to such warfare [p. 254] and they are white garments: they are not to be defiled, but maintained clean by washing. In conflict the flesh is apt to show itself, and hence we are to look after our military attire. May they always be unspotted!
The words in James 1: 27 “to keep oneself unspotted from the world” covers all that I have been saying. There is the means of it, the water, and we have also a Patron in Christ. “If any one sin, we have a patron with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2: 1). He is the first to notice the soil or sin, and He deals with the case; and then there is the Patron here below, the Holy Spirit, and He brings it home to my conscience. He brings the blood of Christ to bear on the conscience to relieve it and He brings the water to bear on the spirit and affections. It is the Spirit that bears witness, and He exercises me so that my garments are washed. How can we stand against the evil of the world save as our garments are kept washed? And how can we maintain our joy and satisfaction save as we have the right to the tree of life and go in by the gates into the city? May these thoughts affect our hearts so that we may appear in every relation according to God!