Dear Doves,

          I believe that there is a connection between the white robes mentioned in the Book of Revelation and our resurrection bodies.  Based upon a pattern set by the Transfiguration of Christ, I think that believers will receive a white robe at the time of their resurrection. 

          In the Letters to the Seven Churches (Revelation 2-3), the Churches of Sardis and Laodicea are urged to seek “white raiment.”

          “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.  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.”  Revelation 3:4-5.

          “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”  Revelation 3:18.

          But why is there a need for raiment in the first place?  Revelation 3:18 tells us that it is to cover the shame of nakedness. 

 

Nakedness and the Resurrection Body

          When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked.  “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”  Genesis 3:7.  The couple’s attempt to cover their own nakedness was insufficient, however.  So God provided them with coverings made of the skins of animals.  “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”  Genesis 3:21.

          It is interesting that God used animal skins to cover their nakedness.  Animal skins were also used to cover the Old Testament Tabernacle.  And the Bible compares our mortal bodies to that of a tabernacle.   

          “Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.”  2 Peter 1:13-14.

          So, according to the Bible, our mortal bodies are like a temporary tent which will be upgraded to an eternal building.  Once we are clothed with an immortal body, we will not be found naked.  We will be clothed with immortality. 

          “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.   2 Corinthians 5:1-4.

          This puts a different spin on the promise that Jesus is going to prepare a place for us.  Instead of an actual building, perhaps He was referring to our resurrection bodies. 

          “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”  John 14:1-3.

          We know that Adam and Eve were not created with immortal bodies.  In fact, they were cast out of the Garden so that they could not eat of the Tree of Life while they were in a sinful state.  “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever ….”  Genesis 3:22.  (Ironically, they had been previously free to eat from that tree.  Apparently, it was always in God’s plan for us to become immortal.  Unfortunately, the problem of sin became an issue that had to be dealt with first.) 

          So, like Adam and Eve, we are mortal and naked.  We also require a covering that only God can provide.

 

Clothed in Christ

          Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has become the covering that we require.  The shedding of His blood, unlike the blood from animal sacrifices, is sufficient to cleanse our sins once and for all.  To make us white as snow.

          “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  Isaiah 1:18.

          “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”  Hebrews 7:26-27.

          Christ can cover our nakedness.  But we must first accept His sacrifice for our sins through faith.  It is only by faith that we can be clothed in Christ.

          “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”  Galatians 3:26-27 (KJV).

          “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”  Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV).

          It is interesting to note that Scripture calls skin clothing.  “Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.” Job 10:11.

          Scripture also states that Christ is the head of the Church and that we are members of His Body.  So, in a spiritual sense, Christ is both the Head and the Skin that covers His Body.  Each individual member of the Church finds unity in the Body as we are all covered by Him.  Christ literally clothes us with His immortality.

          “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body …. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”  Ephesians 5:23, 29-30.

 

The Transfiguration of Christ

          I believe that the Transfiguration gives us a preview of the Rapture and of the transformation from mortality to immortality.  In all three accounts of the Transfiguration, the raiment of Christ becomes white.  Here is the passage from Matthew 17:1-5:

          “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.  Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” 

          And here is how Mark and Luke describe the change in Christ:

          “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”  Mark 9:2-3.

          “And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.”  Luke 9:29.

          I believe that the Transfiguration is a pattern for the Rapture because it parallels the descriptions of the Rapture that we find in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians:

          “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”   1 Corinthians 15:51-54.

          “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

          Specifically, the individuals present at the Transfiguration mirror those who will be present at the time of the Rapture.  Jesus will be there.  So will Old Testament saints like Moses and Elijah.  Members of the Church like Peter, James and John.  The dead in Christ like Moses.  And those who will not experience death like Elijah.

          Although those present at the Transfiguration were not in the air, they were up on a high mountain and enveloped by a cloud.  We see the sudden (twinkling of an eye) appearance of Moses and Elijah – who can represent the dead and alive believers.  There is also the voice of God, which may have sounded like a trumpet.  (See, for example, Exodus 19:16-19; Hebrews 12:18-19; Revelation 1:10; and Revelation 4:1.)

          Also, the word “transfigured” that is used in the Matthew and Mark accounts is “metamorphoo” in the Greek.  It means to change into another form, to transform, or to transfigure.  The word “altered” that is used in the Luke account is “heteros” in the Greek.  It can mean a change in quality – to one not of the same nature, form, class, kind, or different.  So the Transfiguration shows the total transformation of the physical make up of Christ.  It is a preview of the resurrection of a mortal body into an immortal body.

          (Note that the word “changed” in 1 Corinthians 15:51 is “allasso” in the Greek.  It can mean to change, to exchange one thing for another, to transform.  Its meaning is strikingly similar to the words used to describe the transfiguration of Christ.)    

          Since white raiment is also highlighted in the Transfiguration accounts, we can extrapolate a pattern.  At the time of a believer’s resurrection, his or her immortal body will not be left naked, but will be clothed in white raiment.  “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”  1 Corinthians 15:53. (NIV).

 

White Robes in Revelation

          If there is a connection between white robes and resurrection bodies, then a reference to them could imply a resurrection event.  As stated previously, the Churches of Sardis and Laodicea were told to seek white raiment.  Consequently, the mention of white robes later in the text should be relevant to the Church. 

          In the Book of Revelation, white robes are mentioned in Revelation 6 and 7.  First, in connection with the opening of the Fifth Seal. 

          “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were 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, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”  Revelation 6:9-11.

          There are several things that we should note about this passage: these martyrs are called “souls,” they died in Christ, they are in heaven, and they are given white robes.

          Clearly, souls are not bodies.  When a Christian dies, his soul will leave his body and go to be with the Lord in heaven:

          “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord”  2 Corinthians 5:6-8.

          So, we can surmise that the “souls of them that were slain for the word of God” do not have their resurrection bodies prior to the opening of the Fifth Seal.  They do not have white robes prior to that time either.  So, something new is happening here as evidenced by the giving of the white robes.

          Then, after the opening of the Sixth Seal, we see a multitude of people in heaven, wearing white robes. 

          “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”  Revelation 7:9-15.

          I propose that we have been given a picture of a resurrection event in Revelation – specifically the Rapture.  The martyrs of the Fifth Seal are representative of the dead in Christ, who are resurrected first, before those who are alive in Christ.  The great multitude represents the entire company of believers who have been raptured.  All are clothed with their immortal bodies – as signified by the white robes.  Significantly, these robes have been made “white in the blood of the Lamb.” 

 

The 24 Elders

          I would like to briefly address the 24 Elders first seen in Revelation 4:4, who also wear white raiment.  “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

          It has been argued that they represent the raptured Church because they are clothed in white raiment as mentioned in the Letters to the Seven Churches.  I must disagree for several reasons.

          1.       The scene Revelation 4 takes place in the past.  In the following chapter, there is a search for someone who is worthy to open the scroll.  “And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.”  Revelation 5:3.  Jesus then appears and is found to be worthy.  The 24 Elders worship Him and sing: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”  Revelation 5:9-10.

          If this scene takes place in the future, immediately after the Rapture, there would be no need to search for Christ – especially on the earth or under it.  It is well established by Scripture that Jesus is currently at the right hand of God.  See Acts 2:33, Acts 7:55-56, and Hebrews 10:12.  Furthermore, there is only one time when He was not on the earth (as in during His incarnation), or under the earth (for three days after the crucifixion – Matthew 12:40), or in heaven (where He is now).  It was during His ascension into heaven.

          So the 24 Elders cannot be the raptured Church if the passage takes place at the time of the Ascension of Christ.

          2.       The 24 Elders do not look like the Church.  To be overly simplistic, there are only 24 of them.  The new song that they sing, however, describes a group of people who do resemble the Church: “for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”  Revelation 5:9.

          And we see this very group of people in Revelation 7.  “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands ….”  Revelation 7:9.

          3.       If the 24 Elders are representatives of the Church, however, then I propose that they are taken from the individuals who were part of the Firstfruits resurrection of Jesus Christ.  “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”  1 Corinthians 15:20.  Remember that at the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection, there was a resurrection of the dead. 

          “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”  Matthew 27:50-53.

          These are the only humans who currently have immortal bodies – and, I surmise, white robes.  They are the firstfruits of those who will be resurrected from the dead.  As such, the 24 Elders could come from their number.

 

Conclusion

          I realize that a Sixth Seal Rapture goes against what is traditionally taught.  I have gone through a long process to reach this conclusion myself.  And, believe it or not, I still consider myself to be Pre-Trib.  (Please my February 27, 2012 “Opened Seals?” post in which I explain how this is even possible:  http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/feb2012/lisat227.htm ) 

          At any rate, I do believe that there is an intrinsic connection between white robes and resurrection bodies.  And that the only way to get either is through faith in Jesus Christ.  So I would exhort all who read this to accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins, and to be washed by the blood of the Lamb.  

          That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  Romans 10:9-10.            

          “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”  Isaiah 61:10.

          Maranatha. 

                – Lisa Taylor