“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.”
I said to him, 'Sir, you know.' Then 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 — the multitude has emerged (erchomenoi, present participle) from the great tribulation (thlipsis megalē), persecution and trial throughout history. They have washed their robes white in the Lamb's blood (plynō), a paradox suggesting that Christ's sacrificial death achieves the cleansing that blood would normally defile; spiritual purification occurs through identification with his redemptive work.
Church Fathers on Revelation 7:14
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man was able to number, of every nation, tribe, and people, and tongue, clothed with white robes.” What the great multitude out of every tribe implies, is to show the number of the elect out of all believers, who, being cleansed by baptism in the blood of the Lamb, have made their robes white, keeping the grace which they have received.
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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