The Clothing of the Saints

(S1) — What is heaven like?

Movies/books/eyewitness accounts

What will we be like in heaven? What will our day look like?

Adam’s Question — Pizza?

A less considered question — What will we wear? Will we have closets, lined with an abundance of heavenly garments?

While the scriptures reveal much about heaven...we will not fully know until we get there — One thing is very clear, we will be with Jesus!

Revelation: Jesus’ prophetic vision to the John — The SAINTS with God

(S2) —

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were CLOTHED in white robes...

SAINTS — Those who put their trust in Jesus in this life, and have gone onto inherit eternal life — Saints are also the living...

The apostle Paul’s most usual designation for Christians in general is Gk. hágioi — “saints,” or literally “holy ones.”

(Hebrew) “Faithful and devout ones’ — People of God — Believers

You ma not feel very saintly at times, but If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, then you are a saint of God

The saints in John’s vision...

The KJV also renders qeḏôšîm as “saints” with regard to angels or heavenly beings. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (SAINTS)

(S3) — ...They were CLOTHED in white

The clothes we wear, tell a lot about a person — School, work, shop, cultural, money, conservative/loose, how we were raised, even how we feel about ourselves.

While our earthly attire can tell a lot about us, could the same be true of our heavenly wear? What will our heavenly garments say about our lives both here and in eternity?

Does our earthly wear, whose we are and how we live, show that we belong to Jesus.

PRAY

(S4) — Revelation — Apocalyptic; end of times — God’s judgment — Christ’ return — Future vision of the church and the world fully redeemed — Death wiped from its face — A glorious glimpse of an eternal home for the faithful

Revelation 1:2-3 “This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.”

John, the longest lived of the apostles, finds himself exiled to the island of Patmos (M.S-Asia-Greece). As the church grew so did the persecution of believers, yet who Jesus was rapidly made its way across the known world.

He is asked a question by an ELDER — 12 Tribes/12 disciples — Represent the redeemed of God before Jesus and the way of salvation

(S5) —

13 “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

Why the question? It’s what was on John’s mind, as he gazed in wonder at the multitude before him all dressed in white.

“Silent was I, yet desire was painted in my looks; and thus I spake my wish more earnestly than language could.” Dante (Italian poet)—Paradiso, iv. 10-12.

He is instructed in what to do with the vision

“Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.” Revelation 1:19

7 letters/7 churches and so much more — Promise of future blessing — Final victory — Tribulation —— Vision is of the church triumphant

Christ in glory WITH the saints. Those who are to numerous to count

John 14:1 in my house many rooms...

Yet who are these clothed CLOTHED in white? What of their outer wear? What does it mean? Do their heavenly garments resemble their earthly character — who they were and how they lived by faith in Jesus?

The state of being of the multitude, as they stood before the throne of God and the lamb — Jesus

I. They are CLOTHED in continual PRAISE

(S6) — Two hymns of praise — first in their PROCLAMATION and waving palms...

“10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

What will heaven be like? We will worship-24 hours a day (get out of here)…Forever praising the author and giver of salvation.

Their waving of the palms — Many who celebrated Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem singing HOSANNA — One who saves — Now they stand before the risen Christ, who welcomes them home.

(S7) — Second they SING as the most heavenly choir

12 They sang, “Amen (truly)! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen (so be it).”

Their CONTINUAL praise is a reflection of their ASSURANCE that they have come FACE to FACE with God.

The Hebrew expression that Jacob used for being face to face with God was Panim El Panim, which means being “in the presence of” God. (1)

Jacob’s life was forever transformed in this “Panim El Panim” encounter. It was in the presence of God that Jacob’s name was changed from “Jacob,” meaning deceiver, to “Israel,” meaning God prevails!

The multitudes singing reveals their transformed, and redeemed souls now present with God.

2 Corinthians 4:6 “6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”

“Jesus by his death tore open the way for us to enter into the very presence of God through the Holy Spirit — We wear heavenly garments in this life through our CONTINUAL PRAISE and our CHANGED lives.

Do your earthly garments reflect continual PRAISE to God?

Do our lives sing with AMEN to Jesus who was sent to REDEEM us?

II. They are CLOTHED in their EMPLOYMENT

(S8) —

15 “…They are before the throne of God and SERVE him day and night in his temple;

The WORK is to SERVE God. Their robes of white show that they are ARRAYED for HOLY SERVICE

Jesus’ most important lesson — Teaching his disciples a posture of humility.

Got a big HEAD? Wash someone's FEET

When we serve we elevate God and not ourselves, giving Jesus the Glory —Day and night — The saints have a lifetime career of serving God

Our SERVING is HOLY life work, REVEALING a glimpse of the unknown, by making the presence of Christ known.

(S9) —

Forgotten Man Ministries

We are sewing garments of heavenly threads, by our PRAISE of God and SERVING others — CLOTHED in the GOOD NEWS of Jesus.

Our posture of PRAISE, and our employment of SERVING become the threads of our robes preparing us, and so others can meet God face to face.

Are your earthly garments worn to reflect the WORK of the saints in your SERVING?

III. They are CLOTHED in the WITNESS of their FAITH

(S10) —

14 Then he (the elder) said to John, These are those who have died or have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb and made them white.

The WHITENESS of their garment is their WITNESS of faith — Their new life with Jesus, is their emblem of a victory won.

Who are they? Where did they come from? — Through the TRIBULATION. The WHITENESS of their garments represent Jesus’ VICTORY over sin and death.

1 Peter 3:18 “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.

There is no room for death, sin, suffering, and pain in heaven! Jesus made sure of that!

Adam — Pizza? — No more Pain!

Jesus victorious is our gain — The WHITENESS of their garments represents the WITNESS of salvation.

Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

The witness of our salvation in shown in the clothes we wear — In our living like Jesus.

(S11) —

Colossians 3:12 “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

Their heavenly garments are emblems of victory — They belong to Jesus.

Today we bask not only in the glory of the saints, where we can find comfort in knowing our loved ones are with Jesus, but in the HOPE of our own SALVATION in that one day we will see things more clearly.

Do your earthly garments show the WITNESS of faith in Jesus?

(S12) —

Do we live lives CLOTHED in continual PRAISE — EMPLOYED for Jesus everyday, is whose we are and the way we live a WITNESS to our own salvation?

Does our earthly wear show that we belong to Jesus.

What do we do till then? The world is a mess?

We CLOTHE ourselves in the LOVE of Jesus — We live life's of PRAISE to the one who saves us — We do the WORK in service to others — We share the WITNESS of our faith in Christ who washes all our stains of guilt, shame, hurt…away....

What is heaven like? We will not fully...The blessings of a life clothed in Jesus —

(S13) —

And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15–17 (NLT)

One theologian suggests being in the real presence of God is hard for us to imagine? Maybe because we don’t PRAISE, WORK or WITNESS as we should...

Heaven is nearer than we think — Don’t the sick feel comfort when someone is present? Doesn’t a young child fear less in scary situations when they know a parent is there? Isn’t going through difficult times easier in the presences of others — By your PRAISE, SERVING, and WITNESS you bring the presence of God to the living — to each other

FUNERALS are for the LIVING! Two groups of people there

1. Those who have faith…How can I better PRAISE, WORK and WITNESS to the love of Jesus I know?

2. Those who do not...

BELIEVE — ASK — SURRENDER your life to Jesus!

Resources

1 — Face to Face with God (Panim El Panim) - United Faith Church