To be clothed with “the white raiment” is to be robed in the garment of the Victor, in the festal garb of the Triumpher, in the magnificent attire of him who conquered.
Here, too, the exalted metaphorical language goes on.
All peoples of those days knew the homage, which was accorded him, who defeated the enemy and in triumph returned from war.1 At the head of his joy-intoxicated army the general made his triumphal entry, luminous with victory.
Thus to triumph before all eyes, and luminant with victory amid the shouting of the masses to be escorted through the gate of the city, was the highest glory accorded the heroic warrior. He adorned and attired in the robe of splendor, and his enemies chained to his triumphal car.
All war and strife, and likewise all victory on earth is but the weakened reflection of the great struggle between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan. and therefore every earthly triumphal procession is merely the faint image of the all else exceeding triumph of him who marches in through the gate of the New Jerusalem.
Thus the image is not labored. Of itself it is presented to us. And so the Christ on Patmos continues to describe the entry of His redeemed into the realm of glory always in the image of him who triumphs upon earth.
Returning in an exhausted state from the struggle of life and death, the weary worn hero is first refreshed by the Tree of Life, and strengthened by the Hidden Manna. Thereupon the white stone in the seal-ring is put upon his hand. The vanquished heathen nature is chained to his triumphal car. He receives power over the Heathen. Then the badge of the Morning Star is hung about his neck. And now the robe of honor is folded round him, the white raiment, which Christ Himself shall give him.
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment” (Rev. 3, 5).
THERE is here a play on words, which leads to confusion, him who reads it cursorily. What immediately precedes it is: “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.”
Thus the same garments seem here to be spoken of twice, but this is not so.
The garments that are not defiled, are the garments, which are worn on the battle-field; the white robe of triumph is the festal garment that is put on after the battle was ended and had resulted in radiant triumph.
The garments worn during the struggle, in battle, are not white, but colored; they are red, they are yellow, they are dark gray, but they are never white. Spots are by no means seen only upon the white garment, but are equally much in evidence on the red military cloak, which was worn at the time.
The spot stains, the blot also upon the red garment, begrimes and makes dirty.
But something altogether different is the white raiment. White raiment is the robe of light. It is the robe that shows no color, but which reflects the full splendor of light. The robe as wherein the angel appeared. The robe of light, as wherein Jesus shone on Tabor. The white raiment of light is the robe of heaven.
The robe, that is washed in the blood of the Lamb, is the earthly robe, the robe in which the battle was fought, the robe that was begrimed in the heat of war. Image of this was the red military robe of the soldier, like as was put about Jesus in the house of justice. And only of that red robe can it be said, that it is washed in blood. If then in Rev. 7, 14 it is said additionally that they wash these same robes white, it refers to the exchange of the earthly robe for the white robe of heaven upon their entrance into the realm of glory.
The distinction always goes through between the earthly garment and the heavenly raiment. The heavenly raiment shows no tint, but only sheen, and it can not be soiled. The earthly garment has color, and because soiled, is washed.
White is no color, as little as black. Black is the darkness, which in ashen gray permits no tint to appear. And white is no color, because it embraces all colors in itself. White is the highest lustre, even as iron can become white-hot. And it is only when the light-beam breaks, that the blue, red and yellow, as the three main colors, and presently from these three all the other tints develop themselves.
For this reason Scripture says, that God is clothed with light as with a garment. For this reason it is written of God’s angels, that at the opened grave of Jesus their countenance was like lightning, and their raiment white as snow (Matt. 28, 3). And for this reason no less, that of Jesus on Tabor it is written: “His raiment became white as the light” (Matt. 17, 2).
Also in the promises to those of Sardis it is the same, as we found before: what Jesus promises the Victor is the glory He himself has. “Power over the Heathen as He received the same of the Father.” “To sit with Him on the throne, as He Himself is seated with the Father on His throne.” And so here: “They shall walk with me in white” (Rev. 3, 4).
God Himself surrounded by light as a garment. The Mediator in His glory clothed upon with a garment, white as the light. So likewise the redeemed who overcomes, clothed upon with the robe of light, with the garment which as the snow is not merely bright in its whiteness, but in its whiteness makes all brilliancies glisten.
This robe is the robe of exchange.
As the victor who victorious ascended the triumphal car, took off the military garb, in which he had fought the fight, and exchanged it for the bright garment of the triumpher, so also is the garment which we wear here on earth, in real and in metaphorical sense taken off from us at dying, and exchanged for heaven’s garment of light.
The body is changed. It is the same body that first goes into death, and then immortal is raised in glory. But not so the garment. The garment is laid aside, the garment is not changed. But heaven’s shining robe of light takes the place of the garment that has become unfit for use.
The earthly garment is a covering of our shame, and therefore in paradise by God Himself fallen man is clothed with the fleece of a lamb. The heavenly robe is heightening of brightness and glory, put upon us at our entry into the realm of glory.
The hero, who as he is about to take his place in his triumphal car, takes off the military garb and puts on the white robe of honor, expresses thereby, that the bloody task is ended, and that now, no longer afraid of any bespattering with the blood of the enemy or with blood of wounds of his own, he puts on a robe, which no more tolerates spot or wrinkle.
When, therefore, our Savior says this glorious word to those who as victors enter heaven, that He shall clothe them with the white robe of light, it does not mean reconciliation; to this the washed garment refers, which is an altogether different image; no, it expresses the consummation of the hardships of the battle, the entering in of the eternal Sabbath, the eternal cessation of all evil works, the impossibility of being any more enticed or tempted by Satan, or of being any more wounded, the being lifted above all strife, the unsusceptibility to every enticement of sin, because over sin, the world and Satan triumph is consummated.
Here below Satan and his demons every time laughing us to scorn, when we stumble again and stain our garment. But there above, with the holy robe of light as our suit of armor, where no single arrow of the Evil one any more penetrates, we in our holy triumph laughing at Satan and his demons.
In the robe of light, and in that robe of light safe.
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Footnotes
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Here the author plays on the Dutch word: Zegepralen, in which echoes the shouting of the admiring multitudes. He writes: Zege is victory, and pralen is to shine or glisten. So that “Zegepralen” means: To be luminant with victory.—Tr. ↩