On the third day after the superstorm: They have washed their robes

On the third day after the superstorm, the watchman heard, Revelation 7. So he opened his Bible and read.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

^{Revelation 7: 9} After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And 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.

¹⁵ “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

________________________More verses on 'washing' and 'wearing white garments':

1 Corinthians 6:11
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:10-12 (in Context) 1 Corinthians 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:21-23 (in Context) Hebrews 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Acts 22:16
And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
Acts 22:15-17 (in Context) Acts 22 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Ephesians 5:26
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
Ephesians 5:25-27 (in Context) Ephesians 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Isaiah 1:16
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
Isaiah 1:15-17 (in Context) Isaiah 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 

Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
Jeremiah 4:13-15 (in Context) Jeremiah 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 

What qualified them to wear white robes?

1. The blood of the Lamb.
2. They have not soiled their garments by sins.
3. They are considered worthy by the Lord.
4. The one who conquers (overcomes sins)
    
   Revelation 3:4-5
   Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
   Revelation 3:3-5 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
   Rewards for those who get to wear white garments in heaven
   
   1. The Lord will allow them to walk with Him (in white).
      
   2. Their names will be kept in the book of life.
      
   3. Jesus will grant them to sit with Him on His throne. (Rev.3:21)
   Revelation 3:18
   I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
   Revelation 3:17-19 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
   Revelation 4:4
   Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.
   Revelation 4:3-5 (in Context) Revelation 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 How to be sanctified?

BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BY THE TRUTH -THE WORD OF GOD

2 Thessalonians 2:13

[ Stand Firm ] But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

John 17:17
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:16-18 (in Context) John 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

John 17:19
And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
John 17:18-20 (in Context) John 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

 ABSTAIN FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
1 Thessalonians 4:2-4 (in Context) 1 Thessalonians 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

THE GOD OF PEACE SANCTIFIES YOU -BY HIS (JESUS) BLOOD

1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:22-24 (in Context) 1 Thessalonians 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:28-30 (in Context) Hebrews 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Hebrews 13:12
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
Hebrews 13:11-13 (in Context) Hebrews 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

   BY FAITH, BELIEF, AND OBEDIENCE TO JESUS (RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD)

Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts 26:17-19 (in Context) Acts 26 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Romans 6:19
I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
Romans 6:18-20 (in Context) Romans 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Romans 6:22
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 6:21-23 (in Context) Romans 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Day after the superstorm: the Holy Spirit says, come!

The watchman woke and heard the verse from Revelation 22:11 "Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." He prayed for the East Coast and New York in particular before he fell asleep. He asked the Spirit of intercession helped him to pray as he ran out of words. When he heard this verse he knew what it meant. He got up and asked for mercy and time. But then the Lord told him not to despair and read the whole chapter. So he read. There is still HOPE for ALL.

(His notes are in bracket. The boldness of some words were added by him.)

Revelation 22 (ESV)

The River of Life (the good news first!)

22:1 Then the angel^[a] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life^[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants^[c] will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

(The Lord showed John the river of the water of life first. This is the same river that the prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision in Ezekiel 47, that flowed from the temple of God and became deep enough to swim in. "For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes." On the banks will grow trees, "Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing." This is how the Holy Spirit works. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead gives lives to our mortal bodies. )

Jesus Is Coming -This is imminent: "must soon take place"; "behold I am coming soon" (said twice); "for the time is near"!)

⁶ And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

⁷ “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, ⁹ but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant^[d] with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

(Who are the servants of the Lord? the angels who do His work, the prophets of God, and those who keep the words of the Bible. They worship God. They live before God lives of living sacrifice: Romans 12:1-2 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^")

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. ¹¹ Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

(This is the key message today: the Lord looks at two things. Who you are and what you do physically. Indeed, what you do in your physical bodies impact whether you will be acceptable to God in eternity. This is a frightening message. Often Christians do not think much of what their bodies do. But reading the Bible as a whole, from Genesis to Revelation, one message is clear: God is holy. He only accept holy sacrifices. Someone may argue that it is impossible to keep our bodies holy all the time, or for some, anytime at all. But God is still holy. He still demands His called ones to be holy. Without holiness one just cannot enter into His presence in eternity. reading this key verse which appears at the end of the Bible, the last 11th verse, we just cannot ignore what the Spirit is telling us.)

¹² “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes,^[e] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

(This is the final list of defilement that will disqualify one's entrance into the presence of the holy God in eternity.)

(The Lord wants us to take heed of the defilement pertaining to the body. In his letters to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul was adamant that the Christians keep their bodies holy for the Lord. 1 Cor.6:13b “The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” 18-19 “ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own,” 2Cor.7:1 “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” Defiling the body defiles one's spirit too. The key again is we must be aware of the spiritual and not just the seen physical world.)

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

(This warning is issued to churches, not the unbelievers.)

¹⁷ The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

(The good news is repeated here by the Spirit. Come and drink from the Holy Spirit. He can cleanse and sanctify you! )

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. )

¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

(God's words are forever settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89)

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

(Jesus is coming soon!)

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.^[f] Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 22:1 Greek he
2. Revelation 22:2 Or the Lamb. In the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life
3. Revelation 22:3 Greek bondservants; also verse 6
4. Revelation 22:9 Greek fellow bondservant
5. Revelation 22:14 Some manuscripts do his commandments
6. Revelation 22:21 Some manuscripts all the saints
   
   

   Watchman’s summary:

   God is holy.

   God wants His people to be holy.

   Jesus is coming soon.

   The Holy Spirit is here to make us holy.

   All who thirst for holiness are invited to come and drink from the Holy Spirit’s river of living water (which washes us by the word of God)!

   Today is the time. Do not delay anymore.

   The spiritual realm is real. You can be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is still hope for all!

For as in the days before the flood -seeing the unseen

1. Genesis 7:1
   [ The Great Flood ] Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
   Genesis 7:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2. Genesis 7:7
   So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
   Genesis 7:6-8 (in Context) Genesis 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
3. Genesis 7:10
   And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.
   Genesis 7:9-11 (in Context) Genesis 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
4. Genesis 7:17
   Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
   Genesis 7:16-18 (in Context) Genesis 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
5. Genesis 9:11
   Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
   Genesis 9:10-12 (in Context) Genesis 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
6. Genesis 9:15
   and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
   Genesis 9:14-16 (in Context) Genesis 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
7. Genesis 9:28
   And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
   Genesis 9:27-29 (in Context) Genesis 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
8. Genesis 10:1
   [ Nations Descended from Noah ] Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
   Genesis 10:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
9. Genesis 10:32
   These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.
   Genesis 10:31-32 (in Context) Genesis 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
10. Genesis 11:10
    [ Shem’s Descendants ] This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.
    Genesis 11:9-11 (in Context) Genesis 11 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
11. Job 22:16
    Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
    Job 22:15-17 (in Context) Job 22 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
12. Job 27:20
    Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night.
    Job 27:19-21 (in Context) Job 27 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
13. Psalm 29:10
    The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever.
    Psalm 29:9-11 (in Context) Psalm 29 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
14. Psalm 32:6
    For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.
    Psalm 32:5-7 (in Context) Psalm 32 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
15. Psalm 74:15
    You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.
    Psalm 74:14-16 (in Context) Psalm 74 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
16. Psalm 90:5
    You carry them away like a flood; They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
    Psalm 90:4-6 (in Context) Psalm 90 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
17. Isaiah 28:2
    Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.
    Isaiah 28:1-3 (in Context) Isaiah 28 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
18. Isaiah 59:19
    So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
    Isaiah 59:18-20 (in Context) Isaiah 59 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
19. Jeremiah 46:7
    “Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers?
    Jeremiah 46:6-8 (in Context) Jeremiah 46 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
20. Jeremiah 46:8
    Egypt rises up like a flood, And its waters move like the rivers; And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’
    Jeremiah 46:7-9 (in Context) Jeremiah 46 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
21. Jeremiah 47:2
    Thus says the LORD: “Behold, waters rise out of the north, And shall be an overflowing flood; They shall overflow the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell within; Then the men shall cry, And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
    Jeremiah 47:1-3 (in Context) Jeremiah 47 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
22. Daniel 9:26
    “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
    Daniel 9:25-27 (in Context) Daniel 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
23. Daniel 11:22
    With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.
    Daniel 11:21-23 (in Context) Daniel 11 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
24. Nahum 1:8
    But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, And darkness will pursue His enemies.
    Nahum 1:7-9 (in Context) Nahum 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
25. Matthew 24:38
    For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
    Matthew 24:37-39 (in Context) Matthew 24 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
26. Matthew 24:39
    and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
    Matthew 24:38-40 (in Context) Matthew 24 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
27. Luke 6:48
    He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
    Luke 6:47-49 (in Context) Luke 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
28. Luke 17:27
    They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
    Luke 17:26-28 (in Context) Luke 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
29. 1 Peter 4:4
    In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.
    1 Peter 4:3-5 (in Context) 1 Peter 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
30. 2 Peter 2:5
    and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
    2 Peter 2:4-6 (in Context) 2 Peter 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
31. Revelation 12:15
    So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
    Revelation 12:14-16 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
32. Revelation 12:16
    But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
    Revelation 12:15-17 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations