Who Are These Saints?

13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?"

Who are these clothed in white robes?

They are mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas, husbands and wives, sons and daughters. They are Asian, American, European, African, and all points in between. Some were famous. Some were virtually unknown. Some were successful. Some were failures by the world’s standards. But all have one thing in common; one thing that connects them eternally: Jesus, the Lamb of God, is their Savior, Lord, and King. For this reason and this reason alone they are rightly called “saints.”

This section of the book of Revelation is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring in all of the Bible. Here is the result of Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and transforming resurrection. The result is a countless collection of people, made holy by God. They’re wearing the white robes he provided. They’re worshipping and serving God, and at the same time He is tenderly serving them. The wonderful fruit of Jesus’ labor is brought to harvest. His people live with Him in Paradise Restored.

So who are these clothed in white robes? The storytellers and opinion-sellers of our culture are divided on the matter. Some suggest that the saints are easy to spot. They are the exceedingly rare, Mother Teresa types. Their good deeds make it obvious. The message that is sent between the lines is that if you’re not doing something spectacular, you’re not a saint. Not even close.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have those who insist that everyone is a saint, if by the word “saint” you mean that you’ll go to heaven when you die. The assumption from this perspective is that just about everybody ends up in heaven, unless you were just a horrible, despicable, evil person. Then that’s different.

It’s all too easy to let toned-down versions of these cultural ideas bleed into our own. A friend of mine pointed out once that it is instructive to hear what people talk about at the funeral home, and especially what they say about the deceased, in particular during calling hours. It’s instructive to hear how much time is spent praising the good qualities of the deceased, in contrast to the time spent talking about Jesus; talking about how the departed person trusted in Jesus for salvation; talking about the difference the resurrection of Jesus makes. That observation reveals a lot about human nature. It brings to the surface some of the thoughts we have about life and death and heaven that may or may not square with what God has said in His Word.

So what does God have to say about saints? Well, one thing’s for sure. Being a saint is not a matter of achieving some spiritual standard of excellence. If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any. The picture the Bible paints of people like Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Peter and Paul is not flattering. Scripture unflinchingly puts their sins out there for the world to see. Imagine if your life was an open book in that same way.

On the other hand, Jesus claims, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He also says, “if you don’t believe, you are already condemned because you don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son.” Heaven for everyone, regardless of faith, is an idea totally foreign to the teaching of Jesus.

So again, who are these saints? 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. They have made it through the tragedies of this torn-up world, and they have been cleansed. They have been purified. Their robes have been soaked in the blood of Jesus, making them holy. Their whole lives have been soaked in the blood of Jesus, making them acceptable to God. Jesus’ holiness and perfection was wrapped around them at their baptism. It is the garment they wear into eternity. You see, a saint is someone who trusts in Jesus and Jesus alone for access to heaven. That’s it. A saint is someone who knows that sin has disqualified them from the prize—yet they believe that Jesus earned the prize and gives it away as a true gift. A saint is someone who knows that there would be no white robe or multitude or living water or wiping away of tears if it were not for Jesus.

Who are these saints? I believe you know many of them. There’s one who tried to talk God out of making him serve, then led his people out of slavery. There’s one who prayed to the Lord for a son, and true to her word, gave him back to the Lord for a life of service. There’s one who denied even knowing Jesus three times, who would go on to preach thousands of people to faith. There’s one who fought and worked to get the true gospel message back into the Church. There’s one who risked her life doing the work of a missionary. There’s one who taught Sunday School for hundreds of children through the years. There’s one who never got to serve in the way he wanted, but whose faithful example led his son and grandson to became pastors. There’s one whose loving guidance of her son was the only godly example and pure relationship he’d ever know. There’s one who had his life totally tuned around by the grace of God. There’s one who visited the sick and shut-in just because she wanted to. There’s one who liked to build and fix things as his service to the Lord, who could care less about recognition. There’s one whose business prospered, but not at the expense of his faith and family. What other saints do you see in that multitude? There aren’t any superheroes in that crowd—just real people. People like you and me. People who had struggles and hurts, flaws and quirks, strengths and gifts. People saved by Jesus. People pulled out of the devil’s hands by Christ, the champion.
Let’s not be in a hurry to push this vision of the white-robed multitude out of our minds. After all, it describes your future. By God’s choice, you are part of the “all” in All Saints. This is your Day, too, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.