Washed in Blood

The innumerable multitude that appears in Revelation 7:9 wears white robes, made clean by being washed in the blood of the Lamb (7:14). 

This cleansing gives them a sevenfold blessing: 1) They are before the throne, serving God day and night; 2) they are covered with the Lord’s tabernacle; 3) they aren’t hungry or thirsty; 4) the sun doesn’t beat down on them; 5) the Lamb serves as shepherd; 6) they receive the water of life; 7) and God promises to wipe their tears away.

By being washed and vested, they enter new creation. And the sevenfold blessing of new creation repeats the sequence of the original creation:

1) Serving “day and night” matches the formation of day and night on Day 1.

2) The firmament is the Lord’s “tent” spread over His people.

3) They don’t hunger or thirst because God causes the earth to spring up with food and makes rivers flow – Day 3 phenomena.

4) The sun doesn’t beat down on them, the sun created on Day 4.

5) The lamb shepherds the flock, leading the “swarm” of the people of God.

6) They are in a well-watered place, a new Eden.

7) They have rest from their labors and tribulations.

And to this we only need to add that this is a baptismal passage, the washing with blood an initiation into the sevenfold blessing shared by the community of new creation.