Behold, He Cometh! An Exposition of the Book of Revelation, by Herman

"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." ~ Revelation 7:13-15.

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This is an extract from chapter 17 of the book Behold, He Cometh!, by Herman Hoeksema, page 271, published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association.

The elder explains that they come out of great tribulation. So much concerning their origin. But as to their chief characteristic, the elder says that they are those who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Very strikingly we read here that they have done so themselves. They themselves washed their robes in the blood of Christ. You understand, of course, from all Scripture that this must not be understood as if they had saved themselves: for this certainly is not the case, and the throng do not conceive of it in that light themselves, as is plain from the song which they sing. The people of God certainly do not save themselves, and they do not obtain the forgiveness of sin and deliverance from corruption through their own efforts. For salvation belongs unto the Lord. He washed them in His own redeeming blood. Yet we must not imagine that this is a mere form and that this indicates identically the same thing as if the text had read, “They are those whose robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb.” There certainly is a point of view from which we may say that the saints wash their robes in the blood of Christ. For, do not forget, through the Holy Spirit they receive the power of faith; and through that power of faith they consciously cling to Christ, are rooted in Him, draw from Him all they need, all the blessings of salvation. Through faith the Christian becomes active in his own salvation. Through faith he appropriates Christ and all His benefits. Through faith he consciously goes to the blood of Christ to wash his robes. And this throng consists of those who have thus washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. They are now delivered. Every spot of sin has been washed away. They are pure and holy, and they have gained the victory in the battle of faith. They stand here as having overcome already, as being victors in the battle.

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Behold, He Cometh! An Exposition of the Book of Revelation, by Herman Hoeksema

Behold, He Cometh is an essay-style commentary on the much disputed book of Revelation. By careful exegesis, the author gives a solidly Reformed, amillennial interpretation of scripture. This book sets forth in clear, concise language the comforting truths concerning the end times.