14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
This verse is a good example of the need to understand the rules of interpretation of literature. People who are literalists have problems with this verse. How can something be washed in blood and it turn out white? Is the blood a super bleach? Or is something else going on? One of the important concepts to understand when approaching any literature, including the Scriptures is genre. Genre refers to a specific type of literature. Different genres get interpreted differently. Some genre types are apocalyptic literature, poetry, love song, want ad, obituary, personal ad, and historical narrative. Each gets considered as a class of literature and different rules apply in interpreting it. When poetry uses word pictures to convey a message, we don’t take that literally. When the Psalms talk about God “hiding us under the shadow of His wings” we don’t think that God is a super chicken. We understand the genre and know God is speaking about protection, not about His physical wings. Children’s storybooks are another genre. The book of Revelation is apocalyptic literature. It gives us a picture of future events. It often contains pictures of other worldly creatures and big battles. It gets understood very differently from poetry or narrative. You would not apply the same rules of understanding to Star Wars and a JFK documentary. Different genres use different rules, rules that readers learn naturally, unconsciously over time. So, who are these people written about in this verse? They are survivors of the great tribulation, a time of unparalleled judgment. We see their robes. What do they symbolize? These garments were given to them as part of their entrance to the kingdom. They are a covering, a symbol of acceptance. What were the stains on the robes that the blood of the Lamb would clean? The sacrifice of Jesus dealt with sin. In the following verses we see their new status in heaven that the washing provided: protection, provisions, shelter, refreshing and comfort. These people get complete restoration, just as if they were back in the Garden of Eden. Understanding the genre of literature can help us avoid some of the common pitfalls in interpretation.
The Arnold Journey 