Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord
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Blessed are those who die in the Lord
Blessed are those who die in the Lord
Rev 14:13
Although for most of us, these words are not new, the statement, the promise that those who die in the Lord are blessed, is connection that we do not normally make.
The beatitudes with which most of us connect the word “blessed” referred to those who are alive.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
While the Scriptures contain many other references to those who are “blessed”, in those references, the beatitudes and in our focal point today, in the Scriptures, being blessed is not about tangible things but about who people really are as they are transformed by God’s grace.
Refocusing on our text, these words are not the Apostle John’s summary of what he had seen and heard, they are words that he heard from heaven, with the command to write them down.
This was not the first time in the revelation of Jesus Christ that John was reminded of those who are blessed. This is the second and unique in some are proclaimed by angels. Some are the promises from our Lord Himself. The words that John heard seem to be from God the Father. John had been one of three who heard the Father speak on the Mt of Transfiguration, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Matt 17:5
John will hear that voice again Rev 18:4; 19:5;21:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
(“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
The voice from heaven that John heard would been a great encouragement to him. And it should be to us, those of us who have and will hear the message conveyed by the voice from heaven. During that first century many of those who confessed faith in Christ, ended up suffering. Some were persecuted and some died. John had been banished to the Isle of Patmos for his faithful and true preaching of kingdom of God and saving faith in Christ.
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
In John’s day, there were many voices. Some of these not only disagreed with how Christ described His Kingdom and access to His Kingdom, they disagreed to the extent that is some cases lives were taken. That has not changed and never will.
The continued diversity of voices explained what John had heard 3 angels say:
It was sobering that as the first angel proclaimed the external gospel
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Regrettably there was a lack of response to the first angel’s message. Some knowingly and deliberately chose not to fear God and give Him glory. Now all of them who made that choice might have felt that they feared God and gave Him some acknowledgement. To them the word of God was summarized by the second angel that were consequences for those who did not fear the Lord and worship Him exclusively. They had aligned themselves with kingdom that had fallen.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
Not only the kingdom fallen, but those who had aligned themselves with that kingdom would face painful forever and ever consequences.
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
There are those who suggest that’s not fair. They ask why would loving just God allocate some to a forever and time that is anything but blessed. That answer is simple. God grants to them the fruit of their choice to worship a kingdom that they had been told would fail taking them with it.
Jesus explained it this way.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Peter repeated the same, as did Paul and others.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Hearing and reading these truths, there will be varied reactions.
Some suggest that what was shown to John and he was told to record were metaphors, to motivate us, something similar to a more “spiritual” version of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.
If in this life that’s all there is, we are of all men most miserable and there is no justice.
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
TRUTH & RECONCILIATION
What is truth and true reconciliation? That was underscored not the angels or those who have gone before but God Himself.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
Blessed are the dead.
Blessed - makaroi - or cognates 53 times in NT
Re Greek gods, general power and dignity but not necessarily moralty - superior force & intellect but inferior morality
Although no sense of sin and because no sense of sin (Socrates) virtue depended on knowledge.
In the NT, Christ and this transformed by the Gospel gave the word a new inner spiritual meaning.
Whereas in its pagan context there was no sense of connected immorality, in the NT references it is when we die that true blessedness become clear and the kingdom of God unfolds in of its glory.
In that sense those who are truly blessed are those who are truly eternally who realize what they do not have and only have in Christ.
“ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
- Dead - physically and spiritually in trespasses and sin.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
In the Lord as compared to in their sins
From where they were, in their sin to the kingdom of God, in the Lord, in Christ
Those who are in the Lord have come to understand in an of themselves they are dead
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
BUT
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Jesus spoke of that dramatic spiritual transformation this way.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Paul reminded the believer in Corinth that this not mean turning over a new leaf but a spiritual transformation from within.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
From now on - basis for blessing
Holy Spirit - Blessed indeed - nai - strong affirmation
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.
There deeds will follow them earthly service.
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Call to endurance and keeping the faith.
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
Conclusions:
Comfort
Self examination
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.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Reconciliation - ourselves and others
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.