Thought from today’s Bible reading from Revelation 12-18.
“And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, ‘Write, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!”‘ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them’” (Revelation 14:13).
When a faithful child of God passes from this life, the above verse is often used to provide comfort for the grieving family and friends. But it is important to understand why these individuals are blessed.
- They are blessed because they have died in the Lord. In one sense, we might say that all those who have died are blessed because they have escaped the troubles of this life (Ecclesiastes 4:1-2). But if we look beyond this life, the only ones who are truly blessed after this life are those who have died in the Lord. This refers to those who have obeyed the gospel by being baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27).
- They are blessed because they now have rest. In our service to God, rest comes after death, not before. We are to be faithful to Him until death (Revelation 2:10). If we fail in this, we will miss out on the promised rest (Hebrews 4:1, 11).
- They are blessed because of their labors in life. The labors that will be rewarded are those that are in harmony with the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23). We will not be rewarded for labors that are presumptuous or in rebellion to His will.
- They are blessed because their deeds follow with them. This means that our eternal fate depends upon our deeds in life. While the grace of God is essential for salvation (Ephesians 2:8), His grace is conditional. We will “all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” and will either be rewarded or punished based upon “what [we have] done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
These words were not revealed to comfort the dead, but to both comfort and admonish those who are yet alive. We must faithfully obey the Lord if we hope to be blessed after this life.
So let us remember the promised reward, the example of the departed faithful ones, and the instructions that have been revealed for us in God’s word. But let us not just remember, we must do what the Lord expects of us so that we can join the Lord and His faithful servants in eternity.
Tomorrow’s reading: Revelation 19-22
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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