Blessings in Revelations
The book of Revelations tells us in many
verses who are those that are blessed. Let us consider a few of them:
[1] Revelations 1:3 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……..
This blessing is repeated again in
Rev 22:7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of
prophecy written in this book”. It must be mentioned here that a blessing of
this kind is contained only in the Book of Revelations and in no other book in
the Bible, even though the “word” is exalted in a number of places. According
to John 1:1, Logos or the Word, the
second person in the Holy Trinity, became flesh as Christ Jesus. The Psalmist
asserts “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (119:105).
James insists the word of God must be read, obeyed and applied to one's life (James
1:22-23).
[2] Revelations 14:13 says ‘Blessed
are those who die in the Lord from now on… they are blessed indeed, for they
will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
Believers and unbelievers alike
experience physical death. But the death of righteous is precious in God’s
sight (Psalms 116:15) but when the wicked dies his hope perishes (Pro 11:7). This is the second death--eternal separation
from God, punishment for disobedience to God’s command. There is no second
death to those who die in the Lord (Hebrews 4:10).
Matthew 25:46 makes it clear that
the evil ones will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go
into eternal life. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Also, see Revelations 20:6. “Blessed and holy are those who share in the
first resurrection. For them, the second death holds no power, but they will be
priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him a thousand years. Compare this
blessing with the curse in Revelations 21:8. “The cowardly, the faithless, the detestable,
as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars -
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the
second death”.
[3] Revelations 16:15 “Look,
I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for
me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked
and ashamed.”
Christ will return unexpectedly
(also see 1Thess. 5:1-6), so we must be ready when He returns. We can prepare
ourselves by standing firm in temptation and by being committed to God’s moral
standards. As Peter says, in the last days, scoffers will question the very veracity
of the Lord’s promise that He is coming (2 Pet 3:3, 4). Peter refutes their
argument by explaining God’s mastery over time. The “last days” is the time
between Christ’s first and second comings, thus we, like Peter, live in the
last days. We must do the work to which God has called us and believe as He had
promised. See 2Peter 8-10.
Keeping your garments on means
remaining righteous, uninfluenced by evil that surrounds us. When Adam and Eve realized
they had violated God’s commands and sinned, they felt naked and wanted to
hide. God had to clothe them.
4] Revelations 19:9 And
the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the
wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from
God.”
This is the culmination of human
history, the judgment of the wicked and the wedding of the Lamb and His bride
Church which consists of the believers of all time. The idea of a festival, or
a marriage-supper was a familiar one to the Jews to represent the happiness of
heaven, and is frequently found in the New Testament.
The angel mentioned in Revelation
17:1 speaks the above blessing and bids John to write it down
as “These are true words that come from God.” The parables told by Jesus found in Matthew 22:1 is about a grand
banquet a rich man held and was furious when invitees didn’t turn up. He told
this in order to express the truth that many will be called, but only a few
will be chosen (Matthew 21:24). The one in Matthew 25:1 is about a party of ten
bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. He said
this to demonstrate the necessity of being alert and prepared when He returns (Matthew
25:13). Revelation
3:20 is also related. “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you
hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
[5] Revelations 22:14 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.
This tree of life is like the tree
of life in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). After Adam and Eve sinned they
were forbidden to eat from the tree of life because they could not have eternal
life as long they were under sin’s control. But because of the sin through the
blood of Jesus, there will be no evil or sin in this city. We will be able to
eat freely from the tree of life as sin’s control over us is destroyed and our
eternity with God is secure. If Jesus has forgiven your sins, you will have the
right to eat from this tree.
There is in Him who is the First and
the Last, refuge from the power of sin and law against which such solemn
warning has been given. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin: the
best who have striven and conquered were victors not by their own might, but by
the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:11). God promises in Revelations
21:7 “All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings. I will be their
God, they will be my children”. Revelations 20:6
further promises “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”.
There are many more blessings granted
to the believers throughout Bible. Salvation is the greatest blessing man can
hope for. You don’t have to work hard to earn it. You don’t have to pay for it.
Jesus paid the price.
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