TITLE: BLESSINGS FOR THE DEAD IN CHRIST

Scripture Reading: Revelation 14:13
“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

MAIN IDEA: This verse speaks of the blessings for the dead in Christ.

Those who die in the Lord are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work. Christ’s blessing on those facing death for him shows more clearly than ever the great difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. In life there is a difference between the two. The believer is at war with the devil and sin but at peace with God; the unbeliever is at peace with the devil and sin but at war with God. The divide between the two is even greater in death.

“who die in the Lord”
To die in the Lord means that you lived for the Lord. Centuries earlier, Balaam, a compromising prophet, said, “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!” (Numbers 23:10). This is a great prayer, but Balaam did not die the death of the righteous, for he did not live the life of the righteous.  Revelation 14:11 speaks of the eternal judgment of those who loved the world and rejected Christ. Talking about the unbeliever “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night.” In the contrast, Christians are blessed in death to “rest from their labors”

Death is God’s delightful way of giving us life. Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

“that they may rest from their labors”
The word translated “labors” here has wide meaning and includes misery and trouble and grief as well as hard work which wearies the body. Heaven will be a glorious place for the godly, for they will find great rest from the burdens of life of this earth. But this blessing is not for the ungodly, for the wicked “cannot rest” (Isaiah 57:20).

“their works follow them.”
This means the godly will be rewarded for their righteous works. This is not talking about salvation. This is talking about the works which the redeemed have done after their salvation. Christ’s blessing in death is directed to those who live in faith now. In fact, the only way to die in the Lord is to live in the Lord: dying in Christ is the final triumph of the believer who has lived valiantly for Jesus.

“Even in the best of health we should have death always before our eyes. We will not expect to remain on this earth forever, but will have one foot in the air, so to speak.”—Martin Luther

Application
John 3:36 tells: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Our response to Jesus Christ today determines where our eternity will be spent. Will you be accepted as righteous in the day of God’s judgment or condemned for the guilt of your sins? The answer is determined by your response to Jesus.

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Word. Help us Lord to live a righteous life. Those who read this devotional, and those who are grieving for the loss of a loved one may you comfort and strengthen them, Lord. In Jesus Name Amen.