D. Scott Meadows

Today I desperately need a word of comfort and encouragement. How about you? Together we are mourning the death last week of Gail D., our beloved sister in the Lord, who was a member of this local church while she lived. May the Holy Spirit apply our sermon text like a balm to the soul and may He strengthen us to keep believing and living as Christians. Please consider the words of Revelation 14.13,

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The main point of this verse can be stated very simply:

Real Christians enjoy eternal blessedness after they die.

I would draw three important truths from the text in the order they appear: 1) a certain promise, 2) a spiritual qualification, and 3) a gracious reward.

A Certain Promise

Many people have strange ideas about the afterlife that are based on wishful thinking. Here we have the truth about it based on divine revelation. God gave the apostle John the prophetic visions of the book of Revelation, and the Holy Spirit prompted John to record them, with supernatural guidance, in words that are infallible and absolutely trustworthy.

In this verse we have a promise that is most certain, because it comes from the Almighty. John wrote, “I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write.” The owner of this particular voice is not identified, but one thing is for sure: he spoke the truth from heaven, which is to say, as the representative of the God who cannot lie (Tit 1.2).

And we know that John did write, because we have the written record of what he heard on that day of divine revelation. In this, John served the whole Church of Christ as a writing prophet of the Lord.

If you are a shrewd person, you are not gullible, but you require verification for the more important messages which might be brought to you. To get along in this world, you need a healthy skepticism. Now and then I find in my mailbox offers I consider too good to be true, like a free two week Alaskan cruise for my wife and me. Do I jump up and down with joy when I open the envelope and read this? No, because it almost certainly has strings attached, and someone is trying to take advantage of me.

But my friends, there is nothing more certain than God’s speech, and that this Bible we revere is indeed God speaking. Two things we know for sure, and they are the foundation of all true knowledge—the God of the Bible actually exists, and the Bible is His Word.

Now we cannot digress to present a formal course on apologetics or to defend these things at length in a sermon like this. That would get complicated in a hurry, but let me say this much about it. Without these two presuppositions, there is no reasonable hope of a rational and beneficial worldview. Some of the most brilliant philosophers for many centuries have tried to come to firm conclusions about the meaning of life, ethics, and other matters that I call the “big-little questions,” and God keeps frustrating their efforts and mocking the unaided “wisdom of man.” But those who accept the two pillars of God’s existence and Scripture’s authority can answer the greatest questions that have stumped the worldly philosophers.

On the other hand, there are many and powerful evidences that God is and that the Bible is His Word, evidences which are found compelling to those who consider them honestly. The problem is that considering them honestly is something that sinners will never do unless and until the Holy Spirit changes our hearts and makes us believers.

In the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q/A #4), the Puritans offered a classic summary of how we know that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are God’s Word:

The Scriptures manifest themselves to be the word of God, by their majesty and purity; by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God; by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation: but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very word of God.

In other words, the Bible is majestic like no other supposedly holy book, and it is peerlessly pure in morals and ethics. Sinners could not author it if they would, it is so perfect, and they would not write it if they could, since it would condemn them. It had to come from the infinitely wise and holy God. No other source is even remotely plausible. The Bible is internally consistent without any demonstrable contradictions. It has reams of predictive prophecy, and much verified history proving that the predictions came true, to the letter, centuries later. Its miracles alone can account for the existence of Jews in the Old Testament (e.g., the exodus from Egypt), and Christians in the New Testament. What but the actual resurrection of Jesus could have so transformed His disciples proclaiming it to die for this testimony?

The Bible’s message spans eternity, beginning with creation and ending with the final judgment and beyond. It humbles the pride of man and gives all glory to God alone. No book like this Book enlightens the judgment and convicts us of our sins, or turns us from our idols to serve the living and true God. No book like this Book deeply comforts the souls of believers, and edifies us spiritually, conforming us more and more to our uniquely praiseworthy Lord, Jesus Christ. And when find that we have become real Christians, we have a confidence within us surpassing all human explanation that this Holy Bible is God’s Word!

That being the case, we Christians know for sure that what we read here in Revelation 14.13 is a certain promise of eternal blessedness. Let us “venture wholly” upon it, staking our entire well-being, both for this life and the life to come. Only then can you possibly experience its deep consolation and hope for the future.

And what is the substance of the promise? It is absolutely the best thing there is or possibly could be. A shorthand biblical term for this is “blessedness.” It designates someone who has the gracious favor of God and therefore is destined for eternal salvation and bliss in His gracious presence, with all the righteous saints and ages in the coming age. A detailed dictionary of Greek words in the New Testament say “it refers overwhelmingly to the distinctive religious joy which accrues to man from his share in the salvation of the kingdom of God” (TDNT, μακάριος). Some have translated it “happy,” but that would be like saying a nuclear bomb blast is “noisy,” or that the hottest star in the universe is “warm.”

A Spiritual Qualification

This statement in Revelation 14 is a “benediction,” the second of seven in this last book of the Bible. A benediction is in Scripture is a pronouncement of blessedness upon people God especially loves and is committed to save from all misery forever and ever. Therefore, it is not intended for absolutely everyone. The Lord repeatedly announces throughout the Bible the fearful truth that many human beings will perish in conscious, eternal torment for their sins. God’s curse is theirs, not His benediction.

We do not need to wonder or guess about who gets this benediction because they are described right in the text. It says, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.” Now this should not be taken to deny that those who are living can legitimately be pronounced blessed. Indeed, there are many examples of this throughout the Bible, but here, certain people who have died are the focus, and they are held up as eminent examples of those who are supremely blessed. How admirable their condition! We should look on them with a kind of holy jealousy, thinking, “O, that I might become as they are!”

For some people, death has lost already its sting, and the grave, its victory. The apostle Paul celebrates this in the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. For a certain class of people now living in this world, death will prove to be only a transition to a better place, a better state of mind, and a better condition than they have ever known before. After death they will be better off than the healthiest, wealthiest, and happiest people still living in this world. A woman with this spiritual qualification will experience the enviable blessings of poet’s pen:

Now the Christian’s course is run,
Ended is the glorious strife;
Fought the fight, the work is done,
Death is swallowed up of life.
Borne by angels on their wings,
Far from earth the spirit flies,
Meets her Lord, and soars and sings,
Triumphing in Paradise.
—Psalms and Hymns of Reformed Worship, #610(2)

But what is the spiritual qualification for this? Who are enrolled among the blest after death? The answer is, “Those who die in the Lord,” that is, in the Lord Jesus. “In the Lord” describes a relationship of spiritual union with Christ. Believers are made one with Him, and so are “in Christ.” This little phrase is packed with significance, as even a cursory Bible study will show. Let it be enough right now to say it designates a real Christian—one of God’s elect, for whom Christ died on the cross, and regenerated or made new by the Holy Spirit. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor 5.17).

The context of Revelation 14.13 makes the identity of those “in the Lord” even clearer. Look at verse 12. The same people are there called “saints,” and “they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” [or, their faith in Jesus, ESV]. The label “saints” means that God has graciously set them apart for Himself from among the mass of this world’s sinners. As a result of this sanctifying grace, their disposition and habit is obedience to His commandments. This distinguishes them from all others whose lives are characterized by lawlessness and sin—who, for all practical purposes, show they really do not care what God says in Scripture. True saints do care. Furthermore, they are people who “keep their faith in Jesus,” that is, they are persistently trusting Him as their Savior and following Him daily as their Lord and Master. These and no others are the ones who really are “in the Lord,” and upon whom God’s benediction rests.

As most of you well know, for a long time now in my public and private ministry of the Word, I have been using the phrase, “real Christians.” That is because not all who claim to be Christians are devoted followers of Christ; that is what the word “Christian” means. Acts 11.26 says, “And the disciples [here, believers and close followers of Jesus] were called Christians first in Antioch.” Jesus Himself, in His own teaching, used something close to this phrase of “real Christians”: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8.31), or, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples” (GNB).

I must stress this because the text sets forth the truth that

Real Christians enjoy eternal blessedness after they die.

Real Christians, and real Christians only—they are the people receiving God’s benediction.

Now there are two serious mistakes people make about this. Number one, and the most dangerous, is to take God’s benediction to yourself before you are a real Christian, before grace sets you spiritually apart from the unbelievers, before you begin practicing sincere, deliberate, and habitual obedience to God’s commandments in Scripture, and before you have a gospel faith in Christ as your Savior and Lord. The second serious mistake is the opposite of this, when real Christians doubt that the benediction is theirs in particular. Many sincere Christians do not enjoy much assurance of their salvation, and as a result, they go limping along as they journey toward eternal glory. They finally make it, praise God, but their experience would have been so much happier if they had given more diligence to make their calling and election sure. As the Puritan Thomas Brooks explained,

The being in a state of grace makes a man’s condition happy, safe, and sure; but the seeing, the knowing of himself to be in such a state, is that which renders his life sweet and comfortable. The being in a state of grace will yield a man a heaven hereafter, but the seeing of himself in this state will yield him both a heaven here and a heaven hereafter; it will render him doubly blest, blest in heaven, and blest in his own conscience (Heaven on Earth, “The Preface”).

While part of my responsibility as a biblical preacher is to warn unbelievers against thinking that things are well with their soul and in their relationship with God, another part is to press those of you who are real Christians to realize that great promises like this one in Revelation 14.13 are yours in Christ. You saints of the Lord are predestined to inherit every blessing of the super-abounding grace of God in glory! The sooner you know this for sure and the more you meditate on it, the better.

First John was written to promote assurance of salvation in real Christians. Toward that end, the epistle cycles through three kinds of spiritual tests which have been called the doctrinal test, the moral test, and the social test (e.g., 1-3 John commentary by James Montgomery Boice). You might be able to remember them better by these three words: truth, righteousness, and love.

Do you believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ? John says, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5.1). Do you keep God’s commandments from the heart, sincerely and habitually? John says, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2.3). Do you love your Christian brothers and sisters, not just in word but in deed and in truth? John says, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3.14). Put them all together and you have a three-fold cord of assurance that is not quickly broken (Eccl 4.12).

John regarded his readers as real Christians, and he wanted them to enjoy the exhilaration of knowing for certain that they were securely in a state of grace. So he draws his letter to a close expressing this encouraging purpose: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5.13). Do you know that you have eternal life? If you believe the truth about Jesus, and you put God’s commandments into practice, and you love other Christians just because they are Christians, then you can and should be assured of your final salvation. These spiritual tests were not given to raise doubts in your mind about your spiritual state—just the opposite. They bring clarity to confusion and resolve the mystery. If you fail the tests, at least you can finally know that you are not a real Christian. Diagnosis precedes cure. And if you pass the tests, then you have every right to full assurance, just as much as any other Christian.

And when it comes to Revelation 14.13, you meet the spiritual qualification for this certain promise of blessedness. Now that’s encouragement!

Let us consider the third and last part of the verse, the part that characterizes the reward that the righteous dead enjoy by the grace of God.

A Gracious Reward

It says of them, “Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” Here we have a confirmation, a rest, and a reward.

The confirmation is in the phrase, “Yea, saith the Spirit.” This is without question a reference to the Holy Spirit, referred to repeatedly in the messages to the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” There is no greater confirmation of truth than the verbal affirmation of the Holy Spirit, as here. “Yea” or “yes” or “indeed” or “truly” all translate a little Greek word that is like the word “amen.”

Further, it says, “that they may rest from their labors.” The word “that” expresses purpose and is linked with what comes before, “in order that they may rest from their labors” (LEB, emphasis mine). The thought seems to be that they die in the Lord for the purpose of resting from their labors, or, “to the end that they may rest from their labors,” as Wuest put it. The word translated “labors” literally means hard work. In this context, it has a connection with the suffering Christians endure in this world while being oppressed by unbelievers. Martyrdom is an extreme case of that oppression, but “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3.12) in one form or another, to one degree or another.

We need to think of the death of a Christian in this way. It is entering into a state of rest from all the harassment and painful toil that comes with living the Christian life in this world.

There is a rich tradition of spiritual songs from plantations in the antebellum South where the daily life of African-American slaves was sometimes unbearable. Many of them heard the gospel and trusted in Christ, and their simple hope in going to heaven kept them from utter despair. They would sing while they were sweating in the cotton fields, during long hot days of oppression, looking forward to sundown or death, whichever came first. Here is an example of their Christian hope, looking forward to release from the trials of this world:

Free at last, free at last
I thank God I’m free at last
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I’m free at last

Way down yonder in the graveyard walk
I thank God I’m free at last
Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk
I thank God I’m free at last

Some of these mornings, bright and fair
I thank God I’m free at last
Goin’ meet King Jesus in the air
I thank God I’m free at last¹

The last part of Revelation 14.13 has to do with the Christian’s reward. “Their works do follow them.” What a wonderful way to teach us that what we do for the Lord in this life has happy consequences for the next! Right now really does count forever. This reward is not payment for services rendered. Nor is it earned, as if we have some inherent merit and God owes us anything. Rather, it is just the Lord’s blessed way of showing us in the afterlife how pleased He is with our faith and good works in His name.

Real Christians, giving ourselves up to Christ in gratitude for His mercy, aim to please Him by carrying out His revealed will. Indeed, the church’s mission toward those who have been baptized is to be “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever [Jesus has] commanded [us]” (Matt 28.20).

And when we die, it is like we get to leave the field and go into the great farmhouse with our Master, to sit and eat and drink with Him as His intimate friends. He did appoint hardship for us in this life, but it shall yield to glory! And those who have died in the Lord are already beginning to enjoy His commendation of their faith and life. They are beginning to appreciate, like never before, that their labors in the Lord were not in vain. Their eternal reward, a gracious reward, is already theirs in a great measure, awaiting Judgment Day when it will be even more fully realized.

This Christian hope is why we can celebrate with tears in our eyes for sisters like Gail, and this hope is a big part of what keeps us serving the Lord all our days.

Real Christians enjoy eternal blessedness after they die.

In closing, let me share a poem that paraphrases and enlarges on our sermon text today.

Hark! A voice divides the sky, happy are the faithful dead!
In the Lord who sweetly die, they from all their toils are freed;
Them the Spirit hath declared blessed, unutterably blessed;
Jesus is their great reward, Jesus is their endless rest.
Followed by their works, they go where their Head has gone before;
Reconciled by grace below, grace has opened mercy’s door;
Justified through faith alone, here they knew their sins forgiv’n,
Here they laid their burden down, hallowed, and made fit for Heav’n.
Who can now lament the lot of a saint in Christ deceased?
Let the world, who know us not, call us hopeless and unblessed:
When from flesh the spirit freed hastens homeward to return,
Mortals cry, “A woman is dead!” Angels sing, “A child is born!”
Born into the world above, they our happy sister greet,
Bear her to the throne of love, place her at the Savior’s feet;
Jesus smiles, and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant thou;
Enter, and receive thy crown, reign with Me triumphant now.”²

Notes:

1. http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/free_at_last_from.htm
2. http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/v/o/hvoicedi.htm