Continued from the last teaching, Blessed Are Those Who Die in the Lord (intro).
Revelation 14:13 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!”
When we look at the voice that came from heaven, there are some obvious things to point out:
It came from heaven, so God established it.
If you die in the Lord, you will be blessed by God.
Dying in the Lord brings you to a place of rest where you abide in God’s presence, not your own work. Rest is part of the blessing that you receive for dying.
But what makes this so profound is that the voice is not random. It follows the three angels that announced three very important messages to set the stage for the death of these believers.
Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of judgment (on satan’s kingdom) has come. (Revelation 14:6-7)
The announcement that Babylon the great is falling. ( (Revelation 14:8)
A warning against worshiping the beast and receiving his mark (his name). (Revelation 9-11)
These messages guide believers in overcoming the devil and the works of darkness. They are letting all believers know that the judgment is not on those who follow the Lord but on those who don’t; therefore, pick your side.
These announcements are followed up by the call for the patience of the saints, or the endurance of the saints. Endurance is for those who keep God’s commandments and have faith in Jesus Christ. If that’s you, you will need much patience while God is judging satan’s kingdom in you. You will be saved at the end if you do not worship the beast or take his mark, which is his family name. (There are many levels of salvation, but this speaks of the finality that we’ve all endured to see.)
Let me say the last paragraph again, but slightly different. All of this shows that there is something big happening in the Spirit. These messages from the three angels are for the believers to let them know that God’s judgment has come to deal with Satan’s kingdom, and if you can be patient and endure to the end, you will be saved. (Matthew 24:13) What makes salvation work is that you are saved from Satan’s kingdom and into God’s kingdom. Another way to say it is that you die to satan’s kingdom and live in God’s. All of this sets up the believer to die in the Lord.
When the first angel said to fear God and give Him glory, he is well aware of the glory that God will receive from you when you die. His glory comes when you deny the beast, the false prophet, the mother of harlots, and you endure against them until they kill you for Christ’s sake. Your stance against them will be your ultimate death. But remember, that’s part of the plan. Jesus stood against the same, and they killed Him for it. God used the children of the devil to crucify the flesh and destroy it forever. You must expect the same.
Be faithful unto death.
As you read through the book of Revelation, you see many different characters representing different things. I want to focus on the people who died for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Starting with the angel of the church of Smyrna, Jesus said, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days, you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) Those who were faithful died the death and celebrated with having authority over life. These are some examples.
Antipas, my faithful witness, who did not deny my faith, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Revelation 2:13
The souls under the altar who had been slain for the word of God and the testimony that they held. (Revelation 6:9-11)
The brothers and fellow servants of the souls under the altar are killed for the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 6:9-17)
The great multitude who came out of great tribulation. (Revelation 7:9-17)
The two witnesses who prophesied for 1260 days were killed by the beast, which rose out of the bottomless pit and made war with them for their testimony. (Revelation 11:3-13)
Those who die in the Lord from now on. (Revelation 14:13)
The prophets, apostles, saints, and servants of God were killed by the great city of Babylon, the mother of all abominations on the earth. (Revelation 18:24)
The souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God. Those who did not worship the beast or its image did not receive its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
These people all have something in common with Jesus; they all died in the name of God. They were counted faithful to bear His name and were faithful to the death. They joined many of the saints from the Old Testament, who Jesus referred to as having righteous blood, and were murdered by serpents and vipers who were sentenced to hell. (Matthew 23:33–36)
Note: Jesus referred to the Pharisees and false Jews as serpents, also mentioned in the churches of Revelation 2,3.)
My point here is that many have died in the Lord, protecting and bearing witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ. Their reward is the first resurrection and power over the second death. (Revelation 20:1-6) The question for us is will we be His witnesses, or will we take on another name and join another family? The choice to die or not to die for the testimony of Jesus separates the true from the false. What side are you on?
This is not a new idea.
It’s also apparent that the voice from heaven in Revelation 14:13 is talking about a particular group of people at a specific time, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply to us. The key to understanding prophecy is that it repeats itself continuously in every generation. (You can read more about that in teaching #36, Prophecy is Repetitive.) It’s easy to see that those who died in the Lord were blessed throughout the Bible. This pattern is in the foundation of God’s teachings. There will always be martyrs who give their life in the name of Jesus.
This idea of dying in the Lord is not just the future for you. As you walk with Christ in the world, you have already begun to experience this mindset on simpler levels. You may recognize it through the scriptures that Jesus gave when He said follow me, which is to leave everything else you’ve been following. That’s a form of dying right there. You’ve also followed as you take up your cross, which also speaks of dying. Many people can also relate to this idea through the question that Jesus asked His followers. What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? (Matthew 16:24-28)
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
As I mentioned, this pattern has been in the mindset of all the saints of God throughout the world from the beginning. The glory of dying for Christ is a genuine heartfelt desire of the believers of God and His Son, Jesus. It has been an ancient belief but was magnified for all the modern-day saints when Jesus was manifested on the earth. In the old way, it seemed brutal and was allotted to those with particular callings, but Jesus taught that it was a blessing to suffer with Him and made it a part of the lives of all believers who wear His name.
Matthew 5:10–12 (ESV)
“ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“ Blessed are you when others revile you, 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 they persecuted the prophets before you.
There was also the apostle Paul who was chief in bringing this idea to the saints as he suffered greatly for the name of Jesus and called for all of us to follow him as he followed Christ. To die daily with Christ was a foundational teaching of his gospel. This idea is something God has always had in His mind for the saints in the world.
Let’s define the point of this teaching.
I know this is a vast topic with much learning that must be done on your own as you journey with Christ. My point is that you, as believers, will take on a new perception of death each day you continue to follow Jesus. Death in the Lord is not the end of your life; it’s the end of the devil in your life. This is why you must die in the Lord. You don’t die in sin; you die to sin. (Romans 6) If sin is the work of the devil and the devil has been removed from heaven, then if you plan on living there, you cannot bring sin (the devil) with you. You must die in the Lord, which means to die to everything else that opposes the Lord.
That’s one part, but then you also have the joy and blessing of dying in the Lord. This joy is the beginning of the celebration you will have when you spend eternity with your heavenly family. No more pain, sorrow, darkness, crying, or death will exist there. You will finally be free of the fight. You will find your spiritual rest.
But remember, choosing to give your life for Jesus does not happen overnight. It is a choice taught to you. And as you fall in love with Christ and are filled with His Spirit, you will easily come to this decision over time. Many lies and deceptions live in us and must be revealed and dealt with. This means you do not have to focus on dying first; focus on living for the Lord. If you’re patient and endure to the end, you will be saved because, in the end, you will desire the Lord so much that you will be dying to give your whole life to Him.
Finally, receive the warnings and realize that judgment is coming to satan’s kingdom. Babylon is falling, and you want to be on the right side of this judgment. (Matthew 25:33–34) Take on the name of the Lord and stand for truth. Deny the beast and do not receive his mark on your forehead or your hand.
But also beware: Once you stand against the beast and his corrupt government, he will set his mind to killing you. That’s where your true glory begins to be made known to all of heaven. Once you join yourself in the Lord and deny the world and its false leaders, you will take on the glory seen only by those who walk in the light.
(Remember, let’s keep this inwardly right now. I desire to teach your inward man to live for God. Your outward man will always follow what is working from within.)