THE GREATEST OF ALL RIGHTS

Rev. 22:7,14 ... “Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book. ... Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.”

      The book of Revelation reaches its conclusion in this chapter. The long and universal war between good and evil is over, and the victory has gone entirely to the force of good. The age-long conflict between God and Satan is finished, and God stands unmoved in triumphant glory in heaven. His arch-antagonist, "the great dragon ... the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan," (Rev. 12:9), has been "thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone ... and will be tormented day and night forever and ever," (Rev. 20:10). With Satan and all the forces of evil confined forever in hell, those who devoted their lives to the service of God are eternally delivered from sin and the danger of being tempted to sin.

      The book of Revelation utters seven beatitudes (pronouncements of divine blessing) upon a people or group of people who have pleased God and gained His acceptance. The last two of these wonderful blessings are given here in this chapter. The first is, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it," (1:3). Obedience to God is absolutely essential in man's relationship with Him. The life that is based upon it will succeed (Mt. 7:24-25), but the life that ignores or spurns it will fail miserably, (Mt. 7:26-27). Nothing can be substituted for obedience, although many think it possible. King Saul thought that worship could be exchanged for obedience, but Samuel corrected him with the declaration, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams," (I Sam. 15:22). There are people today who have the idea that they can put money, self-styled righteousness, and benevolent service in the place of obedience to God's law, but it can't be done. This effort was the fallacy of Jews to whom Paul wrote, "Not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God," (Rom. 10:3). But those who deny their own will and submit their lives to the will of God shall receive His blessing that is pronounced here in Rev. 22:7. They shall live eternally with God in heaven, separated forever from sin and its fiendish promoter, Satan.

      The seventh beatitude of Revelation is, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city." The substance of this blessing is the same as the last. In other words, God's will offers a double reward to anyone who will obey it. Notice the clause, "so that they may have the right to ...". In contemporary America we have become a "rights" obsessed people. We demand the "right" to do whatever we want to do, go wherever we want to go, live in the place of our choice, gain membership in whatever organization we wish, etc. If the way seems blocked to gaining any "right," we protest, demonstrate, and initiate litigation aimed toward the Supreme Court. This activity has been prominent in our social, political, and economic life throughout the past century and promises to continue into the future. These "rights" may seem all-important here on earth. But their importance is nothing compared to the "right to the tree of life" in heaven. That right is gained through obedience to God's law in the spirit of peace, humility, and goodness in the present life. I fear that those who continually push for their "rights" in social, political, and economic spheres may lose sight of and then forfeit the greatest right ever to be, the "right to the tree of life." If one should gain every possible right in life on earth, but lose this supreme right beyond the grave, he has indeed lost everything!

THE ETERNAL ELIMINATION OF PAIN AND SORROW

Rev. 21:4 ... "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death;  there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

      "The first things have passed away!" What a statement this is! What it signifies is absolutely won-derful. In v.1 it says that "the first heaven and the first earth passed away." So the text is pointing to a time when the earth and life on it will be past history. Not to a "time," actually, for in reference to the same subject in Rev. 10:6 John heard a "strong angel” from heaven (who) “swore by Him who lives  forever and ever ... that there will be delay (time, KJV) no longer.” From the perspective of the text above Jesus has already returned to take His loyal subjects from earth, and the earth and universe have been destroyed by fire. Time has been swallowed up by the infinitude of eternity. In fact, the judgment has already occurred; the unfaithful have been consigned to eternal torment in hell; and the faithful in Christ have been ushered into the glorious beauty of heaven, which is described in this chapter in the imagery of an ideal city protected by massive walls.

      One can imagine the vivid scenes of the judgment. A faithful Christian wife is received into heaven, but her faithless and disobedient husband is cast into torment. God-fearing parents disappear into the beauties of heaven, but their rebellious and pleasure-seeking children descend into inextinguishable fire. Reverent people pass through glorious portals, but dear friends and neighbors who had no respect for the Lord are ordered through infernal doors to eternal doom. The faithful, humble, reverent souls who are saved would not deserve their glorious reward if they were not stricken with the worst kind of sorrow and anguish to witness the everlasting departure of their beloved family members, friends, and neighbors into what they know is a never-ending state of horrible punishment.

      Our text, however, proclaims that one of God's first acts in welcoming the saved into His celestial court is to remove this awful pain and anguish they will doubtless be experiencing. With the power of His infinite kindness He will "wipe away every tear from their eyes." He will separate from their minds the memory of their lost and doomed loved ones so that their spirits will be free to enjoy heaven.

      Another cause of perpetual sorrow and tears on earth is the death of those with whom we have close attachments. Death is never far from anyone, and when it confronts us, we are powerless to escape it. The grave yawns before us as an insatiable monster to whom we yield the still, silent bodies of our families and friends. But it is never filled. "Sheol (the nether world) and Abaddon (the place of perish-ing, i.e., the grave) are never satisfied," (Pro. 27:20). One of the sublime comforts and securities of heaven is that "there will no longer be any death." The bonds that unite souls in heaven will never be sundered by death the tyrant, and this persistent source of grief on earth will never be known in heaven.

      During this life we must cope with pain from birth until death. We are confronted by countless diseases and by injuries from which there are no complete recoveries. Surgery and drugs can mask or diminish some of this pain, but ere long it returns in full force. One of the great benefits of heaven is that "there will no longer be any ... pain." Pain will be only a dim earthly memory, but even that faint trace shall quickly fade into extinction. When this earth is wrecked and annihilated, and when the judgment is past, I want to be found in the blessed group of redeemed souls who are emptied of all pain and sorrow forever, and who never again have to contend with the threat that death incessantly imposes upon us now. Don't you, too, my dear reader?

THE FINAL JUDGMENT

Rev. 20:12 ... :I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”

      The prevailing view of history among educated people in ancient times was what is called the circu-lar view. It was believed that all events have their place on a gigantic chronological circle, or wheel, which irresistibly turns on an axis. One complete revolution is an eon. On the next turn all the events of the previous one are duplicated, so that history literally repeats itself. Biblical thought differs radically from this view, for it presents what is called the linear view of history. According to it, history has a distinct beginning point: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," (Gen. 1:1). Then time follows a forward course to another distinct point where it shall end. This terminal point is the subject of the text above.

      When Paul visited Athens, he spoke on Mars Hill to an assembly of intelligent Grecians, most of whom probably held the circular view of history.  After speaking about the deception of worshipping idols, he then proclaimed, "God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead,“ (Acts 17:30-31). The apostle was informing these intellectuals that history is irresistibly moving toward a grand conclusion. He emphasized that the authentic God is in control of the process, having Himself appointed "the day" when The End shall come. On that day, says Paul, God will judge the world by the "Man whom He has appointed," meaning Jesus Christ. The canon of judgment will be "righteousness," which has been perfectly demonstrated in the human sphere in Jesus' life.

      During His earthly sojourn Jesus often spoke of the end of time and the great judgment. After Paul, other New Testament writers emphasized this same event. The description by John in Revelation 20 is the last reference to it in the Bible. It was revealed to John in a vision, a sort of preview of that tremen-dous scene. He first saw "a great white throne" occupied by God, and before His glorious face "earth and heaven" (the universe) receded into extinction. Then every person who ever lived, "the great and the small," were assembled to stand before God. This presumes, of course, the resurrection of all the dead. (The Athenian philosophers mocked the resurrection when Paul spoke of it. See Acts 17:32 and above.)

      Then John saw two "books" opened. One contains God's record of the life of everyone who lived on earth, including a perfect account of every thought, word, and deed. It once seemed incredulous that a single mind, even the mind of God, could have the capacity to store and recall such a vast amount of information. The development of computers to the capacity where they are able to store and retrieve huge quantities of detailed data should diminish our incredulity. The skeptic needs only to think of God's mind as the ultimate computer with infinite storage capacity and perfect retrieval ability. The traditional word to cover this idea is omniscience.

      The other book John saw opened was "the book of life," which evidently contains the names of all the redeemed. The first book, (literally "books," plural ), may very well indicate the Bible, the collect-ion of sixty-six books that is the only standard of righteousness by which men shall be judged. It is decreed that "the dead were judged from the things which are written in the books, according to their deeds." Then v.15 concludes, "And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. "

THE SUPREME MARRIAGE SUPPER

Rev. 19:9 ... "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

      This text is the fourth of the seven beatitudes found in the Book of Revelation. A beatitude is the pronouncement of a blessing upon a person or group of people. God blesses someone when He bestows a favor upon him. In this case the favor, which is offered to everyone, is an invitation "to the marriage supper of the Lamb." But what does this mean?

      As usual in Revelation we are dealing with symbolism. The symbol here is the Jewish form of marriage, which was conducted in three stages. First, there was the betrothal, the pledge of the bride and groom to marry each other. This was a formal arrangement, even to the extent of being legally binding. To dissolve it was considered a divorce. The second stage was a period of waiting during which the couple made preparations. It was often prolonged, stretching out several years. Jacob served Laban seven years for Leah and seven more for Rachel. The third stage was the marriage supper, during which the couple were united as husband and wife. When the time for this event came, the groom went to the bride's home with a procession of friends and family. Singers and musicians were secured to enhance the festivities. The Parable of the Virgins in Matthew 25 features this third stage of the Jewish marriage, especially the groom's procession to claim his bride.

      This Jewish convention is used to show the relation of Jesus to His church. While He was on earth, Jesus selected the church to be His holy bride, (Eph. 5:22-23; Rev. 21:2). He was then betrothed to her. Consequently, the church is now the betrothed, beloved bride of Christ. When He returned to heaven, (Acts 1:9-11), the period of waiting began. We are assured that, even at present, Jesus is preparing in heaven a home for His bride, (Jno. 14:1-3), while His bride on earth is preparing herself to be taken up by her Lord and beloved Groom. When He returns from heaven, (I Ths. 4:16-17), Jesus will bring with Him a grand procession of angels (Jude 14) to claim His bride and enjoy the great marriage supper with her in the beautiful home He has prepared for her, (Rev. 22:5). Indeed, "blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." They will be those who constitute His bride, i.e., they will be Christians who are the members of His church. More specifically, they will be those who made themselves ready (v.7) by clothing their lives with righteousness (v.8) during their years of toil on earth.

      This passage, (Rev. 19:7-9), emphasizes the special importance and sanctity of the church. Every-one needs to become aware of this emphasis, because there is growing disrespect in society toward the church. In many instances this negative attitude advances into contempt and avowed hostility. There are those who want to be identified as Christians, but who want nothing to do with the church. Their cry is, "Jesus, yes! The church, no!"

      A true Christian cannot be alienated from the true church. It is not possible to be a Christian in the primitive sense without being a faithful, active member of the church. When a person is saved, the Lord Himself adds the person to the church (Acts 2:47), because that is where He wants him to be. To separ-ate yourself from the church is to forfeit your identity as a Christian and lose the blessing of Rev. 19:9. Those who show disrespect toward the church dishonor Christ's beloved bride. Those who hold the church in contempt offend Christ's bride, and we can be sure He will settle accounts with them. Those who attack the church make themselves enemies of Christ. Only those who honor the church, uphold her sanctity, and bravely defend her honor, will be "invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."

THE FALL OF BABYLON

Rev. 18:20 ... "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”

      Chapter 18 describes the destruction of the primary enemies of God and His kingdom. The adver-sary, like most other things in this book, is presented in symbolic form. The symbol used is the great city of Babylon, the ancient capital of Mesopotamia, where Nebuchadnezzar and other famous kings had ruled. It was from this city and its empire that a powerful army had marched to destroy Jerusalem, and it was to this city and its environs that the Jews had been taken captive (586 BC). Several of the Old Testament prophets had spoken against Babylon because of its gross idolatry, extreme worldliness, and wicked political aggression. They foretold its eventual destruction and consequent perpetual desola-tion. These prophecies have all been fulfilled to the letter.

      In Revelation, Babylon is used as a symbol for the world as a place of godless materialism and determined opposition to the church as a body and Christians as individuals. In v.3 she is accused of immorality, political evil, and economic corruption. In v.7 she is charged with sinful pride over her successes in polluting human enterprises; and in vs. 14 and 16 her lust for wealth and pleasure are emphasized. Furthermore, v.24 points out her zeal in killing Christians in particular and causing death in general through widespread wars and destruction.

      As Christians suffer from the efforts of Babylon to turn men away from God to the worship of materialism, to the lust for pleasure, to pride in human ingenuity, and finally to avowed enmity to God, we must not be made to worry or driven to despair. Neither must we adopt the same tactics as Babylon and respond with aggressive force through political and economic channels. We must rather apply the Lord’s instruction in Rom. 12:19, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

      This is not to say that Christians should stand silent and passive while Babylon permeates society, controlling politics, economics, and education. It simply means that it is not our place to wage war in the political arena with political weapons, or go to combat on economic fields with economic imple-ments of battle. If we do this, we shall lose. It is not given to Christians to fight evil with the weapons and tactics developed by evil. We are instructed in II Cor 10:3-5, “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Therefore, the correct response by Christians to Babylon is to live by faith in the Gospel way and to preach the truth from God boldly and without compromise.

      Revelation 18 assures us that God Himself will take vengeance upon Babylon. The cry of His mighty angel in v.2, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit ... and hateful bird.” God Himself will judge and punish terribly those in society who promote immorality, corrupt political processes, and manipulate economics to their own selfish ends. He will overthrow those who enter into every human activity to defile it, who worship wealth, and who spend their energy lusting for pleasure. With the prospect of His judgment of Babylon in view, God warns Christians in v.4 to “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” We must, therefore, draw a line between us and the worldly pollu-tion of Babylon.

FINAL VICTORY WITH CHRIST

Rev. 17:14 ... "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

      Although this statement occurs two-thirds of the way through the Book of Revelation, it is neverthe-less the one that states its central theme. Essentially it says that, though Christ has many opponents in the world, He shall in the end be victorious over them all. Furthermore, He will share His decisive victory with those who are His "called," His "chosen," and His "faithful."

       This final book of the Bible is universally declared to be the most difficult to interpret and under-stand. However, if all of the puzzling symbols and cryptic statements are studied in the light of the text above, their general sense can be deciphered even if their specific meaning remains obscure or even hidden. Whatever the grotesque beasts and fantastic beings pictured in the visions represent, it is clear they are enemies of Christ and devoted to the destruction of His church. But our featured text empha-sizes that none of them shall gain the victory. They shall all go down in utter defeat, because the Lamb is too powerful for them. They might gain control of the lords and kings among men and marshal their strength against Christ, but they shall altogether fail, since Christ is "Lord of lords and King of kings."

      This seventeenth chapter speaks of such enigmatic figures as the woman sitting on a scarlet beast, a beast which "was and is not," and the ten kings "who have not yet received a kingdom, but ... receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour." In an extended and intensive study of Revelation, I would labor to suggest specific interpretations of these figures and then defend my conclusions. But in this brief article that is an impossible task. It is nevertheless obvious that these beings signify dangerous enemies of Christ and His church. The woman was devoted to killing Christians, for v. 6 says she was "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus." The beast was allied with this wicked woman in persecuting Christians, because in v.3 we see that it carried her upon its back. Its own wickedness is indicated by wearing "blasphemous names" to the extent that it was "full" of them. The ten kings were in perfect league with the beast since v.12 says they "receive authority ... with the beast for one hour." And v.13 adds, "These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast."

      We can say that, in general, the great harlot, the scarlet beast, and the ten kings are symbols of the combined forces of the anti-Christian world that pervade the earth. They are the instruments through which Satan works to try to destroy Christ and annihilate His church. They include evil governments, false religions, gross immorality, and all people who support or participate in these things. When v.14 declares that "these will wage war against the Lamb,” the demonstrative pronoun “these” is referring directly to the evil forces being represented.

      The great consolation and joy of every Christian is that no matter how foreboding these powers might seem, they are doomed to certain destruction. In their wicked energy and malice they will indeed "wage war against the Lamb," but the Lamb (Jesus) "will overcome them." He will bring them down in utter defeat, for that is the meaning of the word "niksei" which is here translated as "will overcome." These enemies will be removed eternally from the presence of those who are the "called and chosen" of Christ. No more will they persecute those who are faithful to their Savior. This passage, therefore, is telling us where to turn to be on the winning side when the last scene of the last act of the great human drama is finally played out.

THE BLESSING FOR THOSE WATCH

Rev. 16:15 ... "Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”

      Since Jesus first announced that He would come again, people have been anxious to pinpoint the time of His arrival. Many have combed the Bible in the effort to collect information about various numbers and numerical symbolism in order to determine the time of that great event. Publicizing their conclusions, they managed to stir up great excitement among certain groups of people. The failure of their determinations did not always lead to discouragement, for those who were involved in some cases formalized their movement into a new denomination.

      Jesus once made a statement about the time of His coming that ought to stop people from the fool-ishness of date-setting. In Mt. 24:36 He said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." It is presumptuous in the extreme for someone to deny what Jesus here said that "no one knows" and to claim the knowledge that the "Father alone" possesses, viz., the date of Jesus' return. The complete failure of all such predictions proves that truly no one but God knows when the appointed time is.

      Jesus' warning in our featured text serves to reinforce His declaration that no one but God knows the time of His coming. He says, "Behold, I am coming like a thief." A thief does not announce the time when he plans to come, nor would he come if he thought his planned arrival had become known. Jesus' coming will be unannounced and without warning.

      Actually, our major concern should not be the time of Jesus' return, but rather our own state of pre-paration to meet Him. It is not as important for us to know the year, month, day, and hour as it is to be ready to meet Christ when He "descend(s) from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God," (I Ths. 4:16). Jesus warns us (Mt. 24:44) to “be ready." The faithful and true disciple will not waste time trying to determine the exact month and day of Jesus' return, but will use every day the Lord gives him to the fullest advantage to be ready when He does finally appear.

      Our text is a beatitude pronounced upon those who prepare themselves for Jesus' return. It is the third of the seven beatitudes given in Revelation. Our Lord says, "Blessed is the one who stays awake." This does not refer strictly to watching the sky for the first glimpse of Christ. It refers far more to the disciple watching his own life to hold it to the Christian standard laid out in the New Testament. The spelling of the word W-A-T-C-H tells us what we are supposed to watch: W- watch your Way of liv-ing; A-watch your Actions; T-watch your Tongue; C-watch your Character; and H-watch your Heart. Those who watch their lives in these respects will be ready when Christ appears.

      The reference to garments in the text is symbolic. Many times in Scripture a person's spiritual condition is referred to as clothing. Clean and white garments indicate a life that is pure and righteous, while soiled garments signify a life that is polluted with sin. In Rev. 7:14 we are told that our clothing can be washed and made white only "in the blood of the Lamb." Obedience to the teaching of Jesus and conformity to the model of life which He lived is the only way. His blood alone is able to wash the sin stains from our souls and create righteousness within us. Nothing else can prepare us to meet Him when He returns and answer His call to join Him "in the air ... (and) always be with the Lord," (I Ths. 4:17). 

THE BOWLS OF WRATH

Rev. 15:7 ... "Then one of the four Living Creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.”

      The colonial preachers in New England emphasized to their audiences that God is characterized by an overwhelming spirit of wrath, which He directs at all who sin and resist His will. The prevailing emphasis in the preaching of today, however, is that God is filled with love, mercy, and patient kindness toward erring mankind. It is obvious that from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first a great change has occurred in the way Americans perceive God.

      Actually, God is both a God of wrath and a God of merciful lovingkindness. Paul by inspiration wrote, "Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off," (Rom. 11:22). If a person is living in rebellion against God, he has every reason to conceive of Him as a God of wrath and venge-ance. If a person has humbly submitted to God in love, he has every reason to conceive of God as being merciful, kind, and loving. The way that a person responds to what God has done for him determines the nature of God's countenance toward that person. God loves us all, for He made us in His own image (Gen. 1:27) and has declared that He wants every one of us to be saved (II Pet. 3:9). But He will not compromise with sin to admit its presence (in the lives of those who cling to it) into His home in heaven, (Rev. 21:27).

      The featured text above is one of those statements in Scripture which call attention to God's wrath upon those who will not repent but continue defiantly in their sin. In a vision, John saw "the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven." Its door was standing open, and as he watched, seven angels emerged from it. Unto each was given a golden bowl which was filled with the wrath of God. We may be reminded here of the statement in Rom. 2:5, "Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart  you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." This statement suggests that the hardened persistence in sin and the refusal by people to repent results in increasing wrath in God. This wrath is being "stored up" in God's Spirit. It is as though it were a terribly potent liquid being held in a great vessel.

      At last that divine container will be filled to capacity. God then will permit His accumulated wrath toward the sin abounding on earth to be held in reserve no longer. Summoning the seven angels into His presence, He shall pour that great reservoir of wrath into seven large bowls and place one in the hands of each angel. This will be at the time chosen by God to recompense man for the sins in which he has so callously walked for so long. And so we read further, "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God,' (16:1). The rest of the chapter then describes what will happen when each angel pours out his bowl of wrath upon the earth and the people living there.

      The lesson to be learned here is that God's will must always be taken seriously. God is certainly full of mercy, love, and kindness toward us, and He wishes most fervently to save us and bless us forever in His presence. But God is equally full of justice. When His will is disregarded, and those who flaunt it refuse to repent, He will take vengeance upon the transgressor. God's delay in pouring out His wrath upon the impenitent must not be taken as a sign that His wrath has been dissolved in His lovingkind-ness, (II Pet. 3:7-10). Wisdom begs us to respond contritely to God's will each day, so that when the angels pour out the bowls of wrath, the fury will not fall upon our heads. We can be assured that God will protect His people in that awful day of divine retribution. 

WHEN DEATH IS A BLESSING

Rev. 14:13 ... 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." 

      When we hear the word "beatitudes" used in a Biblical context, we at once think of Mat. 5:3-12, where Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with a series of statements to which this term has been applied. But few are aware that in the Book of Revelation there is a series of seven beatitudes also spoken by our Lord. They are as worthy of our attention as the more famous ones in Matthew 5. The first is in 1:3. The second is the chosen text above. The others are found in 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7 and 22:14.

      A beatitude is the pronouncement of a blessing by God upon someone or upon a group of people. God blesses someone when He bestows a favor upon him. Our text proclaims the blessing of God upon "the dead who die in the Lord." The substance of the blessing is that, -1- they may "rest from their labors," and -2- the Divine recognition of "their deeds" which "follow with them." We are hereby assured that there is a great advantage to dying "in the Lord." 

      That each of us shall eventually die is indeed a fact! God has decreed that "for men it is appointed to die once," (Heb. 9:27). Our common experience in life proves this beyond doubt. We are forced to watch helplessly as those whom we love surrender their lives unto death. There is in my library a book  entitled Death as a Fact of Life. How true this title is! Just try taking out a life insurance policy at age seventy or eighty, and you will be informed in no uncertain terms that insuring your life is a bad risk for an insurance company. They will probably offer you a policy, but the cost is exorbitant. Cemeteries are a  common feature of the landscape; we are never far from one of them. And it seems the space in them for burials is gradually running out.

      People fear death and try to dismiss it from their thinking as long as possible. But the frequent passing of those about us forces the unwelcome issue into our thinking. And here is where Christianity offers one of its greatest consolations. Jesus came to this world of death and dying and confronted death as our common enemy. The writer of the Hebrew letter states that "we do see Him (Jesus) who was made for a little while lower than the angels ... because of the suffering of death (was) crowned with glory and honor ... by the grace of God (that) He might taste death for everyone," (2:9). In His conflict with death, Jesus won the victory! Death overcame Him for three days, but when He came forth from the grave He triumphed over death. For the first time death was unable to hold its victim in the grave permanently. When a person submits his life to Jesus and lives out his days in His service, he will be granted to share in his Lord's victory. Paul declares with exultation, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," (I Cor. 15:55-58).

      When a Christian dies, he does not pass out of the benevolent grasp of his Savior's hand. We are assured that, "If we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's," (Rom. 14:8). Even in death we enjoy the watchful care and keeping of our Savior who gives us rest from our earthly labors in His service. Then, at the time chosen by God the Father, Jesus shall call forth from their graves all who have died in the Lord to meet Him "in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord," (I Ths. 4:17). This beatitude is reserved, however, only for those who live and die in the Lord. Nothing but Christianity can offer this promise with its most welcomed hope and consolation.

      Dear reader, are you living in the Lord with a firm grasp upon this precious promise?

TWO MAJOR ENEMIES OF CHRISTIANITY

Rev. 13:10 ... "If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints."

      The early Christians faced dangers and challenges that to us today are incomprehensible and almost incredible. Often they were dragged from their homes and thrown into prison. Even worse, they were sometimes killed in ways that were grotesque and fiendish. A person truly had to "sit down first and count the cost" when he considered becoming a Christian in that age. And he also had to resolve to look upon himself as being only a "stranger and exile on the earth," (Heb. 11:13). Since there was the great possibility he would be brutalized and his life cut short, he had to look for his relief and reward beyond this earth -- in heaven.

      But our Lord does not will that His disciples on earth should never enjoy rest and the fruits of life while they walk in the narrow road of righteousness. He takes careful note of those who persecute and oppress His people, and in a time of His own choice He executes vengeance upon them, thus bringing relief to His disciples. The select verse above calls our attention to this very action of Christ. Those who have led Christians into captivity shall themselves be led into captivity, and those who have killed Christians shall themselves be killed. Christians who suffer persecution can put their faith in this pro-mise and endure their present hardships with patience in the confidence that Jesus will eventually bring relief to them.

      Revelation 13 introduces two of the major enemies of Christianity. They are presented in symbolic form so that it requires a great deal of investigation and comparison of Scriptures to interpret them and defend the conclusions. There is, of course, not space in this brief article to do that. The first enemy is symbolized as a beast that arises from the sea. It wears crowns that boast of victories and inscriptions that blaspheme God. The world looks upon it with great wonder, submits to its power, and even offers it worship. But behind this great sea beast we can see Satan, who gives the beast its power, who promotes its position in the world, and who induces the world to worship it. This beast especially devotes its attention to blaspheming God and waging war against the church. It is the view of this writer that the sea beast is a symbol of earthly nations which surrender to Satan's influence. During the first few cen-turies of the church's existence this beast was without doubt the Roman Empire.

      The second enemy presented is symbolized as a beast that comes up from the earth. It "perforns great signs" and even miracles, and infuses life into an image of the sea beast whose worship it pro-motes among men. Indeed, its primary goal seems to be to promote the status and power of that sea beast, elevating it to the level of God and forcing men to worship it. This writer considers the land beast to be a symbol of anti-Christian religion. During the period of the early church it was the great system of idolatry that promoted Roman power and enforced the worship of Caesar.

      To Christians there might have seemed no chance ever to have peace or even survive as long as the powers of the sea beast (anti-Christian government) and the land beast (anti-Christian religion) were focused upon them. But the text above is a short note of encouragement to Christians never to lose courage or cease to be steadfast in active faith, since their Lord will in time destroy these awful powers. And indeed, we later read of these two beasts being "thrown alive into the lake of' fire which burns with brimstone," (Rev. 19:20). One of the primary objectives of the Book of Revelation is to encourage Christians to withstand at whatever cost all the manifestations of evil power, since in the end our King will conclusively overthrow them and give the ultimate victory to those who have been loyal to Him. 

THE FALL OF SATAN

Rev. 12:10-11 ... "I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.' And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death."

      Satan is the ancient enemy of God. It is thought by some he was originally an archangel in heaven. But for some reason he was not content there and rebelled against God. The reason for his disaffection may be suggested in I Tim. 3:6, "Lest he (an elder) become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." Being filled with pride, Satan contested the supremacy and sovereignty of God in heaven, and thus rebelled. It appears that he drew a number of angels into his allegiance when he dared defy God, for the Scriptures speak of "fallen angels," (II Pet. 2:4; Jde. 6). In Rev. 12:7-9 it reads, "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war .... And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Satan's rebellion against God failed totally. He and all his allies were entirely routed by God's angelic army and expelled from heaven never to return.

      Satan is the archenemy of Christ. Revelation 12 describes the birth of Christ on earth from the spiri-tual viewpoint. In a vision John saw a glorious woman in heaven about to give birth to a child. But "another sign appeared in heaven ... a great red dragon ... and the dragon stood before the woman ... so that when she gave birth he might devour her child, (vs. 3-4). This may refer to the attempt of Herod to murder Jesus when he had all the male infants of Bethlehem killed. While on earth Jesus knew that Satan was never far away, ready to exploit any weakness or mistake to overthrow Him and ruin His great mission. When Jesus was crucified, it seemed as though Satan had triumphed. Actually, he had managed only to bruise the heel of the "seed of the woman," (Gen. 3:15). Satan's victory was snatched away when Jesus was resurrected from the grave and taken up into heaven to God, (Rev. 12:5). His victory over death was also a victory over Satan.

      Satan is the avowed enemy of the church. The glorious woman of Revelation 12 is not Mary, but rather a symbol of the church. When Jesus ascended to heaven, Satan directed his attack against Christ's church. The dragon "persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child ... And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood ... So the dragon was enraged with the woman," (Rev. 12:13f). But God took special action to preserve His church. "But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished ... from the presence of the serpent ... But the earth helped the woman, and .... opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth," (vs. 14,16). Although the church has been oppressed for nearly two millennia, it still exists and flourishes in the world.

      Satan is the resolute enemy of Christians. Seeing that he could not destroy the church as a body, he turned upon its individual parts, Christians. Verse 17 reports that "the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, (Christians).” But the devil cannot defeat Christians who do not want to submit to his wicked dominion, for God has given us two very powerful weapons which Satan cannot withstand: "And they (Christians) overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony," (v.11). With the blood of Jesus that washes away sin, and with the sword of the Spirit of God's word, every Christian can personally defeat Satan and remain in allegiance to God who saves. 

FROM DEFEAT TO VICTORY

Rev. 11:18 ... "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

      The Bible features two categories of people as God views man. First, there are "the nations." They are characterized as being angry and destroying the earth. From the context of this chapter specifically, and the entire book of Revelation generally, "the nations" represent the masses of people who will not submit to God, who reject His appeals to them to repent, and oppose His kingdom in the world. Their anger mentioned here is anger directed against God, His word, and His kingdom. Their act of destroy-ing the earth involves their warfare against God and His people. This anger is evident throughout the New Testament, as the Jews persecuted Jesus and His apostles, and as the gentiles later took up and continued this persecution. Secular history from the close of the apostolic age to the present abundantly records the hostility of the world toward the church and the Lord it represents.

      The second category of people is represented in the phrases, "Your bond-servants the prophets, the saints," and finally "those who fear Your name." This means the people who tune their hearts to God, listen to His word, gladly obey it in faith, and live out the rest of their lives in the fear (reverence) of God. These are Christians, who are variously referred to as the children of God and members of His family, citizens of His eternal kingdom, and members of His church. This chapter sketches in brief out-line what the rest of Revelation treats in far more detail, the warfare between God and those who rebel against Him. Without attempting to interpret it in detail, (which is impossible within the limited scope of this short article), we may observe the general course of this struggle. Verses 1-7a present the period when the Lord's church is active and victorious in the world. It successfully fulfills its mission of testi-fying to God before men and drawing all who will believe and obey into the Holy Kingdom. But the time God allots to the ministry of the church is limited (v.7a), and the tables begin to turn. The forces of evil rise up against the church and seem to annihilate it from the earth. While it lies in apparent global death, the host of rebellious mankind even "celebrate and ... send gifts one to another" to revel in their victory. Verses 7b-10 describe the reign of evil on earth as the church lies dormant and apparently dead.

      Then comes the third phase, (v.11), when God breathes life back into His church, and it rebounds into vigorous life, striking fear into the heart of its foe. But very shortly the church is commanded to 'Come up here," and it ascends into heaven in a cloud while the wicked left behind on earth stare up in wonder after it. At this point we find the setting of the chosen text above. God deals with the two cate-gories of people mentioned in the first paragraph. He bestows the gift of eternal life on those who have served Him, sanctified themselves by His word, and feared His name. But He destroys those who have lived in rebellion against Him and devoted their lives to persecuting His people.

      Dear reader, we can rest assured that the picture drawn in this chapter is true and shall come to pass at the appointed time without fail. It is now within our ability to choose in which category of people we shall be, whether among the rebellious who resist God, or among the obedient who respect His will. This chapter seeks to persuade us to make the right choice so that God's wrath will not dominate our eternity, but rather that His supernal blessings will rest upon us. As Jesus so often said, "If any man has an ear, let him hear," (Rev. 13:9).

EATING THE LITTLE BOOK

Rev. 10:9-10 ... "So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, 'Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.' I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter."

      We must remember that John received the material in the book of Revelation in a series of visions. Notice here in 10:1 that the chapter begins, "(And) I saw." Then we must recognize that things can happen in visions that would not be likely to happen in our normal physical world. Chapter 10 is relat-ing a vision that John saw, and in this vision something occurred that would be highly extraordinary in common experience. There descended from heaven a "strong angel" clothed in a cloud, crowned with a rainbow, radiant as the sun, and his feet (and legs) like pillars of fire. In his hand was a little book open. This book appears to signify God's word, the Bible, for as soon as John had "eaten" it. he was comman-ded to "prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings," (v.11).

      In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 Jesus said that "the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away," (vs. 20-21). The idea presented here by Jesus and by John's experi-ence in the vision in "eating" the "little book" are essentially the same. John's initial experience with this book was the sweet taste of honey, whereas the hearer described by Jesus first experienced joy. The after effects for John was a bitter stomach, and for the hearer in Jesus' parable it was being "offended" when tribulation and persecution followed his acceptance of the word.

      The message of the Bible is indeed beautiful and most appealing. The reader can lose himself in its glorious presentation, and the teacher can become enthralled in explaining its wonderful meaning and applications. The pleasantness of God's word is often emphasized and sometimes again even compared to honey. For example, "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psa. 119:103). But there is a lot more to using the Bible than the joy of reading and teaching it. One must also let it transform his life from being a servant of sin to being a servant of righteousness. And when one uses the Bible to produce this change, he incurs the enmity and opposition of the community of sinners from which he has been separated. Jesus forewarns those who will submit to Him as their Lord and accept His doctrine as their rule of life: "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me

before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world ... (therefore) the world hates you. ... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you," (Jno. 15:18-20).

      Those who are attracted to the Bible by the beauty and wonderful hope of its message, and who experience profound joy as they receive it, must realize that it will eventually bring upon them hostility from the world which is in rebellion against God. God's word is a light from heaven that shines into the world, but "everyone who does evil hates the Light" because it exposes the evil in their way of life, (Jno. 3:19-20). Persecution and tribulation will cause bitterness in the life of the person who holds on to his faith in the Bible and defends his loyalty to it. But he must never forsake it to remove the bitterness! If he endures unto the end, the Lord will reward him abundantly in the next life, where His word is unopposed because the devil and all his advocates have been eternally banished into hell.