Five Blesseds of Revelation
Introduction:
“It is the last message of
God to man – the climax of all his written revelation.” W. B. West,
Jr. The Book of Revelation is greatly neglected. It means a
revealing, an uncovering, an unveiling. It was written to seven
churches of Asia Minor. Read Revelation 1:9-20. “I, John, both
your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos
for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in
the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as
of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and
the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the
seven churches which are in Asia to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos,
to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’ Then I
turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw
seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands
One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and
girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were
white like wool, as white as snow and His eyes like a flame of fire;
His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His
voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven
stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His
countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I
saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on
me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last. I
am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.
Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Write the things
which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which
will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which
you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The
seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.’ ” NKJV
The Theme is victory –
triumph of the Kingdom of God. Read Daniel 2:44. “In the days
of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and
it shall stand forever.” Revelation 11:15 “Then the seventh
angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The
kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of
His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” NKJV The
Kingdom of God would be victorious over the Roman Empire and all
other world empires. Nothing would stop it.
In this divine book, five
blesseds are pronounced on different people. These will be the
object of our Bible study.
1. Revelation 1:3
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the
time is near.” NKJV (Revelation 22:7) “Behold, I am
coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy
of this book.” NKJV
It is not enough to just
know. One must also do. The Scriptures are stressing obedience and
duty. (Psalm 119:4) “You have commanded us To keep Your
precepts diligently.” NKJV (John 8:51) “Most assuredly,
I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
NKJV Why? Time is near. Fulfillment of many of these
prophecies would soon start to take place. His readers were in the
midst of terrible persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian.
Don’t give up; persevere. You will overcome.
2. 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.’
” NKJV In order to “Die in the Lord,” you must first get into
the Lord. (Galatians 3:26-27) “For you are all sons of
God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” NKJV Then live
faithfully until death. (Matthew 10:22) “And you will be
hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will
be saved.” NKJV The Spirit says that blessing is rest from the
work of teaching/preaching the gospel and enduring persecutions and
sufferings because of their Christianity. One’s works, deeds, goes
with him to judgment. (II Corinthians 5:9-10) “Therefore
we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing
to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to
what he has done, whether good or bad.” NKJV
3. Revelation 16:15
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and
keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” NKJV
Christ will come suddenly, unexpectedly. He who watches, be
constantly prepared. (Matthew 24:42-44) “Watch
therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But
know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the
thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to
be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is
coming at an hour you do not expect.” NKJV (I Thessalonians
5:1-6) “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren,
you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves
know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the
night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden
destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant women.
And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons
of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of
darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us
watch and be sober.” NKJV One keeps his garments. The one who
takes off his garments runs the risk of not being ready when the
time comes. (Revelation 3:4-5) “You have a few names
even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall
walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall
be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from
the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and
before His angels.” NKJV
4. Revelation 19:9
“Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to
the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the
true sayings of God.’ ” NKJV The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
[Christ] comes last. (John 1:29, 34) “The next day John
saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the World! 34 And I have seen and testified
that this is the Son of God’ ” NKJV Joys and blessings of
heaven are described in this Scripture. (Revelation 21:4)
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be
no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away.’ ” NKJV (Matthew 22)
Those called are those who are faithful all of their lives. Even to
the point of death. (Revelation 2:10) “Do not fear any
of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is
about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and
you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I
will give you the crown of life.” NKJV Marriage feast is final
stage of the wedding.
5. Revelation 22:4
“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”
NKJV Do His commandments. Wash your robes. By obeying God’s
law of pardon, sins are washed away by the power of Jesus’ blood
(Revelation 1:5) “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the
earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood.” NKJV (Revelation 7:14) “And I said to him, ‘Sir,
you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of
the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.’ ” NKJV His law of pardon for the alien
sinner: (Acts 22:16) “And now why are you waiting?
Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name
of the Lord.’ ” NKJV His law of pardon for the erring sinner:
(Acts 8:22) “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and
pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.”
NKJV Blessings: Right to the tree of life – eternal life
Gates of the city –
Heaven (Revelation 21:22-27) “But I saw no temple in it,
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had
no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of
God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of
those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the
earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be
shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall
bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there
shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an
abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s
Book of Life.” NKJV
Conclusion:
Will you answer the call?
Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And
let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water
of life freely.” NKJV The invitation is open to all who are
willing to obey.
Bobby Stafford
May 15, 2016
The
church of Christ
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