SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/20/2015
10:31 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Introduction to Rev. 14:12-13
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
14:12-13
Message
of the verses: “12 Here is the
perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in
Jesus. 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."”
I wrote the following in my Spiritual Diary from
September 1, 2005 “John has been writing about those who are earth dwellers and
who follow the antichrist, and will continue to follow him all the way to
hell. Those who are believers at this
time in history will be sought out and killed if they are caught because of
their faith in Jesus Christ and their refusal to take the mark of the
beast. John now writes about those who
will follow the Lord Jesus Christ, even unto death in verses 11 and 12. There is a difference in these people from
the earth dwellers that will determine where they will spend eternity and in
verse 13 John writes what the angel had said about this: "Write this
down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit,
they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from all their toils and trials;
for their good deeds follow them!" Those who are believers are blessed and will
spend eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who are earth
dwellers and follow antichrist will spend eternity in hell with antichrist, the
false prophet and Satan.
“It is good to remember at this time that some of those
John was writing this letter to were being persecuted and these words would
have been a great comfort to them, and not only those people but those who have
been or are being persecuted even today for their faith in Jesus Christ. Revelations in not just a book of things that
will soon take place, but it is a book that has brought comfort to many people throughout
the Church age.”
I was listening to John MacArthur’s sermon on these two
verses on my way to church yesterday and one of the things that spoke to me was
that he would not only have a message on these two verses alone, but in his
commentary there is a whole chapter dedicated to these two verses. Another of the things that caught my
attention was the word blessed and how we find it throughout the Bible and so
as we look at the introduction to these two verses we will look at this word
and some of the places that it is found in the Scriptures.
John MacArthur writes “The Bible has much to say about
happiness. The familiar New Testament
word mararios (blessed) refers to
spiritual joy, bliss, fulfillment, and satisfaction. It describes an inner joy that is the
fulfillment of every longing, a serene, untouchable, unassailable contentment
and peace. The Old Testament and New
Testament reveal much about such blessedness.”
With this we will look at some different passages from both the OT and
NT that have this word in it.
“1 How blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of
sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of
the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night (Ps. 1:1-2).”
“How blessed are all who
take refuge in Him! (God’s Son) (Ps. 2:12b).”
“1 How blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to
whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!(Ps.
32:1-2; cf. Rom. 4:7-8).”
“4 How blessed is the man
who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those
who lapse into falsehood (Ps. 40:4).”
How blessed is he who
considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble (Ps.
41:1).”
“4 How blessed is the one
whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be
satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple (Ps. 65:4).”
“4 How blessed are those
who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah (Ps. 84:4).”
“5 How blessed is the man
whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! (Ps. 84:5).”
“3 How blessed are those
who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times! (Ps. 106:3).”
“1 Praise the LORD! How
blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments
(Ps. 112:1).”
“2 How blessed are those
who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart (Ps. 119:2).”
“32 "Now therefore, O
sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways (Ps. 8:32).”
“34 “Blessed is the man who
listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts (Pr. 8:34).”
“3 "Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who
mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall
inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed
are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute
you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matt. 5:3-12).”
“29 Jesus said to him,
"Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not
see, and yet believed’ (John 20:29).”
“12 Blessed is a man who
perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the
crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).”
“14 But even if you should
suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR
INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, 14
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory and of God rests on you (1 Peter 3:14; 4:14).”
John MacArthur writes “But
the most startling pronouncement of blessing in all of Scripture is found in
verse 13. Amazingly, this second of
seven beatitudes in Revelation (cf. 1:3; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14)
pronounces blessing on the dead. Such a
thought is incomprehensible to most people, who view death as something to be
avoided. ‘Blessed are the living’ who
seem a more appropriate motto for most people.
“The obvious question that
the text provokes is ‘Why are these dead blessed?’ The answer it presents is twofold: The dead in view here are blessed because of
how they lived and because of how they died.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: As we live in a
country that began because of the persecution that believers endured in Europe,
so the fled there to begin a country where people could worship the way they
wanted, we in this country are beginning to come full circle and so we as
believers, I as a believer are in need of trusting in the God of the Word and
the Word of God to see me through the upcoming difficult times.
My steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul,
mind, and strength, and to understand better how to live in His love.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Esther and Song of Solomon.”
Today’s Bible
question: “When Aaron was consecrated as
priest, what animals were offered?”
Answer in our next SD.
7/20/2015 11:07 AM
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