Revelation 14:12-13, “Let this encourage God’s holy people to endure persecution patiently and remain firm to the end, obeying his commands and trusting in Jesus."
Obeying his commands refers to those who have genuine saving faith will result in such obedience is the clear teaching of Scripture. John 8:31, “Jesus said to the people[1] who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.” John 14:21, “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them."” John 15:14, “You are my friends if you obey me.” Luke 6:46, “"So why do you call me `Lord,’ when you won’t obey me? 1 John 5:3, “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and really, that isn’t difficult.”
Those who are encouraged or ought to be encouraged when undergoing persecution are those who remain firm in their faith, because they live in expectation of the coming of the Lamb for them, because they obey and trust Him, and honor the commands of the Most High. For them the faith is not merely an intellectual enterprise but a reality which must be confronted a challenge which must be known. For them knowledge is truth, and truth is piercing, and like hound dogs on the hunt; they must find the answers to the questions that haunt their hearts, and assail them at every corner. The answer of course is in Jesus, and the answers are found through careful examination of God’s Holy Word. These are the one’s who are blessed and encouraged those who mark themselves by study and contemplation of God’s Word, because it is they who can endure persecution as a direct result of the study and outgrowth of that persecution, through obeying His commands and trusting in Jesus to lead them through the persecution through praising His holy name.
Trusting in Jesus refers to those who are loyal, even under the tyrannical reign of Antichrist. Even the threat of execution (13:15) will not cause them to abandon their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Like the heroes of the faith listed in Hebrews 11, they will maintain their testimony until the end-even if that end is a horrifying martyrdom. These faithful believers are considered blessed because they have lived noble, pure, purposeful, obedient, rich, joyous, and exemplarily lives. They lived life to the fullest in faith and obedience to God. Even if there were no heaven, that would be still be the best way to live, but there is heaven to follow this life for God’s people therefore the deaths of the Tribulations saints will also be eternally blessed.
It is those who have staked their claims with Christ who have said that they will stand amidst the tyranny that our world system converges upon us in the name of truth, for it is those who have made the stand and profession of the faith through trusting in Jesus to grant them eternal life both presently in this age and in the future or in the age to come when they will experience salvation in the total sense of the word through being made completely white and spotless white as doves. In the sense of the word we have been perfected in this sense before God, because God no longer remembers our sins, but we are nevertheless engaged in a battle for our allegiance, which Satan seeks to turn us upside down and turn our hearts against God and His Christ-who redeemed us through His Blood. Praise God that sufficient weaponry through the Word of God-Study of His Word, prayer, fellowship and proclamation of the Word of God, but most importantly the blood of Jesus defeats the powers of darkness and causes them to retreat in fear, for at the name of Jesus Christ every knee will bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God to whom be glory, and honor and praise forever and ever. Trust in Jesus, He will guide you through all the way towards perfection-towards eternity running the race towards His face.
Revelation 14:13, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "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!"
John hearing a voice from heaven is the sixth time (10:4,8;11:12;12:10;14:2) he will hear such a voice three more times (18:4; 19:5; 21:3). Twelve times in Revelation John is told to write (1:11, 19; 2:1,8,12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 19:9; 21:5); the apostle was under a divine mandate to record the visions he saw. Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on refers to the inclusion of martyrs such as Antipas (2:13) those seen underneath the heavenly altar (6:9-11), and the “great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes…. The ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:9,14). These believers were blessed not because of anything they did directly, but because they placed their trust and obeyed and trusted in the Messiah, and as a result they died in the Lord. These will experience in death the fullest reward because ,”Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15). With Paul, they will be able to cry out in triumphant praise, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:15).
The phrase from now on indicates that these martyred believers from that point of John writing until the end of the Tribulation will have nothing to fear. Their deaths, too, will be blessed. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from all their toils and trials; for their good deeds follow them!" This here is the only direct quoted directly in Revelation as well as in 22:17 from the Holy Spirit. The Yes is the greek particle nai indicated strong affirmation; shows that He agrees with the heavenly voice that the dead are blessed. The Holy Spirit is grieved when believers experience pain or grief, but He is also our comforter and sustainer when things get hard and our faith is weak; He upholds those who call upon the name of the Messiah whose trust is in Him. He adds two further reasons they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from all their toils and trials; for their good deeds follow them!"
They will rest from their toils and trials or labors. In the Greek kopos describes hard, difficult or exhausting toil. The Tribulation saints will have experienced the full meaning of this word. They will be filled with great sorrow as they watch those whom they cherish the most-children, parents, spouses, and friends-suffer torment and death. Their lives as ours today will be marked by struggle, and danger, difficulty and trouble. Yet what will be exclusively their own is the fact that they having rejected the world’s system will be excluded from society as Noah was, but unlike Noah they will not be able to buy or sell and live in the run as fugitives. Death granting rest from all the difficulties and sorrows of their lives will come as a welcome relief. In stark contrast, are the dammed, who will know not a moment’s rest throughout all eternity (14:11).
These believers were blessed because their good deeds follow them. Erga (deeds) refers to their service to the Lord. Those who are faithful will be rewarded and those who are not will not, but when these believers go to heaven the record of their diligent labor will follow along with them. The Bible teaches that God will reward believers in heaven for their earthly service to Him. Hebrews 6:10 reads,” For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do.”
Facing execution Paul triumphantly said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim 4:7-8). 1 Corinthians 3:12-14 describes God’s testing of believers works.
The dead who have lived in obedience and trust will be blessed with rest and reward after they die. Those who live now for temporary pleasures and sin will not receive the reward but die the eternal death and spend the rest of eternity in hell along with the Satanic horde. Those who live now for the things of life are dead even while they live (1 Tim 5:6). They are “dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1), and face the horror of eternal damnation in hell. The reality is the choices we make in this life will affect the outcome and course of our eternal destinies. A Christless eternity of unrelieved torment or the blissful rest and reward of heaven; that is the choice that you; the reader are faced with today. Choose wisely!
Pastor Jenkins
