The Beatitudes of Revelation

The Beatitudes of Revelation

After He was baptized by John in the Jordan River and returned from 40 days of fasting and being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus began His public ministry a stone's throw from what is known today as the Golan Heights, in northern Israel around the Sea of Galilee.

One of His teachings or discourses—the first of five that appear in the book of Matthew and easily one of His best known and most widely quoted—is known as the Sermon on the Mount. This discourse appears early in the book of Matthew (the full version is found in Matthew 5–7, but a few bits and pieces and several of the Beatitudes we will look at are repeated in Luke 6), and most people believe it is one of the Lord's first major public teachings.

This three-chapter sermon covers a broad range of topics, from adultery and divorce to entering through the narrow gate and from being salt and light to storing up treasure in heaven. As the sermon begins, however, Jesus lays upon His listeners a list of statements that were radically different from anything they had ever heard from the Jewish religious leaders of the day.

Speaking of which, it is important to understand what manner of teaching the common people of Israel in the first century had been exposed to under the leadership of men such as the scribes and the Pharisees. Over the previous several centuries, these religious leaders had stripped God's Word of the grace and mercy God intended it to communicate, and replaced it with an impossibly burdensome morass of petty, manmade rules that had to be followed with zealous precision in order to make one righteous in God's eyes.

And in first-century Israel, the deeply entrenched attitude among the common people that had become the societal and religious norm was this:

Nobody was more righteous in

God's eyes than the Pharisees.

Period. And the Lord's listeners on that Galilean hillside that day were those common Jewish people: the weak, the poor, the lame, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the outcasts...in a word, the losers. And they were people who had been indoctrinated to believe that losers like them could never attain the requisite degree of righteousness lorded over them by the high-and-mighty Pharisees, and as a result had little chance of entering the kingdom.

But this man—this itinerant Nazarene who was going from place to place performing miracles—was teaching something far removed from anything they had ever heard the Pharisees teach. They were astonished at Christ's words, and they instinctively recognized that He spoke with an authority—a spiritual authority—they had never witnessed and that the Jewish religious leaders simply did not possess and so could not convey (Matt. 7:28–29).

This list of opening statements in the Sermon on the Mount are known as the Beatitudes, and collectively they speak to the nature of those who will ultimately dwell in Christ's kingdom and the rewards and benefits that will be theirs as a result.

Eight or nine? Most commentators agree there are eight Beatitudes, but some argue that there appears to be nine listed in Matthew 5. Some explain this by noting that verses 11–12 appear to be an expanded rephrasing of verse 10, and point out that the Greek grammar used in the opening phrase of verse 11 (Makarioi este) differs from what is repeated in all of the preceding eight verses (Makarioi hoi). They argue that this subtle shift of grammar is suggestive of the fact that verses 11–12 are more or less a rephrasing of verse 10, and not necessarily an entirely new, independent statement. Unfortunately, this slight grammatical distinction simply doesn't shine through in English and so we routinely fly right by it. So, forgive me if I go with eight. If you want to go with nine (or any other number), by all means...be my guest. Either way, I see it as a relatively minor issue.

The first thing I want to do here is briefly discuss these eight Beatitudes listed in Matthew. But recently I noticed something that I admit walloped me right upside the head:

There is what you could call a second set of Beatitudes nestled throughout the entire book of Revelation.

And although the Beatitudes in Revelation are just as powerful as those in Matthew, they aren't all necessarily aimed at the same group of people.

The Beatitudes of Matthew

So let's take a quick look at the first set of Beatitudes—the traditional ones that appear in the book of Matthew and that were delivered in the Sermon on the Mount. And I will have more to say about the first Beatitude listed since some of this applies equally to the other seven.

As most people know, they all begin with the word "blessed" (Greek: a form of makarios), and later we'll see that the Beatitudes of Revelation do as well.

 1.  ³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5:3 AKJV)

The first thing to note is the word "blessed" that is used here. As I said, the Greek word used is a form of makarios, which can be used in a variety of ways just like our English word "blessed" (which is often used in a physical, fleshly way). But in the New Testament makarios is often used in a spiritual sense. Strong's Lexicon has this to say:

In the New Testament, "makarios" is used to describe a state of spiritual well-being and prosperity. It denotes a deep, abiding joy and contentment that comes from a right relationship with God. [That is, it applies to believers.] This term is often used to describe those who are favored by God and who experience His grace and favor in their lives.

In ancient Greek culture, "makarios" was often associated with the gods or the dead, who were considered to be in a state of bliss. However, in the biblical context, it is used to describe the blessedness of those who live in accordance with God's will. [Same deal: believers.] The term reflects a counter-cultural understanding of happiness, one that is not dependent on external circumstances but on one's spiritual condition and relationship with God. [The cultural understanding was no different from what it is today: fleshly and largely dependent on external circumstances.]

(emphasis & [comments] added)

— Strong's Lexicon [Source]

And this spiritual emphasis continues throughout all eight of the Beatitudes in Matthew, as well as the Beatitudes in Revelation we will look at later.

Another thing to notice is the word "poor" (Greek: a form of ptóchos). The primary usage of this word in the New Testament is poor in the literal, financial sense. But it is also used in the spiritual sense, suggesting that a person is keenly aware of their spiritual poverty before God and their need to have a right relationship with Him. This meaning emphasizes a person's humility and their utter dependence on God.

To be poor in spirit means to recognize that you are spiritually bankrupt before a holy God, and have nothing of any worth to offer Him. Due to your sin, which is a unspeakable offense against an infinitely holy God, you are spiritually destitute before Him and can do nothing but humble your heart before Him and receive in faith the forgiveness of sin and the gift of salvation He offers.

Notice that Matthew clearly emphasizes the spiritual meaning of ptóchos in this verse by writing ptóchos tó pneumati, literally "poor in the spirit." In the same Beatitude in Luke 6:20, however, Luke simply writes the one word ptóchos and it is usually translated into English as "poor." Presumably Luke is assuming his readers would understand the spiritual context of the verse.

Notice also the basic structure of each of these Beatitudes:

Each one states a characteristic of people who have a right relationship with God, and then describes some type of benefit, advantage, or desirable condition they will enjoy, especially in the kingdom.

But let's gnaw on this for a moment.

Recall what I said about the people who were listening to Jesus that day. His listeners included His disciples, but it was for the most part a large crowd of common people. These were people who lived under the burden placed on them by the Pharisees—self-righteous hypocrites who had hammered into them the idea that a person had to be as "righteous" as they were to have any chance to receive God's approval and ultimately enter the kingdom.

But here's Jesus describing to them the nature of people who are in a right relationship with God, and the characteristics Jesus mentions bear little resemblance to the self-righteous Pharisees. Although there were no doubt some people present who loved God and had faith in His promises and so had a right relationship with Him under the terms of the Old Covenant (God always has a remnant), there's a bit more here. Jesus was giving them a pencil sketch of a new body of believers that would come into existence after His death:

The Church.

You might say Jesus was giving His listeners a preview of coming attractions: a body of believers who would be sealed and indwelt by the presence of the Holy Spirit and so would exhibit the characteristics He describes in these Beatitudes and so would receive and enjoy the blessings and benefits of the coming kingdom He would establish in the future. And I'm quite certain that some of the people listening to Jesus that day would in fact ultimately become part of that body of born-again believers known as the Church.

So you could take what I said above and add a Church Age twist to it:

Those who exhibit a certain quality that

is characteristic of born-again believers

will enjoy a certain benefit in the kingdom.

And after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven, there would be numbers of bold individuals who would march through the streets of every town and village in Israel and ultimately the world telling people how they could establish that right relationship with God through belief in faith in Christ's work of atonement for their sin, and as a result be guaranteed a place in that coming kingdom.

And unlike what the Pharisees taught, it had nothing to do with keeping a laundry list of rules to make oneself righteous in God's eyes.

OK, now we can move through the remaining seven a bit more quickly.

 2.  ⁴Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

(Matthew 5:4 AKJV)

The Greek word translated "mourn" is a form of pentheó, and means to express deep sorrow. Of course, people can mourn over many things, but here the context is spiritual.

A prime example of the type of sorrow being referred to here is the godly sorrow we experience when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and draws us to Christ, the only source of forgiveness and redemption there is.

And speaking of being comforted, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter (John 14:16), and the Holy Spirit comforts those who humble their hearts before God and ask for the forgiveness His Son's work of atonement on the cross made possible.

Not only that, but after living lives filled with pain down here in this fallen world where we are constantly under attack from the enemy, the idea that entering the kingdom will "comfort" us is a gross understatement.

 3.  ⁵Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

(Matthew 5:5 AKJV)

The word translated "meek" is a form of praus, which means meek, mild, gentle, humble, etc. It applies to one who exhibits humility and gentleness of spirit, toward both God and other people.

Christ gives us the ultimate model of meekness and humility:

⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.

(Philippians 2:5–8 AKJV)

We are instructed in the New Testament to maintain an attitude of spiritual meekness and gentleness as part of our testimony so that unbelievers may see Christ within us and be drawn to Him:

¹⁴But and if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are you: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; ¹⁵But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: [after all, that hope of eternal life in heaven we have within us is a free gift from God that was paid for with the blood of His Son] ¹⁶Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

(1 Peter 3:14–16 AKJV / emphasis & [comments] added)

Paul also calls us to walk in meekness and humility in regard to other believers, and "bear with one another in love" and be "eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1–3).

And yes, we as believers will inherit the earth—we won't just enter the kingdom, we will rule and reign with Christ in that kingdom.

 4.  ⁶Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

(Matthew 5:6 AKJV)

The Greek word translated "filled" is a form of chortazó, which means to feed, fill, satisfy, fatten, etc. It is sometimes used in the New Testament in the sense of being fully sated after a big meal; but it is also used a spiritual sense, which is clearly how it is used here.

Notice that Matthew says to both "hunger and thirst after righteousness," while Luke just says "hunger" (Luke 6:21). The meaning is basically the same, but it's worth noting that Matthew's addition of the word "thirst" calls to mind Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well:

¹³Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: ¹⁴But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. [Put another way: If we thirst after righteousness, Christ will fill us and ultimately we will never thirst again.]

(John 4:13–14 AKJV / emphasis & [comments] added)

Notice that the verb "filled" is passive, which means we don't fill ourselves. That's important, because only God can fill and satisfy our hunger and thirst for righteousness. It reminds us that salvation is a gift from God:

We don't deserve it,

we can't earn it, and

we can never lose it.

 5.  ⁷Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

(Matthew 5:7 AKJV)

It is interesting to note that in the Greco-Roman world that Christ lived and ministered in, mercy was generally seen as a sign of weakness. But Christ and His followers elevated it to a divine attribute in a most counter-cultural way.

To be merciful is to show compassion and forgiveness to others, and it is a fundamental part of God's relationship with us and our relationship with others (even our enemies). Jesus often spoke of these qualities, and mentioned forgiveness in the prayer He models for His listeners later in the sermon:

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

(Matthew 6:12 AKJV)

As far as the kingdom goes, it is only when we accept God's mercy in the form of His offer of salvation that we gain entrance into that kingdom.

 6.  ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(Matthew 5:8 AKJV)

The Greek word translated "pure" in this verse is a form of katharos, which means clean, pure, guiltless, innocent, free from stain, etc. This word can specifically refer to being purified by fire or by pruning, and there are verses that invoke these images (Mal. 3:2; John 15:1–8; 1 Pet. 1:7).

A pure heart is a heart free of hypocrisy, deceit, and guile. It is singularly devoted to God, and is characterized by a desire to please God in all things and in all ways. Its focus is on an internal purity of spirit, not an external purity of actions and behavior.

Of course, there is only one way to become pure in heart, and it begins by humbling your heart before God in faith for the forgiveness of sin. But salvation is just the beginning of a lifelong process of yielding to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as He convicts us of sin, conforms us to the image of Christ, and leads us along a path that results in ever increasing purity of heart.

But it's not automatic. It's not magic. It takes a lot of pruning on the part of the Holy Spirit, and a lot of deliberate effort and conscious decision making on our part. In fact...

It takes a lifetime.

But whatever progress we make along that path to purity of heart toward God will be more than worth it. Although our place in the kingdom is secure the moment we believe the gospel in faith, that progress largely determines the rewards we will receive before we actually enter into that kingdom. And, as verse 8 says, we will see Him. As a matter of fact, we'll do more than just see Him—we will rule and reign with Him in the kingdom and spend eternity in His presence in a place too wonderful for us to even imagine.

 7.  ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

(Matthew 5:9 AKJV)

When Jesus died on the cross, what He accomplished was to establish the basis for peace between God and sinful mankind. The blood He shed at Calvary paid the penalty for our sin, and allowed us to be forgiven and eternally reconciled to a holy God that our sin had spiritually separated us from.

That means that when we as born-again believers communicate the gospel's message of peace and reconciliation between God and man to those who are lost in sin, we are effectively acting as peacemakers:

¹⁸And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. [In other words, our job comes down to telling others what God has done for us.]

(2 Corinthians 5:18–19 AKJV / emphasis & [comments] added)

On a side note, it grieves me to no end when I hear people in the world casually but oh so sincerely quote the old feel-good cliché:

"We're all God's children!"

Part of me wants to scream at the top of my lungs:

NO WE'RE NOT!!!

(I don't, but I hope you can relate.) People in the world have been lulled to sleep by pablum from the father of lies, and don't understand that there's a condition attached to this. Sadly, you might say it doesn't qualify as being "inclusive." Paul mentions that condition in his letter to the Galatians:

²⁶For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. [The only way.]

(Galatians 3:26 AKJV / emphasis and [comments] added)

DEI...NOT: Have you ever wondered why Satan would knock himself silly cultivating a world that worships at the altar of diversity, equity, and inclusion? I know I used to, but it finally hit me:

There is nothing "inclusive" about the gospel.

It's only "inclusive" for those who believe, and not for those who don't. Period. There is only one God, He only gave us His one written Word, and He only offers us one way of salvation. Sorry, but it's His way or the highway (to hell). As soon as you slather the gospel with all the woke nonsense about diversity, equity, and inclusion, you have made great progress in effectively immunizing people from the message of God's offer of grace and mercy. Why? Because anything that doesn't conform to their woke delusions must be wrong and must be rejected for failing to be sufficiently diverse and inclusive.

 8.  ¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5:10 AKJV)

It's one thing to be persecuted, but the key phrase here is to be persecuted  "for righteousness' sake." The word "righteousness" used here implies a life that is oriented toward obedience to God and His will due to one's faith in Christ—and when someone's life is so oriented, trust me:

The world notices—and hates that person just as it first hated Christ.

The result? Persecution—and that persecution can take a myriad of forms. Jesus speaks to the idea of righteous living just a few verses later:

¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works [i.e. your efforts to live in obedience to God and His will due to your faith in Christ], and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14–16 AKJV / emphasis & [comments] added)

Of course, Jesus wasn't naive. He knew full well that when you live a life characterized by righteousness, although same may "glorify your Father which is in heaven" (at least other believers, hopefully) some will hate and persecute you, just as they hated and persecuted Him.

As born-again believers, God already sees us as being as righteous as His perfect Son—and as a result we are guaranteed a place in the kingdom. But Jesus wanted to communicate to His future Church what it can expect for living lives that put God and His Word first, and as a result be better able to endure that persecution for the glory of God, whatever form it may take.

Peter characterizes it this way in his first epistle:

²⁰For what glory is it, if, when you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? but if, when you do well, and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

(1 Peter 2:20 AKJV)

That is, if you are punished for your misdeeds and you take it patiently, big deal. But if you are punished because of your righteous behavior and you take it patiently, you score some serious points with God.

And that completes the traditional set of Beatitudes in Matthew. Now, as I said, some consider verses 11–12 a ninth Beatitude, and some don't. Even though I said I was going with eight, I at least want to touch base with verses 11–12 before I move on to the second set:

¹¹Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. ¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

(Matthew 5:11–12 AKJV)

Well, if men "revile" you, they assail you with scornful or abusive language (i.e. "say all manner of evil against you falsely"). And as is the case throughout the Beatitudes, this ill treatment is due to the fact that your life exhibits your right relationship with God. All of this is easily viewed as being part and parcel of persecution, which is repeated from verse 10 in the next phrase. And yes, your reward in heaven will be great. After all, as verse 10 states: The kingdom of heaven is yours. And there's no question that all of this should make us "rejoice, and be exceeding glad," which is clearly suggested in several the previous eight Beatitudes.

I mean, there really isn't anything new here: Jesus appears to be rephrasing and expanding on what He just said in verse 10. And there's nothing wrong with that—it's just that this makes many people feel it doesn't warrant being listed as a separate Beatitude, that's all. So, eight or nine...your call.

The Beatitudes of Revelation

Now we're set to look at a few familiar passages of Scripture in a new light. As I said, I was struck recently by the fact that there appears to be a second set of Beatitudes in the book of Revelation. Rather than there being eight of them listed one after another as in the Sermon on the Mount, there are seven of them and they are scattered all throughout the final book of the Bible, from the first chapter to the last.

And as we shall see, there are some meaningful and prophetically significant differences between the eight Beatitudes of Matthew and these seven Beatitudes of Revelation.

Just like the first set in Matthew, all seven of these Beatitudes in the book of Revelation begin with the word "blessed," using the same Greek word as the ones in the Sermon on the Mount (a form of makarios), and the overall structure is somewhat similar.

But one key thing to note is that while the Beatitudes in Matthew give us a brief character sketch of members of the coming body of believers known as the Church, the Beatitudes of Revelation give us a brief character sketch of the coming body of believers known as the Tribulation saints, or those who come to faith in the gospel after the Rapture and in the lead-up to and during the Tribulation.

That's not so much a black-and-white thing, but the broad strokes seem to point in that direction—and it makes sense that this would be so. After all, the Beatitudes in Matthew were delivered shortly before the conception of the Church, while most of the Beatitudes in Revelation come in John's vision of the end times, the bulk of which focuses on the Tribulation.

 1.  ³Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

(Revelation 1:3 AKJV)

Although the word "blessed" still communicates the same fundamental meaning in this second set, in this verse it carries an additional sense of being blessed by being informed as to what God is going to do.

All through the Church Age, those who study the book of Revelation have been blessed by gaining a greater understanding of the general structure of the end-time scenario—and the closer we get to it, the greater that blessing. But it finally occurred to me that there is a bit more to it than that.

After the Rapture, it's gonna be a whole new ballgame.

One problem is that we simply cannot imagine what life will be like during the Tribulation...not in our worst nightmare. Those who become believers after the Rapture and who enter into the Tribulation are going to face persecution the likes of which we have never witnessed. It will reach the point where they will be ostracized from society, hunted down like criminals, and beheaded if and when caught—and untold legions of them will be. But here's the thing, and I really want you to stop and chew on this:

Can you imagine what an incredible blessing it will be for Tribulation believers to be able to read in the book of Revelation about the events they are actually experiencing in real time? About the judgments they will see God pouring out on the world. The Antichrist's rise to power as a global leader. The formation of a global government and the establishment of the Antichrist's kingdom. His desecration of the new temple in Jerusalem. His bloodthirsty persecution of both the Jewish people and of Gentile believers. The signs and wonders that will deceive the world. The godless global religion that will be forced on people. The mark of the beast that will allow people to buy and sell, but that will seal their eternal judgment if they take it, ad infinitum, ad trepidatio.

Actually reading about these things in the book of Revelation as they are literally happening will be a powerful blessing and a tremendous source of spiritual strength for these people—far more than modern Church Age believers can fathom. And it will allow God to give these Tribulation saints the power to endure what they must endure before they are martyred or survive to the end of the Tribulation and witness Christ's return in glory.

When Christ says "for the time is at hand," I believe "the time" He is referring to is the Tribulation, and we are told to watch and wait for that time that leads to His return to establish the kingdom because the timing of these things is not for us to know (Acts 1:6–7). In other words, "the time" has been potentially "at hand" for the last two thousand years.

But for believers during the Tribulation, the words "for the time is at hand" will be read in a completely literal manner because they will actually be slugging through that time.

Big difference.

 2.  ¹³And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from now on: Yes, said the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

(Revelation 14:13 AKJV)

The context here is at some point after the completion of the second round of judgments known as the trumpet judgments. The seventh and final trumpet has sounded (Rev. 11:15), which precedes the release of the final and most severe round of judgments known as the bowl judgments, which begin in Revelation 16:1.

But it appears that a lot of things happen in this gap of time. I don't want to get sidetracked over the precise timing of all the events mentioned, but in Revelation 14 three angels fly around the earth. The first tells people to fear, worship, and glorify God because the hour of His judgment has come (vv. 6–7). The second announces that Babylon has fallen (v. 8), and the third announces that anyone who has taken the mark of the beast will drink the wine of God's wrath (vv. 9–12). Then, after this third angel does his business, John hears a voice from heaven announcing verse 13 above.

In other words, Tribulation saints who die from that point on are blessed, presumably in the sense that they will go directly to heaven to be with the Lord and so won't have to suffer through the worst of the worst—the bowl judgments. And it's safe to say that dying and going straight to heaven beats the garbanzos out of having to endure the bowls.

And when the voice says to John "their works do follow them," the implication is crystal clear:

They have one whale of a reward awaiting them.

 3.  ¹⁵Behold, *I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

(Revelation 16:15 AKJV)

*Note: The words John hears in his vision often come from an angel or are simply a "loud voice." But if the grammar or context suggests it, such words can still be understood to be coming directly from the Lord.

The context is after the first six bowl judgments, shortly before the battle of Armageddon that caps off the Great Tribulation. That means this is during what is arguably the worst period of judgment anyone will have to endure during the entire Tribulation.

The words are clearly the Lord's, and "he that watches" is he who seeks to remain undefiled by the world and strives to live a life that honors God. He "keeps his garments," or holds fast to the robe of righteousness he has been given by the Lord, which is Christ's righteousness imputed to those who trust Him for their salvation.

But note with care the words "lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." As I have discussed in the past, those who come to faith in Christ after the Rapture and during the Tribulation are not members of the Church, and so do not enjoy the blessing of eternal security that is unique to the Church. Church Age believers cannot lose their salvation, but people saved after the Rapture can and sadly some will. We have the blessing of being sealed and indwelt by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and as such we are the temple of the Holy Spirit on earth. As a result, our presence on earth serves as a restraining influence on Satan.

But at the Rapture that Restrainer will be removed (2 Thess. 2:7), and the Tribulation will soon be off and running and God will allow Satan to have his moment in the sun (before He crushes him).

This idea of eternal security being a blessing unique to the Church is what Jesus is talking about in His chat with Thomas following the Resurrection:

²⁹Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. [This is not restricted to just seeing the risen Christ in the flesh, but seeing tangible, indisputable evidence of God's power and presence...which those who enter the Tribulation will see (Rev. 6:16–17).]

(John 20:29 AKJV / emphasis & [comments] added)

The Church is long gone by this time, raptured before the Tribulation even gets started...but the Tribulation saints are gonna see w-a-a-y more than they bargained for.

Tribulation saints will be required to maintain a faithful witness (i.e. "keep their garments"). Clothing (particularly clean, white clothing) is a symbol of righteousness throughout the Bible, and nakedness or soiled garments symbolize the lack thereof.

 4.  ⁹And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

(Revelation 19:9a AKJV)

In biblical times, Jewish weddings had three main phases:

1. First, a marriage contract was agreed to between the bridegroom and the bride's parents, and the bridegroom would pay a "bride price" to them. This would initiate the betrothal period, which was typically about a year (at least over nine months in order to put the bride's "purity" on public display, if you catch my drift). During that period, the bride would wait patiently and prepare herself by mastering various domestic skills.

Of course, Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride, and Jesus paid the bride price for us on a blood-stained cross at Calvary. At that point the Bride, i.e. the Church, became officially betrothed to Christ, and the entire Church Age is the betrothal period. During the Church Age, born-again believers are to wait patiently for our Bridegroom and prepare ourselves by striving to live righteous lives that honor Him.

2. In the second phase, the bridegroom would arrive unannounced at the bride's home, usually accompanied by a group of friends and relatives. They would often show up in the middle of the night, and he would snatch her up and off the whole troop would go, back to the bridegroom's home to begin the celebration in the third stage.

This is a picture of the Rapture, pure and simple. After the Rapture, we will be officially "wedded" to Christ in heaven, and prepare to return with Him at the Second Coming for the third and final phase:

3. The third stage was the wedding feast or marriage supper, which was basically a big party that could go on for days.

Although some see the marriage supper occurring in heaven, I agree with those who see it occurring on earth at the outset of the Millennial Kingdom. Although the Church is the Bride, there will be other believers in attendance at this marriage supper, including recently resurrected Old Testament saints and martyred Tribulation saints, along with living Tribulation saints who survived the Tribulation and maintained a faithful witness (i.e. the sheep from the Sheep and Goat Judgment). And speaking of sheep...

We're gonna be one seriously blessed bunch of party animals!

 5.  ⁶Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.

(Revelation 20:6 AKJV)

The "first resurrection" being referred to is the resurrection of the righteous. Many people get a bit confused over this and get led astray, doctrinally speaking, because this is not one single resurrection—it occurs in several stages. If it helps, think of it as the first of two types of resurrections: the first being the resurrection of the righteous and the second being the resurrection of the unrighteous.

The first stage was Christ Himself (some include with this the individuals resurrected in Matt. 27:52–53 following Christ's death). The second stage is the resurrection of the dead in Christ at the Rapture, and the third stage is the resurrection of Old Testament saints and Tribulation saints who died before the end of the Tribulation.

The second resurrection is the resurrection of the unrighteous, and this only occurs in one stage following the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom. All unbelievers of all time will be resurrected to stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment, and will subsequently be cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, and as verse 6 says: The second death will have no power over those who were part of the first resurrection.

 6.  ⁷Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

(Revelation 22:7 AKJV)

When God says He will do something quickly, it doesn't mean He is in a rush. In other words, the Greek word translated "quickly" (a form of tachu) means something different for God than it does for men.

When God says He will do something quickly, it means He will do it without unnecessary delay. And this applies to Christ's Second Coming to establish His kingdom on earth just as much as it does anything else in Scripture.

As with everything God does, the events surrounding His Son's return to establish His kingdom are under the Father's sovereign control, and will occur at their perfect, preordained time—just as Jesus indicated to His curious disciples before ascending back to heaven in Acts 1:6–7.

And note that it is not just reading the "sayings of the prophecy of this book" that makes us blessed—it is keeping them that brings that blessing. And as I indicated earlier, this will be especially true for believers who go through the Tribulation and gain crucial understanding of the events they are enduring in real time from the book of Revelation.

And if you're wondering where the benefit to this one is, keep reading.

 7.  ¹⁴Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

(Revelation 22:14 AKJV)

Although I decided to count these as seven Beatitudes, in a sense this is an extension of #6, and says what #6 leaves unsaid. This stresses that those who strive to keep and obey God's commandments in their lives will enter the New Jerusalem and spend eternity dwelling in a city that has the tree of life (Rev. 22:2) and gates through which to enter that city (Rev. 21:12).

And I pray you can echo my feelings in regard to picking up stakes and moving into this heavenly city soon and very soon:

I'm there, dude!

And an extra set for the road...

OK, confession time. As I said earlier, when I happened to notice what amounts to a second set of Beatitudes in the book of Revelation, it walloped me right upside the head. I was giddy with excitement because I honestly thought that surely I was the first person sharp enough to have ever noticed this! Gotta be!

Sigh... I should have known better. A couple of hours later I discovered to my chagrin that I was not the first person sharp enough to have ever noticed this.

But I admit it was an exciting couple of hours!

On the bright side, however, it inspired me to crank out my very own personal set of beatitudes (and note that I'm using a lowercase "b" here):

1. Blessed are those who study God's prophetic Word, for they shall rightly understand the unfolding end-time scenario in which they live.

2. Blessed are those who know the Church will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to the outpouring of God's judgment in the Tribulation, for they shall be prepared to be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

3. Blessed are those who know God made man and then made woman—and that's it, for they shall live free from the lies of satanic gender delusions.

4. Blessed are those who support rooting out the massive fraud and waste in human government, for they shall be pleased with the results.

5. Blessed are those who think for themselves, do their own homework, and ignore the mainstream media, for such is nothing more than a self-serving web of misinformation and false narratives.

6. Blessed are those who love and support the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, and condemn the anti-Semitic trash spewed by the liberal left.

And last but certainly not least:

7. Blessed is he who writes articles about biblical topics to post online, for he will always be keenly aware of his need to learn more about God's Word.

Hey, if you don't believe me, try it sometime.

From Greg Lauer @ A Little Strength—MAR '25

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