BLESSEDNESS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
[p. 369] BLESSEDNESS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Revelation 1: 3; Revelation 14: 13; Revelation 16: 15; Revelation 19: 9; Revelation 20: 6; Revelation 22: 7, 14
These scriptures speak of blessedness seven times. It is not the idea of ascription of praise, but of spiritual happiness, and it has peculiar significance in this book.
The book itself, although well known to be prophetic, is really directly written for us. It is addressed to the seven assemblies which were in Asia, symbolic of the assembly viewed in its responsible history here upon earth. The fact that the book is written for us makes these blessednesses all the more significant; especially as we arrive, in the ways of God, at the beginning of the time to which the prophecy alludes. This is a very solemn fact, even though the assembly will be kept “from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”, Revelation 3: 10. The Lord makes that promise to the assembly which is specially commendable — the assembly in Philadelphia.
The very name of the assembly to which the word is given signifies that there is love in it — brotherly love; and the Lord’s remarks fully bear out the meaning of the name. So He makes the promise that He will keep her from the hour of trial that will come upon all the earth. That is the promise which we are entitled to claim and to urge before the Lord in regard to present circumstances. He will keep us, but at the same time the circumstances are very pressing, and the Lord would have us to understand the comfort of this book to be in these features of blessedness, for they are available.
The first blessing is connected with reading — “Blessed is he that reads”. There is one who reads, and then there are those who hear and those who keep the words of the prophecy. I do not know, dear brethren,
[p. 370] how much we have come into this blessedness, but it is the first one mentioned. The book being directly addressed to us, as of the assemblies, this special blessing is indicated as available to him who reads, and to those who hear and who keep. It is a blessing-promise that should greatly stimulate our consideration of the book. Its intent is to detach us from what is current. If we read with that in view, we shall certainly come into the blessing immediately. Perhaps no book in Scripture requires more attention than this one, and hence the importance of reading it, “He that reads”, I apprehend, is a matter of private study.
Then, “they that hear”; if there be reading, there should be hearing. He who reads and enters into the blessing will not fail to tell to others the result of his study. He has had a good time; his soul has been nourished, detached from the course of things; he has been enlightened, too, as to the end of things. As possessing love, which John represents, and which works out in Philadelphia, he will not fail to speak. Indeed, meetings like the present one, which are now so prevalent, are following on this principle. One reads, and gains; he speaks, and others hear.
It is not, of course, sufficient to rest content merely with what we hear. We are very apt to run away with what we hear, without weighing it over, without comparison, without proving it; but hearing from a reader of this book should lead to reading, so as to compare and to test what is heard, “Doth not the ear try words?” Job 12: 11. I would urge the importance of what is heard. It is right that brethren should speak to one another, surely — they that feared the Lord did it — but that which is spoken should be tested. Do I compare what I hear with Holy Scripture, so as to be sure? We are told that the prophets are to speak, two or three, and that the others are to judge, but then they must have some means by which to judge.
[p. 371] I speak now of the blessing attendant upon the doing of the word. As I said, we are on the very verge of the things foretold in the prophecy, but, if we regard these merely as prophetic light we shall miss their moral bearing, and we shall miss what the assemblies are to gain by them. We should see that we keep in mind these seven blessednesses, in our reading, in our hearing, and in our doing, and that we do not fail to enter into the good of the promises.
There arose recently a widespread situation, a widespread pressure, of unparalleled intensity and extent. It was not a famine, or due to war or pestilence; it was an act of God which synchronized with current history. For God ever acts in moral rectitude in relation to what is happening in the world. His ways of moral government fit in with the history of the world. The people of God are to understand, and this book is to help them to understand, that they are taken care of. We speak together of the Good Shepherd, and how He takes care of His sheep. This book shows the spiritual way that they are taken care of, but then, there have been amongst the people of God worldly elements, the trimming of sails to the wind — as if there would never come a contrary wind. The contrary wind has come. It is the government of God, but the book assures us that the Lord will see us through, and in righteousness. He means to reduce us. Reduction will be salvation to us, but He will see us through. The blessing lies in understanding how, and for this we must read, hear and do.
Another feature is presented in the next blessedness — that of dying in the Lord. The Lord is bringing us face to face with stern realities. This world is not our place, and what is suggested here is going out of it. No christian should think of anything less than dying in the Lord; it is a most glorious matter. It is not simply falling asleep in Jesus, but it is that one is fully in the [p. 372] spirit of this book. The setting of this second blessedness in chapter 14 is in relation to the beast and to those who bear his mark. Into this setting is introduced the thought of the blessedness of dying in the Lord. I speak feelingly, because there is not only the presence of death, there is the imminence of it to many of us who are advancing in years, but we do not want to miss dying in the Lord. It is a military matter. It is one thing to die in the midst of one’s family, surrounded by affection; it is another thing to die on the field. We do not wish to die anywhere else than on the field. Not that we depreciate affection, surely; but it is a military time, and so the voice from heaven says, relative to the death of the saints, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth”. I speak of it in its present application, that we do not want to die anywhere else. Martyrdom is the thought. It is a military idea here.
Paul gives a beautiful touch as to the first martyr of our dispensation: he says, in speaking to the Lord, “thy martyr Stephen”. Paul did not see the light which shone in the testimony of Stephen, for later he went into houses and dragged men and women before tribunals — men and women who were “of the way”. He found in those houses the spirit of Christ; he found Jesus there. So here, the voice from heaven speaks about such, about those who die in the Lord. Then the Holy Spirit on earth, as being in perfect unison with the mind of heaven, says, “Yea ... that they may rest from their labours; for their works follow with them”.
What I understand by the Holy Spirit’s voice is firsthand acquaintance with those who are dying in the Lord. He is fully acquainted in a first-hand way with all of them. The Holy Spirit here has first-hand knowledge of every one of us, and He knows those that die in the Lord. What a comfort! It is a question of what heaven thinks, and what the Spirit of God on earth thinks. If death comes, let us be on the battlefield; let no one repine.
[p. 373] The great apostle, in his second letter to Timothy, says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”. Heaven is delighted with such, and the Holy Spirit on earth, confirming heaven’s voice, says, “Yea ... that they may rest from their labours”.
The next blessedness is very solemn; it is in relation to the kings of the east coming in. It is connected with the Eastern question which has troubled Europe for centuries. We see here that the great river Euphrates will be dried up, in order to prepare the way of the kings of the east, indicating that which is spoken of generally as the ‘yellow peril’. It is only a little while since a kingdom was set up on the mainland of Asia, portending very likely some great domination, but this is not what we are concerned about. We are concerned about something much more serious than the Eastern question, though Europe may well tremble as she thinks about it. For us it is not a question of these hordes coming over the Euphrates. To saints who have garments defiled by the commercial world, by the social world, by the religious world, the Lord says, “I come as a thief”. I speak to any who are careless about these things. You may follow closely the day’s news; but just think there is One coming who has all power, “Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, that he may not walk naked”. It may be that someone here needs that warning. It may be that someone here has garments which flow out and are defiled; that carelessness has set in, and there is no watching. We are to be encouraged by the blessedness of watching. It completely changes the whole aspect of affairs. Political movements are of great account, of course, but the important point is that there is One coming as a thief. Are we watching? This is not a word for one who is dying in the Lord, though he would enjoy it; it is a word for one whose garments are flowing loosely, and who has forgotten that there is One coming “as a thief”.
[p. 374] The next blessedness is regarding the marriage of Christ. That is a most delightful thing. Surely we who love Him think of that moment. “Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb”. What about the Lord’s supper, dear brethren? Does it not accustom us to the idea of the supper of the Lamb? Now is the time of His rejection. The word for ‘Lamb’ in this book is diminutive; it signifies a little lamb — one who is outwardly defenceless, but, though He is outwardly the Lamb, the book indicates His coming glory, with all power. People in the modern world say just what they like about Jesus; men are saying all kinds of derogatory things about Him. In such circumstances the Lord would say to us, “But ye, who do ye say that I am?” — it is a question of testimony. Others are saying enough. What are we saying? We have to look into the matter of who He is, and when we have done so, the next thing is to say it. It is a matter of importance to say who He is. This book and, indeed, all John’s writings testify abundantly as to who He is, but how blessed to be called to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb! Is there anyone here who is indifferent or callous as to that?
Following upon this, He comes out of heaven, with the armies of heaven following Him “upon white horses, clad in white, pure, fine linen. And out of his mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword, that with it he might smite the nations; and he shall shepherd them with an iron rod; and he treads the wine-press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And he has upon his garment, and upon his thigh, a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords”, Revelation 19: 14 - 16. It will be seen then that He has power, when He takes up the reins of government, but here it is the marriage of the Lamb. He has a wife. This should appeal to every one of us. What is His wife like? It is not the idea of a bride coming down; it is a militant chapter; it is the ‘Lamb’ period.
[p. 375] She is His wife — His confidante — one who is trustworthy. Well, do we understand these things? — the outward defencelessness of Christ, and how the world regards Him. It is important that the wife character should be seen in us — the feature that He can trust; for even in christendom it appears today as if the Lord is utterly defenceless, yet He says to those He can trust, “I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee”. What a glorious promise! How it should stimulate this feature of trustworthiness, that He can deposit His precious thoughts, and they will be held carefully and faithfully, and not cast as pearls before swine!
It may be that the Lord is saying to us today, ‘Can I trust you with anything more?’ What will we do with further light if the Lord gives it to us? That is the idea of the wife. The Lord has revived the idea. Whatever He says, we should hold it tenaciously, according to its value. It is like a precious stone, to be treasured. John says here that “it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints”. The plural word indicates the intensity of the thing, that there is a real quantity of righteousness wrought out in us. The Lord says, ‘I will let you wear that on My marriage day’. At the marriage supper of the Lamb all is to be ready. Why should we not develop these things — these righteousnesses — now? I believe these blessednesses are cumulative, and that we shall find in them support for our souls. In the midst of pressure, there will be spiritual buoyancy and happiness.
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection”. Many of us are very much like Martha, all our thoughts of resurrection being limited to the last day. The Lord says, “I am the resurrection and the life” — “I am”. This book stresses who He is. He who is — the present; who was — the past; and who is to come.
[p. 376] Resurrection should be to us a known thing — “raised with him through faith of the working of God who raised him from among the dead”, Colossians 2: 12. The apostle Paul understood the thought of resurrection; he had a sense of what it was to be out of death. The resurrection will be no foreign thing to him; it was no historical feature to Paul, but a present reality. It is this blessedness of which I speak. You have now come to an advanced feature, to the holy realm, to the out-of-death realm. The Lord would accustom us to the thing as we understand the assembly — what it is to be over Jordan.
You will understand that I am endeavouring to link these things together, and I would suggest, in passing, that it is food that enables you to taste the resurrection sphere. In the book of Joshua you have the word “victuals”; energy is necessary in order to obtain it; you get it by hunting. It is very essential to partake of that food if we are to cross the Jordan. It is not an act of mind, it is a question of power in the soul, and for that there must be food. The first resurrection, viewed in this way, is very interesting. It gives access to a holy realm, where we touch association with Christ, being risen with Him.
The next blessedness is somewhat a repetition of the first: “Blessed is he that keeps the words of the prophecy of this book”. It is prefaced with the word, “Behold, I come quickly”. The Lord is, in this last chapter, coming on to assembly ground, not as a thief, but speaking in the ordinary language proper to communicate His thoughts to the assembly. “I come quickly” — it is the love that comes quickly. Though very many centuries have elapsed, love says “quickly”. You may be sure it is perfectly evident why so many centuries have elapsed. However puzzling the application of the word “quickly” may be now, we may be sure that the Lord will be justified in His sayings. He does not need to tell us why [p. 377] so many centuries have passed. There is a very potent reason for it — the long-suffering of God enters into it.
There is blessedness in keeping the sayings of the prophecy. Sayings are detached things; they speak of the person who says them. He will be justified in them, but there is gain in keeping the sayings of Jesus. I have no doubt that if we had accompanied the Lord in His lifetime here we should have known many of His sayings. One of these sayings is quoted in Acts 20: 35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. I suppose the apostle Paul heard of this saying from some of the apostles who heard the Lord Himself say it. He wants us to keep and treasure in our hearts all His sayings. There is food in all this, and it gives us a buoyancy which keeps us above the pressure.
“Blessed are they that wash their robes” — that is the proper rendering of chapter 22: 14. There is nothing more practical than this. No doubt most will have observed that washing is first ascribed to Christ in this book, chapter 1. Again, in chapter 7, there are those who have washed their robes — in the past tense. Here it is “Blessed are they that wash their robes”. That is, they are doing it. If it be one who seeks to walk with us, is it within our right to refuse? I doubt whether we have any right to refuse what is consistent with Christ — only that which is inconsistent. This comes out in the washing, “that they may have right to the tree of life, and that they should go in by the gates into the city”. I am not saying there are not to be doorkeepers; but if the persons prove their right, acquired by the washing of the robes, no true doorkeeper will keep such persons out. It is not simply that they are converted. That is an essential part, of course, but what are they doing now? The man who had his eyes opened by the Lord came immediately, seeing, but the next week the Pharisees talked to him, and he still says, “I see”. The washing of the robes gives access to the tree of life, and [p. 378] to go in by the gates into the city, even though there be angels at the gates. Those who wash can go in directly — it is their right. It is very beautiful, the inherent dignity of one who washes. Let us not be devoid of it. The young people here may need this word. “Let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear”, 2 Corinthians 7: 1.
May the Lord grant us the blessedness of it, that we may be among those who have right to the tree of life, and enter by the gates into the city!