Good Morning Friends,
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say,
‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the
Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’”
(Revelation 14:13)
For most people, death is their greatest
fear. It is fearful because it is unknown. No one can see past death to what is
beyond. We can’t visit the other side for a while to satisfy our doubts. We have
to accept what is said about life after death by faith. It is fearful because
this life and this world are all we know and it’s hard to release what we know
to enter into what we don’t know.
One of the purposes of Revelation is to
provide confidence as we face death. Revelation paints picture after picture of
difficult times that either Christians were facing then or that were coming in
the years ahead. There is a dragon, beasts, and all kinds of sufferings. The
prospect of these future things brings great fear and uncertainty about how
they can be handled. Christians will be tortured and killed by those who fight
against God and His people.
But, Revelation goes beyond just painting a
picture of the difficulties that lie ahead. Revelation also paints beautiful
pictures of the confidence with which we can face those sufferings: not even
the worst that can be done to us, not even death, brings real defeat.
Instead of defeat, for the Christian, death brings
blessing, it brings victory. For those who follow the Lord, death is a
blessing. Beyond death is rest and reward.
We don’t have to be afraid of our greatest
fear. God has promised blessing for us beyond death. We can live -- and die --
in that confidence!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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