The Beatitudes of Revelation and the Gory Last Days
Bible Study
(Verse 13) We’re about to reach the gory end of this movie trailer. Before we do, we’ll examine the beatitudes of Revelation. This verse gives us the second of the 7 beatitudes of Revelation.
John hears a command directed at him to write what he hears. It doesn’t reveal who gives the command. We only know that it comes from heaven.
This is not just any command. John is asked to write a blessing that will be given to those who die believing in Christ as their Lord and Savior. In other words, anyone who endures patiently to the end believing in Jesus, as reminded in the previous study guide will be greatly rewarded.
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: 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)
In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us the beatitudes for the living. Here Jesus gives us the second of several beatitudes of Revelation that are spread throughout the book. These beatitudes are for the dead. They’re meant to be blessings.
No other book in the Bible has a blessing at the beginning and end of the book, similar to the book of Revelation. Not only that, it has several blessings offered up to those who choose Christ as their Savior.
The book of Revelation is only about God’s plan for unbelievers in the last days. It’s also a book filled with blessings for those who choose Christ.
The 7 Beatitudes of Revelation
| 7 Beatitudes of Revelation |
|---|
| Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:3) |
| Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” (Revelation 14:13) |
| Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed. (Revelation 16:15) |
| Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9) |
| Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6) |
| Look, I an coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll. (Revelation 22:7) |
| Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14) |
| Do not be afraid of what you’re about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. (Revelation 2:10) |
The Harvesting of the Earth
(Verse 14) John feverishly follows the command to write down this beatitude of Revelation. Then he looks up and He sees Christ (one like a son of man) seated on a cloud. He’s wearing a crown. What kind of crown is Jesus is wearing?
There are two types of biblical crowns that we know of in the Greek. The first one is stefanos. This is the victor’s crown spoken of in the early chapters of Revelation. The second is diadem. This is the king’s crown.
In this scene, Jesus is wearing the stefanos, the victor’s crown. He is the rightful heir who has received the right to judge the world. Later, Christ will appear wearing the diadem as He arrives as the King of kings and the Lord of lords in Revelation 19.
Jesus has a sickle in His hand. He is about to harvest the earth. What is the harvest He’s about to reap? We’ll have to wait a moment to gain the answer to that question.
(Verses 15-16) God is the one likely who gives the command to reap the harvest. Just as we’ve seen throughout Revelation, God’s mighty angels who surround the throne give the command given by God to reap.
John sees a very careful separation of the believers from the non-believers in the harvest. Just as a wheat farmer will separate the wheat grain from the chaff, so also will the believers who are in the Tribulation be taken separate from the non-believers.
Harvesting of the Earth’s Unbelievers and the Winepress of God’s Wrath
We’ve seen the grace of God in the beatitudes of Revelation and the blessing upon believers. Now we’ve seen the careful separation of believers taken from those unbelievers who’ll be reserved for the eternal fire.
Now comes the gory ending. If you like scary movies, this movie trailer ending is right up your alley.
(Verses 17-18) John sees another pair of angels. The first is about to reap the harvest of the clusters of grapes. This is a preview of the armies we will see in a few chapters ahead of us. They will gather in the Jezreel Valley as they prepare to march toward Jerusalem. This will be the upcoming Battle of Armageddon.
It’s likely that these “clusters of grapes from the earth’s vines” are another counterfeit display by Satan to mimic God. Just as God has His vine, so also Satan has his. Satan is constantly attempting to copy God in order to be like Him.
(Verse 19) The angel with the sickle will harvest the earth of the armies who’ve come up against God and His people. They will be pressed like grapes in the winepress of God’s wrath.
Both Old Testament prophets, Isaiah and Joel foretold of this harvesting of the earth and winepress of God’s wrath on the wickedness of those who continued to not believe in Christ as the Savior of the world.
“Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing.” (Isaiah 63:2-3)
“Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!” (Joel 3:13)
Defeat of Satan’s Armies
(Verse 20) By the description that is given to John to write, this truly raises the bar on gory movies. It’s almost difficult for the mind to wrap itself around this scene. This is a clear picture of victory for God and a quick and punishing defeat for Satan.
This defeat is going to be so horrendous. John describes the blood from the armies will rise to the level of the horse’s bridle. Not only that, but it will be spread across a 200 mile (1,600 stadia) area. This is hard for the human mind to even fathom.
“Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, Lord!
12 “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.” (Joel 3:11-16)
We’ve now come to the conclusion of the beatitudes of Revelation and the movie preview of what’s to come in the following chapters of Revelation. This also closes out the third and last Interlude. We will now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
If you still haven’t made Christ your Lord and Savior, stay tuned. There’s much more to come that will hopefully scare you into a loving relationship with Christ. There’s still time!
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