And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. –– Revelation 14:13

Every man’s work follows him. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The character one develops now is the same he will carry with him when he is raised from the dead. Jesus states the matter directly in Matthew 12:35-37, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” It is for this reason that the Master advises in his sermon on the mount, “For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

It is not these works, however, to which our text refers. Some activities are begun in this life that do not terminate at death. One dedicates his life to the Lord not merely unto death; that same dedication must carry on in his resurrected life. As Jesus continued his service to God after he was raised from the dead, so must those who follow in his steps. Their work, however, carries a new dimension. What they could only do but poorly in imperfect human bodies they will be able to accomplish completely in the perfect bodies of the spirit.

Things that could only be prophesied by the Church in the flesh can be accomplished by the Church in the spirit. In the Messianic Kingdom, there will be a large number of responsibilities in bringing man to perfection which could only be predicted in the present life. These works will await all the resurrected saints — from Stephen, the first martyr, to the last member of this elect body.

Specific Works

While these works are important, they are not the ones spoken of in our text. The scripture under consideration restricts itself to a class who die in the Lord “from henceforth” — the “blessed dead.”

The Bible speaks of various kinds of death. For instance, Jesus once said, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8:22). Here it is those who are under the Adamic sentence of death who bury those who have physically died. So, in our text, “Blessed are the dead which die,” we have two kinds of death. Those who commit themselves to die a sacrificial death must actually carry out that compact through the process of physically dying.

It is of this class that the Apostle Paul writes, “If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:11,12). All of those who make and carry out a pledge to lay down their lives with Christ at the present time are part of this class.

But those spoken of in our text are even more limited. They are not only those who die in the Lord, but those who do so “from henceforth.”

The word “henceforth” is a contextual word. It requires us to go back to the previous actions in the prophecy and determine the time element. In the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, after describing the 144,000 companions of the Lord on Mount Zion, a series of angelic messages is given. These messages include “the everlasting gospel” (v. 6); the “fall of Babylon” (v. 8); and the pronouncement of judgment on those who worship “the beast and his image” (vs. 9-11). It is from the time that these messages are delivered that the “henceforth” of our verse applies.

One of the beauties of truth that many rejoice in today is the knowledge that God’s Kingdom is for all mankind. The truth of the original Abrahamic promise, “In thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” is again being publicly proclaimed as it has not been for centuries. This is “the everlasting gospel” (see Galatians 3:8). Likewise, the fall of the great false religious system called “Babylon” in Revelation and the attendant judgment on its worshippers is being widely trumpeted in our day. If we are living in the days of these three messages, we are living in the days of “the blessed dead” of our text.

Resurrection Begins

The Bible speaks of two resurrections of the dead — that of the Church of Christ to spiritual life and immortality and that of the rest of the world to human perfection on the earth. The raising of the Church precedes that of mankind. Speaking of his return to the earth, Jesus said it would be to receive his Church unto himself where he is (John 14:3).

It is this resurrection that is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

The manner of this raising is further described in 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Since the messages referred to in the early parts of Revelation 14 can be seen as current events, then this resurrection work must also be in progress. This would mean that the “works” which follow are works unique to this portion of the Church.

The Work of the Present Time

The present work of the Church (both in heaven and on earth) is a transitional one. It includes the judgments spoken of in the early parts of Revelation 14, the fall of Babylon, and the judgment on those who worship the false religious system known as “the beast and his image.” One of the prophecies being fulfilled during our day is “the time of trouble” such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 12:1). This work is ascribed to the Church of Christ in at least two scriptures:

• “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 149:6-9).
• “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (Revelation 2:26,27).

Yet, despite these commissions, the Church on earth is to be pacifist in nature. They are not to take part in the dissolution process of the current world order. Still, they are given credit for its destruction.

The Example of Jeremiah

This might be illustrated in the life of the prophet Jeremiah. He was given a clear commission by God, “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). His carrying out of this commission is detailed later in the book, “For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me” (Jeremiah 25:15-17).

In the [subsequent] verses there is a list of some 22 kings to whom he is to give this “cup” of God’s fury. In fact, he does not make any nation to drink but only prophesies that these nations shall become dominated by the king of Babylon. Yet Jeremiah is credited for doing the action. Thus, it has been with the Church of Christ. They prophesy the word of the Lord concerning the fall of the present world order and, without lifting a finger in the actual destructive process, are given credit for having accomplished it.

The Work Beyond

While the Church on earth is not to take part in this tearing down activity, it does not mean they never shall. A great battle is going on in the heavens. It is described vividly in Revelation 19. There the returned Lord is pictured on a “white horse” doing battle with the forces of evil. The message of the Church on earth, which they give now concerning the transition time at hand between “the present evil world” and “the world to come, wherein dwelleth righteousness,” will be supplemented with the privilege of participating with their Lord in the actual work of removing outdated systems and replacing them with the new world order of Jesus Christ and his elect Church (2 Peter 3:12,13).

Greater Works

This, however, is the negative side of the picture. As every cloud has its silver lining, so the clouds of trouble, which bring an end to this present evil order are lined with the bright promises of a kingdom of righteousness which lie beyond.

Jesus spoke of these greater works in John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Jesus is here talking about the marvelous miracles and healings which he accomplished at his first advent. He is comparing these with “greater works” which would follow and be accomplished by the one believing on him.

Herein lies the beauty of “the works which follow” in our theme text. Now saints can proclaim his coming kingdom. It will be their privilege, when resurrected, to participate in the wonderful work of that kingdom — raising all the dead who have ever died back to life, healing all their diseases, instructing the resurrected human race in the laws of righteousness, and assisting all people to return to the perfection once enjoyed in the original creation.

Compared to the hundreds Jesus healed, participation in making all the blind to see, all the deaf to hear, and all the lame to walk (Isaiah 35:5,6) will be a “greater work.” The bringing back of billions of humanity from the tomb will be far greater than the temporary raising of Lazarus and the son of the widow of Nain by Jesus. The producing of five hundred converts (1 Corinthians 15:6) will pale when compared with the work of educating all of mankind in God’s laws.

Preparation

These are works that “follow after.” Therefore, these are works which must begin in the present life. The present is merely a preparation for that which is to follow, much as schooling prepares a person for his chosen profession. By noting how Jesus was trained and prepared for his future work, we get a glimpse of how the Church is to be trained to work with him. Two texts relate the work after his resurrection to his training before:

“Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17,18).

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15,16).

It is incumbent on the Church in the flesh, therefore, to learn all the lessons that the present life presents so that they are trained to be part of the great “priesthood” of the future (Revelation 20:6). If they are faithful in learning these lessons, what a glorious future awaits them.

–– The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom 1996/6